Matt K

It's best to pick up the phone & call them...both have taken awhile to respond via email, pretty busy guys.

No one else is going to...not enough demand. Most 280ZX owners don't shell out the cash needed to be able to support a healthy aftermarket...and face it, they are not going to be many on the road in a few years, due to time, neglect, etc. It's just not as popular of a car as a first gen-Z...even though it IS a better car, overall. I have seen a few rough Kaminari cars come up for sale in the past few years...mostly neglected & sitting around for awhile. You may be able to get one cheaply that way & take two cars to make one. It kills me too...seeing a nice part/mod/kit that I'd like, only to either not be able to afford it, or get it due to rarity. If you want it, you know where to get it...just going to be spending a lot of time & labor to get it right.

Look into soda blasting for your stripping, rather than media blasting. Our cars are pretty thin, and certain types of media will deform & warp the metal you're trying to strip. Also, it's an easy cleanup, since it's just baking soda. There are other options than MSA, btw... http://www.datsunzparts.ca/NewParts/summary.htm Scroll down http://www.showcars-bodyparts.com/240z.html http://www.zccjdm.com/catalog.php/azcarbum/dt93256/Customized_240z_280z_Parts_

Not trying to be too sarcastic, but this IS Hybridz, why not put in a more modern alternative, such as an RB25 or 1JZ? It might wind up costing about the same, in your case, easier to source, with better technology & more power. I don't know about the legality in your area though...Plenty of 1JZ's have made more than 300 rwhp with only a downpipe, intake & free flowing exhaust as mods...and the response is incredible!

Not a Z...but here are 255-40-18's on 10.5" wide rears. 235-40-18 on 9.5" fronts.

See, you support my opinion! No worries either way. I absolutely hate the KA, and won't make any qualms about it. Tiny ring lands that don't hold up to boost, crappy distributor setup, lack of tuning options unless you want to spend big on a standalone. I've got my own experience & reasons for it, going back 10 years. I can't stand when people blast the SR for "having no torque"...99% of the time, they have zero experience with one. Since you want some good data, here's a local "built" KADE+T (total rebuild .20 over, 740cc injector nismo, jim wolf ecu, forged everything. 8.9:1 ratio, edt mani, 38mm wastgate, turbosmart, blow off valve, ebay piping port polish, stainless steel valves, 255 wlbo fp, 52 mm garrett turbo, 3 inch downpipe with catback) For comparison, here's a STOCK SR, with FMIC, 3" exhaust with converter, Walbro 255, SAFC tweaked to 12 psi. The built KA, with a bigger turbo, more cubic inches, etc. made only 25 hp & 21 ft lbs more than a stock S13 redtop with stock turbo, injectors, etc. I can throw up a crapload more of these to show my point, which is the SR just makes more sense. By the time you've actually done enough work to make the KA a "better" choice, you've spent more to do so. 90% of the 240sx guys stay with the KA in order to save money, but in order to do it right, pretty much everything needs to be replaced internally, and you're going to need to spend some coin on all the supporting equipment (turbo, manifold, fuel system, ecu, etc). A completely stock SR can be tweaked to reliably support the same as this built KA shown above. We all have our own opinions, based on our experiences. This is mine, sorry to thread jack... Keep up the good work, izgoten!

KA=garbage. Was not meant to be boosted, doesn't last even when built properly.

Try taking off the TPS, coolant temp, & AFM connectors, clean them, grease with dielectric grease...

They'll give you book value...Minus your deductible. FYI, Comprehensive coverage is the CHEAPEST of all. You save maybe $10-20 every 6 months by having your deductible so high. I keep a $0 deductible on my Comprehensive for all my cars, and $150 collision. The difference for me was an increase of only $60 every 6 months over $500 deductible comprehensive & $1000 collision. Comprehensive will cover fire, theft, vandalism, acts of God, windshields, etc.

Maybe if he wanted bad bumpsteer & to blow his shocks...unfortunately, it takes adjustable coilovers to achieve what you'd like visually.

Sounds like TPS or AFM is dirty or wet inside.

The best? Arizona Z car or Beta Motorsports custom coilovers...

I paid $300 for my last L28E...pulled it myself from a running '78 with 70K on the car. The owner wanted to convert his Z to an electric car...I told him "nothing says I love the environment more than filling your car up with 1,000lbs of hazmat..." and dropped that engine into my '73 240Z.

LOL! This made me laugh!

My '78 came with a larger Weber throttle body, Mallory Igition, & CAI. I added an MSA ceramic coated header, 2 1/2" MSA exhaust system (modified with a resonator & different bullet style muffler). It IS quite a bit quicker after the header & exhaust than prior, however I spent a lot of time tweaking the setup & ensuring everything was working properly. The biggest holdback on a 280z with EFI is the archaic EFI system, not only the head, cam, & compression ratio. You can drop a built L-series engine in, but will be hamstrung by the small injectors, lack of adjustability, restrictive AFM, and stne age electronics. Swapping to something like a megasquirt is money well spent. Obviously a turbo engine will make more power, but it too is handicapped by the same issues in stock form. If you want to get serious with it, I'd get a megasquirt setup & start tuning. You can swap in a turbo motor later on (if you'd like) and then make even more power...the good part is that you've already got experience with tuning the megasquirt & won't be trying to solve two issues at the same time (engine swap & adding the standalone)...plus if you blow the old N/A motor, it gives you an excuse to upgrade! My 2 cents... I also agree, with most of the info above. Get an 81-83 5-speed & 3.90 diff from an N/A, save up for coilovers (it's worth every penny), and get some real size wheels & tires underneath it for traction & handling. You can add an OBX LSD unit (properly installed) and have even better handling & traction for not too much money.

Yes! CF would be sweet! So just to be clear, is it Classic Datsun Motorsports who is selling these now?

Badass!

Dammit...I love them too...

Yes, I didn't pay that much for my stuff either, however that IS what that particular vendor wants for those items...click the link to see for yourself. I see no reason to even swap my radiator at this point as it's working fine in the New Mexico heat, but again, this is why a shop charges as much as it does to do a swap like this...in house labor rates & full retail on parts. I gave suggestions as to how to save some money on this swap above. Here's what I'm sitting at so far... S13 Blacktop (removed from running 240SX) $1700 Used Vildini engine cradle, trans mount, custom driveshaft, intercooler & piping (all removed from SR swapped car) $500 Exedy clutch (Zilvia) $100 Z32 mafs (Zilvia) $75 Apexi dual chamber BOV with pipe (Zilvia) $60 Enthalpy ECU (paid $125 for used one from Zilvia, another $150 to get retuned for my combination) $375 Twin 10" electric fans FREE from a buddy (new) Megan tubular exhaust manifold & outlet pipe (Zilvia) $75 S14 turbo & stainless lines (buddy) $250 Greddy clone intake manifold (buddy) $80 new RB20DET speed sensor (to utilize the factory cable speedometer) $40 SUBTOTAL $3255 I have a few extra SR parts that came off the motor swap that I'm selling to get some money back as well (stock turbo, manifolds, turbo lines, power steering equipment) I still need to order my Walbro kit ~$100 Considering having Wiring Specialties modify my harnesses to be plug & play, so I don't have to worry about screwing something up ($300) Have Speedhut build me a tach to interface with the SR signal ~$150 replace 3.54 R200 with 3.90 or 4.10 geared R200 ~$150 Install OBX rear LSD unit for added traction ~$450 for parts & labor Replace engine hoses to longer ones, thermostatic fan relay for cooling fans, upgraded fuel pump wiring & relay, and items I may not foresee but will need, misc parts, etc. ~$250 The big deal breaker that has my project on hold is I want to replace my floor pans & frame rails with Bad Dog Racing stuff...prior to swapping in the SR. I have some poorly patched pans that weren't treated after having new metal welded in by the previous owner, and one of my frame rails has a hole in it...so rather than do patchwork, I want to replace it all. I also acquired a set of 850cc Sard injectors in rail (only 1500 miles), from a buddy who parted out his race motor. These will go in at a later date, along with a .64 AR 2871R turbo, ARP head studs, 1.2mm metal head gasket, and some mild cams. I'm not in a hurry to do that though, I want to get everything installed & worked out prior to upgrading the motor to my end goal HP level.

Why not bump down compression with a 2mm headgasket?

Have it overhauled/rebuilt or replace it again...you always roll the dice with 30+ year old parts...

The adapters exist in Japan, but for some reason are not marketed here. Last I saw, the fronts were around 20,000 Yen/Pair. You could try Yahoo Auctions Japan...

You aren't getting any tire rub? Are you on coilovers? Looks really low...

I got one shortened. That's all that was required. You'll spend more than $1500 alone for mounts, intercooler, piping, hoses, custom driveshaft, not including your motorset. Mechanic labor rates aren't cheap, neither is the experience in the swap that you'd be paying for to have a turn-key, ready to run car. Yeah, the biggest reason I'm doing it myself is cost as well. I could care less about the experience...I've been rebuilding engines & such for over 20 years, due to some questionably reliable cars in my past. Here's some hard math for you...(for reference use only) http://mckinneymotorsports.com/prod_240+260+280Z+parts $449.99 gets you McKinney's SR mount kit (w/o shipping) $425 for their custom driveshaft (ouch!) $290 for their downpipe $129.99 for their throttle cable $550 for their 3" exhaust $750 for their radiator setup It adds up quick...and that's without intercooler & piping, any wiring, making your gauges interface, etc. Sure, you can cut some corners by having a local shop make your exhaust & cut your driveshaft, use a 240SX throttle cable (with a little work), modify an ebay downpipe, etc. If you want a hybridz, get good at making your own parts, or save up about 2-3x more than you initially think you're going to spend...that's just the nature of the beast! And here's someone else's project build, for reference...he's also on here (hope you don't mind!) http://community.ratsun.net/topic/20316-240z-sr20-build/

Re-use your L24 supporting equipment & wiring. Just swap the longblock & transmission, add your L24 intake/exhaust to the L28. If the L28 has the E12-80 distributor, wire that in (ensure you also swap the aluminum piece it bolts to, as they are different heights between the two engines) to keep electronic ignition (better). I swapped a '78 L28E into my old '73, and that's how I did it, except I also added an MSA header & twice pipes exhaust system. The 280ZX alternator is also a keeper, more output than the L24 one, but you need to wire it properly in order to use it (really easy). Here's some places to look at... http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/electrical.htm http://datsunzgarage.com/engine/ http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/alternatorswap/index.html