T-Bone028

Just received the weatherstripping today, came to my door for $48 total. Great fit, and my doors now close without slamming. I would strongly recommend this to anyone too lazy to go to a junkyard on a wild goose chase.

Slopoke, just curious why the 4G63? Getting a really good deal or something? Not trying to dissuade, just curious. I know it has decent power potential on stock internals and would definitely be unique, but I think personally (and this is just my opinion) you should turn your latest project car into a "retro-rocket". I mean you already have a hybridz...why not get nostalgic and build a wicked L6 powered racer? Do you see a lot of Z's built that way? Sure. Are they any less cool than a traditional HybridZ? I dont think so. A well built L6 (N/A or Turbo) with dialed in suspension, clean body work, and well thought out mods are just as cool as a V8, RB, VQ35, SR20, 2JZ, 4G63, lawnmower, Fred Flintstone powered Z in my eyes. I only say this because I like to think of my car (and most other S30's) as a time-capsule for the days when Datsun introduced the US to Japanese sports cars and changed the American consumers mind on Japanese engineering. I also ONLY play 70's era rock in her too but thats just my preference.

I just ordered 25 feet of part number 1120A33 from McMaster-Carr. I'll let everyone know how it fits...I'm hoping since most people that have tried it have had good experiences, I will be able to say the same.

As far as the QR, I havent really paid much attention to it in a couple of years. Mine probably burns about a quart of oil every 1000-1500 miles. I still think it was a good motor for the Spec V, combined with a short ratio 6 spd and Helical LSD, its got plenty of grip and is quick in the corners. Ran a 15.4 in the 1/4 mile on my first ever and only run. Pretty fun for $17k out the door in 2002. Doesnt the latest Spec V put out around 200hp at the crank? I remember when I used to care about my spec v, people were getting around 140hp at the wheels stock (175hp at the crank, stock in 2002). Basic bolt-on's (intake, header, exhaust, cams, pulley) got to around 160-165hp. I dont really know where it is now as far as the performance market. I believe people have figured out how to make a reliable turbo setup on the QR. If anyone is interested with what can be done to the QR25, I suggest searching b15sentra.net. Search for someone named Travis. He built the first "off the shelf" turbocharger kit for the QR25DE.

Regarding insurance, it's about $300/6 months through all-state for me. I had a reckless driving ticket (82 in a 65...LAME) almost 3 years ago, and because of that, I could not get collectors car insurance on my Z. After April though, I should be able to qualify. Through collectors car insurance my rate would have been $200/year.

Honestly, this is the first I've seen of Eiji's car. It's beyond inspiring as far as the nostalgic L-series tuning history. For those of you that are interested, found this article linked to a youtube video of the same car. http://www.viczcar.com/member-rides/eiji-hosomis-datsun-240z

After searching around some more, found out the shop is owned by someone named Eiji? Doing a search on that, found his L6 is fed through 6 motorcycle carbs...pretty cool to say the least. SIDENOTE: Junglist, where in NoVA are you? I'm buried in snow near the intersection of 28 and 66. Got a spare speedo cable by chance you're willing to sell/trade? I have boxes of spare odd's and end's. PM me if interested.

So, after searching for Northern Virginia members/specialists, I came across Datsun Spirit in Manassas VA. I've been to Datsun Dynamics in Vienna before they closed (This is the shop that spurred my love for Z's over 12 years ago, I knew the owners daughter pretty well too). I've heard of Creationz and AutoExpectations in Sterling...but I've never come across Datsun Spirit in Manassas, which is pretty close by to me. The interesting thing, is the website proclaims to be the most thorough builder of L series engines in the states, with race engine builds like a L series N/A 350 HP motor...but, all we ever hear of is sunbelt and rebello. Just putting it out there to see if anyone has had experience with them, or another option for those on the East coast. http://www.datsunspirit.com/index.html

ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!!! Very excited to see that turn into a off the shelf product that can be purchased.

Leftover, I think he said he has a 71 240Z. AallenIII, The link below will help you easily rebuild your original switch. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=17688 Even if your original switch is not faulty, rebuilding it only takes 20-25 minutes and doesnt require anything other than some steel wool, fine sandpaper, or anything really to shine up the old contact points. I just think its something that will help you familiarize yourself with the operation of the switch and column stalk. As far as connections, I would venture a guess that your alarm is powered off of your parking light circuit based on your observation when you activate your alarm. I would look for a cut/exposed/corroded wire somewhere between your alarm and your comboswitch. Another idea, ff your 240z is somewhat stock, check out your fuse panel...this area is notorious for melting due to the high current going through it for the parking lights. Post results if you find it! Good luck!

So still no parking lights when trying to activate through the column switch? I know the parking light circuit has like 16 lights on it. Front turn signals, front marker lights, rear marker lights, tail lights, dash lights..etc. IF all of those lights "flash" when you activate your alarm, but your switch doesnt turn them on, I would begin by taking a look at your old switch for a reference point. From the driver seat the contact points/terminals on the left should be the one's to look at (on your original switch, not sure what the 74 switch looks like), then follow the wires from those two terminals leading to the rest of your harness. Hope you can find your gremlin.

Looks good, you must be scraping that exhaust with every bump in the road!

Cool to see that there are other swaps being attempted, I have a QR25DE in my 2002 Spec V. Great torquey engine, with good low gear grunt...if only it didnt burn oil. I have about 115K miles, and I had a blown head gasket at 75K miles, and my crank position sensor, cam position sensor, and throttle position sensor crap out on me. Its not the best engine out there, but it can be fun. I would love to see it in a lightweight 510 or Z just for the cool factor...but as far as a performance engine, it doesnt offer much in my opinion for high HP builds.

In short, yes, the KA24 pistons have been used for many 3.1 builds.

Mike, I would not sell the car. I'm sure you can have a LOT of fun with the current engine set-up, and later down the road find a cheap L28et and build it the way you want. I dont think you ever really described the condition, but if it's rust free, I would hold onto it and take your time formulating your plan.

Sounds like your switch might be corroded/faulty. Try this link for a rebuild how-to. Pretty simple and only takes about 25 minutes. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17688 You can also install the parking light relay from zcarparts.com if it solves your problem and you want to extend the life of your newly rebuilt switch. I ended up using just fine 000 steel wool for cleaning the contact points and switching them so I had fresh unpitted contact points for both the parking light and headlight position. Works great now.

That green with white stripe goes directly to your combo-switch and I believe is the power wire for the parking lights. If you have stock wiring, you should need it.

For $5000...you could have an awesome L28et with a very streetable 250hp. Not trying to dissuade you in any way, but it is most likely the easier route, especially since you are already planning on going megasquirt instead of carb. Any way you look at it, NA power levels generally require more money than a forced induction or V8 transplant. My car's 3.1L was built by the previous owner, so I am able to reap his hard work. If it were to ever blow-up to the point of being unrepairable, I will most likely just go with a stock flat-top L28, use an E-31 head I have sitting around, have some headwork done to it, and add a hot cam. Good luck with your project.

SM needles should be just fine. A lot of folks have said they are too rich for a stock motor...but this wont be stock will it! SU carbs are great, simple, and they work just fine for a street driven 3.1L. And as far as loud, I meant the fuel pump. Well the car itself is loud, I have a resonator and a supertrapp with no discs so thats my fault...its still pretty darn loud even at idle. Under acceleration I cant even hear the fuel pump . My holley fuel pump is rubber mounted, but again, its still pretty loud. I'll be getting back under the car this spring to see if I cant quiet it down some more, but I doubt it. A lot of folks recommend the carter pumps for a quiet electrical fuel pump. I might go with one myself if the fuel pump noise keeps bugging me.

I have the same set-up P90 head with SU's, cam with 480 lift/274 duration, 6-2-1 header/2.5 exhaust. Using a Holley blue fuel pump (loud as hell) with a Fuel pressure regulator set at about 4 psi.

S30 Z's ARE a really cool car to have. The value of these cars are like any other car, it depends on the condition. There should be plenty of posts on what to look for when purchasing, a simple search should be able to give you more than enough information to get started. If you aren't familiar with cars and automotive know-how and dont want to learn from first hand experience, the Z might not be for you. If you want to learn more about cars and how to work on them, the Z is probably perfect for you. It has a simple layout and is pretty straight-forward...But be warned, you will most likely have to work on this car. It will most likely be an ongoing project. Things will break, things will malfunction, and you will have to fix them. Parts will be harder to find, and you will have to think outside of the box from time to time. Some drivers on this forum use their Z for their daily driver. Many others keep their Z as their weekend car. If you're young, have limited income, and need daily reliable transportation, think about this purchase and ask yourself if you really need it and have the funds to maintain it. Please dont think I'm trying to discourage you, I'm just being realistic. Good luck and hope you find the answers you're looking for.

BTW, have you checked your front differential mount? I know in the JTR V8 conversion manual, they mention that the front differential mount was a weak point in the early Z's. Their fix was a plastic shielded steel cable that was wrapped around the mount, and the secured to the cross-member with a simple u-bolt for a back-up measure. I would guess that if you're mustache bar was cracked and "repaired", there might be some other things you want to check for peace of mind and safety.

The combo switch is easy to rebuild, search on classiczcars.com. There is a write-up with pictures that make it really easy to understand. Regarding the painless wiring kit, I did not install it. The previous owner did because he did not trust the 35 year old wiring. I'm glad he did it because I dont have to do the work, just figure out he did. Most users (from what I've searched) seemed to have the most difficulty with connecting all the painless wiring to the combo switch/windshield wiper switch, hazard switch, turn signal,...etc. Your post doesnt say much as to what is going on with your car...perhaps if you get specific with what is working and what isnt, it will help you narrow down your current problems, allowing you to search for possible ideas/fixes, and give you an idea as to what you need to do next and a gameplan for moving foward.

The lines of the Z are something that makes it that much more mesmerizing. Some body mods help accentuate it....but an air filter sticking out of a hole in the hood just doesnt seem right in my eyes.

Funny this thread came up. My GF and I got into a bit of a riff the other week about my constant time in the garage. I just got my Z about 3-4 weeks ago...for FREE, but thats a different story. She actually drove with me 230 miles to pick up the car, and was pretty supportive at first...then I ended up spending about every free hour I had in the garage doing small things to get the Z "perfect" for the spring (and perfect in quotations because we all know nothing can ever be "perfect"). It came out like a volcano of fury and frustration. Although I thought that she would be a little more understanding of my new toy, I did understand why she was upset. I was in the garage ALL THE TIME and if I wasnt in the garage, I was online reading or thumbing through various Z books. It absolutely is all about balance.