Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

Bought this 64 fairlady a few days after it popped up on Craigslist Atlanta.




Cleaning it up


Needs plenty of love(look at the lower door hinge area, its all gone in there.




The SD22 engine that runs great.



I'm converting the car to negative ground for the SD22 swap, and just rewiring the whole car since mice have eaten most of the harness. Should not need much to run the SD22, since its a fully mechanical diesel and I have eliminated the DPC control module which I will replace with mechanical linkages.

Transmission is a mixture of a few different Fs5W71B transmissions(not the one pictured).
input shaft and counter gear, and 1st-3rd gears from a 280zx transmission, output shaft from a 720 4x4 stubby transmission(with its tailhousing), and a truck 5th gear. This gives a 5th gear ratio of .67(plus or minus depending on how you round) that should help keep the RPMs down on the highway. Also threw a full rebuild kit in with bearings and synchros.

I'm fixing the floor pan/rocker panel rust but leaving the body pretty much as-is with its patina(for now). Also have some rust repair work to do on the frame, unless I can find a newer frame pretty soon and cheap.


Looking for some 1600/2000 front spindles to convert the front to disc brakes if I don't do a whole frame swap.

Very interesting approach to this restomod. I'm subscribed and looking forward to your progress.

Cool idea. I had one of those SD22's to get the transmission, That is one HEAVY engine. You may need to do some custom springs or spacers.

While I don't know enough to comprehend all that is involved in this resto-mod, I do admire your interest in preserving the essence of the 64 3-seater (assuming that is your intent) and making it the best it can be.

Look forward to updates.

notoptoy wrote:Very interesting approach to this restomod. I'm subscribed and looking forward to your progress.

Thank you! Appreciate the kind words.

dbrick wrote:Cool idea. I had one of those SD22's to get the transmission, That is one HEAVY engine. You may need to do some custom springs or spacers.

I know the sd22 is pretty heavy, and I'm not looking to build a racing machine, but more a cool car to take on road trips and long commutes. Not much cooler than a sweet rare 3 seater convertible.

I'm sure I'll need to change front spring rates to deal with the weight of the engine, and maybe stiffer rear leafs later on. That is easy stuff.

Bob wrote:While I don't know enough to comprehend all that is involved in this resto-mod, I do admire your interest in preserving the essence of the 64 3-seater (assuming that is your intent) and making it the best it can be.

Look forward to updates.

Basically I already had the SD22 fixed up and the roadster was cheap, and the trans was already built, and my budget is small so it seemed natural to use what I had on hand to build a sweet daily driver.

If I decide to go L-series or U20 later on, it would be easy to change between them now that I have the 71B series transmission in the car. Its just motor mounts, proper oil pan, and front bellhousing swap(for L16-L20B) to do a motor swap once the transmission is in.



Wiring circuits needed

Headlights
body/running lights
radiator fan
dash/interior lights
heater fan
reverse light
horn

I think this fuse box will work great and its cheap.
http://www.12voltguy.com/8-CIRCUIT-IN-DASH.html

subscribed!!!

cool!

I love the patina on that car!

Subscribed! What a cool project! Please keep the updates and pictures coming.

The good news is that the motor mounts off the G15 bolt on to the sd22 and it fits right on the mount pads on the frame and the motor just clears the hood! Will post pics later!

Right side motor mount, where the DPC normally resides.


Left side motor mount. plugged the oil drainback for the alternator as it interfered with the motor mount.


Alternator to steering shaft clearance.


I might try to swap the G15 oil pan onto the SD22 as it doesn't dip down like the SD22 pan does.

Sitting in there!




Ride height with SD22 but no transmission.

Looks right at home. Don't put the G pan on it though - get an R or U20 pan. They are slightly bigger and have a windage baffle which is a very good thing to have. Explain the oil to the alternator. That is a new one on me.

The SD22 has a vacuum pump driven off of a splined shaft through the back of the alternator that gives vacuum to the brake booster in the 720 pickup, since diesels do not make much vacuum. The fairlady does not have a brake booster so I may remove the whole system to clean up the engine bay.

Oh yeah, I would pitch that that junk.

Probably put a regular L series alternator on it and use the vacuum pump alternator on my rock crawler 521 since it has a booster.