Datsun Dealers

We can post and re-post pretty pictures of work he has done in the past. The bottom line is that he has not refunded at least the previous poster's and my money. Sure, he PMed me and asked for an address. Did I receive a refund for my $425.00? NO.

Alright, I'm bringing this back from the dead, but I have a bunch of updates. I'm having an F54/E88 combo built by Dunnaway Race Engines in Washington, GA. The block is from a 1983 280ZX with 140,000 original miles. I also acquired the 5 speed for a total of $300. Not a bad deal I believe. The shop is building the motor exactly how I want it. I'm hoping for 220 plus crank hp. The shop did extensive work on porting the head, 280z stainless steel valves, new hardened valve seals and guides, the whole nine yards. Everything is going to be new except crank and connecting rods. I purchased a stage III Schneider Cam Kit that includes new springs and rocker arms. It wasn't cheap--I hope it's worth it. I'm going to go with 0.5 mm overbore cast flat top pistons. The head was CCed and the shop owner said I should be at 9.5:1 compression ratio given my stroke and bore combo. Everything I've read says F54/E88 will be at 10.4:1 as a baseline. If I'm between those numbers I'll be happy. And if I have to buy a few gallons of 100 octane every tank to save myself from retarding the timing, I won't be bothered either. I purchased a set of rebuilt JDM Triple SK Carbs with TWM intake to run on the engine. Not cheap and again, I hope it was worth the money. I also have the original set of SUs on rebuilt by me on the shelf if I change my mind. The motor will be done in about a week and a half so I'm hurrying to prep the engine bay. Yesterday was spent marking wires and removing the block. I decided to keep the 4 speed transmission in for now and save the trans swap for another project down the road. All in all it only took about 15 minutes to pull the engine. I intend to keep it forever if I want to go back to 100% original (maybe Rebello rebuilt) some day. All in all it was a good day! Today I'm welding in a 2x2" patch panel for the battery tray. The frame is in impeccable condition. I can still read the sticker on the steering rack even! Making progress with Layla really brightens up my day and makes me appreciate life.

Can anyone tell me who makes this header ? It came off a 2 owner '73 Datsun 240Z that I'm getting a 2.8L motor built for. The 6-2 connector is a little beat up due to ground clearance but I'm thinking about getting it bead blasted, painting and wrapping it to save a little bit of money. I'm also toying around with looking for a used Stahl 6-2.

They look nice, but I still don't have a refund for a part that was never delivered. He said he'd send me a money order.

CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHY WINGZR0 DECIDED TO OPEN AN EBAY ACCOUNT UNDER THE NAME iheartracing CLAIMING HE COULD SELL/MAKE UP TO FIVE SETS OF ANSA TWIN STACK MUFFLER TIPS...THEN CLOSE HIS ACCOUNT AFTER HE GATHERED THE $2000? I called him about 25 days after purchase ($430 including shipping) to discuss size of pipes, etc. He told me he'd be mailing it out in 5-7 days after that. After being busy with work and family since my purchase on 23 May, now it's up and too late to file an ebay complaint. WHAT KIND OF SELLER OPENS AN ACCOUNT, GATHERS OVER $2000, THEN CLOSES IT? Looks like an OIF vet has been royally shafted.

Derek, I'm interested in a pair as well. Please PM ordering instructions. PayPal works for me. Thanks.

Wow...ok. And you knew it had the cam? There's a guy here in Augusta with a L28 and 5 speed that was pulled from a wrecked car two years ago and "stored outdoors" w/ 145,000 miles and he wants $500. Sounds like a crap shoot. I'd like to see a video of your car running...I think we all would!

I'm liking this discussion. Trying to figure out what route I'm going to take with my mostly original '73. I didn't think about the fact that boring the L24 is a one-time deal. I'm thinking I'll buy an L28, do a bit of a "refresh," throw in a stage II cam, and a 90,000 mile E31 head I picked up recently on eBay. Also working on a deal for Triple SKs. The ignition notes seem extremely essential. Thanks. Can someone throw a ball park figure for the full Mallory set-up? For those of you buying the Rebello engines, do you get a build sheet? I understand some of their methods are close-hold, but I would not buy an engine without knowing the exact parts that were used. Similarly, do any of you keep your L24s after changing the engine? I'm torn; I know resale value tends to be higher for the more period correct versus chopped up coil-over cars, etc.

These tire and rim discussions are always so lively and...confusing to say the least. :ogre: I'm glad someone tried to restate the bottom line facts for the OP. It helped me too. Thanks. I have BF Goodrich T/As on my '56 Bel Air, and I love them. 245/60-15s in rear and 225s in front. I was tempted to pick up the T/As for my Datsun 240z as well. The market for 14" tires right now is horrible. After calling about 8 big box and local tire dealers, their stock was unimpressive. Only 70mm sidewalls, 175-195 width...and all no name brands. After scouring about 20 websites, I now have the latest Falken Ziex ZE-912 28921452 - 195/60R14s headed to my house in 4 days for $292 with tax and shipping. They are an all season performance tire rated to 65,000 miles. I'm curious what the OP will choose. I went with the 195s because I like the idea of a little less weight to drive with. My car doesn't currently have much power over stock besides a header, balance tube and emissions gutted, and N36/3 screw set-up. I will be putting an air dam on as well. My next set will be a summer performance tire, with 215/50-15s in the front and 225/50-15s in the rear, along with nice superlite DOT rims.

This is a motivating post! I find there are times when tinkering with / working on my '73 240z (Layla) it can be a morale / mood booster, or a frustration inducing mess. I like to stick to the first one. Wiring is a facet of autos I haven't gotten skilled at. I might pick up a book on Amazon. I know my bracket in the rear for the speaker was removed; I have speakers in the back panel now. And a 1980s antenna booster box mounted to the antenna. Thanks for the tip.

Looks like you had a nice weekend! Let us know of any updates. Two questions: Any plans for the original engine? I'm looking at a 280z engine/trans setup locally for $500, but with no guarantees other than it's not seized and was running two years ago. Can you share or PM what you paid for the motor and any details about it to get an idea of the local market?

The error in self-stamping the block by some Datsun/Nissan mechanic is plausible I suppose. If one noticed the mistake, they likely would not have told anyone or...told their supervisor and figured the owner would never know the difference. How many people know the block number on their new(er) daily driver nowadays? Not I. Lastly, I suppose if this was your conclusion, so be it. It just seems like an odd thing to mention to someone. But I also see it likely that your father (or anyone else's) may have forgotten about a surprisingly large repair bill 20+ years ago. I'm also trying to delve into the history of my '73 Z. The PO I bought mine from owned it for 36 years, bought it with around 40,000 miles from a Datsun dealership in VA. I keep trying to jog his memory of anything he has done to it. I have all the documentation, titles, warranty book, etc. My block matches my plate number. But is also has '72 four screw carbs, a header, four point roll bar, chrome rims, and a rear sway bar. Besides normal repairs and maintenance, PO swears the only thing he ever did was have the "crap-shot flat-tops" replaced with earlier versions and install aftermarket mirrors. Either way, it's fun to learn about the history of our cars. It's nice to hear yours is staying in the family.

Looks like I'm just going to pull the L24. With the entire driver's side of the engine disassembled, along with the starter, fuel rail, etc., I decided to go ahead and remove the three or four bolts to lift the motor right up and out. A full degreasing/painting of the engine will follow. I figure then it will be that much easier to remove dirt and grime from the engine bay. I think I'm leaning towards leaving the A/C intact. It is a dealer installed (my impression) York unit. I just don't like how messy it seems to make that side of my engine bay look. Not to mention I imagine the system adds a solid 60-90 pounds.

Welcome! Where in NC? Looks like you've got yourself a fun little project. I just bought my '73 240z in November. I enjoyed it for a month or so, and now have begun emptying the engine bay. I'm not sure where I want to go with the engine (have a numbers matching L24 but with '72 3 screw carbs) but I also picked up an E31 head along the way. I'd also like a track-friendly car...but plan on keeping a full interior with stereo, etc. We should keep each other in the loop; maybe meet up the next time our cars are on the road. Good luck and have fun.

I'm in Augusta, GA. Thought I'd take some time to show you guys where I'm at. I'm trying to not get too far ahead of myself buying parts, tearing it up, etc. Since I bought the car I've put about 300 miles on it. A complete joy to drive. It's funny how my Corvette costs 10 times more than the Z but the Z puts a bit wider smile on my face. It ran A LOT better after adjusting the valves and doing the minor work on the carbs. I bought the 240Z Tune Up video from Z Therapy and that's helping a lot too. The car has been on jack stands for a couple weeks now. I installed a Sony MP3 CD Player with iPod input and amp pre-outs. Also a Boss Powered Subwoofer I originally purchased for a different vehicle. It's about the size of an encyclopedia. The car has 4x6" speakers in the rear body panel from the 80s. I have Planet Audio 4x6" plate speakers to install. The front had 4" round speakers in the front kick panels (80s too) but one wasn't there so the fronts aren't hooked up yet. I replaced a blown blinker and map light bulb. Installed Sylvania "Cool Blue" headlights. Not sure how they look yet but are supposed to be a large improvement over standard headlights. I also have 55W fog lights to install, either below the bumper or the bumper bar. I replaced to used oil jug caps on the brake booster with new Tokico caps (the first item with a price that scared me). I installed a new Nissan Oil Pressure sending unit. This also solved a leak I had on that side of the engine. I soon realized that the engine bay was simply dirty. With some elbow grease the inner fenders, under the hood, etc., look as nice as the exterior paint. This led me to start to partially disassembling the engine for cleanup. I have a Pertronix 3 ohm coil which from what I understand will cause me to lose the ballast resistor. Soon to be installed. The distributor cap and points were new (2 years old and hardly used) so I'm keeping them on but readjusted the points gap. There was no smog equipment on the car. I took the carbs, linkage, intake, heat shield, header, and exhaust off. I've never worked with aluminum parts before, and it was amazing to see that a little bit of degreaser and a bench grinder with wire disk will do to old, dirty, oxidized aluminum. I have spent a couple hours cleaning the intake and balance bar. It is motivating to see how good they look. All hoses will be replaced. Most broke or would not break free during removal. I took pictures of everything on the way, to serve me when I put it back together. Here are some shots of the teardown so far: I'm going to get the header sand blasted and repaint it, then cure it on the car once the carbs are rebuilt. I purchased a NOS kit from Ebay, without directions unfortunately. I'm hoping with the FSM and mechanic's manual I'll be ok. I'm thinking about tracking down some SM needles. My next steps are to finish the tear down on the passenger's side. I removed the remainder of the water/coolant hose going around the engine. I removed battery hold down, battery, battery tray. Next step is to drop the starter/solenoid to clean and repaint it. The passenger's side is a lot messier thanks to the (factory?) A/C. For those of you who have been in my shoes, how did you deal with the original A/C on your car? I'm trying to be cheap nowaways due to the holidays and I've already amassed enough parts to keep me busy for a while. The PO told me the A/C works, it just needs to be recharged. I haven't tried it yet. It will be very difficult to degrease/repaint the block and leave all the A/C components (mostly the hoses are in the way) where they are. Advice? Tear it all out and leave it out? Tear it all out and put it back in? Leave it all in and work around it while cleaning that side?

This is Jeremy, one of the guys that test drove your car in front of the dog salon. Which coilovers did you use? The stance looks amazing.

Hello All, I got serious about buying a Z over the summer. I've been in love with them since I was about 8. I've been reading the forums for about six months and after test driving two found Layla three weeks ago. She's a two owner car, originally from VA but owned since 1976 from the guy I bought it from. He bought it from a Datsun dealership when it was three years old. He drove it around TX and TN in the 70s and 80s and into the 90s. 159,XXX original miles. He said the first owner installed a roll bar, chrome rims, and headers. I have all of his registrations and most documentation of stuff he's done to it. It has pretty much sat in storage for the past 10-15 years with him spending $2,000 a couple years ago (have receipts) trying to get it back on the road. He said this car has outlived any relationship he's ever had, and backed out of selling it to someone else once before. I'm not going to say I stole it, but he gave me one heck of a deal in my opinion including a military discount. Before I bought it I had it put on a lift and did a dry compression test on the engine. It is "virtually rust free," with the factory undercoating still on it. It was repainted 10 years ago in the factory silver color. There is a 3"x3" patch pop riveted onto the driver's side floor, and 2"x2" hole on the passengers side under the seat, likely from the A/C condensation. He told me he never looked under the car. Not necessarily believable, but I believe some people never do so. I also have the FSM and the Mechanic's manual, not sure what it's called, and the carb balance meter. There is also a 1.5" hole under the batter tray. The interior looks great in my opinion; it has a dashcap with one crack, seat covers, stock floor mats, brand new carpet otherwise. Headliner is original and looks great. The engine compression yielded 145-150 psi in all cylinders except one; 1st cylinder was 135. I would've liked higher numbers, but the engine has a good amount of miles so I'm happy at this point. When I test drove it, the car was a little sluggish, but the guy was just frustrated saying "it's not the car it used to be." He said his local mechanic refused to rebuilt the SUs. Since I've had it, I've done the following things: Things I've done thus far: - Castrol high mileage 10w-30 oil change with "engine restore," Lucas oil treatment, and sea foam. Normally I wouldn't put this many additives in, but the car has basically been sitting for 10 years. - Filled gas tank with 93 octane gasoline and fuel system cleaner to help burn off carbon deposits. (I think I'll go lower next tank) - Adjusted intake and exhaust valves to factory specifications. - Replaced rattling muffler with a Magnaflow Turbo XL model. - Replaced 2 year old champion spark plugs with Bosch platinum version. I wanted NGK plugs to go with my wires but they weren't in stock. Plugs were gapped at the higher end of the factory recommendation to accommodate for the higher octane fuel to 0.035". - Spent two hours cleaning the upper half of the carbs and balancing them to factory specs. I will rebuild them within two months. - Cleaned/degreaser valve cover. - Next steps are to put in new distributor points, condenser, and oil pressure sending unit. Flush transmission and rear end gear oil. Buy a timing light and dial in the timing. Replace/upgrade coil. I have been meaning to start this thread since I bought the car; I am behind so I'll be updating the progress I've already completed on a gradual basis. The pictures are after the things I did listed above. Thanks for reading.

My first post...thought I'd share. In my garage: 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Four Door (driving work in progress) 1973 Datsun 240Z (3rd owner, all original, new toy to work on / play with) In my driveway: 2000 Jeep Wrangler 2008 Chevrolet Corvette (post divorce gift; daily driver) I think most of us can agree we need/want more room.