SuperSamuri

My favorite Z has to be one of the 74 roadgoing / competition "Super Samuri's" built in the early 1970's. http://www.sportscarmarket.com/columns/profiles/race/4834-1973-datsun-240z-super-samuri "Among U.K. Datsun enthusiasts, particularly those with a fondness for the 6-cylinder Z series, there is no bigger name than that of Spike Anderson, legendary proprietor of Samuri Conversions and the man responsible for a succession of Z-based racers in the 1970s, most notably Win Percy’s famous “Big Sam.” Very few cars are so famous that they are commonly referred to by their registration number, but FFA196L is one such and rightly so, as it was the first Datsun 240Z to benefit from Spike’s attention, going on to become a motorsport legend. This was the first car to carry the ‘Samuri’ name, a deliberate misspelling, as the Samurai trade name was owned by another company. In 1973, Spike purchased a Datsun 240Z registered FFAl96L for his personal transport, but the car did not remain standard for very long. What would turn out to be a lengthy and ongoing program of tuning commenced with gas-flowing the 2.4-liter, overhead-camshaft six’s cylinder head and raising the compression ratio, which was followed by ditching the standard carburetors in favor of triple Weber 4ODCOEs. Mangolesti supplied special inlet and exhaust manifolds, and in this specification, maximum power increased from 150 to 190 horsepower. Suspension improvements consisted of lowering the car by 40 mm and replacing the standard shock absorbers with Koni items. The weak braking was addressed by using ventilated discs and four-pot calipers from a Range Rover. Fitted with a deep front spoiler and refinished in distinctive red/bronze livery, Spike’s “Super Samuri” soon gained the attention of the motoring press. Various magazines tested the car and gave it rave reviews, typically achieving performance figures of 0–60 mph in 6.4 seconds and a top speed of 140 mph." http://www.sportscarmarket.com/columns/profiles/race/4834-1973-datsun-240z-super-samuri http://zhome.com/History/BigSam.htm http://zhome.com/History/BigSamIsBack.htm

Just purchased a '71 240Z with a Holley blowthrough (or is this a drawthrough?) set up with a Garrett AR 50 turbo and a large intercooler and adjustable boost set at 10lbs. New member, and any additional info on this set up or any members personal experience would be appreciated. Initial idea was to do fuel injection (probably Megasquirt) but the car drove really well on a 100 mile freeway run from the Bay Area to Sacramento, Still have to drive in back to Los Angeles at the end of the month. few things to take care of first including bleeding the brakes. Car was a non op since 2010.

New member, Just purchased a '71 240Z as a project car. Growing up in Scotland a family friend had one of the 70 odd Super Samuris built by Broadspeed cylinder head ace, Spike Anderson. http://zhome.com/History/BigSamIsBack.htm http://www.sportscarmarket.com/columns/profiles/race/4834-1973-datsun-240z-super-samuri The car was purchased in the Bay Area, registered as a non op vehicle and has been in storage since 2010. Most importantly it is solid with only minor areas of rust, the floors have their original paint (which is more than can be said for the rest of the car ). Currently a very faded silver, previously black and originally Sunshine yellow. Engine, manual 5 speed gearbox and R200 diff from a 280ZX turbo. Rear disc brakes and Dana wheels. Induction is a Holley "blowthrough carb: with a Garrett AR 50 Turbo with intercooler. No surprise that the PO included a spare clutch No headliner, cracked dash (spare dash cover included), mismatched race seats and no heater. Rubber trim cracked and dried out same for all suspension bushings. Missing bumpers. Stops in a straight line, brakes work but there is a lot of pedal travel.