A 50 year old Japanesse lady: SRL311 01228

[2mAn]

Well, lets call it about 3 hours of work to go from here:

Headed in the right direction by 2mAn

to this:

Headed in the right direction by 2mAn

and this garbage is out... the header itself didnt look too bad once you got the all of the tin can crap, wires and hose clamps off

Headed in the right direction by 2mAn

part of that time was spent trying to modify a 10mm wrench to remove the stacks. I should probably buy my own and get these back to Will :oops:

Headed in the right direction by 2mAn

the studs dont look too bad, so I might just clean them up, but I wont have time to do anything until Friday.

Thoughts?

[jeenyus]

McMaster.com should be your friend in the future.

I say replace the studs while you have everything out, but that's just my opinion. I like replacing hardware and making it nice and new.

[MR E30 325is]

Great work Simon!

[2mAn]

McMaster.com should be your friend in the future.

I say replace the studs while you have everything out, but that's just my opinion. I like replacing hardware and making it nice and new.

Once I went back to clean up the threads, they were pretty nasty looking so thats what I have decided to do.

Great work Simon!

Thank you Sir :) Theres a VARA event next weekend that I want to drive the car too, so Im scrambling to try and get the header done and the exhaust welded up before next week is over. If I dont hit any major hiccups I should be good

So last night I ended up taking the studs out and I chased the threads so it’s nice and clean for the new studs. Well, all the studs except one. I started on the front end, and that one fought me, so I moved on not wanting to break it. I used some more force on the studs as I moved along and then I decided I would give that one another try. However, it still didnt budge so I left it and used the die on it to clean up the threads. Im ready for new studs and reinstallation can begin

Halfway there by 2mAn

I am about to head out and spend some time getting these new studs in.. :)

[2mAn]

I bought some blue locktite and pretty much every stud went in easy. I had to run errands but then later came home and couldnt resist getting the header in. man... so sexy! its also much larger than the old one. I had to take the starter out to get it in. Also bolted up a few of the easy nuts and looked at the headache ahead of me, but I will go at it just like the removal. One step at a time and working patiently.

Final phase by 2mAn

Also made another run to the hardware store to get the nuts and bolts for the 3bolt flange that will go on soon.

[jeenyus]

Looks so good!

Have you checked out www.mcmaster.com yet? It's seriously the best.

Can't wait to see where the future takes this cool little roadster.

[2mAn]

Looks so good!

Have you checked out www.mcmaster.com yet? It's seriously the best.

Can't wait to see where the future takes this cool little roadster.

haha I havent checked them out. Im sure its better in some way, but I like to support these small businesses. It feels like the proper way to be building up this car...

anyways, I had a little time today and the goal was to finish getting the manifolds on and well... 4/4 for the intake are on (easy), and 3/4 of the lower shared nuts/ yokes (aka the fat washers) are on.I also found the 4th yoke, and it was a round one. I was a little worried about the thickness of the flange, but it looks to be done on purpose as its nearly a perfect match for the intake manifold as well. I also spent a few minutes cleaning up the intake itself. Mostly the part that matters on the flange, but cleaned up what I could. Its better... anyways heres a few pics to entertain you with:

a shot of whats going on down there ( What were the Japanese thinking?!)
Finishing up by 2mAn

I started by adding a small washer and a lock washer, but I didnt like this and took these off...
Finishing up by 2mAn

I tightened it down and with just the yoke, lock washer and nut, but I didnt like how it rotated itself, so back off again...
Finishing up by 2mAn

I like this. stud, no washer, big yoke, then a lock washer and finally the nut. rotated so the fatter part was straight down.
Finishing up by 2mAn

heres the shorter old stud that I couldnt get off. I tightened this as best as I could, we'll see if its good enough!...
Finishing up by 2mAn

getting close!
Finishing up by 2mAn

I stopped here because my light died and I actually had some other work to do, so hopefully tomorrow I can get that final one completed, and starter tightened on. Then it will just be the carbs and getting the exhaust welded up. Its quite a big taper from the header to the piping behind it. I'll probably see what the exhaust shop has available and have them move the transition much further back where it goes from ~2" to whatever is on there now.

[jeenyus]

I love how that stainless looks on the valve cover. Good work! I probably would have ended up trying to get that stud out like an orangutang and broke it I'm sure. Much more wise to just leave it.

Also I completely understand the local hardware store vs online purchase.

[LateFan]

So that's not a cross-flow head huh? What era were those engines from originally? It looks surprisingly like the Volvo B18 / B20 red block, except I think on those the intake and exhaust are on the right / passenger side of the engine, with a big brake booster on the left.

[BlackbirdM3]

So that's not a cross-flow head huh? What era were those engines from originally? It looks surprisingly like the Volvo B18 / B20 red block, except I think on those the intake and exhaust are on the right / passenger side of the engine, with a big brake booster on the left.

Nope not a cross flow, but a very good design in its own right. They were made from the last half of '67 through 1970. They are similar to a Mercedes 4 cyl head, but better in many ways. Its kinda sad that the U20 was the only variation of engine to use the head. Its better in nearly every way than the L series one. The ports flow better, they are in a better location, valves are bigger, everything is better about it. The L20B, 2 liter engine made about 110 hp, the U20 with SUs and A cam (there were 2 factory cams, a .44 lift 258 degree "A" cam, and the .46 lift 280 degree "B" cam) made 135hp with SUs and 150 hp with 44mm Mikunis (what Simon has) and the B cam.

The Volvo B series engines are pushrod engines, the U20 is a SOHC.

Will

[LateFan]

The Volvo B series engines are pushrod engines, the U20 is a SOHC.

Oh, I didn't realize that's the cam wheel hump I see there. Totally different design. Thanks -

[BlackbirdM3]

Here are some pics of the head I just removed (broken valve spring.)





Will

[2mAn]

damn Will, those are some big ass ports! ...

[BlackbirdM3]

damn Will, those are some big ass ports! ...

The crazy thing is, that is just about the same as a stock head. I port matched my stock head to a gasket the same way, I just didn't clean up the port much further in. There is a reason this head flows 212 cfm on the intake and 174 cfm on the exhaust side

Will

[2mAn]

Finally got back in the garage today and my goal was simple, get about 4 nuts on, because those ones were the bitch. About 15 minutes later, it was all downhill!...

Final stretch by 2mAn

Then another half an hour to get the two on the heatshield on. First one took a few minutes, the other took several tries and some clever tricks to get it on. After that, carbs basically went back on, but I dropped the final nut and it didnt make it to the ground, so I called it a day there... Im close!

Final stretch by 2mAn

Im also quite proud of this moment right here. I originally ordered the velocity stacks from this place called Techno Toy Tuning up in Shingle Springs, NorCal, but they were the longer 75mm version and they simply wouldnt fit under the air filter, so I had to borrow Wills velocity stacks. Since that day that I returned those stacks back, I had been in communication with them to make a set of the shorter 50mm ones. Theres a Datsun vendor who sells 50mm ones already but hes a jackass and charges quite a bit of money because he can, well... not any more. Techno Toy Tuning made me a set of 50mm stacks with the full radius and I will spread the word so the other guy has to get off his high horse. Check out the comparison.

Final stretch by 2mAn

Final stretch by 2mAn

I will likely also buy a set of 75mm ones from them again to have a "race" setup that I can run when Im open filter at the track. Should gain some torque back and get an even more killer sound