Today, I was able to get the transmission back into the car. Because I am one-handed at the moment, I purchased a transmission jack, and I enlisted the help of a friend. This thing is quite the beast - 1000 lb. capacity and it has two telescoping lifting sections (rods). It cost more than I wanted to spend, but I couldn't force myself to buy a cheap, garbage version. I guess as I get older, I'm going to need more assistance for jobs like this one. So, this is a nice thing to have available.

I should be able to finish putting the rest back together and take the car for a test drive tomorrow.

I have had the cheap tranny jack for years and I hate it. The double rods are nice. Buy once, cry once. you made the right call!

I was able to get everything back together on the car yesterday. The new yoke (with a new bushing in the back of the transmission) was a very snug fit. After double checking I torqued everything, I was able to take the car on a test drive. What a big difference! I got up to about 80 on some interstate and the severe vibration, which previously could be felt with a hand on the transmission tunnel, and seen in the blurring rear view mirror, was gone.

Now, I can get back to the small list of things that I have to do to finish this car:

• install inside rear tail light trim panel

• install front right kick panel

• clean and glue in tool compartment liners

• repaint tail light trim panels (for better color match)

• install NOS glove box hinge/inside panel

• install rear hatch trim panel

• repair and install factory radio, or install guts of a new radio in the old radio case

Edited May 31May 31 by inline6

I am about to start on the task of adjusting the profile of my Hitachi SU needles (I have SM needles installed). I read this thread in preparation: https://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/59153-modified-su-carb-needles-for-l28/ @240260280 has detailed knowledge on the subject which is impressive! I wish I had the tools and knowledge to do what he knows should be done. Instead of measuring vacuum, etc. as referenced there, I am thinking about rigging up a camera to record a video of the piston movement under certain real world scenarios. For that recording, I am thinking of putting black marker lines on the piston that equate to the station positions on the needle. For the real world scenarios, I would like to record a series of various part throttle applications. I am hopeful that I can locate a specific range of the needle that will need to be modified.

Very generally, I believe I have good AFRs at idle, and cruise (at 50 mph for example), and at wide open throttle. On the other hand, I have lean or very lean conditions at part throttle and during closed throttle deceleration (accompanied by popping in the exhaust). I will be making some more AFR reference runs before I attempt to modify the needles to confirm. But then, I am hoping to record the videos, and remove a miniscule amount of material from the "pick up" needle stations. The segment of the needle I need to modify should be confirmed by reviewing the video.

Anyone have additional recommendations or thoughts?

Edited June 13Jun 13 by inline6

Yesterday and today, I spent some time working on the car again. I haven't been working on it much, as I have been working on my track Z some more instead, and I had tenants move out, so I have been spending some time over the last few weekends at a rental house doing things that needed attention.

I am still hesitant to modify my SM spec SU needles. Taking a lessor path of resistance, I swapped out the 10W-30 oil for some 20W-50 to see what a difference that would make. What got me thinking about doing that was the "drop test" of the SU pistons. From fully up to fully dropped, there seemed to be almost no damping. So, I decided to try a change. Comparing/contrasting, the throttle response is not as lightning quick as it was. However, the lean condition on overrun is noticeably less. I think I like the 20W50 better overall. I might try 10W-40 as well to see about getting a bit better throttle response (for rev matching downshifts). If I am cruising and I snap the throttle fully open, the engine and car respond quickly - it accelerates nicely. So, maybe the 20W50 is fine.

I don't know what to do regarding the SU dampers. They are original Nissan ones - probably original to the carbs on the car. The "barrels" seem to have wear, just judging by their appearance. The barrels have an OD of a little more than .346". I purchased an SU rebuild kit, which came with new needle and seats, and dampers recently. However, I didn't use either. I found the problem with the existing needle and seats. The rear one just needed to be polished inside to keep it from sticking as when it was machined, it was finished with a coarse finish.

Also, the new dampers have a "longer throw" than the original ones - the sleeve portion of the damper has a longer amount of free movement. I didn't want to introduce that change, so I have held off on switching them out. Also, the new damper sticks do not have low and high marks for oil level like the original ones have. However, the barrels measure at, or just above .346", just like the "worn" originals. So, again, given all of these things, I didn't feel like installing them.

At present, I have the mixture nuts turned out precisely 2.5 turns front and back. When warm, the AFR at idle is around 11.8. At cruise on flat road, the AFR is about 14.8. I still see AFR get lean if I try to accelerate a small or medium amount. This often happens when the road changes to a slight incline. AFR on a slight incline, trying to maintain the same speed tends to be in the high 15's and can reach low 16's. If I smash the throttle to the floor, I typically see AFRs in the 12.4 to 13 range.

With the 10W-30 oil, on long instances of throttle shut deceleration (like from third to second - rev match, and then just decel in second with throttle shut), the AFR would climb up to 18s... or 19s even. With the 20W50, AFR will spike lean on throttle shut decel for an instant, but then AFR will return to normal range (13 to 14). Much less popping from the exhaust with 20W50.

I need to do some data logging again so I am not just pulling these from memory.

I haven't heard of anyone with Hitachi SU's changing the springs, but watching various Youtube videos, it seems like changing springs is pretty standard with tuning British SU's, and it is typically done before attempting to modify needles. It looks like order of march is springs, dampers, oil, then needles.

I think I'd like to try some springs which are bit stiffer. And I'd like to try 10W-40 instead of 20W-50. Maybe I will do these things before I try to modify the needles.

I took the car to Caffeine and Octane on 9/7. While there, one of the attendees offered to take some pics of my recently restored 1971 Datsun 240Z. Looks to me like she used some kind of lens filter. Nice of her to send them along to me.

Nice of her to shoot your car, but I like your pics better…..absolutely beautiful car…I love silver on Z’s!

On 1/12/2020 at 10:05 AM, inline6 said:

Work to straighten out the misaligned rocker panel (at the factory) has begun.  In addition to the problem I already showed pictures of, the top of the rocker panel had some misalignment as well.  The outer panel was noticeably low along the top edge, but only for the center portion of the rocker panel.  This caused a dip in the top surface that the aluminum threshold goes over top of:

    

You can even see where the spot welder completely missed in attempting to join the inner and outer panels.  Seems the workers at the factory had to adjust the welder downward to hit the outer panel, and even then, they could only pick up the top edge.

  

 

I didn't show how I corrected it, but I just drilled out the spot welds, then used the stud welder to put some pins on the weld flange, and then used a crow bar and piece of plate to protect the top surface of the rocker, while prying up on the pins.  This allowed me to put enough lifting force on the weld flange to raise the low area of the rocker.  I then welded, with my Mig, the holes left from cutting out the factory spot welds, and ground everything flat again with the surface of the outer panel's weld flange: 

  

  

 

It's not perfect, but it is much better.  Metal work like this is a big time suck.  Lots of tedious grinding of welds.  I finished them off with my hand held belt sander.  I hope to experiment with the spot welder I bought on this flange, but the electrodes may be too large in diameter to align well on this flange.  We'll see.

Next up was the part where the quarter panel folds over the rocker at the back.

  

Interesting to see what is inside.

  

After a light dressing with wire brush... and the outer panel piece receiving some attention in the glass bead cabinet:

  

The sandblaster was again employed to remove corrosion and get to nice metal.  Got several pictures while this area was seeing the light of day:

  

Close ups showing pitting (light pitting, in my opinion):

  

My first 240z was missing the entire dog leg corner (inner and outer).  So nice to see this area in such nice condition.  

  

Pic showing up inside (bare metal from the factory and the seam sealer they used in the wheel arch).  A few more minutes in the glass bead cabinet with the panel.  The dark corner (upper left in pic) was pitted too much, so I made a section to replace that.

  

Taping for application of weld thru primer.  I've never used it before.  It is kind of transparent (has been applied in second pic):

  

Tape removed and outer panel tacking in progress with new fabricated piece also (bottom left)

  

As the welding occurs, the panel wants to move around.  I used the stud welder to yank on low areas, trying to keep alignment as best as I can as welding continues:

  

Alignment is not bad.  Lots of time involved with keeping alignment, tacking, and eventually grinding.  I easily have more than 30 hours of time with fixing the rocker and removing and reapplying this panel.  The end result of the main effort, to straighten the bottom of the rocker panel/quarter panel along the bottom of the car is "better".  Sometimes I can't get things good enough to my liking. 

  

 

I've ground the welds in the last picture down and filled small voids etc.  More pics will follow, but it's time to get out there and work on the car again.  ? 

 

I've just re-visited this 2020 post. In hindsight, I think this may be the definitive photo essay on the design and construction of S30's 'dogleg' structure. I wish they all looked like this but, as Inline6 notes, the structure is completely missing on far too many Z's (replaced by bodge and newspaper, topped with a Tabco panel). If your Z isn't sound in this area, don't waste your time fastening your seat belt b/c, under collision-level loads, the lower mount is just going to rip right out.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Namerow