Well, I got out this weekend and worked on my car (I haven't been giving it much attention except driving it).






You might remember I bought it last August and drove it 750 miles home. But other than tightening up the steering gearbox, removing the engine from the trunk, adjusting timing & carb (instructions), and converting to electronic distributor, I hadn't even changed the oil! Here's what I did this weekend:

Changed the oil. When I went to put the new filter on it, I discovered it was the wrong one. So I just put the old one back on, rationalizing that new oil is more important than a new filter. I used 10W-40 (2 qts Mobil + 1 quart Chevron -- got to use up what's already here).

Adjusted the timing. After swapping distributors, it was pinging slightly, but worse, the starter would barely turn it over. I used the marks on the distributor (photo) to retard it two degrees. It is no longer pinging, and it starts right up without taxing the starter. Starts right up now -- it seems like -- after cranking only half an engine revolution.

Checked spark wires & #4 plug because of the cold-running problem discussed previously. #4 wire ends were oxidized, as if it had been missing. My ohmmeter seems to be broken, so I didn't get very far. The plug looked good, a nice tan color on the inside. I wiped the exterior porcelain clean, but it didn't seem to make any difference. It runs 'good enough', so I'm not too concerned right now. I could spend $30 on new wires, but I'd rather find the problem first before buying parts. The wires look pretty good other than the oxidization.

Wired up the tachometer that's been in the car several months ... this is my 1st-gen Celica tachometer, which bolts right into the regular tacho spot.

Cleaned out the trunk. Now I can go around corners without worrying about things sliding around back there. It had a two boxes of stuff in there from when I bought it (tires chains, spare manifold and carb, flywheel, oil, fluids ,etc). I threw out 1/2 garbage can of oil-soaked newspapers and stuff from the trunk. The oil came from the spare engine (which I removed from the trunk a couple of months of ago). Ya, poor way to treat a fine automobile!

Checked the demister hoses (windshield heater vents). There was a half-dollar in the right side, which explains why that side did not defrost so well ... The good thing is that this 1200 already had the vent tubes replaced with real plastic ones, probably from a B210. The original fibre/paper Datsun 1200 ones tend to fall off occasionally.

I celebrated by driving downtown Seattle and going to the Japanese bookstore. They had the magazine J's Tipo #133 and #132, but I missed #127 (Sep 2003) which had a feature on the Datsun 1200 (I am bummed ...). They also had the current Nostalgic Hero for sale, in which I counted more than a dozen Datsun 1200s in the back in 'for sale' ads (GX-5, sunny trucks, etc). It looks like a very cool magazine. The feature this month is the first GTR. It's all in Japanese, but has lots of pictures.

The only Japanese car mag I've seen is Nostalgic Hero, and I agree it's very cool! That J's Tipo looks like very similar thing. I wish I could actually get hold of some of thes magazines...

Hmmm... can't imagine how you'd go about acquiring 'em??...

hey they got one nostalgic mag for C110

Oh yeah......PM coming your way. Thanks

Time for more work ... Here's what I did:

Put new shocks on They are Monroe-matic gas shocks (B110, B210, Mazda, etc). I don't like them, they are very stiff. Probably would be good for a race car, but I prefer softer ride for the street.

Picture of the Celica tachometer in the 1200 dash:


1st-gen Celica tachometer

Put wheel nuts on correct way. This solved three problems: engine surging and car bouncing at slow speeds, and driveline vibration at high speeds. details

Replaced leaking rear wheel cylinder. Although the brakes stop very well, I noticed when changing the shocks that the left rear cylinder had 'seepage' and a gooey dark mess was covering the brakes. Fixing this has fixed the "clutch grabbing" problem. It wasn't a clutch problem after all ... now the clutch is very smooth and very easy. I reckon fuel economy will improve now that the left rear brakes aren't "sticky".

Solved the "fuel fumes" problem. Ever since I got it, there has been a gasoline smell inside the car, when driving it or not. Odd, since I couldn't find any leaks. Well anyways a friend noticed a tiny 'seeping' spot of fuel on the fuel-feed line just under the gas tank. I touched it and whew! it was pungent (not like the old hi-test with its sweet smell). Right above this the fuel feed and return lines go into the boot, and the rubber gasket was broken. So the fumes went straight up into the car. I got a new 1/4" fuel line, cut the bad spot and patched it in. Then I used 35-year silicone caulk to seal up the hole into the body. For good measure I looked under the hood and saw a similar problem under the fuel filter. The way the lines were bent (too long) put stress on the hose there, cause small cracks in the hose. I rebent the lines and replaced the rubber section. Cost: $2.

Fuel smell gone!

To celebrate, I went down and got the June Nostalgic Hero. It's got a nice feature on the PB110 Excellent TS racer with slicks and LZ engine. Also features the Nissan engine museum (includes an A15 on display) and a big article on Prince Motors.



Nostalgic Hero Jun 2004

Feels great when some time & effort rewards you with comfort & peace of mind.
Good for you !
The Tacho looks almost factory fitted , nice job.

i like heartening stories like that they make you feel good. i love doing the little things on my datsun because i know it runs better or is better for it and you get all warm and fuzzy inside cos it's something you love.


okay go ahead and throw all your slander at me for being soft

nice tacho DD i wish B210's came with round instruments stupid square ones

Team Dat wrote:
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OK ! You big fairy

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I'd love to call you a big wimpy girly "so and so"... except I know exactly what you mean.

It's a strange feeling, it's a bit like doing something nice for a complete stranger, but it's also like sitting back with a beer after mowing the lawn.

It might be the same as a good Sunday morning at church, but I just don't belong in church.. I guess a Datsun is one of god's creatures.

hehehe,
Chris