Drax240z

Definitely not car related! But this is a project that I've been working on, well off and on, for the past year and a half or so. Douglas Fir top, steel legs, an old growth fir beam and 3D printed plastic feet. The only part I didn't do myself was rolling the 3/8" x 5" steel. A project I'm really proud of, even if it isn't as "perfect" as I wanted it to be, very few people would pick up on those issues I see. Intended to be a piece that gets passed down to my kids, and hopefully theirs as well. Check out my video below, and if this kind of thing is interesting to you, or entertains you, please show it with a comment or like!

Not sure about you guys, but I struggled with bench grinders and angle grinders for years (decades) before I saw the light. Once I built myself a 2x72 belt grinder (mostly used by knifemakers) my workshop was transformed. I just finished working with some 3/8" x 5" flatbar in a project, and I was destroying metal that big in no time with a 36 grit ceramic belt. I can see a million uses for this working on cars, including using (fantastic) scotchbrite belts to give a nice finish to stainless and aluminum parts. 5 seconds with one of those belts transforms crappy looking metal. Now that I have it, I cannot imagine a shop being complete without it. These things run upwards of $3000 it seems, granted at that price you get variable speed, multiple contact wheels, aftersales support, etc. Being frugal as we are, I managed to put one together for less than $400. (And then promptly spent $300 on belts, lol) I should have done this years sooner... Can only imagine how much better my Z parts would have been if I had. If you are interested here's a link to my youtube channel with a vid. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtyEKcRbODF-sTWDF3kgEYw/about Not in the Z games these days, but the time may come again. Catch you all later.

Really sad to hear this news, Joel always came across as the friendliest guy you could meet. His contributions and his presence will both be greatly missed.

That doesn't look much like stretch to me. A 225 on an 8" wide wheel is in the recommended range for most tire manufacturers, I wouldn't worry about the extra .25" at all. And holy carp (yes, carp) does the car look better with some real wheels on it, lol!

The 2 metal replacement panels are for the rockers. They also will do a section of the dogleg. They are part 30+50 combined in this photo. As for the itch for a z... not really. I think there are too many other cars I want to own to go back there just yet.

Yeah, the age old problem. 16" looks best out of all the wheel sizes on the Z, but rubber is an issue. Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 - http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Potenza+RE-11&partnum=445WR6RE11V2&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes Lots of DOT legal slicks out there in that size, but questionable wet weather performance/safety.

Gah. At least it was something minor. I'll bet the flywheel difference is noticeable! When I shaved it down to 17.5lbs I was really impressed. (though I added compression ratio at the same time)

Ross had just turned 41 years old when he passed. I've been checked out of the Z community for a while, but just came across this news... and it hit me like a ton of bricks. In my early Z days 15+ years ago, Ross and I happened to be living in the same city. We corresponded a lot before there was a MML, tossing around ideas on parts or builds much like many of you did with him. Ross was a true gearhead at heart. We also shared the experience of both being engineers in the real world. Over the years Ross and I would cross paths at various autocross and car show events in the area, and occasionally we'd phone and catch up. Ross could talk your ear off! I learned at the time that Ross had already recovered from a form of cancer in his late 20's. We talked at length about ways to make the Z quiet and retain power, as one of the side effects of his previous sickness and treatments was an acute sensitivity to certain pitches and sounds. Ross never saw this as a problem, it was merely a challenge to overcome. We moved on to other projects and products, some of which he sold for years. Ross has touched so many in the Z community, and just about every Datsun person in this area knew Ross or knew of him. Everyone had time for him. He left a positive impression with all those he met. He was just a great guy all around. Its been a few years since he and I talked at length... I always expected he and I would cross paths at a local event soon, and grab a beer and catch up. I'm deeply saddened that won't happen. Frank, I am terribly sorry for your loss, as a parent myself I cannot imagine your grief. You raised one hell of a son.

Let the impact rattle away for a while on there, it will loosen them without heat. A trick I've learned on really stubborn bolts: 1) Apply impact wrench in a loosing direction for 30 seconds or so. (yes that long!) 2) Apply impact wrench in a tightening direction for 30 seconds or so. 3) Repeat as many times as necessary. I've had bolts come loose in the 6th or 7th cycle. People often give up "too early" with the impact. Remember if you abuse the bolts removing them, you should replace them rather than re-use them.

Throwout bearing would have likely (and I can't recall for certain) been a 280zx turbo one, the same as the flywheel and clutch were spec'd. That's one good method for the driveshaft bolts. Best way I have found is to find 2 slim profile box end wrenches, and place them so all you have to do is squeeze the two wrenches together in your hand to loosen the bolts. You can apply a lot of force with this method just through grip strength. (and nothing will spin) The flywheel bolts would be tough, red loctite on those. I wasn't about to mess around with a loose flywheel. I'd typically just throw an impact on those and let it work away at them... without an impact wrench it would be tough going. Not sure on the boot!

Interesting note about the flywheel... I had it balanced by a local shop here with a good reputation. Sucks to hear it was out, though 20grams shouldn't be considered significant! The aluminum flywheel is going to completely change the car, can't wait to hear your feedback. Though the hardest part will be breaking in your clutch slowly I suspect. A note for you, the throwout bearing was replaced at the same time the CFDF went in. ~40,000 miles ago. The pilot bushing would have been new with the engine rebuild a few hundred miles before you bought the car. Wish I could swing by and give you a hand reinstalling, its not too bad a job once you do it a few dozen times!

Ah damn, I was hoping the clutch wasn't going to be the issue. Not that it's a huge job, but I had put it back in there when I did the engine, thinking "I wonder how this will handle the increased power". Lots of negative press here about the CFDF clutch, but I think I put about 40,000miles on that one, and 50+ autocross events as well. Not a bad life for a performance clutch. 17.75lbs rings a bell for the flywheel, I think stock was 23lbs or so. Didn't go crazy aggressive, as the car was my daily driver at that point. Plus I think that was less than a year after Norm (the 12 second dual SU dude) had his clutch explosion rip his car in half, so I might have been a little gun-shy at the time.

A lot of dynos use a tie down system that pulls down, as well as back. If you are just relying on the weight of the car, you are going to have wheelspin issues. A bit of weight would certainly help too. For instance, this system puts the straps under the bar in the foreground, so it directs much of the strapping force down. Try a bit of weight and see!

Gotta love the dyno! Correct, the clutch is CFDF, it probably has 30,000 miles on it. However, based on the video and the tie downs on the dyno, I suspect your problem is wheelspin. Is there anything pulling the car down, or just those shallow angle straps heading backwards? Valve cover breather... most people aren't fans (myself included) of the vented to atmosphere PCV system on a turbo car. Lots of info on this site about options. Something I never got around to. 246hp/266ft-lbs at 8.2PSI isn't bad at all for that setup. Once you've got it sorted and throw some more boost at it, things should get very very interesting... That turbo isn't even working hard at 8psi, and its certainly not in its higher efficiency ranges.

I'm super interested in seeing what you can find on the dyno! There is a lot of power on the table yet with the tune you left here with. Curious whether you'll achieve the 325-350rwhp I was building it for. By the way, doesnt really matter what tires you put on the rear, even with the Quaife they will be challenged.