DatsSully

Is that an actual question or a rhetorical one?(Excuse my ignorance either way) I haven't touched them yet, they're either pressed in or the teeth of the old sleeves are holding them in place. I haven't attempted to take the old sleeves out yet because I'll have to destroy them to do so. I could pretty easily throw some boogers on the bolts, if that's the best course of action(5/8" drill bits were way more expensive than I expected). The old bushings are all chewed up and caked in rust, I could re-use them but I'd feel better with new hardware. I wish Nissan decided to not change anything in their lineup starting in the 70's instead of 2000. It'd make life 10x easier.

I finally have a chance to work on the 710 again this weekend, the MG was a way bigger project than I even anticipated. I got it to turn over but the carb/linkage was rusted shut so I couldn't get it to fire. I gave my brother a small list of stuff to get but we'll see what ends up happening haha. Anyway I got the smaller bushings in for the 710, but they were still a hair too big. So I ended up "turning them down" a bit(~1mm). I also got the spring pack put back together, I did some light surface prep and a coat of primer before throwing it back together with the new leaf and liners. Difference in arch between new/old leaf Quick/Rough paint, it'll probably rub off pretty fast anyway since I didn't prep all that much I still have to put the clamps back in position/add 1 or 2. I also need to trim the center bolt once I get to installing it. What I need to figure out now is how to get my new inner bushing sleeves to fit. The front/big eye will fit in the original bolt/sleeve. But the shackle bolts aren't so easy. I can either drill out the new sleeves to fit over the old ones and be a little sketch Or I can grind off the old bolt from the bracket and get the correct size grade 8 to fit I would just throw the old bushings back in, but they're pretty beat. I'm always hesitant to start messing with things I know I won't find a replacement for if I mess up. Any suggestions? I'll have to cut the new sleeve down ~1/4" too but that's no big deal. I'll be mulling it over as I go to grab some more stuff from town.

Yeah, at least parts are somewhat easier to come by than my car. This one has been modified with a "3/4 race cam" and a dcoe weber. On top of that, it's been sitting for 12 years so everything is super crusty. Not to mention the rear wheels are seized, but he got it for free from his godparents so 🤷‍♂️. It'll teach him some valuable lessons at least.

Finally got everything I needed delivered. I decided on just using leaf spring liners between the springs. I do have one issue though, I had the wrong measurement for the rear bushings. I don't know how I managed it either. They're 1 1/4" diameter not 1 3/8". But now that I know that, I did find bushing that would work by cross referencing suspension(dot)com's websites. I found these, which list the dimensions of the bushings. So I searched for a cheaper kit and found this. So I'll order that kit and be able to get my car off of jackstands soon. EDIT: Energy Suspension Part #61011(bushing itself) if anyone is looking for the info. The take away from this is that Jeep YJ front shackle bushings theoretically fit Datsun 710 rear shackles, urethane versions at least. In other news, my little brother recently got a '78 MG MGB. So I'll probably be spending some time helping him fix it this summer. The thing needs a lot of work, don't know if he's fully realized yet or not 😅

I've already put poly bushings in the front control arms, so I'm used to hearing some squeaking. Unless it's something else squeaking, I still have to go through the front again. I'm going to take measurements of the spring itself too, for if I decide to go monoleaf/composite. I've been looking at various 4-link builds, trying to wrap my head around it. 100% a project for another day, when I have more fab skills, money, and knowledge. This is a busy time of year for me, might be a couple weeks before I can put it back together and finish the rear bumper.

Took some measurements yesterday, nothing in the prothane/Energy Suspension catalog is a perfect match for them. But if I keep the metal sleeves on the bolts then I should be able to fit the sleeves over them to make them work. All the bolts are 12mm and existing sleeves are 5/8" The front eyelet measurements are: Dia: 1 3/4" Inner Tube length: 2 3/8" Outer Bushing length: 2 7/8" Closest Part ES # is 9.9488 or Prothane #19611 The lower shackle bushing is: Dia: 1 3/8" Inner Tube Length: 2 3/8" Outer Bushing Length: 2 3/4" Closest Part # 3.2126 Upper shackle is the same except longer so same part number as the lower. I contacted the sales service and they pretty much said the same thing. If the sleeve over sleeve idea is awful I could potentially modify the shackle/bracket to use some grade 8 bolts in the right size. The existing sleeves are in there pretty good though.

Fixed the no-start issue over the weekend. I cleaned up my old wiring job a bit too. I decided to get rid of the flip switch that activates the rear solenoid and replace it with a button switch that connects to both the rear and starter solenoids via a relay. Starts way stronger than it ever has now and it's a "push to start". I decided to start tackling the rear suspension today but my power went out half way into this project, so I was working by the light of my drill that I had to press every few seconds. It's straightforward and would be easy but it's the only part of the car that hasn't been touched in 50 years so things are a little sticky. The U-bolts and bushing bolts were pretty easy to break free but the center bolt nut literally fell off(with threads) as I was loosening the U-bolts. It might've made my life easier that way though. I have new center bolts, spring clamps, and an "add-a-leaf". The only thing I forgot was the pads that go in between the leafs, I'll see if I can't pick some up at a parts store this week. If I get a chance tomorrow I'll start removing the bushings to get measurements for new poly ones. While I wait on poly bushings I'll probably clean the springs up so they don't go in looking too rusty. Depending on how it sits I might order those shocks with coils too.

Spent some time trying to figure out my no start issue today. Took the starter off and cleaned it all up, everything looked fine, besides being covered in oil on the outside and having a good coat of clutch dust on the gear. My battery was dead so it was charging most of the day, so I was looking for physical issues, which there were none. Once it was charged I got to checking voltage on everything. I found two things: One: My 50 Y/O starter is fine, it's the ford style solenoid I have for safety reasons in the trunk that died. Two: I have a small power draw from my switch/relay that activates the solenoid which probably caused it's early failure(or I left the switch on). I connected the main wires together and it fired right up. I'm glad I didn't buy a new starter/battery now, I'll make a trip to some parts stores tomorrow to find a new solenoid. I might change the switch to a button too for the "push button start" people talk about. I did find a few things that I'll need to add to my growing to-do list. Most of them could be solved with a KA swap though. I also finally found where my coolant drip was coming from, I had thought it was a crack in the firewall connector for the heater box, but it was just that the hoses were cracked underneath(I think). I'll pick up some new hose tomorrow too.

Give these a try 😁

I've read about people swapping in other pedals but this way was way easier for me since it'd be hard to source a pedal near me. Here's another shot of what I did: It could be better, but the difference of having a cable over linkage is night and day IMO. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ I had an exciting weekend. Since my daily is basically totaled, I've been driving the 710 everywhere. I made a 40 mile trip to my girlfriend's family cottage. When I (finally) got there I went to move it and it wouldn't turn over, the starter would just click. Figures something would break the one time I don't bring a bunch of tools with me. I spent an hour cleaning contacts, jumping the battery, and trying to jump all the points on the starter, nothing. So I pushed it, with some help, uphill to a parking space. When it was time to head home, nothing had changed, so I again had to enlist some help to push it and pop the clutch(first time I've ever had to do this). Started up and worked fine, but a few miles down the road my shifter felt loose. I guess I hadn't fully seated the e-clip when installing the lever because the next thing I knew I had the shifter fully out of the boot. This was just in time to roll up to a busy intersection that I then stalled out in. After getting some help to push it, once again, I pulled up my shifter boot and luckily the pin was still in one ear. So I just threw the shifter and pin back in without the e-clip. Took me a few times to get the car rolling fast enough in the small parking lot I was in but I once again got it started again and drove it home, while keeping a close eye on the pin. I guess the moral of the story is to double or triple check everything after a big job like a trans swap, and/or to always have a toolbox/spare parts with you. I'm kind of impressed it took three years for this to happen though. I haven't had a chance this week to actually take anything apart since I've been away(had to get a ride) but I do have a temporary daily while I look for a new one. This weekend I'll take a closer look at the starter and fix the shifter. I also have some parts for the rear suspension so I'll probably take the leaf springs out and get some measurements.

Decided to tackle changing out the throttle linkage to cable. Like most things, it was a lot easier than I had thought in the past. I just did it quick and dirty and will clean it up when I'm satisfied with it. I had read somewhere awhile back that a 200sx cable would work but I couldn't see how, so I've had one sitting in my garage for a couple of years, bought a universal 24" cable for like $25 and it fit near perfectly. I started out with the linkage to make sure it would work. I have 2 or 3 different kits but ended up using the one that I think came with the weber. I took off all the old linkage stuff off the firewall, bagged/labeled it, and threw it in one of many parts boxes. Then I drilled out the ball on the pedal(saved it just in case) and ran the cable to the pedal. This ended up binding and not allowing the engine to idle after revving. So I had to weld a small tab on the pedal. I ordered some suspension parts that should be here next week. One thing I couldn't find though, was leaf spring bushings. I found parts numbers, 55045-22900, 55046-22900, 55047-22900, but no parts. If anyone knows another bushing set that'll fit or has measurements I'd appreciate it. Otherwise I'll have to wait until I have a working daily again, so I can remove the old bushings on one side, and take measurements to hopefully find some poly bushings around the same size.

That's neat, kind of makes the whole car look beefier. If I was to ever find parts off an old car around here, Novas are probably the easiest to get. I like to keep things simple for now. Also most everything I've been doing to the car a of late is easily reversible to stock, just in case I ever change my mind. I still have the original bumpers and all the pieces, once I'm more confident in my fab skills I might fix them up. I just don't want to destroy original parts unless 100% necessary since it's next to impossible to find replacements.

Finished the front bumper today. Spent a good amount of time grinding down yesterdays welds, I started to get the feel for it today and made a few decent passes towards the end. The rear bumper should go a lot smoother. It's definitely not perfect but it's decent enough. Loose fitting everything to the tabs I put on the bumper. I have an extra spot on the fog light tab for a second pair if I ever feel like it. After cutting down the ends/Better shot of all my poor welding Priming/Painting after cleaning up some of the rough welds Going to let the paint cure overnight before I put my plate/lights back on. Took a look at the rear, the leaf could definitely use a re-arching. Might get a quote on that and on composites to weigh my options. Might even just get an "add-a-leaf" with the shocks as a bandaid. Definitely need new bushings for them too, which I kind of figured after going through everything up front. Still need idler arm bushings up front but I'll probably wait to do those for when I have a reason to drop them. Also on my to-do is to replace my front left brake bleeder screw, it leaks when I press the brakes hard. Hoping the seat isn't messed up too bad, might just have to stick my dremel with wire wheel down it if the new screw doesn't work.

Started work on the bumpers today. It's taking more time than I expected, mostly because I'm still learning to weld(Still god awful). Trying to get my tip distance down, getting a lot of burn through from getting too close. Getting some Argon might help me out a bit, I just need a weekday free(And new headgaskets in my forester) to make the drive to the welding shop since no local shops carry it. Got my brackets made though, might need some quick touchups before I finalize them. Got the bumper all mocked up. I just need to figure out where I want to cut the ends at, as well as make fog light/license plate brackets, then weld it in place. I have some more ideas for it, so it might change down the line, but at least it will look a little better for now. One of the brackets, I'm neither a welder or a grinder right now. I might redo these tomorrow. The bumper mocked in place, probably going to cut it a few inches after the bend and plug it. If I was to redo it, with better tools, I'd probably add more angle to make the bends hug the body a little more. I also pushed back the bumper stops back a few inches, I'll take them off, clean, weld, and paint them tomorrow. I'll do the same with the bumper/brackets, then it's on to the rear bumper. I'll try to get it on some jackstands tomorrow to take a look at the rear and try to track down some of the noises it makes. Also anyone have any suggestion on side mirrors? I put these ones on probably 6 years ago and they're so cheap and awful, once I'm past 50mph they lose their position making them useless. I like having two vs. just the one stock one.

I would like to get the springs re-arched, but I live 2+ hours from any shop that might be able to do it. That's part of the reason I was thinking about getting composite springs made, take some measurements, have cutomized ones made and sent to me. I'll get the rear on stands this weekend and make sure those shocks will work, as well as check all the bushings/etc. Something sounds loose back there anyway.