Matt K

I put some NOS Mulhollands on my old ZX & regretted it. Go with Tokico HPs & springs, you'll be glad you did.

69sroadster is my younger brother. His swap inspired me to start doing the same with my latest Z (78). I had a few S13 240sx cars in the past & have some experience with the SR20DET. I have to say that it's been a great engine for me in the S13's, so I will also be doing an SR swap into the '78. I have a Vildini engine cradle, trans mount, driveshaft & intercooler setup, which I recently acquired. I also made a deal with an old buddy of mine for a decent S13 SR20DET locally. Some issues I see will be the speedometer (going to use an RB20 speed sensor in the SR trans to keep the original Z speedo), and other gauges. I don't know if the newer oil sending unit & coolant temp sensors will interface with the old gauges, and I know that the tach will have to be replaced or recalibrated for the SR's signal. Other than those small issues, it looks to be a very straight forward swap.

Fender mirrors are on the way! BTW, Datsun Spirit seems to have the best price...

Still waiting for that total...

You can use an RB20 speed sensor, which is cable driven.

I'll take it. Send me a shipped total (87144) to harlock_ssx@yahoo.com

Looking for mirrors in the $200 range...

I'm looking for some nice Nissan JDM fender mirrors for my Z...I cannot stand the MSA (garbage) mirrors on now (vibrate too much). Also looking for a 79-80 ZX brake master cylinder for my Toyota 4-piston brake conversion, preferably a working used one with reservoirs. I'll be paying through Pay-Pal. My email is harlock_ssx@yahoo.com Matt

I have one. How's $90 shipped via Fedex?

I'd fix up the '81 to drive for a bit, then take my time getting the '78 to where I wanted it. The '81 is a little better balanced & comfortable to drive compared to the '78 for a driver...

I have no interest in 15's...not enough decent tire choices for what I want (speed rating better than VR, low profile sizes that will fit & stick in a non competition compound). If you go with the .64 AR 2871, with cams, it spools just like an S15 T28 for response, but gives you about another 50-75 rwhp. Yeah, there are more modern turbos (Borg Warner, twin scroll, etc) that can spool just as well & support more hp, but the added expense of a decent top-mount manifold (that will fit an S30) and external gate doesn't fit my current budget...not to mention you start to lose street-able nature in a car like our Z. Would be a lot more manageable with power steering & more modern suspension setup, but I think keeping it under 400hp is probably the best way to go to keep it balanced. My car is going to be an occasional daily/fun street car. I'm looking at running front tires no wider than 225's & rears no wider than 245's, in order to clear the fenders & spring perches. Maybe someday down the road I'll upgrade to coilovers, but that's not a priority for me at this point. I wouldn't waste my money on anything smaller than a 2871, especially given what you'll be spending even for a disco-potato (I hate that term)...a couple hundred more gets you a better turbo, with more room to expand. The best I hit on my old S13 (SR) with a T28 (S15) was 300 rwhp, with HKS 264 cams, Greddy intake, Z32 mafs, 550cc injectors, tubular manifold with HKS actuator & Greddy outlet pipe (and normal supporting mods). With the old .86 AR 2876R (AKA GT25R from cheapturbo.com), Q45 throttlebody & 850 cc injectors on the same setup, I hit 390 rwhp, but boost was spikey & inconsistent with the internal gate, and it was more laggy than I hoped for. I upgraded from that to a customized Full-Race GT3567R (GT35R with T04R compressor) with 1000cc injectors, blow through mafs, Greddy top mount with Greddy Type-R wastegate, V-band outlet, and hit 522 rwhp on pump gas...and wound up breaking my OS Giken Triple plate clutch & OS Giken full (1-5) Crossmission. I de-tuned back to 740cc injectors & stock turbo manifold with a .64 2871 & it was 10X better as a daily driver! Still fast enough to beat 90% of what I'd come up against, but reliable enough to not break everything.

I'm at a crossroads with wheels...considering Rota RB 16x8" +04...but am thinking it might be better to go with 17's due to more tire choices. The only thing is 17's look pretty huge on an S30 chassis. Thoughts? Enkei also re-released the Model 92, but is only offering it in 15x7" +38, or 15x8" +25 sizing...which is ironic, as they are using a Fairlady Z for their demo car...I did email them, but am not confident of them responding back...I'd love to be able to have 16 or 17" Model 92's...rather than the 14x7" set I have in my storage unit. Enkei Model 92 Link

BTW, the SB Ford uses the same oil filter, so should be able to use an adapter from that application as well...

Tossed on some JDM headlight covers...love the way they look!

Why can't you roll your fenders for additional clearance? Can't have it all without the effort...

Hello everyone! This will be my 5th Z-car, 2nd S30. I swapped my 5.0 that I got bored with after 18 years of tinkering & modding in December. The Z has some fairly decent work done to it in the past year, to include paint, body, interior, but was mostly stock (Weber TB, CAI, Mallory ignition) albeit well maintained. In the past 2 months, I've swapped in Tokico springs & HP shocks, MSA ceramic coated header, 2 1/2" exhaust, stainless brake lines, and a Nardi steering wheel. I recently got some Brembo replacement rotors, Toyota 4-piston brakes with Porterfield pads, but got ripped off on the ZX master cylinder, so have to source another before installing the better brakes. I just bought an SR install setup from another friend's 240Z, with a Vildini engine cradle, trans mount (which I'll have to modify for my 280Z) custom driveshaft, and intercooler with piping, cut for the S30 body. I lucked into a cheap SR from one of my old room-mates, who just happened to have an extra he was looking to sell...but it'll sit in his garage until I get enough to pay it off (damn lack of money!). Big things I still need to address is strengthening the chassis (frame rails have a bit of rust...) so I'll be getting some Bad Dog rails in the future & also stitch/seam weld reinforcing the entire body, to include the shock towers. Not my first time with that...my old 240SX must have had 200 pounds of reinforcement for it's 600hp setup! I'm going to slowly work towards ~350hp. My plans are a GT2871R, 256 cams, 740cc injectors, Z32 mafs, Power FC, & Greddy Intake...with standard supporting mods. One of my old S13's had that setup & it was a great streetable combo, which was very responsive. Anyways, here are a few (cell phone) pics... I will probably be looking at replacing all the factory gauges with something that gives better visibility (DEFI or maybe whiteface style) to go along with the new setup...which will remain mostly stock as I work out the little issues & ensure it's sufficiently reliable for my tastes. I had planned on going with a Toyota JZ setup, but with gas prices going out of control & the great deals I fell into...I had to change my plans!

Things are only worth as much as people will pay. Get what you want...I prefer mesh to the Panasport style as well. Panasports are pretty dang heavy too...

Bad idea to just see the world...depending on which branch you join, the only overseas you'll see is Afghanistan & the stopovers on the way to/from there...It isn't like it used to be. It took me 10 years of trying in the AF before I got to go overseas...

SU's...

Sounds like he's in England, judging from the earlier posts...

My brother has one in a rhd ZX...but that doesn't help you...

May be able to fit on a ZX, with properly spaced adapters. If I recall properly, most of the 4-lug Fox 17x9's are around +24mm offset.

Made in Japan...knockoff Chinese made stuff is very cheap! The thing that differs from Japan to the US where new parts are concerned is that whatever the manufacturer says is the suggested price, will be the price you pay. There's no getting a better deal through a wholesaler or discounts through a smaller place. The best I could ever get was 5-10% off msrp through a manager friend at Autobacs, when I was stationed in Japan. Even the discounted sales during Christmas was only 5% less! The only real great deal I ever got for new parts was when the manufacturer discontinued them & the stores would finally try to get rid of old stock. Got a sweet deal on a set of SSR's that I had been looking at for over 3 years, then got them for 50% off...still cost me about $1200 though!

Does anyone know if this applies (spacer trick) to the 280Z as well? My '78 seats sit a LOT higher than my old '73's did. I swapped in a smaller diameter Nardi steering wheel & still have some knee clearance issues (I'm 6'5" & 270). I'm waiting on a 30mm steering wheel spacer to bring it a little closer to me & give (hopefully) more leg clearance. I have the seat all the way back & reclined fairly far back & it's still pretty tight!

I've had a few Z's now & have to admit, I do prefer the S130 to the S30 from a driver's standpoint...better brakes, better handling, better aerodynamics. I have a pretty nice '78 280Z, but I REALLY miss my old '82 slicktop coupe! I will have to get another one of these days...