Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

The speedo and tach aren't bad. The clock though...

http://www.311s.org/pmwiki-311/pmwiki.p ... n.Humorous

My write up on under dash work is very helpful. Pat

So I mocked the tach in the empty speedo hole before calling it a night and it doesn't look bad at all. It's just slightly undersized and I'd have to come up with a bracket, modeled after the original gauge housing. I might do this instead of an immediate dash swap. Can always change it down the road and this dash is flawless.

I found out that a few NC Miatas did not have ABS and those had a hole in the trans to mount a VSS sensor, and the hole was just plugged on ABS models. I was pretty excited about this for driving my speedo, but on further inspection my trans does not have the hole finished, just a spot where it would be. It appears when they updated to the NC2 and revised the trans they did away with that option. Intellitronix offers a GPS sender for their speedos and that's looking pretty good now.

dynaguy wrote: Wed Jan 27, 2021 8:38 am http://www.311s.org/pmwiki-311/pmwiki.p ... n.Humorous

My write up on under dash work is very helpful. Pat

Do you have a camera in my garage? That's eerily accurate to how the night went.

spl310 wrote: Wed Jan 27, 2021 8:34 am The speedo and tach aren't bad. The clock though...

The heater box is already out, I presume that will help?

Actually, if you pull the glove box and glove box door, it makes it easier.

spl310 wrote: Wed Jan 27, 2021 8:20 pm Actually, if you pull the glove box and glove box door, it makes it easier.

Thanks. Still thinking about what I might put there instead, I don't need a clock in the cell phone age.

I remembered I have this gauge set too, more in line with the oem configuration. They're a little small though and I don't have documentation for them so wiring could be interesting since I can't find this particular set on their website.

Ordered a few more parts tonight. 76 280z clutch and brake masters and braided brake lines with -3AN/M10 adapters. $127 total for that.

I finally LEGALLY own it! What a mess. The guy I paid was selling it for the husband of the late owner, and no names matched on any document. It took about 6 total documents to make it kosher for the DMV.

BTW, shout out to Michael Spreadbury, I had some questions about installing his brake kit and he answered my email late in the evening.

I made an unfortunate discovery the other day. I can't drive this car in my favorite boots. Hit two pedals at once.

damarble wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 6:44 pm I finally LEGALLY own it! What a mess. The guy I paid was selling it for the husband of the late owner, and no names matched on any document. It took about 6 total documents to make it kosher for the DMV.

BTW, shout out to Michael Spreadbury, I had some questions about installing his brake kit and he answered my email late in the evening.

I made an unfortunate discovery the other day. I can't drive this car in my favorite boots. Hit two pedals at once.

Check out the episode of Wheeler Dealers with the Datsun Roadster, I believe1st episode of this season. Brake pedal was "adjusted" for big feet. FWIW Pat

damarble wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 6:44 pm I finally LEGALLY own it! What a mess. The guy I paid was selling it for the husband of the late owner, and no names matched on any document. It took about 6 total documents to make it kosher for the DMV.

BTW, shout out to Michael Spreadbury, I had some questions about installing his brake kit and he answered my email late in the evening.

I made an unfortunate discovery the other day. I can't drive this car in my favorite boots. Hit two pedals at once.

Mike, when I was 21 years old any shoes that I had fit the pedals no problem. Now at 71 both my feet and shoes have grown, so I went looking for smaller outside dimensioned shoes just for Datsun driving. I settled on a pair of topsiders which work very well.

Regular shoes seem to be OK, is just my boots.

Parts are still trickling in. It's been pretty cold and I haven't felt like spending much time in the garage. I did spend a few minutes on the gas tank to see what I was up against. Dropped a chain inside and some soapy water. Shook it a bit and dumped brown water out but I don't see any difference in the crustiness. This is going to be a big job if I want to save it.

I do believe this tank will be serviceable now.



The Focus pump will fit.



Focus pump ring cut out and matching 1/4" smaller hole cut in tank.

I removed the master cylinders today and while laying upside down in the foot well I noticed a "crack" by the heater box intake. I poked it with a finger and a gaping hole appeared. The first significant rust I've found.

Back to the masters, the new Z master doesn't have a push rod. I think I will try dynaguy's approach.

It's been bitterly cold this week so I'm just kind of picking at it. Earlier this week I finished the assembly of the Spriso brakes then I chucked my front wheel spacers in my mini lathe and opened them to fit the hub, they were slightly too small. It's nothing special, one of the $500 chinese ones, but it lets me work aluminum and plastic.

Tonight I did the pass side drum rebuild, pretty easy all said and done. My new 510 cylinders only came with 3 clips and the cylinder that came off had 4. I looked at the driver side and it had 3, so I copied that layout. I had to clean up the casting a little bit for the lever to fit.

Oh and an exciting little personal touch came in today. I ordered a 2" diameter Shungite sphere. It will be drilled and filled with epoxy, then the epoxy drilled and tapped to M10x1.25, to become my new shifter knob.

Finished the driver side rear brakes tonight. All the parking linkage is frozen so I need to get back to that but I moved up to the front to install the caliper brackets.

While there a closer look at the suspension components showed tight joints with clean grease still in them, but the boots crumbled to dust when I touched them. Add it to the list...

Dash is out! My screws along the windshield were not hex head but this got the job done.