Administrators gav240z Posted March 14, 2015 Author Administrators Share Posted March 14, 2015 So I sent back 1 of my Rally Clock's and Oscillator boxes to Ron along with 4 standard Jeco clocks. 1 Rally Clock for some reason has stopped working. The other Oscillator was running a little slow, loosing about 5 mins every hour. So overnight would loose about 30 mins or so. Ron warned me that sometimes these clocks don't like to be woken up after years or lying dormant. Just another reason the later Calendar clocks are probably a better option for those wanting the same experience but less failure points. Anyway the plan is to refurbish the standard clocks. But 1 thing I found was this: Note: The serial numbers on the back? Reskinned dash 71 = 1061J 72 240z (my red 240z in Melbourne) = 1121J HS30 00150 = 0096 Rough Dashboard (got this free) = Unknown - was already wrapped up. I suspect it was a 71 240z because the temp gauge delimiters are what I see on early cars. I asked Ron, it seems these numbers were internal to Jeco only, they don't seem to have any significant meaning outside of that. But I figure if it's documented here maybe 1 day we'll figure it out? So I'm in 2 minds about the clock for HS30 00150, on the 1 hand I'm thinking I'll preserve the original motor mechanism and refurbish it, I also would kind of like to preserve the original code stamped on the back. Mainly because it's part of the car and part's history, all those years ago it was stamped. On the other hand it won't be seen and it's better to have it working than restored to original and failing again in the future? The other thing is for the most part I'll be running the Rally Clock anyway.. So perhaps over thinking it? I've gone from Rat Rod build to meticulous preservation of early 240z. - yeah I know... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brabham Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 How much does it cost to rebuild a standard Jeco clock Gav. I'm sure he'd never run out of Z clocks to rebuild because they always stop working lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators gav240z Posted March 15, 2015 Author Administrators Share Posted March 15, 2015 How much does it cost to rebuild a standard Jeco clock Gav. I'm sure he'd never run out of Z clocks to rebuild because they always stop working lol Don't know yet, depends if you send a good core. All of mine have some imperfection (except for the HS30 00150 clock), in that the bezels are cracked from hamfisted owners, the glass is broken in some way, internally rusted (the donor dash I got from sitting in weather) etc.. So I guess it will depend on work required. If you replace the mechanism with a Quartz movement, it should be far more reliable than the original design which was subject to dust / dirt / contamination (in the automotive environment) and which is what kills them. I plan to restore all 4 clocks and offer 2 for sale on an exchange / core charge basis with owners. Since I have a surplus I figure why not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brabham Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Good idea Gav, keep us posted. Are you converting the clocks to a quartz movement or keeping them original? I suspect I may require his services some time in the future, where is zclocks based? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators gav240z Posted March 16, 2015 Author Administrators Share Posted March 16, 2015 Good idea Gav, keep us posted. Are you converting the clocks to a quartz movement or keeping them original? I suspect I may require his services some time in the future, where is zclocks based? Cheers I'm definitely converting 3 of them to Quartz movement, the 4th from HS30 00150 I'm not sure about yet. I might keep it original and failure prone . Ron is located in California (just outside of LA). However if you have a 260z (74 model excluded) your clock might be different to the earlier JECO clocks. We have a repair guide in the interior section of the forum for 260z clocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators gav240z Posted April 1, 2015 Author Administrators Share Posted April 1, 2015 So a small update on HS30 00150 clock. What usually stops a 240z clock (apart from owners tampering with them trying to get them to work) is grease and grime that builds up on the clock motor gears. In an automotive environment there seems to be lots of dust which unfortunately is what seems to have killed my clocks. You may recall that I decided to keep HS30 00150's clock original rather than replace the mechanism with a QUARTZ movement, I did this for posterity but also because I plan to run the Rally Clock most of the time and keep the original clock as a just in case... I originally opened the clock for my 72 240z to have a sticky beak, but didn't see anything obvious. Well Ron showed me that under a microscope you can see a whole lot more. I figured I'd share them here for anyone who wants to attempt to fix their clock. It only takes a very small amount of contaminants to stop the clock as you can see. This is what he told me about the clock after cleaning it up. OEM clock, 00150 I think you should gold plate this clock and keep it on your shelf! Since it was cleaned and adjusted it has been is running as good as my shop quartz clock. I put the mechanism on the test bench while working on all of it's other parts and after 4 days it was installed in the OEM housing. It is now completed and keeping perfect time. I don't think I have ever seen a 240 clock keep this level of accuracy. I was a bit unsure about keeping it original internally as opposed to going QUARTZ movement, but now that he told me that I'm glad I kept it original. Out of all 4 clocks I had, this clock looked like the only 1 that hadn't been handled in a ham-fisted manner, in fact I don't think it had ever been removed from the dashboard until I got my grubby hands on it. To fix your 240z clock (if you're game to try), try using isopropyl alcohol to clean the gear assembly and remove all traces of previous contaminants, Ron tells me he uses a marine grade grease/lubricant on certain areas of the clock assembly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CroS13 Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 so how i interpret that is: Spray the crap out of it with brake cleaner then blast it with the air gun! (seems legit, brake cleaner has a hundred uses) Rudolf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators gav240z Posted May 28, 2015 Author Administrators Share Posted May 28, 2015 Co-incedentally I found & ordered a calendar clock for my "late-girl" 260z last week. Much more affordable than those two knob jobs! Must learn how to search the Japanese sites. I don't know if you've spent time restoring this already? But the feedback I've had from Ron regarding the Niles clock is that they are not the best. This is what he basically said. I forgot to mention that the later calendar clock made by NILES, the one that had the green numbers, is one you might steer away from. We didn't have the NILES clock in the US cars and were imports only. The only ones i've see were from Canada and AU. I've only worked on 3 and 1 was hopeless. The clock is very hard to work on and there are three parts that are no longer available, no substitutes, and were unique to NILES only. It is a quartz clock that is has everything in the clock and a motor that runs 24/7. The other problem is the clock motor is very noisy. In my opinion the best clock in terms of reliability and price is the Calendar Clock. Very quiet and no failure prone oscillator. I also prefer the look of the earlier clocks to the later Niles unit. I've seen the Niles ones cheap on Yahoo! Auctions and was tempted to buy 1, but not anymore . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sydney mike Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 I did get Ron to restore mine and it's in the car. After fitting it to the car, it ran fast for about half a day and then kept good time. It's fluctuating now because my battery is 7 years old and I basically charge it the day before I plan to drive it, just too busy to get a new one. (Hence flat battery at Rudi's wedding) Whether the Niles clock is any good didn't matter to me because my Zed, being a late model needed this particular model to match the numbers font with the rest of my gauges. Here's a pic of my clock after the resto, love it: I don't know if you've spent time restoring this already? But the feedback I've had from Ron regarding the Niles clock is that they are not the best. This is what he basically said. In my opinion the best clock in terms of reliability and price is the Calendar Clock. Very quiet and no failure prone oscillator. I also prefer the look of the earlier clocks to the later Niles unit. I've seen the Niles ones cheap on Yahoo! Auctions and was tempted to buy 1, but not anymore . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators gav240z Posted May 28, 2015 Author Administrators Share Posted May 28, 2015 Fair enough Ron did an awesome job and it looks great! Is it loud? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sydney mike Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 All I can hear are my triple 45's Fair enough Ron did an awesome job and it looks great! Is it loud? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PB260Z Posted May 28, 2015 Moderators Share Posted May 28, 2015 It's fluctuating now because my battery is 7 years old and I basically charge it the day before I plan to drive it, just too busy to get a new one. (Hence flat battery at Rudi's wedding) Hi Mike Grab a battery saver - it may not solve the old battery problem, but it ensurs that your battery is always charged and will last much longer than if just left sitting. I use them on my bikes 10/10 http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/online-store/products/Projecta-Battery-Charger-12-Volt-900mA.aspx?pid=292784#Recommendations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators gav240z Posted July 17, 2015 Author Administrators Share Posted July 17, 2015 4. Ok, so I got a couple of spoilers for the car also a couple of weeks back. Very much a period piece, it was used on the Works racers back in the day. [/img] According to this page. http://jdm-car-parts.com/collections/body-exterior-parts-nissan-fairlady-z-240z-260z-280z-280zx/products/nismo-type-front-spoiler-for-datsun-240z-260z Back in early 70s', Nissan offered this type spoiler only to NISMO authorized racing teams and shops in Japan. I don't know how true this is, sadly I sold my 1 to someone who desperately wanted it thinking I'd find another. But as of yet, not found another. Well until now . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I quite like that spoiler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riceburner Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I sold mine to Dale, perhaps you could make a mould from that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS30-H Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 According to this page. http://jdm-car-parts.com/collections/body-exterior-parts-nissan-fairlady-z-240z-260z-280z-280zx/products/nismo-type-front-spoiler-for-datsun-240z-260z Back in early 70s', Nissan offered this type spoiler only to NISMO authorized racing teams and shops in Japan. I've got great respect for Jay Ataka of JDM Car Parts, but sometimes his knowledge of the Sports Options and race parts is not really up to snuff. Two problems with his statement: 'NISMO' didn't exist by that name until 1982, when Nissan's in-house race divisions and the standalone Nissan Omori "factory" were realigned to form a 'new' division. Previously Nissan's in-house race departments had been known as 'Nissan Sports' and various other monikers, and the selling of the race option and sports option parts was spread around a bit too much. With the formation of NISMO the idea was to rationalise and centralise as much of this as possible. Nitpicking I know, but why refer to 'NISMO' in a time period when 'NISMO' was a Telex address? Second problem is that no such spoiler can be seen in any of Nissan's 'Sports Option' or race option lists and catalogues for the S30-series Z. So if Nissan were selling it, how were they marketing it? Was it some kind of secret? No, the answer is that it's in fact an aftermarket part based on something originally made by a company other than Nissan themselves. It's very similar to an item sold in the early 1970s by Scuderia Nissan (despite their name, nothing to do with Nissan) who were racing a few S30-series Zs and had a thriving FRP parts business. My guess is that Scuderia Nissan may have been the original authors of the design, but it's been copied and copied and copied for the best part of 45 years since then... gav240z 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators gav240z Posted January 21, 2016 Author Administrators Share Posted January 21, 2016 I hadn't realised it was 6 months since the last update. I was going to wait, but there is some news to share. When I was in Melbourne I dropped my E31 head down to Les Collins workshop (Stewart Wilkins is very busy - hence going interstate). The cylinder head has some corrosion in the combustion chamber from sitting 20 years. So the cost to refurbish the head is a little bit higher than expected the chambers will require some re-welding and repair, but... since it was the E31 I decided to go ahead rather than use an N42 or later cylinder head. On an early girl it just feels a bit more 'correct'. I am fully aware for the most part it's just a casting number. Camshaft specification is likely to be standard A-grind or a mild cam to suit induction (SUs). This way I'll retain standard rockers, lash pads etc..Cam towers will be changed from external oil bar lubrication to internally lubed camshaft and towers to suit. I still haven't fully decided on the block, but I think I'm going to use an L24 block also (even if it won't strictly be matching numbers). I have a spare L24 crank from my 72 240z and 2 L28 cranks (2.6ltr) laying around. Not sure if I'll give her the slight bump yet. I am doing this to stick to a sensible budget, rather than modify while it's apart. For those wondering yes, there is good reason for sticking to a budget which will eventually come to light, but for now it's an Auszcar secret. Benefits of staying stock are, cheaper to rebuild, I can retain the SUs rather than "need" triples along with the standard airbox and I think it will set a good baseline if I do hot her up in future. Also a standard motor will be easier to drive, so my partner can also drive it relatively easily. I forgot that driving an S30z is not quite as easy as modern cars and I think this will be a good way of getting her comfortable driving an older car. Finally I opted to go for water jet blasting on the cylinder head and valve cover after seeing a couple of P90s with the treatment down at the shop I thought the finish was awesome and not too much "hot line bling". In other news, the tafe course should resume a couple of weeks into February so I should be able to get cracking on the body again. This years build moto is to outsource a few more jobs and get the project moving along faster. Sirpent, scott, jeff43 and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirpent Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Good to see progress Gav, the cover looks like it just came off the production line, well done ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Looks fantastic Gav. Water blasting does the job well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators gav240z Posted January 22, 2016 Author Administrators Share Posted January 22, 2016 Looks fantastic Gav. Water blasting does the job well. I like it because it gives it a very plain like new finish. I remember when Adam's Brown Hornet was done and I saw how he opted for the flat alloy look I really liked it. I think James at MIA Engines in DeeWhy had used a scotch bright pad to get that finish on it. The water blasting is a little more bright than the dull look of Adam's valve cover. Ultimately I think you can have too much bling. This is a bit more understated. The finish looks even better in person! I am anxious to see the cylinder head with it also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cozza Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Good to hear things are moving along Gav, it's easy to lose enthusiasm on the big projects. Do you have a dead line in mind, or more along the lines of "when it's done, it's done" The water jet blasting finish looks great, does the cover in that photo have a sealer on it? Do you think carbs (Webers) could be treated with it? How much does it cost? And finally, any idea on where this service is available in Sydney? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theremm Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Did you consider using your LD28 crank to stroke out to 2.7L as a possible build scenario? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators gav240z Posted January 22, 2016 Author Administrators Share Posted January 22, 2016 Good to hear things are moving along Gav, it's easy to lose enthusiasm on the big projects. Do you have a dead line in mind, or more along the lines of "when it's done, it's done" The water jet blasting finish looks great, does the cover in that photo have a sealer on it? Do you think carbs (Webers) could be treated with it? How much does it cost? And finally, any idea on where this service is available in Sydney? Yeah tell me about it, that's why I am willing to outsource more work. I have plenty of work cut out for me without trying to do it all. Deadline, well I originally bought it off eBay thinking I could get it running and slap it together as a rat rod, that was before discovering the seized up motor and the rust spots. Last year I couldn't attend the Tafe classes from mid-end year for a combination of reasons. So that set me 6 months behind. I just hope by the end of the year I have a lot more to show than the end of last. Let's put it that way. I don't believe it has any sealer on the cover, my understanding of the water jet blasting is that any oil leaks can easily be wiped up unlike the standard finish where it can impregnate itself into the surface. It sounded good to me, hence the reason I went with it. We will see if it works in practice though. I am pretty sure Peter Mac posted a photo of some Mikuni's that had been blasted, don't see what harm it would do. Gotta be better than other solutions! Between the head and the cover it was about $200 (so $100 each). I don't know anyone in Sydney I'm afraid. Did you consider using your LD28 crank to stroke out to 2.7L as a possible build scenario? Not sure if you will take this the wrong way, but this is exactly the kind of thinking I am trying to avoid. I am even keeping the stock valve sizes in the E31 head. Why? Because every modification has a knock on effect. If I increase the valves I have to do port work, if I do port work I may as well install a different camshaft, a different camshaft and I need Triples. It's a cascading effect. The LD28 would be wasted in the L24 block anyhow, I can get it to 2.7ltr without it. Using a regular L26/L28 crank with an overbore. LD28 cranks are expensive and hard to find, L26/L28 ones you literally have to give away. I'm trying to recycle any parts I have, so I guess it may depend on which crank is in the best shape (L24/L26/L28). If I keep the LD28 crank it would be to build a big 3.1ltr with triples etc.. andyk_79 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theremm Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Not sure if you will take this the wrong way, but this is exactly the kind of thinking I am trying to avoid. I am even keeping the stock valve sizes in the E31 head. Why? Because every modification has a knock on effect. If I increase the valves I have to do port work, if I do port work I may as well install a different camshaft, a different camshaft and I need Triples. It's a cascading effect. The LD28 would be wasted in the L24 block anyhow, I can get it to 2.7ltr without it. Using a regular L26/L28 crank with an overbore. LD28 cranks are expensive and hard to find, L26/L28 ones you literally have to give away. I'm trying to recycle any parts I have, so I guess it may depend on which crank is in the best shape (L24/L26/L28). If I keep the LD28 crank it would be to build a big 3.1ltr with triples etc.. Fair enough. The L24 with LD28 crank just intrigues me, as a way to maximise displacement whilst retaining original bore size i.e still allowing the possibility for the motor to be returned to stock if desired. I guess if it is not your original L24 then it doesn't really matter however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.A.R. Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Fair enough. The L24 with LD28 crank just intrigues me, as a way to maximise displacement whilst retaining original bore size i.e still allowing the possibility for the motor to be returned to stock if desired. I guess if it is not your original L24 then it doesn't really matter however. If you think a LD28 crank in a L24 is something, LCR is building 'CBRJeff' on here a L24 based 3ltr - 85.5mm bore, with a 89mm stroke crank! CBR Jeff 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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