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New Datsun 280c 430!
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Author:  notachop [ Sun May 29, 2016 8:37 pm ]
Post subject:  New Datsun 280c 430!

First time poster/Datsun owner, heres my new Datsun 280c!
Its a 1981 model as far as I can see, with the standard carbed L28. Its in fairly good condition for an $800 car, with the only bad rust being in the spare wheel well and in the front guards. It's also missing a headlight and steering column cover, and the dash is pretty mangled with wires going everywhere. Also, does anyone know what the cause of an overheating issue might be? the car seems to run fine for around 10 minutes but after that the temperature just shoots into the red in a few minutes. This made driving the car home quite the experience as it conked out going up a hill with me having no idea what the problem was! Anyway, anyone know anything about these things? Reputation? Ideas? Tips? Parts? Thanks

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Author:  Coz22a [ Sun May 29, 2016 11:40 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Datsun 280c 430!

Congrats on the purchase. Can't see the pics for some reason.
Could the overheating be a seized thermostat?

Good luck
Mick

Author:  notachop [ Mon May 30, 2016 11:59 am ]
Post subject:  Re: New Datsun 280c 430!

Coz22a wrote:
Congrats on the purchase. Can't see the pics for some reason.
Could the overheating be a seized thermostat?

Good luck
Mick
Just added the URL for the imgur album, should be good. A busted thermostat seems most likely, and while its out I was thinking I should probably flush the whole cooling system. First goal is to get the thing running reliably and getting the rust all fixed, then onto mods

Author:  tandata [ Sat Jun 11, 2016 6:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Datsun 280c 430!

I'm selling one of these at the moment, if you are after another car for parts...

Author:  notachop [ Sun Jun 12, 2016 1:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Datsun 280c 430!

tandata wrote:
I'm selling one of these at the moment, if you are after another car for parts...
Just sent you a PM - not sure about buying a whole second car but would think about it depending on condition/location

Author:  notachop [ Wed Jun 29, 2016 12:59 am ]
Post subject:  Re: New Datsun 280c 430!

Rightio, a proper day of work on the car complete now that I'm on holidays and I'm really enjoying it, despite a bunch of issues. I successfully removed the thermostat, which I thought was the probable cause of the overheating issue, but after testing it it opened quite happily at the specified 82C. So now I'm back to the drawing board and I honestly have no idea whats causing the issue. My complete lack of experience makes it hard, but the radiator, while old, seems fine, the fan works, the pipes are ok, the pulley to the water pump seems good and there doesn't seem to be any leaks anywhere.

Apart from this, theres a few other issues that I just don't have the knowledge to diagnose. First off, the power steering is noisy and vibrates a lot, with the noise fluctuating depending on the engine the cars movement. I'm thinking this is probably because of either bad fluid or air in the system. I don't think theres any leaks from what I can see, but I'll have a closer look on the weekend. The thought of mangling a $1000 part thats sought after by all the F-100 guys doesn't thrill me, so i might see if I can replace the seals as well. Part of the problem could be the previous owner putting generic power steering fluid in, which I've heard is too thin for these units and can seep through/ mess with seals. Apparently these older Ford units were designed to take type-F transmission fluid instead.
Second, theres a lot of oil (or some kind of fluid) hanging around in the engine bay, with a very slow leak somewhere around the back of the bay. Theres a chance that this could be power steering fluid, as the unit is pretty filthy, but theres a lot of oil around the spark plugs and the oil filter, as well as some other stuff on the right hand frame rails near the power steering unit.
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The leak almost looks as though it could be coming from join between the transmission and the engine, but it could also be from the frame rails where stuff has pooled up. [ img ]
Black spots on the ground are leaked fluid

One of the annoying things about this car is that its been owned by an auto electrician, who's modified a whole bunch of things that I can't really follow. First off, there was a stock plug under the steering wheel that when plugged in turned on all interior and exterior lights, but also turned on a wiper pump that made a really irritating whine. The car functioned fine with this left unplugged, so I had just left it, and I still have no idea what this plug is actually for. It took me and some mates a good hour or so to find the source of this noise before we could unplug the damn thing. We also located some craftily hidden air horns that were, of course, unplugged. They'll definitely get a reinstall once everything is working.
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Just a few other unknowns on the car: the exhaust smells of petrol quite a lot, but I assume this is just an old car thing, and a lot of steam/smoke comes out - again probably more old car things, and I don't thiiiiink its burning coolant. Also, theres a fast ticking noise when the key is in the on position, and all dashboard lights come on - sounds like its coming from underneath the car, close to the centre. I have no idea where its coming from, and if its good or bad. Any thoughts?

Anyway, long post - can you tell I'm enjoying myself?

Author:  Coz22a [ Wed Jun 29, 2016 10:13 am ]
Post subject:  Re: New Datsun 280c 430!

Sounds like a fun day!
I'd recommend you do a radiator flush using an additive, and catch the fluid to see what you flushed out.
Give the whole engine bay a good degrease to confirm where you're leaks are coming from. Sounds like you could have a couple.
The ticking sound could well be an electric fuel pump.

Happy tinkering. :)
Mick

Author:  notachop [ Sun Jul 03, 2016 7:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Datsun 280c 430!

Ok, new problem: Am I missing a shitload of bolts?????

Side of the engine, underneath the carb and above the headers
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Looking vertically at the underside of the engine, before the transmission
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Looking back at the join between the engine and the transmission
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The leak seems to be coming from this region, and as you can see theres a lot of filth around the join - not sure if its oil or just general driving dirt. This car certainly seems to have an interesting history!

Author:  green200b [ Sun Jul 03, 2016 9:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Datsun 280c 430!

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The two bolts on the left look like they are for an optional bracket that some gearboxes have bolts for. Out of the many 200Bs I have owned only a couple had them, and they were both manual.

Looks like a fun project either way. A later model turbo engine would turn this into the ultimate sleeper...just saying ;)

Author:  notachop [ Fri Jul 08, 2016 12:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Datsun 280c 430!

green200b wrote:
The two bolts on the left look like they are for an optional bracket that some gearboxes have bolts for. Out of the many 200Bs I have owned only a couple had them, and they were both manual.

Looks like a fun project either way. A later model turbo engine would turn this into the ultimate sleeper...just saying ;)
I hadn't thought of that! Thats most likely the reason. And yeah, I absolutely agree but my first drivetrain upgrade will be a manual box most likely because 3sp autos are absolute poo. Seeing the tutorials on the forums makes it seem easy but for a mechanical clutz like myself I'm not too sure, but if anyone knows of a cheap 5sp around I'm all ears! :mrgreen:

Author:  notachop [ Sat Jul 23, 2016 4:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Datsun 280c 430!

Rightio, discovered three key issues with the car:
- Return line for the power steering pump was absolutely stuffed, spraying power steering fluid all over the engine bay at full lock. This caused the fluid to get low and the pump to make a hideous noise whenever I tried turning the wheel, but I'm happy it's an issue with the hose rather than the ridiculously expensive pump. Will be either repairing or getting a new one made soon.
- Head gasket is likely stuffed. A friend said that a likely cause of the car not starting well is water leaking into one of the cylinders, meaning it runs rough until it burns off out the exhaust. This also explains the bad idle and the vapor/black water coming out the exhaust. Anybody have some recommendations for a good gasket set at a reasonable price? Will be taking the head off in the coming weeks, first time inside an engine :O.
- Heater core is broken, causing coolant to come out of a tube in the firewall. I'll probably just bypass for a quick fix and then do a proper fix later down the line.

Time to pull apart the engine..........

Author:  green200b [ Sat Jul 23, 2016 11:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Datsun 280c 430!

If you go to a Repco, Autobarn etc they should be able to order you one in. Write down the exact year and month of the car and then order a VRS kit to suit. It is an unusual car so the more details you have the better, just in case.

Author:  notachop [ Sun Aug 07, 2016 8:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Datsun 280c 430!

Head gasket replacement has been postponed, as I checked the compression and all cylinders were between 150-170 psi, which seems pretty decent :D regarding a manual swap, green200b you should be able to help with this, would you be able to take the bellhousing from a 200b Borg Warner T4, mate it onto a generic NWC T5 box and then have it all bolt up as a sort of homemade 280zx 5 speed gearbox? T5s are probably stronger than 240k gearboxes and in better condition too, but finding one off a 280zx seems pretty hard/pricey. Thoughts?

Author:  green200b [ Mon Aug 08, 2016 12:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Datsun 280c 430!

When you say a T5, which gearbox do you mean? It would be a lot easier to just find an L-series 5-speed gearbox and mount that up rather than trying to customise something. If I were you I would be looking for a 280ZX flywheel and gearbox to use.

Author:  notachop [ Mon Nov 07, 2016 1:10 am ]
Post subject:  Re: New Datsun 280c 430!

Rightio! haven't posted in a while due to uni/work but now I've got a bit of free time I'll get more stuck into getting this thing fixed up. I've been thinking about where I want to go with this car a bit, and have been slowly building up parts to suit this. Ultimately, I want something similar to this: A low, clean and luxurious cruiser

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Hence, I've been building up parts over the past few weeks from Australia and Japan. Importantly, I got the broken indicator switch fixed by pinching the lever off a 910 Bluebird mechanism, and mating it to my factory mechanism. Fairly easy, but annoying as I thought I could simply swap the full mechanism over to the Bluebird one.

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Also acquired a JDM Hardtop instrument cluster, complete with factory tacho! So much better than the grandma spec thing we got here. I also managed to pull apart the tacho itself so I could manually adjust the dial on the odometer to match the 240xxx km that are on my car, instead of the 82xxx km on the Japanese one. So fiddly! but imagine finding a car with such low kms here... This will be pretty tough to install given that the plugs are different, so I'll be speaking to an electrical engineer about that

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I've decided I'm sick of the factory single carb going out of tune every week, so I got a set of twin carbs off gumtree. The keen eyed Datsun enthusiast will note that they aren't 240z carbs but rather genuine HS6 SU items. These will need a good clean after sitting in some guys garage for 25 years after coming off his C210 skyline, and I've already found the remnants of 3 wasps nests. They'll need to have new fuel and vacuum lines installed, so if anyone has a link to a diagram that would be great

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And the most important part... A set of August Racing Feroce, 1982 vintage, 14x6.5 +18 at the front and 14x7 -2 at the back, straight from Japan and just like the car pictured above. The 7j pair are in ok condition, with a bit of guard rash, but will look better after a good polish and paint. They'll go on the front as is. The 6.5j pair are in worse condition, with quite a bit of guard rash and pitting on the barrels, so I'll send them off to BarrelBros to get them split and rebarrelled out to 8/8.5j and use them on the rear. Pretty damn stoked

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With a complimentary sticker!

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Mounted on the car, looking damn good

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7j mounted on the front, they fill out the guards perfectly.

As of today, the interior is completely out of the car, and I'll be starting on repairing the cracked and discoloured dash this week. I've also ordered some new carpets from Ebay, and will be making up some lace seat covers for the seats. I'm also still hunting for the parts for a manual swap still (yes green200b I'm aware I had no idea what I was talking about - the T5 was the 1983 280zx turbo box, and I thought because of a gumtree ad that 200bs had the 4 speed version aka T4... They don't). I found a 280zx parts car with the gearbox, R200 diff and F54 block for a great price, but the seller stopped replying to me :evil: and I wasn't even negotiating on price!

Anyway, the plan is to get it ready for a temporary registration soon and have it at Datsun day by the 21st... It'll be hard work but its good to try!

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