What did you do TO or FOR your Datsun today?(Roadsters only)

[70-1600]

And the interior of the rim...specifically asked the tire shop to only put weights for balancing on the inside of the rims, NOT on the outside.

So the 185/70R14 on the spare makes it too big to fit correctly into the trunk. Looking at tire specs/charts, a 165/65R14 is much closer to the original tire spec of 5.60-S14 (from the owners manual). It's about 1.5" smaller diameter and about 1" thinner (so the spare hold down will engage). Hope the tire shop will be cooperative and swap out the tire on the spare rim for a reasonable fee...

[bakerjf]

And the interior of the rim...specifically asked the tire shop to only put weights for balancing on the inside of the rims, NOT on the outside.

So the 185/70R14 on the spare makes it too big to fit correctly into the trunk. Looking at tire specs/charts, a 165/65R14 is much closer to the original tire spec of 5.60-S14 (from the owners manual). It's about 1.5" smaller diameter and about 1" thinner (so the spare hold down will engage). Hope the tire shop will be cooperative and swap out the tire on the spare rim for a reasonable fee...

I have that size spare tire in trunk, and it fits fine. I also have a set of bias plys 5.60/14's. That tire is actually taller than a 185...and they fit too. The only thing different with the 185 is that you have to have the face of the rim towards the floor.

[70-1600]

Bakerjf - thanks for the tip on flipping the tire over. That solves the problem of the hold down fitting...but the diameter of the tire still poses a problem - centering the tire in the correct position for the hold down cause the tread to but up against the mounting screw of the license plate lamp ('70 year model). We'll see how it all goes...

[bakerjf]

Bakerjf - thanks for the tip on flipping the tire over. That solves the problem of the hold down fitting...but the diameter of the tire still poses a problem - centering the tire in the correct position for the hold down cause the tread to but up against the mounting screw of the license plate lamp ('70 year model). We'll see how it all goes...

I'm looking online now for some period-correct radials for my car and came across the following info. The original bias ply tires that came on our cars had an outside diameter of 24.60". Most people looking for a radial replacement go for 185/70r14 tire with a 24.25" diameter. Lucas tire sells a vintage Pirelli 165hr14 radial (old school sizing) with a 24.69" diameter - when I bought my car these were installed and they looked fantastic. For giggles I looked at the 165/65r14, but they have a diameter of only 22.4" - way too small for our cars. I don't know why you're having issues with the spare hitting the license plate light screws. My '69 is set up the same way and I swap out the 185 radial with the bigger bias ply without any issues...

[70-1600]

Bakerjf - thanks for the tip on flipping the tire over. That solves the problem of the hold down fitting...but the diameter of the tire still poses a problem - centering the tire in the correct position for the hold down cause the tread to but up against the mounting screw of the license plate lamp ('70 year model). We'll see how it all goes...

I'm looking online now for some period-correct radials for my car and came across the following info. The original bias ply tires that came on our cars had an outside diameter of 24.60". Most people looking for a radial replacement go for 185/70r14 tire with a 24.25" diameter. Lucas tire sells a vintage Pirelli 165hr14 radial (old school sizing) with a 24.69" diameter - when I bought my car these were installed and they looked fantastic. For giggles I looked at the 165/65r14, but they have a diameter of only 22.4" - way too small for our cars. I don't know why you're having issues with the spare hitting the license plate light screws. My '69 is set up the same way and I swap out the 185 radial with the bigger bias ply without any issues...

It's a mystery to me as well! The spare that was in there was an old Goodyear G800+S, size 165-SR-14. That's a late 70's model Goodyear tire, so almost certainly it was not original to the spare. While I did not measure it's diameter, and cannot find info on what the specs are on a 165-SR-14 tire was, it fit without issue in the trunk, no interference with anything and I could easily cover it with the original spare tire cover. I was running 165-R-14 Pirelli P4 tires (which were 20 years old), and reading recommendations from other postings on 311s.org I went with the 185/70-R-14 size, Michelin Defender, which specs out at 24.3 diameter. The tire shop is getting me a single, 165/65-R-14 Bridgestone Potenza for the spare, which specs out at 22.5 diameter. By spec that's 1.8" smaller, so that should solve the clearance problem. I'm not worried about this tire being "too small" for the car, as it's the spare and if ever used would be on for a very, very short period of time.

[Stretch]

Picked up the car from the upholstery shop, turned out nice!

Interior 1.jpg

Interior 2.jpg

[S Allen]

Wow, looking good. Red and white are a great combination.

S

[Mainer311]

Just sandblasted the rear drums. Found the clips on the driver's side rear brake piston coming undone. Looks like the whole things needs a rebuild.

[nismou20]

Real nice, the shop did a good job staying true to original embossing.

[C.Costine]

I welded my hood back together........ I posted yesterday about the easy way that I found to align the hood. This morning while prearing to perform the body work needed to match the hood to the fenders, I found the 10th place where someone who did work on it previously had ground right through the metal. When I bought the car there was rust down the center of the hood where the paint had come off. Now I knew why. The top of the ridge down the center of the hood was ground right off for about eight inches, leaving a slight gap, held only by the paint, for maybe a mile. I welded it back together, which went a lot better than I expected, then ground it down to almost smooth, then applied filler and sanded it down. Here is a pic of it leaning against the car on its side during the grinding and welding process.

IMG_0319.JPG

[Linda]

Checked the plugs and decided to rebalance the carbs using "the magic number" method, my fav
I always notice an improvement.
Bled the clutch, fluid was a little dark. Clutch master may be going but no leaks yet. I will have to check to see when I last replaced it.
It is kind of like painting the Golden Gate Bridge, you get to the end and then start over again.
Linda

[70-1600]

Finished up the shenanigans with the spare tire. The shop gave me a full refund for the "unused" 185/70-R-14 Michelin and swapped it out on the spare rim with the 165/65-R-14 Bridgestone. This thing is measurably smaller and fits right into the trunk with plenty of space - no more interference with the license lamp mounting screws. On to the next project...

Spare.jpg

[devo]

Picked up the car from the upholstery shop, turned out nice!Interior 1.jpgInterior 2.jpg

Paul,
Which shop did you use for the upholstery work? I live in the area, and may need a good shop.

Thanks, Dean

[Stretch]

Hey Dean, I used Ross upholstery in Oregon City. Merle there runs the shop.

Paul

[devo]

Hey Dean, I used Ross upholstery in Oregon City. Merle there runs the shop.

Paul

Thanks!