Dadson Racing: 2010 Revival

[KatoKid]

Upstairs for thinking, downstairs for dancing....good job.

[Grandad]

Upstairs for thinking, downstairs for dancing.

 

And fun in between

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

This re-build has taken at least double the time originally planned and as a result some things have simply gone missing while others that were stored in safe places have taken some time to locate but we are slowly getting there, after turning Tuss's Ossie Park workshop upside down looking for our starter motor and getting assorted quotes for a replacement, I found it hiding in my back shed under other miscellaneous Zed stuff and how sad and dejected it looked.

 

 

Anyway after a good scrub and a squirt of paint it is mounted on the engine ready for the sparkie Monday morning however when the sparkie's finished I will remove the end plate and send it to the electro platers for a bit of gold bling.

 

The wiring in this car has been played with so much it's taking me a while to remember exactly what's what and where it goes where but I've had the gray matter churning and I think I'm just about on top of it.

 

I had planned to have the dash in for the sparkie and as this would probably be it's final fit I decided it needed some TLC, the top of the dash is seriously cracked which we manage to hide with a dash mat but as the dash is almost totally stuffed and has been butchered to accommodate the cage we try to keep it presentable using vinyl paint which hides a multitude of sins.

 

Ultimately I have decided to leave the dash out for this visit as it will allow better access for his main task for the day of re-routing the front to rear wiring inside the sill cavity.

 

Just before Bathurst 2010 we replaced the battery but it's been sitting in the shed since the car came off the road after that event so we have considered it gone but I took it to our supplier on Friday who tested it and said "there's nothing in it mate I think it's stuffed but leave it with me overnight I've got a new deep charger that might just bring it back, it's worth a try" and wouldn't you know it, it came back a 100% so the sparkie will have something to work with but in the interest of weight reduction it won't be a permanent fixture.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

In anticipation of tomorrows Melbourne Cup, today has been a day of winners and losers, so as far as the re-build is concerned it's really just situation normal I guess.

 

When the sparkie arrived this morning the aim was to tidy up the under bonnet wiring, connect the new alternator, remove the old voltage regulator and prepare for replacing the fuseable links with a fuse box then re run the interior drivers side wiring inside the sill cavity, I can report that we achieved most of that.

 

Firstly this is the under bonnet wiring pre re-build with assorted relays.

 

And as it is now half way through the job and looking much better, if anyone can help with the rating of the fuse-able links it will be greatly appreciated.

 

Internally as you know Whittie is going to have Alcantara applied directly to the floor so the plan was to run the wiring loom inside the sill to get rid of the majority of this mess, the radio will be removed and so will the speaker wires that used to run behind the seats to the passenger side speaker.

 

So far so good.

 

Sadly that is about as good as it got because we couldn't find a way past the re-enforced seat belt mount point, we couldn't even get light from the sill to the hole in the pillar so after much cursing we reluctantly gave up and went for the second best option which is a hole further along the sill and a short section of external loom that hopefully won't be too noticeable when the trim is replaced.

 

If anyone  has done this and can offer advice on how to get past this point we'd love to hear from you.

 

Knowing that this part of the loom was going to be basically inaccessible, the sparkie fitted new connectors with all wires crimped and soldered so they should be good for a very long time.

 

I now just need to put some paint on the exposed metal, fit a couple of protective grommets around the new holes and we should be done.

 

Cheers

Dad

[nizm0zed]

once the seat is fitted you wont even see the loom.

 

Looks good!

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

Still waiting for the inlet manifold to be ready for collection so no progress there but I have done a bit on the wiring, the exposed metal on the new holes has been painted and I have fitted a grommet at the rear.

 

At the front I have created a depression at the front of the hole where the loom enters the sill because I'm concerned about rubbing over time now just need to fit a grommet for a bit more protection.

 

The sparkie doing our wiring owned a 280ZX as his first car and while working on Whitties car is feeling the Zed Bug bite again, he said that in his 280ZX he had a problem of wires rubbing against the chassis due to long term vibration which eventually shorted causing instrument problems and while he was able to locate the problem high up behind the dash he couldn't easily get to them so lived with it, with that thought in mind  he suggested that I use a gap filler in areas of potential contact within the sill cavity so the loom is captive particularly where it enters the sill by the front cage mount.  I'm undecided on this one so will let it sit for a while and make a decision later.

 

With the original centre console in pretty sad condition Whittie bought a new one from the US, the only problem is it's set up for "wrong side drive" which means the console lid opens the wrong way and it's minus ash tray, switches, audio and gear lever boot which need to be salvaged from the old one.  Fortunately this is a universal part for all 240/260 Zeds with removable plugs and reversible catch allowing right or wrong side hinging of the console lid just need to salvage the hinge mechanism from the old one.

 

While it's apart is the perfect time for some detailing, forget interior gloss products, they encourage dust to stick, boot polish takes a bit more time but is way better.

 

All that's involved is a couple of accurately drilled holes and it's done.

 

Removal of the audio provides an ideal place for a driver reachable externaly operatable cut out switch.

 

I need to fashion some ali into shape to fill the audio space and support he forces on the the switch.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

Not much time available for the car today but I still got a little bit done, I decided to have a go at fitting the radiator which I thought would be a walk in the park because Whittie had test fitted it before the car went off to Will but to my surprise when I set it in place it didn't fit, it was touching the chassis at the bottom on both sides but I soon identified the culprit as the reinforced front tow hook so I ground a bit off the radiator bracket and problem solved.

 

With the radiator in place I fitted the top air seal.

 

When the radiator was tightened I noticed a small gap at each side so decided to fix it while I'm on the job.

 

Not 100% but good enough.

 

Here it is good to go and by coincidence the air horns clear, I just need to feed the wiring into the condute.

 

I collected the inlet manifold which had been ported but not polished so I tidied it up with a small fine flap wheel

 

When we bought the car we were told the head flowed extremely well and I've since seen flow comparisons that confirm the P90 as the best flowing of the Zed heads, the people who did the head work for us while excellent engine builders are not Zed experts and when porting the head simply followed the existing contour (as I would) but with a little research I now know the head is off a 280ZX which is fuel injected and the elliptical shape of the port is to accommodate injectors which of course we don't have, so I'm thinking next time the engine is freshened up that space should be filled with weld and the ports matched perfectly to the manifold but for now we'll live with it. 

 

The carbies are now sitting on the manifold ready for tightening and with a little luck will be on the car tomorrow.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

I kid myself that I'm well organized and methodical but I'm finding that getting this job done in a chronological order in a timely manner is a real challenge, I'm finding myself doing things several times over which is becoming a bit of a time wasting piss off, I guess if I did this stuff regularly it'd be a walk in the park, even though I've played with cars from my teens and have done some significant conversions and restorations I've never attempted anything as comprehensive as this rebuild and am finding it challenging so I've got everything crossed in the hope that it all works as it should when I try to get it started. 

 

Whittie has new filters for the Webers so I decided to fit them before mounting the carbies on the car but in typical fashion it didn't go smoothly, here's new v old.

 

The old filters have been on for a long time and are showing signs of age so I decided to go with the new ones but I quickly realized it wasn't going to happen easily, we run ram tubes inside the filters but the new filters are not designed to accept them.

 

So it's back to the old ones with new elements which are actually a much better and tighter fit than the old ones.

 

I decided to see what I could do with a bit of metal polish on the old filter caps.

 

The one on the left was on the rear carbie has had acid splash on it so will now visit the chrome plater but the others are good to go.

 

With the filters in place I mounted the carbies only to remove them again when I realized their absence will allow the sparkie easier access for the remaining electrical work.  Why am I feeling frustrated??

 

When the car went to Will we were a bit overwhelmed by the enormity of the scope of work to be done and missed a golden opportunity to fill all the miscellaneous and now redundant holes that have been drilled in the engine bay over the years so now I'm filling them with rubber grommets. 

 

When I was at Clark Rubber recently buying foam to seal the top of the radiator I mentioned that I had numerous holes to fill some with captured nuts and was given a sensational tip, extruded rubber the same diameter as the bolt hole is drawn into the hole then trimmed off.

 

We ordered a fuse block from the US the other day to replace the fuse-able links so hopefully it will be here for our sparkie when he gets back from his real job in the north west in a couple of weeks.

 

Yes it's frustrating but at least it's progress.

 

Cheers

Dad

 

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

With the few hours I had available today I thought I might fit the sad old exhaust system that for almost three years has been lying on the ground in the open but lately has found a new home under cover hanging off the garage door frame.

 

Given that we intend to have the tubing remade in mandrel bent stainless steel I decided to polish the hot dog resonator and muffler and particularly the end pipe that prior to multiple heat cycling and flame throwing used to be bright and shiny so I used a combination of Brasso and Autosol, I took some pics of the process that sadly didn't workout but fortunately the end one did.

 

Can't wait to see it spitting flame and turning black again.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

With the number of views this thread is getting we know there are people taking an interest in the re-build but after mentioning the other week that the car is booked into the trimmer I got an unexpected call from Will who said "wait wait wait don't send it to the trimmers yet you need fish oil fish oil go and buy some fish oil bring it to me and I'll make up my brew for you, do you have a air compressor? good I have a spray gun specially set up for it that you can use, bring me your fish oil so I can make a brew."

 

So I bought some fish oil and took it to Will today, it turns out he has adapted a spray gun to get into all the out of the way places that following his work still have exposed metal like inside the rolled rear guards his advice is to use straight fish oil inside the cab around the edge of the turret and his brew which contains tar under body sealer everywhere else.

 

With the car going to the trimmer on Wednesday there are no prizes for guessing what I'm up to tomorrow.

 

When we took delivery of the Zed from Will his next project had just arrived, a Dodge Challenger in very similar condition to the Zed but with possibly a but less rust, mounted on a cumbersome almost unworkable rotisserie.  Today I saw it painted for the first time, all I can say is WOW Will has worked his magic again, it looks sensational so I said, mate you seem to be getting the hang of this restoration trick, keep it up I recon with a bit more practice you'll be ok at it.

 

Black would have to be the hardest colour to work with because while it can look stunning it is completely unforgiving and shows every tiny mark and blemish.

 

Have a look at this Black Beauty.

 

I suspect Tuss will be rolling his black blown Torri in to be done soon.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Riceburner]

I look forward to the updates keep them coming, it's great to see all the fine details that go into a high quality restoration.

 

What length stacks do you have on the webers?

 

Cheers, Gareth.

[Grandad]

What length stacks do you have on the webers?

 

Hi Gareth

 

That's a good question, they came with the car I've never measured them but they fit neatly inside the filters I took the acid damaged filter cap to the chrome platers yesterday so fortunately they are currently exposed, incase you're wondering the jet covers are off because I sent them to the plater as well.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

Yep you guessed right, I ended the day smelling of fish oil.

 

Here's the spray gun Will has lent me, the nozzle is for spraying straight fish oil and the long tube with multiple holes at the end is for spraying the brew into hard to get at places.

 

Straight fish oil is for places like roof seams by the gutters and above the front window, we have removed rust from above both the rear quarter windows and the windscreen , you can also see where the sun roof used to be.

 

So time to get into it, Will suggested I do a test spray to get a feel for it before applying any so I did that into a rag I held in a bucket and I was not only surprised by the amount of fluid delivered but also the associated misting so with that I decided to cover and mask what I could and also wear my respirator.

 

That was amazing I couldn't believe the amount of fish oil that ran out at the seams creating pools on the floor also from above the doors and at the edge of the screen, at least it's getting in where it's required and I've got prepsol for the clean up.

 

Now on to the brew, first fish oil and then under body protector, Will said to get it to a soup consistency before again doing a test spray.

 

A test spray in my bucket revealed that I had the brew way too thick so I added more fish oil until it sprayed reasonably well then I was into it.

 

I went back over the wheel arches with the spray nozzle to ensure I had good coverage then deciding to leave the doors until after I've fitted the window winder and door lock mechanisms, it was time to clean up.

 

I figured this was an appropriate place to store the left over brew, best I don't I put it in the pantry?

 

Cheers

Dad

 

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

The car was originally due at the trimmer today but fortunately he's running a bit behind so it now goes in on Friday which is just as well because until today I've been mopping up little puddles of fish oil inside the car so it now has a bit more time to solidify.

 

Given that Whittie wants Alcantara applied directly to the body I decided to prepare the surface by removing sharp dags and loose material so it will bond securely, I also decided to remove the accelerator pedal to allow the trimmer easier access to the drivers footwell this required removal of the steering column as well so now his only hindrance is the roll cage.

 

With the wiring loom removed or re-positioned I decided some fasteners were now redundant and could be removed.

 

On the passenger side I removed a couple of redundant loom restraints a few dags and a bit of loose material.

 

On the drivers side I did much the same and am extremely pleased that I removed the accelerator and steering column because it allowed me relatively unimpeded access to an area that otherwise would have been overlooked, removal of a patch of seam sealer revealed previously unseen rust which while currently is relatively minor and easily treatable, left untreated over time it could create a significant point of weakness in the event of a crash.

 

Tomorrow firstly I'll neutralize the rust with acid Will gave me a while ago for a little job I didn't get to on the Supra before I sold it, I'll give the inside a good Prepsol bath to remove all traces of fish oil then apply a rust preventative.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

I feel great tonight, I'm listening to some soothing jazz and sipping on a well deserved red, if only all days could be like today.

 

Before dealing with the problems I uncovered yesterday I continued my dag removal and discovered more superficial rust at a seam behind the drivers seat which gave me two issues to deal with.

 

 

I attacked the rust areas with some wire brushes that attach to my drill but found that the one currently in the chuck was the only one that I could use effectively.

 

Using appropriate ppe I applied the acid Will had given me, I let it sit for a while then vigorously agitated the area with stainless steelwool and while the result may not be perfect it's a big improvement.

 

 

 

With the rust removal done I gave the cab a thorough clean up with vac and air to remove all iron filings from the grinding then gave it a thorough prep wash.

 

To seal it I used a kill rust paint with which I applied a first coat to the exposed metal, then went over the entire floor to give the trimmer a good more or less regular surface to work with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whittie's a bit busy currently balancing a demanding job with a new wife, a couple of horses and a car re-build, so being at the car re-build end of the equation, I don't see him all that much but when he called in recently I proudly showed off the newly fitted ancestral air horns and top sealed radiator, to which he said, that's great dad but what about the bottom of the radiator, we really don't need air going under the car.    Oh F**k  I knew that, I really did I just hadn't got to it yet but I have now.

 

 

 

 

With the car set to go to the motor trimmer tomorrow I let it down off the jack stands to sit on its new springs for the first time and I'm happy with the result, the keeper springs are fully compressed (as expected) and we now have adjustment left at the bottom if we want the car to sit lower.

 

 

Cheers

Dad

 

[luvemfast]

Considering there was talk of making it to this years nationals........... LOL

It was never gunna happen!

 

But I can't help but feel dissapointed that after all the panel work thats been done to this car. That you're now stripping back the interior paint, treating rust and painting it.  :'(

[Grandad]

Considering there was talk of making it to this years nationals........... LOL

It was never gunna happen!

 

Hi Simon

 

We got the car back from Will end of July last year so there was plenty of time to make the Nationals but a few thing didn't go our way, Whittie had demands on his time, I was doing home renos and we didn't get the motor back till well after the National anyway so you're right it was never gunna happen.

 

 

But I can't help but feel dissapointed that after all the panel work thats been done to this car. That you're now stripping back the interior paint, treating rust and painting it.  :'(

 

Thanks for your concern here Simon but as pretty as it looks the interior was never going to stay exposed body colour, it will have Alcantara adhered directly onto the floor pan following the contours exactly that is why I was grinding off all the sharp dags and some excess seam sealer.  In a perfect world I would have done this before sending the car to Will but it didn't occur to me, at least it's been discovered and neutralized.

 

Hopefully it goes to the trimmer today so by mid next week it will look completely different again.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Whittie]

It's a shame that this didn't get done before it went to will, but when I pulled the inside apart I didn't know what to do with it so err'd on the side of laziness and left it.

 

The interior was only 2-pac blue and not proper pearl. I didn't know what I was going to do at the time so I had it done in colour, but the cage is now the only part of the car that you will be able to see, the rest will be trimmed. Better safe than sorry, but the white does look hideoues.

[nizm0zed]

I didn't know what to do with it so err'd on the side of laziness and left it.

 

hehehe, sounds like my working career in a nutshell

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

There was a bit more movement today and I'm starting to get the feeling the end is not too far off, I even installed a fire extinguisher in the garage just in case things don't go to plan at fire up time.

 

In preparation for the trimmer I blanked off an area that ex factory is covered by trim we're not reinstalling, I sealed it with the same goo I used on the tail lights.

 

 

Our trimmer has a relatively small workshop so I had to wait for a boat to leave before I could deliver the Zed and as I've found boaties to be notoriously unreliable I couldn't book a time with Vince our regular towie but put him on notice that I would probably need him mid afternoon which is really hit and miss but when I called him at about lunchtime without hesitation he said "I'll be there between 2 and 2.30", when he arrived he spent almost as much time inspecting the Zed as he did moving it, when we unloaded it he wouldn't take payment but insisted I call him to remove it, I think he's moved it so often he's taken a bit of ownership and wants to see it in it's finished state.

 

Oops the camera batteries died so now we have crappy phone finger pics.

 

Here we are in the trimmer's shop where the boat was, I think the Trumpie we're parked beside is not as bland as it might look, the extra length wheel studs give the game away a bit.

 

 

The postie delivered a nice little parcel from the US today.

 

 

It turns out that our fifo sparkie is in town and available on Monday which fits perfectly with the trimmer who can't get to the Zed before Tuseday so it looks like it's by-by fuse-able links.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

Achieved a bit more today which is good, put the Zed back up on jack stands again so Rikki our fifo sparkie could get under the back to tidy up the fuel pump wiring and not have to bend over too far working at the front, (Rikki has just taken delivery of a 2 door STI REX and is clearly in Jap mode right now, even down to the safety boots).

 

The starter is back and looking resplendent after its beauty spa.

 

The new distribution box has been wired up replacing the fuse-able links, just need to mount it tomorrow.

 

Rikki put new terminals on the battery leads and ran one in and out of the cab for the kill switch.

 

The thermostat housing that vanished while the engine was out has been replaced and fitted also the thermatic fan regulator is in place and connected, the HID light ballast has been fitted and connected and importantly the old dogs breakfast of wiring has been tidied up considerably.

 

Rikki still has one more visit to make when he's back in town in a couple of weeks time by then the trimming will be done and the dash and battery installed so everything can be powered up and tested.

 

Here's the redundant wiring Rikki removed today.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

The trimmer had a job to finish yesterday so didn't get onto the Zed he is finishing that job off today so will hopefully make a start on the Zed late this afternoon then he's on it uninterrupted and expects it to be done mid afternoon Thursday.

 

Here's another sign that the end is near, I picked  these up today so if I needed to drill new mounting holes I can have it done before the trimmer starts.

 

For a while we couldn't find the old radiator hoses so I thought no worries we'll go for some pretty silicone ones, when I found out the prices I looked a bit harder and found the old ones which although serviceable were looking pretty sad and tired so I got the boot polish onto them.

 

With the thermatic switch now fitted I wanted to get the top hose on at least to give the sensor some protection, I used rubber grease so I could adjust it easily to ensure a good seal.

 

Here they are fitted, not pretty red or blue but a lot better than they were.

 

I got a few other little jobs done today including mounting the distribution block so by the time Rikki's finished the wiring should look very neat indeed and removing the fuse-able links and voltage regulator has freed up an area we can use for a custom oil catch can.

 

Fitting the distribution block has solved one problem but we don't know what fuses to fit and can't find the ratings for the links anywhere in the workshop manual, the ones we have are red and black.

 

After reaching a dead end with the workshop manual I decided to go to my friend the internet and in no time the problem was solved, I lifted this from another forum just in case anyone's interested.

 

Although they do the same job, I think the fusible link is slower to melt than a fuse. A sudden current spike could blow a fuse but a fusible link takes a few seconds.

Here are the Nissan fusible link color codes and ratings.

Pink..... 30amp

Green... 40amp.... 0.50 sq mm.

Red...... 50amp.... 0.69 sq mm.

Yellow.. 60amp

Black.... 80amp... 1.25 sq mm.

Blue..... 100amp

 

 

Cheers

Dad

[benny]

buy the fuses from JB Hifi

[Whittie]

It's a car audio fuse block, so any shop that sells car audio will have the fuses - SOO much easier than fusible links, and safer

 

Car is looking awesome!

 

I think this man deserves the first drive, I owe him that at least

[Grandad]

Car is looking awesome!

 

I think this man deserves the first drive, I owe him that at least

 

Done :)