Tony D

Curiously, that brings up the original plans for the 240Z---the original preproduction brochures sent to dealers in 1968/9 for ordering the 240 included the 'Sports' 240, a car with 175 HP and Triple Mikuinis. The Standard, lower trim level vehicle had the SU's. Due to emissions requirements that were instituted in 1967, and their continuing reinterpretation, the Mikuini Option was killed. This was one of the considerations for Toyota not bringing in the 2TG motor option here in the USA as well, while Canada got it...1600CC DOHC Four Cylinder with Dual Mikuini PHH carbs. Just like the Fairlady Roadsters that preceeded it, Nissan's conservative engineering and emissions policy doomed the good engine options to those areas outside the USA. The 432 continued on the track of 'ultimate performance' with 40PHH Mikuinis, and since the target market on the Z was nixed for the Mikuini Option, it was dropped altogether worldwide. Sad... So yes, considering the Mikuinis give roughly 15-20% more HP as stated by period literature from both Mikuini USA and Nissan (175 versus 150hp for instance) one must 'consider what NISSAN engineering chose when these cars were in development' If you only consider production you rule out the choices the engineers made, and settle for what the Government Regulations Dictated. Saying the SU's were the choice of engineering is somewhat of a mis-statement. The SU's were what was setteled upon for price point and more importantly long term emissions sustainability. Frankly, Nissan didn't trust technicians in the USA could perform the upkeep properly...and they were probably correct.

Well, I'll chime in here now as well, as a question was posed, and not answered. Carl Beck Wrote: "Lets face it, can you plug your P.C. into your Jetronic System and reprogram the fuel maps, adjust the volumes and air/fuel ratios to account for different engine displacements, head flow rates, new cam profiles, or different spark timing curves?" Actually, yes you can! With the new Nisstune Program, and the Z31 System (an altered Bosch-Tronic Derivative) you indeed can program most any parameter you want on the stock Nissan ECU. The real answer to the question "Should I install 280ZX EFI on my 240" shoulde be "NO, use the Z31 System instead!" it gives you integrated Spark and fuel management, as well as a Mass Airflow Sensor that meters actual airflow through the engine, self compensating to a great degree for any N/A engine situation, from an L24 through and to 12psi of boost on an L28. And with the Nisstune allowing you to remap the fuel and spark (Jeff Priddy is well over 480HP to the rear wheels using this box...definately outside 'stock parameters') you get OEM reliability in componentry, along with similar adjustability to Standalones. The standalones do have their part to play. But for a low-bucks junkyard swap, the Z31 takes some electrical familiarity and some conversion of components, but it's FAR ahead of the first-generation of even the 280ZXT ECCS, much less the simpler EFI used on earlier cars. You guys talk about how difficult a swap it is, back in the 80's swapping Datsun 280Z EFI onto Chevrolet Corvairs was a BIG deal! You think swapping a head or running a fuel return line is difficult, wrap your heads around using that 280Z system on an air cooled Chevrolet Engine! As KTM said, Megasquirt has opened a lot of different avenues for Throttle Body injection on these engines so no machining is required. There is another system currently out there marketed through several niche vendors that utilizes a unique Puleswidth Modulated Fuel Pump Control which uses a fuel pressure sensor to keep fuel pressure by varying the speed of the pump making a return line UNREQUIRED, and the system is designed specifically for older carburetted cars that do NOT have a fuel return line! Their pump controller works on a fuel pump large enough to supply a 500HP fuel demand...so that about has 99.999% of us L-6 Datsun guys covered!

Bringing in a 78 280Z is not a problem. You simply have it smogged, if it passes then any time in the next 90 days you will be able to register it like any other car. Just make sure if he pays taxes on the sale in Oregon, that he keeps the receipt. California will hit you for sales tax on the ENTIRE purchase price when it enters the state (hint hint) Many of the things done in years past to cars have been declared illegal (smog offset fees, etc), and now basically as long as the vehicle has at least 2500 miles on it when it enters the state, they can't stop it. The Smog Tech should smog it to 'Federal Standards', on a rolling road dyno most likely, as Pomona is a non-attainment SCAQMD area. Crestline may have different smog requirements, but generally if you are down south, you will dyno smog check. I lived in the last SoCal "idle and 2500 rpms smog check" Zip Code...sucked when that changed. Damned Yuppies moving in and Orange Groves getting "Loraxed" out of existence! I'd not even register it in Oregon. I'd buy it and get a 'trip permit' to travel to California and simply pay taxes and registration ONCE! Anyway, as long as you have a signed title to the vehicle, a current SMOG certificate on file with Sacramento, a California Address, fill out the application for Title and Initial Registration and pays your fees you should be good. For a "$100" car, total fees minus Smog Check and Smog Certificate, initial registration should be no more than $140 or so. Renewal should be in the $40-$50 range depending on local fees and taxes added on to your registration bill. They WILL send a title and registration to an out-of-state address as well. I have sold several vehicles where the owner registered it for the year, and drove it back East. He got his plates and registration right there at the DMV, and his California Title showed up in Delaware two or three weeks later, with his Del addy on it! Oh, and he re-registered it in Delaware immediately upon receipt of the title... I run Triathalons, too! BTW: If you are in CA, and your son is in Oregon, you can get a California "One Trip Permit" at the DMV for something like $15 and mail it up to him. This will act as his registration for transport of the vehicle to the state for the purpose of registration. I have seen some guys buy a one-trip, then they never fill it out. If they get stopped, they plead stupidity to the CHP, fill it out on the spot, and then drive on. Basically it gives them a 'drive it till you're caught permit'...but it's illegal as heck, and I would never do that...personally. Did I mention I run Triathalons, too?

I'll chime in on impressions between Fairlady Z and 240, as my introduction was when I bought my 1975 Fairlady Z-S in Okinawa. I really got used to this car, and wanted to ship it back to the USA on completion of my tour of duty, but alas that was not to be... So I bought a US Spec 240Z almost immediately upon returning to the USA. My first impressions upon driving the US model was immediately 'something is wrong!' The car was a wallowing pig, the throttle response was numb, and the car just did not seem to accelerate like my 2-Litre Fairlady Z-S! I tuned and tuned, but nothing I did got rid of that 'wallowing disconnected pig' feel of the US car. Eventually, I found a 3.7 gearset, and the acceleration started to pick up, and when my suspension off a 73 Fairlady Z arrived in my home baggage, I installed it and realised there was a distinct difference between Japan Market and US Market suspensions. But there was still the little things: The plastic mats in the Z-S and no jute underneath, no layers and layers of sound deadening under the mats at all in that Z-S. And the doors...oh, those 73 240Z Doors....my gawd! They weighed a TON in comparison, and compared to the tinny sound when closed on my 75 Z-S, they sounded like Caddillac Coupe DeVille portals. I reworked my 73 pretty radically, and got it the way I wanted it. Since living back in the USA for many years now, I recently bought a 1976 Fairlady Z-S model again...EFI and those wonderful Plastic Mats. In a 2/2! With a transplanted L28, and BONE STOCK that Fairlady Z 2/2 is a full second quicker than ANY of my 280Z Coupes! That thing cranks out consistent 15.50 quarter mile sprints, while the 280Z coupes I have run simply slog along in the mid 16's... It's a nimble car, 'numb' is a good discriptor when comparing the US and JDM models for sure. When Frank 280ZX came over and was driving my wife's 260Z with poly bushings all 'round, he commented on it's 'wallowing' tendencies as well. And that was compared to his Eurospec 260Z 2+2. Frankly, the USA did not finance the rest of the world's 'good bits', it's a matter of marketing. Mr. K has said many time 'Americans like to Drive their Barcalounger down the Highway' and sadly he has hit the nail on the head. The numb disconnected feel is what a LOT of the motoring public in the USA wanted in the 70's. The Caddillac Coupe DeVille was considered a 'personal motoring conveyance'...you could fit a whole African Village in the boot! In 1972 cars like the Chrysler Newport were selling like hotcakes. I remember getting sick in the back of my Uncle's Buick...seasick. "Road Barge" has apt meaning. The marketing department holds much sway, and they soften up things to a very big extent. Ever wonder why Ford Seatbelts tend ot hang out the door and get caught when you close without checking? Consumer Feedback from manny females say the pretensioners are 'much too tight' and cause 'chafing'. Putting a lambswool piece on the belt and properly tensioning the spring costs more than simply using a weaker spring...and by the time that weaker spring starts sagging, it's out of warranty and out of mind... I'm digressing on a rant against the US specifications, so I'll stop now. But as someone who was introduced to a JDM Z-S model, when I got my similar vintage US Spec 240, it was a sad letdown from what I was expecting.

76 280Z you say?

Same here, Probably will be at the Empire Z show on Saturday, and then the Cal Speedway event on Sunday. This is exactly the kind of trouble I try to explain to guys fortunate enough to have salt on the roads and six months of the year when snow blankets the earth and they don't drive their Z's! It really is hell trying to find time to work on the car when there is a show or driving event literally everyweekend of the year! Oh, to have the luxury of being able to just work on the car every weekend and after work for three to six months straight! Muahahahaha!

S20 is definately a no-no. Everything says only slightly more than 400 were produced over a several year span, and for production acceptance you need 500 in a given year. But I may have jumped the gun. Things have taken a bizzare twist, and the American-Centric contingent has started speaking up using (if you can believe this) Ford Roadsters as a reference point. They may actually now segregate the S30's into "JDM" and "US" specification. I don't know WHAT they will do about UK or other market versions... I am now sending out e-mail after e-mail frantically trying to keep logic in the mix. I can see the argument against allowing it on a 2+2, or even a 280Z...but they are now considering restricting it to RHD only. And then only if someone can prove it came with it from the factory. I had heard about the "Anti-Japanese, Pro-American Bias" on the board, and it is now seeming to rear it's head at the last hour. Education goes only so far. I'll stop there before I get in trouble.

If you have the proper Mikuini on the first position (nearest distributor) it will have a small vacuum advance port for the distributor to hook to...this was available on the Mikuini Kits, and was the reason the part number was different for the first carburettor than the other two. The Toyota Mikuinis used on 2TG and 18RG DOHC Fours also had this brass tube right in the carburettor as well. It is one of the reasons the Mikuinis are superior for daily use compared to Webers. As for 3/4 Race, the rationale was always explained to me that duration was at least 270 degrees of EFFECTIVE lift to get '3/4 Race' as in the old days, if you have a V8 with duration like that, it was pretty radical, but not a 308 or 310 duration cam. Incidentally, most of those 308 and 310 degree cams when checked at 0.050" will come in around 260-270 degrees effective duration...coincidence? I think not. As for "Stage 1" and the rest, it's all marketing gibberish. Nothing more. There is no standard, it's a made up set of criteria from whoever packaged the stuff in the first place, and is a ploy to sell you more stuff in a lump rather than piecemeal. Hopefully they have done their homework and packaged compatible peices...but that may be a stretch. To get to it, stick with standard engineering terminology with all it's specifications and qualifications and you won't be steered wrong. The first thing Engineers do is DEFINE TERMS so there is no question what is meant. If people can't explain what they are selling you, and why you need it (other than to say something like 'it's the Stage One Upgrade Package) then you should really consider going someplace else for your parts and performance upgrades! BTW, it is possible to add the vacuum tube to a Mikuini, but you need a good drill press (Bridgeport Mill ideally), steady hands, some precision reamers, and microdrills for the actual wall penetration at the throttle plate area. It's been done, but if you are running 40's, there are tons of Toyota Carb Bodies out there you can swap your guts into and run like that. Heck, I may even have a spare...

AN UPDATE TO OUR G-NOSE ISSUES: I got this e-mail on Friday, but was travelling and could not respond. "There will be some discussion tonight... Most of the committee agreed or suggested we not allow the nose in Production, GC and Altered... We may do a rewrite to exclude noses other than stock because it gets too confusing at best for the officials and entrants...... Board Meeting tonight at Dad Millers" This got me kind of set back, thinking they were going to totally knock the G-Nose out of competition, so with 'great flair and diplomacy' I got out the big guns, and mentioned Alan Thomas' reputation, his owning of the only documented ZG in the UK, and that he supplied me with the photos. I then retransmitted the 73 Magazine Photos from above, explaining again the FIA 500 car requirements, as well as accepted 'production status' amongst Z-Owners worldwide. I also explained the differences in US and Japan bumper regulations, and just to throw it in called notice to the fact that the car on the podium as a 'fuel injected 2+2' which did not appear but in two markets: USA and JDM. "This was the equivalent of the 280Z 2+2 for the USA, as everywhere else in the world, they got the 260Z. This is no different than a Camaro, Firebird, or Firebird Trans-Am...all the same car, just different trim levels and names. They are all F-Bodies, and these are all Z-Cars. Not to put too fine a point on it, but with the above reply, I was worried about ANY person with an Early Z-Car not being allowed to use the G-Nose. At this point, it was more to allow the Coupe Guys to run it if they so chose---a fight for general S30 Owners who want to contest land speed records at all, and not just 'my fight'. Well, the lady with the Blue Car seemed to have done it; as quickly afterward I received this reply, (my emphasis added) along with it being sent to all members of the Rules Committee. Bobby is the 'lead man' and Chief Scrutineer/Steward so his recommendation carrys much weight: "After Tony sent me this email, the fact that the car was delivered from the factory with the G nose on the Fairlady, I totally have NO problem with him running the G nose..... I told Tony to put all this data in a 3 ring binder and keep it with his car.... Let him run it ....." A THOUSAND THANKS TO ALAN THOMAS! Without his photographs there is probably no way they would have changed their minds! Thanks to all who added items to this thread, I purloined the "ZG" Catalog page and had sent it along previously, and offerred that I have a hard copy that I can present to them upon request (though mine is a 72 version). For quick E-Transmission, this was also helpful. Thanks to you all, hopefully this will be the end of it!

Any Block Will Accomodate the LD28 Crank. It's just commonly done in the L28 block as it maximizes displacement. And from a longevity standpoint, the EARLIER N42 Blocks from the 280Z are prefereable if you are overboring, as the F54 blocks are not as amenable (casting wall thickness) to the radical overbores many people want to accomplish. In the 80's, the JDM preference was to use the older N42 blocks for this reason, and today that still holds true. The N42's take big boring better.

Something about being sued for trademark or service name infringement, no doubt! Drove through Devore and past the Arrowhead fire going up the backside of the Mountians to Lone Pine.Nice and clear up here, but I will have to find my way back through this mess on the way back home Wednesday or Thursday... Truck felt a lot more stable today driving through the winds with 1800# of tool boxes in the bed than it did Sunday driving the same route through Cajon Pass with the bed empty to and from El Mirage...

That's a strong L20A at 101RWHP! Normally they spin up 70-80 hp... I know, mine was 97 rwhp, and the dyno operator in Japan was shocked. Those Laurels are cool cars. My buddy in Japan had one with an HKS Turbo Conversion on a built 3 liter. Running down the street boosting and lifting it was the perfect 'stealth vehicle'...looked sedate, but had the heart of a killer Z! He sold it an put the engine in a Cedric that we converted to a Five Speed. Think 'Impala SS, JDM Style' ROMAFLOL.... Ahhh the things I did when I was younger!

#51 has been up for some while as well, along with a donor car with a VIN in the low 200's I believe. Sold as a set.

1976 280Z 2+2 running JDM L20A inline six cylinder of 1998cc displacement in G/PRO: Bad Day, Missed Shift. Bad Shifts, but Best Speed. Sounds Best, but not the fastest.

Nope, that is my photo. I'm not a 'photo poacher' without giving due credit! Matter of fact, I see Alan is in the thread now, he even got credit for some 'thumbnail sized photos' in the GroupZ Newsletter this month (off the ZG Production Thread in the History Forum). The owner is from Ventura CA, and has a passion for microcars, he has all sorts of little Bantams, etc. I can get more information on the car/owner if you like. It will take some time, as I'm moving around with work, and don't have the time to sit down and get particulars as much as I'd like. I know he bought the car in Texas/Louisiana, and moved it out of the area to his location slightly before Hurricane Katrina. It's a neat old car, to be sure. I liked the 'Body By Nissan' tag on the coachwork---just like the old "GM" practice of 'Body by Fischer' on the scuff plates of most of the passenger cars GM Made. Old Fischer Body...I was born not too far from there. But the main thing was the car was a Datsun Phaeton... Nissan at the time was simply still a supplier. Datsun was actually making complete vehicles (though supplied through their supplier network.) Curious how things change over time... Loose heritage and loose soul, all over ego. How truly sad that is...

Dang, looks like the car in my avatar...36 DATSUN Phaeton (Body By Nissan)...

I was informed last evening that the decision should be ready / completed during the September 21st Rules Committee Meeting. I have been given another contact name to enquire as to if my attendance at the meeting will be allowed, and if 'rebuttal' will be required. Curiously, since protesting us, the sod that winged has not shown for a single meet save the one where the lodged the protest. Sunday had 2-7 mph tailwinds, and cars were running at least 3mph faster than their previous bests. Undoubtedly the record would have been ours had we chosen to run. Burned before , so we're still waiting. We still will have decent placement for running in the top 100 in October, and our concerted efforts will be in November...hopefully the breeze kicks up then, as well!

Someone else who gets regular telephone solicitations from the Terps, huh? My wife and I both were UM College students while I was stationed in Okinawa. Taking Dr. Warners 'The Okinawan War' course was an eerie adjunct when you realize you live on "H" Beach! Then again, having the knowledge to start hoppin' down the sidewalk with your feet together, arms outstretched, when you're covered head-to-toe with Bondo Dust after a long day at the hobby shop working on the Z....making carloads of young, superstitious Japanese Girls Shriek "Kyonji!" and speed away is worth all those hours, right? (Myths and Legends of the Ryukyu Islands...typical UMC Class, right??? Hell, we even named our cat "Kijimunna" for the little mischevious spirits that make all those unexplainable little accidents happen---the Japanese Equivalent of "Gremlins" I suppose...) So what goes, is Lenny going to be retiring this year? Time for a New ZCCSD Prez, will that be you?

I have four of those, and use them for 'rollers' when I take the car into the shop for painting. In the meanwhile, they deflate and take up less space than normal tire-rim sets back in the storage shed...

The difference between S30 and S130 is front-steer and rear-steer. If you swap the racks, when you turn left, you go right! If you get a RHD S130 rack, and put it into a LHD S30, you wil at least have the correct dyunamic for tie-rod motion as you have swapped the rack end-for-end (upside down) and that will make the rods go the right way with the steering input given. But I think the Subie Rack is an easier way to go. That appears to be what yellazed is showing in his photos. Yes, the US Market S130's (280ZX) did get power steering in the later models.

I have to ask the exact same question: Why, what makes the earlier carbs "Superior"? The fact that their full throttle and idle miztures are inexorably linked, so that you can't adjust one from the other without custom retapering of the needle? The fact that the earlier carbs have no provisions for extra enrichment under load, so you have to adjust them for worst case scenario and then live with sub-optimal miztures the rest of the time? Or is it simply the fact that you can screw the knob on the bottom of the carburettor to make a jet adjustment? How often are you doing that...really? A main jet adjustment is not something that normally requires resetting at every turn if it's close to the correct range... So what, exactly makes them 'inferior (completely)' compared to the earlier carbs? Have you ever even worked on a set of Flat-Tops? Are you aware that the HIF-6 Flat Top is a preferred carburettor to the round tops when available for the application? Separate circuits for idle and main jet are the primary reason there, and jet adjustment on those is via screwdriver instead of pin spanner. The hitachi Flat Tops are a Hybrid HIF6 Carburettor. But again, I'm awaiting exactly why you claim the things you are claiming. Give us examples. We have given you two good reasons as to why they are not inferior.

With all you guys taking off functional 73 Carbs, and my standing offer to pay for shipping to relieve you of them...I'm offended nobody has taken me up on it. I paypal right away so you can ship quickly! P.M. me if you're not interested in those old boat anchors. Seriously guys, I'll take them off your hands!

I'll gladly pay shipping for any 73 Flat Tops anybody wants to discard my way, maybe even pay a couple of bucks too... Literally 'a couple'... Shipping costs more... PM Me for Address and shipping information.

I don't recall any electric media advertizing for the restoration program, itwas big word of mouth in the automotive journalist set for the most part. My thought was it was a very well produced student effort, and nothing Nissan did at all. It's a Cal Car, and the tag plate is visible, with the right connections one could contact the owner and see what the deal was regarding the usage of his car in a recent film endeavour. "4SQJ330"

A punch the size of the input shaft---I have used a hardwood dowell in apinch, and sopping wet toilet paper pushed into the hole---whap the dowel, and the toilet paper will act just like the grease and push the bushing out hydraulically. I have also tapped the bushing, and used a bolt threading it in after packing the backside with either grease or wet toilet paper. Hydraulic pressure or the threading will bottom out and push it out eventually. I have never had good luck with the dedicated 'puller' type tools. Unless you have one you can really secure on the lip of the bushing they tend to 'mush' together, and slip out the center hole. I have had luck threading the bushing and using a slidehammer, though. Many different techniques! They all will work if you are careful...