zKars

I had SS hose fittings in the heater in/out-lets. Both BSPT and NPT have 14 TPI for these 1/2 threads so it fits without drama. The 280's have the threaded heater hose fitting on the lower rad outlet, and the hole at the back of the head is always threaded, so it's an easy conversion. Makes it easy to put a simple brass plug in it.

I seem to remember that classictube had SS lines? https://classictube.com/?s=Datsun&search_id=1&post_type=product

As you mention, it is not sealed, it is just a deflector really for water entering from above. A carefully placed piece-o-something plastic above it, attached to the cowl would likely do just fine to deflect rain water. If you're wanting a real one, let me know,

I have to go take pictures of the finished product, but its just a small plate on each side that covers the gap. Spot welded to the center, two bolts into captured nuts on the outer part. You only need tensile strength here, that metal is so thin (that front bar that ties it into the lower valance is needed to keep the hood from bending the crap out of it), and your rad provides 95% of the strength in this area.

It's a week for dispelling myths I see. First half shaft length difference, and now how grease works. I once believed that wheel bearings need to be filled with grease, including the dust cap. Have to keep grease around to replace what gets flung and maybe moved with heat and motion, right? Fill the bearings of course, and stuff as much in the cavities as you can. Tough to put in too much! At the same time I was doing more R&R's on rear bearings as well as fronts, and what struck me was the lack of grease in especially the rear housings. The bearings them selves were packed full of grease, quite often quite clean grease which I found surprising given that these were original bearings (spline nuts still had perfect factor peening). Maybe a light coat on the distance piec, but the cavity spaces are bone dry. But finally the light came on. Why in the world would you want grease that leaves the bearings with heat or centrifugal force and needs to be replentished by what's around? I cannot imagine a scenario that enables grease to move around in there and properly keep the bearings greased unless the entire cavity was packed full. Grease is actually designed to stay exactly where it is put and NOT to leave the bearing races at all under any but the most extremes of heat, up where metal starts to glow. The enemy of grease is moisture and dirt/grit/brake dust. If your seals are bad, that crap can get in there and destroy the bearing. I had a front failure due to a bad (ok, absent o-ring on the dust cap) and no wheel center caps that allowed crap to get in the bearing space and eventually lead to lock up and failure. My fault 100% as I was only putting grease on the bearings by this point,. So there IS a reason to put lots of grease in front of the spindle nut inside the cap, but it's mostly about a barrier to crap getting to the bearings. So there is no need to put grease anywhere but directly on the parts that touch and move. Once there, it does not move or migrate away. Any grease you put in that axle boot will stay right there and never contribute to the sliding joint. Might keep the boot soft and snuggly, but that's it.

But of course! It needs to come out at quite an angle, but it can be done. Bit tricky because of the steering link rod that gets stuck on the bell housing, but I done Mind you, the experience convinced me to make my rad support removable...

Two words. GPS speedometer...

We 'know' the distance from the flange faces inner/outer on each side of the diff are different, as the Rxxx diffs are intrinsically wider on one side. The modern world (1980 and later) knows only of CV style joints that have very little in/out slop and have to be carefully sized to fit. Thus it was natural to assume that our lowly old school shafts would 'have to' be different lengths to 'work' in our unbalanced ancient hot rods. Wrong. Even when directed to the Z parts manual, where never the words 'left and right' could be found in the listings, they still disbelieved. What was never properly understood was the massive (by comparison) length variance our marvelous half shafts are able to supply. They do gum up, and often true that you can't compress them by hand all to the same length, or perhaps expand them to maximum for the same reason, which only added to the 'they are different' myth. And I've never heard of one breaking anywhere but at the u-joints themselves. Marvelous engineering indeed.

Leon, that's the kind of real world testing and result we love to see. Can you get the part numbers for the Walker quiet flow muffler and the resonator they used? Then others can duplicate your success. I spent a ton of time on summitracings site going labouriously through the Quiet flow muffler assemblys looking at in/out sizes and placement as well as body dimensions trying to find one that might fit. Thanks!

Another option that is now available is Gecko. https://geckoracingusa.com/search?q=Datsun They have 240 (50mm ID) and 280 (54mm) weld on strut kits. I have their 510 front and rear kit. So far so good. Good choice of spring rates. 32 position dampening. Usual lack of shock damping information.

My favorite wire run grommet thingy from Spal. http://www.spal-usa.com/power_lock_kits/automated/accessories/33040080.html

They were in markets that required door lights. Not sure which ones those were, but there aren't many. North American was not on the list, and we know the number of cars that were not NA bound is quite small. There are fewer around than we would like.

The wiring pigtails (pair of bullet connectors) for them are under the dash on each side, taped to the rest of the harness with blue tape in every Z I've worked on. Just like the fuel pump wiring waiting for you in the back with the sender harness. I also have wondered how to wire them properly into the doors. I have used the pigtail wires to wire some simple little LED fixtures under the dash on each side to vastly improve the interior lighting.

They mount in the door. If you take off the interior panel on the door, you will see some holes you never noticed before.

Well a local spy just asked if I have any fenders and hood for sale. Seems a friend of a friend bought this thing and thinks they can save it. Gotta love a dreamer.

Does it work on a 4 cylinder?

Mine were from via/through the Harrington group in Great Britain. Manufacture was in Vietnam. One piece rear, no holes. Fitment and quality were as close to perfect as you could ask for. Price then was $1150 shipped to me in western Canada. This was back in 2012 I believe.

I know where! I know where! Full disclosure. It's painted gold, not plated. Easy to fix... Looking closer, I see it's not exactly the same as the one in the picture. No little flat 90 deg bracket on the 2nd last support brace.... Somewhere, somewhere...

The engine and other early goodies are off to their new owner in Ontario. Sale is closed. He has been informed of "our' existence and will hopefully make an appearance. He is restoring a 69 build date Z. On a related note, the buyer shopped for various shipping companies to move the palette bearing the engine (and other related items), and found FastFreight to be the cheapest. Within Canada only, but to give you an idea, the quote for a standard palette holding 400 lbs from Calgary to Toronto-ish was under $200. Others were asking north of $800. All I had to do was strap the engine and other items to the palette and make the call to schedule the pickup. We'll see how 'fast' they are and what shape things are in when they arrive.

Somewhere, somewhere....

The Shiro wheels are painted white, so unless they have been changed, then probably not a VLSD. These appear to be standard turbo alloy wheels. I'm wondering where all the turbo labeling went on the body. White repaint maybe?

Cheaper and better for you. Maybe it comes with the training guy too...

Tighten until they break then back off a quarter turn. No seriously, those are M10x1.25 grade 9, so 33-44 ft-lb would be lovely. I found the right diagram and specs in the 78 FSM, RA-3. Rear axle and suspension, page 3

The ports look pretty little. Assuming the castings are similar to later heads there may be plenty to work with to make them bigger, but no guarantees.

I love the smell of frost bite in the morning... -18C this morning, Plus 6C this afternoon and above freezing the rest of the week here in 'make up your damn mind with the weather already' land known as Calgary. We did a quick parts run to the San Francisco area last weekend, got out just before the rain and snow hit. Tahoe had had a good dump the week before and news reports where saying up to 7 feet were possible during this weeks 'event'. You-all stay safe out there.