Mr. G. Brettin's Slow Motion Leg Hump

gbrettin

This past week or so I cleaned up, scuffed, painted, removed old bushings, pressed new bushings, repainted the rear upper control arms and knuckles. Can't say the bushings were my favorite job. Getting the bushings out was REALLY tough until Rusty gave me a tip. Rusty suggested that I hole saw the bushings and slit the sleeve to get them out. After doing that they came out much easier.

Pressing the bushings didn't go great with my goliath clamp but made it work using the Goliath clamp for the upper control arms. I didn't even want to try doing that for the knuckles because that was dinging up the upper control arms. After a quick visit to Amazon, a puller kit was purchased to assist with the knuckles. That made life a lot easier.

After all that work... I'm really happy with the results. Worth it.

Over the weekend I put the brake booster back in and made a bracket for the line lock. Previously I had the line lock laying around in the car. I made use of the old mounting bracket position for the line lock which was originally for the clear view filter. I even used the access hole to install the bolts in the bottom side for the bracket.

Last thought... I really hate rolling around under the dash putting in the brake booster. It was much easier with out the driver's seat.

It's finally looking like a car again!

Next up: Bend brake lines.

gbrettin

The last piece of my exterior came in, Weber Sport front clip with carbon splitter. The front is REALLY open and aggressive. This will be perfectly fine because I plan on using all the bumper venting. The carbon work that you have been seeing me do is all leading towards an idea that has been rolling around in my head. I honestly don't care much about the Nissan emblem or carbon skinned inserts for cars; but, I wanted to work with carbon hands on so that I can create an airbox to the radiator and then vent out the center section of my Varis hood. This will vastly improve cooling and create downforce on the car... so I hope. The turbos will live in the left and right opened that will have a funnel directly to the turbos which will force the air into the turbos creating efficiency. Lastly, the side areas will have my exhaust firing out them. I'm thinking that I'll need to mock up some sort of triangle exhaust tip that will follow the similar lines as the bumper.

I decided to ditch the crash bar I made in favor of a Z1 crash bar that has a tow hook option. The 6 bolts/nuts that you see on the crash bar was 10 dollars. Apparently stainless steel hardware has gone up in price. not a lot to say about the crash bar other than it looks nice.

Luckily, a buddy come over and give some perspective while I was going through a few problem areas. Previously I thought I had stripped one bolt out on the subframe bushings. He was able to pry down on the subframe while I zipped the driver's side front subframe nut out. From the SPL directions, I couldn't find Sikky subframe directions, stated that the metal plates are specifically used for spacers. Also, if you're deciding between Sikky and SPL... get SPL. Sikky has an area recessed which is what caused the nut to bottom. Tractor Supply Company has really great pricing for grade 8 hardware so I picked up a few washers to space out the nuts to prevent them bottoming out again.

After the subframe was sorted, the knuckle and suspension components were roughed out. They're not completely on but it's certainly close to being fully attached so I can have a roller. The rear was supposed to be completely done this weekend, but it was damn hot out and work was extremely slow.

Today I had to swing up to Auto Dynamix to get an understanding on how to assemble my IDS shocks. Someone had mentioned that a spring compressor was needed. Not the case. Dave (Auto Dynamix shop owner) assembled one shock in about 2min and then sent me on my way. Now that I have the shocks and suspension laid out (with hardware which required trips to the store), I'll put the axels in.

This build actually feels like it's on the way back to being road worthy. I'm not really disassembling swamp riddled parts anymore. There's a few interior components that needs to be addressed... but not much. Perhaps the car will roll into the garage this weekend. I know my neighborhood will enjoy that.

gbrettin

Decided to knock out my brake lines yesterday. I was going to bend hard line but it to be a head ache to adapt from Japanese to Domestic thread pitches. The lay out I had previously was on the right track, everything was -3an line and I already had all the -3 conversions done. SO, I ran with it.

It doesn't look like much but I'm REALLY happy with the lines because packaging can get unruly. Rare earth magnets were used to keep the lines from flopping around. The -3an lines were changed to black rubber coated braided line so that they don't chew through the paint (like last time).

Measuring out the lines was pretty straight forward. Sting was used and then measured so that I would have accurate length. Then after each run and measurement, I looked up to see if Lane Automotive (it's like Summit or Jegs) had the desired length in their pre-made section on their website.... then I made a few trips out to Lane Automotive... because it's plumbing and one trip is never enough.

gbrettin

Cut out a few Nissan emblems with a bandsaw and then used a belt sander to remove excess material. One emblem was scuffed up and it's looking pretty dang good. I need to test the emblem on my old bumper to see if it fits good. I may have to 3d scan the bumper later so I can have a small spot to test instead of having a bumper floating around my garage.

An excerpt from IG@gbrettin:
Got one DSS axel in, not for a lack of effort. The supplied m10 x 1.5 bolts were too large. So, I grabbed the old axel and brought it to the hardware store to get the correct m10 x 1.25 bolts, they only had 3. Drove to the other hardware store on the other side of town to get the rest.

After that, an attempt to thread the new bolts in was made... and they don't fit. Previously I purchased O'Reilly's stub axels that went into the new differential. I found out that the thread pitch was in freedom units instead of metric...

Went back to the hardware store near me to get new 3/8-26 bolts and they only had 8, I needed 12. Nope, not running to the other side of town again �� that's a different day problem to get more bolts.
----

After the bolts were situated for the axel, I was able to get the IDS shock assembled and into the rear of the car. The alignment shop is likely going to hate me because I know the alignment is going to be whack. Upside... the bolts should be easy to work with because they're new.

To sum it all up for the rear (another clip from IG):
IDS drag shock installed that is 1000whp valved with all SPL spherical bushings and suspension components. 1400whp DSS axels paired with a Winters Quick Change that can handle 1500whp+. All the components have been paired to handle high whp in the name of safety. The cherry on top, it looks really bad ***.

gbrettin

Got the rear end together. It certainly needs a really good adjustment now. Happy to close this chapter. Calipers are coming back from powder coat tomorrow so I can immediately start re-building the calipers. After that I should be able to mount the rear wheels and get the car in the garage off jack stands!

ZontheRocks

More progress!

__________________
'16 Pearl White Sport | Stillen Gen. 3 | Motordyne ART | Motordyne Shockwave | ZSpeed | Powertrix | EVO-R | Aeroworkz | Nismo | Z1 | EcuTek | Tuned by Seb @ SpecialtyZ

gbrettin

Turbo housings, front, and rear calipers came back from powder coat. I did a fresh rebuild on the calipers and got them mounted. After that I was able to get the wheels on the car so I officially have a roller again! My car is actually looking like a car again AND I can roll it back into the garage.... after I clean the garage a bit more.

It's nice having the puzzle pieces fit back together again. These pictures are over the last week. It certainly didn't happen in one day.

This post is a little heavy on the pictures with the wheels on... BUT... It looks bad azz. The car really feels like it is something special again vs being a swamp creature.

Rusty

__________________

浪人 - 殺し屋
"The Difficult Anytime, The Impossible By Appointment Only"
http://www.the370z.com/members-370z-...o-journal.html

gbrettin

There was a recent Z meet at Madwai's place. In fact, most of the people that are still active on this form were likely there... lol Anyway... I was able to help my buddy Scott with a cross over pipe for his LS 370z turbo car. He was basically at the spot where he wanted to burn down his car because nothing goes as planned. Brother, I know this more than anyone. With that said, I was VERY happy to help. Although... I wish the AC was on in the garage. It was REALLY humid. Rusty was able to weld up the pipe after the pipe was fitted. There were some gaps, but nothing terrible. I've seen him weld way worse.

Progression is still moving forward on the carbon emblems. I used a file and sand paper to get excess carbon off. Then I was able to test the emblem on the rear bumper and I'm happy to say it fit with the correct curve. I then broke out the foil leaf and tried my hand at getting that laid into the "NISSAN" lettering. I've never worked with foil leaf but I can assure you getting the glue perfect is the key. I messed up one emblem and had to start over. Q-tips were used to put the glue in which made a mess. Incorrectly I assumed I could just rub off the foil/glue in the areas that had excess. Wrong. That just made a mess. I then changed to a tooth pick to dot glue in and that worked (poorly). Last attempt I used a stiff brush to paint the glue in. That worked perfectly, go figure using the correct tool for the job.

Last picture shows a skim coat of epoxy over the foil and blemishes. I just need to sand the part so it's leveled out and then use automotive clear. Automotive clear sounds easy right? Well.... I've never mixed up clear to shoot out of a spray gun, so this should be interesting when I get to that this weekend.

Update on the car... well.... I'm kind of in a holding pattern. I need the heads from the machine shop. Once I get that, I can assemble the long block and dump the engine/trans into the chassis. I'm not certain I can get that done over the next few months unfortunately. I have my last three classes due for my bachelor's degree and I'm going to focus on that mostly. My car will likely collect some dust with or with out the engine in the chassis until that is done.

As much as I want this project done this year... It's not worth sacrificing work, school, family (most important). Updates will be slow.

gbrettin

Trying to get one of the emblems out the door and it looks like it's in good shape now. The emblems were sanded out and then Nason 2 part clear was used with a Harbor Freight spray gun. The clear is close to 200 dollars, but I wasn't really happy with the 2 part spray cans because they were 35 bucks while offering very little UV protection. Using the spray gun is the long term solution because it appears I am going to need to do some parts for my car when the time comes. I'm planning on wrapping up the part today and tomorrow so that I can get the emblem out to the owner. I'm hoping he does a quick video blurb about what he thinks.

At this point, I'm really happy with the results so far. The carbon part is not perfect because it has very minor flaws. I don't necessarily like that... but I will not keep changing the mold to get a perfect replica either. I have technical fixes for most all the problem areas; with many being resolved during implementation. Other fixes would require a new casting of the mold to make things "easier". Seeking perfection is fantastic, and it hurts when it isn't, but that's not my ultimate goal with this project. That being said... I'm also not trying to make something so homegrown that it looks garbage on the car.

The goal is to work with carbon to learn techniques while making something useful for someone/something. That's it. I feel like I've accomplished that here. I'm also open airing out my learning and fails here because it's quite valuable to learn from the failures in a productive way.

Hopefully I can show the final product in a few days, but this is where I landed. Please feel free to ask any questions.

First four pictures are the first coat of clear. Second to the last is an overview of what the prep looked like. Last picture is the second coat of clear. I need to wet sand and test fit the emblem one last time and then cut out some two sided tape for the back side.



Rear Emblem close up, wet clear.


Front Emblem close up, wet clear.


First coat dried and shown... in the sun somewhat. Better view would be on my IG reel below. Including the picture if you don't want to go to IG


Link to my IG (worth the view IMO):
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9c4t...RlODBiNWFlZA==

Wet sanded and preparing for spray.


2nd coat of clear. I tried to get the glare of the sun on the emblem so you could see the clear on the part. I laid the clear thick, too thick if I were spraying a car panel. I wanted to have material to sand so I didn't sand through to the part.

gbrettin

An add on from the previous post... I bought some Harbor Freight car dollies and stuffed my car in the garage. She's going to live there for a bit, but it will be easy to move when needed. I'll get the long block assembled when ever I get time in-between classes. Cars are fun... but it's more important to not overload with non essential tasks. I'm quite happy with just having a clean roller TBH. I suspect the next stop will be Jay's Wiring in Michigan during the winter months. Jay is a master at professional car wiring. I simply don't feel like mounting that challenge on the build.

gbrettin

Another loose end tied up. The rear emblem was sanded and polished then fitted to the bumpers. They're a touch off of OEM but not bad at all.

Lessons learned from this project have been great. One of the biggest debates internally is the lettering on the emblem. It's a mixed bag. For me, the lettering is imperfectly awesome and looks amazing when you stand back a bit. MOST everyone is about 2-3' away from a car even when checking them out. Also, this is a hand crafted object on the FIRST iteration. It's not an excuse to be slopy on a project, but a realization that growth happens every time you sharpen a skill. That's the nature of how learning works, nerds.

While I was push mowing my lawn last night (Yeah, I do that) I was considering different methods of making the lettering crisp. Someone on Reddit suggested cutting vinyl. Someone else suggested painting. Both of those methods would still be difficult because of how the emblem is embossed. Where I landed, whilst mowing, was 3D scanning the mold and then printing lettering separate that would have the exact same surface contour of the lettering but slightly smaller. This would allow me to paint, foil, or vinyl lettering any way I want. This will be a great starter project after I pick up a scanner and printer in January. Ultimately, getting the scanner and printer was my next thing I wanted to do anyway. Now I have a use case.

Anyway... These emblems turned out great for the first set. Appreciate the people that have followed on IG and reached out to me and left comments. That's very encouraging when there's a wall of work for completion that must be knocked down.

I'd give them a 7/10 for a quality score. I'm picky. Just because I make something doesn't change standards.

gbrettin

Trying to figure out placement for my power steering pump and I believe the perfect spot is where my rear sump pan use to be. The pump will be in perfect proximity of the rack. I have a remote reservoir that I can mount somewhere on the passenger side
Heads came back from the machine shop. I'm part owner of a hydraulic press at Auto Dynamix so I'm going to crimp all the lines... everywhere. I'm going to weld the metal bracket to an L piece of metal and then bolt that to the k-member. Access should be simple with the car on a hoist.

Heads came back from the machine shop so I started assembly. It wasn't bad because I've been down the road a few times. However, it was brought to my attention that gasket isn't 7 layer MLS. The gasket went on WAY too easy and didn't seem right... well, that's why. No worries! I talked to Paul with BTR and he is overnighting me the correct 7 layer gasket. Minor setback but it's better to find the error with the engine already out vs before pushing coolant under 25lbs+ boost (which is quite normal for small displacement engine like mine).

Good news here: The cylinder heads are on the block so I don't have to worry about the cylinders being exposed under a plastic bag. It bothered me.

One cool thing that I found that Baker Engineering did for my block was they stamped the assembly date into the short block.

With all that said... I'm going to continue to work on my car in-between work and class. The level of effort will be pretty low and I'll be able to walk away from the project easily. Small progress chunks only.

gbrettin

BTR sent me version 2 shaft rocker arms because the tooling steel on the v1 tends to break where the circlip groves are. v2 does not have any machining on the shaft and uses washers. BTR also sent me the v2 rocker arms that has improved oil control. I have a good rep that I deal with there and he took care of me. Paul from BTR ALSO next day shipped LS9 small bore gaskets which have 7 layers of steel. 7 layer mls greatly helps with not pushing coolant (that and head studs). I'd likely be ok with the regular gasket... but there's no reason not to use the 7 layer now.

When putting the new shaft rockers on I was having a hard time getting the rocker arms to seat correctly. Turns out that the heads needed to be chased out where the bolts went in. Easy fix and all of the push rod lengths are dead nuts on. Infact, I had a touch more slop in last time.

Last thing I put on was the LOJ oil pan and Motion Raceworks valve covers. Man, that's a nice unit. The capacity is huge and it works perfectly in my build. LOJ put in oil traps so that oil starvation doesn't happen. Another nice thing is the oil dipstick being right up front on the passenger side. The Motion Raceworks valve covers get the chef's kiss. They are designed to prevent oil from reaching the catch can, which is obviously ideal. Check out the video if you get a moment.

Next steps will be getting the accessories on and possible mounting the PS pump. I'm trying to bite off smaller tasks in-between classes and work. Having the car in the garage helped out a TON.

Edit - I tried scrubbing the rest of the swamp scum off the block and it is embedded into the paint. I guess swamp particle will enjoy the ride on my refreshed block.

gbrettin

Found a little time to get more of the engine together over the weekend and worked on low hanging fruit. The motion raceworks billet valve covers came with IGN1-A coil mounts. My AMP EFI coil packs have heat sinks which interfered with the bracket. I had to grind off a bit of material to make them work. I guess why I'm showing this is because even though you purchase a solution it could still require modification. This has been my experience for nearly everything. I'm not upset about it at all, just pointing out the reality. Clearance was easily made with a finger sander (awesome tool! highly recommended)

The water pump was polished with a small Chinese orange drill pad and m105 because there were swamp water spots that didn't exactly wipe off. The block also has embedded block that doesn't want to scrub off either. The swamp is part of the character of the build on the block as far as I'm concerned. It is what it is.

Starter and engine mounts were also put on. I'm thanking my past self because I bagged all the bolts with labels, which made my life easy. Even the engine mounts were labeled with direction (because if you remember I put those on backwards before and attempted to drop the engine in the car (which didn't work).

The scavenger had interference issues with the oil pan and dipstick. The bandsaw came in handy for this one because I was able to trim the heat sink for the oil pump. Bottom mounting tabs were cut off and I had to notch where the dipstick interfered. After the scavenger was finished mounted you can easily see that the pump lined up absolutely perfect for the timing cover turbo drain. That was a concern of mine. Previously the drain went into the pain. The timing cover drain is a WAY better solution for my need and is clean.

Valley pan, lower plenum, and upper plenum were put on to ensure nothing goes down the cylinders. I'd rather not take the heads off again. I've got to say... it looks WAY better than the twin intake. I'm very happy with all the components and changes that have been made along the way. Functionally nailing down all the stuff I didn't like previously. Aesthetically it is looking really pleasing to look at.

OH, last thought. The first picture you will see proper plenum studs! The old heads got donated to the shop because the old heads were slightly off on those holes due to them getting stripped out a long while back. Putting the lower plenum on was SO MUCH EASIER THAN THE Holley plenum.

I feel much better about the engine getting stored over winter if I can't get back to the engine build due to college commitments.