Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

The tech discussion forum has been helping me with my brake problems. As of this morning the brakes had been bled three times and still a soft pedal. Last night it was discovered that the Volvo front calipers had three bleed screws per caliper. Thought I had found the problem because only one was bled before but fixing that did not help. Michael Spreadberry suggested that the stock push rod's washer was too thick and that was preventing the piston from returning completely. He had apparently encountered that problem before. This morning the washer was replaced with a thinner one and then the master and calipers were bled again and I think we may have solved the problem. The brake pedal is firmer although I cannot remember what is normal. A spinning front wheel was stopped quickly when the pedal was pushed. It is hard to test the brakes when the car has no engine so we will see.

Anxiety surrounded my emergency brake also. The system was totally changed when the RX7 axle was added so my engineering skills were put to work. Again, it is hard to test its stopping ability when the car has no engine but the car rolls easily and did not when the emergency brake was engaged.

Nice project. I'm in Orlando as well. Where in Orlando are you?

wouldnt mind seeing this car in real life.


I'm also a long time builder/collector if rx7s. So if you have any questions on the rear end I'm sure I can answer them.

I'm in Winter Park. Do you have a running car? Would love to see it? You are very welcome to come by anytime to see the car. Through this website I've already connected with another roadster owner, Dan, who is starting an engine swap. Maybe we can get together.

What should have been an exciting day in the evolution of my project turned out to be quite a chore. This was the day the engine would go in for the first time with the body. I knew it would fit well because of Michael Spreadberry's help but didn't expect it to be so tough to get the engine in. Using an engine hoist the SR was lifted such that it was tilted with the transmission low. It was gently maneuvered over the engine compartment and dropped such that the transmission slipped into the tunnel and moved back. A hydraulic jack was used to lift the transmission so that it caught the shelf for the mounts. Unfortunately I could not get it very far into the tunnel. It seemed to be hanging up on something in the tunnel. By varying up and down the front and back of the engine and wrestling with it I was able to push it into place after an hour. I still don't know what held it up. I was able to put in all the engine mount screws.

Unfortunately the transmission housing is touching the flange on the front of the transmission tunnel on both sides. Check out the photos. This is not something that will stay that way. When the engine is back from the turbo mechanic the plan was to remove the engine again and clean up the engine compartment and paint it along with the rest of the car. I will bend those flanges out with a hammer and that should not be a problem in the future. I hope the car can be test driven with those parts touching. Should be OK.

Haven't figured out how to put multiple photos in each post.

Frustrating weekend. The Ducks lost and I ruined one of my back calipers. While doing some adjustments on the caliper I made the mistake of pushing on the brake pedal while the caliper was off the rotor and pushed the piston all the way out and it will not go back. It must have slipped out of its tunnel. Waiting now for the new one to come in and when that is installed it is off to the mechanic to get the turbo plumbing and exhaust finished. I want to be able to drive it home from his shop.

Discovered that the pedal return springs never got reinstalled on the brake and clutch pedals after I took the master cylinders off to paint the firewall. It might explain why I had so much trouble bleeding the brakes and clutch.

If it is true that we learn from our mistakes then I am approaching genius level.

The Piston should go back in. open the bleeder. Push it in. If access is difficult, remove the pads. Crack the bleeder and try again. Its Easier to open the bleeder, rather than trying to push all the fluid back to the master cyl.

Will try.

Decided to take the caliper apart after opening the bleeder did not help. This RX7 caliper is over engineered with a complicated mechanism for the emergency brake. I found that the emergency brake mechanism was keeping the piston from being pushed in so I removed it and pushed the piston in and then rebuilt the mechanism. The caliper was installed and bled and there is a firm pedal so all is right with the world.

That's good news!

The roadster is off to the mechanic today. I'll be providing him with photos and suggestions from the forum. I think he is more excited about this build than I am. He thinks it will take about four weeks to get it running and get the kinks out. My hope is that it can be driven home. We are both concerned about delays from the holiday mail traffic when ordering parts. Having the car home for the holidays would be nice because of all the free time to get started on the painting. The plan is to remove the engine for the final time and remove all the unused brackets on the firewall and patch any empty holes and then paint the engine compartment with high quality rattle can paint and clear coat. My plan would be to paint the inside of the hood, trunk lid, and door jambs along with the firewall so the painter only has to worry about the outside

Corvette Daytona Yellow paint was found at automotivetouchup.com. They seem to be a great company from which to get paint, clear coat, and other supplies. Thought about changing the color but my wife reminded me that it wouldn't be the same after owning it for 35 years with the yellow paint. Besides, so few cars have bright colors nowadays so why join the crowd. Sport cars should have bright colors.

A problem was created when the trunk lid was dipped to remove all the paint and rust. The undersides of the supporting brackets were stripped of any rust protection and cannot be reached with normal spray. I found a product from Eastwood that comes with a nozzle at the end of a hose that can spray 360 degrees inside very tight spaces. I plan to use it on the trunk lid and inside other compartments in the car including the front door posts and the space behind the rear door post which has been a real problem area in my car.