Hey guys,

So my mate Dan and I have been accepted in to the 2015 Shitbox Rally.

I believe a few members have done it before, and maybe even coming again in 2015 (Team Jungle B?)
We're driving from Canberra to Townsville via The Birdsville Track, all raising money for The Cancer Council.

We picked up a Datsun 260c nice and cheap for the adventure, but she does need some work.
This is my first Datsun so I'll be needing lots of advice/help and whatever you can throw at us to get us going nice and reliable.

It had a hotdog and then straight pipes, so was loud. First thing we did was throw the stock muffler back on.
The alternator wasn't charging, but the car came with a spare so i've thrown that on already. Not knowing the condition of the spare either though, i'm not convinced it's charging either...possibly looking to rebuild the original one.
The ignition barrel was non existent, so we wired up a push button start. Still need to wire up the accessories circuit as well, for now it's just ignition.

Previous owner had swapped the engine to a L28 as well.

Hopefully get it up to scratch and registered soon so we can start driving it and fixing little problems we find.

You can also follow our progress on FB, although I will be updating this thread as time goes on as well
https://www.facebook.com/BluesBrothersShitboxRally

and if you're feeling generous you can even donate and help us raise money. Everything over $2 is tax deductible!
https://shitboxrally2015.everydayhero.c ... s-brothers

We really appreciate any help and support we can get.

This is the route we're taking


A few pics of the beast









and a quick vid of the push button start
https://vimeo.com/106714885

Mate that thing has the factory aircon - top spec for the win.

_________________
Currently own...

B210 120Y Sedan - FJ20ET Race Car Build
H230 Wagon / Van - LD28 Turbo powered - restoration to start

haha yep, absolutely cheering!
Apparently the Birdsville track goes through some of the driest parts of Australia. So will be nice and cool in the car.
I was stoked to just find out it had power windows!

Did some tinkering today, some repairs to the accessories wiring. Which once I did that, found out the wiper switch was broken and they won't turn off. So I put a subtle little switch on the dash to control them. And another missile switch in the centre console to keep things symmetrical. Switch controls power to Radio, CB, A/C and Wipers.
Also installed a new stereo on the little shelf under the glove box. Leaving the dash as original as I can. And at least still have some pumping tunes for the drive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLKxo5qK_-M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeBpPJy76QE

Reliability, Repeatability, Risk Mitigation/Redundancy is key IMHO (the four R's).

If something breaks, you want a spare handy.

Clock up a few K's on her and find out what works and doesn't.

Engine temperature sounds like it may become an issue, so find out whether you can detect whether it's getting hot. Do you have an accurate temp gauge? If not, you need to fit one. The factory one isn't enough. Mitigate the risk if necessary such as using a Thermo fan with a manual switch or a temp sensor switch. Two fans are better than one (Redundancy) You can test this by driving in very hot weather and blocking off some of the radiator and keeping an eye on the gauges. Don't forget to run the AC at the same time as this adds heat & load to the system.
An Oil pressure and Oil temperature gauges are also important.
Warning lights and gauges make all the difference...

Debris on the road is another, so suitable guards/barriers on the front and low appendages would be a good idea. These are all fairly easy things to do...
Safety is very important, so make sure all your seat mounts etc. are solid and reinforce if necessary.

Decent lighting would pay dividend. I'd fit some spotties on the front. Also another battery somewhere would be handy. You can get fairly cheaply the dual battery systems for 4WD's. Worth it IMHO.

Fit some decent spare tyres somewhere (on top of the boot or roof?) and take a 12V compressor.

It doesn't have to be pretty. Just reliable!

I'm sure our resident rally guys can chip in too...

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1972 Datsun 1600, S14 SR20DET Engineered (204rwkW @ 17psi.)
viewtopic.php?t=6579
#SR20Datsun @SR20Datsun

Hadn't heard of the shitbox rally, looks good, always wanted to do the Mongol Rally but this would be closer
Excellent choice of vehicle, these things do miles in comfort.
As mentioned, definitely get some spotlights on if you are doing night driving out in the middle of nowhere.
Look forward to more updates

Top advice and definitely things I will be looking at!

I did the 2014 rally earlier this year (Perth to Darwin via Gibb River rd) in a Mitsubishi Nimbus....and I have to say i found a whole new respect for it. haha it didn't miss a beat.

But the Datto has a million times more character to it. We've only had it a couple of weeks and I'm in love with it. All going to plan we can hopefully have it registered and on the road next weekend, so can start driving it around and sussing out what exactly I need to look at and get running reliably.

Any help? Having alternator issues.
I knew when we got the car the alternator was no good. But the previous owner had a spare he gave us.
So I swapped it out a week or so ago, but still not getting a proper charge from it.
I then had a look inside the external voltage regulator, and it has a blown fuse.
I swapped the fuse with a new one, but still not getting proper charge.
So to be sure, I grabbed another alternator from the wrecker today, and beauty, I'm getting 15V at the alternator, 14.2V at the battery.

Except then I couldn't turn the car off. I'd flick the switch off, and the engine would keep running. Eventually it died and turned itself off...
I tried it again straight after, and would turn on and off properly each time. But the volts were back down from the alternator.

I found the fuse had blown in the voltage reg. So I replaced it again. and the volts were back up, but then the issue off not turning off was back. and only when i pull the fuse can i turn it off properly.

is it a bad voltage reg? a short somewhere? or do i give up and get an auto elec to look at it

been a while, time for an update!

the issue with the alternator, the new one had an internal voltage regulator, trying to still run with the external one. so bypassed the external regulator and problem solved!

new set of plugs and leads, new battery and power cables.

passwed it's blueslip today and its registered!!!
now we can focus on getting the fundraising in to full swing.