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Center gauge restoration complete. Each gauge was stripped down, cleaned, repaired as needed, and painted before reassembly. The dash frame was also completely stripped down and prepped for reassembly.

That head is a work of art.

Another update for the Z! Flywheel was dropped at the machine shop. He gave a cheap price since the block is still there and taking a bit longer to do. I figured why not... Ordered up some more parts! Who doesn't love daily stops from the FedEx driver....well maybe my fiancé...I should look into batching my deliveries into one day so it looks like I am buying less 😉 We now have (or on its way) MSA 3-2 headers, Z-Story JDM muffler, ARP head stud kit, Shifter bushings, clutch slave, lots of engine paint and misc. hoses, as well as some probably controversial items. I grabbed a "cold air intake" as my stock airbox is looking rough, $40 for a filter and piping is worth it for now. Electric fan setup, I know I see so many posts about these but my car didn't come with the fan, the fan clutch, or a full shroud. Also I picked up an ignition panel...more on that later. I was able to do a TON of cleaning lately while waiting on the block to finish. Lots of scrubbing and degreaser for the engine accessories. Valve cover and oil pan are painted up and looking fresh. I'll be sure to grab some photos. Also, I have been dreading cleaning up the fuel tank lines. When I first installed the tank, I was in a hurry to get the car running so nothing was secured or cut to length correctly. I finally redid the lines and tidied it up. For the large vent lines, I was able to use a trick I found here with 90 degree fittings for tight bends. Worked like a charm. And so that brings us to where I am now. I find myself with time, but nothing else to tackle until the block is done. I could start interior work, but I know that is going to be a massive project in itself. So of course I browse some more threads here and came across one for a harness rebuild...oh no. I did take the time back when I first pulled the engine to wrap the harness and clean it. But my god, the previous owners paint job has 90% of my connectors red and 90% of those are now cracked from removal (the price to pay for little rust!) It is just an eye sore and since everything is out of the interior...hell lets see if this is something I can do. I debated back and forth about an OEM style reproduction harness. I could just pull mine, and make a 1:1 copy. But, there are quite a few items I don't want/need anymore and I'd like to use modern relays/connectors whenever possible. Not only will this save some money, but probably a lot of headache! So it will be a modified harness, simplified for modern tech. It will be nice to have all the relays in one spot for once! Hopefully there are at least a few folks who will find this useful information. I will be designing a fresh wiring diagram that is colored and interactive if anyone would like a copy. I am picking and choosing strange items to keep or remove. Such as removing fusible links, that's an easy one. But I am thinking about keeping the Shunt for my ammeter. I don't want the door buzzers, the seat belt lights, emissions equipment, just to name a few more examples. My ignition switch works fine, although I am debating using an ignition panel to allow each accessory to be on its own toggle (fuel, ign, fans, etc.). When I first started up my car, lights worked, but not signals, so I will try to fix my connections now before resorting to having everything on a toggle. I like to have a balance of oem and aftermarket, I don't want a full on race car spec interior. If I do go down the route of toggle ignition, I am looking into hiding a kill switch, or going modern with an RFID sensor...kind of like a smart key. This also leads into EFI. I would like to go with a megasquirt system, maybe microsquirt, to handle that side of the harness. It'd be nice to remove the AFM and dizzy for modern solutions. Again, this will also let me run larger cams, remove unused wiring, and clean up the bay even more. This will all happen after the engine is back in the car and running. I don't want to try to tackle a fresh rebuild with also a fresh harness! Anyways, This is giving me something to design on the computer so I don't go crazy 🙂 below is a snippet of a proof of concept. These are absolutely not done and I mainly was playing around with EasyEDA to learn what capabilities it has. Shoutout to @SteveJ for helping me get started.

In your "want to buy" ad, I provided you with links where you could buy a proper fusible link. I advise you not to jury rig a fix. If you do not use a fusible link, you risk an electrical fire that could burn up your car.

@Pilgrim Next time we need to figure out a way to get more of the forum guys together. If for nothing else, just to put a face with a name!

https://pitchfork.com/news/nirvana-sued-by-baby-from-nevermind-album-artwork-for-child-pornography/

Just remembered that my favorite square head bolt tool is a large Crescent (adjustable) wrench. The 12 inch model was surprisingly strong. https://www.amazon.com/Crescent-AT212VS-Finish-Adjustable-Wrench/

FYI. I sent some money down to Cali. Via PayPal. The guy has not set it yet as he works from 7am to 5pm 6 days a week. Will he send it?? I hope so. He says it may take him a while before he can send it. It would take me like 5 mins to walk to post office and send. Will I ever get it ?? I hope so !!

The brass "T" thing is essentially a lock nut. Break it loose and the plastic head then unscrews. unscrew the lock nut piece as well, install the boot and reassemble. Clean up as desired.

Unfortunately you picked the wrong time to be CDO. (I prefer having the letters in alphabetical order.) 😉

The arcade / museum in Manitou Springs. Lots of machines from decades gone by. Here's the results of Wal280z's grip test. No surprise: And here's my vote for the best pinball machine ever made. Bally's Fireball:

And a great time was had by all!! Here's a couple pics from my collection. Zup, CO, and wal280Z up on the mountain overlooking Colorado Springs. We're on the old Gold Camp Rd. This road used to be a railroad between Cripple Creek and Co. Springs. Since it wasn't used anymore, they took up the rails and turned it into a "road" sorta: There were a couple places along the old train route where it was easier to tunnel through the hills than go around them. Some of these tunnels have completely collapsed and are impassable, but some of them are still in use. Here's tunnel #1: We stopped for a break a little later in the day. This pic needs no explanation: Quick sightseeing stop at Helen Hunt Falls: Quick stop to see Starr Kempf's kinetic sculpture artwork: Bristol Brewing: Cog railway to the top of Pike's Peak: My crappy pics from the top of Pike's Peak don't do it justice at all, but here's what I got:

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/autos/enthusiasts/the-datsunworks-kn20-head-brings-dohc-to-the-240z/ar-AANMlZl?li=AAggFp0 Good thing I sold the car, or I would already have ordered this!

I believe he is looking for lowering springs with a 1 1/2 to 2" drop. Like my stance.

He's getting inexpensive publicity for his art stuff. The Pitchfork headline was funny, I thought. Nirvana sued by baby... The guy should have a baby chasing a dollar tattooed on his chest. And how about a new headline - "Baby still chasing dollar".

Wow and to think that finding a set of Chevette springs and cutting them is easier than dealing with California Datsun speaks loudly to the business’ lack of credibility/customer service Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think grannyknot might live near or know the owner at Whitehead. I guess I could ask him. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You could use Chevette springs and cut them to height. That works well. I would definitely do that before going to California Datsun.

Datsun ... We are Driven Myself and Zup live up to that slogan! Departed Saturday morning with a overnight stop in Amarillo Tx. Had some great steak at the famous Big Texan. Off the next day to complete the trip to Colorado Springs, (about 1600 miles roundtrip) arrived safely with minimal bugs embedded in the front end in the afternoon. Got a little dicey going over the high pass south of Colo Springs, all the carbed cars I saw struggled with the altitude change and Zups flat tops were no exception. CO and Wayne came in Wed night and we had another steak dinner Thursday. Zup's son and his girlfriend were at Zcon which was great for him. All in all, a great time. Here are some random pics Got a thumbs up from John Morton Garden of the Gods

Yup, this guy is SOL if it ever makes it to court. You can bet that a model release was signed by his parents and the only thing he will get is a nice bill from his lawyer. Just my opinion..

Still working out a price, and very tight time wise to make any for awhile with the on-going restorations here. Thinking about $40-$50 per set. I have to make them, then take them to the plater to get the areas that are machined re-coated. The raw parts come from the US, so I get exchange shipping and brokerage fees slapped on, many steps to create, couple of week turn around from the plater. I’ll try to add them to other plater parts to keep the cost of that incremental, but that adds turn around time. Like all custom parts, that seems like a boat load of $$ for a couple of bolts, but that’s the reality.

His parents allowed that and he's made money off of it over the years. The Former Baby From Nirvana’s Famous Album Cover Was Motivated to Sue After the Band Blew Off His Art Show Spencer Elden, now a painter, alleges that the band exploited him as a minor.

And jars of Vaseline. https://youtu.be/1yzKmekm80A?t=10

There is no such thing as 'a good impact socket to fit the transmission bolt'. In fact, there is no such thing as 'a good socket to fit the transmission bolt' -- unless you buy the special 'double-square' socket that I recommended in my earlier post. A regular 6-point or 12-point socket is guaranteed to ruin a square bolt head. You'll be better off using a big pipe wrench. Also: When you're using the heat gun, you need to focus on the aluminum casing around the bolt, rather than on the bolt itself. The idea is to make the casing expand. It's not the same as when you're trying to break a bolt free where the threads are corroded. In this case, you're simply dealing with a big bolt that's been over-torqued into a giant, thin-wall aluminum casting.

Managed to get the cover on and bolted up. I had to take out that one bleed valve to do it though. Something definitely wrong

Bolt set came in. I have an image for reference of all of it. i have also in the image for comparison an original 240z rabbit ear type bolt. You can see they are almost identical except the new ones look better. Also i put in a datsun roadster cleaner bolt which i know some have used. While it does work you can see its a little longer so the new ones work better. On a side note..... i cant get my air filter and front cover on. There isn't enough room....it hits the bleeder valve i am pointing to on the brake cylinder...of course the new set has nothing to do with this but anyone got an ideas why this is happening? I do have 2 sets of gaskets on the back side of the air housing meeting up with the carbs.... if i remove them i can get the cover on but by a millimeter

Um, I think that WAS your fusible link. That would not be a ground. Do not replace it with a piece of wire. http://www.zzxdatsun.com/catWiring.php https://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/12-4332

I did that not too long ago, and I think I unscrewed one end to put on the boot, but wouldn't swear to it.

Just make sure the food you bring will fit in a microwave. I have plenty of room for the beer. If needed I'll throw all the fridge crap in the trash to fit more.

@Shawninvancouver Did you ever receive the lugnut key you ordered? Did it fit? Inquiring minds want to know.

They should have has the two Hooters girls that were at the show do the reveal. One on the fender, the other on the roof. Could have recreated the fall 69 240z dent at the hotel launch.

Back tracking on the steering rack brackets. All my stuff is back from powder coating and when I placed the steering rack brackets onto the crossmember is clear to me there is only one correct direction. When you have the bracket matting surface pressed to the from bolt matting surface of the crossmember you can see it creates a serious gap on the rear portion of the bracket. Pics below show wrong and right direction, you can see the massive gap and this could be why so many people experience rack play. If both matting surfaces are not flush when bolted down you will not have the same clearances around the bushing. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

... a hybrid wins 2021 24 hours of Le Mans. https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/toyota-triumphs-in-the-2021-24-hours-of-le-mans-55530

Got the passenger seat buttoned up and ready for final install.

I’ve made Wally a set of my “new” reproduction air cleaner hardware. We he gets them, he can report on appearance and functionality. The hex coupling nuts I used are 13mm wrench rather than the stock 14mm, and I make them by threading in an M8 bolt and locking it in place with a thin jam nut and red lock tight. The wing bolts are made from a M6 wing nut and an M8 bolt that has the end removed and turned down and threaded for M6 to attach the wing bolt. Red locktite and torque lock it in place. My reproduction cup washer are included. These are the raw materials. Comparison of an OEM wing bolt (top) and mine. Ears are dang close to the same size and shape wize. Slightly different surface finish.

I have found lots of money and other stuff in cars over the years. Coins under carpet or deep inside seat cushion crevices. Combs, pens, hairpins, and tools in nooks and crannies. Even useful tools.

I’m a bit overwhelmed..... also I can’t build up the struts because Whitehead Performance has failed to deliver my springs and they won’t respond to emails or calls. I’m going to have to contest the change with Visa unless I get some response from them. Anyone have ideas? Find another vendor? Right now the only one with them in stock is California Datsun and I’m hearing they suck too. Lastly I can cut my stock springs. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk