Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

Wow. This is an impressive amount of work, both in the conceptualizing and the execution. It's very motivating to me because it makes the work I'm doing seem simple by comparison! Next time I'm stressing about fabricating some little part, I'll come back and look at all you had to do to your frame and body. Keep up the good work...

This was a big one to cross off!
I haven’t been able to put the full weight of the car on it yet, but it seems to turn without Extra resistance. I think I may have been able to avoid using the heim joint closest to the firewall but it can’t hurt

Alternator is mounted. I can’t take credit for the outlandish mounting! (Though I did modify the design a teensy bit). I tried mocking a wood plug of a radiator to try to get a bigger one than stock, but that didn’t work. I ordered a champion 3 core for the stock fitment, we’ll see how that goes!

Definitely a different take on mounting a alternator. I would be concerned about it overheating, as the fan on the front of the alternator is now drawing hot air right off the engine. Sometimes though, you just do what you gotta do

Years ago, I swapped a OHC engine and trans from a 510 into my Roadster. Mounting the alternator was never successful. And in that adventure, I learned that welds don't hold. The bracket needs to be solid and bent with heat, or cast. I would think the bolt holding the front should also go through to the back of the alternator, and if possible, brace it. There's a lot of vibration and torque on the alt pulley, so I would reconsider this mounting setup. Then again, it's your car....

What, no update in 4 months?!?

There’s been a bunch of little things I’ve been doing. First off, I got it running! (Sometimes, I mean it’s not running right now but I’m sure it’s nothing lol)

#1-Cooling
-radiator installed
-fan installed
-the radiator brackets needed to be heavily modified
-pipes and special temperature sending adapter
-oil cooler and remote mount
-Will the radiator fit under the hood? Who knows!
#2- Gauges, seats, and stuff
-3 of the cheapest gauges that money can buy! (Temporarily)
-switch panel (temporary, hopefully)
-seats!
-ECU mounted (probably temporarily)
-Doors soon to come
#3- a real fuel cell!
-unfortunately I couldn’t make the stock tank work in this application
-a more completed vent will be soon to come as well
-mounted the battery back there with cables from a BMW ( like 00 gauge or so!)
-fuse box
I also did the brake and clutch lines and they seem to be working. Made the gas pedal work a little better and ordered legitimate wheels!

I’ve been following with great interest as I want to go with the VQ35 for my car. Your build is why I Finally joined the message board.

Do yourself a huge favor and build a shroud that will pull the air from the grill and force it to go through the radiator. I think I would work off the top of the grill support and the vertical radiator mounts, but that is open for you.

But you are going to need to hit the radiator hard with the air to keep this cool.

LOVE this build.

RCMike wrote: ↑Sun Oct 25, 2020 6:32 pm Do yourself a huge favor and build a shroud that will pull the air from the grill and force it to go through the radiator. I think I would work off the top of the grill support and the vertical radiator mounts, but that is open for you.

But you are going to need to hit the radiator hard with the air to keep this cool.

LOVE this build.

That’s an idea. I obviously would have loved a pull style but this is all that would fit. I’ll see how it cools when I can actually drive it

Pretty easy fix for why it stopped running. “LED Store” brand relays that I bought from Amazon kicked. Both the starter and fuel pump relays at the same time. Does anyone have a brand name that they know you can trust on relays?

I’m not sure if it’s needed, but the clutch pedal has a lot of space after it fully disengages the clutch. I didn’t want to overextend the clutch. I bolted up this piece of scrap metal underneath the pedal and it seems to be the perfect size to allow the clutch to fully disengage and then some.

I trust Bosch relays. Don't try to save money on SPDT relays, they're too important.

TurboRagtop wrote: ↑Fri Nov 13, 2020 5:53 pm I trust Bosch relays. Don't try to save money on SPDT relays, they're too important.

Thanks, I'll give them a shot! On a side note, I totally forgot to buy relays lol. I had just enough spares to get me by but I'll definitely keep a few quality relays with me.

Ladies and gentlemen....

I TOOK IT FOR A TEST DRIVE! Sorry I Don't have any videos, I'll try to get one up. She scoots real good! Not safe in the least at the moment, but it's a start.

On a sad note, When I tried to fit the doors, it was way off. If the frame wasn't tweeked before I rebuilt it, it is now. And the more I tear into the body, the more I realize that the body will never be pretty. So this car will never look nice or fit right. That's not because of the swap, its due to A) the body and frame being absolute trash and B) this IS my first rodeo lol. The plus side is that if most people had gotten a hold of this car, I'm sure it would have never seen the road again, so at least it has life.

On a sad note, When I tried to fit the doors, it was way off. If the frame wasn't tweeked before I rebuilt it, it is now. And the more I tear into the body, the more I realize that the body will never be pretty. So this car will never look nice or fit right. That's not because of the swap, its due to A) the body and frame being absolute trash and B) this IS my first rodeo lol. The plus side is that if most people had gotten a hold of this car, I'm sure it would have never seen the road again, so at least it has life.

Hell... I’m on my second frame. I was so excited about getting a car I totally overlooked the fact that there was no sway bar. Oh that frame was like a politician....crooked as hell

Congrats on getting her started!

Cheers
Matthew

Very cool and interesting build thread, how is progress going now? Definitely a lot of great work going into this, helps me decide which route to go (vq or sr)
Looking forward updates!