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Wait! What's that on that trailor??? I think it's ahh....

 

UPDATE...

 

This just in...

 

One perfectly functional yet totalled (rearended trunk smashed) 1994 Infiniti j30t.

 

Is anyone else ready for a suspension swap?

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Okay, so you may have guessed from that bit, we're between jobs in the shop at the moment so I got to roll the datto in and work on it this weekend.

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First bend in the frame got it narrow enough to build clips and bolt up the rear subframe of the j30. That left my ride a bit higher than I wanted when I lifted it up to where the camber was close to driveable. Decided to ad a vertical bend in front of that one to lift the rear and therefore lower the truck.

 

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Then I reinforced the hell out of it.

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If anyone foresees any problems in my design, please let me know. I'm flying this solo and sometimes tired eyes miss shit.

Next step is shock towers, but before I can do that, I have to replace a bent tie rod on my HICAS. oh yeah, I'm gonna have HICAS. Got the tie rod ordered. Should be here this week. Hoping to have shock towers within a week of today.

 

Also wanted to ask for thoughts on built in camber adjustment. Any ideas? trying to wrap my head around alot of measurements and I'd like to be able to fine tune anything that comes out a little off in the final product.

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Don't worry. I'm about a grand in already, and uncounted work hours. The rear end bolts in and the ride hight is where I want it (According to my math anyway). Just gotta finish shock towers and it's on to the front end.

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As you can clearly see from the above post, I did some work on my truck finally. Sorry if you've lost interest because of my slow progress, but I'm gonna work on my laziness and see what happens.

 

On with the OICS.

 

How to make your Datsun able to mow a field.

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How to make your Datsun able to haul 20,000 lbs.

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I don't think I ever showed you guys this part. Built this connection months ago and just haven't updated my thread.

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So, for the very first time, I had serious help this weekend. First my parents came to help on Saturday. Had my mom cleaning out under the hood while my dad and I cleaned up the frame and got the front end bolted to it. Then we set cab on frame for the first time since I pulled the l20b out.

 

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Doesn't seem like that much work now, but that was Saturday, and I felt uber productive. Obviously I've left out some details, because they're boring, but we did alot of work that day. Problem was we did just enough work to have an immobilized vehicle in the middle of my workplace on blocks, and we had a job to start on Monday at 7 am that had a tight deadline. That meant that Sunday had a very specific goal. Get truck rolling and get it OUT of the shop.

 

Dad, aka Boss, came back to help me the first half of the day Sunday, and I kidnapped my friend Beau who is a member here with the witty screen name "Beau," and 1 post in the last month. Dad could only stay for the first half because he was BBQing for the family that day.... I missed the BBQ.

 

Knowing that the front end was gonna be a bastard, I came up with a simple and genious rig to hold up the rear end of the truck.

 

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I'm considering patenting the Rhapakatui Tie Strap Coil Over Suspension. Meanwhile, I have company arriving so I will continue this update later. Most likely with no responses between this post and that because you've all stopped caring by now.

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http://community.ratsun.net/topic/29558-rat-rod-truck-or-just-retarded-jalopy/page__fromsearch__1

Yeah, that's been discussed. The conclusion I came to was, I could spend a couple grand to adapt coil overs of equal value; spend $500ish to downgrade my front suspension, or go with what I have and let em stick up. I figure I can make em pretty. Those are just temporary mounts. I'll elaborate when I have more time. Thanks for paying attention. I think I'll get a few more people's interest once I'm closer to fruition.

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Okay, I'm back to finish my update. BTW, a little side note, It's freaking HOT. I think I've sweated 20 gallons of liquid in the past 4 days. I had to pee at one point during work, but decided to wait until I finished the weld I was working on. By the time I finished the weld, I didn't have to go anymore, and didn't go for the entire work day.

 

Sorry, I may be deliriously babbling. Back to Datsun stuff.

 

So after many hours of pondering, head scratching, and cutting and welding, Beau and I got the front end able to support itself.

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And, yes, the struts will definately stick out of the hood.

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Unfortunately, I was too busy both days this weekend to get good pictures of the progress as it happened.

 

As you can see, I designed a way to add camber adjustment to the J30 setup as I can't find an aftermarket camber adjustment of any kind. The shape of the top plate will change drastically before the build is finished, but the idea is there in the pictures. I made a top hat looking peice to bolt onto the struts with a bolt pattern above it that I can move in the slotted top plate. I'm thinking that I'll put a rubber gasket between the two plates to help keep the struts in place. If anyone sees a problem there, please let me know. I'm kinda new to the suspension stuff.

 

Meanwhile, back at the shop, Beau and I got the truck moved outside so that work could progress unhindered.

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I'm thinking I should find a different place for it though, because looking at this...

 

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... all day, may be lowering my productivity slightly. It just looks so sad sitting out there wishing it was being worked on. Not to mention I keep redesigning the strut towers in my head.

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Hey man, glad to see what's left of the truck going together. About the front struts, how about airbags or really crative cantilever system????? Maybe shorter struts from something else???? Eitherway have fun with it, I got my suspension on my 510 finally and working on the motor and tranny.

 

Fuzz

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Fuzz:

I considered it, but I just like the idea of the J30t struts. They're already functionally what I want, and I already have them. Anything else would cost substantially more moneys.

Plus there's aparently a new spot for people with shit sticking out of their hoods, and I want in. I'm gonna try and get em to come up with a name like "Hoodlums" or something.

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/33169-wtf-happend-to-your-hood-chapter/page__p__503330__hl__hood__fromsearch__1?do=findComment&comment=503330

 

Skib:

 

Along with every other moving part that was on a 1994 Infiniti J30t... including HICAS.

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wow, some weird voodoo just happened.

 

there was a post by Redeye that I didn't get... I responded... then the post wasn't there.

 

Meanwhile, who knew you could get points just for working on Datsuns..... I should do that more often.

and thanks wide fourteen you.

 

 

 

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Well, small updates today. Hopefully I'll get some serious build time in Sunday as that may be the last time for the next month or so that my datto gets any attention. Our shop may be getting a particularly large job that would require a night crew to complete. As the company typically consists of my dad and myself along with various returning characters who we hire when available, I have been chosen to run the night crew. Should be a pretty good raise and alot of overtime to boot, but Datto time will not exist. Probably start that next weekend.

 

On to Datsun.

I brought my fenders to the shop today. Didn't have time to stay and work, but wanted to see how my clearance was going to be.

 

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This side looks super promising until I tell you that it's all screwed up. ATM the lower control rod is bent, and I am waiting for a new ball joint to come in so I can replace it with one I picked up. The camber is set way negative so it actually kinda tucks under the fender, but I want a good handling stance more than a hellaflush one.

 

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This side is more representative. The camber is slightly negative, but just enough to be benefitial to hard cornering. The steering geometry on the other hand looks like I'm gonna need to drop this thing another 1.5-2 inches. Perfect for the fender clearance, but that means that much more strut above the roof line.

 

Took a picture of my bosses truck yesterday while he was discussing the new job with my dad and me.

 

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I kinda dig the hood shape. Considering how I might adapt that to my truck to atleast tone down the strut towers sticking up. It would also give some extra room under the hood for some of the parts that are gonna be kinda cramped for space. Intake piping in particular.

 

Also been considering names for my truck. My first 620 was named Frank because it was a frankenstein build too. ('76 620 body on '86 hardbody motor and frame) Therefore, Frank is out of the question. He was irreplaceable. I considered Frank Jr. for a while, but I never really cared for Jrs. Latest name I've been thinking of is a bit ghey, but I kinda like the idea. I was thinking Gossamer, after the Looney Tunes character created by Chuck Jones.

 

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I wanted to be a cartoonist for a long time, and Chuck Jones is one of my all time favorites. The character was first nameless, then later called Rudolph, which would make people think reindeer, not monster. In his 3rd apearance, Gossamer was the name that stuck, and he's been that in every apearance since.

It sticks with the mad scientist created monstrosity theme started by Frank, without taking anything away from his memory.

 

So that's where the build sits, and depending on what happens Sunday, may be where it stays until atleast the first weekend of August.

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