Pete Sprenger

I want to intall a temp sensor on my R 200, preferablt on my finned cover. Has anyone done this before? Is there a sensor that screws into the drain hole? Obviously, that would be the easiest solution. If so, where would I find one? The other solution I am thinking about is drilling out the boss for the cooler lines and tapping the hole for a universal oil temp sensor. I am not sure if it is thick enough to successfully tap though. Any thoughts? Thanks, Pete

Man, it is looking good! Your Z is going to go like stink! You make me want to go out and work on my 240 (I have a complete turbo engine, tranny, and engine management system that I am going to incorporate into my 3.1L stroker motor). Instead, I have to go and do yard work. Argh! My neighbor tore out his grass and put down the fake grass that they use on professional football fields. It is actually really nice, but $$$$$!!! I wish I could afford it.

Does anyone know where I can get a finned R200 cover for my Z? The R200 came out of a 1981 280ZX 2+2 if that matters. Thanks, Pete

Wow, I didn't know that there was an actual link to my site. That is kind of cool! I think Ross is great. He offers high quality parts and his customer service is second to none in my experience, but my 280ZX CV shaft conversion kit did contain some incorrect bolts. I don't recognize some of the parts you have pictured above, but I am not familiar with a 280Z braking system either. Is it possible you didn't get the correct parts?

Yes! I found my web site. Here is the page that has the full write up about both the front and rear brake upgrade. http://www.geocities.com/motorcity/boulevard/6117/datsun240z.html Now if I can just figure out how to log in so I can update other parts of my site...

A few years ago I typed up an illustrated how to article/web page for Ross at Modern Motorsports on how to do his brake conversion. I found that everything fit together perfectly as long as I followed his directions. I had to ask a ton of questions in the process, so perhaps my web site may be of help to you. It is still up on my web page and I am currently working on a how to article/web page on how to convert to the Modern Motorsports aluminum hub. Here is a copy of my web page I found (since my old computer died and took all the information with it, I can't find my original page or figure out how to log into Yahoo to access it that way). http://www2.zhome.com:81/ZCMnL/tech/Calipers/zbrakeupgrade.htm (Yes, Ross, if you are reading this, I am still working on the write up for the hubs despite a digital camera failure and loosing my pictures twice, which means disassembly to get them again, and a computer dieing which caused me to loose the pictures yet again and all the write up I did. The really frustrating part is that it is all saved on an external hard drive, which my new computer always tells me "access denied" when I try to acess it).

Hey, awesome! I am glad you have the car running. I am not sure I am clear about the location of your duck tape, but if it is where I think it is, I wouldn't rev the engine too much or you might end up sucking it into the engine. I can't imagine that would help your situation any. I had the emissions related ports in my SU (N36) manifold welded closed. I bet if you take the manifold to a welder the same can be done with your manifold. Of course, the ultimate would be the TWM individual throttle bodies, but good God they are expensive! Pete

Your solution sounds pretty good. What I did is, I found two bolts that fit in the holes in the spoiler. Then I cut of the heads and sharpened them to a point. Next I screwed them into the spoiler by hand. I then carefully aligned the spoiler to where I wanted it and then pushed down firmly. This made a very precise mark for which to drill. Pete

Might you consider carbs? It seems like you are chasing a lot of things that could be simply removed if you installed a good set of carbs. Dual SUs work great on stock or even mildly modified engines and triple Mikunis rock on modified engines. Just a thought. Pete Sprenger 72 240Z 3.1L Stroker

By the way I love all the pictures and love to see the progress you are making. Keep it up! Also, for the record I do not think your air dam was a waste of money at all! I think the S30 looks unfinished with out it and it will actually improve performance. Pete

Hey, that's no big deal. Just paint the valve cover to match the headers and it will look sweet! A great place to get quality used parts (like a distributor) is Roger at http://www.zbarn.com. 1-800-247-2793 He is great and ships right away. I bought tons of parts from him when I built my 3.1L stroker. Pete Sprenger 1972 240Z Stroker

We (my brother-in-law was riding with me) were going about 75 mph through a high g right hand sweeper when we heard the bang, then something bouncing along under the car. We knew immediately that something had broken off the car and suddenly I had very limited steering input. Luckily we were at Bremerton Raceway, which is an old runway and the course is outlined by cones, so I simply cut the course, and then moved way over to the side of the runway. If I went over 30 mph on our way to the track exit, the car shook violently. Neither of us saw anything on the track. I could post a picture of the bolt, but it wouldn't show much since I drilled a hole in it to try and use an easy out in an attempt to fix it at the track. Once we finally gave up and went home I welded a nut to the end of the bolt that stuck out the top of the knuckle and turned it out through the top. I checked the other bolts once we were at home too and I found that the front bolt was snug, but not up to the proper torque setting, so my guess is that the rear bolt had worked loose. I had checked all the rear suspension bolts prior to the event, but didn't check the front since I had checked it fairly recently. Lesson learned, check everything every time! I am thinking of converting to the Arizona Z Car steering knuckles with bump steer spacers built in. It is a one piece unit, which may be stronger and it is aluminum so it should be lighter too. Does anyone have an experience with these pieces? Pete

At my last lapping day the rear steering knuckle bolt on the driver's side broke after 5 hot laps. I have MSA bump steer spacers and used the bolts they provided (grade 5). I was running on my Kumho V710s, and I have a fully tuned coil-over suspension. I removed all 4 bolts and replaced them with grade 8 bolts, but I am wondering if the bolts broke because of the bump steer spacers. Has anyone else experienced this? Do most racers, autocrossers go without bump steer spacers? Thanks for your input, Pete Sprenger 1972 240Z

I tried to post this a few minutes ago, but my computer wigged out and I don't think it went through. I took my 240Z to its first track day with its 3.1L stroker installed back in October. The engine had 670 miles on it before I took it to the track day and when I installed it, I threw in a brand new set of genuine Nissan engine mounts. I have taken the car to numerous track days with the same style mounts with no problems on the stock L24. Due to the torque of this engine (the N-42 head received over-sized valves and was ported and polished, all head work was done by Rebello racing) the rubber was plulled away from the metal on the sides of the engine mounts. This allowed for so much engine movement that my throttle linkage was pulled apart at one of the ball and socket joints. I have all the parts to convert it to a throttle cable, but is there a different option for engine mounts that would hold up better? I was thinking of fabricating a torque strap for the engine to limit movement and still use the stock style mounts. Does anyone have pictures of a torque strap they have used? Are there better engine mounts that would eliminate the need for a torquestrap? By the way, My Z is primarily a street and autocross car, but I have built it pretty much as a race car that still has an interior. Pete 1972 240Z

John C. Wrote: "I wish my Z did have SFCs but the class rules I built the car for (SM2) didn't allow weld in SFCs." I just downloaded the rule book for 2007 from the SCCA web site and reviewed the rules for SM2 and they say that subframe connectors are legal in SM and SM2 as long as they only run front to back and do not have any kind of X bracing. 16.1 paragraph G states: "Subframe connectors are allowed, but each connector must be attached individually without any lateral components attaching the two longitudinal frame rails. Subframe connectors may be bolted or welded. SP allowances which authorize unrestricted mounting of suspension components do not permit the incorporation of non-SP-legal subframe connectors into the mounting scheme for a Street Modified vehicle." Doesn't that mean we can use these BD SFCs in SM2? Pete Sprenger 1972 240Z

The one time I borrowed a friend's G-Tech Pro, my car reached 1.20 lateral gs in a sweeper on an autocross course. I use 225 lb springs and 225 mm wide tires. Since I use the car for autocrossing and track days, I don't think an X brace is "just adding weight," especially since you can literally hear the car creak if you jack it up at the stock jack locations (near the tires). If I was building a drag car then, yes, an X brace would be useless weight, but then so would sway bars, strut tower braces, 225 mm wide front tires, and basically anything that helps the car actually turn. My original question was just asking if to find if there was extra weight that could be removed without sacrificing strength. If I could remove a pound or two of weight without sacrificing strength, then that weight would have been truly useless weight (every little bit helps, its what enabled me to pass an 07 Vette at the last track day). That doesn't seem to be the case though. Pete

Ok, thanks for the feed back. I am not going to drill any lightening holes. How about this idea? I was thinking that an X brace between the frame rails would really help stiffen the car. The drive shaft and exhaust pose the most immediate challenge, but then I thought of an X brace with an integrated drive shaft / exhaust hoop. What do you guys think of that idea? Doable? Pete

I got my Bad Dog SFCs today! I haven't given them a test fit yet, but they look good! I am pleased. They don't weigh all that much, but I was wondering if drilling lightening holes in them would make them weaker. I tried to attach a picture of what I have in mind. Hopefully it will work. I don't think the SFCs in the picture are Bad Dog parts, but it gives you the idea. In case the picture doesn't come through, I was thinking of using a 1.75" hole saw to drill a hole every 4 to 6 inches or so. Would this weaken my new pieces? Pete Sprenger 1972 240Z