HS30-00019

[Enzo]

 

 

 

Hi George,

                 The car is looking great. Keep up the good work.

Instead of a baking oven, get a work light platform with the 100 watt halogen lights. Standard one from Bunnings will do the trick. (Less than $100). They put out great heat. Good for working in the garage in winter and heating up objects.

I recently used mine to heat up an engine block after I had painted the insides with red Glyptol paint. I placed the light close to the block and couldn't believe how hot it got. Baked the paint nicely.

Regards

David.

 

2 Light stand from Bunnings. Bit hard to see, but you will get the idea.

 

 

Edited June 23, 2017 by Enzo

[Cozza]

+1 for baking oven.

I moved my kitchen oven to the shed after we did a kitchen reno.

[George]

David,

 

That's an excellent idea. I have a couple of those lights. Will give it a go next time. Thanks!

 

 

Mick,

 

We're doing a kitchen reno next year and the old oven will be put to good use.

[Brabham]

Hey George,

 

Looking good. Another option is to take those kind of gloss black parts down to Advanced blasting in Brookvale who will blast them and paint them in gloss black epoxy for reasonable prices. I highly recommend them. Keep at it and don't rush it.

 

Cheers

[Agno]

+1 for the mini-suns/halogen spotlights, just don't knock them because those bulbs break easily when they are hot!

[andyk_79]

I'm sure a lot of us can relate to your reflections George.  I know I personally have an infinte supply of reasons up my sleeve for why I have not got my car sorted yet.  I love seeing updates to your car and I'm certian it will be a cracker.

[George]

 

 

 

Distractions

 

Around the time winter set in I realised the only way to get this car finished in under 10 years was to get rid of all my distractions. With that in mind, I bought an MX5...

 

Bear with me now. My logic is sound. I purchased a huge distraction to get rid of all my distractions... It makes sense if you think about it. No, wait, I had that backwards. It makes sense if you don't think about it. Just don't think about it. Buy a car over the phone without inspecting it, with only half a dozen small blurry images to go off, and fly interstate to drive it 850km's home. Take that distractions!

 

 

 

So now that I have less distractions it is time to work on the... MX5?

 

Baseline

 

There's something thoroughly enjoyable about baptising a new-old car. I don't dunk it in water though and there's very little scripture babble going on. Instead, all oils are changed out and some cursing might occur. I was lucky with this car as all previous servicing had been done by the book and stamped in the book. The service book that is, not The Book.

 

It didn't take long to go over the whole car and I had quickly run out of things to repair. Ironically it is the complete opposite situation to the 240Z. Some minor repairs to the door handle, sludge in the washer bottle, a shifter kit, replaced the pod filter with stock air box, replaced wheels with stock ones and she was good to pose for some photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to my sound logic then... Why did I buy a car that will only distract me from finishing the Z...? Let me answer that question with another question. How do you satisfy your need (yes my lovely wife, it is a need) to go for a soul refreshing drive if the only car you want to drive is in thousands of pieces?

 

I just could not imagine the years ahead without something enjoyable to drive. What I can imagine is being frustrated and losing interest in the Z because it always seems so far out of reach. The MX5 is my mistress in a way. She's younger than the Z, easier and less expensive to maintain, loads of fun and she's pretty tight... suspension wise that is.

 

I shopped around for months to find the right ride and as with the Z I looked for an early example. I was hoping for a 2 digit VIN but settled for #269 in the end as it was too good to pass up. It has only been through 3 to 4 mature owners all of who managed to keep it stock and used it sparingly with only 128,000 km clocked up since 1989.

 

I won't bore you with any more updates on the little 5 but if you are interested you can follow our journey on Instagram and on my blog at headlightsgoup.com.

 

Parts and More Parts

 

The pace at which I'm completing small projects related to the Z can only be described as glacial. This winter I've spent more time buying parts than working on them. I'm slowly ticking off items as they come up and as the budget allows. One of the more interesting items I picked up was a door mirror. I thought I had hit the jackpot with a brand new right hand drive mirror but alas, it was just another left hand one posing as a gem.

 

Things are looking up though. I have my willing mistress, my little apprentice is growing up and taking an interest in cars, some much needed parts are coming in and spring is in the air.

[mossy]

So the mx5 is staying completely stock then George? One of my all time fave NA8's was Justin Fox's white clubman. 

[PeterAllen]

Don't be too hard on George for the pace of progress on the Zed, I was over there the other night and it was such a delight to go over Paul's work in some detail. That car as it stands (sits) is a work of art.

 

George. Why don't you build up the chamfered side of the mirror base with weld and then file it back with the chamfer the other way?

[Brabham]

That would offend the OEM gods Peter!

[CBR Jeff]

Distraction

I meant to do my work today
Instead I spied a car along the road
where twists and turns were between the trees
and other things.

I meant to do my chores today
But clear blue skies, a soft spring breeze
This cloudless day, and burbling exhausts...they filled me with distraction...

I had my trusty spanner in hand, some bolts to tend
a door to trim, some wires to pull....but smoke above the spinning wheels
all led me to distraction....

A coupe, all black and gold, sped across the field
And once again, it took my eyes yet further still...

The fuel hose, curled sleeping by, in noon day sun, awaiting me
instead I sigh, and
once again my wandering eye,
among tall grass, some cars I spied,
I must explore the roads nearby before this lovely day has died

I hesitate, ....my chores can wait,
it seems that fate says "Work can wait!!
Enjoy!! It says, this splendid day!!

These most worthy, so pleasing, never bothersome, soul satisfying, quite heavenly

distractions !!

 

Modified from a poem by C Richards , for George and the rest of us...............

 

Jeff
 

[Groundhog]

You asked for it.

 

https://www.facebook.com/makemelaugh12/posts/624316747597030

[George]

So the mx5 is staying completely stock then George? One of my all time fave NA8's was Justin Fox's white clubman. 

 

I've brought it back to 99.9% stock which was surprisingly easy with what I had to start with. I've already started with some subtle mods being a new exhaust. I have and will keep all original parts should I want to bring it back to stock spec.

 

My plans are to modify it for enjoyment and to be honest they're fun even in stock form. Revs well and sounds great.

 

I'll probably do coilovers and possibly wheels next. Not much more than that really.

 

Don't be too hard on George for the pace of progress on the Zed, I was over there the other night and it was such a delight to go over Paul's work in some detail. That car as it stands (sits) is a work of art.

 

George. Why don't you build up the chamfered side of the mirror base with weld and then file it back with the chamfer the other way?

 

Another Peter far more capable than I is attempting to make a template. I'll leave that to the more industrious. I'm sure something will turn up.

 

I returned the left hand mirror by the way. I paid a RHD price for it so it had to go back.

 

That would offend the OEM gods Peter!

 

Shhh, they'll hear us...

 

 

 

Modified from a poem by C Richards , for George and the rest of us...............

 

Jeff

 

 

Jeff, that's marvelous. Made me chuckle both times I read it.

[George]

Spring 2017

 

A Beautiful Chronicle

 

Spring brings new life as they say. They weren't kidding! My wife started growing another little peanut this spring... high five!

 

Elation soon made way for nausea - the all day type, not this morning sickness variety. A few years ago we went on a boat ride to The Great Barrier Reef. The seas were rough, unrelenting in their swaying. She's stuck on that boat ride with the only relief coming from sleep. While I'm not physically with her, I am on board, trying my hardest to calm her rough ride.

 

Not surprisingly this has sapped my energy along with my free time. I did make some progress early in spring though. I completed the heater box, had all the brake and clutch cylinders re-sleeved, worked some more on the insulation and as always, parts are rolling in as the budget allows.

 

 

In the weeks after purchasing the Datsun I thought long and hard about a name. I haven't named all of my cars, just the ones that were special to me and each name has had some meaning behind it. I felt she deserved something with a Japanese origin and came across the name Miki which means beautiful chronicle. A succinct and fitting name for what is a beautiful car that will chronicle my life. Miki also felt fitting as my wife's nickname is Kiki, another beautiful lady.

 

 

 

[Brabham]

Nice work on the heater box George, did you get it blasted? Would like to come and check out Paul's work on the shell at some stage, let me know if that is ok. Cheers

[Cozza]

Congrats on the Bub, and finding a small amount of time to spend in the shed.

I’ve found making the bubs yo be the early bit but finding time for the shed to become more and more difficult as the Bubs grow.

The heater box looks great ?

Looking forward to more slow release updates.

Cheers

Mick

[George]

Collaboration

 

I dabble in a bit of photography and I keep hearing the arty folk liberally throw around the ‘collaborate’ buzzword. At work we recently dealt with a young company and their hip employees couldn’t resist using it in every paragraph of every email they sent. I’m not quite that hip but allow me to use it just this once.

 

I’ve been collaborating with some amazingly generous and passionate people lately. Without their assistance my results would be sub par but I’ve come to realise that, outcomes aside, it’s the relationships built that are far more precious.

 

Progress was elusive in 2017 for reasons I’ve previously mentioned. However, I’m happy to report that this quarter I’ve dug my heels in, pulled my socks AND sleeves up. That’s right, the sleeves are up! My sense of urgency is due to the realisation that with another baby due in June I will have exactly zero hours to spare in the latter half of 2018. I’m also making amends for a quiet 2017.

 

 

Insulation

 

This is one of the easy jobs. You buy some space-age aluminium foil and go to town… Instead of playing with stickers though I decided to torture myself by recreating all of the insulation pieces with factory-like materials.

 

Finding jute was surprisingly difficult. All of my searching ended up in the UK and shipping on such a bulky item was prohibitive. I finally managed to locate one local supplier and not surprisingly they source their jute from the UK so I had to wait 3 months for the slow boat to bring it in. Patience comes in handy and I’m getting good at practising it.

 

The face of the firewall was another little adventure. Samples I had seen led me to believe it was some pliable but rigid rubber or plastic compound and I spent some time trying to find a similar material. Eventually I realised that it would have been a simple rubber compound with good heat and petroleum resistance and all the samples I had seen were just rigid and brittle from age. I settled on nitrile rubber and ordered a sheet.

 

The next step was to accurately make templates for each panel. This is where the collaboration buzzword makes an appearance. All along I’ve known, and let it be known, that this car will be the product of a group of skilled individuals who do what they do best. Often my job is to simply identify where my weaknesses lie and to connect with professionals, skilled individuals and enthusiasts to fill in my blanks. One Peter gave me this advice in 2014 which led me to another Peter in late 2017.

 

Making templates is a tedious job and drawing them properly on a CAD program even more so when you’ve never used one. Graciously Peter put his hand up and went to work measuring and drawing. Over weeks and many phone and email conversations we refined his drawings until we ended up with a couple of versions; one for early and another for later cars.

 

 

We tested the templates a few times by printing to size.

 

 

Finally we were happy and I set out to find someone to cut the material.

 

Not many laser cutters were willing to do the job but I eventually found someone. They were difficult to deal with but came through in the end. We came across a couple of issues and wasted a lot of material between testing and mistakes (e.g. see missing corner in one of the photos) but ultimately the finished product speaks for itself.

 

 

All sections aligned well and Peter even amended a set of drawings specific to my car to accommodate some wayward tabs. All that’s left to do is glue the pieces together, attach the carpet screws and mount.

 

 

Suspension

 

I worked my way through all of the suspension components degreasing, debushing and dedenting (they should all be words!). Everything bar the transmission crossmember – which I’m still searching for – has been sent away to be painted.

 

Incidentally, I purchased an eBay bushings/ball joint press and managed to get one sleeve out with a great deal of difficulty. I would not advise anyone to waste their time with crappy eBay junk like this. For a few more dollars I could have bought a proper press. Live and learn.

 

 

Hardlines

 

Over the past few months I’ve been collecting the required tools and hardware to start on the hardlines. After purchasing some zinc plated steel lines in 3/16 and 5/16, Ian brought Kunifer to my attention. Softer than steel, inherently corrosion resistant and naturally bronze in colour, it serves as an ideal upgrade to the original brake and fuel lines.

 

I have so far only tested the lines with one attempt and a poor one at that… I started with a small piece and not only did I forget to add an insert nut, I also put one of the nuts in backwards… Apparently I still have a lot to learn about nuts and patience.

 

 

[gilltech]

 

Ian brought Kunifer to my attention. Softer than steel, inherently corrosion resistant and naturally bronze in colour, it serves as an ideal upgrade to the original brake and fuel lines.

This is an interesting one. Isn't Kunifer a cupro-nickel product? Copper-nickel products are typically 70-90% copper, as I understand it.

But the ADRs require use of steel bundy tube for brake pipes, and state that copper tubing is not acceptable. I don't think it's permitted in the USA, but is used in the UK.

The problem is that copper becomes work hardened, particularly when subjected to double flares which are another ADR requirement.

So I thought I'd query the advice you've received and raise this now as I'm needing to remake a couple of brake lines myself.

[gav240z]

George that Jute material on the firewall, I think I'm in love... you may also be able to make some money making more! We shall have to catch up and talk as this is 1 product I wasn't sure how to tackle on my own cars.

[George]

This is an interesting one. Isn't Kunifer a cupro-nickel product? Copper-nickel products are typically 70-90% copper, as I understand it.

But the ADRs require use of steel bundy tube for brake pipes, and state that copper tubing is not acceptable. I don't think it's permitted in the USA, but is used in the UK.

The problem is that copper becomes work hardened, particularly when subjected to double flares which are another ADR requirement.

So I thought I'd query the advice you've received and raise this now as I'm needing to remake a couple of brake lines myself.

 

Thanks for the heads up!

 

It could be an issue if you had to engineer the vehicle. Mine will be going through a blue slip and I doubt anyone will notice or care. The lines pass Euro standards which is good enough for me. I just called a local brake specialist and he confirmed my view. Even so, I think I'll do some more reading. I do have steel bundy tube anyway.

 

George that Jute material on the firewall, I think I'm in love... you may also be able to make some money making more! We shall have to catch up and talk as this is 1 product I wasn't sure how to tackle on my own cars.

 

Gav, happy to chat. As for making money, not keen on that, the templates are not mine and I doubt there's a big market. I also ran into a fair bit of resistance with laser cutters. Mostly because they didn't want to cut something that could damage their machines. Ideally you want a nitrile sheet that's 3mm thick but the machine I used struggled with that and the results spooked the owner. We then cut a 1.5mm piece which was fine but he didn't want to do more. I'm sure you can find someone willing to do it though. It didn't look like a big deal to me. I watched him cut both materials and the jute cut well.

[gilltech]

 

It could be an issue if you had to engineer the vehicle. Mine will be going through a blue slip and I doubt anyone will notice or care.

I've been reading various forums online and there a mix of views as to suitability with respect to workability vs brittleness. But it's certainly very corrosion-resistant, a good thing in the UK and Europe, salt on the roads etc.

From what I've read cupro-nickel tubing needs more support than the steel bundy tubing.

As for compliance in Aus, I suspect much depends on the inspector's diligence. Some cupro-nickel products look quite silvery while others look more coppery in colour.

[Enzo]

Hi George,

                 Keep up the magnificent work.

Instead of laser cutting of the Nitrile sheet I would check with high pressure water cutters. I have had high density foam cut with the water cutters before and the cut was perfect. Just needed to dry them afterwards. With the Nitrile sheets it won't be a problem as these are used to cut steel and aluminium etc.

Just a thought.

Cheers.

David.

[260DET]

It would be a pity not to use the patterns after all the good work done to design them. Gavin may want to lease/buy them, he's a bit of an entrepreneur 

[George]

Hi George,

                 Keep up the magnificent work.

Instead of laser cutting of the Nitrile sheet I would check with high pressure water cutters. I have had high density foam cut with the water cutters before and the cut was perfect. Just needed to dry them afterwards. With the Nitrile sheets it won't be a problem as these are used to cut steel and aluminium etc.

Just a thought.

Cheers.

David.

 

Thanks David. That's an excellent suggestion. I rang a few more laser cutters this afternoon out of curiosity and they all said no. Some cited fumes as the reason and others just plain didn't want to risk it. The guy I used had a 1200 x 900 bed with a lid and outdoor exhaust. 

 

It would be a pity not to use the patterns after all the good work done to design them. Gavin may want to lease/buy them, he's a bit of an entrepreneur 

 

Yep, our goal all along was for Gavin to make money from the community...   

 

The templates will be made available for everyone in good time. Carpet underfelt templates are also in progress. As far as I know Peter has no plans on making money from them and wants the community to have them for a nominal donation. He's a gentleman of the highest order.

 

Anyway, the real cost is in the materials and cutting.

[George]

Also forgot to thank David (KatoKid) for his generousity in providing original firewall and tunnel insulation. While unusable due to age, I sent it to Peter who put it to good use.