Jump to content

The 48 hour Rat Z...


Recommended Posts

So, our plan was to take the yellow 620KC my boss owns to Nismofiesta this weekend. 

 

The paint was looking a little worse for wear, so we dropped it off at a local paint shop to get some parts resprayed. They promised us it would be done by this Wednesday morning (three days ago). That turned into Friday (today). Which then turned into Monday (the day after Nismofiesta). 

 

So...   :blush:

 

What else do we have we can take? Well, we recently pulled a 260Z 2+2 out of a field where it sat for 20+ years. We originally bought it for the bumpers and some other parts...

 

20150514_131940.jpg

 

20150514_132040.jpg

 

 

Engine bay pretty grubby, and there's no gas tank so we hooked it up to a gas can to fire it up. One turn of the key and it sputtered to life.  :rofl:

 

20150514_132022.jpg

 

Interior was partially disassembled and very grubby as well...

 

20150514_132056.jpg

 

 

Front seats are garbage...

 

20150514_132120.jpg

 

 

So Tuesday morning we pushed it in the shop and got to work...

 

20150519_083504.jpg

 

 

Got it on a lift to look at the underside and fix a few things under there...

 

20150519_105527.jpg

 

 

Gas tank was MIA, so plan B......

 

Grabbed the tank out of the 280Z parts car and went to install it. But a 280Z tank doesn't fit a 240Z/260Z.  :rofl:

 

So we cut out the spare tire holder...

 

20150519_105536.jpg

 

 

Tim whipped up a fuel cell mount...

 

20150519_110453.jpg

 

 

Popped in an old RCI plastic fuel cell we had, and routed a vent tube up to the gas door...

 

20150520_075350.jpg

 

 

Took out the seats and took an assessment of the inside. Overall not bad, just needs some attention...

 

20150520_075400.jpg

 

 

End of day 1...

  • Like 1
Link to comment
  • Replies 24
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Day 2...

 

 

Took off the scuttle and vacuumed out all the leaves...

 

20150520_095547.jpg

 

Installed some stainless steel brake lines and bled them. Worked very well. Original master cylinder and booster seem to be holding their own...

 

20150520_101937.jpg

 

 

Had to replace the distributor (used a reman EI for a 280Z), so we put in new plug wires. plugs, cap, rotor, and coil...

 

20150520_142642.jpg

 

 

With it now running awesome, we decided to address the destroyed rear muffler. Pipe was really good up to the rear axles, so we went to work. I had the complete exhaust from my turbo 280Z kicking around, and it had a decent Supertrapp on it, so we cut the pipe at the axle, and Tim welded on the back section from the 280Z...

 

20150521_113949.jpg

 

 

Radiator was leaking like a sieve, so we pulled it to have it cleaned and rebuilt. While it was out we replaced the battery cables and a few other things under the hood...

 

20150521_153421.jpg

 

 

All cleaned up and the radiator about to go back in...

 

20150521_173447.jpg

 

 

End of day 2...

  • Like 2
Link to comment

Day 3...

 

Now that it will drive on it's own, I drove it around to the front of the shop and washed it with water and a Scotch-brite pad...   :rofl:

 

20150521_173438.jpg

 

 

 

Then the clutch slave blew out. And the clutch master wouldn't hold pressure...   :blush:

 

So back onto the lift and put in a new clutch master, new clutch hose, and a new slave. Bled that and now it works great.   :thumbup:

 

We had a pair of decent condition 280Z seat so we thought we'd throw those in. Yeah, the brackets are completely different.  :sneaky:

 

But thankfully the bolt holes on the seat base are the same, so we swapped the brackets from the old seats onto the new one. Removed the driver side carpet that was all wrinkled up, washed it, and reglued it back down to make it smooth again. We had a floor mat from a 280ZX we parted out, so I tossed that in...

 

20150522_142313.jpg

 

End of Day 3...

  • Like 2
Link to comment

The radiator came back this morning, so I tossed it back in and drove it around the block. Goes well, but I think one of the rear axles is about to eat a u-joint...   :huh:

 

 

We had a little time left so I decided to see what we could do to make it "pretty"...

 

So how can we make it pretty in less than 4 hours? Call my vinyl lady and ordered some stickers of course!  :rofl:

 

We had a cowl induction hood kicking around so we rattle-canned it flat black and put it on. We had some old school "Talbot" mirrors on the shelf that we never used, so I painted those and installed them. Masked off the nose and painted part of it black as well. My boss let us borrow the wheels and tires from his 280Z project since he's buying new ones anyway. Then got to work putting some stickers on...

 

20150522_142032.jpg

 

20150522_142047.jpg

 

normal_20150522_142104.jpg

 

20150522_142209.jpg

 

My vinyl lady made the yellow stripes, the door gumballs, and the rear quarter Japanese script...

 

This is sort of the look I wanted. I hope I got close...   ^_^

 

1708066.jpg

  • Like 4
Link to comment

Well yeah, your Z was the most ratty Datsun in the whole place.  :rofl:  But still, you guys did an awesome job on it, too bad about the ignition cutting out on ya on the first lap of the track. :poke:

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Really fun, quick project. Nice job.

 

I was looking at hunchbacks a while back, wondering what was so wrong about them, and what, if anything, could be done to fix them, since they tend to be a lot more affordable than the coupes. I Photoshopped this:

 

18062164472_0220690f1f_z.jpg

 

You 'just' need to cut some length out of the front end, 2 cylinders' worth.

 

I also did a notchback version:

 

17877798390_803c786257_z.jpg

 

I'll give you 3 more days to get this done.

  • Like 2
Link to comment

I barely got on Ratsun last week, so this is the first time I've seen this thread.  You guys did an awesome job on the Z.  I kept looking for a 620 KC to roll up in the parking lot.  The Z was a pleasant surprise, even though I missed the part where it ran. 

 

 

Is this you, John?

 

Datsunfreak was behind the camera in this shot.

 

PART951432599378714950524151407_zpspeo3b

 

Here's one my wife took from a slightly different angle at the same time.  You can see Datsunfreak's camera.

Link to comment

That is one cool ass car , awesome job giving it life again !  And wow what a trophy !! 

 

They didn't so much "take home" the trophy as they "took BACK home" the trophy.  I made 90% of that thing out of parts I got from their scrap dumpster/620 that I hauled off a while back.

 

The plan is for them to add a touch or two to it over the next year, and then bring it back for the next winner.  Hopefully the birth of a new Ratsun tradition. 

Link to comment

Here's one my wife took from a slightly different angle at the same time.  You can see Datsunfreak's camera.

 

I hate this photo.  :rofl:

 

 

And the guy next to the trophy is Patrick, my boss and the owner of the car. He's on here too, but like so many I know he just lurks. 

 

And that's dimlight65 (aka Tim) behind him. 

 

 

Is this you, John?

 

 

See above. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.