Twisted Minis

Here is some.

About $150 if you have a decent thermostat housing.

The bar is tapered, and the piece on the outside is expandable. So you put your piece over the expandable metal, and slide it back on the taper until it stops, then you push it some more. Here are a few more pictures of the lathe in use. It's a 60's Sheldon lathe.

The radiator on the Datsun is lower than the thermostat. I've been trying to talk Jerome into adding a radiator cap to the thermostat housing for a while now, and he finally bit the bullet and let me do it. It had a bad air pocket, which I think is the reason it was running hot. Jerome said he let it run in the garage for a half hour today and it didn't pass the half way mark. Here are some pictures of the construction of it. First picture shows the piece I started with, and the Moroso piece I bought. Cutting the taper. Hold it from the center to cut the top end down. The fit. Welded. The housing is pretty old, and didn't want to take a weld very well no matter how clean, but it turned out okay. Wish I could have found an NOS housing. The picture Jerome sent me. I will try and get a better one soon.

I showed Jerome yesterday, his reaction was priceless.

That's very plausible. I haven't inspected it much since the wreck, not closely at least. Jerome would know that better than I.

I'd like to make a new hood for it. Jerome needs to find one for me to cut up, and come up with some money. I had a lot of time in the first hood. I think 18-20 hours. The truck vibrated a lot stock I drove it. I adjusted the pinion angle and some of it went away. The first rear differential that went out did so because Jerome ran the axle dry and it roasted the bearings. As far as I know that was the only one that burned up. And the transmission has not burned up as far as I know. It still goes through all the gears just fine, but there are metal shavings in it. I wouldn't call noise in 5th burnt up. The transmission in my Toyota did the same thing for 15K miles and I never had an issue, that gear was just noisy and annoying. I'm not even positive his still does that, I can't drive it to find out. It picked up a few more vibrations after the wreck I believe, a lot of stuff is out of whack now. The motor mounts got bent and pushed back, which could have changed some angles. All of the vibrations that are there now, I have not experienced. I don't fit in the truck after it was body dropped, so they are all second hand from Jerome. And his description of things is hard to comprehend. :fu: Jerome, lol.

Just used the lift to change the oil in the transmission and try to figure out why the truck vibrates more now than ever. Seems like some of it went away and is more normal now.

Thanks guys. Glad you like it. Not sure I will post my other projects here, as they would be pretty far O/T. Heres a quote from the owner off my site after his drive home: "Heres what happened Cruzin home on the 101 she tops out at around 50mph but oh my, did Ethel cause a scene. I got her about an inch and a half off the ground and started south. Ive never seen anything like it! Old guys in hotrods, soccer moms, truckers, guys on street bikes, contractors in work trucks... I seriously caused traffic. I had my sister tailing me in her junker ford, just in case Ethel decided to get pissed off and quit, so shes behind me going super slow too. People behind her would get pissed, whip into the fast lane, blast past her, and then they would see Ethel. Ive never seen so many near crashes in my life. People would just slam on the brakes and stare. Never had so many people wave at me either! The guys on the street bikes is what really suprised me. Ive never seen them even acknowledge a vehicle before and here they are throwing up signs and waving. Unbelievable. Now I know why you all do this! This is so much fun!!"

Well, theirs I hear was built in a few days just for a show, so it doesn't lay or anything. This one will be built in a month or so, and have a lot more done.

I don't see any more Datsuns in the future soon, havent talked to anyone about them. But I am also working on a Police Interceptor right now, and will be building myself a 1930 Chevy modified pretty soon.