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Datones 1600 project
http://ozdat.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11901		 Page 1 of 18
Author:  datones [ Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Datones 1600 project
Hey guys, im a big fan of the forum and have been lurking in the background for while. I thought i should finally introduce myself and my ride.

I picked up my 71 datsun as a rolling shell about 12months ago and have been slowly putting her back together. The body had been prepped and painted by the previous owner, and altho not perfect is pretty straight.

The rebuild pretty much started as soon as it got inside the garage door. First, were new master cylinders, brake lines and 180b booster. Then came the R31 front struts (kyb inserts) and brakes.

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Author:  datones [ Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:03 pm ]
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After getting the shell movable, i got to work on the engine. As part of the purchace i was given a z18et which was in desperate need of some TLC. After cleaning the donk up, i set about the hard task of finding all the accessories. The wiring loom was a write off and since the engine never came with an ecu, i thought it best to scrap it all together. The donor loom came from an L24 powered skyline, which was stripped back and adapted to the z18 pinouts. The ecu and afm, basically fell in my lap from another forum member and the twin coils/8 plug dizzy were ditched for a far simpler S2 BB ingnition system.

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Author:  datones [ Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:09 pm ]
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The gearbox was next on the "to do list". The z18 box had munched 2nd gear, but luckily i was given a second gb from a blue bird as part of the sale. I knew they werent the strongest boxes, but in order to save some pennies, i thought it would do for now. I split the two boxes and swapped the z bellhousing to the bluebird box and presto!!

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Author:  datones [ Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:19 pm ]
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Fitting was next, and after throwing in a new 280zx clutch, it was time to slide the engine into the shell. There was a bit of stuffing around with engine mounts, but i settled with using one L16 mount and one L24 mount (reversed of course). Just a tip for those doing the conversion, make sure you use the fatter rubber mounts (L16) and not the thinner ones (L18 i think). Other wise the motor will sit too low and foul the turbo on the engine brackets.

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Author:  datones [ Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:25 pm ]
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Next came the radiator and intercooler set-up. A small PWR cooler and a custom alluminium radiator were decided upon, as it meant there would be as little chopping of the body as possible. Looking back i would probably have gone down a different road with this but, all in all it didnt turn out too badly.

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Author:  datones [ Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:42 pm ]
Post subject: 
It was about at this time that the project took a serious twist. It was nearly time for rego, when june came around and my birthday came up. My very generous brother decided to buy me a datsport handling kit. :) You should have seen my face... grin from ear to ear. Although a welcome suprise, it put a definite spanner in the works. I had decided that i wasnt in the mood to pull the motor back out, so with the help of an engine brace, I dropped the old front end and slotted in the datsport kit... I must say.. simply beautiful to look at..haha. My excitement was, however short lived. The reversed crossmember of the datsport kit meant that i could no longer use the L16 sump. And this is where the problems started. Luckily i had the z18 sump in storage, and with the help of an L20 oil pickup, the pan fitted up easily. The final fitting of the front sway bar was all that stood in front of me.... bugger

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Author:  datones [ Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:50 pm ]
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No amount of tongue correction was going to let this sway bar fit. It was hard up against the front of the sump and it wasnt moving. A few calls and emails back to datsport (thanks baz) gave me some hope, but I still wasnt happy. To fit the z18, the handling kit uses the L series datsport sway bar, but unfortunatley the z18 sump angles further forward then the L series sump which, as a result was causing the problem. I did gain a couple of mm clearance by elongating the sway bar mounts, giving the sump a mallot massage, and raising the height of the car. But it was still a worry. I finally resigned to the fact that this is how it would stay and moved on.

With the handling kit in, it was time to get the car on the road. Everything seemed like it was falling into place, i gave it a quick squirt around the corner to the vic roads depot and picked up a temporary rego. From there i proceeded to a mate's mechanic workshop and that's when it all started to go down hill again. Giving it a little throttle on the way.. just to clean out the cob webs"... lead to my next dilemma. I hit a massive flat spot and the car started to idle iradically and stall. With a little investigation, the afm was decided upon as being the culprit. This was going to be a pain in the arse, because as you well know, they arnt that common. It was going to have to be an after market ECU and to do it properly meant 1K.

And this is when lady luck showed her face....
Author:  datones [ Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:10 pm ]
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As it would happen, a family friend had just written of his 180sx and was being offered rediculous amount from a wrecker. I told him that i could offer a little more and picked up the whole car for a lazy 3K. There were a couple of little suprises in the package including a t28bb turbo (although later inspection revealed it to be rooted), tuned length headers, 3" exhaust and host of other bolt on mods.

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Author:  datones [ Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:28 pm ]
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Something was telling me that the z18 was never meant to be, and quicker then i could get the 180 home, the z18 was sitting on the garage floor.
With a demo saw in hand, i cut the sr out of the wreck and set about giving it a clean up. Unfortunately this is when i found the damaged turbo. The accident must have cracked the housing and sent bits of airbox through the impellar. Luckily, rest of the motor seemed untouched and so couple of cans of degreaser later and some new gaskets, it was ready for the transplant.
After playing with turbo cars for a while now.. i decided that i would focus on keeping this one responsive. I replaced the turbo with a stock t25g and reworked the intercooler piping to offer the shortest path of travel. With an avcr to control and build boost and tuned headers with 3" exhaust, im hoping to see boost levels rise rather quickly ;)
With the help of some more datsport goodies, the motor slipped in without a major hitch. Although i must comment on how hard it is going to be if i ever have to change a heater hose. My new radiator was modified to suit :( and a couple of days of wiring saw the motor ready for firing.

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Author:  SR20Datsun [ Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:28 am ]
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Hey Tones,

Fantastic effort mate. Welcome to the 'rebel alliance' aka SR20 power :D :lol: :twisted:

Looks like you're nearly there!
I want a ride when you're done... :D
Author:  datones [ Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:48 am ]
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thanks mate, i fired her for the first time the other day. I was a little sceptical about the wiring diagrams id researched, but to their credit they worked out fine. Just have to organise an exhaust and a tailshaft now,
Author:  SR20Datsun [ Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:53 am ]
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So when we've both got our cars on the road, how about a cruise or Calder 1/4 mile or something? Gotta get the Datto's out there :D
Author:  turbovan [ Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:00 am ]
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Nice work mate, you have a great ride coming along there 8)
Author:  datones [ Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:04 am ]
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sounds like a plan mate. Even a sunday drive out to heathcote could be on the cards.
I'll have to sort out my diff situation before then tho. Im going to try and pass engineers with the stock diff, i havent decided which way to go yet. What diff are you going with??
I have a shortnose r200 lsd sitting in the wreck, but i dont know whether its worth the hassle.
Author:  SR20Datsun [ Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:06 am ]
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Heathcote sounds great.

I'm currently using an R180 mechanical Torsen style LSD.
Meant to be good for around 350Hp at the wheels, so should be good enough for me.
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