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[•••DTP's © 240z project •••]


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  1. 1. is this v8 datsun project blasphomey? lolz

    • no ... i love v8 swaps
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My 71 240z Build Thread ,,,

 

---- :Car Back Story : --- Car was originally white from what can be deduced of paint colors inside engine bay , Door Jambs , Hinges , Under-body , and Rear Hatch Paint !!!

 

This 71 240z ,,, supposively had low miles ,,, ( less than 200,000 probably lol ) ,,,

 

Engine: ---- L24 (Flat-tops)

Head: ---- E31 (Peanut Chambers ,,, high compression head back in the day)

Carburetors : - Dual Webber Downdraft 32/26 DGV's (Manual Chokes)

Ignition: ----- Points Ignition

Transmission: --- Type-A 4-spd

Rear Diff: --- R-180 Open (3:36 gears)

Suspension: --- 4x4 Truck status ! lol ( All stock it appears to be ,,, )

 

Interior : ---Was thrashed ,,, ripped out sort of ,,, some plastic broken ,,, center console was ripped out ,,, center heater control bezel was broken :-( ,,, dash cracked ( always typical of these obviously ) ,,, seats were thrashed ,,, carpet not that good as well ,,, :-( ,,,

Exterior: --- The paint was not good ,,, cracked all the way through and coming off ,,, the rear drivers quarter was pushed in ,,, below the marker ,,, so this indeed needed body work as well ,,, :(

 

Body/Sheetmetal: --- Overall was in very good shape !!! a few minor spots of rust (picky) ,,, but nearly all of them have it ! :D

 

NOTE : ---> There was concern that the engine possibly overheated at some point in Previous Owners Possession ,,, it did not start when changed owners ,,,

Car did not start when I first got it ,,, Wen't and bought some basic ignition parts after finding no spark ,,, new points and condenser were installed ,,, and a new accelerator pump as well as a float were installed in one of the webber's in addition to re-sealing it ,,, turn key ,,, it fired up ! ,,, BUT ,,, The freeze plugs ,,, were apparently rotted out ,,, and the block almost started crying anti-freeze within seconds after initial start ! lol ,,, so I stopped immediately ,,, and drained the coolant to prevent a large mess ,,, and wasted money !

 

I had many negative attempts on replacing the core-plugs while engine remained in the car ,,, Out the motor came after not being able to get "rotten" (really badly too) core/freeze plugs out with many different methods and lots of patience. Once the motor was out , I decided to re-seal it with fresh gaskets all around!. In addition I had the E-31 head pressure checked , and surfaced checked at the same time. The head checked out good all around. I installed new bearings , piston rings , and a timing set in addition at this point since it seemed wise.

 

At this very point with an "over-hauled L24 Engine" ,,, I decided ,,,, I already had an L-series motor that ran great in a separate 240z (daily driver too) !!! ! I really didn't want to have two of the same exact car. I also had a small fascination with keeping one a daily driver status , and building one for some power ,,,

 

Not realistically having the funds to afford an RB25det or a 2JZ-GTE for the $2,000 price range ( give or take ) . I opted to use what I had for a motor swap ! Which in my possession is a SBC from a 75 Chevy 3/4 ton 4x4 ,,,4-bolt main ,,, 9:1 compression ,,, mild cam ,,, headers ,,, HEI Ignition ,,, better breathing heads ,,, etc ,,,

 

Enough my blah blah blah ,,, On to the build pictures ,,, and descriptions ,,, :D

 

Body primed over ,,, paint was ,,, bad ,,,, out of rain thank goodness !!!

 

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Rear Drivers Lower Quarter panel a bit mangled ,,, P.O ,,, errrrrrr ,,, :( ,,, not bad really ! (considering)

 

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Fenders off for conversion ! ( So I do not destroy the body during )

 

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Empty engine bay after yanking L24 ,,, My SBC swap also required the wiring looms and brake line hold downs ,,, were to be ground off the frame rail's ,,, in order to be able to "line"(fit) some 2.5x2.5" Angle Iron Pieces onto the frame rails of the engine bay smoothly

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The frame rails were cleared of wiring/brake-lines ,,, and any-other obstructions ,,, then line with the Angle Iron ,,, In addition the angle iron was drilled with 1/2" holes ,,, straight through the frame and TCA ,,, The angle iron was then removed ,,, and 1/2" I.D structural tubing was inserted into the frame and MIG welded for the angle iron to suck against ,,,

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Passenger side cleared of fuel , brake , and electrical tie downs/wires ,,, to be able to mount the angle iron one in the same as the drivers side ,,,

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Passenger side view ,,, Both pieces were C-clamped carefully ,,, before drilled ,,, and will be tied back into the engine cross-member,,,

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Sitting down ,,, looking straight Trans tunnel ,,, Hole on the drivers side ,,, is modded(cut) for the External Linkage 4-spd Saginaw Manual Transmission that will go behind the 350-SBC ,,, more on that later

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Drivers Side ( NOTE: SBC swappers ,,, pay special attention to the steering arm and exhaust clearance ! )

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I then went to find a method to level the engine fairly easily while tacking together engine mounts ,,, I made a "Engine Lift Plate" ( also purchase from Harbor-Freight ) ,,, which the rear the loop allows an almost completely level engine ,,, and the front loop allows enough "tilt" to pull and install the engine/trans ,,, in addition ,,, I made the plate wider at two points to allow a magnetic "level" to be stuck on top of the plate to check the engine levelness while making motor-mounts/trans-mount/etc,,,

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I Knew from the get-go ,,, that I wanted to have an engine cradle ,,, and a quick disconnect system ,,, :D Here are a few pictures of an "Engine Cradle" that wraps tightly under the oil pan ,,, connects both engine mount plates ,,, which are then ultimately connected to two R-180 Mustache Bar Loops that have been cut off the Mustache bar ends ,,, in which when the engine is lowered in ,,, they will sit on top of the angle iron pieces ( more on that later ) ,,,, (1/2" clearance between oil pan and bar at least ,,, ) it is a quick-disconnect system made from materials around me ;)

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I ultimately lowered the engine in ,,, blocked it/leveled as best I could ,,, used a transmission jack to level the transmission tail/angle ,,, block the front with wooden blocks ,,, and a cherry pick supporting it with on the rear loop (most level setting) ,,, and tacked my engine mount loops together once satisfied ! ,,, this is a picture of my engine set in after tack welding in ,,, ( full weight supported ) ,,, Distributor is not installed ,,, it's a smaller "Points Type" with a 5" distributor-base ,,, versus ,,, 6" HEI Factory GM Distributor-base ,,,

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Distributor was pulled out ,,,, for other mockup reasons at the time ,,, engine was set back to within 1/2" inch of Distributor-to-firewall ,,, this is a common "desirable" position for the SBC in a 240z

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I then purchased some "Block Hugger" Headers ,,, that fit very tightly and snugly around the block/heads/oilpan . The ultimate reason for purchasing these headers was to clear the steering arm with room to spare ! Which it did with great success

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As a result ,,, Here is the motor-mount ends complete ,,, The 90-degree angled Thick Washers ends that are bolted THROUGH the R-200 Bushings ,,, SIT on the angle iron that is mounted in the engine bay on both frame rails . This makes the motor-mount adjustable if desired (with shims before and after the bushing) . I will add additional gusseting to the end brackets bolted through the Mustache Bar Bushing if need be ,,, :)

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Drivers Side (Longer ,,, since engine off set to passenger's side)

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Prior to engine mockup ,,, I had run this engine on my engine test stand !! ( To Test this engine for worthiness lol ! ) ,,, I had acquired an engine test stand ,,, with crappy wheels ,,, and crappy motor mounts ,,, in which the previous owners never finished ,,, so I pulled ALL the Cab/Engine Harness wiring out of the 1975 Chevy 4x4 Pickup , Radiator , Engine Mounts ( all metal ) , Engine Mount Cross Member ,,, and mounted them all to my Acquired Engine Test Stand ,,, made from 2,5" tubing and pieces of sheet-metal and plating ! ,,, I made a make-shift plate for the rear bell-housing to stable the motor ,,, and tack welder a quick radiator mount to the front hoop on the stand ! walla ! ,,, The entire wiring harness I strapped to a wooden board , and I was able to start/stop/test this engine ,,, outside of a car ! :cool: ,,, Here's some pics !

 

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After testing the engine ,,, I found I had a bad valve seal ,,, a bad accelerator pump ,,, timing was dead on ,,, thermostat was good ! ,,,, engine operated smoothly ,,,Oil Pressure very high ! Compression was healthy ! ,,, :D it's given the ok to go into the car !!!

 

I then proceeded to attach the correct clutch/flywheel inside of the engine transmission. I had not attached the "clutch" because I did not wish to put back in a burnt disc ,,, so during mock-up I left it out. I found out the hard-way that a car-clutch was used in Van SBC's ,,, rather than Truck Clutches ,,, errrrrr ,,, so after bolting on my transmission ,,, I found I couldn't twist the bell-housing the last 1/2" I needed to line it up,,, :rolleyes: ,,,, I took it off ,,, and found marks inside the bell-housing. I proceeded to measure clutch disc's

 

Car = 10.5"

Truck =11"

 

I then switched Bell-housing(s) , Flywheel(s) , Pressure Plate(s) , Clutch Disc(s) , and Starter(s)

 

All was well there-after ! All done !!! Attached ! (GM 4spd-Saginaw Manual Transmission)

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NOTE : --- > I forgot to mention ,,, all welds done with ARC Welder ,,, they look like shit ,,, but hold !!! :lol: ( except for the internal frame rail structural tubing 1/2" crap ,,, that was MIG )

 

The Next Phase for me to look at is ,,, The accessories , wiring , specifically the location there-of function components , and how to re-position/re-wire if need be ,,,

 

This is a 6" GM Base H.E.I Distributor Cap ,,, 5" Points Distributor would allow an extra 1/2" further engine set-back. But ,,, I will stick with the 6" H.E.I Distributor ,,, for less maintenance ,,, and possible benefits of hotter spark ,,,, H.E.I also have angled plug wires ,,, versus ,,, straight plug wires on points type distributors ( from factory at least ) Pictured below is H.E.I Distributor ,,,

 

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Next is wiring ,,, hooked straight to the started ,,, Positive Battery Cable and Wiring Harness Share the same 9/16" Lug Stud ,,, The Starter "Excite" (or Signal) wire is to the right of it ,,, it retains it's own 5/16" nut ,,, this is all the power wires on a SBC ,,, with the exception of alternator wires ,,, ( NOTE: Block Hugger Headers are so very close on a standard starter ,,, a shield should be built to protect brake lines , wiring , and starter from heat , and a gear reduction starter is recommended ( since heat soak kills SBC starters from Headers )

 

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Next Up Are is the Mechanical Fuel Pump (pictured below bottom center) , and the lower radiator hose !

The mechanical Fuel Pump BARELY clears the Datsun stock "Passenger side hard motor mount" that is currently welded onto the front cross-member. I have my system of Home-built mounts , measuring , and trial error involving clearances. I suddenly started to worry about "Motor Rock" (SBC rock to passenger side just like most motors) ,,,"What if my motor mounts tears ?" <--- that could be a big problem ! ,,,, I had 3/8" of an inch clearance between the fuel pump body , and the top edge of the passenger side motor mount tip. I have since decided to "clearance" (cut off with cutting disc) the top edge or the that passenger side motor mount. It was actually a success down in car with a steady hand:D ,,,,

 

The professional "Jags That Run Kit" Calls for a farther motor set-back ,,, you will NOT be able to run a Mechanical Fuel Pump ,,, Take that Bisches !!! lolz

 

In addition ,,, the lower radiator hose from the 1975 Chevy truck ,,, will interfere with the sway bar ,,, the openings are a bit big for the Datsun radiator outlets ,,, so it will likely have to be joined with another hose of the same diameter ,,, to clearance the sway bar ,,, and hook up properly !

 

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I ran down to my local "Ace Hardware" ,,, and grabbed four Grade-8 bolts for the water pump pulley ,,, I was certain I would not be able to run a mechanical fan ,,, so I grabbed these ,,, in-case I ever wanted/needed to run an electric fan ,,, at least ,,,, I would have the option ,,, anyways I bolted down the water pump pulley like this when I was dropping in the engine ,,, just cause I could :)

 

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The Big Orange Hose "looped" at the front of the engine ,,, is a bypass ,,, to the heater core ,,, this will allow me to run the engine ,,, and arrive at operating temperature ,,, while bypassing my heater-core ,,, which is in "questionable" condition ,,, Engine Lift Plate is also shown ( bolted to intake , black in color ) ,,,various wires/cables are strung up over ,,, ready to drop in engine this way ,,, for easier hook-up once engine is bolted in ,,,

 

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This "Electrical Plug" ,,, is originally meant to plug straight into a "Fuse-block" in the firewall on a 1975 Chevy 4x4 3/4 ton pickup ,,, Well ,,, I have ALL of this wiring needed to start/test/run the engine ,,, this is the "end" of the engine harness ,,, and plugs into the "beginning" of the cab harness (Fuse-block) ,,, then I can start the engine/test/run/stop ,,, at will outside of the car/on the test stand !

 

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Important Detail ,,, SBC ,,, have "Short Shaft" and "Long Shaft" Water Pumps ,,, I believe I have a "Short Shaft" water pump (pictured below) ,,, this is crucial ,,, for Radiator , Shroud , etc ,,, clearance !!! ,,, ( Hose pictured is one of the hoses that cycles coolant through the heater core )

 

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Picture of Drivers side head ,,, looking straight down ,,, just to the right of the first exhaust tube ,,, is the "Temperature Sensor/Sender" ,,, I point this out as I will possibly be running new wiring to it through a loom ,,, later on ,,, once the wiring phase is to be done ,,, I also had to "notch" The header on this side ,,, just a kiss ,,, to clearance the header and make sure it would no interfere with the Header flange when I go to seal it ! ( It was just barely rubbing ) ,,, All is well now !

 

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Another angle of Temp Sensor/Sender ,,, is between both Spark Plug Boots ! ,,, sneaky it is !

 

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This looks like shit ,,, but I assure you ,,,, it's reinforced pretty dang good :lol:

 

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I just love the look of headers ! ( another angle )

 

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This particular SBC ,,, has the wiring harness loom ,,, bolt to the back of the engine via the bell-housing bolts ,,, While this shouldn't cause clearance issues when setting back the motor ,,, vibration and motor-rock/wiring could potentially rub on something ( fairly close ,,, ) ,,, I say this also since the brake lines are right there as well ! I choose to leave the loom bolted to the engine bell-housing when I set the engine in ,,, close call !

 

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(Page 6 Photo-bucket ,,, stopped ,,, engine features ,,, continue ,,, not finished)

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Another Shot of the wiring Harness Loom ,,, it is important ,,, brake lines are in that area ,,, and depending on how far you "drop" you engine ,,, it could be great ,,, or just plain "work" ,,, Jags That Run ,,, call for "Body Spacers" ( between Frame and Front Cross-Member ) in order to drop ,,, the engine height ,,, whatever specified distance ,,, the spacer is ! screw that ! not gonna screw with my suspension geometry until I at least get to that point ,,, or never lol

 

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Heater Core Bypass ,,, Orange Hose ,,, lulz

 

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1.25 inches to the left ,,, of the base neck of the distributor ,,, is a "Black" vacuum hose sticking straight up ,,, this is actually an insulated Oil Pressure Hard Tapped Gallery line (5/16") ,,, that is fed directly to the mechanical Oil Pressure Gauge ( located in Gauge Cluster ) ,,, factory ! ( it's important to know for future gauge hook-ups)

 

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A better picture of Oil Pressure-Hard-Line-To-Mechanical Gauge ,,, (visible fitting)

 

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4-wire Internally Regulated 60-70amp ? GM Alternator ( Not a "One Wire") :),,, shouldn't be very hard to wire in ,,, just gotta compute a proper gauge between

the conversion and the GM Alternator Specs ,,, hmmmmmm ,,, wiring cross-over will come last ! lolz

 

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Engine Negative Battery Cable Grounded to the Alternator Bracket (top left) from factory !

 

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Factory GM (what looks to be a --->) "Junction Block " ,,, Ones side has a Resistor for the H.E.I ,,, this is mounted to the firewall ,,, as well as the resistor ( looks like 3 springs on a block of fire-resistant and non-metallic material )

 

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Motor view from the back ,,, trans attached !

 

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My Transmission = GM Saginaw 4-spd (Cast Iron Case) ,,, Aluminum Bell-Housing ,,, When I pick-up the trans ,,, it feels like about 100lbs ,,, maybe ,,, lighter than a TH-350 automatic for sure !

 

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Another Angle of 4spd - Saginaw ,,, (Cast Iron Case) <--- Tranny shops love em ! lol

 

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Saginaw side cover (External Shifting Linkage rods/shifter not currently attached) ,,,

1st-2nd gear = Lever on the left

3rd-4th gear = Lever in the middle

Reverse = Square Lever on the right

 

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Next I had to Look at a Clutch system ,,, since Chevy was Full Mechanical :blink::unsure:

 

I decided to convert ( or attempt to ) ,,, the Datsun 240z Hydraulic Clutch Release System ,,, I had to cut off quite a bit of the original arm ,,, to bring the pivot point closer towards the bell-housing ,,, hopefully compensating for the shorter stroke of the datsun slave cylinder ( I know I should be using a larger slave and master ) ,,,

 

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Then attached a 240z Slave Cylinder as best as I could ,,, brackets are following bell-housing lines for strength ,,, bolt is shanked ,,, hope it works ! lol ( no biggy if not other options are out there just more $ )

 

((( I had to build the cylinder as tight as I could ,,, for firewall/trans-tunnel clearances ,,, Arc Welder Booger welds :lol:,,, )))

 

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The angle of the Slave Adjustable Push-Rod is off just a little ,,, if it holds the pressure ,,, I will correct ,,, and reinforce the bracket more !!! if not ,,, off it comes !!! and in goes an internal hydraulic throwout slave cylinder ,,, errrrrrr ,,,costs $100 for a crappy one ,,,

 

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In this picture ,,, you can see how tight the flat-bar steel is formed to the bell-housing "ears" ,,, and bolted down on both bolts ,,, in addition to the rear bracing from the transmission ears/bolts .,,,( that part not shown in this oic )

 

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Getting Ready To Drop in Engine Time ,,, But Before I dropped the engine in ,,, I realized I still needed to change out the Differential from a R-180 to an Upgraded R-200 (3.54) Final Drive. So I took the R-200 Mustache Bar I had laying around ,,, drilled out the old rubber bushings ,,, cleaned the loops/hoops with a wire wheel on a drill ,,, installed the upper poly bushings with lube (correct lube) ,,, gave diff a quick blast of black paint ,,, installed the bar on the Diff ,,, put it on a jack with the cross-member attached ,,,, jacked it up ,,, bolted cross-member in ,,,, then lightly pushed in bottom R-200 Mustache bar bushings ,, and sleeves ,,, tightening down the bolts sucked the bushings up ,,, and the it all fit nicely ,,, here's a pic of the diff ( no current pics of Mustache bar ,,, I will have to get some )

 

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This is the part ,,, where I do the "Engine Hoist" dance ( swing Engine Hoist 180 degrees around the engine that is sitting on blocks/ jack stands )

 

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Fling over cables ,,, make sure nothing will catch ,,, getting ready to position engine/trans to be able to be craned in ,,, :D

 

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can't remember why I needed this much angle ,,, haha !

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Hard to see this one ,,, from the passenger side ,,, lowering engine in ,,,

 

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(Engine In) Awwwwwwwwwwww yeeeeaaaahhhhh !!! :D ( some pics with my phone and some with my laptop ,,, apologies in advance for variations )

 

Engine in,,, Tranny in and Mounted ,,, :D ( Engine is also intentional offset Crankshaft centerline to the passenger's side about 3/4"-1" <--- I can't remember which I did atm ,,, lol ,,, crap !!! will look through my notes )

 

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Note:--- Air Cleaner has intentional slope downwards on passenger side ,,, engine is

level.

 

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Tell me this is not ,,, Bad ass Looking !!! :lol::cool:

 

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Gauges you see on the left in this picture ,,, work when I hook up my "test harness" from the 1975 Chevy Pickup ,,, :)

 

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Reserved for :thumbup:

 

haha ! Thx man ! :cool:,,,, :D

 

Don't worry ,,, Your Ex-L28e is smuggled safe !!! in the yellow-Z daily driver ! love it !!!

 

 

:o DTP haz car?

 

:P :thumbup:

 

:lol:,,,, I have proof naow !!! :sneaky::w00t: ,,, Thx Dat510!

 

 

See what I mean about my welding ? hahaha :lol:

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haha ! Thx man ! :cool:,,,, :D

 

Don't worry ,,, Your Ex-L28e is smuggled safe !!! in the yellow-Z daily driver ! love it !!!

 

 

 

 

:lol:,,,, I have proof naow !!! :sneaky::w00t: ,,, Thx Dat510!

 

 

See what I mean about my welding ? hahaha :lol:

 

My welding sucks! plus your using arc welding MIG is teh easiest!

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lol about time :lol:

 

:rofl: ,,, I know it !!!

 

 

My welding sucks! plus your using arc welding MIG is teh easiest!

 

Yeah ,,, I appreciate that ! Arc Welding is a bit more challenging for me ,,, So I just turn up the heat as far as It is reasonable ,,, and go !!!

I've been welding for a long time on that arc welder ,,, I can make "sorta" pretty on ARC ,,,, but that's about it on that ,,, no patience

 

My Mig welding doesn't look much different either ,,, no patience :lol:

 

 

YAY! finally a DTP thread!

 

The car has Blue Fenders, maybe that is where you got your user title...

 

 

haha ! nice ! thx !

 

Yup ,,, yup ,,, I paid a little extra money for those fenders ,,, cuz they were blue !!! ( and not rotted out at the bottom :lol:)

 

 

 

 

Ding Ding Ding !!! ,,, I do indeed have a thing for BLUE = :hyper:

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( Descriptions in this post in progress .... )

 

After setting in the engine , this is the "Played" with result of clearance between the steering rack and engine Harmonic Balancer. 5/8" of an inch seems plenty , but I felt safer it being just a touch higher assuming my motor mount rips or motor rock is greater than it should be for some reason :unsure: . I originally had this clearance at about 1/4"-3/8" of an inch ( in order to get the weight down and back as far as possible ,,, but ,,, this proved to be a possible problem wasiting to happen,,, so back up it came lolz )

 

Note: 6.25 harmonic balancers can be purchased for sbc ... I currently have an 8" balancer ... The smaller balancer would allow faster wrap up , and 7/8" inch more drop for engine fitment ... But ... It is theorized.bigger balancers stablize better giving longer life and less wear on engine ... Plus I don't have the cash atm to get a smaller balancer lol ... I would also incorporate a lighter flywheel with this combo as well if I was not concerned with engine life ... 7/8" may not sound like a lot ... But once you get to this point ... You realize it means a lot !!!

 

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Notice motor "Cradle" clears the steering arm ,,, :D. Engine weight is distributed nicely in the aspect that it is pretty dang "level",,, engine crankshaft center-line is "off-set" to passengers side ( just like factory ,,, but factory also "tilt"s" the L-series in the s30's to the passenger's side as well) ,,, that is why the drivers side frame rail cradle mount looks/is so much longer than the passenger's frame rail cradle mount.

 

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Distributor sits 1.25 inches from firewall in this pic ,,, ideally is .5 inches from firewall. BUT The dilemma is ,,, if I set the engine back another .75 of an inch ,,, there is a good possibility ,,, I won

t be able to "tip" back the motor/tranny ,,, to do a clutch/rear main/front trans-seal job ,,, without having to move the motor forward first. ( Am only concerned with this idea as if I were stranded somewhere , or emergency without my engine crane near me ,,, decisions decisions :) ) I hope that makes some sense of what I am saying ,,,

 

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This is obviously a pic from underneath ,,, on the drivers side of the vehicle. The hole you see above was my noob to engine swap mistakes (manual trans). I had originally "clearance" the clutch arm to be able toi fit inside a pocket of the firewall area ,,, and was planning to hold back ,,, somehow in my drunken calculation ,,, I had forget about the Gas Pedal being RIGHT THERE :blink: ,,, So I shortened the clutch arm as short as I could stand looking at it ,,, and modified it to what you see now. If you look at the trans tunnel currently ( in this picture ) you will see I still have to "massage" the trans-tunnel lightly ,,, with a heavy hammer :D. No worries boy's and girls ,,, this hole will be MIG welded back up solid !.

 

The slave cylinder is now mounted on the "drivers side" as opposed to the "passengers side" of the transmission ( from factory ). I now must move or "re-bend" the factory clutch hydraulic line ,,, to be able to use in this position. I have not achieved this yet , and am afraid to try atm lol. Which of course brings me to making up a "new" hydraulic line-to-hydraulic soft line which connects to the slave cylinder.

 

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This picture shows the mechanical fuel pump is hovering above the passenger's side original factory motor mount ! as mentioned before clearance was marginal , but still cleared enough. Since this picture , I have take a Grinder Cutting wheel , and buzzed the top off the original motor mount... to clearance it ,,, ( What I really should have just done was ,,, weld locators into the cross-member(jig) ,,, and cut welds off both factory Hard Plate mounts ,,, take them off ,,, and keep them for later if I ever wanted an L-series engine ! ) ,,, I kept the original factory engine cross member mounts , so I could tie in the angle iron frame rail pieces to it !

 

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This picture shows an ,,, Internally regulated GM Alternator ,,, and the Negative battery cable grounding point was on the alternator bracket ( Factory GM Point ) ,,, V-Belt obviously from age and technology

 

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My engine cradle wrapping around the oil pan is about 1/2" clearance ,,, maybe just a touch more ,,, It fits very nicely ! The connecting "U-Shape" piece is made of 1"x3" Square tubing ( thicker can't remember how thick atm ) Header Down-pipes shown in the picture ,,, as well as steering linkage arm ,,, etc.

 

Oil Pan is again from a 1975 Chevy 4x4 350 (4-bolt main-caps) ,,, It is rear sump ,,, and what you cannot see is the oil-pan is just a hair below the cross-member ,,,

 

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I Regret having to cut such a large hole ,,, was painful to do so ,,, cut three times ,,, it ended up being necessary due to external tranny linkage interference , and access to the transmission shifter rods/linkage to just be able to pull the motor,,,:(:(:( it will be patched and restitched ,,, :D

 

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This picture is looking straight down through the shifter hole ,,, you can actually see that the crankshaft center-line is offset to the passenger's side ,,, in alignment(as close as I could get it ) with the differential !

 

Also is all of the "widening" and "cutting" on the shifter hole/trans tunnel ,,, that I had to pursue and execute ,,, in order to achieve a working system with my new found tranny. I'm not too happy about this , but it is my first "official" engine conversion. Live , learn , and haters gonna hate ! :lol:

 

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This driveshaft is for mock up only ... For me to see tranny height ... And clearances around the brake Lines

And parking brake cable as well as any sheet metal... Front looks funny because it was a slip yoke that was torches off by previous owner ... And utlizef by myself ... For this purpose ...ultimately just the slip yoke will be knocked out ... Attached to a longer gm driveshaft ... Also attach my r200 adapter flange to this driveshaft ... Purchased from motorsportauto... When I am ready I will measure for a new driveshaft ... After this I will take the Driveshaft to be shortened/balanced and re fitted to this 240z ...

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This was quite interesting ! I had a FULL SIZED 19" mechanical "clutch-less" type radiator fan ,,, be able to fit ,,, and spin freely in the 240z conversion :blink: ,,, ( with 3/4" inch clearance from hitting the top of the hood during operation ! ) ,,, I can opt to buy an 19" , 18" , 17" , and 15" inch diameter non-flex steel fan. I also have an electric "Push" type fan that may be large enough for this conversion , and it was taken from a Volvo !. For now ,,, for testing ,,, and working out bugs ,,, I will stick to this 19" Mechanical Fan.

 

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Gauge Cluster Pack from a 1975 Chevy Truck ,,, The entire Gauge Pack ,,, as a thin strip copper circuit printed film board ,,, in which they all share a common ground ,,, and this is how the bulbs are powered ! (cool) ,,, I use the mechanical "Oil Pressure" gauge ,,, the "Volt" gauge ,,, and "Temperature" Gauge ,,, You cannot separate these off the cluster without damaging them ,,, but why would you want to separate them ? These gauges I also use on my "Engine Testing" stand you saw earlier ( if you scroll back up to the first post you will see them sitting below the engine ! )

 

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Like the picture says ,,, all cab and engine bay wiring from a 1975 Chevy 4x4 pickup ,,, My method of securing the wiring to the board was makeshift. I grabbed some hearter hose , cut it into 2 inch or so chunks , slit them length wise , tucked the wiring inside each mounting point ,,, I grabbed some sheet rock screws. Then screwed through the edge of the rubber , and naturally the rubber would "curl" back up to it's circular position. This would "trap" the wiring very snugly for a makeshift board.

 

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These are glass-packs from the 1975 Chevy truck ,,, same one as the motor came from ! ,,, This will work for testing/working out bugs on car ,,, and maybe even a little driving ,,, Glass packs are VERY long for this car ,,, hard to fit ! lol ,,, I am glad I recessed my transmission mounts enough to tuck them in a bit more ,,, without burning anything or clearance issues ( hopefully on the burning part lol ) ,,, I used Jack-Stands to convert and otherwords complete exhaust ,,, from the donor truck ,,, and accommodate (cut) the proper angles ,,, and lengths to be ,,, the exhaust was still good enough to use ( thicker exhaust piping ,,, not that cheap crap !!! ) :D

 

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A further back angle pic of the last ,,, The transmission-mount plate on the cross-member ,,, that the rubber transmission mount bolts to ,,, was actually made from the "flat" part of the mustache bar that did not get used when ---> ( I cannabalized it for the R-180 loop ends on the engine mounts ! ) ,, haha ,,, recycle and re-use ,,, bisches ,,, ;),,, The whoooollleeeeee mustache bar got used in both the engine and transmission mounts ! :Dhehehe

 

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I really need to grind down these welds ,,, and re-weld them all pretty like ,,, haha :lol: ,,, I will do that AFTER I verify/run/test/drive car ,,, for now they just need to hold the transmission in until I get all the bugs worked out ( assuming always there will be some ! ) ,,, AKA ---> when the motor comes out again for paint , mods , or repairs ! ( we all know it happens often , especially during these things ! lol )

 

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Again ,,, need to grind down these welds ,,, bevel ,,, and re-weld all pretty like ,,, same description for this as picture above ^^^ haha

 

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Picture says it all ! The bolt and nut you see is Grade-8 hardware ,,, it is a 1/2" hole drilled through the "Tension Control Bracket" (TCA arm bracket) towards there rear of the engine frame rails ,,, This is the rear mounting point for the angle iron I line the frames with up top ,,, It is pretty heavy duty mounting point !!!

 

( I may change out pics as this one is a touch annoying ,, with all my writing ,,, )

 

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Driver's side from underneath ,,, Showing Drivers Side Motor Mount Plate connected to the cradle ,,, and mustache bar loop connection ( I think ) ,,, steering arm as actually an issue my first time around ,,, so I "Angle" the mount up ,,, in order to clear the steering arm. Success ! The steering are looks as though it is no where near ,,, but mind me you ,,, if I dropped the motor much further down ,,, I would have to be very careful with those specific clearance's on this drivers side motor mount:)

 

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Passengers side ,,, is where the starter is located ,,, With "Block Hugger" headers ,,, these header flanges ,,, are very close to the starter ,,, could heat-soak and kill it ( we all know starters can die from heat FAST ) ,,, I will have to build a sheet-metal shield ,,, possibly use "header wrap" ,,, etc. This will help possibly extend regular starter life. I believe many SBC owners use "Mini-High Torque" SBC starters ,,, to help with this , and insulate them anyways ! I am glad I am able to "reach" and change the starter In the car with this conversion ,,, lol

 

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I like this :lol:

 

:)

 

Installed the GM "Chevelle !?(not entirely sure now ,,,all I know is it works ! haha ) 4-speed Saginaw Shifter ,,, with a bit of clearance in front of the bracket ,,, shifts freely ,,, and smoothly ! ,,, I really need to take it apart and clean/re-grease the mechanism itself ,,, doesn't seem to worn ,,, Many SBC guys don't favor these types of shifters when "scooting" along ,,, I will try ,,, then decide !

 

As you can see in the picture ,,, the assembly bolts onto the passenger's side of the tail-shaft ,,, and the working mechanism itself ,,, is off-set towards the driver ,,, for comfort !

 

Of course I really wish I just had a "Hurst" Shifting assembling instead ,,, if you have ever felt/drove one ,,, you know what I'm saying !! :cool:

 

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Laptop cam ,,, sitting on drivers side floor ,,, you can see the linkage hookup ,,, It also appears that the speedometer cable outlet on the tranny will be a challenge as well :blink: ,,, it points straight through where I planned to put the "access cover" ( I might need a 90-degree adapter of some sort if they make them ? hmmmm will have to research this !!! ,,, errrrrrrrrr)

 

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Shifter Linkage Rods ,,, In and Engaged ,,, at the transmission ( The forks are built into the cover obviously ,,, 1st/2nd share one ,,, 3rd/4th share one ,,, reverse has it's own fork ! yum ! ,,,For a "Cast Iron Case" Transmission ,,, it's fairly light to me :blink::D

 

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from drivers side ,,, (column doesn't have cover on it ) ,,, shifter height actually ideal with the seat that is currently in there ! ,,, critical wiring seems to be "ok" ,,, accessory stuff ( heater , radio ) is kind fawked at the moment ,,, errrrrr <_<

 

You can also see my "Dual Glass-Pack" Mufflers below the trans ,,, love it !

 

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Check the height of the shifter ,,, It's nice once you sit in it and feel it ! ,,, It is engaged in first gear in the picture.

 

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Just kinda wandered across this ......man i thought it was getting a little colder lately.

 

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I think the chevro soleil guys don`t like the saganaw because the gears are sometimes pretty far apart..and shifting is like rowing a boat. Which makes it perfect for a Datsun ...well going off what my Datsuns shift like anyways..tongue.gif

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