T E M P is fine and all, but if you don't know what the gauge readings mean in real money, it's not much help.Entrymax wrote:From 0 to 59 my temp gauge registered about between T and E, which was pretty awesome but right as I would hit 60 everytime my gauge jumped straight between M and P. Freaked me out a bit,
DQ Volume 3 Issue 4 - Temperature Gauge Calibration - Do you suspect that your 510 is running too hot or too cold? Before you replace your radiator, you should make sure that the gauge is at least accurate. By testing the sender and the gauge independently, you may find that your cooling system is healthier than you suspect.
Hard to see where it's bend in that picture, but a hammer can be a useful tool in moderation. Controlable force (like a hydraulic jack/ram) might also be helpful, again depending on what exactly needs to be done.Entrymax wrote:My rad support is bent (I think from a slight fender bender on the passenger side)
Would it be fine just to hammer it back into place?
That is the 3rd-gear dual-points switch. It's an emissions piece. In 3rd gear at certain loads/revs the ignition would switch to the second set of points in your distributor to run the engine a bit cleaner. I doubt many are still in use, and since your eventual plans should include the Nissan electronic ignition dizzy (if they don't already do), feel free to remove it.Entrymax wrote:
Oh and what is this?
Reshaping the area around the valves is a separate issue from your port mismatch. It's a good idea, but different. For head porting ideas:Entrymax wrote:As a side project I'm rebuilding these 38mm SU's.
I want to port out the intake on my W53 head from 32mm to 38mm to match the SU's, but my machinist told me that it would cause problems with the atomization of the fuel and cause velocity to drop. He said he would need to re-shape the area around the valves.
DQ Volume 12 Issue 3 - Tech How-To: Cylinder Head Modifications - An inside look at cylinder head modifications. Bruce Godfry details some basic steps to allow the home mechanic to achieve 80% of professional flowing results. It is much more than “port and polish.”
To your specific issue with the port mismatch, the ideal solution for a mild L-series street engine with those carbs would be to actually ADD material to the SU manifold to taper the larger ports in the manifold to the smaller ports in the head. This will keep intake velocity higher, as mentioned, which is important in a street car.
That said, long ago I ran a stock SU intake manifold on a stock W53 head. It ran fine around town. Wasn't the best at high-rpm, but there were a couple reasons for that. Shortish way of saying that you can leave it as-is for now and deal with it later, even if you want to enlarge the ports in the head. But the time for valve bowl work is now, while the head can be more easily removed.
Search here for the DIY coilover thread. Instead of spending money on coilovers you can just use tube clamps and the lower perch. Once you decide on a ride height you don't change it, so why have fancy threaded sleeves if you'll never use them again? I believe I have a pair of stock 510 lower spring seats from my DIY coilover conversion, if you stick with stock 510-size springs.Entrymax wrote:I already have 280zx struts for a conversion, BUT I don't want to use the lower hats from my 510 struts.
Alternatively, you could use the ZX lower hats. IIRC they're 5.5" OD springs, where the 510 would be 5" OD springs. Alternatively to that, you could convert to 2.5" coilover springs.
Any decent auto paint shop will be able to look up your year/make/model and with your paint code number mix up the correct paint. Now, the paint has faded over the years, so if you're only painting the engine bay you might want them to sample the paint color of your actual car and mix up paint accordingly.Entrymax wrote: Where can I find a close match to the original Datsun orange (I believe it's Paint #918 or "Mexican Orange").
Pretty sure this isn't blasphemy. Today's car market is like 5% manual transmission, 95% two-pedal cars.Entrymax wrote:Now. Here's some blasphemy. I don't know how to drive a stick shift. BUT I want to swap in a ZX close ratio 5sp, roadster clutch, manual pedals, mc, etc. and learn myself. This is why I wanted to break in the motor first.
IMO swapping the trans is best done when the engine is out, then you can install them as a unit. But I understand your reasoning and it shouldn't present issues to swap down the road.