Savage42

Well, first, it is ugly! ;^) I know of a half dozen Z cars owned by my Datsun buddies over the last 25 years and none of them used or had that piece. These were street & autocross cars and had no issues running without it, so just going off that.

With poly bushings being an exact fit for the rack & the mounts, along with the position the rack has to mount to the steering rack at the right angle, so you can't really mess up mounting the rack. I imagine that any deflection would be more from the force of the steering shaft trying to twist the rack than any side to side movement from the actual forces from the tie rods/wheels.

With poly rack bushings, that piece doesn't nothing. The feel and response with poly is a big improvement and that piece was added to help reduce deflection with the stock rubber bushings. You know that the cars originally geared for ride quality & comfort over outright performance, while also having sloppy bias ply tires. You add wider radial tires and you can see why that piece would make a difference with the rubber bushings, but in this day & age, time to take out the rubber and go with poly.

No, definitely did not pay that. While most do not need an actual professional race grade lithium battery, the more cost effective lithium option would be the one that Phantom put in his LS 280Z is the GreenLite GU1R lithium battery, still at only 6.4 pounds but 1/3rd the cost of the MircoLite model. In regards to smaller lead batteries, I would personally never go with the flooded, wet acid battery due to venting and release of acid that eats the battery tray, surrounding metal and causes corrosion of the terminals, which does mean they require more care than a sealed, maintenance-free AGM battery that will also not lose it's acid like the wet ones. AGM batteries are better than wet batteries, but they do cost more. Not having to worry about battery acid eating my car is worth the extra cost. The forementioned GreenLite GU1R lithium battery is the same size as the Miata battery (both U1 Group size), but if you are looking for a more compact battery that is built for V8 applications, I would look at either the Braille B2618 or B3121 lightweight AGM models, as both have been used for half a decade in cars like the Daytona Prototypes and Corvette Racing in IMSA prior to upgrading to lithium. Other than using a lithium charger, there is no special care needs for them and since they will last up to 5 times longer, it becomes nearly a cost neutral deal in the long run. The LS motors REALLY benefit from the higher, more constant voltage of lithium, as reported & logged by OEM factory race teams compared to lead batteries and the Braille lithium batteries have a less than 1% failure rate. Low quality batteries that are smaller and worked outside of what they were designed for will certainly shorten life of any lead battery, so a premium model in a given size with higher performance specs will last longer. Also, with less capacity, if the vehicle is going to sit for extended periods of time, you must use a charger to keep the battery charged, no matter whether it be a small lead or lithium battery. So, hope this info helps some of you, as there are many options at different prices and performance levels, so just make sure to get the right battery for you application and budget. Now back to working on my Z this weekend!

I have never liked the position of the battery, especially being so close to the hood and inspection lid, not to mention that having such a huge chunk of weight that high & to the side is less than ideal. Back when I started the build/restoration on my car, I took out that area and lowered the battery section to be almost down level with the frame rail to get the weight down low. Of course, that was back when I knew nothing about batteries and before the day of smaller, lighter options, so I originally planned on (and bought) a Yellow Top Optima to sit in this section. Well, I let the battery sit on the shelf for 1.5 years without charging it and it took a crap. (scratch $225....live & learn) So, now instead of having a big, 40 pound battery in that space, I have my ECU (for LS swap) and 6 pound lithium battery in the same spot and a cover that kinds it all away. Just my solution.

Motegi Racing TrakLite 2.0 - Forged 2-piece wheels 17x8 +10mm with 225/45/17 Falken tires

The electric power steering setup comes as a direct bolt in. You send in your old column for a core (or not) and they give you everything to bolt it in, run a couple wires and you are on your way.

Yea, I have 2 left. $30 shipped in USA.

Yes, got a few left. Email / Paypal is garysavage at me dot com

Would have to check work Bem at Skillard on that. I know he has sold quite a few of them to S30 guys with the Type 1 air dam, can't imagine they all went on 280Zs, but you never know. I'll pass that inquiry along.

I hear you on many points. My wife is hesitant to ride in my Z because I built it myself. (Guess they need to be built in factory by robots). It certainly takes more skill driving and stopping one of our cars at high speeds without the modern aids like ABS & traction control, but that is what also makes them more fun. I ran this '74 Dodge Challenger Petty Kit car at Daytona on the road course and was right near 200 mph on the straights. Without a front spoiler, having a huge "school bus" steering wheel and steering box made for super speedways, it was a handful. Oh, the rear drum brakes were also less than ideal, but it was still a blast. I will keep you posted on how the Z performs on track in the coming months.

Good to know. At Sebring, typical speed coming out of turn 16 is around 50-60 mph and the straight is a little over half a mile (.57 mile / 3040 feet) before the braking zone going into turn 17, so plenty of time to get the car moving. I rode with a guy in his Porsche GT3 at we hit 175 mph when we had to hit the brakes. Granted, at high speeds, the aero of the Porsche is MUCH better, but I should have an advantage of power/weight to get a better run off the corner and about half way down the straight. The front straight is a little shorter, but you have more speed coming out of Turn 17, so top speed would be similar. The benefit of road racing is that we get the benefit of being in the draft, so that would certainly help. The goal is to make sure I can stay close, as that would be a "moral victory" and likely to irritate them, as well. ;^)

I may end up making something to close off the bottom portion of the opening, but will wait until I run at Sebring to see what speed I hit (maybe 160) before having to brake hard for turn 17 & even slower into turn 1. I don't think I'll run it at Daytona, so not worried about terminal velocity for sustained periods like I would there. Time will tell.

They mount the same way on all of the S30 Z cars at the bumper mount, tow hook mount, core support and crossmember. The only thing is you need to be running the Type 1 air dam for the current splitter and he is making the version for the Type 2 splitter. It's the air dam that makes the difference, not being a 240 or 280. (From what I've seen).

I'll have to rely on 450HP & 2500 lbs on race tires to have enough to run down & pass the Porsches, Corvettes and others in the track. We both know that driving has as much to do with it as all-out car performance. Also, very few will drive their cars 10/10ths, but I will. Then again, we aren't racing at DE events and its not racing. It is a street car, after all.

Mine is fiberglass, so having the protection and function is a "win-win" deal. It is a stout chunk of aluminum, for sure, based on pics I've seen with Ben actually standing on his with a 3" lip. You won't get much deflection based on thickness and how it mounts to the core support, crossmember and up front via 2 brackets & turnbuckles on each side.

Typically, there is not actual attachment of the splitter to the air dam. The upward force can be adjusted via the turnbuckles (pair on each side) and the pair of screws that go into the bottom of the core support. The bottom edge of the Type 2 air dam wasn't totally flat in the middle, so I actually drilled a single 1/4" hole right in the middle and put a bolt through the bottom with a flat washer, lock washer & nut on there to take away a slight gap between the splitter and bottom of the air dam (just in the middle). So, that is actually the only attachment of the splitter to the air dam. I also like the fact that having that plate of aluminum up front will protect the air dam from getting tweaked from hitting a cone or anything else that would easily damage the fiberglass air dam. Great to get several kinds of functionality out of it.

Hey guys! Just thought I'd post some pics of my modified Skillard spoiler (designed for Type 1 air dam) that I had recut to match the Type 2 air dam and decided to go with a subtle 1" lip instead of the huge extension they typically have. I wanted to eliminate the huge open area the car had with having this front body kit on it, specifically for when I get out to Sebring and expect to hit high speeds on the straights there. After I modified the splitter, I had it powder coated in bright silver metallic and put it on the car this last weekend. I think it looks great and should certainly function pretty well. Just thought I'd pass this on, as Ben at Skillard is looking to make a Type 2 splitter, as there are several differences between both types besides the curvature of the air dam. Even with the work and cost of having to cut and powder coat it, I still think getting the setup from Skillard is a good deal. http://skillard.com/products/240z-260z-280z-front-lip-splitter Now back to finishing the "details" on this car so I can finally go have some fun in it. https://www.facebook.com/280Z.06/

It's always a trade-off. Our lithium starting batteries can put out 48C rate for 30 seconds and 28C continuous discharge, so would be ideal for a drag car or a driver. As you stated, it would be at a compromise of range and very costly. I assume you will disassemble and make pretty after you make it all work or is it just an exercise in proof of concept?

Every setup I've seen mounts on top (outside) of the headlight bucket & fender. If you look at the corners of the air damn, the way the mold goes inward would suggest it fits over the top of the sheet metal and not behind. Have you tried that, as it would seem to work if that was done.

Logic would make it seem that all batteries in a given size coming from a couple different facilities would make them all the same, but that is far from the case. We build all of our lithium batteries in-house, but our AGM batteries are contract manufactured to our specs and if the ones coming in don't meet our minimum specs of 550 CCA and 750 CA, they are sent back. Obviously, for motorcycle use and for guys selling them to a lower cost market/application, peak performance is not critical, tested or even worried about. The OE Harley Davidson, Deka, Big Crank and other brands are all intended for a different use and marketed as such. That being said, it's not that those others won't work, but as previously mentioned, there is a reason that so many Harley, custom bike and MOTORSPORTS dealers sell Braille as the AGM upgrade and then go to lithium for those that each the AGM batteries annually. So it's like the difference between 87 octane & 93 octane fuel coming from the same refinery. Heat is a killer of all car parts and we typically see about 3 year life in batteries here in Florida, even the full-size batteries. One added benefit of our lithium batteries is that they have a 10-15 year service life (even in high heat & cold climates) and have less than a 10% loss in performance over its life, where all lead batteries start dropping off I cranking power & capacity after 6 months of use. Lithium is like switching from pump gas to race fuel....no comparison.

The ETX-30L is a size, the same as the B3121. The biggest problem I see regularly is that size is standard for Harley Davidson and other powersports applications and not designed, marketed or intended for automotive use from most of those battery manufactures who build & spec them for a use that requires less power. We expect (and have) Corvettes, Vipers and large number of circle track cars running the B3121 and warrantied for use in street & race cars. We also have Harley & custom bike builders that buy & sell Braille because the stock Harley battery and the other low cost (also low performance & quality) only last 6 months and they have no issues using a battery that is used for engines much larger. Going small and not having adequate power will overwork the battery relative to its size and dramatic reduce cycle life. Hope that helps add some clarity to the situation, as even compared to Odyssey batteries, the Braille equivalents (same size & weight) has anywhere from 50-100% more cranking power than Odyssey. even using the small Odyssey batteries in automotive applications voids the warranty and since they use those batteries are also used for things like backup power, they compromise cranking power for deep cycle ability. Now you know more than you probably care to about batteries.

Got you covered, got a small batch made up and have a few left.

Motegi Racing TrakLite 2.0 (2-piece forged) 17x8 +10mm with 225/45-17 Falken RT615K tires. Running 10mm spacer on front.

I'm 6' and there is about 2" between my head and roof.