Ben

The 'ex' Zoom 'Project Zed Philes' car certainly has the goods when it comes to the mechanicals. You couldn't build it for $18k, but you can insure it for more than $15k. My '73 (see avatar) has no engine/gearbox/interior & is currently insured with Shannons for $15k on a 'laid-up' policy. I have discussed the final agreed value with them & it will be around $30k when it's finished (including salvage rights). I was a little dissapointed in the bodywork on the project car though - its was a respray job (not a restoration), the rails/floor look pretty average (as does the engine bay). You can also bet your $18k that it has been used to it's fullest potential by the Zoom team. Afterall the build $$$ came from more than one individuals wallet. And you saw how the project Excel (Accent) went up in smoke after 15psi of supercharger was applied... Another thing is that everyone who has read the mag would know the car - and all it's details. It _could_ be a theft target, but hey, you're in Sydney & everyone steals WRX's there . I'm not suggesting a 'steer-clear', but I'd want a close look at the car to make sure that it is worth the sum of it's parts. You can get a Z32TT for the same $$$, but you would probably have to spend a few grand to get it up to scratch. If you do buy it, I ain't challenging you to a traffic-light drag until my L31TT is finished...

It's taken me several visits just to read all of the posts in this thread!! Now that's done, I'll add my bit. My dad has already given a brief introduction, and it's his fault that I'm stuck spending all my disposable income on my Datsuns I'm 25, not married (can't afford it - too many cars), but not single. I'm an IT Consultant & live in Adelaide, South Australia. My '73 240Z was my first car - purchased in early 1996. Since then, it's gone completely out of control. The full restoration will get completed one-day soon (it's been 3-years so far). In the meantime, I've bought another '73 (the one Dad's currently restoring), 2 R-30 Skylines & a 910 wagon. I'm currently channelling funds towards my newest Skyline, a 1983 DR-30 RS-X Turbo. Once that's painted & brought up-to-scratch, it'll be back to the Zed. To clarify - the Skylines are nice, but they're NOT a 240Z I find it very motivational to participate in sites such as this one. It also keeps the Z cravings at bay - that & the fact that I have friends with Z's.

I've put over 230HP through a stock (but rebuilt) 3.90 R180. That power is enough to bag the rears at 50mph on the 1st-2nd gearchange @ 6000rpm through the auto. No problems whatsoever. I've used the same combination in my ~220HP Skyline & split a spider gear while gently accelerating behind another vehicle. I turns out that the spider gear had been cracked for a long time (before I bought the car), so it was a matter of when, not if. The car now runs a 3.54 R180, with zero problems. My 240Z will get a R180 with a Quaife LSD & I expect that to handle 400HP with no complaints.

Before turbocharging my R30 Skyline, I had dyno runs done with both the L24E & L28E motors. The runs were done on a Dyno-Dynamics rolling-road dyno. The drive train in my car was as follows: 3N71B transmission, in 2nd gear 3.90 R180 195x60x15 tyres L24E - 62kW L28E - 68kW The L28E had more torque, & the L24E peaked in HP higher in the rpms. The L28ET was 125kW.... I will shortly be doing another run with a standard FJ20DET, so we'll see how that compares.

$150 for a complete, good L28ET is a bargain. This is a simple reply, but your best bet is to rebuild the L28ET & stick it in your 240Z with the factory ECU & really 'enjoy the ride'. A turbo requires exhaust gas to function (and lots of it) so there isn't really a way of turning a turbo 'off'. But if you don't press the loud pedal too hard, you won't 'use' the extra power that the engine can produce. Every car I've owned has received a turbo kit. It is efficient, cheap(cheaper than the same power output in a NA motor), reliable & good fun. I was getting the same fuel consumption from my '73 240Z with the EFI & turbo kit as I was getting with the twin carbs. RWHP was DOUBLE & RW torque was TRIPLE that of the standard motor. I run a 'milder' setup in my Skyline with an L28 & the RWHP is still double the factory L24E. I have more RWHP at 3000rpm (~50km/h in 2nd) with the L28ET than I had peak output with the factory L24E (~62kW). I also get ~12L/100 km fuel consumption (better than the L24E), partially as the extra power has allowed me to run a 3.54 diff, up from the standard 3.90. I can still do the 0-60 in ~6s... You _can_ make the turbo work with carbs (that's the way it was done with the early turbo kits). But times have changed & you are best advised to use EFI.

yeah, I forgot about the dipstick.... you will have to mod it if the block/pan don't 'match'.

All 6-cylinder pans will fit all 6-cylinders (if you get what I mean). But... Depending on the application, the acual sump 'bowl' will be in a different place, as will the pickup point. You will notice that there are 2 locations on the block where the pickup gallery could be drilled. So if your new engine has the pickup in the wrong place, simply extend your existing one. I had to do this when I fitted an L28 to my Skyline, the car it came from had the bowl at the back & the Skyline has it at the front.

That's not 'strictly' true.... The Z432-R came with factory lightweight magnesium-alloy wheels (and perspex windows, lighter panels etc). You could also say that any wheel that was homologated by Nissan was a factory wheel, which would probably include RS-Wantanabe's of various sizes. But as far as the 'standard' Z-Car is concerned, it was steel wheels until the 260Z in '74.

Cheers, I spoke with my diff-man tonight & we are going to go for ~70ft/lbs. However due to the sensitivity of the shimming, it could end up a llitle more or less. Hopefully with this setting the car will still be quite civil in low speed turns. I'm trying to resist modifying this car....

I've just bought a DR-30 RS-X Turbo Skyline & the R-200 LSD doesn't. I've currently got the back gover off & there are no metal partices in the housing, so I'm assuming it's just worn out & needs new clutch packs. The question is, standard breakaway is 45ft/lb & infomation that I have says that more breakaway is desirable. Should I get it tightened up, and if so, how much? The car will be a daily driver, but since the diff needs re-building anyway, I'd rather get this right now & not have to pull it out again in 6 months time.

Mike, that last one sounds like my car....

It was written by Walter Fath from the Sydney Z-Car Club. I obtained a copy from him August 1998, before it was publicly available & it is my understanding that it's on the money as far as accuracy is concerned. Bear in mind that you can select invalid combinations (KA24E pistons, L20A rods & L24 block for example) & get very interesting results. Even when using 'wrong' selections, you can still use them as a baseline for pin height, rod length, etc. I expect Walter is still on the IZCC mailing list, but it's been a while since I've heard from him. Ben Adelaide, South Australia

In Australia the '73 240Z had the indicators located on top of the bumper (as per the Euro cars). They are NLA from Nissan Australia & one of mine has a cracked lens, so I'm going to run orange globes in the parking lights & run integral parkers in the H4 main beams.... Ben Adelaide, South Australiapicture of my 240z at bottom of page