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Keep everyone up to date with how your project is coming along.
= Resolved threads
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So working towards a dash. Here is my "artist impression" lol.
I did rough cut the bezel to size everything and looked good. Going a little hot rod style I guess but that is mostly the theme for this car. Will get it water jet cut in stainless and polish it all up with the bars and logo the installed into a black vinyl
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That works.
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Any better @Chris250?
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Your images aren't loading on this last post, loving the progress.
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Managed to get into this again over the weekend. Hoping to keep momentum high on the car now that I have a wee bit more time.
So before I could get back into the custom dash I had to take care of the steering components so I could check the location of the steering column. I had alot of parts replaced at the beginning of version 1 which meant this wasnt a massive task but the steering box is really the piece I wanted to deal with as it was covered in oil and paint and we quiet frankly not going to work for me. Phase one is clean up, mock up then I will have it sent to Christchurch for a rebuild.
Before and After
Steering parts all cleaned up
Some painting and they look like new.
So once I had all that cleaned up and could install the steering box back in the car I decided I should clean all the bolts, re tap the holes so everything fits as new.
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Then turned my attention back to the dash. Some smaller details coming together first.
Now I have the basic shapes I will start working on the return down the sides above but got the steering column relief cut in.
Next will be the bezel for the gauges. I want to make two so I can install a digital dash and remove to put the Autometer gauges back in for compliance.
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Since I have finally been able to install the sway bar with all the correct parts and clearance I need maybe I should update this thread.
So as above I have used a KE70 sway bar which mounted to the KE20 mounting locations but the ends were 15mm too wide so had a local engineer bend it up to fit.
I had a friend machine up some aluminium sway bar mounts which I am going to have to refine as I miss calculated (fuc#!d up) the direction the castor rod is installed vs the sway bar.
So for now I have had a bunch of parts re plated to get this moving forward which I quietly contemplate what the end game here is.
Freshly powder coated the sway bar
This is the final looking castor / sway bar mounting solution for now until I sort machining the aluminium mount the way I want it.
Had to lift the back of the sway bar to clear the castor arm so just sourced this end link vs the ones you see in previous pictures.
But it all works and gives me the clearance I need to install the motor and have a sway bar at the same time. WIN!
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I was looking into the tilton series swing pedal box just for the main purpose of not having to make up a throttle pedal. I’ll have to look into floor mounted. as it is now I have hardly any leg room
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Hey mate, thanks.
The pedal box has a mount made up that bolts to the firewall and the scuttle panel.
Engine bay side. All nuts are mounting points for the mounting plate.
Looking down into the scuttle panel.
Bit going on here and it missing the steering column which the bracket for the pedals also connects too. Using a clutch pedal as an accelerator.
Doing it again I would go for a floor mounted pedal box rather than a swing mounted for ease and a accelerator pedal with it. Space is a premium though and a floor mounted system would move the pedals forward.
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Been following this build for a while now really clean work. Really curious about your pedal box setup and how you mounted it. Currently in the process of putting a sr in my 25 and would really love to see some other ideas
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Your not wrong Ross! Problem I have is restraint. Didn't need to mod the interior but here I am. Didn't need to paint the engine bay but might as well while I am here.
Just can't help myself. Got to fix all the problems once then enjoy it.
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well done mate, i bet you cant wait to get it finished
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Some progress is still being made on this for those wondering. It does take a lot of my free time to work on this which is limited at best so chipping away at it.
Trying to work on the new dash layout. I was just not a fan of the dash that was made for this car and think I can do better. So I started getting stuck in to see what I could come up with. Being it is an old car trying to piece together an original dash was going to be complicated and frankly I don't like it either.
So this is what it looked like to begin with.
So set about creating a top dash pad as I wanted something that overhung the gauges as sunlight and the location of the gauges was just not ideal. Face fixture first. The rough cut and simple flat face.
Refined the shape a little more and attached an additional piece so I can shape the curve on the lower edge.
Laminated some pieces up for the dash pad.
We glassed the back of the dash pad so it could be shaped and still hold its form. For the most part I am pretty happy with the final shape it is taking.
From this I will turn my attention to the flat face, adding contour to the lower edge, wrapping it around the sides of the dash frame and adding a bezel of sorts to the gauges aren't just planted on a flat surface. This is intended to be a plug for me to take a mold off so I can have a full fiberglass one piece made. No point in going carbon which was a consideration as this is still a road car and the dash is required to be padded for certification.
New bits should arrive in the next 2-3 weeks for the custom sway bar install in the front which I have been quietly working away on.
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So turns out with the motor in the Ke30 bar is just not an option as it does make contact with the sump when the engine is installed.
So where I am at. Ke70 Sway bar. KP61 sway bar mounts. Ke70 Bushes which is enough to mock everything up and get measurements for some custom sway bar mounts to locate it centre of the hole it passes thru in the caster arm mount.
The bits, the Ke20 stock sway bar vs the ke70 one. Will use the Ke20 bar as a guide for bending the ke70 to fit properly. (Yes the ke70 is not direct bolt on)
Bushes in the KP61 sway bar mounts
Mockup to adjust height
Note the KP61 sway bar mounting bracket is a 60mm centre to centre mounting holes, the Ke20 uses a 55mm centre to centre mount so I had to squeeze the bracket in slightly to get it to bolt up straight. All this was only to mock up so I can have a bracket made.
Installed in the car and clearance for the sump.
And while I was at it I decided it would be a good time to mockup the new turbo setup to ensure nothing had issues going in and I have room for downpipe etc.
Turns out there is plenty of room to play with changing from bottom mount to top mount. (totally excited about this bit as the last dump pipe setup was just crap and wouldn't have flowed well)
So I have ordered fresh whiteline sway bar bushes so I can get the correct dimensions to have the sway bar bracket cnc'd. Take the Ke70 sway bar and the stock one to my local engineer and get him to bend it to suit (note it is 20mm out each side so this is not a major mod to make it fit.)
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Been absent for a while so here is a small update for those following this.
Been mostly body work for now, some suspension considerations and trying to piece together a sway bar that might fit my conversion as the factory one was removed in favor of getting the engine in which is not ideal.
Before.
During.
After.
About 10 hours per side which is crazy but getting there. Had problems sourcing transport to take it to the sand blasters so did underneath and the sides so I can start mocking up the suspension and sway bar.
And rejuvenating all the old parts. Some I havent shown in this thread will do a proper update at final assembly.
So now the mockup begins.
KE70 vs KE30. Most likely go with the smaller KE30 bar as it fits the car will less problems. Will update after the weekend as I drop the engine back in to check sump clearance.
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Must be time for an update how ever small it might be.
Been working on a few details and sourcing parts mainly.
Firstly, I have to relocated the brake and clutch reservoirs from the top of the pedal box to a location that is easily accessible for filling and monitoring. So my first thought was I need to move my gauges so I can put them in behind the dash up high enough they will still gravity feed the pedal box. Enter my first mission, new custom centre console.
Some CAD (cardboard aided design) first.
The cut it open and did a proper cad template and transferred that to a piece of styrene.
The styrene is easy to shape so a little heat and we had something that looked to work.
So next step was to lay out the gauges and switches I wanted to have in there and send it to the local waterjet man to have it cut. Luckily I work at a company that does roofing so folding the final cut piece was easy.
Now to template up the sides and mark out for the shifter to come thru. Once I have this piece constructed it is then time to pull the dash and begin modding it to what I want it to finally be.
Also started to put the front end back together with all new hardware with a very close eye on tolerances to remove excessive play in the old boy.
Final buttons and dash lights are on there way, have also acquired more crimp tools for the metri pack terminals so once I have all this in place I can mount the fuse box in behind the console which is also where I am going to mount the ECU. More of that to come later.
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So been a while since my last update. Life and all that however there has been some progress.
freshening up all the misc bits and pieces.
Tow hooks, bonnet hinges, gearbox cross member, caster rods, engine mounts and the mounts for caster rods
Cross member
Fixed lower control arms, sand blasted, powder coated, whiteline buses, new ball joints. Not final assembly but you get the idea :)
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So it has been a while. With this car it is one step forward two steps backward.
Been stripping front suspension components for new ball joints and bushes while it is in pieces, have the new sinco manifold to suit the new turbo so managed to mock that up on the engine so I can start planning water lines and the likes. Also looking at dump pipe setup to see what can be done there.
So here is the one step forward, manifold and turbo fit up!
Then the two steps back. First the ball joint on the front left couldnt be removed, wonder why... Ohhh because some muppet welded the circlip to the LCA.
Then the downpipe. Was going to use the top section and just fabricate the centre section new to suit the new turbo position. Nope that part is also no good. Pretty sure there was no need for this in this chassis so maybe used a old part from another conversion heated and bashed.
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So a few things to consider when doing this. Firstly you are correct in the bending, anything that causes a kink in the brake line tubing is a clear no no. If you use the pipe bender designed for brake tubing you can't really go wrong on that front. There is always going to be a small amount of compromise in that case.
Secondly the routing needs to take into account impact damage from moving parts and heat from other heat sources such as exhausts.
In my case I am doing it for three reasons,
- I have a swing mounted wilwood pedal box which has had the lines that were in the car originally extended to connect it all up. The routing was the easiest path without having to remove the engine and start from scratch.
- The other reason has a lot to do with the above. The lines just being used as best we could meant they were a real eyesore. The engine bay is getting a full overhaul to be more visually appealing.
- Lastly the the old toyotas used a brake pedal switch for the brake lines which is a real pain to get mounted with this pedal setup. It is in there at the moment but restricts access to the balancing bar for the individual front / rear master cylinders. So I am going to plumb in a pressure switch for brakes and also install a line locker while I am at it for some drag racing antics.
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Hi guys.
New to all this, I'm based in the UK.
I have a question on brake hard lines and saw someone re did them to be more appealing.
So a factory stock car the brake hard lines, are they just put in however possible not worrying about appearance.
Is there any issue if reconfiguring the brake lines to make it more appealing?
I'm guess sharp turns is probably something to avoid too.
Thanks.
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Brake lines just cleaning them up, moving the junction into the car on top of the trans tunnel with a brake pressure switch for the tail lights.
Going to come thru the firewall still like this. Hoping I can re route the rear one along the trans tunnel until the back seat then thru the floor to the rear.
Thanks. I just didnt want to drop the engine by not taking precautions.
I brought my HD30 connector here from MSEL.co.nz however they are readily available world wide.
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Looking really smart Brian, shame about the hammered section but it all brings it together when its sorted. So what's your plans for the brakes lines ? Are you running a pedal box?
Those hoist mounts are well made, its nuts to know Nissan throw them away from every engine!
Where did you source the HD30 connector?
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So I missed one step in this build which was to make some engine lift points as I only have access to an engine lifter no hoist.
So some cardboard aided design to water cut and painted items.
I began this weekend with another item on the list, getting the bulkhead connections done.
Would you look at the state of the firewall. Looks like someone "massaged" it with a sledge hammer. More panel work :(
But this is how the day started out. Original engine looms, battery cable ran thru this hole with no grommet I might add.
To this. HD30 connector for wiring harness. Amphenol stud for battery cable.
Slapped some primer on just to protect the metal in the mean time until I get this bay blasted.
- Pull the motor and box so I can do some chassis work.- Delete the brake lines in the engine bay while I have the engine out
- Sort out all the locations for bulkhead connections- Add new welded earth stud on the front chassis rail
- New mounting points for the radiator reservoir
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First step of the above done.
- Pull the motor and box so I can do some chassis work.- Delete the brake lines in the engine bay while I have the engine out
- Sort out all the locations for bulkhead connections
- Add new welded earth stud on the front chassis rail
- New mounting points for the radiator reservoir
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Whats next is
- Pull the motor and box so I can do some chassis work.
- Delete the brake lines in the engine bay while I have the engine out
- Sort out all the locations for bulkhead connections
- Add new welded earth stud on the front chassis rail
- New mounting points for the radiator reservoir
The list is huge at this point as I want to get the best out of this car. So even this list is a drop in the tea cup. Should have my replacement manifold shortly so I can start a mockup of the exhaust system along with the intercooler plumbing that I will need to replace after relocating the turbo position.
I have a very lengthy list of other stuff I want to tackle as well as a list of things I must do for certification here in New Zealand.
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Brian, do it mate! It's going to save you a lot of money and time.
I've welded for most of my able to life, don't skimp out on a machine is my #1 advice buddy, I have in the past and it costs you more in the long run. When looking at a TIG welder make sure you buy a AC/DC welder as you want to be welding in AC with aluminum to clean the pool on the opposite pulse. You also need to think about you welding environment in regards to access, is it all going to be bench work or will you be in and around the car welding? So you may want to look at an additional torch that has the start on the torch as well as the pedal. Gas wise you guna burn through a lot so opt for a gas that's going to cover the majority of your intended jobs.
YouTube is a grate place to start learning to get an idea! Get to know you equipment, cups, tungsten ect. You'll probably hear to start wit a 5 or a 6 cup when learning but honestly, go for a big see-through gas lens and a stubby kit, learn with what you'll use I say! It's the same for what you'll be making/working on, there's no point welding lap joints in 5mm plate when you'll be working with 1.8mm pipe. Lay a few passes on think plate learn how to manipulate the pool ect when to dab when not and where. Once you have the figured jump straight onto your cheap pipe and you'll get the hang of it. Look at the correct way to grind your tungsten, if you ever dip it, grind it! Always make sure your work is clean, then clean it some more, acetone is definitely your best friend and keep your equipment material specific too! Never cross contaminate.
It really is the case of practice practice practice and don't be afraid to experiment.
What's next on the agenda for the car then?
