Rangas 1983 hatch

[Crazee]

So i've been browsing this forum for a couple of months now and figured i better put up a build thread, just in case i actually achieve something decent with this car

i bought it early this year with a blown head gasket for $250 from gumtree, took it home on a car trailer and slowly stripped down the motor to the block

over a couple of months (whilst riding my bike 10ks to work and back again)

i decided to buy it because i had no money and needed something cheap and reliable to get me around till i get off these apprentice mechanic wages

so after honing the cylinders, facing the head and spending all my money on parts i now have a fully rebuilt F8B 4sp manual

i wasnt really planning to spend much more on it, just general tidying up etc... until i found this forum

some pics

couple of little spotties

these are 12in samson rims, my dad reckons they came off a datsun 1200
they will go on when i have money to get the right wheel nuts

so far all i've done to the car is damage it quite badly, had a disagreement with my headlights at 100kph on a long corner, which led to a slight altercation between my car and the gaurd rail
cause was found to be the fuse box which was removed the next day and replaced with new terminals

i'll get some updated photos when i get time and we'll see what i can make out of this excellent piece of japanese machinery

[Brayden]

Do you need wheel nuts with a straight shank for those wheels? If so, what diameter is the hole? I have a set of wheel nuts here that might be suitable.

[Crazee]

yeah straight shank and apparently a washer to suit the small step around each hole, i will measure up the rims and let you know dimensions, i actually did pick up a set of nuts for it but then found the fact that the studs are 10mm not 12 lol

very annoying because i had to strip all the tires again and put them back on the steelies

how much would you want for them and how much would it be to post? i considered making them myself on my mates lathe but that would take a while

[Brayden]

Let me know the measurements and we'll see if they fit. The nuts I have also include washers - they were from a set of Cheviot wheels.

[Crazee]

Bit of an update here since its been a while, progress has been mostly backwards since initial re-build. Did the head gasket a second time due to a leaking thermo fan switch, when I I replaced the switch the thread pulled out of the radiator and I had to weld it back in. But since then it has been really reliable until a few other issues started coming through.

current known issues
Body bent due to previously mentioned headlight failure and rhf gaurd destroyed(have a blue one in the shed for it)
Lhr wheel bearing was noisy, but I am no longer able to tell which side it is now so I think they're both shot
Lh cv joint crunching (not clicking anymore) hasn't had a boot on it since I bought it
Crunches on downshift to 1st unless stopped completely and gearstick extemely loose
Rear tyres on limits
Front brakes at about 1mm and rotors will need to be replaced as well
Thermo fan switch shit itself and it was 35 today so its trying to cook itselt again
Exhaust leak

Dodgy wiring, oil leak etc etc,geez this list is long when I write it all down

Things I have improved:
Sound sytem now exceeds volume of exhaust leaks, was using the stock speaker only with Bluetooth hu but now run a 10in kicker 3ch amp and 2 6's, have a couple of 6x9s to go in as well
Actually got off my ass and cleaned it out, removed floor vinyl and hosed it, though it has been hanging on the line for 3 days now lol
Replaced door cos it was munched up and the window always fell in or out due to cracked welds and you could open the lock with anything that fit. Door is blue though so it still looks ridiculous.
China carby thanks to cam was running sweet as after I put that on
rear seat install, pretty happy with it even tho my mates complain about the leg room

there's plenty more I could write on the past few months with this car but I can definitely say I'll be keeping it for a long time. Hopefully I can get some parts for it to keep it on the road at the moment but I have to focus on getting a v6 magna on the road and registered due to my missus being due with our little girl in 1 week

Not really a build thread so much as a 'what's falling off the car this week' but hopefully I can get it back to a reasonable standard soon