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Nice work, Aydin...impressive as always. This is one of the reasons that I’ve shied away from composite body panels.

I bought a 32' coil of cunifer brake line and ended up with a BUNCH left over. 25' should be more than enough for you. Ditto for the fuel line. Have been using cunifer tubing for several years now and have nothing but good things to say about it -- I think you'll like working with it. Good luck!

SOLD

I often weld my rivnuts, as well. For this reason, I am usually using zinc-plated steel nuts. It only takes a small tack or two to firmly secure the rivnut in place. (For the rear flares, the tack weld is on the outside surface.). The current set of flare rivnuts have been in place for four years without any signs of loosening or corrosion. Hope this helps.

Just an FYI, depending on how big a patch panel you intend to use...the early year doors have the hole for the door lock knob in a different location than the later year cars. Not a big deal; nothing that can’t be worked around. Just wanted to let you know so you aren’t surprised.

As an FYI...if you don’t get the info you need here; you might try posting your question on ClassicZcar.com. As a community, they are very much into original-type restorations. Good luck with it — I applaud your commitment to originality!

Sorry to hear that this nagging issue hasn't come to resolution for you. It sounds like you have isolated it to the differential, and have tried everything I would suggest to fix the issue. Maybe the additional sound deadening in the hatch will help. Just curious....have you driven in other S30s for comparison sake? I don't know if you're new to these cars or not; but nothing is quiet about them. Most of my Zs have sounded like they're falling apart and dropping pieces all over the road. You can't compare them in any way shape or form to a modern civilized-riding automobile. I know that doesn't make the driving experience any less irritating for you; but at least you might be able to decide that your current diff is functioning "normally", FWIW.

Hey all, I've got a pair of the rotor spacers you need when doing the Toyota caliper upgrade to the front brakes. These are from Silvermine Motors; and have never been run on -- only installed once for mock-up purposes only. These are the spacers for "280Z hubs" (which also includes most 260Zs); the 240Z hubs were different thickness and therefore require different thickness spacers for the caliper swap. Please ensure which front hubs you have before purchasing! Full description can be found at: https://www.silverminemotors.com/datsun/datsun-280z/brake-kit-individual-parts/spacer. You would pay $80 plus $10 shipping for these new; you can buy mine for $50 shipped anywhere in the U.S. Thanks for looking!!

If you’re intent on switching to CVs, that’s a pretty nice price for a bolt-in solution. They look an awful lot like the units that Fritz McKellar used to produce at Datsun Restomods; but sadly has discontinued his production line. I had always planned to buy a set from him when my half-shafts decided to crap out on me...but I’m still waiting for that day, even after multiple years of hard track use. Before purchasing, I would check with ZCarDepot to enquire if they have a recommended HP/torque limit on these axles, to ensure suitability with your setup and intended usage.

I agree with @rturbo 930.....if you plan to upgrade the front brakes, I'd go with something other than the Toyota calipers. Those things weigh a ton and it's all unsprung weight. There are numerous options/kits out there that incorporate aluminum calipers and vented rotors. Also, if you ARE upgrading the front brakes, why would you want to keep solid front rotors? Those are actually the biggest achilles heel of the OEM system, as they are prone to overheating when subjected to sustained, intensive use. Since you've already swapped the rears for discs, I'm assuming that you've also gone with a bigger MC? If not, that should be on your near-term list. I know your question is focused on brakes and suspension, but have you upgraded your seats? That alone can make a huge difference in driving pleasure and comfort. Lots of good choices from Recaro, Sparco, etc....and there's a couple good threads here on seat swaps. Your combo sounds super nice -- I hope you're enjoying it!!

Hey Aydin, I'd be interested to see your airbox if you don't mind posting some pics at your next update. Tried downloading the movie clip you included, but my laptop didn't like it (possibly because it's an ancient POS, and I'm too cheap to buy a new one.) You might be able to use V-band clamps on the header if you stagger them on the two pipes (i.e. one slightly fore or aft of the other)? Just a thought for your consideration.

Good tips from @NewZed on the rear brakes. Most of the OTS drum brake shoes from parts stores are so-so at best. Fortunately, Porterfield produces a nice shoe that fits our rear drum brakes....you can check them out here: https://www.porterfield-brakes.com/Products/?YearSelected=1972&ModelSelected=240Z&MakeSelected=NISSAN&selectManufacturer=Porterfield Brakes

When you say "very firm peddle"....I'm wondering if you are getting power assist from the brake booster. Why do you say the "booster seems good" -- have you actually tested it, or had someone else test it? It's not uncommon for the check valve to either be installed backwards or to malfunction. Either condition will result in little/no assist from the booster, so I'd start by checking that first. Also, as @NewZed suggested...harder compound pads won't function properly until they get some heat into them. It is for this exact reason that I will often run organic, or softer, compound pads in my street cars. (And vendors like Carbotech and Porterfield both make a wide range of excellent brake pad options for the S30.)

I would check with Jamie at River City Speed....he works on everything, from mild to wild. He's currently building a turbo LS, tube chassis S30 for his own personal use. He has done work for many members here, including some of our SysAdmins. https://www.facebook.com/Rivercityspeed

Welcome, and thanks for sharing. If you're starting with a relatively rust-free shell, you are WAY ahead of the game. Hope you enjoy the journey, and please continue to post updates as the journey continues. HybridZ contains a wealth of info; so chances are someone has encountered just about every challenge/issue that you will face along the way....sometimes you need to do some digging to find the answers; but they're usually there somewhere! Cheers.

River City Speed in Richmond, VA; owned and operated by Jamie Taylor. I don’t think he has a website, but does have a page on FB.

I have done gravity bleed, with good results, but not on my Zs. (Speed bleeders make the job so much easier and quicker.). One thing I learned about gravity bleed technique is to only do one corner at a time, otherwise one corner could start sucking air from another corner. First time I did it, I thought I could save some time by doing both rears at the same time but that ended up being a mistake. Hope this helps. P.S. Check out Race Ramp wheel cribs...they are really nice.

Great info....thx for sharing, @MetalMagoo!

I’ve used the stock balancer on a couple of swaps; currently using this one on current swap: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-161350 No, the timing marks have never been accurate for me. I have always measured it mechanically and adjusted the marks as necessary.

Looks nice. I’ve used HyperCo springs for years w/o any complaints. GLWS. May want to post this in our “Parts for sale” sub-forum?

Yes, should work....provided offset is compatible (or can be made compatible with spacers). I'm assuming it is, as Edan seems to be producing those 5-lug hubs specifically for compatibility with the Z31 5-lug, if I read his literature correctly. I'm sorry I don't have first-hand experience with that swap to confirm 100%. I do, however, have the attached handy spreadsheet of tech data on Nissan rotors that I snatched off of one of the 510 forums I belong to -- may come in handy for you, or others, in the process of upgrading the stock brakes. Nissan Brake Rotors.xlsx

As confirmed by @Miles, the Toyota front brake upgrade is still very much relevant and a popular swap. If you haven't seen the thread in the FAQ section, you can find it here (even though it was initiated in 2005, most of it is all still relevant and a wealth of information): https://forums.hybridz.org/topic/39435-help-what-brake-options-are-available-for-s30-z-cars/ Kit vs piece it together yourself: Several vendors offer a variety of kits, from mild to wild, and many of them offer individual pieces of their kits if you prefer to pick-n-choose. A few of these vendors include T3, ArizonaZCar, SilvermineMotors, ZCarDepot, ZCarGarage, Milkfab Engineering, MSA Auto, etc. I would check them all out before making any decisions. You can generally save a money by piecing things together yourself, but lots of folks would rather just buy the kit and get it installed asap....really boils down to your own preferences. On my current 260, I recently pieced together my own front brakes using universal Wilwood 4-pot aluminum calipers with 11.5" vented discs from a Saab 93....it involved a lot of research and some custom fab, but I'm an engineer by training and personally enjoy that process. Good luck with it.

Good god....that thing is disintegrated. Even if it were free, you'd be getting yourself into an long, expensive restoration; and you still may never be happy with the final result. Is there a particular reason you want a 2+2? Many folks (myself included) feel that the 2-seater S30 has some of the best lines ever penned, and the 2+2 just doesn't quite hit the mark in the styling department. (Not to say that there are some really nice 2+2s out there....just be sure of what you're getting before you buy it.) I would seriously consider the expense and effort of purchasing a car from the west coast of the U.S. and having it shipped. From what I've seen regarding purchase prices of used sports cars in Europe, that would be the cheaper route and you would have so many more cars to choose from in decent condition. My two cents, FWIW...

Wow...looking good, Aydin!

You are correct in that JTR (and others) recommend a 15K ohm resistor in the blue line between the original ignition box to the tach (and I have done that on some previous swaps with acceptable results). HOWEVER.....IIRC, in my last SBC swap I just ran the line directly from the HEI to the tach (original gauge) and it worked fine...no additional resistance needed in the feed wire. I did have to calibrate the tach, using the small calibration screw on the back of the gauge. No bouncing needle, reads accurately and easy-peasey. This was on an early-version 260. Hope this helps.