Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

I thought I'd start a thread on Pet Peeves.
Not so much of a complaint, more of a "why would anyone do this??

Fasteners: I started tearing the engine down yesterday and I found some of the same things I have found elsewhere on the car. Fasteners that are missing or miss-matched. A spring washer missing on the cam hold downs, Head bolts swapped (the longer one in the wrong location). There were a number of proper washers missing on the carbs/exhaust bolt-up.

Gasket Adhesive: Using the "I can survive a nuclear blast" gasket sealer on a gasket that should not need adhesive.

Any that grate on you? Gas cap alignment perhaps?

Don't get me goin' ! ...
One of the first pet peeves I came across 40 years ago, had to do with the factory. The first day I started to do work on my roadster, I had wondered why in the _____ (fill in the blank with your favorite expletive), did they have to use fine threaded fasteners that always seem to be twice as long as they needed to be ? This was especially annoying when working in the tighter spaces. Maybe not a big deal to anyone else, but I found the situation to be in stark contrast to the experience I had working on a lot of other vehicles....and I still do....fortunately, those problem areas are more or less behind me now
My $0.02

How about the mix of metric and SAE fasteners. The hardware on one end of my doors is metric and the other end is SAE. Who does this?? I spend more time finding the right wrench then I do turning it!

I used to yellow glue V/C gaskets to the cover on 1600s 1500s,1400s
you had to ,or it leaked
And the miss matched washers, many 311s were driven by college student and worked on unskilled or in caring mechanic s ...minimal ...but that's the biggest problem in auto repair

Isn't this the same as "sins of the PO" thread? I'm happy to constructively contribute to either. The idea being to help newbies and other well intentioned owners to avoid mistakes that other PO's have made.

I guess post’s 2 and 3 could only go under sins of the previous owner if you want to consider Nissan as the previous owner

theunz wrote: ↑Sun Jan 24, 2021 10:04 am How about the mix of metric and SAE fasteners. The hardware on one end of my doors is metric and the other end is SAE. Who does this?? I spend more time finding the right wrench then I do turning it!

To pile on, all the Phillips head screws. Or are they JIS? Either way, they don't belong in cars in this quantity. Awful fastener choice.

damarble wrote: ↑Sun Jan 24, 2021 11:16 am
To pile on, all the Phillips head screws. Or are they JIS? Either way, they don't belong in cars in this quantity. Awful fastener choice.

Yeah, ...! There you go !...and now, here I go again,...extra long, fine threaded fasteners, with JIS screw heads wollered-out with Phillips screwdrivers, and rusted to a mix of metric and SAE nuts, in areas of limited access and visibility. I'm getting heartburn just thinking about it

Sounds like some of you need to own an MGB from what I hear so you can come back and appreciate the Datsun with all it's friggin flaws.

SAE and metric mixed with British pipe thread.
No longer used metric thread on the SU's you couldn't get until they were repro'd.
JIS standard phillips head which have a different angle and metric bolts with smaller head.
Metric length SAE bolts you cannot match at the store and forces you to go to Bolt Depot, Belmetric and Spruce Aircraft. Then Hi Strength Bolt who carries JIS.
If you're restoring then the endless cleaning and replate for the stuff you want to look right. The rest you can't see or don't care you stick stainless and what not in. This is why I made the bolt list. I sometimes put in shorter bolts when it is obvious you just don't need it.

Oh and a new one I just found, 66, round fresh air vent flapper. 67, new improved oval flappers.

There are times I'd like to reach back in time and strangle some engineers. But when I get behind the wheel I forget all that. Now if I could just get finished so I could.

Curtis, there is no finish, just “I can do these small things latter, right now I just want to enjoy the drive!

theunz wrote: ↑Sun Jan 24, 2021 12:49 pm Curtis, there is no finish, just “I can do these small things latter, right now I just want to enjoy the drive!

Small things
Driving

Sae and metric on the same car is annoying. Finding wood screws used as a substitute for them takes me to another level.

Whitworth ANYTHING!

So is this thread about Nissan design flaws? The first post was about PO errors and bad mechanics.

Yes JT68, my original post was really intended about the PO. Wood screws used as sheetmetal screws is certainly one that trips my trigger. Today, I found a lot of stacked washers on the water pump, but after researching a replacement on this site, I learned about the many different combinations and spacer, etc. which obviously describes why the PO did this one. When I install a water pump, whichever one I procure, I will make sure I use the proper length fasteners.