coupe72001

Count me in for sure! D

Ok... I have hit a snag. The crank doesn't spin freely when I tighten the bolts for number four bearing cap (this houses the thrust bearing). It spins fine with all the other bolts tightened, its just four that locks it up. I measured the distance between the crank and the thrust bearing and there seems to be only a tiny (0.002 inch) amount of clearance on each side. Anyone know what I might have done wrong - the manual suggests the crank should spin freely, even with everything tightened. Regarding costs. I have forked out for brand new gaskets, bearings, rings, shims, welsh plugs and harmonic balancer only. Everything else is a decent second-hand item that has been cleaned/honed/polished or painted. The total costs have crept over a grand including all the machining, but hopefully it should stay the right side of $1,500.

It's on 16 Mar 2008; the W.D.C.V.C Show "N" Shine 2008. 9am to 3pm. Mossfield Reserve, Hoppers Crossing, Mel 206 F2. Myself, hot C210, my mates Mario and Anthony should all bring C210's, and Rabee will have his 240k, and hopefully Mastadd will be there too. Give me a call or PM me and we can head down together as a group early, or otherwise we can just catch you down there. I am dying to check out your car, and it's a good opportunity for you to get to know some more of the fellas with similar cars. There should be some other interesting classics down there as well. All are welcome. D

Hey Bobbie, thought it might be you. Yeah, the factory has been all packed up, but there are still quite a few bits and pieces in Rabee's backyard (and my garage). There are a few of us going to a show and shine on March the 16th. You should come, and pick up the parts you need on the way through.

Now THAT's a bet!

There's a complete 240K at Centre Rd, Springvale wreckers, (near the Princes Hwy) but the panels were pretty average from what I remember. I'll ask around for you too. Drew

Ok - thanks for that. I will fork out for the fly-cut if I run into trouble with valve clearences. (probably cheaper than the damn Nismo gasket anyway!) I have mocked up the crank and number one piston, and will fit the head tonight if I get the tappet clearences spot on. Actually, my how to build your Z engine book stresses NOT to recycle your rocker arms and lash pads when you change your cam, especially if you don't put eveything back on in the same postion it came off (eg number one exhaust rocker arm is to go back on over the number one exhaust valve - not somewhere else on the head.) When I had a close look I noticed that the rocker was not perfectly parallel to the cam. The left side of the rocker was actually touching the cam even when the cam nose was facing away from the rocker. Should I invest in new rocker arms and lash pads to try and fix this? I don't want to damage the cam. Also I have started to go over budget. Ill tally costs after class and see what the damage is. D

Thanks for the tips. The bores didn't require a hone, they polished up very nicely. (Just as well for me, as the pistons I scored on the cheap are the standard size - not an overbore). Likewise the crank polished up well, so I'll be sticking with (new) standard-sized bearings. I forked out for a performance harmonic balancer - avid readers will recall that I split my last stock harmonic balancer into 2 pieces, ruining my week. The balancer/crank/flywheel have been balanced, and the flywheel was lightened some as well. As well as Mr Elk's ruler method, I will be applying a dollop of blue-tac to the top of number one piston, bolting the head and timing gear on, turning the motor by hand then checking out the indentations in the blue-tac to get an idea of valve clearances. It's a bit like something out of CSI. The boys at the machine-shop will measure the remains of the blue-tac and make the call about how much, or little, clearance there is. If it's too tight I may need to invest in a thicker (Nismo do a 2mm) head gasket. Including paint and oil, I hope to keep the whole project under a grand. It's on track so far.

Ok- I have stripped the L28 Block and had the bores and the crank polished. I have flat-tops and new rings and all the other parts I need to assemble. The N42 head is in better shape than my E88 head, so I am going to use it for that reason alone. I am going to do a dummy assembly first (with the engine out of the car) to check that the valves clear the pistons. There are 3 pertinent questions though: Has anyone run into major valve clearance issues before with an L28 and flat-tops? Does anyone know off-hand what the tappet clearances for the N42 head are? Does anyone know what color the L28 block was when new? Any tips are appreciated. This is largely uncharted water for me, so I don't want to botch it. Cheers

Oddly there IS a vacuum advance on my dizzy, but it has been left disconnected - no hose. It came back that way from the auto electrician and I didn't notice till later. Maybe it doesn't work, or they deemed it superfluous, or maybe, just maybe, they happen to be a pack of 2-bit retards! Still, I'm none too fazed and aren't going to get nasty about it; the car is going just fine without it. I gave it a run with the vacuum advanced connected to the manifold and I couldn't pick any difference. Maybe it is cactus and no-one ever mentioned it. Keep me posted about that 4 door. I've always got room for another 4 door. Even one without bumpers!

I'd think about going back to the original mint green. It's a nice color with the black interior and you'll save because you won't need to touch the bits that haven't already been painted over - like inside the door sills/boot etc. You have the original steering wheel, but it is missing the pad that goes in the center. You should be able to get $2000 for it once it's all tidied up and resprayed... even if it is a fairly cheapo spray job.

Hey, These are the photos you asked me for earlier, sorry you can't see a damn thing, all the wiring is hidden. The only two wires coming from the distributor go to + and - on the coil. There's no ballast resistor, no vacuum advance... nothing! There is a one additional wire going to the + and one to the -, but I couldn't trace where they originate from. Hope it's of some use anyway. Cheers, D

I have heard that this car is actually a Mitsubishi Sigma. Please confirm that this is not some kind of sick joke. Do you have a Skyline for sale or not? By the way, the C210 and the 240K are two completely different cars, and neither came out with a stock LSD.

Don't over-tighten the oil filter. I only do them up by hand, they don't leak. A few days of water in the radiator wont hurt, but ditch it for some coolant when you get a chance. Your oil should be fine, and don't worry about the welsh plugs, they are basically waterproof and watertight. Just try not to drown any electrical bits when you wash and degrease!

Still keen... give me a call please, or let us know if it has been sold. Cheers Drew

hey hey, I had a play with it and although there is a (seemingly useless) screw that I removed the centre part doesn't seem to budge. I didn't want to push to hard on it though as I'm kind of prone to breaking stuff. I don't see how it can be removed easily though. Maybe it's glued in place. The lights that this lense is from has the reverse light as a separate rectangular lense. Cheers, D

The Uni joint isn't sealed, it's the big knuckle coming out either side of your diff. I wouldn't grease it. There can't be more that 0.01mm of play in the joint, so if there is any movement in it at all it should be replaced. Rust is often worst in the front of the bonnet under the piece of trim, and hidden in the rubber strips that run along the bumper bars...

Give me a call on 0410 842 016 or email me with your number at [email protected]. Cheers Drew

Ok, The driveshaft and crossmember should be cheap enough, but there are two problems though: postage costs and the unavailability of new parts. The second-hand stuff that you get from may be no better than what's already on the car. I live in Melbourne and can help you find the bits you need if you get really stuck. If you have no cash today at least sand/grind the rust out of you bonnet pronto. Hit every panel and your doors with a can of fish oil. Your car is nice and straight but the rust is going to hurt your feelings unless you get on top of it quickly. It's probably more urgent than the mechanical issues. Good luck with it. D

Hi, Why wouldn't you fix it? It's none to difficult to pull out and swap the complete driveshaft and universal joint assembly and the crossmember. You don't want your drivetrain slopping around too much. Is this the car that was advertised in the for sale forum? Anyway - nice work finding a C210 that requires so little sorting out. Put a pic up for me if you get a chance. Cheers, Drew

Hi mate, How wide are they? I need the monster 38cm wheel to see the gauges clearly in my old-school skyline. Cheers, Drew [email protected] 0410 842 016

Ok, found the box. It's a universal inline Pierburg 12V, 3.9 - 5.5 PSI, model FPX030, and its about $150 from http://www.injectacarb.com.au/fuel-pumps-c-33.html There's a higher PSI model for the same price, but I don't see why you'd need it. D

Hey mate, Most of my mates are running Japanese Toiko pumps, and mines a Pierburg. Its nothing fancy and the car is not starving for fuel. I don't know the psi or gph unfortunately. If I can find the box it came in Ill let you know though. D

I've been looking around for triples and your damn right they don't come cheap. So I guess a full rebuild with all the good bits can really add up. I really wanted a nice Kameari 3.2L Crankshaft for my L28, but they go for US$5,000 alone, so I see your point.

Does this look right? How does $35 sound? Cheers