rc's240z

Well the body work is done and my Z has been dropped off at the body shop this morning: Lessons learned: Dont ever let anyone SANDBLAST body parts of your car. Be Patient, the best jobs are not done in haste....

I am told that the owner of Malvern Racing recently passed away. As the driving force for his company it is effectively closed.

I agree with the sanding solution, a two inch disc works great and will get down to clean metal without leaving a residue. Depending on the area, you can shoot a light primer then followup with undercoating spray (available in a spray can format).

unfortunately, protecting your investment is a game of who wants it more. So the question becomes, what is a potential thief is willing to do to steal your stuff or your car. Keep that in mind while shopping for locks and alarms. APC makes a cylinderical lock set that will drop into the factory locations and is your best bet for an easy bolt in situation, but that wont stop a tow truck or slim-jim. An alarm is a very good idea, get one with a battery backup siren. It is easy to defeat most alarms in a Z by drilling a hole in the bottom of the battery and draining the electrolite out, thus killing the battery. This will give the thief plenty of time to steal what ever they want because your alarm will be dead. Also, parking your z in a secure garage vs on the street is a big difference too. Playing your stereo (loudly) close to where you live is another great way to have someone follow you back to your house and steal your car or stereo. Ultimately, you will need to look at how you want to protect your car, from a break in, or the theft of your Z and decide how to protect best protect it.

unfortunately, protecting your investment is a game of who wants it more. So the question becomes, what is a potential thief is willing to do to steal your stuff or your car. Keep that in mind while shopping for locks and alarms. APC makes a cylinderical lock set that will drop into the factory locations and is your best bet for an easy bolt in situation, but that wont stop a tow truck or slim-jim. An alarm is a very good idea, get one with a battery backup siren. It is easy to defeat most alarms in a Z by drilling a hole in the bottom of the battery and draining the electrolite out, thus killing the battery. This will give the thief plenty of time to steal what ever they want because your alarm will be dead. Also, parking your z in a secure garage vs on the street is a big difference too. Playing your stereo (loudly) close to where you live is another great way to have someone follow you back to your house and steal your car or stereo. Ultimately, you will need to look at how you want to protect your car, from a break in, or the theft of your Z and decide how to protect best protect it.

Here is a solution that incorporates adjustability without using rod ends. There have been numerous discussions regarding strut bars and cages you might want to look in the achives too....

I know Les has a CF hood in stock although I think it is promised to another customer in northern california. You might want to contact him if the sale of this current item falls though. I am sure you saw his green z at MSA with the hood installed.

I apreciate your interest in cost savings, $600 is a lot of money. BUT, you will get what you pay for...And cheaper is not always better. There are a few cheaper alternatives that will not hold up or last. Classic Datsun's product is the best I have seen. If $600 is too much there is a fiberglass alternative that is cheaper.

ATX, Hey glad to see you excited about this stuff. BUT: No one currently makes a tail light panel for a 280 in carbon. Les Cannaday does hoods, but not a cowl hood and I doubt he would consider doing one. And Lastly...We made a CF dash, and probably wont make another one for several reasons. We currently make Fiberglass race dashes for 240 Z's but will not be making them for the specific 280Z dash (our 240 dash will fit a 280). No one that I have spoken to is making a CF dash cap for a 280. So: These are all great opportunities if someone wants to make these parts. The kicker here is that you have to sell enough of them to make it profitable and the parts that your looking for will be a tough sell. Good luck

Les Cannaday sells Ron Davis radiators and just bought one for a customer. You can call him for pricing etc. 760-940-6365. Tell him I referred you ( Ron Carter)

Yes, Ron Davis does make a Radiator for a Z, look in the archives for articles about Aluminum Rad's and you will find the model number you need. I currently run a Ron Davis in my car.

PDK builds a good product are fairly priced and stand behind their products.

Have you priced a Ron Davis Radiator?

PDK fabrication makes a strut brace set up that will work for your application. http://www.pdkfabrication.com Do it once and do it right the first time. PLEASE tell me you were joking when you said exhaust tubing!

Dandos...in Fremont California? Okay well try Les Cannaday, owner of Classic Datsun 760-940-6365. He should be able to help you figure out what your looking for.

The rears are not adjustable. but we dont see the discrepancy in the rear like what we have seen in the front. It is critical that crossbar is easy to disconnect and swing up so that the valve cover can be removed. We have seen up to 1" of difference due to 30+ year old cars on the front strut towers. We went to adjusters for the front cross bar about 6 months ago and all current units are shipped with this adjuster. The photo you see above is of our prototype.

The installation is a little involved. But not too bad. The most involved portion is the mount to the sway bar. I am more than happy to help you with your installation. You can look at my gallery:http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=1184&password=&sort=7&thecat=500

here are a few photos of my cage: there are several more photos in my gallery: http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7454&size=big&password=&sort=2&thecat=500

gnosez, you've got mail. Will see you at the MSA show.

A rear strut bar like the one from PDK should be fine for your application, see http://www.pdkfabrication.com. Eventually I would recomend a roll bar with a seatbelt bar. I would suggest a seatbelt bar that is 1.5 DOM 90 wall. As far as seatbelts are concerned: there is DOT legal (street legal) SFI (SCCA) and FIA legal. SFI belts will only be legal in your race car for two years according to the SCCA where as FIA would be legal for up to eight years. SFI and FIA are far more stringent than DOT. I doubt that police officer would give you trouble with FIA/SFI belts. BUT that depends on the laws in your state.

AMIR did you sell your PDK Fabrication Dash?!! whazzup?? Ron

Well I am a biased opinion, and I assist PDK with their technical questions. The difficulty is that there are many installations of V8's in Datsuns...JTR being the most comon. It is difficult to say what will clear and what won't unless we can confirm measurements directly on your Z. We are not so concerned with the bars from the strut tower down to the swaybar mount (like some turbo L6's) or the bars back to the firewall. Our main concern has been the cross bar that goes between the strut towers due to your choice of intake manifold, carb. or FI set up and how far back you have pushed your motor towards the firewall. I think that the solution here is to look at these photos: I do have measurements of an installation that you can use as a reference attached in my gallery. there are several detail shots of an installation that will give you an idea of what clearance you will have. Let me know if this helps. http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showgallery.php?thumb=1&cat=500&si=&perpage=12&sort=3&stype=&ppuser=932

Attaching a rear strut bar and looping your shoulder harnesses around the top bar would eliminate the spine compression issue. G-force makes a very economical belt that is SFI and FIA rated, and should pass any tech inspection when you add a roll bar or cage be sure to add or include a seatbelt bar as well as a support to the cage if your seat is not already designed to tie into the cage. http://www.driversupply.com/ is a good resource. Talk to John and he will get you set up. Ron

One last note. All your HP gains will be from your displacement and headwork. Contact a reputable party to do the headwork you need to get the HP your looking for. Slover in Southern California is a good choice...

I dont totaly agree with bastaad... A 2.8 flat top block and a modified P-90 head with triple Mikuni or weber carbs (44's or 45's),cam, lightened flywheel and header would be a nice buildup for what you are asking for. $5500 would get you this very nice, complete and new motor that would be reliable on the street and really quick when you wanted to go for it. While your at it look for an overdrive 5spd zx transmission and 411 R-200 or R-180 to round out your drivetrain. I would suggest calling around to a company that has experience with a full buildup otherwise your engine builder is going to be learning on your motor and you will not get the most out of your setup. A turbo swap is involved and with used equipment there are some variables that could cause you major grief. Starting with a bad motor or bad turbo. Ultimately a turbo solution could be faster, but you will sacrifice reliability and durability.... Again, it depends on what you want.