jhaag

This article appeared in the November, 2004 issue of Grassroots Motorsports magazine and is about Ted Fisher's build of a '72 240Z using one of John Washington's 280YZ kits on a tube frame. (http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/board/index.php).

Here is an article that appeared in Kit Car Builder magazine (I don't have the date). It is about putting one of John Washington's Vello Rossa Spyder bodies on a 280Z John

I posted an article about his car in the Non-Tech section at http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=123425 John

Afshin's 1983 280ZXT was featured in Sport Z Magazine, Winter, 2005 (three pages). Afshin was a San Franciso medical doctor who used to post on Hybrid quite a bit until he moved to NJ and then Maryland sometime in 2006 (at least according to the last post I found from him from 7/06). Doing a search on his name in Hybrid turns up a lot of 280ZX information. Do any of our East Coast members have any information about the whereabouts of Afshin or his car? John

I want to thank Paul (BRAAP) Ruschman for his tutorial (http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?p=783354) on “How To†Post pictures on HybridZ , the EASY way…" Using the tutorial, I converted the articles I posted over the past few weeks into much more readable formats (no more clicking on a link for each page of the articles). Here is a list of the 11 articles with links to each. John 1. 280ZX race car comparison - article from Road & Track, June 1980 (10 pages). http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=123007 2. Project 240 Z28 - Hot Rod articles - May, June, July and September 1985 (15 pages). The articles detail the installation of a 350 into a 240. Scroll down to the articles at http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=123007 3. Japanese 280 ZX profiled by Overboost back in 2002 (appeared at the national Z convention). Scroll down to see the numerous photos and a copy of the Overboost article at: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=123355 4. Electromotive Devendorf Datsun 280ZX Turbo article - Road &Track - May, 1983 (6 pages). Scroll down to the article at http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=123007 5. The Turbo - 280 ZX article - Road & Track - July and August 1981 - (11 pages). Scroll down to the article at http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=123007 6. Z history articles - Sports Car International magazine - August/September 1997 (18 pages). http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=123049 7. Jim Biondo's small block 260Z. A four page article from the March, 2000 issue of Chevy High Performance magazine. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=123190 8. A second article (seven pages) about Jim Biondo’s 260Z appeared in the April, 2000 issue of Turbo & High-Tech Performance magazine. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=123193 9. Zealotry! is an on-track comparison of three 300ZXs: a 300ZX IMSA GTS race car, a Stillen 300ZX Stage 6 and a 300ZX Twin Turbo. It was published in the December, 1994 issue of Sports Car International magazine. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=123329 10. Big block Chevy into 240 article from Popular Hot Rodding, May, 1978. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=123187 11. On-track comparison of two race cars, a 240Z and a 300ZX. Titled Z Versus Z, I believe it was published in 1996 (I don’t know the month) in Grassroots Motorsports magazine. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=123331

Jason/e_racer1999: It is showing up fine for me. Could you check it again? Anyone else having trouble reading it? John

You are welcome, DavyZ! With Paul Ruschman's help I was able to make them easier to read now. John

I love it!! John

Paul: I'm already looking forward to the tutorial! I'm surprised at how hard this has been for me to figure out, so your help is very welcome! John

Jason: Thanks for your comments! I agree that the itty bitty print needs to be able to be larger so that it can be read. I need all the help I can get in figuring out how to make this easier for people. John

Olderthanme: Thanks for your suggestion but for the life of me I don't know what you mean or where to find the 'yellow mountain button'. I'm using Internet Explorer on a PC but I can't see that that would have any impact. I've done multiple searches: post picture, post photo, help photo, etc but with no luck. And what about e_Racer1999/Jason King's question about not being able to enlarge the photo? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! John

Pete84: Sorry for not getting it done right the first time. When I copied the original info and pasted it here, not all of the web address came along. I have fixed all the links. Several people have suggested I paste the actual pages (not just the links) into my post which would make it more convenient to read. I'm having trouble figuring out how to do that even though Vertitech (Max) and Olderthanme have given instructions. Something is missing or I am just not getting it yet. I am going to search the site since I recall a number of previous posts where people were not sure how to post photos. I'm still learning. John

Thanks for posting the photos, Max! I fixed the original links. May I ask how you posted the photos instead of just the links? Thanks John

These articles are posted in the Non-Tech section but here are links to them. Article - on-track comparison of two race cars, a 240Z and a 300ZX http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=123331 Article - on-track comparison of three 300ZXs (300ZX IMSA GTS race car, a Stillen 300ZX Stage 6 and a 300ZX Twin Turbo) http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=123329

Thanks, Guy! Great idea to post a summary on a 350 swap. John

I'm guessing most of you have seen and read about the Japanese 280ZX ("Mid Night Racing Team") - probably several times by now. In case you haven't, it is posted in the Non-Tech section and is titled (not surprisingly): Article and photos - Japanese 280 ZX ("Mid Night Racing Team") http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=123355 John

I posted these photos (I added a few more) and the article last week as part of an interesting thread called "sexy sexy s130 body kit" (http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=122863&highlight=jhaag&page=2). I decided to make it a separate post so it is easier to find - please forgive the repost. The car is a Japanese 280 ZX that was featured on the Overboost website in 2002 after it appeared at the National Z-Car Convention in Las Vegas. Many thanks to Paul (BRAAP) Ruschman for his tutorial (http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?p=783354) on “How To” Post pictures on HybridZ , the EASY way…" John This is the 280 ZX article from 2002 from Overboost (an apparently now defunct website) "We did a one-day cannonball run out to Sin City from L.A. to check out the International Z Car Convention. As great as the show was our real reason for attending was the inclusion of a dozen privately owned Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) Z's that Nissan had shipped to the States especially for the event. In our search for the most incredible JDM car at the show, more often than not people kept directing us back to this red 280ZX. At first glance, this car looked rather nondescript aside from the wide-body kit. After all, the car is a 1978 model. We found the answer to this Z's unique appeal with a closer look at the specs - 600hp and a top speed of over 300 km/h! That's equivalent to 186 mph for our metrically challenged readers. Further investigation revealed much more about this car and its owner as well. "The cars at the Tokyo Auto Salon do not impress me," the Z's owner remarked with a nonchalant tone. "No matter how much horsepower they make, these (Auto Salon) cars will never impress me unless they are driven. Cars are meant to be driven." Take a close look at the front end of this Z - it shamelessly wears its battle scars with pride. Not only is this car driven, it is driven mercilessly. The car is actually owned by a well-mannered gentleman by the name of Toshi from Tokyo, Japan. Toshi politely requested that we withhold his last name and remove his license plate numbers because the Japanese police take a very dim view on the street racing element and he feared retribution as a result of this story. This is also because Toshi belongs to the Mid Night Racing Team - one of the most famous street racing teams in Japan. Mid Night's membership mainly consists of Porsches, Zs, and Skyline GTRs. Mid Night also leaves the 1320 and drift competitions to the kiddies, because their need for speed could only be met through what Toshi calls "maximum velocity." Top Speed has always been a hallowed benchmark and the team's dramatic exploits have been documented in over 200 editorial features in most of the leading Japanese auto magazines and even Turbo, MAX Power U.K., and Denmark's Autoviz magazine. We still wanted to know how this Z puts out over 600 hp and how Toshi pushed it over the 300 km/h mark (right after that run it was discovered that the Z was running on only five cylinders!). All of the 280's tuning was performed at ABR (Air Breathing Research) Hosoki Engineering. Among other notable accomplishments ABR built the World's fastest Soarer (basically a twin-turbo Lexus SC 300) which recorded a "maximum velocity" of 218 mph. ABR increased the capacity of the L28E powerplant to 3,100cc with its own forged pistons, rods, crankshaft and cams. The 280ZX's very mild single turbo system was tossed in favor of twin IHI RHC-6 VX55 compressors and 3P-13 turbines. Power transfer is handled via a Z31 300ZX Turbo 5-speed transmission with an ABR LSD. Engine management is courtesy of a Nissan genuine 16-bit ECU, GReddy PROFEC and REBIC III and an HKS GCC. At 186 mph they say you have no friends, you also have no room for error and this is where the aerodynamics and suspension and brakes help control the prodigious amounts of horsepower it takes to bring a car up to this velocity. Toshi chose specially modified Bilstein dampers with TRD springs and 16-inch Panasport wheels wrapped with Bridgestone RE71 tires. Stopping distances are reduced with no less than R32 Skyline GTR calipers utilizing TRD rotors from a Supra racing application. Aero improvements come in the form of an ABR Original body kit with front and rear fenders, front spoiler, side skirts, rear valance, rear hatch spoiler and a vented hood. In addition to this Z Toshi also owns a 1982 280ZX Turbo (with only slight modifications - just for fun), a 1990 300ZX Turbo (with heavy modifications - recorded a 291km/h top speed) and a non-modified 1999 300ZX Turbo as a daily driver. Obviously Toshi's love for Z's runs deep and when we asked him why he started to modify his Z he calmly replied, "To win against my rivals, that is all." With an arsenal like this at his disposal we would have to say that Toshi probably left more than a few of his rivals in his tremendous wake. SPECS: Car Specs Mid Night Racing Team 1978 280ZX Engine Type: Nissan L28E Engine Mods: Capacity increased to 3,100cc with forged 89f pistons, ABR original rods, ABR original crankshaft, ABR original 268-degree camshafts with 12.9 mm lift, intake 46.5 mm, exhaust 38.0 mm, twin IHI RHC-6 VX55 compressors and 3P-13 turbines Engine Management: Nissan genuine 16-bit ECU; GReddy PROFEC and REBIC III; HKS GCC Drivetrain: Z31 300ZX Turbo 5-speed transmission 0.779 fifth gear ratio; ABR Original special LSD with 3.545 final gear ratio Suspension: Specially modified Bilstein dampers with TRD springs Brakes: R32 Nissan Skyline GTR calipers with TRD Supra Race rotors Wheels: Panasport C5R 16x8 front, 16x9 rear Tires: Bridgestone RE71 225/50R16 front, 245/45R16 rear Exterior Mods: ABR Original body kit with front and rear fenders, front spoiler, side skirts, rear valance, rear hatch spoiler, hood Interior Mods: Autometer tachometer; Blitz EGT; HKS water temperature, oil temperature, oil pressure and boost gauge; ABR Original rollcage; Recaro SPG driver seat, Recaro LS passenger seat; Sabelt four-point harnesses; Nismo D-shape steering wheel Mobiletronics: N/A Two hundred and sixteen miles per hour. Two hundred and sixteen miles per hour. Excuse the repetition, but we just like the way that sounds. Two hundred and sixteen miles per hour. The reason we are attracted to this particular velocity is that it is also the top speed of this Z car pictured here. These kind of numbers make this car the fastest, ahem, street legal Z in Japan. We didn't exactly stumble upon this Beast from the East. We were introduced to this car through another newfound Japanese friend of ours, Toshi, who piloted his own Z car to more than 186 mph (click here to see the full feature)! Much like Toshi this Z's owner would only allow us publish his first name, Hiro, out of fear of retribution from the Japanese authorities. And when we asked him, through Toshi's bi-lingual skills, what he did for a living he would only tell us that he is self-employed. These guys are very secretive, and with good reason. If we spent our free time driving at speeds around the double-century mark on public highways, we wouldn't want the police to know who we are or what we do either. While Toshi belongs to the world famous Mid Night Racing Team Hiro belongs to a smaller club consisting of only two members. You might be wondering what kind of car the other member owns. It's a Toyota Soarer (a 7M-GTE-powered coupe) with a top end of 218 mph! Toshi, Hiro, the Soarer owner and the rest of the Mid Night Racing Team spend their late nights looking for areas of the Wangan Expressway where they can put these excessive machines to their own brand of top speed testing. One of the main directives of our Tokyo Auto Salon mission was to capture a video of the guys during some of their Wangan runs. If you have any doubt to our claims of the top speed prowess of this Fairlady, its dramatic exploits (as well as those of the Mid Night Racing Team) have been documented in over 200 editorial features in most of the leading Japanese auto magazines and even Turbo, MAX Power U.K., and Denmark's Autoviz magazine. We were prepared to get some video footage of Hiro, Toshi and the rest of the guys in action, but we neglected one thing - a vehicle of our own (D'oh-OVB). So without our own wheels we were denied the chance to see these guys in action, although we will definitely be traveling back to the JDM in the near future, which will include a stop at the Hertz counter at the Narita airport. And although it was 0'dark thirty, Hiro was kind enough to allow us to take whatever pictures we could given the zero light setting. Since our new friend Hiro doesn't speak any English (which is far better than our Japanese skills) it made it hard to get the technical specs from him. With Toshi's help we were able to glean these little tidbits: the car has rocked the dyno rollers to the tune of over 800 hp to the rear wheels; the engine originally powered a Bonneville Salt Flats Fairlady to almost 400 km/h (250 mph); and most importantly, Hiro has no interest in any of these numbers or specs. He only cares about one thing - the maximum velocity he can wring out of this car. Toshi told us, "Hiro does not have any interest in the specifications. He only has an interest in how fast it is. Also, he believes that proper tuning and the perfect fuel management setup is much more important than the sum of the parts. While Hiro makes a great point, we would still like to know what makes this Fairlady tick. From what we could make out in the very short but sweet spec sheet Hiro gave us the VG30DETT V-6 underwent a complete engine build-up, which includes 89 mm forged pistons, "Bonneville" spec camshafts and H-beam connecting rods. The twin turbo setup was upgraded with HKS GT3037S turbines and HKS GT wastegates mounted on a custom-made long type exhaust manifold, while the charge air is kept at a reasonable level with an ARC "special spec" front mount intercooler. To keep the fluid temps in check an oil cooler and high-flow radiator were also added. Increased fuel needs are met with 850 cc injectors and the out gases are expelled through dual 80 mm exhaust tips. Hiro's requirements for "perfect fuel management" are achieved with an HKS F-COM V-PRO and gear selection is assisted through a multi-puck racing clutch. When Hiro's tearing up the Wangan at more than 200 mph he relies on ultra high performance (and ultra adhesive) 17-inch Yokohama Neova rubber wrapped around a mean-looking set of Panasport C5R five-spoke wheels. The Fairlady's suspension agility is improved with a trick set of Ohlins adjustable coilovers with remote reservoirs and when it comes time to haul the Z down to more sensible speeds Hiro relies on a Brembo racing kit. One of the Overboosters was lucky enough to go for a brief ride with Hiro in the Fairlady (not lucky enough as he didn't get on it in the dense Tokyo traffic-OVB). As passengers and pilots, we've experienced enough street cars with buckets and harnesses (although Recaro SPGs with Willans belts are still very exclusive). But this car deceives your senses when Hiro fires it up. The lumpy cam idle, burbly exhaust and the electric fuel pump whirring away only inches behind your ears all scream Race Car. Not to mention the smell of the fuel and the chatter of the six individual clutch pucks rattling away with such vibration that you half expect to lose some vital transmission pieces as you pull away. Hiro actually drives this circuit crusher nearly every day. The antiquated steering wheel is actually a Datsun Competition model that Hiro acquired before he even owned the car. His love for Nissans runs deep. In fact he owned a Z31 prior to this Fairlady but an accident sidelined his modification plans. The exterior is made more aerodynamically sound with the addition of a complete Bomex aero kit including a ducted hood. Some of Hiro's future plans involve the addition of a wide-body kit but much of the funding earmarked for this Z involves maintenance on the performance mods. The combination of the extreme engine build-up and Hiro's top speed exploits make for frequent rebuilds and part replacements. In regards to other future upgrades Hiro can only smile and tell us that his need for speed mirrors most people's lust for money - you can never have enough. Car Specs JDM Nissan Z32 300ZX Engine Type: VG30DETT V-6 Displacement: 3.0L Engine Mods: Complete engine build-up including 89 mm forged pistons, "Bonneville" spec camshafts, H-beam connecting rods, oil cooler, high-flow radiator; 850 cc injectors; HKS GT3037S turbines (2), HKS GT wastegates, custom-made long type exhaust manifold, ARC "special spec" front mount intercooler; dual 80 mm exhaust tips Engine Management: HKS F-COM V-PRO Drivetrain: Multi-puck racing clutch Suspension: Ohlins adjustable coilovers with remote reservoirs Brakes: Brembo racing kit Wheels: Panasport C5R 8JJx17, 9JJ-17 Tires: Yokohama Neova 235/45ZR17, 265/40ZR17 Exterior Mods: Bomex aero kit (including front clip, side skirts, rear bumper, rear spoiler and aero ducted hood) Interior Mods: Recaro SPG seats (2) with Willans harnesses, Datsun Competition steering w

I uploaded this article, titled Project 240Z, about a week ago into a thread about Nordskog parts. I made it into a separate thread here to make it easier for people to find. It is a 15 page article about putting a 350 engine in a 240 that was spread over several issues of Hot Rod magazine from May, June, July and September of 1985. They use some Nordskog parts in their project. Many thanks to Paul (BRAAP) Ruschman for his tutorial (http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?p=783354) on “How To” Post pictures on HybridZ , the EASY way…" John

You are welcome. I have saved so many articles that I thought I would start posting them for everyone's consideration. John

I bought my ZX (it was stock) in 1993 from the original owner in Colorado who received it as a graduation present. She lost interest in it after having it repainted the original color (burgundy) and then getting hit two weeks later with hail that left dings in the roof and hood. It had 130K miles on it and, apart from the hail dings (still there), was in very nice shape. It's got 132K miles on it now so it has spent most of it's life in my garage. The body remains completely stock although I have a million ideas. More ideas than time. I like the lines of the 280ZX much more than any other Z car. Regards, John

Titled Z Versus Z, it is an on-track comparison of two race cars, a 240Z and a 300ZX. I believe it was published in 1996 (I don’t know the month) in Grassroots Motorsports magazine. Many thanks to Paul (BRAAP) Ruschman for his tutorial (http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?p=783354) on “How To” Post pictures on HybridZ , the EASY way…" John