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Dave's "track-spec" 1600
http://www.ozdat.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8460
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Author:  Dave [ Tue Aug 22, 2006 8:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Dave's "track-spec" 1600

Just thought I'd post up a few pics of my old ex-rally 1600.

I bought the car about 11 years ago, already kitted out as a rally car. My intention was to use it in club-level motorsport - motorkhanas, sprints, hillclimbs and the like.

As luck would have it, I found out I was to be a father a few weeks after I bought it, so that was the end of that idea :?

I used it for a few years as my daily driver, even managed to fit a baby capsule to the passenger's seat to pick the daughter up from childcare :shock: (it had no back seat).

Eventually it was retired to the shed in November 1998, according to the last rego label.

After a trip to the 2005 Datnats, I decided I really needed a Datsun to drive again, as my never-ending 180B SSS project was, well, never-ending :oops: When the 2006 mini-Datnats came around in 2006, I decided to drag it out of the shed and get it ready for a blast round the track. Preparation consisted of reconditioning the front brakes, replacing quite a few rubber hoses that were a bit perished, getting the radiator repaired, throwing on a set of wheels and tyres I got at a swapmeeting, bogging up a few gaping rust holes in the rear 1/4's and giving it a quick coat of paint where I'd been using it to test the spray pattern of my spraygun when painting other stuff :oops: , and generally checking it over. Modifications consisted of putting the good inserts from my other 1600 into the 240K struts on this one and removing the perished sock filters on the carbs.

Turns out I really should have got the block fushed, as it overheated all day at the mini-Datnats at Wakefield Park due to scale and sludge from the block finding its way into the radiator. I managed to understeer my way to a best time of 1:34 :cry: Meybe I should have started to get it organised more than a month before the evnt as well.......

Anyway, once home I decided to try to improve things. It was treated to new front springs (about 80mm lower than what was in it :shock: ). lower rear springs, new front brake rotors, new front brake pads, new rear wheel cylinders, new fixed back racing seat, lengthened lower control arms, offset 180B strut tops, heavier front swaybar, steering brace, a complete engine flush and a dynotune where it reeled off a mighty 69 horsepower. Also took the head off to make sure everything was OK after its overheating probs at Wakefield, revealing a head that looks as though it was once fuel injected (see injector cutouts and extra bolthole for injection manifold):?

After its trip to Wakefield Park earlier this month lap times have dropped by 9 seconds to a 1:25 neat.

Future plans include slotting the rear crossmember, buying a decent set of track tyres in 14" and fitting a dual circuit brake master cylinder

And I really should get the 180B SSS finished one day too.....

Buried in the back of the shed after 8 years

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Nice and spartan (and loud and hot with no carpet..)

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Bit of a polish and the original Datsun factory paint still shines

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Out in the sun after 8 years

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Understeering around Wakefield Park

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Front end is just a tad too high..
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Fuel injected head ???

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The mighty L18

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And its last outing

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Author:  Lurch [ Tue Aug 22, 2006 9:47 pm ]
Post subject: 

Awesome stuff Dave! :D :D :D

Way to go raceing on a budget :wink:

Author:  SSS 610 [ Tue Aug 22, 2006 9:51 pm ]
Post subject: 

nice 1600 dave yeha racign on a budget indeed

if i remeber correctly u didnt have to remove the filters, didnt the engine do it 4 u lol

cheers

Author:  Deane [ Tue Aug 22, 2006 10:45 pm ]
Post subject: 

Did you put some sort of lift kit in it for the first two track pics? :lol:

Author:  Dave [ Wed Aug 23, 2006 10:34 am ]
Post subject: 

SSS 610 wrote:
if i remeber correctly u didnt have to remove the filters, didnt the engine do it 4 u lol
Well, yes :oops:

When I first got it going, I gave it a rev in the shed and it ingested large chunks of the perished foam socks :shock:

So, I decided to do the easiest thing, just remove what was left of them and run no air filters :roll:
Deane wrote:
Did you put some sort of lift kit in it for the first two track pics?
That was the result of cobbling the front struts together quickly and then running out of time to get it right. That's what you seem to get with 240K struts and (I believe) extra heavy duty 240K springs which were in the car when I bought it. When I drove it on the road years ago I replaced the 240K struts with a set of 1600 struts I had lying round, but put the 240K ones back in for Wakefield to try and improve the brakes.

What amazed me was the reduction in track times possible with just a bit of suspension tweaking and a few other simple mods. I guess experience from last time and a bit more confidence in the car not going to self-destruct from overheating may have contributed, but I was very happy with 1:25 from a virtually stock L18. I doubt the next 9 second reduction will come as easily :? . Its only mods are portwork, bigger valves and a cam, still stock compression and carbs. Ohh, and the dyno tuner altered the cam timing by drilling a new hole in the camshaft and dowelling the cam sprocket in a different place then finishing it off with an angle grinder :shock:

My plans now are to join a local car club so I can do some local events, carry out a few more minor improvements, do the Peter Finlay racing/rally drivers course if I get the time and money ($700 for two days intensive training at Oran Park is a bargain I reckon) then bring it down for Datnats in 2007 :D

Author:  Pro [ Wed Aug 23, 2006 11:23 pm ]
Post subject: 

$2000 challenge? :lol:

and that head is definitely an EFI head.

i love dirty datsuns - the way they should be. 8)

Author:  Dave [ Sat Jan 06, 2007 4:11 pm ]
Post subject: 

Thought I'd throw up a few pics of the 1600, since this is its first trip out of the shed since last August. Time to start getting ready for Datnats :D

I've been bringing it up to standard for club events - stuff like fire extinguisher, legal harnesses, stuff like that. And I've treated it to a decent set of wheels and tyres. Ohh, and also some new pinstriping on a few panels, so they all finally match :oops:

Tyres are old (but brand new) Falken semi-slicks, and the wheels cost a massive $51 off eBay :lol:

To fit the new tyres in, its got new guards that have been rolled and pulled out a bit.

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Author:  sweet_stanza [ Sat Jan 06, 2007 9:59 pm ]
Post subject: 

those rims jus bring her back to life
they look sweet as!!!!! :thumbsup:

Author:  Dave [ Sun Jan 07, 2007 1:12 am ]
Post subject: 

They fit in well with the previous owner's chosen colour scheme as well - paint lots of random stuff white, then finish off with a big white "V" across the bonnet and guards :?

But seriously, I quite like the look of them. Better than the filthy old TRX rims it used to run, and way lighter.

Incidentally, they're the same rims as 1600dave runs on his project.

http://ozdat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6307&start=45

Author:  SSS 610 [ Sun Jan 07, 2007 1:49 am ]
Post subject: 

looking good dave when u gonna come around and pick up the stuff for the dual brake circuit lol

cheers

Author:  Dave [ Mon Jan 08, 2007 11:35 am ]
Post subject: 

I've been meaning to come round and check out your project, especially how the gearbox fits in as I'll be using the same box.

Unfortunately, I've had another project that's taken up all my spare time for the last month or so. Can't complain though - the wife lets me spend plenty of time in the shed so I guess its not too much to ask that I finish the ensuite I started quite a while back :oops: .

Only the floor tiles to go now, which is the project for the next few days, then I'll give you a ring and organise to come down :D

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Author:  Team_dat [ Mon Jan 08, 2007 12:15 pm ]
Post subject: 

looks great man. any chance you want to change your EFI head for my ported aftermarket cam mass shaved high CR head?


also love the bathroom, i'm startiung out with thatn now, which does task the time on the cars...


man i can't wait till the nats, soo many cars i want to see!

Author:  Dave [ Mon Jan 08, 2007 1:14 pm ]
Post subject: 

Team_dat wrote:
looks great man. any chance you want to change your EFI head for my ported aftermarket cam mass shaved high CR head?
Ummmm, no :lol:

If I decide to go with an A87 on my supercharged L18, this will probably be the one I use since its already set up for efi.

Team_dat wrote:
also love the bathroom, i'm startiung out with thatn now, which does task the time on the cars...
I've hated working on it :evil: . I don't mind doing something like that if I decide to do it myself, but when I HAVE to do it because the builder didn't squirt 10 cents worth of silastic into the flashing on the roof I'm not very happy :evil: :evil:

The flashing where one roof section meets the external wall of the ensuite is blueboard - the right angle bit of tin flashing is fitted to a slot cut in said blueboard. Builders didn't seal the end in the blueboard at the end of the flashing, with the result that all the water running down the flashing was channelled into the wall cavity. When water started leaking into the kitchen downstairs (only 7 years after the house was built :evil: ), I started stripping the ensuite out. Found that a few studs had completely rotted away and the floor joists were starting to follow.

I ended up having to gut the whole ensuite and re-do it from scratch....

anyway, that's the end of my rant for today :lol:

My only advice for bathroom renovations is this - if you're working in bare feet on 40 degree days, be careful walking around on floor joists . Sweaty feet on slippery joists means having to patch the ceiling of the floor below :oops: I was lucky only one leg went thru, and I didn't end up straddling the joist (where's the "OUCH" smiley)

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Author:  Dave [ Sun Sep 02, 2007 8:10 pm ]
Post subject: 

Well, time for another update and a bit of a video.

The 1600 has done a few hillclimbs and made the trip to Phillip Island at Easter so far this year. Its currently being fitted with a new "Datsport" radiator (free of charge - courtesy of a gift voucher from work for 15 years of service :D ). Then the brake bias valve will go in, along with the R160 LSD (if I can get the ratios changed easily).

Next outing is a trip to Wakefield Park in October for a shakedown run with all the new bits and then I plan to contest the CSCA Supersprint series next year

http://csca.racecontrol.com.au/


Anyway, here's a short video of my best run at the local hillclimb track. The track is at Ringwood (just north of Newcastle, and owned by my club, the Newcastle MG Car Club), and goes up the hill, round a loop, then back down to finish just short of the start line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtAtxzhrexc

Author:  Lurch [ Sun Sep 02, 2007 9:33 pm ]
Post subject: 

Onya Dave! :D

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