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This one’s got four wheels!

So close. I almost went for it. You even left an ellipsis to draw people in. Well done, again. You are a master at baiting people... p.s. proper grammar would use the word "directly", I believe, not direct.

This is a NISMO project, intended as part of an anniversary of their founding year. THAT is the timing context. I very much doubt that NISMO (it's not a NISSAN product) paid too much attention to what's "already out there". Most of the people carping and whining about the NISMO kit didn't buy an OSG or Datsunworks head either.

I attended a presentation on the new kit at NISMO's Omori HQ last week, and the bellhousing/transmission question was brought up. NISMO's staff said that the FJ20 engine's bellhousing can be used (it's pretty much the same as the one used on the LY crossflow) allowing the 71-B family transmissions to be used, but they expect the aftermarket to step up and adapt 71-C family and NISMO 6-speed transmissions in the way that, for example, ESCORT have done for the L6 family. One thing that strikes me is that people are talking as though individuals will be able to purchase these kits/parts for their own home builds. That's not how NISMO told us they intend to release them. They are going to appoint known, recommended and trusted engine building companies as authorised buyers and they will be given technical assistance with the builds. It will be up to these authorised builders to deal with customers who want to purchase finished engines/drivetrains/complete packages. NISMO won't be selling these parts direct to civilians...

I wasn't there when they made the exhaust manifolds, but my assumption would be the same. I would expect they were raw uncoated cast iron. Maybe a thin coat of oil so they didn't flash rust in the parts bin, but that would burn off in the first few minutes of engine running.

Glad to help. Hope you make good progress and get things working well soon!

Twin cam cross flow does sound fun though!

I don't think so. Les likes powdercoat. He always did the air cleaner housing in powdercoat also as they seem to always get scratched and exposed to fuel. It's a durable finish, but not technically correct.

Did Nissan use powdercoating during original production of the 240Z? Keith

Looking at the “darkness” of the engine block blue versus the “darker” color of exhaust manifold, I can see the argument for manifold being darker then a light gray…..

Wow, that dash has got some issues! I guess the answer depends on your budget and focus. You could always find another one and go that route, or you can send it to a restoration shop like Just Dashes. However, with the screws and missing foam, you are probably better off finding a better dash to use as a base.

I stole this cassette from my step-a s s hole when I was a kid. When cassettes where still off white colored, before the clear ones. I listened to it so much I still know every word to all the songs but this was my favorite.

It doesn’t seem to be.

Is the clevis pin that connects the slave cylinder to the brake pedal worn?

That's 24 degrees of rotation of the transmission, putting the shifter in the driver's lap. Can't remember which way the VG30 engine is rotated. It uses a different transmission. I wonder if it's a better option. Maybe it's been considered. Derek is mentioned in one of the articles. I assume that his engine is not rotated? Seems like poor timing on Nissan's part, waiting so long to introduce their head, when there were already two out there. Besides the fact that block supply is diminishing. Slim market. OS Giken Releases L Series Head - The Gentleman RacerOS Giken was born in the early 1960s; Osamu Okazaki wanted to build a true high-performance Japanese race car to compete against the sports cars from Europe dominating the sport at the time. Like many

I had their greatest hits album when I was a kid. In retro my parents were probably concerned.

The main challenge in the DOHC is that Nissan opted NOT to develop a transmission mount to deal with rotating the angle of the engine. Stock, it is rotated 12 degrees to the right. With the DOHC, it is rotated 12 degrees to the left. I guess if you're willing to plunk down $25K for the kit, you won't mind spending a few thousand more (I'm thinking around $10K or more unless you do fabrication) for the fuel injection and transmission mount. Hagerty MediaNissan DOHC Conversion Kit Can Make Your Classic Z Faster...The new Nissan DOHC conversion kit lets enthusiasts add dual overhead cams to several classics, like the 240Z.

Regarding the color of the steering wheel: I've always wondered what the "new" color was and it seems to me that most restorations get it a little too dark. I always compare against the 1972 brochure I've kept, and the photo I took of my 1973 240Z a couple of weeks after I bought it new. Of course, photo colors are not always accurate, and I've never had any judge question my (restored darker than these pictures) steering wheel, so it apparently doesn't matter very much. Cropped 1973 photo of my then new '73 240Z. Originally a kodachrome slide, digitized by Costo's Flordia lab a few years ago.

Thanks for the input! The dash is a big project and i think im going to spend my time on the body of the car for now and set this aside. More than likely ill buy a new one vs repairing this one. there are so many issues with this one its beyond saving i think. might get a cracked one with only a few cracks vs 100.

I watched that progress over the years as he was developing it. It has been awhile since I looked at the details of it, so I am less familiar than I was at one time. I wonder what Derek's options costs (roughly)? I am sure there are various options depending on how the owner wants to proceed. But, I am sure there are some "round figures" for the head, cams, and associated cam operation hardware. Didn't see - does the head accept some off the shelf intake manifold... and header? Edit - found this https://datsunworks.com/Blog/pricing-for-the-kn20-dohc-head/

http://www.zcarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_3902-1024x768.jpeg Happy 89th Birthday to our hero Peter Brock! You have been and continue to be inspirational to us Datsun fans worldwide. Here are a few pictures we enjoyed taking with you over the years: http://www.zcarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/unnamed-1-1024x768.jpeghttp://www.zcarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/DSC05510-1-e1637002594621-1024x1006.jpeg http://www.zcarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/lagunaseca2004153-400x300.jpghttp://www.zcarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_2311-1024x768.jpeghttp://www.zcarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/IMG_9747-1024x768.jpeg http://www.zcarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/sema-1024x1024.jpghttp://www.zcarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/275435624_5253829184651694_278823018715978593_n.jpeghttp://www.zcarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/314962664_499938492181328_4586337483149355287_n.jpg http://www.zcarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/312177026_483959523779225_1687953212474383395_n.jpg http://www.zcarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/382583804_692126209629221_266883468108368867_n.jpg View the full article

I am a bit dubious regarding the "correct" finish of the exhaust manifold. I do not think there was any kind of coating put on it by Nissan originally, so... wouldn't it just be a typical cast iron (as cast) color? If so, I think what you have there @motorman7 looks accurate. Not that this would necessarily be good reference info, but I personally kind of think it is - here are a few pics I just took of my 6/71 car's original exhaust manifold. The car was originally owned and driven in AZ for at least several if not all of its years on the road, and then stored in a garage in Colorado AZ for 30 years... Honing in on a "least rusted" portion: Machined (and not rusted) surface:

That rubber glue may be the least of your problems! I've done a Z dash pad restoration, starting with something that had only 25% of the deterioration that yours has. Even at that, it was a time-consuming job. Not only does the pad surface need to be levelled (not easy to get right, given the multiple contours), it's also necessary to 'V' and then feather-edge all of the cracks so that the filler won't crack along the seams. I'll bet it would take you 20 man-hours of effort (or more) to level, edge-treat, fill, sand, and paint a dash pad like yours to a decent level of final finish. But before you even get started down that road, you'll need to convince yourself that what's left of your original pad has enough structural integrity to prevent the pieces from moving around independently when the cabin temperature goes up or down. With its many full-depth cracks, I don't think I would trust your badly broken-up dash pad to meet that requirement. As a litmus test, it would be interesting to know whether a professional dash restorer like Just Dashes would accept your dash for restoration. Maybe you should send a picture and ask them. IMO, your best path forward will be to either: 1) buy a used dash that offers a better starting point for a DIY restoration (as Siteunseen suggests), or; 2) buy one of the replacement dash pads that have recently become available. In the latter case, you unbolt the old pad from the underlying steel structure (known as the 'armature') and then bolt on the replacement pad. There are a couple of threads on this site that discuss these replacement pads. As a third, lowest-cost/effort alternative, you could just replace your old plastic dash cap with a new one.

CO, I have to apologize on what I said about the barb fitting taken off the 260z balance tube. I went back and looked at the balance tube, the fitting I have with 27 tpi did not come from the balance tube, it was in the box of parts and I assumed that's where it came from. You are right, you know your stuff. As soon as I get the brake problem solved I'll get back to my mixture adjustment and vacuum leak. Jim

Some thoughts on the above. First, the 1/8 pipe thread specs are very similar between NPT and BPT and they would be difficult to differentiate. The 1/8 NPT spec is 27 threads per inch, while the BPT uses 28 TPI. If you are holding a fitting up to a tap and that fitting only has four or five threads on it (which would be typical), it would be very difficult to tell the difference between 27 and 28 TPI. Second, there were no (what are typically called) "barb fittings" used by Datsun on the balance tube. So if you had something like the below installed, it was a previous owner modification. This is what I think of being called a "barb fitting": So if you had something like that in the 260, it WAS probably 1/8 NPT, but it didn't come from the factory like that. ☺️