From Smoker to Sssssmokin’!

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
I would never dream of putting a car part in a dishwasher, it just seems wrong - it's like having a tumble drier in the garage!

Lets keep our car hobby and domestic stuff separate.
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Need your help guys.

Would love to remove the bolts from the balancer tube on my intake manifold and plate them, BUT ... they look pretty well rusted in with galvanic reactions etc and I worry about them turning to chocolate if I apply any torque.

Has anyone done this and any advice? Leave alone or some special trickery!?

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AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
I would think heat and a 6 point socket will get that out.

Perfect, thank you. Just ordered some deep impact sockets and will gingerly try. Not sure I'm brave enough to hit it with my impact gun.

Pretty sure it's Micky mouse tools to the pros out there but this was one of the best £70s I've ever spent on a cheap and VERY effective tool. Made minced meat of flywheel bolts or anything else I've thrown at it - also makes taking wheels off a more pit stop like affair! Would throughly recommend it ....

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-cew1000-electric-impact-wrench/

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johnymd

Club Member
That's the one I have. Absolutely superb piece of kit. Used mainly for crank pulley and damper top nut removal and its perfect for the job. Never have to worry and flat batteries as with the cordless ones.
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
That's the one I have. Absolutely superb piece of kit. Used mainly for crank pulley and damper top nut removal and its perfect for the job. Never have to worry and flat batteries as with the cordless ones.

Guys, when it says it's an impact wrench I assume that means impact in a spinning action not a hammer type action? It looks a good bit of kit.

I also assume it can be used with normal 1/2 " drive sockets - or would it damage them?

Also how do you control the amount it tightens wheel nuts?
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
It does indeed deliver a spinning impact and not hammer action.

I have used it with normal half inch sockets but the bi-Hex ones make a bit of a mess of the edges of nuts so won't recommend it.

You can't control the torque so I only ever undo wheel nuts with it and just "flash" the button if ever used for doing up but finish off by hand.

I was very seriously considering the VonHaus one based on the reviews on various car forums / amazon etc and the fact that you can vary the torque; but on balance went for the one I got because a professional mechanic also used it and people claimed it had more "real-world" torque. Which is really what I wanted for undoing very stubborn nuts.

Here is the VonHaus ...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VonHaus-Electric-Impact-Wrench-Driver/dp/B06XKLYQZW

As Johnny says, having used father in law's battery one, the corded ones I prefer for the reasons mentioned.
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
So gang, quite a successful and busy afternoon on the Z owning to glorious weather and a kind wife!

Spent an hour or so across the road at neighbour Mike's 4 car garage - with EVERY tool you need (he used to run a rally team and race seriously). His 3 phase lathe fashioned my 62mm GM 12si pulley to have the perfect offset for the Z alt.

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Question is, do I zinc plate just the pulley or the fan as well!?

With a 950 idle I should now get 1100rpm at alternator. The guy who uprated it said it should be good for 40 amps at that rpm.

Next up was the paint to finish off but sadly I spotted rust I had previously missed. So the top of the rad panel went back to bare metal.

Datsun owners' essential kit ...

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I managed another final coat of paint all round before the lacquer.

While it is 3000 times better than how it started, sadly the finish is more orange peely than I had hoped for but i did expect it TBH. So a session with some Farelca G3, G6 and a random action buffer to follow.

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Strangely, there has been some sand or something being carried in the air. Here is a bit I had sprayed earlier - thank goodness it dried before this all settled! [emoji33]

End of day photo ....

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For fun and curiosity, I sprayed my rather dull looking manifold with Pasticote "chrome" paint - which has worked great and stood the test of time / under bonnet heat on other stuff but it certainly is not a chrome finish.

Quite pleased with how the manifold came out. Still looks like rough Alu but much crisper ...

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It should go nicely with my ceramic coated exhaust, manifold and heat shield ...

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And yes that car is a tip and used for going to the tip mainly ;)

As a matter of interest, I bought a set of Sealy impact sockets for c.£60 which I'm super pleased with. The PCV valve came off so easily with the impact wrench!

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Got brave and with a head torch got under the car to replace the diff mount. Only to find the existing one is still whole and it's an absolute nightmare to undo it while under the car. So I will put it off to another day / year when I drop in the LSD at the same time.

Question wise ones - what the heck is this inordinately heavy chunk of metal for, just under the diff mount? It must weight at least 3kg and as far as I can see t serves no purpose!!!

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Let's see if I can make good progress tomorrow too, but I suspect family duties will get in the way.
 
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Jimbo

1978 260z in yellow
Club Member
no idea but mine has the same hunk of metal.
little tip with rusted in/difficult, delicate bolts it to nip them up a wee bit before trying to undo them especially in aluminium.
no idea why this works bit it does.
spraying on some plus gas is also advised and leave to soak before trying to undo the bolts.
 

Mr.F

Inactive
Lump of metal is differential damper - reduces vibration in drive train allegedly - often missing with no obvious ill effects reported...
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Lump of metal is differential damper - reduces vibration in drive train allegedly - often missing with no obvious ill effects reported...

Thank you Mr F would make sense given how heavy it is - but as you say who knows how effective it is ;)

Really glad to see you back on the forum!
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Rescued this bad boy from the old head and cleaned her up, I can't find any for sale - does anyone know of any place that still sells them new?

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Woody928

Events Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Glad to see your making progress and cracking on with, nice to see some freshly ceramic coated items and shiny new tools to play with.

On the note of the damper, despite that fact people may say they notice no difference without it I'd definitely put it back. Nissan wouldn't have spent the amount of time and money doing the R&D for a component that didn't have a purpose. If they didn't think it was necessary then it wouldn't be there! ;)

After my cocky comments last week I may need some of those wire wheels lol :willynilly:
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Thanks dude. Yes, it went back straight after being removed for that reason alone - I.e. No idea what it does but they wouldn't go to the cost as effort if it was just dead weight ;)

The worst thing you can ever do is to look for rust on a Datsun - you will have nightmares, in bed, on the tube, at work, on the loo ....
 

toopy

Club Member
Thanks dude. Yes, it went back straight after being removed for that reason alone - I.e. No idea what it does but they wouldn't go to the cost as effort if it was just dead weight ;)

The worst thing you can ever do is to look for rust on a Datsun - you will have nightmares, in bed, on the tube, at work, on the loo ....

Rust?....oh the joy.... these guys with rust free imports havent lived! :eek::p

 

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AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Got balance tube bits off with impact wrench no problems at all! Found the balance tube was leaking at one side which explains the random whistling I could hear when warm.

Going to plater tomorrow, very nervous about bits going missing so got a little geeky!
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