A pic

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Perfect that's just perfect

Great job mate

How to:- Electric Aerial Switch Fixit

I've had a bit of a problem with my electric aerial.


It'll go up but it won't go down so needs a fix.


...and here's the culprit

The switch.

First you have to pull out the ashtray to get at 2 of the 3 screws that hold the facia in.



The 3rd screw is hidden above the ciggie lighter...Sorry, bit of political incorrectness there.
I should have said utility power point


Just ease it out a bit and unplug the afore mentioned power point


And there the little sucker is attached to the radio cassette mount

You can see the top 2 screws that hold the whole thing in, there is another 2 underneath.
Undo those 4 screws and gently slide the whole thing forward.
Be careful because everything is still connected at the back.

You can see the 2 screws that hold it to the mounting plate.
Unclip the electrical connector and then take the switch assembly off.

Once you have it out, there are 2 screws that attach the switch to the facia


Once you have that off it starts to get a bit tricky.
There are 4 clips around the outside.


Gently lever them up until they disengage


You may get the whole lot come out


you will need to put the buttons back carefully as there are little ball detents


Before you clip everything back in, give the casing a squeeze so the clips will re-engage properly


The buttons should clip back in with the white plate
The only bit you actually need to take out is this bit


What you need to do now is carefully bend the copper spring arms up so that when they are depressed they will contact better.
You will only need to get about 1-2mm more height in the arm.


then you can start reassembling it.
This is the way around everything goes.
The contact arm part can go in either way up, so make sure you have it this way around or you will press the up button and the aerial will go down.
Heaps of fun at parties

If you are unsure about which way it goes, check the car. The connector will tell you which way is up.

When you are putting the screws back in remember, this is 20+ year old plastic. Just nip it up gently or it will break.


Now before you assemble everything back together in the car, plug it in and give it a try.
Nothing worse than getting it all back in to find out it still doesn't work.


Remember what I was saying earlier about 20 year old plastic breaking?
Here is one I prepared earlier.

You can see where I tightened it up a bit too much and broke it.
Not to worry , I just used a washer and tightened it very carefully.

All back together now and working perfectly.

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This was sticking out of the letterbox today...


Woo, new stabiliser bar.

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How to.
Sway bar fitment part 1.
Earlier this week I received my new Whiteline adjustable front sway bar


Complete with urethane bushes, grease sachet, and the all important sticker.....

....because everyone knows that it doesn't handle any better without the sticker.
In fact, some people think that you don't need the actual product, when the application of a sticker will add power, make the car handle better, get the most attractive girls......

But I digress.

Okay, first up I'm working under the car again so I'll need the trusty safety glasses.


These are great for stopping stuff falling in your eyes, dirt, spanners, nut and bolts, loose car parts....


We're here to change a smaller sway bar for a bigger one.
Step one, jack up the car......


....so we can fit the jack under it ( )


And remove the under tray.

It's a good idea to run one of these.
It keeps junk and stones out of the belts and actually aids cooling.

Next undo the sway bar drop links



Once you have the links undone, remove the pivot points.
These have a bolt at the rear and a stud & nut at the front.


Unfortunately, on mine someone has already had a go at the nut and rounded it off

These type of nuts are a bitch to remove when in this condition.
This is the second time I've seen this on this car.
The first was on the passenger side strut top and was a little easier to get at.
as you can see, this one is shrouded quite badly.
Time to get out the drill and carefully release the pressure.

I was careful and only touched the thread on the stud twice, but it is off (yay me)

Here are the 2 bars side by side


You can see the different thickness here


But just in case you can't....



Old and new bushes


Pivot bushes


Time to remove the drop link. two 14mm spanners will do the trick.
Remember, they been there for close to 1/4 of a century, a couple of well placed swear words should see them undone


The joint in my drop link was dry and a bit rusty so I put a bit of kerosene in it and blew it out with air and then pushed a heap of grease into it


for the initial trial I went with the softest of the 3 settings (I have subsequently gone up one)


Here is where the sachet of grease comes in, make sure there is plenty in the pivot bush.
There is nothing more annoying than squeaky suspension.


Put some on the drop link where the bushes go also


And assembly is the reverse of the above. Make sure you tighten everything with the weight of the car on the suspension.
This is where ramps are handy if you have a low car.
And through the magic of photography, here is the finished product



Now for the most difficult decision, where to put the sticker?


In time honoured tradition, I chose the toolbox.


So, the handling.
As mentioned above after a 20 minute or so drive, I changed the bar to it's intermediate setting and went home.
Turn in is the big improver. The car now changes direction much better.
But there is a downside and I found that out later.
My mother in law needed to be driven home last night (about 20 mins 1 way)
She lives in one of those suburbs infested with roundabouts.
And it's now raining.
My particular combination, the new front bar with its ability to change direction quickly, the tight lsd, a 5 puck clutch, Pirelli Dragon rear tyres which are like a slick in the dry, and like a slick in the wet, and a peaky, sudden RB20 with a To4, means it has become a real handful in the wet.
Unless I practically crawled through the roundabouts, the rear would start to come around.
This was no relaxing drive, made especially bad by the afore mentioned mother in law.
On the plus side, it is going to be interesting to get it onto the track again.

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How to:- cheap front brake upgrade
So these got delivered today.



R33 GTS-4 front brakes.
They are a cheap upgrade for the R31 in that they are a 2 piston slider type caliper as opposed to the R31s single piston.
Why didn't I go 4 piston?
Because I like my wheels and 4 potters won't fit.
Besides these are pretty much a bolt on upgrade.
The rotor is a bit larger too, 280mm plays 274 on the R31 and it is a thicker rotor too at 26mm.
The rotors came off a wreck and are basically ratted, they look like they have been sitting in a bucket of water for 6 months.



But that is okay because they will only be used for fitup and until I get some new slotted rotors.

The calipers are pretty good, the pistons are a little rusty on the inside but we'll be able to tell a little better once we get them all apart.



Should be a useful upgrade to the stoppers.



After a little poking around on the net/phone (in Australia)
RDA make a replacement rotor Part No RDA7691 280x26 slotted.
And you can get greenstuff pads for them too, Part No DP2792.

Next installment; fit up.

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A bit more information for anyone contemplating doing the same upgrade.

The same brakes can be found on the Skyline R33 GTS.
Basically the R33 RB25 non turbos all use a 4 stud hub the same size as Skylines going back to God knows when.
And they are generally cheap as chips. A lot of wreckers just throw them away.
The R34 Skyline RB25 non turbo has the same brakes but the mount bolts have been enlarged to a 14mm.

I would be interested to see how they went on a DR30 for instance, or something even earlier.
That is what I like about Nissans. So much stuff just bolts onto different models.
Want to drop an RB engine and gearbox into your S13? No problem bolts straight up.
The gearstick even comes out through the same hole, and all the mounts line up.
Want to put an R34 GT-R engine in your R31?
No probs, RBs are all alike, just use an RB25DET gearbox which is basically a GT-R gearbox without the transfer case.
Want to use the cable speedo but the gearbox has an electronic sender? there is a Nissan 4wd that uses a version of the same gearbox with a cable drive.
Love the Nissans.

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Ordered new RDA slotted discs (Part No- RDA7691S) today from Peps Parts in Liverpool.(Ph 9608 3600 Australia)
Very reasonably priced.

Also Got some brake fluid.


Really good stuff this. $15 a bottle from Austrack Motorsports/ Revolution Racegear in Minto NSW. (Ph 9820 4255. Australia)
I can't speak highly enough of this fluid.

He also does braided brake lines, so I might get a quote on those too.

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These got delivered today, less than 24 hrs after I ordered them


They have the minimum size stamped into the O/D.

Which is what I was trying to find on the old pair.

Brand new size is...

26mm
which means that these ones...

although pretty rusty are not far off new too.
And (added bonus) they've been "weathered"
For $60 each, I can get these slotted also if needed.

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Oh my god! they're replicating!


They look better than the other set, but actually they're not


So I get to pick and choose now, and sell of the other set

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just having a little read of your post.

if your interested pedders do a swaybar link the same as yours if you want to upgrade them? as chucking in grease is less than ideal.

i used the same Swaybar on my DR30 and used the Pedders links to fit it as DRs have bush/bush style links normally.

cool build by the way!!

Marc

Attention; if anyone has written down the EBC brake pad part no from the previous post, forget it, it's incorrect.
The brakes are on the car but I am using the standard pads until I can get the right ones.
[mumble grumble stupid parts guys]

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Okay, time do fit up my new brakes.
This is where we're starting from


First up you undo the brake line with 12mm ring spanner.

You can use one of those line clamps to stop the fluid running out, but I just let it run into a small bucket.
I'm going to flush new fluid right through the system anyway so meh

Then undo the 2 caliper locating bolts

These are both 19mm

New and old next to each other (new on the right.



Make sure you replace these right for right and left for left. (yes, they will fit on the wrong side)
How to tell?
The bleeder always goes at the top, so when you bleed them the air comes out of the system. (air bubbles rise to the top)


With the caliper out of the way you can remove the old disc.

I'm lucky, mine came off easily, but if it is stuck on you can try giving it a bash fom behind with a SOFT hammer, or failing that, screw some bolts into the jacking bolt holes and jack it off


Old Vs new


You can see the difference in diameter here, it's 6mm


The biggest difference can be seen here


The old discs have a new thickness of 22mm, with a minimum thickness of 20mm


So these are pretty much new


Time for coffee and a little light reading

Seen this somewhere before


Back to work
The R31 brake line banjo fitting has a small locating pin

That fits into a small hole in the caliper



The R33 caliper uses 2 pegs either side of the steel tube part of the banjo.
This didn't need any modification and the R31 banjo bolted straight on


Before you put the new discs on, clean all the greasy preservative crud off the outside

You'll still get plenty of smoke for the first few brake applications as the grease on the inside burns off.

Time to fit up the new calipers.
My calipers came with the R33 bolts.
They are shorter than the R31 ones so don't use them.


Pull out the pads to make the job a little easier
Here are the '33 pads (left) next to the '31 pads


Still plenty of meat on the Metal Kings


It was about now that I found out the new pads were the wrong size

Dammit!

Undo the top caliper bolt (14mm)

And pivot the caliper out


Old Vs new


Slip in the (old) pads and bolt it back up again.
You may need to push the pistons back to clear the pads if you are putting in new ones.

Then put the wheels on.
On another note, wheel nuts are used for holding the wheel on, not for taking the weight of your car.
That job is done by the hub.
If your wheels have a larger hub diameter (like mine) you will need to invest in some hub rings like the ones pictured here

They take up the gap between the hub and the wheel and also centre the wheel on the hub

Got a persistent wheel balance problem? this could be the problem.

Here are the brakes all together showing the wheel clearance.

Plenty of clearance on my 16 inchers, a 15 inch wheel would fit over them easily and I think maybe a 14 inch too. There is room to bang a 14mm ring spanner between the caliper and rim.


Time for a bleed.

With my you beaut bleeder.
You will need to start with the new calipers to fill them with fluid
Then start as usual with the caliper furthest from the master cylinder and work your way to the closest
(yes you have to bleed the front calipers twice)

If you get any fluid on your paint (it is an efficient paint stripper) or else where use this stuff to get it off

Good old H20 (water for the scientifically challenged)

Now the all important, where to put the sticker?

Tool box of course, but here is a lesson for advertisers, Toolboxes usually come in red or blue.
Having red and blue stickers loses a bit of the impact

After a bit of a bedding in session there was quite a bit of smoke


All in all, a pretty easy job

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Prompt, whether will approach супорта from R33 to R30 ?
Instead of these

I am not sure how close R30 is to R31 but you could try a garage 7 adaptor
http://www.garage7.com.au/

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These turned up today.


Remsa pads, rated to 650 degrees.
Spruiked as low dust, low noise.
Should handle the odd track day.
I'll put them on tomorrow.

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Got an early xmas present


Leaking master cylinder.
I have a few leaks that need fixing now;
Brake fluid from the master cylinder
Coolant from the turbo line around the rear of the head.
Gearbox oil from the rear gearbox seal.
Time to get the spanners out.

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Time to change my leaky brake master cylinder.
Got this one from a friend of mine, He likes to keep his parts fresh


It's off an R32 GTST Skyline so it's slightly different internally. Externally? exactly the same.


The difference is the bore is 15/16ths for the R32, 1" for the R31.
It should work well with the brakes I have put on.
The twin pot brakes have a smaller volume than the standard single piston ones.
I will now have better brakes with better feel.

First up, gotta get all the paraphenalia out of the way
Strut brace..


Master cylinder brace..


Boost sensor, related brackets, etc etc...

Trap for young players.
Flare nuts.

These are bastards to undo.

Best to invest in one of these...

Flare nut spanner.

If you use a standard 10mm open ender on these, chances are you will round it off 95 times out of 100.
The reason is that the nut is quite thin, and if it has been there a while it won't want to undo.
So what will happen is the nut will deform, then you start swearing, go out and buy a flare nut spanner and that won't fit because the nut is bent out of shape and rounded off.

Then it'll be time to get some more serious tools...


And then some even more serious tools...


then call some professionals...
Or invest in a flare nut spanner for about $10.
Here it is again

Trust me, buy one.

So, once you have those little bastards undone, undo the 2 nuts the hold the cylinder to the brake booster


and off she comes


Looks like she was leaking from the front.


Fitting the new cylinder is pretty much the reverse of the above.
Just nip the flare nuts up, the flared seat provides the seal.


Don't do em up too tight or you will be back in the shitter next time.
And here's a trick, get the flare nuts started before you bolt up the cylinder to the booster.
As for bleeding the brakes, do the fronts then start at the back and do them all again.

Okee dokee, How to bleed your brakes (and save the world) single handed.
First up you'll need to make a tube and bottle setup.
Heres one I prepared earlier


It's quite a smple thing, you just get any old bottle, I've used an old brake fluid bottle, but you can use anything with a plastic lid you can put hole in.
I like to use clear tube, window washer stuff so you can see any bubbles in the line, with a small piece of rubber tube over the end that will stretch over your bleed nipple.

The idea is to have the tube extend inside the bottle all the way to the bottom...


Then you put a small amount of fluid in the bottle so that the open end of the tube is submersed.
This is to prevent any air being sucked back up the tube and into the brake system


The whole setup should cost no more than about $5.
Or you can sport out around $15 (Aus)for a super professional bleeder.


Same clear tube setup with a little one way valve on the end


Aaaanyway, start with the wheel furthest from the master cylinder.
That means; if your car has a steering wheel on this side...


...you start with this wheel...


...and progress to the next nearest, which would be this one...


...then this one...


...and lastly, this one.


But....if your steering wheel is on this side...


...you do this one first....


...then this one next...


...then...


...and finally...


Got it? furthest to nearest.

Okay, first top up your master cylinder


Then starting as explained above, at the furthest corner, put a ring spanner over the hose, in this case a 10mm, and plug the rubber hose over the nipple thus


Crack the nipple, and use a ring spanner guys, it'll save a lot of heartache


Go to the brake pedal and give it 4-5 pumps almost to the floor.
Use a smooth even pump, not fast!
Jumping on the pedal too quickly can stuff the internal seals, especially if it has been sitting around for a while.


It helps here if you are using a different coloured brake fliud.
They come in a range of designer colours, blue, green, yellow, gold....
That way you can see the fresh fluid coming through.
When you are finished pumping the new fluid through, check the line for bubbles.
If it's bubble free, nip up the bleeder nipple, and top up the master cylinder.

This is important!
Make sure you don't let the master cylinder run out of fluid.
If it does you'll need to start again from the beginning.

Then proceed to the next nearest wheel and repeat, until all brakes are bled and you have saved the world.

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An excellent detailed description. I appreciate it because it will soon need. budy

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...................... My Project
Corolla KE35 1976
Celica GT RA40 1981
Celica ST TA40 1979
Carina Station wagon 1997
Carina sedan 1996

http://www.jdmwheels.cz

Yes and even if you use a flare nut spanner, you will only improve those odds to 75 times out of 100

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