I am returning to a project that I started 3 years ago and after a long two years of waiting for a very old man to work wonders with my box of engine parts and turn it into a plastic wrapped, greased up, magnafluxed Nissan J13, I am ready to pony up and finish what I started. I am not trying to go full on concourse de'legance or crazy *** dragging street rod but just special. So I am at the point where I need those few last pieces. Such as a headliner (can't drive the car without a headliner), carb rebuild time (Royze in OC carries both Nikki and Hitachi sets), clutch, front motor mounts (maybe rebuilt?). Then put it all together a little super glue and voila. One very rare tuff little "sh**box".Any one have any recomendations for an upholstery shop in or near ontario/pomona.

I will probably go out to Northridge (Fairlady Products) this Friday and try to collect anything that Napa doesn't have.They have a huge site and I believe Fairlady Products and Rallye Ent. ARE the Roadster biz. They at least should have the cans of Datsun Blue for that little final touch on the engine. If anything in the car will be stock it will be the engine (at least for phase 1). Also anyone have any thoughts about what size muffler and where should it go. I was running a straight 2 inch pipe, from right behind the lower exhaust flange that was right before the resonator, to a $20 Pomona Special 2 inch "Turbo Muffler". Now I am torn because I know small engines love backpressure because of valve float (right?), but all of the engines that this logic is referenced on are OHC whereas the J13 is OHC, just like a the BMC b-series that it is derived from. I have looked and found nothing based on the almighty dyno when it comes to the OHV inline 4. I have never really driven anything except OHC even my Ford was OHC. Right now I am leaning towards a 1.75" muffler (right in front of the rear axle) with a same size pipe coming from what I think is a 1.5" pipe at the flange. Would that be enough backpressure to keep those nasty exhaust gases from returning to the cylinder? I want nice flat power and the car rarely sees the freeway . Is this the way to go? I don't know.

Bluebird,

I can help you with some of this. Email me off-site at [email protected]. Just bear with me as I steal time here and there to keep doing this.

TC&E,Carl

There's new developments with the engine building process, the valve lifters are oversize for the newly rebuilt and assembled shortblock. The oversize set were tuf to find as most dealers don't have the 411 in their parts system. I don't want to change the pushrods and rockers because I would like it to be as close to stock as possible. Money is tight and time is running short. What to do?