The Roadsterstein Rust Rocket build thread!!!

[Garm]

great fun reading this thread, it's like time-lapse photography to read it all at once.

[subscribed]

[Tomakze]

Thanks guys!!! I am still wondering what that box in the picture is. While I am re-doing the wiring, I am deleting as much as I can. I am working on her right now, and plan to all day. She needs to be running in top form for all this great weather we are having!

[spl310]

Location and connector suggest voltage regulator

[pebbles]

^ +1

[Tomakze]

I am playing cleanup crew in the engine bay, and removing all unnecessary equipment. Looks like this is the next thing to go. I am also replacing the positive battery cable with a nice hefty 4awg wire. It should move a lot more voltage than the old corroded and stiff original one! Pics later...

[Linda]

Just so you know there are plenty of guys willing to help you directly by coming over to pitch in on whatever project you have going. Not sure how close you are to other owners but if you announced a hot dog BBQ in order to do some blitz sanding for your next paint job, you might get some good response and have some fun too! Heck, they're not on a budget, make them bring the hot dogs too! LOL
A lot of guys have nice cars and they miss the action, and you seem like a very deserving Roadster fan who would appreciate the help. Think about how much fun it would be to tell a bunch of guys what to do, and all you have to do is feed them! No beer necessary if the parents do not consent!
Just post in the Events thread if you decide that's a plan.
It's so much easier to have another roadster person to brain storm with. I've been lucky that way.

Linda

[dbrick]

I am playing cleanup crew in the engine bay, and removing all unnecessary equipment. Looks like this is the next thing to go. I am also replacing the positive battery cable with a nice hefty 4awg wire. It should move a lot more voltage than the old corroded and stiff original one! Pics later...

You might want to add a battery cutoff switch. I ran the battery cable in and out through the firewall to a switch mounted through the back of the glove box. It also gives a nice junction point. you can use a 3/4" hole with 1/2" plastic or metal strain reliefs, the kind you use for 120v power cords.
I used 4 ga marine battery cable, it's fully tinned and super fine strand, solders well.

[Tomakze]

Just so you know there are plenty of guys willing to help you directly by coming over to pitch in on whatever project you have going. Not sure how close you are to other owners but if you announced a hot dog BBQ in order to do some blitz sanding for your next paint job, you might get some good response and have some fun too! Heck, they're not on a budget, make them bring the hot dogs too! LOL
A lot of guys have nice cars and they miss the action, and you seem like a very deserving Roadster fan who would appreciate the help. Think about how much fun it would be to tell a bunch of guys what to do, and all you have to do is feed them! No beer necessary if the parents do not consent!
Just post in the Events thread if you decide that's a plan.
It's so much easier to have another roadster person to brain storm with. I've been lucky that way.

Linda

Haha, everyone on this site is so nice! I don't think there are many fellow roadster owners in the area, but that is a cool idea, lol! Maybe I will, thank you Linda!

As for the battery cutoff, I like that idea. Unfortunately, I have hit a huge roadblock that demands my attention... the new alternator doesn't fit on the driver's side. It bolts up, but doesn't have any room to adjust because the housing is so big. I think I will need to relocate it to the other side, but I don't have the smog brackets... This leaves me in a bind. If anyone has the brackets, please let me know! I am stuck without them.

I did pull all the tape off the wiring harness and work it over though! It is much cleaner now, no alternator regulator wiring, and I removed the factory fog light wiring from the harness too. I then ran the new power cable to the starter, and while I was there, replaced the rest of the starter wiring with thicker gauge stuff. I also completely repaired the damage done to the white power wire, and replaced almost all of it with 8 and 10 awg wiring. It is all soldered together nicely, and re-taped to look like new! I tested everything, and it all works, so I must have done a good job. The only bummer is, while testing, I noticed the turn signal switch has some worn contacts. When you turn the headlights on, and then try to signal, the headlights go out. If you wiggle the switch though, they suddenly pop back on. I will have to pull it apart and clean it up I guess. I remember it giving me trouble in the past, and I guess sitting for 2 years did it no favors.

[pebbles]

so you are looking for #37,38, and 39? http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun311 ... ult.aspx#1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I can dig around. not sure if I have them.

[Tomakze]

so you are looking for #37,38, and 39? http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun311 ... ult.aspx#1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I can dig around. not sure if I have them.

YES! If you do have them, please let me know. I will gladly pay for them if you send them my way. I can't even finish wiring until I figure out the location of the alternator. Even if all you can find is 37, I guess you can make it work with just that, it just isn't as strong.

[Garm]

Why does it show 37,38? It's one part number. 39 is the top bracket. I think you need both parts.

37 BRACKET-AIR PUMP
14840-25602 EXHAUST - 1
38 BRACKET-AIR PUMP
14840-25602 EXHAUST & EVAPO

39 BAR-ADJUSTING AIR PUMP
14841-25601 EXHAUST & EVAPO

[dbrick]

On the lights, check your grounds and check for a bad bulb, headlights going out is a new one, thought I heard it all.
On the alternator, you have the basic BS 1985 Camaro 305? Mine was way bigger than stock, but fit pretty good.

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[Tomakze]

On the lights, check your grounds and check for a bad bulb, headlights going out is a new one, thought I heard it all.
On the alternator, you have the basic BS 1985 Camaro 305? Mine was way bigger than stock, but fit pretty good.

Weird... I ordered one for a '81 Camaro with a 305, but it should be the same, right? It fits perfectly, but the body is too big, and the wiring (Red and white wires in the plug) is right against the side of the block. Did I just get a weird one? Maybe I should go to the parts store and compare a few.

As for the headlights, I have rewired them so they run on a relay instead of going through the switch (I did this a while ago) and haven't hooked up the second relay to run the brights. The old wiring for the lights was so bad, it burned some of the insulation (Before I even got the car.) I corrected this, but haven't finished rewiring everything. I know it is the switch in this instance though, because if I jiggle it, the lights work. Just another thing to do on a growing list.

[Tomakze]

I also spent more time working on her after work, and got some cool stuff done!

Still working on the wiring harness...



I moved the choke cable to the place where the hand throttle was, (Hard to see) after rebuilding it according to the instructions on the PMWIKI tech section!!! Holy cow does it work nicely now!



You can really see how dirty the car has gotten after sitting for two years. In order to move the choke cable, you have to grind a tiny amount of material off the edge of the housing... just enough to match the round front. Then it slides right in the hole like it was meant to be! This way, the radio doesn't interfere with it.



And finally... NEW AIR FILTER!!! This has bee in the plans for a long time, I just couldn't afford it. Then, I got a brilliant idea. Why spend so much on a new original one when I could go high flow! Moreover, why use a pricey K&N when Spector exists? I cross-referenced the part numbers, and the guy at Autozone sold me this filter for $20. Sweet, right??? It is a cotton/oil filter just like the K&N, and can even be cleaned and oiled with the K&N cleaning kit. It is a great alternative!



I also got this nifty little thing for $20 on ebay! Score.

[spl310]

Cool! What is the Spectre part number?