Pop N Wood

The book "How to Hot Rod and Race your Datsun" has a section on chassis stiffining for the 240. They don't give a lot of detail, but they to show a LOT of picture of a BRE (I think) modified race car. One thing they did highlight was the bracing added to the TC mount. If memory serves me they formed a piece of sheet metal to overlap the TC bracket where it mounts to the frame rail (while extending well onto the rail). The sheet metal was then welded in place essentially doubling the thickness of the stock unibody. Seemed like a straight forward mod. Not sure how this would be "removable". You must have a different method in mind. Maybe RB30-ZED could post a picture of his mod (if it was him)? BTW, I was hoping to get some good roll cage ideas from the book above a, but the tubing on the all out race machine shown in the book was too overwhelming for a me.

Want more details. Who is going to order the kit then post detailed measurements and installation instructions? The subframe connectors look somewhat like Pete Paraska's (but with 3 or 4 tabs to mount them to the underside of the Z). But not sure what is up with the longitudinal bar going across the back.

Phew! You obviously haven't met my mother in law.

Can anyone speculate on how obvious the MSA fiberglass bumpers are? Most early Z bumpers end up painted anyway. Is there any chance they could pass for stock, at least at highway speeds? How many guys out there are running fiberglass units and have you ever been ticketed for them?

I have never heard or read anything about a carb cooling the intake charge. But the idea is sound. Water Methanol Injection is a common way to cool the intake charge to prevent detonation (thus allowing higher compression/boost for a given octane). In thermodynamic terms, the liquid is "evaporated" as it is sprayed into the incoming air. This causes the liquid to absorb heat. The amount of heat required to convert a liquid into a vapor is called the latent heat of vaporization. Typically this number is very high for a hydrogen based liquid (such as water or methanol). Conversely, the heat capacity of air is relatively low. This means a large drop in air temperature is required to vaporize a relatively small amount of liquid. And as any hotrodder knows, cooler air is denser air. Thus you have the dual benefit of forcing more oxygen into the cylinders while reducing the chance of premature ignition (detonation). Hence allowing more boost or compression or timing advance. And like I have said in the past, this type of thing was used heavily in WW2 aircraft. I guess one question I have is if both a carb and FI are injecting gas into the air stream, they why wouldn't they both experience the same cooling effect? About time for Grumpyvette to chime in with some links!!!

Only real problem with owning a welder is when all of your buddies find out. The MIG's are really good at welding new input flanges on rusted out catalytic converters. You end up spending half your weekends fixes other people's rusted out hunks!

So does fiberglass qualify under the "replacement" catagory????

Get off the Chevy board and into the "Drivetrain" or "Brakes Wheels and Suspension" boards. Not to mention "Exhaust" or even "Paint and Body" boards. The need for further upgrades are well known and well talked about. To further prevent sickness, look at the "Non-Tech" board or the "I'm telling ya" board.

So am I to take it cops are like sharks waiting to bite you in the ... Good info. Something I need to know since I am trying to figure out if I should license (and safety inspect) my Z before or after a V8 swap. My biggest problem is finding definitive information. I talked to a local mechanic (who would probably be the one doing the safety inspection) about required smog equipment following an engine swap. He told me things I know were incorrect. I also will go with the MSA fiberglass bumpers. But I have one advantage in that the fiberglass ones are probably as strong as the stock ones on my 70 Z. Still I would like to know what the laws are. Until then I will rely on what my father in law (retired LAPD, pre-Rodney King vintage) called "passing the attitude test". Lots of "yes sir"'s, "no sir"'s and "get the f* out of here no one told me that i'll get it fixed right away" sirs.

I am a converted disciple of Grumpyvette I follow his advice like Pee Wee Herman searching for his remote. But 1fastZ is giving some good advice too. I am coming to the same conclusion. That is why my initial V8 conversion will either be carbureted or a near stock FI motor. The ultimate engine will have an aftermarket FI that is professionally tuned. zoncr is probably right too: BUT that was not 1fastZ's contention. The question is "per dollar invested" and the ability of the average (or beginner) backyard mechanic to tune it. Seems like good advice Also the comments concerning smog legal and visual inspections are probably true, especially if you live in a state like California where aftermarket parts need a CARB number. This is why I value this site, lots of good information.

Here is a realated thread that touched upon a lot of this http://www.hybridz.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=000699

I have a book on the history of the Z, and they said the original designers wanted "the styling of a Jaguar with the size of a Porsche 911.." Had pictures of both and you can really see where they took styling cues from both. Plus the turn signals from Peterbuilt

Can anyone post a link describing the proper steps/tutorial to set up a rear end? Just how hard is this to do? Most of the books/car mags make is sound like something a DIY would not want to attempt. Does it require special tools or is this just something that is better learned from someone with experience?

Little worried about "long extension cord" comment. This is on the power cord plugged into the wall? Generally not a good (or safe) thing to do. Keep a fire extinguisher handy.

Man, I saw that one coming Actually a nice high tech, 32 valve V8 would make for a pretty eye opening ride. The two things that would make me think twice are the high entry cost (expensive engine) and the lack of detailed information on the swap. Looks like you have the first one covered (although you didn't mention whether you had a transmission). The second one could be more of a can of worms. I'll look into my JTR manaual again tonight to see if it was an infiniti or lexus engine. Either way you may want to email the JTR guy and see if he will forward a message to whoever owned the car in his book. Even a few pointers might save you a ton of trial and error. Doesn't look like too many Q45 swap guys are on this site.

Doesn't the latest edition of the JTR manual show a picture of a Z with an Infiniti 32 valve V8? Or was it a Toyota 32 valve V8. The JTR book said it was a very pretty installation, but very expensive, time consuming and produced a slower car than a Chevy swap. I guess if you have the bucks for an infiniti motor than you can probably afford to experiment a little. If you do it post lots of pictures so we can all follow.

Totally off the point, but the WWII fighter P47 Thunderbolt used a 2800 CI Prat and Whitney 18 cylinder radial engine with a turbo and blower. The war emergency power rating of 2535 HP was acheived with the water methonol injection and Nitrous on. I have contacted JTR to see if he has a conversion manual for this.

Angelo I don't personally know of any for sale, but Pete Paraska listed one on his web site. http://mywebpages.comcast.net/pparaska/kenz4sale.htm Don't know if the car is still for sale. The link has been there for awhile.

You get another 2 cents worth. When I bought my Z I noticed a clunking from the front end during the test drive. Figured it was a ball joint or wheel bearing and decided to fix it once I owned it. The front end checked out OK, so just lived with the mild clunk. In subsequent upgrades I decided to install gas struts and new springs. It was then that I noticed the nut on the top of the strut must have been loose allowing the strut to flop around a bit. Worse yet, the movement had rounded out the normally D shaped hole and had worn over half way through the strut rod itself! So yeah, a clunking could be caused by a loose strut nut. So try retorqueing the struts and if you get ANY significant movement out of the nut OR if this fixes the clunk, then DISASSEMBLE ALL 4 STRUT TOWERS TO MAKE SURE NOTHING IS ABOUT TO BREAK IN TWO!!! My problem was with the top of the strut, but obviously any problems with the bottom (rubber gone, strut pin, or the big nut holding the catridge in the tube) will cause the same problem.

Seems like you're really forging new ground here. And you're doing this on a car that runs 9's? Guess I would urge caution. I'll also second what Jeff said. Seems like a lot of force to be applying to such a thin piece of aluminum. Might be better off machining a whole new hub ($$$).

Keep in mind there is a chance that everything in your suspension is fine and you have a resonance problem. Ever see the videos of the Tacoma Narrow Bridge? If a mechanical system is stimulated with vibration of the correct frequency, it can resonate just like a guitar string. I would assume your front end has been modified to stiffen everything and to remove all of rubber pieces with derlin or aluminum. Datsun added all that rubber for a reason. Thus if I were you I would check the wheel balance like everyone suggests. I would also make certain none of your tires are out of round. Know this one from personal experience. I would also think a bad alignment could contribute to the problem. Once you are sure you have no front end problems, then you may need to do things to try and dampen the vibration or change it's frequency. I am not sure how you would go about this. Anything you do, like switching to a different type of tires or shocks, could affect the problem.

If you are talking about buying new springs to cut down anyway, why not just buy a stiffer set of springs that are already at the correct ride height? MSA claims their springs will lower the ride 1 1/2 inches. Any lower than consider coilovers.

Hey, Soulfly454. Dig your homepage!!!

Thanks for all of the input guys, some ideas to chew on. Having such an early 240 I don't see how it is possible to string together 3 mufflers and still have ground clearance. Guess it can (and is) be done. The JTR manual was kinda down on the need for dual exhaust. Maybe I will go single pipe with the a near stock motor transplant, then go fuel cell/duals if and when it goes high HP. From these posts I get the idea there is a little more room for the stock fill pipe than I imagined. I like the idea of the custom muffler in front of the diff. Would like to see pictures if anyone has that available. Also really like VRJoe's and Big Phil's approaches. Looking forward to any pictures!

The ACME comment wins! Hands down!