gilltech Posted August 12, 2021 Share Posted August 12, 2021 That's the one. From memory it's a double plate with the recessed bolts. As you suggest, it's not very refined... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
77260Z Posted September 12, 2021 Author Share Posted September 12, 2021 I got to spend a bit more time on the Zed recently and made some more progress. I dropped the gearbox and pulled the clutch. I'd actually ordered a new clutch but the engine had a fairly new Exedy clutch fitted so I decided to refit the Exedy one. The kit came with a new throwout bearing and spigot bushing so I changed the throwout bearing on the clutch fork and replaced the spigot bush while I had access. I didn't have a bush puller so I used a little trick that I read on a Skyline forum to remove this - essentially the same as the grease trick however using wet toilet paper instead. I was a little dubious at first (sounds like a classic stitch up) but it actually worked a treat. It had the added bonus that the TP collected a lot of the extra grease in the cavity and was much nicer to clean up. So at this point I had everything ready to put the entire driveline back together, which felt like another big step towards getting this thing back on the road. Clutch and gearbox went back together surprisingly easily. The only slightly tricky part was the rear driveshaft bolts where there isn't much access room above the rear swaybar. The focus was then on the engine and getting this built up and ready to go. I made some good progress and got the following done: front main seal replaced and air conditioning main pulley installed new water pump installed new thermostat housing, thermostat and temperature sensor installed headers installed (waiting on new studs & hardware to finish this install) alternator installed starter motor installed And finally, after most of the major engine work was done, the bonnet, front fenders, headlight buckets and cowl panel were installed. It's finally starting to look like a car again (albeit a very dusty one). gilltech, 240ZBUILTBYME, Ponyo240z and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CroS13 Posted September 16, 2021 Share Posted September 16, 2021 Great update mate! Cant wait to see her driving again. Are you doing the wiring harness again from scratch? Or is that a aftermarket universal kit? Rudi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
77260Z Posted February 7, 2022 Author Share Posted February 7, 2022 On 9/17/2021 at 8:49 AM, CroS13 said: Great update mate! Cant wait to see her driving again. Are you doing the wiring harness again from scratch? Or is that a aftermarket universal kit? Rudi. Thanks mate - me neither. Feels like I'm getting closer now! The wiring kit was an 'Aeroflow 21 Circuit Universal Wiring Harness 21 Fuse 12V (AF49-1502)'. Pretty happy with it so far - a few wires that aren't required but they're easy enough just to tuck into the loom. It's nice to have some spares if required in the future for stuff like thermo fans too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
77260Z Posted February 7, 2022 Author Share Posted February 7, 2022 Late last year the folks moved house, and so did the Zed. A fair bit of time and effort has gone into setting up the shed at the new place, but I've still had a bit of time to get a few things done. The plus side is that I've moved back to Brisbane, and the Zed is now a bit closer than it previously was so I'm hoping I'll be able to make some good progress and get it back on the road this year. The next step is to get the engine all put back together and get it running and driving so that I can drive it on and off the trailer to get the interior work completed (I'm not going to do this myself). If anyone has any good recommendations for interior work in Brisbane please let me know! I bought a full interior kit from the Z Car Source in the US to make this part of the process easier. Engine work completed since last update: Carbs and intake stripped and vapour blasted along with the valve cover Carbs rebuilt and reinstalled - need to finalise the vacuum lines. The balance tube is off an L28 so has a lot of emissions ports that are not required Fuel rail cleaned up Bluetooth 123 Tune+ Distributor and new ignition leads Next step is to finish off the fuel system, the vacuum lines on the intake, hook up the engine bay wiring with a new battery and see if it starts! sexual_sushi, Oliphips and gilltech 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
77260Z Posted February 24, 2022 Author Share Posted February 24, 2022 (edited) Big milestone! I was able to start it up last weekend and it ran and idled well. The 123 Tune Bluetooth distributor was actually very easy to set up. I haven't tried playing around with the tuning or advance settings on it yet but seems good so far. Also got myself a red top Optima battery. I've been working to get the cooling system sorted so that I'll be able to tune it up in the not too distant future. The radiator and the fan have now been installed (though I may upgrade to an aluminium radiator and an electric fan in the future). I also sorted out the PCV system - I added a Mishimoto mini oil catch can from the crankcase and valve cover that's plumbed back into the balance tube. The wiring is very roughly done at the moment - I just hooked up enough that I could start it. Next steps: Tidy up engine bay wiring and install a maxi blade fuse block for the alternator and starter wiring to replace the fusible links Connect final radiator & heater hoses and fill with coolant Connect choke cables and tune the SU's Complete headlight wiring mod to add relays for high beam and low beam so the power doesn't run through the switch Edited February 24, 2022 by 77260Z rubberman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
77260Z Posted August 4, 2022 Author Share Posted August 4, 2022 Quick update, I've slowly been getting things ticked off. I installed a maxi blade fuse block to replace the fusible links and finished off the engine bay wiring including headlight relays. Also installed LED headlights - I'm fairly happy with how they look and they should provide much better light than the stock headlights. They also have indicators and day-time running lights built in. Finally I got the tail lights cleaned up and including the surrounds and polished the old lenses up as well as I could, I thought they came out pretty well. Next steps: Bleed clutch and brakes so it can actually move under it's own power Tune the SU's & adjust timing Finalise dash wiring and mount new fuse box Begin interior fit-out (sound deadening, dash, etc) - most of the interior I think i'll get done professionally. If anyone has any contacts or suggestions for interior in the Brisbane area please let me know! OdinZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestoZ Posted August 4, 2022 Share Posted August 4, 2022 Out of interest, where did you source the headlights from? I'm looking at something similar for my rebuild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
77260Z Posted August 5, 2022 Author Share Posted August 5, 2022 12 hours ago, RestoZ said: Out of interest, where did you source the headlights from? I'm looking at something similar for my rebuild. I was going to go with STEDI as I got the other LED lights from there (STEDI™ 7 Inch Carbon Black Pair LED Headlight pair with DRL | Kit) but ended up giving these ones a shot as they were $150 instead of $400 7 Inch LED Headlights to suit Nissan Patrol GQ / Holden H series / Jee (demonproparts.com.au) They needed some very slight modification to the headlight backing (some notching shown below and drilling out the hole to fit the connector) but overall fairly straightforward. OdinZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestoZ Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 On 8/12/2021 at 6:42 PM, gilltech said: That's the one. From memory it's a double plate with the recessed bolts. As you suggest, it's not very refined... I have one of these on the 77 2+2 I am currently restoring. Apparently they were installed at the factory on later cars to address a "clunk" and/or vibration coming from the diff/rear end. They also fitted them after sales if the customer complained of a clunk or vibration end the rear. They are referred to as a diff counterbalance. Don't know how effective they are, but from what I have read it seems the main issue was with the automatics, but mine (and a number of the other contributors to this information) is and has always been a manual. So mine probably added as a result of a complaint after sales. Hope that clears it up. Cheers Paul 77260Z 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestoZ Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 12 hours ago, 77260Z said: I was going to go with STEDI as I got the other LED lights from there (STEDI™ 7 Inch Carbon Black Pair LED Headlight pair with DRL | Kit) but ended up giving these ones a shot as they were $150 instead of $400 7 Inch LED Headlights to suit Nissan Patrol GQ / Holden H series / Jee (demonproparts.com.au) They needed some very slight modification to the headlight backing (some notching shown below and drilling out the hole to fit the connector) but overall fairly straightforward. Thanks Luke, will check them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
77260Z Posted August 7, 2022 Author Share Posted August 7, 2022 A few little things completed today, new brake light switch and installing a new clutch master and slave (forgot to take photos). Main thing really though was just cleaning up and getting it back on its wheels. Exciting that it’s starting to look like a car again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
77260Z Posted December 4, 2022 Author Share Posted December 4, 2022 (edited) A bit has been happening in the background but I've slack on posting so this one is a big one. It was time for suspension to be done, and after removing the struts from the car I found 3 out of 4 shocks were leaking - I guess that's what happens when you have a project span the better part of a decade. I wanted to do the wheel bearings at this point as well for peace of mind so I figured why not go the whole hog and do the coilover installation instead of replacing shocks, so it was one and done and I wouldn't have to touch the suspension / brakes again. After a fair bit of research I landed on MCA coilovers. They're Australian based (in Brisbane like I am) with a good reputation and local support. I went with the 'Pro Sport' option for a good mix of street performance without being too harsh. I removed the front and rear struts from the car and stripped them down. I had an absolute nightware with one side rear spindle pin on the LCA - I broke a few homemade spindle pin pullers before biting the bullet and resorting to the hacksaw blade method to cut the pin. After receiving the order from MCA, I took them to a local fabricator in Ipswich (OTB Performance & Fabrication) and they cut and welded the coilovers to the struts. I was pretty happy with the welding and the finish (they were TIG welded) and after some paint on the bare metal surfaces I fitted the fronts to the car. I then went about doing the rears including cleaning and painting the LCA's and installing new wheel studs and wheel bearings in the rear hubs. And finally installed the caliper adapter to be able to fit up the 280zx rear disc brake conversion. I rebuilt the calipers and I'm just waiting on new rotors to arrive to fit these up. Also picked up some Z32 300ZX calipers for the front - they're a big upgrade from the stock front calipers. Photo for comparison: Waiting for the caliper adaptors to turn up from the US to fit these up and will also need to modify some rotors so that they will all fit up properly (increasing the centrebore and redrilling for the 260Z mounting pattern on the hubs). I have a 1" MC ready to go on for the brake upgrade as well. Looking forward to fitting these up and getting it back on the ground! Got some new wheels that I think will really set the car off. 15x8" mini lites. 0 offset on the front and -8 on the rear so will be interesting fitment wise. Finally, something that I've been eyeing off ever since I started looking at Zed's is the 'JDM' style exhaust. I picked one up from Z Story recently and have mocked it up on the car, but still need to make an adaptor piece between the headers and the exhaust system for it to be complete. Edited December 4, 2022 by 77260Z Removing doubled up photo gilltech, JDM-TOY and 240ZBUILTBYME 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240ZBUILTBYME Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 Go Luke Go! 77260Z 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
77260Z Posted July 24, 2023 Author Share Posted July 24, 2023 Long time between updates, again. I bought a house a few months ago so that has been taking up the vast majority of my time & resources but I have been trying to progress a few things in the background. Front and rear wheel bearings have been replaced with new. I managed to find a machine shop to machine the front brake rotors (DBA DBA42355S for a Lotus Elise) to the correct centre bore (81.0mm) and PCD (4x103.0mm, 10.5mm holes) - this wasn't easy, quite a few machine shops won't touch automotive stuff. I used the milkfab caliper adaptors for the Z32 (26mm) calipers - Z32 Front Caliper Adapters - Datsun 240Z/260Z/280Z (milkfab-engineering.com). Due to using the 26mm versions of the calipers and different rotors I had to use custom spacers. The adaptors come with 8mm spacers, but I found that 5mm spacers were perfect to centre the caliper on the rotor. Before hooking up the brake lines and sorting out the rear discs, I wanted to get it back on its wheels and rolling so we could install a hoist in the shed. Turns out the Superlite wheels I bought are for later Nissan's and have a 66.1mm centrebore, not the 73.1mm CB to suit the 260Z. The wheels fit well on the rear but will need to be bored out for the fronts. I also found that with the bump steer spacer / roll centre adjuster that the steering tie rod hit on the inside of the wheels, so these needed to be removed. Was great to see it back on wheels and rolling again. Also allowed some space to install the hoist which will come in very handy! C.A.R., 240ZBUILTBYME and OdinZ 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatoKid Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 Good colour choice! 77260Z 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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