Team Alavanche Datsun challenge build

Crackers said:

Transaxle/ribcage cospacial issues notwithstanding, is shortening the torque tube easy enough to make happen? 

Apparently lots of places do it.  I have everything here, it’s just one of those things that I don’t want to do just to do it.  GM took an interesting approach - let’s put the flyhweel and bellhousing up front then just tack a diff onto the back of our normal transmission.  So normal that with the auto you can toss a normal bellhousing on it and bolt engine to trans.  

I’m hoping to have some time with the car here shortly, have been at my parents house for several hours for easter.  

Don’t think i ever put up a shot of the revised simplified no power steering belt routing

I had a very similar belt routing when i swapped my 300zx but in a slightly lower position

All back together, temporary battery hooked up, hit button, CLANK.  

Think this guy E36 M3 the bed 

clank?   we do not like clank!

Today’s agenda was leave at 9:30 for a small time dragstrip that opens at noon.  

Today’s reality is the car doesn’t have a starter or battery yet and the forecast shows rain later this afternoon, and it rained all night and is 42 right now so who knows if the track will even dry.  

Today’s revised agenda is Rural King for a $49 battery, Menards for an LED worklight, Aldi for groceries, then hope the starter that came with the 5.3 I got a few weeks ago is still good.  If not I will have to order one.  If it is, there is at least hope to test fire, bleed the cooling system and hook up the laptop to go for a data log ride.  After I install hptuners on my new one because the old one is about dead.  

Time flies when you work for a living, we need to build stuff enough to franchise or sell the company so I can kick back with my kids and play with cars instead of busting my ass every week and being too sore on the weekend.  

Must get to track.  Need to go fast.  And I owe myself a 10 second car.  

https://youtu.be/z25BWRi2Bk0

it’s alive, still loud, has just a slight lope, and no check engine light.  It can run better, now i need to study the hptuners forum.  Sky looking ominous and i got sprayed with antifreeze so i’m calling today a win.  Switched from a group 78 to group 75 battery and lost a few pounds in process.  

Yesterday first actual drive with the heads/cam. It sat all summer while life flew by.  Found a giant air bubble in the cooling system.  After burping everything and adding over a gallon of coolant, abby and i went to the corner for fresh gas.  Pulled in behind a 72 firebird whose owner was under his hood and we were told that the sound scared the hell out of him and that it's the "wildest ride he's ever seen"

mission accomplished?  The quest for 10's is put off another year.

In reply to Patrick :

Did you ever get the HPT issue sorted?

In reply to Knurled. :

It's running quite well on fresh gas with the old tune.  No check engine light.  Obviously it's not at full potential, but we'll cross that bridge in the spring.  the big issue was old gas, this engine hates any gas older than 6 months.  Fresh 91 and it's pulling very hard and the ls6 cam has just a tiny lope in the 5.3 which makes me happy.  Going to dump some sta-bil in it and drive it back into the trailer for winter when we return from the challenge.