Dadson Racing: 2010 Revival

[peter t]

Goodness gracious me. I thought there was something wrong with your gear stick as I run the same box and my lever goes nowhere near the radio, er cut off switch, like yours WAS going. Worst part would have been pulling the console out again. Gets a bit like sex doing up old cars. Know what I mean. Good to see it going even though I cant run that feature on my PC.

[Grandad]

Hi Mike,

 

You spooked us a little with your last post but we appreciate hearing about your experience, we are aware of the small pulley diameter but at the time of acquisition we were not aware there were options, we have considered the pulley more a potential cooling issue (stock water pump) than electrical, Whitties initial response was that we could fit a smaller alternator pulley which makes sense so we compared the sizes of the balancer and alternator pulleys and found them to be ~1=1, we then checked our alternator spec sheet which shows it charging from about 800 rpm, our motor idles at ~1K and the alternator is at just under 50% charge @ K1.5 rpm so we are feeling somewhat comfortable but as always, time will tell.

 

 

Hi All

 

Under CAMS rules we need to fit a 3L oil catch can, we have been looking for one for some time without success but by chance this morning I called into a local race shop and found they have what we need so took a pic I could refer to in order to find a place to fit it.

 

Whittie turned up today keen to do something on the Zed which was great because in the limited time he had available rather than clean dirty old wiring he was able to research the fix to our alternator charg issue, meanwhile with catch can placement in mind I turned my attention to the dirty old wiring and ultimately decided to unwrap and slightly re-position the main under bonnet loom.

 

I started by positioning wiring to allow for the catch can then taped it starting at the end of the branches working  back into the loom which I would then tape starting at the furthest end.

 

My fingers are telling me they've done more than enough tape winding for one day and my back is starting to complain a little so I'm calling it a day, not to mention that it's way past beer a clock, I'm not finished yet but I'm certainly not unhappy with what I'm seeing so far.

 

There's now been quite a lot of wire removed that has just been sitting there doing nothing.

 

Cheers

Dad

[C.A.R.]

I have that size under-drive crank pulley on my road Zed - charging & cooling has never been an issue.

It's moreso how you set the system up...

 

[mossy]

I've also got the ATI balancer on my road z, haven't had an issue yet.

[Whittie]

Awesome. Well, that is confidence inspiring!

 

When the sparkie was working on the alternator, I asked "Has it been wired up properly" and was told, most certainly yes.

 

Well, it wasn't. The dash warning lamp circuit had not been wired it, so that was why the alternator was not self exciting and beginning to charge. At least now that is sorted out, not helped by an alternator with ZERO markings on it describing what pin is which.

 

For reference, looking at the back of the alternator, the sense is always the furthest from the battery, for all alternators.

 

Like so: (not my photo, I stole it)

 

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

I'm glad we've set a deadline for the car to be going because without it I probably would have had a relaxing day at the beach today but instead I was head down bum up in the garage.

 

I continued with the wiring today concentrating on the firewall and passenger side, when I installed the MSD ignition I had to run a couple of wires from the unit which is mounted by the coil to the instrument panel so ran them across the firewall entering the cab with the main loom and this is how it looked after Whittie encased it all in conduit which is a big improvement on how it was before the re-build.

 

With installation of the cut out switch we now have battery cables entering the cab between the battery and the engine so I decided to use the spare hole in the same area for the ignition wires and do away with the conduit, it's still a work in progress but here's how it looks currently.

 

We really are getting close to completion now so I turned my attention to the doors and when I delved into our box of new and not so new rubbers I found these gems, they were new once but as built up crud and over spray shows, that was some time ago.

 

Or is it?

 

With the engine having had it's initial 20 minute run I dropped the oil, changed the filter and re adjusted the rockers because I thought I'd set them a bit too loose, so with that done it's ready to run again.  When I checked the dip stick at the end of the run the the oil looked fresh and new, even when I was dropping it it looked clean but when I looked at it in the white bucket I was amazed at how dark it looked, more like 20 thousand Ks than 20 minutes.

 

I've never done this before but prior to refilling the engine I decided to do a little comparison of the 20 min run oil with new oil in comparable buckets.

 

WTF MATE! (oops didn't mean to SHOUT) I know this is a refresh rather than a new motor but how can that be?  I'm thinking that the break in oil, while high in Zinc is also high in detergent to clean any parts such as crank and cam shaft oil galleys that weren't flushed in the cleaning bath, that notion also justifies the filter replacement.  Following advice I'm going to run the motor again for 20 min before again dropping the oil, changing the filter and filling it with oil more durable for a highway run in, I will collect the second lot of run in oil in the current new oil bucket so that we can compare the two.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

Following Whitties research on wiring the alternator I'm ready to connect it up but thought that if I simply use spade connectors, next time we have to remove the alternator even though Whittie has marked them we will have forgotten what goes where.

 

I did a bit of research and running around today ending up at automotive electrical wholesaler Ashdown Ingram, I left with exactly the connector I need.

 

So I connected it up ready to test, if it works all thats left is to tape the loom.

 

When I started it I was way happier than I was expecting to be, cold running at ~ 2.5k here's what I saw.

 

After about 15 minutes running I checked the gages at idle.

 

I'm not unhappy with any of that and I'm now confident the small crank pulley won't cause any issues.  I ran the motor for 20 minutes again today so that's part two of the break in completed, I'll drop the oil and change the filter again tomorrow then as far as the motor's concerned it's ready for the road.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

I have the feeling that in spite of a few set backs it's all coming together nicely and I expect our next vid will be the test and tune at Wanneroo next Monday, in reality it will be a shake down to find the things I've missed before we enter some real timed competition.

 

With all the major electrical work finished the tacho wasn't working so I removed it and took it to the guy who did the digital conversion for us, he tested it and reported that it is working as it should, with the fault not in the unit I connected it and checked the power and earth were working because with the amount of wire that's been removed I thought it would be my luck to have removed something important but to my relief it checked out OK, that leaves the feed from the MSD which I have also been playing with, using my multimeter I checked the connection where the feed wire joins the tach and that was OK, I then checked the whole wire and that was OK, through process of elimination I eventually checked the connection to the MSD and that was it, the connection has always been loose but has never failed, when Rikki was working on the car he noticed it and recommended tightening the female spade connector which he did and reinserted it into the connection port little realizing that he had tightened it so much what he actually did was push the male spade back into the MSD unit creating a failed connection, I had to unmount the unit and remove the end plate in order to get to the spade to secure it and reconnect it, anyway that's that little problem solved.

 

Satisfied that everything in the wiring loom is good I bound and secured it.

 

I decided that Whittie's conduit idea worked well at the front, so refitted it.

 

 

With phase two of the brake in completed I again dropped the oil and changed the filter, Whittie has had a sexy baffled alloy sump fitted with a recessed Allen key plug and it occurred to me that for competition the plug has to be lock wired so I thought I might have to replace it with a plug that protrudes but before doing that I had a go with my drill and while the result may not be pretty it will do.

 

As I said I would, I have compared the second lot of 20 minute break in oil with the first and while still quite dark it is slightly lighter in color than the first so I'm thinking the oil's doing it's job well.

 

The battery isolation switch we have has the ignition cut capability which I was going to ignore but after thinking about it and knowing engines continue to run off the alternator with the battery disconnected I considered that if ever that switch is required in an emergency situation it could well need to kill the engine as well, I looked at the wiring diagram that came with it and decided it would be much easier to use the tacho feed I mentioned in an earlier post, so it's done and the console is finally back with battery and ignition cut instructions.

 

It seems that every time we replace the fire extinguishers they mount differently and with what's been done to this car I don't want to be drilling new holes in the body just to satisfy bloody CAMS every three years so gave it a bit of thought and came up with this.

 

And of course you did see that correctly, the first seat is in.

 

Yes I'm burning a bit of midnight oil but it will be worth it on Monday.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

Things are more than a litttle tight for getting the car on the track next Monday, firstly we don't have a windscreen, which is somewhat useful for keeping the rear window intact when traveling at speed, so thinking that wouldn't be a problem I got on the phone this morning and being a loyal customer, rang the guy that fitted the rear window to let him know I'm now ready for him to supply and fit a screen, clearly the Zed didn't make a big impression on because it took more than a little prompting for him to remember the little blue coupe he fitted a rear window to, anyway eventually the penny dropped and he remembered the car and he then became a little more motivated, he shuffled through some supplier stock availability and found a screen for a 260C, OK that's a start but I need one for a 260Z, with that he said I need to make some calls so I'll call you back in 30.

 

Not hearing from him after 30 I was thinking Monday was off but then thought, Martin must have some sort of screen we can fit for one event so felt a little more relaxed then finally my phone rang and it was the windscreen guy who said "do you know how rare these things are, no-one keeps stock of them they are made to order from China but one has recently been ordered and sent to Perth but the order has been rescinded so there is one available", I don't particularly care whether that story is accurate on or not but the screen is being fitted in the morning.

 

We're at the end stage of the rebuild and are almost ready for the head lights to go back in so it's time to clean up the trims, just one so far.

 

This car has frequently seen periods of stanover time sufficient to drain the battery, one stopover in Sydney we dropped on this gem I'm sure most of you are aware of.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Scoota G]

Just a side note on the mounting of the fans directly to the radiator. The vibration of these will eventually wear through an aluminium radiator and cause it to leak.

[luvemfast]

Just a side note on the mounting of the fans directly to the radiator. The vibration of these will eventually wear through an aluminium radiator and cause it to leak.

Yes, but, it also depends on the install.

Mine is soft mounted so that only soft plastic and rubber is in contact with the aluminium.

 

[Whittie]

This one is soft mounted too. The fans don't weight a lot so I would be surprised if they caused any damage. However, I will remain vigilant and watch for any leaks.

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

There were two things that absolutely had to happen today, the screen had to be fitted then the car towed to the wheel aligner, both have been achieved and the car is back in the garage so we're in with a very good chance of getting onto the track on Monday.

 

The screen fitting was very straight forward and uneventful which was good, before the car came off the road we were sponsored by Wheels World so wheel alignment was never an issue but with the way the new owners treated John Fowler my allegiance to that business is gone, John has set up again working from a home office with access to friends workshops so he has set the suspension up, I asked him to make it a bit taily and while he listened to me he didn't follow my instruction suggesting that because we haven't driven it for so long and have changed it so much we should get to know it again and then loosen the rear if we still want to, good advice thanks John.

We used to have almost 2deg of neg camber but with the new suspension he has given us 3 deg and we can get more if we want it.

 

For any Perthies who may be interested John is contactable on 0416 105911, with the current exception of Yoki tyres he can do and supply everything he could previously and we all have access to his massive bank of knowledge.

 

Here's what 3 deg of neg camber look like.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

Wow this is getting a bit crazy, the young guy with the tats and piercings working the spanners fell in love with the car and took pics of everything and the guys who own the workshop took lots of pics of the car and insist I show them the car when it's going, their interest comes from previously owning a Nissan dealership in South Africa when these cars were new, they said the engine bay looked too good to cover with a bonnet, I'm not sure that's true but it made me feel pretty good.

 

Anyway back to reality, With the car back in the garage I fitted the driver side fire extinguisher bracket.

 

OK time to fit the driver's seat and steering wheel, Whittie decided that the MOMO wheel we have been using that first saw service on my near new VL Calais Brock bluffer at about the time he was born was no longer up to standard so bought a new current spec one to match the trim, cant wait to wrap my race gloves around it.

 

The two lots of break in oil that I have drained were sitting in the buckets they drained into but knowing that Whittie has dedicated this weekend to getting his Zed track ready for Monday I thought it would be a good idea  to empty the buckets to avoid the possibility of youthful exuberance seeing their contents cover the garage floor so I emptied them into some containers I can give to Tuss for disposal from his workshop, in previous pics I compared drop one with drop two and to be fair I thought the difference was marginal but in emptying the buckets the truth is revealed.

 

Cheers

Dad

 

[Whittie]

I'm not sure I like the wheel.....

 

I guess we'll see how it goes, but I think a leather one might go better with the dash, console, gear lever, hand brake, etc...

 

I'm just getting ready, charging the go pro and will be over soon!

[gav240z]

Looks great I can see why the blokes with the tyre shop were so excited. In South Africa they love their Datsun's that's for sure.

[PZG302]

The suede wheel with gloves will be better on the track. All my track cars have had a suede wheel. Not so good for the road where the oil in your hands will trash the suede over about 12 months.

 

On the hairdresser car I swap between the standard leather momo and my suede racing wheel fir trackdays. Takes all of 2 minutes to do to swap bosses.

[Grandad]

The suede wheel with gloves will be better on the track. All my track cars have had a suede wheel. Not so good for the road where the oil in your hands will trash the suede over about 12 months.

 

On the hairdresser car I swap between the standard leather momo and my suede racing wheel fir trackdays. Takes all of 2 minutes to do to swap bosses.

 

Hi PZG302

 

Thanks for that one, I was going to sell the old VL MOMO but as by mistake we have two bosses I'll keep it and do the swap.

 

Cheers

Dad

[Whittie]

She's alive!

 

No door skins and missing a few final touches, but it'd 2.45am and I've just finished the first 100km of break in.

 

VERY different car!

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

Yes it is rather late and we did start rather early this morning so it's been a long day but a productive one and in spite of the challenges thrown at us today, we're looking good for hitting the track tomorrow.

 

Started this morning by re-visiting the overhead gear and reset the idle jets, that done we fitted the strut brace, oh and as our 3 liter ali catch can won't be here by Monday we've been informed that something like a coke bottle will suffice, Schweppes that was close.

 

So it's time to fit door locks, window winders, windows, mudguards, spoiler, bumper and maybe some lights.

 

Ok with that done it must be time to let it down off the jack stands and take it for a run, we fitted the old wheels because the tyres have only done one event so have plenty of life left in them and are perfect for the break-in sessions but of course the new wheels look and fit a whole lot better.

 

With it ready to go on it's maiden run we fired it up and it ran like shit on five cylinders, WTF Mate, how can that be?  So we pushed it back into the shed and started looking, first check was the timing which Whittie, never having done before and not knowing how to read the timing light had set at 15deg advance so that was the first thing to be rectified, Whittie then suggested that the filters might be over oiled so removed them for cleaning and re oiling, in the mean time I ran my carby balancer over the ram tubes and found the balance to be so far out the engine was idling basically on the first carby so I tried to adjust it without success then decided to do something I've not done previously and disconnect the accelerator linkages then balance the carbies using the idle screws on the butterfly linkage and re set the idle jets as per my Webber manual then re connect and adjust the accelerator linkages, the result was amazing, I don't think the engine has ever run so sweetly.

 

Finally it's time for the maiden voyage, so with Whittie driving and me in the navigator seat, we're off, well not for long because 50 meters down the road Whittie brought the car to rest gently and said, we don't have any brakes, so I had a drive and sure enough, we didn't have brakes so it was back to the shed for some bleeding.  The fronts appeared to be fine with almost no air expelled, the rear did give a little air but the pedal didn't really improve, we went for a second short run but there was no real improvement then Whittie said "do you remember we had this problem when we first fitted this system and we had to move the rear calipers from their 3.00 o'clock position to 12.00 o'clock so the bleeder is at the top and do you remember that was the night before an event," with that we bled the navigator side first which achieved nothing so I was feeling a bit down and said, lets deal with it tomorrow but Whittie said "I've got a good feeling about my side, lets just do it," so we did and I couldn't believe the amount of air that came out, the caliper must have been empty of oil because after this we had a full pedal.

 

Following the second run we noticed that although the fans were running they were pushing air away from the radiator so were wired incorrectly for their location, that was another little job.

 

With that done and brakes working, Whittie took off to do some break in Ks and has recently returned, he can't believe how good the car feels and how much better it is now so I can't wait to get out in it later today but it's now a very late one so I'm off.

 

Cheers

Dad

 

 

[420BRB]

im quite excited to see this thing in action.

 

videos of test runss!

[Grandad]

Hi All

 

Just back from three hours in the Perth hills, not as good as the Adelaide hills but still not bad, the car now has just over 300ks on it our target was 400 but we're out of time so I'll drop the oil and bleed the brakes onece again for good measure then we're off to the track.

 

I can't believe how different the car is now compared to how it was, the suspension set up is light years ahead of where it was and the motor has noticeably more torque pulling effortlessly from 2k in 5th and the power increases with the revs.

 

We will be taking cameras to the track so hopefully will get some vid.

 

This turned over while I was out and as it will only ever happen once it became a photo opp.

 

Cheers

Dad

[nizm0zed]

[Zedman240®]

There should be a Love button...

Round of applause! Again, awesome work. Now just have to see it in person.

[luvemfast]

There should be a Love button...

All those children Dimitri and you STILL don't know where the love button is?