New World Datsuns...

Keep forgetting that.

I'm using the 1" RCA's from California Datsun , they work great so far.

Anyone know the deal with these? They aren't the flat style with a little tab holding it in. Not sure how to pull the wires from the connector without breaking it...

10 seconds later I figured it out.


There is a small tab that holds it in place, you just can't see it. Just push something skinny in the 'tab slot' and pull the wire from the other side. It'll slide right out!

Yep done a bunch of that. Ordered a bunch more connectors too to run new wire.

All the wires that connect to the voltage regulator aren't usable from all the corrosion IMO. Also explains the hot wires in the engine bay...

Could you just submerge the connector in vinegar like what guys do for the fuse box?

Funny you mentioned that




Takes care of the surface corrosion, but the wires that are corroded all the way under the plastic are doomed.

Back to the sway bar... I think I will go with the bar from DAPsupply. It is 1" in diameter compared to the 1 1/8" bar from Futo. I figure this will keep the car from being too stiff as it won't be a track car, not a dedicated one anyway... It does cost a bit more, but only about $20 more when shipping is all said and done... Also, he has the bars in stock and I'm an impatient mofo.

So a 1" bar in the front, and a .75" in the rear. Should make for a smooth around town driver, yeah?
I guess the only other factor is the 200# springs all around, I thought they were a little too stiff with the L motor, but hopefully the added weight of the KA motor+trans will even things out.

Sooo much more would be done right now if all my packages hadn't been stuck in Portland for the last week.

Portland is a mess. I was in downtown Vancouver yesterday, it is a skating rink.

I wouldn't think 200# would be too stiff at all.

200# should be good.

FYI: My notes say that a KA24DE is about 360lbs whereas an L18 is about 260. For some reason I don't have the weight on an L20b but I would assume it's between 280 & 300.

Wow, 100 lbs!? I didn't think it was that much, I haven't done that type of research since I decided to go with the KA though...

Got the radiator, fans, and hoses this morning. I guess Fed Ex operates on MLK day. Now I can test fit the hoses and situate everything in it's permanent state.

What vinegar do you use? Also do you mix it with water or anything?

I just use plain ol' distilled vinegar, diluted to 5% acetic acid (it'll say on the bottle someplace). About $3-4 at Walmart for a gallon. Don't dilute it any more myself.

Side Bar: If you have a lot of copper with lots of corrosion, soak it in vinegar over night, maybe stir it up every once in a while, by then you should have a nice blue solution (one of my favorite colors). At that point you can boil the liquid off and you'll be left with Copper Acetate. It's pretty harmless, and if you vary the conditions in which you boil the liquid off, you end up with some cool little blue crystals. Learned all this after cleaning the copper in my still so many times Chemistry is fun!

The layer of silt at the bottom of the beaker is mostly sulfur compounds and other nasties that give you a head ache. Those sulfur compounds stick to copper when distilling, and that's why copper is used! They also make your copper acetate crystals ugly, so use a coffee filter at some point...

A little here and a little there...


















This is how it's sitting now, lots and lots of sanding and stripping done. Looks like the original paint was a beige, maybe tan, maybe yellow? Haha, it's somewhere in there. I'm leaning toward tan/beige... I'm not sure how well everyone will be able to see the photo, but around the windshield wiper motor mount is a good spot to see it.


I think my first round of paint is gonna include the engine bay, wheel wells with undercoating, front valence, and the fenders.

Cant say I have ever seen anyone do a crossmember in car.

Yeah, I was a little worried about it shifting some when I cut it, but I just kept the front end supported with stands and it seems alright. I'll weld it up after I get the rest of the sanding/stripping finished. It's nice having a little extra leg room.

Crisis, I'm getting ready to weld the crossmember back together and I'm worried I didn't cut close enough to the motor mount brackets. Can anyone tell by looking at the photo of the cut crossmember?

Forgot photo

They are taking too long to load on my end, but 5 posts up from this one has a photo. It's the last photo of that post.