Datsunrides

Capacity should be around 4 qts with a filter change. Verify with the dipstick. Since you have fairly consistent temps, I would base the weight more on the mileage. 10/30 for low mileage, 10/40 for up to 80k, and 20/50 for over 80k. Also, newer oils are not high in zinc, which flat tappet engines like ours need. Either use a zinc additive with dino oil or many are switching over to "diesel" oil. Don't need to wear out a cam on these motors as replacement requires basically complete teardown.

Bought a headliner from Nolan and arrived today. Easy to deal with and prompt shipping. Looking forward to the next purchase! Mark

Hey Hey Hey, While the later cars may be more plentiful, the early cars is where the cool is at! Keep those gen 1 listings coming! Mark

For a flat flywheel, yes. For a stepped flywheel, borderline.

It is possible to "bench test" the trans by spinning the input shaft with some sort of motor, but there are 2 problems. 1- How do you shift gears? There is no clutch to disengage the trans from the motor. You would have to stop the motor to shift (or speed shift), then you are not exactly checking the syncros. 2- how would you place a load on the bearings and gears? Usually bearing/gear noises show up under load. If the trans is one that a person is not familiar with and not in the car, the best way to check it is a teardown. (or just swap it into the vehicle, not super difficult on old Subies) Mark

I don't think too many of us have old parts books (wish I did) but if you can post a pic of the part, I'd bet half a dozen bratizas (bratophiles, braticans, etc. LOL) would know what it fits. Mark

Had a buddy that worked at an AAMCO here in CA, and because he has morals, he did not last there long. Not saying the place you went to does this, but the place he worked at had the service writers on a sales quota. Had a guy come in that probably just needed a band adjustment or something, and his manager made him sell the guy a rebuilt transmission! I would NEVER go to an AAMCO for transmission work. My opinion is they understood what you wanted perfectly, then screwed you over. How the hell do you bench test a transmission? Anyway, most transmissions shops I have used charge around $400-$600 to FULLY rebuild a older trans, depending on what internal parts are needed, usually syncros and bearings. I would go there, grab the trans and take it somewhere else and not pay them a dime. Actually if they tore it down without your approval (in writing) they need to return it to you in the same condition you brought it in, but who knows if they would assemble it right. Mark

Looks super clean!

Good news for all us 70's owners that the parts are available again. I'll be interested to see what you have for 72'-73' coupes as I'm in the final stages of restoring mine. Hopefully you come across a trunk and a rear panel before I have to fix the ones I have! Danny did tell my he thought the had a tail panel and another trunk, so hopefully you come across them.I got a trunk previously from Danny but the "caring" people at USPS decided to run it over with a forklift or something. Yeah, the damage was that bad and of course they refused to take accountability even when shown the mangled box and contents. Mark

4/1/15

It would probably cost more to patch up a rotten exhaust than just install new pipes. Basic system: 1.5" pipe with a turbo muffler (the longer the body, the quieter it will be). If you do not have smog requirements, no need for a cat, but universal cats are pretty cheap and don't restrict flow like OEM. Your call on that, but no harm in making the air we breath a little cleaner. Want more noise? A 2" exhaust with a Magnaflow muffler would probably get you the growl you want, but make sure your muffler guy leaves some room in front of the muffler to install a glasspack later if you find the sound too much. A glasspack by itself is fairly load, but in front of a muffler, it will mellow the sound out. Be aware the 2" system will lose you some bottom end power. Mark

Well, rare parts does not stock the outer bushing anymore and is not planning another run. I can deal with that as mine are not in too bad a shape. The inners are the main concern. They look like the rubber is not too far away from separating. I checked the arms I saved off the OK parts car and the rubber and u clamp are gone, just the inner sleeve and a few pieces of rubber left. As I really don't expect to find new bushings, is anyone aware of a place that can recast the bushings from either rubber or urethane? Mark

Drivers side trunk repairs done. What a pain with the compound curves and bends. Now it's just the passenger side, and the rust is not quite as bad so hopefully it will be a little easier. THEN THE RUST IS GONE!

Thanks for the offer Paul. Check my wanted post in the classified and let me know. Mark

So I posted about this years ago and rather than bring it from the dead, I figured to just start a new post. I have been looking to get replacement bushing for the rear suspension for my coupe almost since I got it. Well, I'm at the point that I have the rear trailing arms apart to clean up and paint and I would obviously like to replace the bushings if I can. So, here are what the bushings look like. This is the outer one that goes inside the bracket that bolts to the wheel well. This is the inner one that bolts to the floor of the trunk. Rare Parts has a listing for the inner one so I can measure mine and see if it the same as what they have listed. The outer one I think will be a problem, and it's the one that really should be replaced (if it can be. may be part of the trailing arm?). I have not found a source for that yet and am hoping someone here either has one sitting around or know where to source one. Also, what holds the torsions in? I did not see anything that holds them in other than the preload. Mark

More progress. Got the interior and most of the trunk epoxy primed then topcoated with some leftover single stage enamel from other paint jobs. The car is still going to be green, but since I'm going BC/CC on the exterior, I was not going to waste the time (and $$$) doing BC/CC in the inside where it will be hidden under carpet and such. I didn't take a pic, but I shot the engine compartment in high build poly primer, so I just need to do a final sanding there (not looking forward to that) and it will be ready for color. Working now on getting the trunk rust repaired so I can get it off the flipper and get the shell painted. Mark

Thanks. I sure hope you don't have to do the cowl repairs I did. As for the upside down welding, it was only semi-upside down (is that a word? lol). Because of the forward legs of the engine stands, it will not let me rotate it 360 degrees. I would have to make the mounting points so high it would not allow the body to easily rotate as the centerline of the body would be so far off the centerline of the stand, it would be a pain to spin it as it would always try and spin to it's roof. The downside to having a $150 rotisserie vs. a $1500 one.

Well, my back did not hold up well welding in the patches, so not everything I wanted to accomplish got done. However, with the help of my buddy Motrin, I at least got the damn welding done under the dash and for the right fenderwell. The fenderwell was not too bad except for forming the compound bends needed, but the interior cowl repairs were a bitch. Thin metal and upside down welding suck. The doors and fenders waiting for color Mark

Been working on the car pretty much every weekend since the last update. Lots of stuff done, but not pic worthy. Here is the progress, 1- Roof touched up and re-primed. Needs blocking 2- Door bodywork done, primed and blocked. Ready for color 3- Fenders bodywork done, primed and blocked. Ready for color 4- Quarter panels and rockers bodywork done and primed. Needs blocking 5- Finished the last of the repairs to the cowl replacement. Engine compartment ready for primer 6- Finished the inside repairs to the cowl, around the fresh air intake. Here is what I hope to get done by Monday, if my back lets me. a- Finish rust repair to right inner fenderwell b- Re-scuff passenger compartment and seam seal c- Prime engine compartment d- Prime passenger compartment e- paint passenger compartment with some left over single stage paint Still a ton of work to do if I hope to have it ready for JCCS.

Resealed the backs of the front fenders, front fenderwells, and underside. Then undercoated Also got the bodywork done on the roof. Not too much work here. After 1st blocking, needs a little glaze/reprime then should be good. Also resealed the doors while I was at it and started to do the little bit of bodywork necessary to the doors. Overall they are pretty straight and solid. Only the drivers side lower needed a small rust patch. These doors came off the OK parts car. Plan for the next few weeks is to finish the roof up, get the doors and fenders ready to shoot (blocked and primed) and finish the body work under the hood and get that painted. It's helped that it has been in the low to mid 70's the last couple weeks allowing me to do some paint and bodywork.

2. I use Dynatron Dyna-Pro undercoat. 3M shutz is another good product. Just make sure to prime bare spots with a good etch primer like SEM.

So I did not get a chance to work on the car this past weekend, but here are a few progress pics of rust repairs. The top 2 are the leading edge of the wheel arches. The outer skin has been cut out and the internal rust ground out. The lower is where the frame structure attaches to the floor pan on the left side. The rust has been cut out and the internal surface cleaned and cold galvanized painted. Filled the inner panel hole with a fiberglass patch. Both side the same. Used more glass here to close up the floor section. And the final metal outer patch on the wheelwells. Sorry Moosens, no mounting pic yet. Mark

While I have not had any direct experience, nor do I know if this is one, I have heard negative reviews of the made in china webers. I don't know if they are actual licensed versions, or cheap knockoffs, but may want to verify.

For a bit more power, especially since it will be apart, would be to add a cam. Don't go crazy as a big cam will only really work well with head work. A "RV" type cam would be ideal. As for the pistons, I always try and bore out to the next size, primarily to get nice round cylinders. The amount of displacement you gain is minimal. If you can find high compression pistons (most likely custom, therefor $$$$), there will be a small bump in power there, not nearly enough to justify the cost of usually around $125 a hole. Port matching will net another small gain for little cost, along with a fresh 3 or 5 angle valve job. The bigger gains will come from port work on the heads, but that is $$$$ and would move the power out of your normal driving RPM's. Best bang for the buck if you are doing a full teardown would be the weber with a nice cam, well rebuilt heads maybe with some port matching/cleaning, and a nice exhaust system. You would probably be looking at a 10-15 HP bump adding stuff you were probably replacing anyways. Unless you go forced induction, there is not a lot of "cheap" power to be had. (not that adding a turbo or SC is cheap) Mark

It's pretty balanced the way I have it set up. The key is to get the centerline of the car and the rotisserie matched. If they do not match is where it becomes imbalanced and gets difficult to turn depending on how far off the center axis it is.