Gareth

I live in Europe, and Opel GTs are much more common here than in the States. Most of them came with Opel's trusty old CIH engines, which are plentiful (they were used in many models), reliable and easy to modify. Late in the 80s, Opel introduced a family of 1996cc, DOHC, 150HP C20XE engines, which originally came in Opel Kaddet GSi (American Pontiac Le Mans, if I remember correctly). With some mods, they can be fitted to RWD platforms, such as the GT. American GM Ecotec engines may also be a good alternative for the factory powerplant - they already proved their potential in the FWD drag racing scene. If I were to choose between the Datsun and the Opel, I'd take the 240Z anytime. It is faster, handles better (IRS vs. Opel's solid axle taken straight from the Kadett C / Vauxhall Chevette / Chevy Chevette), is a better engine swap candidate, and... It's Japanese.

Thanks for the replies guys. The detailed cam specs are: Duration - 296 deg. Lift - 8,4mm Lobe separation angle - 106 deg. VC (what does this stand for?) - 31 (?) This is the most I could find. Is there anything else that I should know? As for the carbs, even if the Solexes will be too small for that cam, I am going to experiment with motorcycle carbs of different sizes. I already have two sets of three single choke Mikuni carbs, taken off a 900cc Triumph bike. I have access to different motorcycle parts, so it shouldn't be a problem to get a sufficient fuel system for my L28.

Hello, I am building a hot street N42 L28 for my 240Z, and I need to choose a right cam for it. I am considering a 296 duration / 8,4 lift grind. Would this be too much for a semi street/track car? The Z is generally prepared for track action (10 point rollcage, stiff suspension and so on, I'm ordering Arizona Z Car brake kit in a few days), so it should easily handle the extra power. The basic specs of the engine are: - N42/N42 L28 - modified head - new springs, valves, guides, seats, seals, lashes, HG etc. - forged pistons (10,5-11:1 compression) - stock rods and crank, strenghened bolts and bearings - lightweight flywheel, performance clutch, Quaife LSD - triple Solex 40mm carbs on a Kameari manifold - 6-1 headers, 2,5" exhaust If not the 296, what would you recommend? Thanks in advance. Tony

Happy birthday Paul!

I have to change my underwear... That is gorgeous!

If so, then we could arrange for a group shipment to, say, Stockholm or Hamburg. I think I could find a few people who'd be interested. That way, we would make some savings on container prices. If you're interested, PM me.

Sorry to go off topic, but who cares about the stock power output? Frankly speaking, borht 2JZ and RB26 are great engines, and the only true difference between them are the markets they were sold on, which equates to better or worse parts availability. Another problem could be the left/right exhaust routing, so it depends where you live. RB26's natural home is Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain etc., while the 2JZ is popular everywhere else - this is where we should thank Toyota for making the MkIV Supra available worldwide...

Nah, N42 is 86mm bore... Are there any L28s available in Finland? I found my L28 in Germany for a grand total of 45,50€.

A entirely stock L26 engine with a P90 head should have a compression ratio of 7,3:1. I think that's too low for you, and 8-8,5:1 should be quite safe with your 98 octane petrol. I'd get a set of forged pistons even before you drop the turbo in, just for safety. For the power you're aiming for, stock manifolds should be OK. I'm not sure about the strength of the L26 internals, but if I were you, I'd upgrade everything that's within your financial capabilities. Good luck! Tony

Um... Anyone?

Good job Sulio, I like it!

Hello, a few weeks ago I got a smoking deal on a N42/N42 longblock on German eBay (it cost me roughly 45 euro ~ 63 bucks), and I fetched it without hesitation. Now the block is in my garage, waiting to be completely rebuilt. I am not in a rush, because the factory L24 is going to stay in my Z for a while. I thought of a few options: - rebuild it, overbore slightly (0,5mm), throw in some aftermarket pistons and a decent street cam, bump the compression, rework the head, use at least 45mm carbs (Weber DCOE?), get a lightweight flywheel and pulleys - as above plus an LD28 crank (I should be able to source a complete LD28 for pretty cheap), 240Z 9mm rods, 2mm or 3mm overbore with appropriate pistons - as above plus a complete LD28 block and even longer rods for a decent rod/stroke ratio - leave it for better times and make it a gazillion-HP L-series monster (yeah right...) I would like to stay NA, and I don't want to make it too much of a race engine. At first I thought that option no. 1 was the most reasonable one, but considering the fact that I may have a source of a complete LD28, the 240Z rods are in my L24, and either way I'm eventually going to buy an aftermarket piston set, wouldn't it be wiser to go the stroker way? I was also considering the LD28 block idea, but I'm afraid of the differences in lubrication and the need to drill the head for 12mm bolts. I'd also have to resleeve the block, because of LD28's smallish bore. Another question is, what kind of headwork will I need in both cases? My N42 should be the same N42 as in the US, but it came out of a 280ZX - I suppose they were factory equipment on Euro S130s (I've seen at least three different Euro ZXs with N42s). I read some FAQs and BRAAPs posts, such as this one: If the N42 is the best maximum effort race head, then should I slightly redo it, or leave it on a shelf and search for something else (my factory E88, Maxima N47, 280ZX P79 or P90)? If I should leave the N42 as-is, then what mods should I do to it? Thanks in advance. This forum is great! Tony

Hello, I'm currently searching for some info about VH engines, and after reading different articles about VH41/45 differences I got confused. Are there any external differences in both engines? I know that the following parts may be different: - starter motor (mounted on left or right side of the block, depending on the steering column position - which one's better for a LHD car? Can they be swapped?) - single chain (45) vs. double chain (41) - plastic chain guides (45) vs. metal chain guides (41) - square port heads (45) vs. round port heads (41) - intake manifold (?) Can anyone confirm this? Does the 41 block have lower deck height? Thanks in advance. Tony

+1! In a RHD car, there is a lot more room for a decent turbo on the left side of the engine bay (think L28 TT or RB26 ) I'd do it Wangan style, with G-nose, ZG flares, very wide Watanabes and so on.

Black centre with polished lip... That's a killer combo!

Hey Ian, glad to see you here! As for the motor mounts, the 1JZ mounts should be the same as in 2JZ swapped cars. Mike a.k.a. Z-Gad posted some pictures of a 2JZ longblock mounted in his 240Z's engine bay. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=123611 Additionally, RUSSJZ-ZED has a 260Z-1JZ, here's his album on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/russjz-zed/ There are specific motor mount pictures there, and I don't think they differ in RHD and LHD cars (Russ' car is an Australian market 260Z, meaning it is RHD). Hope this was a bit of help. Tony (aka Darkstar from classiczcars.com forum)

Thanks for the info!

Aux, I'm a rotary novice, so please, don't hurt me... The 20B is basically a 13B with an extra rotor and a longer eccentric shaft. If so, is it possible to fit a 20B using the original 13B mounts? I read a few articles with 20B-swapped RX-7s, and they all used custom (or modified) subframes. Another question - is the 20B much longer than 13B, i.e. will it fit behind the shock towers if mounted close to the firewall? It's sucha a pity that there are no rotary specialists in my area... Rotaries are usually swapped out in favor of conventional piston engines, and Wankel powered cars are becoming rare these days. I once drove a carbed 12A RX-7, and I instantly fell in love with the engine. I've been thinking about a rotary in a Z ever since...

That's a good point, although I'd say that because you have less inertia from the pistons moving at high speed, it is less likely for the crank or rods to break, because of the smaller forces that are generated during the crank's rotational movement. I suppose that a combination of lightweight internals (light forged pistons, titanium rods, knife-edged crank) with a normal (read: quite heavy, to compensate for less rotational weight) flywheel should make the engine both stronger (especially during high RPM operation) and streetable (that'd be because of the moderately heavy flywheel).

Alan, thank you so much! I'll check the details you mentioned. The car is completely disassembled, which should also make the production date search easier. Thanks! To tell you the truth, I accidentally found it on the Internet, on some Swiss website - the seller was in the classic car bussiness, so he knew what he was selling. Thankfully, he was such a nice guy that he gave me a better price, and left some original spare parts in the car... It seems that Euro (HLS30, not the British HS30s) models are quite rare. According to Zhome.com (I don't know if it's a reliable source, I remember Alan correcting some misleading info from that on classiczcars.com forum) only 89 were exported to Europe in '71. Not many of them are left... Tony

Hi everyone, my car is a Euro 240Z, which was bought new in Switzerland in a Datsun dealership on June 13th, 1973. The car's chassis number is HLS30 52689, which means that it's a series II 240Z. I read in the car's papers that it was also built in 1973, but as far as I know there are younger USDM cars that have higher chassis numbers (I went through the "Roll Call S30" topic, and some US owners have younger cars with higher chassis no's). While I know that the US cars were a completely different story than the Euro cars, is it possible that my car no. 52689 is a '73? All Euro cars had round-top SU carbs. My car has a E88 head, and I'm almost sure that this is the one it came with from the factory (I don't know if the Euro Zs had E31 heads). Can this be a '72 or '71 model? Tony

Flatline, I bought my car in Switzerland for MUCH more than the 260Z's owner is asking (in fact it was 3000€ for a mostly rust-free car), so this one is a bargain, especially if you compare it to most European Datsun prices. If I were you, I'd take it RIGHT now. Euro-spec 240, 260 and 280Zs are RARE, and this one looks like a perfect starting point for a restomod project. I went through the same searching process, and I know what it means to decide if the car is worth the money... Luckily, the owner was honest, and the car was in very good shape. So, good luck with "your" Z! Regards, Tony.

Exactly, the Euro cars got the same FS5W71A gearbox as the UK and Japanese models, and a 3,90:1 R180 diff... But, as far as I remember, the US 4-speed has shorter ratios than the 5-speed, if combined with the same differential ratio. It seems that this car needs some care. Somebody from here should buy it! Lightweight '69 body with a thumpin' Hybrid motor under the bonnet? Mhm...

Alright, that gives me some hope... Back to the SR20 vs. L28ET debate - it all depends on the way the car will be used. For an AutoX-trackday special I'd use the SR20. For everyday driving, weekend drags and some AutoX events, I'd go L28ET. It's obvious that the lightweight SR20 would help the ZX handle bettter, and with bolt-on mods it should have sufficient power. It is easy to make 300 flywheel HP with just a better exhaust, fuel pump, intercooler, piggyback ECU (like PerfectPower SMT6), BOV and a manual boost controller. L28ET should be able to make just as much, while retaining much more low end torque. SR20 Pros: - VERY popular - readily available - aftermarket parts are plentiful - many tuners have experience with them - easy to modify to over 300 flywheel HP - weigh as much as a feather (at least in comparison to L-gata blocks) Cons: - parts are sometimes expensive - some custom fabrication would be required - installation would be more difficult and more expensive - it's a 4 cylinder - don't have to say more L28 Pros: - popular - cheap - readily available at some junkyards, and sometimes in complete (that's important) donor cars - easy to modify (slapping in a T3/T4, decent exhaust, IC, MBC, BOV, fuel system components and engine management should be enough to make the ZX fly) - aftermarket parts are available (though not as many as the SR20s) - VERY easy to swap (in comparison to anything else) - factory engine in a ZX, meaning that you can go to a Nissan dealership and buy parts for it - easy to replace (it's a junkyard motor after all) - durable - it's a 6 cylinder (we all love the inline six's sound ) Cons: - OLD - heavy - prehistoric, non-crossflow contruction originating from in 50s Prince engines (that's not a problem for me, I love it this way - it has some character, charisma, whatever you call it) - might be difficult to find a good condition ET - ? With that in mind, I'd go L28ET all the way. I just love the L-gata engines so much, even tough I have not that much experience with them... After all, they are the original Z and ZX engines, what can you say more? The SR is a good engine, but in comparison with other engines in its class (even with Nissan's own CA18DET), it's just nothing special. Apart from the aftermarket support, tunability below some certain power level and its light weight, it doesn't really have any advantages over the L28ET to me. If I were to choose a good 4 cylinder for the Z, it would be the FJ20ET. But, with its scarce availability and difficulties in sourcing ANY parts for it, it would be difficult just to maintain it, not even tune it. That leaves the L28ET as the sole candidate. Hope you'll make the right choice, Chris! Tony

Huh? Even the BP Levins ran 3S-GEs, I can't recall any car using the 4A-GE, even the 20v... As far as I remember, none of the JGTC Supras ever ran the JZ motors. GT500 cars ran UZ-FE V8s, and GT300 cars used 3S-GTEs. [TonyD mode]But, I digress.[/TonyD mode]. (I hope Tony won't kill me for that one). Let's go back to the topic now. Tony