Build thread of a novice.

[Rob Gaskin]

'For my alternator, there is a plug that in the above photo, you can see there is a green wire and a red wire. The green links to the yellow for excitation and the red I've through-crimped and wired in to the battery.

This particular connection is the sense wire that senses the voltage at the battery. I'm concerned that the seller of the alternator (Zcardepot) instructed to attach this red wire to the insulated generating post of the alternator. Which would pick up a higher voltage, fooling the internal voltage regulator in to thinking the battery is charged and therefore, not charging the battery.

(I will point out that there is an argument as to the resistance of the cable used would negate the above mentioned scenario)'
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I think that connection will be fine - I did that on my blue 240 when I modified most of the wiring. It has not given a problem and has done a rally since.

The alternator sense wire normally connects to the main battery lead at the starter solenoid. Ideally it should be at the battery but in practical terms the volt-drop in the cable to the starter would be negligible so that is a practical place to connect it and sense the battery voltage. On a standard car the battery power is fed from there into the cabin to the fusebox etc and then back out to the alternator. There may be a noticeable volt-drop in that run hence the starter sense location otherwise the alternator would overcharge.

On your car with your new second charge cable going direct from alternator to starter solenoid the volt-drop (from the battery) sensed by the alternator over the heavy cable will be minimal. I had a similar configuration.

Think of the sense voltage as the voltage at the alternator when the motor is not running. If you think of it as the voltage when the motor is running (and therefore charging) the standard 'set-up' wouldn't work either because at the battery (starter solenoid connection) it would be about 14v.

 

[MCBladeRun]

'For my alternator, there is a plug that in the above photo, you can see there is a green wire and a red wire. The green links to the yellow for excitation and the red I've through-crimped and wired in to the battery.

This particular connection is the sense wire that senses the voltage at the battery. I'm concerned that the seller of the alternator (Zcardepot) instructed to attach this red wire to the insulated generating post of the alternator. Which would pick up a higher voltage, fooling the internal voltage regulator in to thinking the battery is charged and therefore, not charging the battery.

(I will point out that there is an argument as to the resistance of the cable used would negate the above mentioned scenario)'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think that connection will be fine - I did that on my blue 240 when I modified most of the wiring. It has not given a problem and has done a rally since.

The alternator sense wire normally connects to the main battery lead at the starter solenoid. Ideally it should be at the battery but in practical terms the volt-drop in the cable to the starter would be negligible so that is a practical place to connect it and sense the battery voltage. On a standard car the battery power is fed from there into the cabin to the fusebox etc and then back out to the alternator. There may be a noticeable volt-drop in that run hence the starter sense location otherwise the alternator would overcharge.

On your car with your new second charge cable going direct from alternator to starter solenoid the volt-drop (from the battery) sensed by the alternator over the heavy cable will be minimal. I had a similar configuration.

Think of the sense voltage as the voltage at the alternator when the motor is not running. If you think of it as the voltage when the motor is running (and therefore charging) the standard 'set-up' wouldn't work either because at the battery (starter solenoid connection) it would be about 14v.

Ahh I knew there was something to it. I suppose the bigger the cable and the less resistance, the sense cable wouldn't be a problem directly connected to the alternator output?

What did slightly concern me was the alternator took some time to actually start charging. I may have had a full battery to start with - it only started to charge when I put a significant drain on the system (headlights and dash fan) that's when we saw 14v.

But if I carry on monitoring it, I'm sure it'll be fine.

Thanks for reading my post Rob

 

[Rob Gaskin]

Ahh I knew there was something to it. I suppose the bigger the cable and the less resistance, the sense cable wouldn't be a problem directly connected to the alternator output?

What did slightly concern me was the alternator took some time to actually start charging. I may have had a full battery to start with - it only started to charge when I put a significant drain on the system (headlights and dash fan) that's when we saw 14v.

But if I carry on monitoring it, I'm sure it'll be fine.

Thanks for reading my post Rob

By the way it's the old white/black (at the alternator) that is the ignition switched wire - the exciter wire. That's the one that can feed-back to the ignition circuits and keep the car running even when switched off. You said it was the yellow that was the exciter, but as you know that is the sense (voltage monitor) wire.

 

[MCBladeRun]

By the way it's the old white/black (at the alternator) that is the ignition switched wire - the exciter wire. That's the one that can feed-back to the ignition circuits and keep the car running even when switched off. You said it was the yellow that was the exciter, but as you know that is the sense (voltage monitor) wire.

Ah, I had 12volts with engine on and assumed it was the switched 12v. Could be they both are since I put that plug-in adapter on first.

Also bonus pic i forgot to put up, think I read on the forums and Albrecht pointed out it means 'ditto' from a post I saw before, it was under the steering column bracket on the underside of the dash

 

[MCBladeRun]

My first YouTube video. The quality sucks as they've compressed it down, but you get the gist of it.

 

[MCBladeRun]

Just took it out for a test drive and the power steering is amazing! I whipped it round a sharp corner which normally I'd need 2 hands to wrestle the steering wheel with and take it slowly otherwise it'll under steer into the curb. Chucked it into the bend and it loved it.

Even on a roundabout at low speeds you can feel the ease of turning the steering wheel. Game changer.

 

[Bazzateer]

Great stuff. I like the way you groan as you get in and out of the car!

 

[MCBladeRun]

Great stuff. I like the way you groan as you get in and out of the car!

Oh god I struggle. That car is low, I've got to take up Pilates or something!

 

[Bazzateer]

Oh god I struggle. That car is low, I've got to take up Pilates or something!

I do the same, just getting out of bed!

 

[MCBladeRun]

Wow another year gone with the car and I've barely scratched the surface with what I want to do with it.

Since I installed the power steering, I've had the car up on axel stands as I try to redo the suspension.



10th October '21 when I started that task and today I can't believe how long it has taken. Still not finished either. Not that It's too much, just personal life gets in the way really.

Started my extension to the house this year so, that has taken priority and I do what I can on the car when I can. As of writing, the front end is back on. The rear end has been a bit more of a challenge.

I will post about my difficulties about that when I sort it out. For the time being I need to update my build thread.



So these are all my suspension and brake parts removed from the car. I had some of the parts pulled apart by a garage as, I don't have the equipment to remove bushes etc.

Also:



Which is why I fear this thing/Eldrich horror:

 

[MCBladeRun]

Some pictures of restored parts.
There's a lot of zinc and a fair bit of powder coating going on.
The steering rack was restored by a local firm in Bristol (western power steering)

The nuts and bolts were easier to bag up as I took them off the car, I gave them a quick clean and then I catalogued them by length, width, length of thread, length/ width of grip, and any other identifiers (such as a stylised number 7).

When I was ready, I put them all in a washing bowl as, I'd seen on other member's posts threads, zinc plating you want to throw the lot in as a job lot and not get bogged down by the organisation. I took all these parts to Griff's reality motor works in Bristol. You can see the results below.

 

[MCBladeRun]

Here's pictures of the front end with installed parts.

I had an issue where I thought I got the steering knuckles on the wrong sides at one point.

It all needs torquing up before the wheels go on.

I couldn't of done the front end without Huw's knowledge and equipment:


Ive just got to bleed the brakes on the front before fitting the wheels, which requires the rear end to be more complete.

 

[MCBladeRun]

Here's a before and after picture of my steering rack, it's quite the transformation. Thought I'd highlight it as, it's my favourite restored piece.

 

[MCBladeRun]

Some bits of the rear end and some restored components.

One of the mishaps I had was with the technoversions front diff solid mount. No matter how I tried, I couldn't get all 4x bolts into the sides around the diff. So I reverted back to the strap. I'm assuming the mount is twisted or.. I hope my mounts aren't twisted.. the PO did blow up a diff in this car.

Last couple of days I've put these bits on and I'm getting a lot more enthusiasm for it. I guess it's the excitement of receiving more parts in the post of late. Plus watching George's (Robotsan) thread on his journey.

 

[Robotsan]

Some bits of the rear end and some restored components.

One of the mishaps I had was with the technoversions front diff solid mount. No matter how I tried, I couldn't get all 4x bolts into the sides around the diff. So I reverted back to the strap. I'm assuming the mount is twisted or.. I hope my mounts aren't twisted.. the PO did blow up a diff in this car.

Last couple of days I've put these bits on and I'm getting a lot more enthusiasm for it. I guess it's the excitement of receiving more parts in the post of late. Plus watching George's (Robotsan) thread on his journey.

Looks amazing Martin. Glad to be of some sort of use! I think I probably have 'new owner enthusiasm' - expect my postings to dry up at some point

Love the look of all the powder coated parts. Makes me pretty sure I'll do that to mine. Was thinking of zinc plating all the hardware myself with a home DIY kit. But not sure I can arsed!

 

[MCBladeRun]

Looks amazing Martin. Glad to be of some sort of use! I think I probably have 'new owner enthusiasm' - expect my postings to dry up at some point

Love the look of all the powder coated parts. Makes me pretty sure I'll do that to mine. Was thinking of zinc plating all the hardware myself with a home DIY kit. But not sure I can arsed!

I also thought of a DIY kit which, now my garage is well on the way to being built, I suppose I shall invest in one for doing bits and bobs on the car as they come along.

Also as I've turned the subject towards it; here is the aforementioned garage.

It's 6m long, 2.5m wide at the narrow end and 3m wide at the back end. It also vaults upward, so I'm hoping for lots of storage opportunity.
I'll be able to walk into my utility to wash my hands and straight into the kitchen area. I've also got an electric velux window I can open to get rid of some exhaust gases should I need to.

 

[SacCyclone]

You are really doing a fantastic job on this old girl......taking your time and getting things correct the first time is a big deal.

Looking forward to your continued progress and giving others inspiration along the way....way to go!!!!!

Mike

 

[Zedman]

Loved reading this! Any updates since the above @MCBladeRun ?

 

[MCBladeRun]

Oh, just a minor crash and I'm just sorting that out. Hoping to get new light buckets and a front spoiler in the process and straighten out the bonnet (it never closes properly and rubs everything).

Huh, I just read a few posts back and I can see I've last posted about the technoversions front diff mount?

Well, as mentioned I'd reverted back to the strap, I got all the suspension on to the car and found that I'd got the parts round the wrong way on the car (that's what I get for relying on mechanic - I don't own a press you see):



I then took apart my struts to swap the springs around and then also found the same mechanic had put the 1inch puck under the rear top hats in the wrong place (they were doing nothing slid over the damper):


The front end is a little high in the image as, it needed 2x persons sat in the front to get the weight correct for final torque. In fact - I think I still need to loosen the front stabiliser bar (or sway bar as it's commonly referred to) now that the suspension is ran in a bit.

I also put MSA's upgraded compression rods in with rubber and not poly bushes as I'd read somewhere that it tends to snap because it's too stiff?

I'm kicking myself as I didn't store my alloy wheels properly when the car was going through this, they look like I've curbed them and will need some TLC.

Got issues with my brakes where the fluid from the front reservoir is leaking somewhere but, @Farmer42 pointed out it could be between the vacuum pump and master cylinder. So I've bought a new MC but have yet to fit it (I've not searched for the leak though but, mysteriously I found no evidence where it could be).

Had to get a new hand brake cable from eBay as, T3 let me down - I've got an earlier '72 Z and as you'll find out, Datsun were rolling upgrades constantly on these cars. Mine lands on just before they changed the size of where the handbrake cable mounts at the ends, on the rear strut assembly:



I drove it to Donnington last year and that was a massive highlight for me, I wanted to make the year before but, bit off more than I could chew with the suspension renewal. Here's some pics whilst out with the 'Southwest Datsun Drivers' local group:


The car could use new tires and I think I'll change the oils in the engine, gearbox and diff for peace of mind next.

Still got stainless steel exhaust system to replace my current standard exhaust, got stainless bumpers to go on as well.

I lost a lot of confidence last year as, even though I was determined to get the car out as much as I could, I had a family pet die of cancer and I didn't really want to do a lot. I let the rest of my life tick over like I was on autopilot.

I think I'll do the odd event this year, the main focus will be the extension to the house:

 

[MCBladeRun]

Reached my maximum of 10 images there lol

It's coming along now, I'm hoping to get the roof finalised and get the scaffold gone and then I can focus on the internals.