A little something to offend everyone

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dogsht

Royal Smart Person
Nov 11, 2008
2,003
9
36
Dayton, OH
Very cool. Great job and choice. Most people hear quad four and want to tell you about them being fast but that they overheat and are too costly to fix. I'm like yea I got that memo. They warp the head due to water pump failures and idiots that can't figure out their car is overheating and keep on driving. Aside from being a little more frequent and costly water pump change they are a great motor. Good HP & TQ for a naturally aspirated four. I run mine hard and fast and still get 28 mpg with a mix of city & hwy. Have you been to quad four forums? Until about a year ago they had a great vendor but now have little aftermarket support. The w-41 HO at 190HP is still the strongest naturally aspirated four GM has made. Ecotech fans hate to hear that. i read that by mixing and matching the best factory parts from different years and performance tweaking that you can get 220HP naturally aspirated. I know even the generic version I have is still pulling hard when it shifts at 6,250.

Years ago I bought a clean basic 98 Grand Am (last year before getting bigger & heavier) for $400 because the motor was bad and the shops wanted big bucks to replace the head or the motor due to the fact that the motor has to come out the bottom. As it was the motor I bought was out of a 2000 Alero. Car had 104,000 when I bought it and it now has 213,000. The motor I bought had 107,000. I put a new water pump in it and new timing chain tentioner sliders or whatever they are called as preventive and kept my spare ignition as they were known to go and could be expensive. A year later I ended up putting in my spare ignition knock on wood no problems since. 60,000 miles from putting the motor in the water pump went out. Changed it 45,000 miles that one went out. Only 4,000 miles on this WP so far hope it holds up as I may junk the car the next time. Lifters are tapping pretty good also. I even run 20/50 to quiet em down lol. No other problems though If it dies it doesn't owe me anything.

Lol I put a Cadillac 500 in a Cutlass and have done the same thing at car shows. I have even asked car guys at different shows and nobody has guessed it yet. Have a buddy down in Florida has one in an air boat. He modified some tractor valve covers with Massey Ferguson cast into them for his 500. Gets a lot of comments questions on it. He always grins and says yea.. it pulls hard. :mrgreen:
 

DRIVEN

Geezer
Apr 25, 2009
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It's funny that the Ecotec guys don't have more respect for the Quad4. GM really kind of refined the design with the Twincam. It's really more of a bridge between the Quad and the Ecotec. They may look different but the design and features are actually very similar. Ever seen the chain and water pump layout? The bore and stroke is very close. The intake and exhaust manifolds are very similar. If i had the budget I would have loved an LNF turbo (260hp) from a Solstice/Sky. Maybe the next version of the wagon will get that. I can't even imagine what an additional 90hp would be like.
 

Bowiemontecarlo86

G-Body Guru
Dec 17, 2011
693
1
16
Tampa fl.
Nice build love that lil wagon , like that you thought outside the box on engine choices.
 

dogsht

Royal Smart Person
Nov 11, 2008
2,003
9
36
Dayton, OH

Randy_W

G-Body Guru
Oct 16, 2005
836
12
18
Eastern Shore
LOve the car! Would have kept those Western Bullit style wheels though. Like the fab work you've done, true hotrodder! 8)
 

DRIVEN

Geezer
Apr 25, 2009
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Thanks for the kind words. You know, I never really liked those wheels, personally. They're 13x6 and stamped CSI inside. I'm told that's Carroll Shelby Industries. They are in ridiculously nice shape and pretty light but they won't clear the brake upgrade I have planned like the wheels that are on there now. The other downside is that the tire size is no longer available and it took me almost 2 years to find replacements for the pair that were worn out but the wrong front springs. I've been keeping my eye out for a set of roadster wheels with caps and rings. They are pretty narrow (like a VW bug) but I'd like to have the centers put in wider rims.
19675_Datsun_Roadster_1600_resize.jpg
 

DRIVEN

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Apr 25, 2009
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Since a couple of you guys seemed to like the turbine wheels I went back to see if I could find any shots of the car after the ride height was corrected. The third pic shows the center caps I made from PVC pipe caps. It also shows the rear hatch before I removed the emblems, shaved the lights and relocated them to the bumper. Here you go:
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Random dog shot:
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Also this one for giggles:
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I went back over the earlier posts and added a couple pics that I found too. I may add more if I run across them. My photos are not well organized.
 

DRIVEN

Geezer
Apr 25, 2009
8,059
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You guys might actually get some useful information from this one...it actually could apply to a Gbody.

Racks are pretty popular in the vintage import scene and I've been looking for options for a while. The Yakima and Thule baskets are pretty pricey and so are the towers and bars for that matter. I ran across these universal cast aluminum stands on CL and picked them up for $40. I really like the idea of a platform for a DIY or custom rack. Since I'm not really into biking, snowboarding or kayaking, I went the basket route. These stands make it pretty easy to create whatever you want. It's something I can throw on for a trip or show then take it off and hang it on the wall when not in use. Here's a link with more info and specs.
http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp? ... eptid=1379
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Since I had some plywood and steel hanging around, I was only into the whole shebang around $60. Kind of a fun way to kill a Sunday afternoon.
Starting with the towers, I played with placement and took some base measurements. I settled on a 40"X48"X4" overall dimension.
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I grabbed 2 sticks of 1" square tubing and started cutting and welding.
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A couple quick coats of hammered finish paint. The color is pretty close to the wheels.
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Phase two started out as a half-sheet of 3/4" plywood. This particular piece has been leaning in the corner of the shop for 8 years and is a furniture grade cherry finish. FANCY! I beveled all the edges and put a 45* edge on the front. To add some interest and give some hook points for bungees or rope, I put 12 2" holes in it. Then I sanded it up nice and purdy.
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Random beer fridge shot:
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Three coats of spar varnish:
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All assembled and on the car...
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I designed it so I could add a cowling to the front but haven't decided on the "right" look yet. There was an old beat up 620 tailgate floating around here but I can't find it now. I was thinking of cutting the D A T S U N letters out of the center and using that. Maybe some wood slats. Maybe just a sheet of aluminum. I don't know yet.
 
Oct 14, 2008
8,805
7,742
113
Melville,Saskatchewan
That car brings back memories. We had a 1974? Dastun station wagon, red with white interior. Great to add a modern FI motor and 5spd. Ours was a 3 on the floor, Mom should have had an auto. She had it screaming in 2nd on a few occasions. Cool little family car.
 
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