My Lil' Red Wagon belched it's first breath of fire this morning, a small step in the long run but a big deal today. I dry cranked it first with the sparkplugs out to make sure I had oil pressure, then tried to start it up. After figuring out I had the dizzy leads reversed (doh!), it fired right up on the next crank. It settled into a nice high idle, so I checked the timing and … [Read more...] about THE DRAGON WAGON LIVES!
THE REAR FLARES GO ON
I was originally going to rivet the rear flares on after painting the wagon so I could keep the rivets unpainted, but I decided to put them on now so I could check the fit beforehand. These are 14x7 Panasports with standared zero offset, 225/50/14 Hankook Z214's, and .40" spacers, using a Datsun 510 2 door IRS under the wagon. The rear clearance looks real good, but the front … [Read more...] about THE REAR FLARES GO ON
GETTING CLOSER…
I'm banging away at 'The List'. It's getting shorter and the goon is getting closer to hitting the track. But whenever you think you're going forward, there is a step backwards. Today I found out my new Water Temp gauge sending unit doesn't fit the Wagon's thermostat housing. Looks like some careful milling and a little JB Weld should do the trick. I've got the FireCharger … [Read more...] about GETTING CLOSER…
IT HAS A HEARTBEAT
The electrical system was given a satisfactory initial test today. After a careful rechecking of the entire wiring harness, I flipped the battery master to 'On' for the first time (with a fire extinguisher standing by just in case) and was pleased to see the voltmeter register a steady twelve volts. I then flipped on the ignition switch and went about testing the circuitry with … [Read more...] about IT HAS A HEARTBEAT
TICK TOCK…
"Tick tock goes the clock, and time waits for no one." Who ever said that must have missed a few deadlines as well... I've got a new self-induced timeline for completing The Race Wagon: our first test day is on August 20, and the first race weekend Sept. 11, 12. I've been working on finishing up some of the subsystems - battery master switch (on the driver's A-pillar, thanks … [Read more...] about TICK TOCK…
DATSUN DIFFERENTIALS
Datsun used several different sized differentials in their independent-rear-suspensioned sports cars. The 510 sedans used the R160, the early Z's used the R180, and the later Z's used the R200. There are also several other variations out there (R190, R230, LSDs, Ks, clip-ins, bolt-ins, etc). The diff name refers to the size of the ring gear in millimeters, ie the R160 has a … [Read more...] about DATSUN DIFFERENTIALS