nizm0zed Posted September 9, 2012 Author Share Posted September 9, 2012 I spent this weekend working on the handbrake, it was time to focus my attention and get it working. When i mounted the calipers, i placed them right way up, with the bleed nipples at the top. I also got custom braided lines made up for them. I have seen others do the conversion, however they mount the calipers up the other way, in order to make the connection of the cable easier, Or they mount the calipers at the 12 o'clock position. Personally i thought that the calipers would be too close to the body under full travel for comfort at the 12 o'clock position, and i didnt want the bleeders upside down as it makes them a real pain in the ass to bleed properly. So, in order to get the handbrake to work properly, i would have to run the cable under the driveshafts, i didnt like that idea as the cable got real close to the driveshafts, not cool at all. I would have also needed longer cables. So, with a bit of creativity, i worked out that the cable would sit quite nicely over the top of the driveshaft. Unfortunately the operation of the handbrake mechanism rotated in the wrong direction. My solution was to pull both calipers apart and swap the internal handbrake components left to right, basically making the handbrake operate backwards. I also swapped the cable brackets left to right and hammered them flat. This way the pin that the cable attaches onto is clear of the caliper and easy to access. So, now that i have the handbrake mechanism rotating the right way and the bracket to suit, it was time to make a bracket to hold the cable in place. I made up a simple bracket out of some 2mm plate, one peice is on top with a slight bend in it to help clear the driveshaft flange, the other sits underneath it as a brace against the stub axle to help against any flexing of the bracket. Originally it was designed to bolt to the original handbrake cable stay, but when i put it together it ended up sitting way too high, throwing out all the angles and fouling on stuff. Out came the angle grinder again and i cut off the part where the cable attaches and welded it all together. The bracket attaches to the top of the stub axle with the 2 10mm bolts that used to hold the brake line into the back of the drums. I need to make some minor adjustments to the drivers side bracket so i havent tested it all yet, but so far its looking like it'll work perfectly. I also had an issue where the engine would misfire and cut out as it came over 3k rpm, with the computer connected i could see that the timing would scatter all over the place as it reached that point. I had a theory that it was Em interference on the signal wires for the CAS, so i made up a quick patch cable using some shielded microphone cable. it works beautifully, now it revs like a boss! So, i'll re-run that cable properly, nice and neat, then its time to tune it and have some real fun As for the leak from the rear main i mentioned a little bit ago, i pulled the gearbox off and found that the seal was completely out, just hanging out with the backside of the flywheel, so yea, no wonder it was leaking.... As i thought about it, turns out i never changed that seal at all when the engine was on the stand, i was kind of wondering why i had a spare rear main seal floating around in my toolbox but it was also a good opportunity to replace the leaking rear seal on the gearbox, replace the oil and replace both uni joints on the tailshaft. they were well and truly knackered... other than that, its just been a process of finishing off the minor bits and peices, interior trims, wiring for the power windows and spot lights, stereo ect. Its all coming together, finally! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaygZ Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Really good work mate. Let me know how the rear h'brake comes up as it is exactly how I was planning to do mine - I just couldn't get me head around how to design the plate used to hold the cable. I'm keen to know how much advantage you lose (if any) making the cable do the extra 90 deg turn. MaygZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nizm0zed Posted September 9, 2012 Author Share Posted September 9, 2012 will do, im hoping to know exactly how its working by the end of the week. In reality though, im not making the cable do anything crazy like tight turns, its being held where it needs to go, but its basically just 'falling' where it wants. The big thing i can see right now is making sure the angle of operation is right and that there is enough travel in the cable. Time will tell whether the bracket or its mounting point is strong enough, but im also never planning on purposefully ripping the handbrake up, ala drift style... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KriZka Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 As I read, I wept a single tear. It was so beautiful .... lol, nice looking, I'll get there someday ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Zedman240® Posted September 9, 2012 Moderators Share Posted September 9, 2012 Great idea with the handbrake cable; always on the lookout for a better setup! My cable looks a tad to tight being stretched to far back and bolted to a bracket virtually under the strut pulling on linkage attatched to the caliper.. also needs more travel at the lever as they don't pull tight enough. Car still rolls with brake applied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoota G Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 With the setup i did on my R31 i can lock the rears with the handbrake no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 need pictures scoot!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoota G Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 I can do one better sunshine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nizm0zed Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 well, got out there and finished off the handbrake. Looks like it all works nicely. It does use all the handbrake travel though, and its not on the ground yet so i cant do the full weight roll test... BUT!!!! It looks like to make it work awesomely i need to adjust the pivot/leverage point at the base of the handbrake and increase the travel of the internal cable sheath (make the distance between the front ends of the sheath and the loop onto the handbrake cable shorter) Or by moving the cable anchor point on the caliper closer to the centre. Dimitri, i would wager that the reason your handbrake doesnt pull on hard enough is because it runs out of travel before 'bottoming out' Im guessing this is because the travel required to activate the disc caliper handbrake is 3 times more than the original drums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nizm0zed Posted March 30, 2013 Author Share Posted March 30, 2013 Hmmm, Possibly the shape of things to come? On a positive note, My wife and i finally bought our own house!! So, no more moving around and once i get on top of some bills, more spending on the car!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sco_aus Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 NICE! Should just buy mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Zed Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Hey Nizm0zed! Amazing build! learning heaps of things from the thread for when i build by Zed. One thing i have to ask you is the paint code for your car, that blue is what i have envisioned my Zed to wear, every time i see a picture of your car in that blue i get butterflies... its soooooooooo niceeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nizm0zed Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 Paint code is 34J Its called Mazda Aurora blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Zed Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 thanks! i did a google search just to see it on different cars. its gotta be the colour for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DatPilot Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 what would you do with the L engine??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nizm0zed Posted April 26, 2013 Author Share Posted April 26, 2013 sold it. Still have the turbo and some of the pipework, but thats it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DatPilot Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Im off to Brissy in 3 weeks, need anything transported? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nizm0zed Posted May 27, 2013 Author Share Posted May 27, 2013 no thanks, im good. But your bumping of my thread has reminded me that, 1. I need to pull my finger out and do some work on the car. 2. I need to start taking pictures and writing stuff up here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dat240z Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 NICE! Should just buy mine If your thinking of selling Scott, I bags first dibs on your car!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzoidberg Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 I just read the thread, fantastic work mate! that is a beautiful machine youve made there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris240 Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Im confussed here... Alan , did you sell your zed ?? Datpilot, where you the guy originally from Canberra ? I need coffee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nizm0zed Posted June 2, 2013 Author Share Posted June 2, 2013 Nope, havent sold the car, just the engine. Putting a RB25DE in there now. Yes, Datpilot is the bloke from Canberrra. Enjoy your coffee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nizm0zed Posted July 11, 2013 Author Share Posted July 11, 2013 update time!!!! I unfortunately found myself out of work again when the Utility i was contracted to decided to cut the department i was in, fortunately i was able to line up something else reasonably quickly and have just enjoyed 2 weeks of 'holidays' before i start my new job. So, with the employment crisis averted and plenty of time alone i decided to get stuck into the RB conversion. First up was getting it mounted and fabricating a gearbox crossmember. I am using the standard R31 engine mounts, which spaces the engine nicely in the bay. I also have the smaller Rb 5 speed box (Standard R31 5 speed) so it doesn't foul on the mounting ears in the tunnel. A bit of work with some steel square section and the crossmember was done. Next up was the sump, i have been considering my options but decided that as my funds were somewhat limited i would have a crack at modifying what i had. I cut up the original RB25 sump, moving the hump to the rear, flipping another section, then welding in some sheet to fill the holes left over. End result, a sump that cost me less than $10 in materials and a day or 2 of my time. After that i got stuck into the exhaust. I got a set of R31 Rb30 extractors with the engine and box, my plan was to cut the front half flange plate off and flip it, so it'd then match the RB25 pattern. After cutting through all the pipes with a handsaw at the flange base i discovered that the Nissan engineers are crafty little buggers and had actually changed the angles between the studs slightly. End result was extractors that weren't going to fit no matter what i did with them. I had a look on ebay to price up some raw materials and quickly came up to almost $400. not going to happen... Next plan of attack was to look for a set of RB25DE extractors, secondhand or new, price pending. Turns out i could get a brand new set from Coby in NZ for cheaper than the materials to buy it and pretty much teh same price as a second hand set locally. Once they got here i quickly discovered that R33 Skyline RB25DE Extractors dont fit in the enginebay of a 260z. I had to mod them somewhat extensively to get them to fit, but now they fit perfectly. I had to cut off the front 3 pipes, tilt them down to get them hugging the block, flip the 2-1 collector at the rear to get it sitting in closer, then fab up a new output and flange to suit my current exhaust system. with the constant installing and removing in the car to measure, lots of small mods along the way and a good attention to detail i ended up spending almost 3 days just on the exhaust system alone... There was also some tidying up of the engine while it was out, some new gaskets, a bit of paint, adjustable exhaust cam gear and braided fuel lines to keep me occupied. All i have left now is to get the tailshaft shortened a bit, put in the radiator and wire it all up. Im just going to run the standard ECU for now, for the sake of simplicity. The aim is to have it running on the road before september. Why September? GTA-V comes out then and when i buy it i probably wont spend any time on the car for a while Anyways, pictures! (not many and boring ones) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dat240z Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Haha nice, I have my pre order of GTA ready to go also!!! I noticed in a pic your near Evatt? Im just up the road if you ever want some help or tear up the northside in 2 s30's! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nizm0zed Posted July 12, 2013 Author Share Posted July 12, 2013 used to be in Spence, on Owen Dixon drive, but we bought a house in Richardson so im back in Mexico now... I thought you must have been up that way, i was pretty sure i had seen you drive by once or twice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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