Savage42

Hey, at least we agree on something! haha What have you been up to, anyway?

Ya know, after looking through the Black Dragon catalog, seeing that the stock differential strap is $79.95 and you can get one of these with the GM mount for less money and it's WAY better.....it's all good! This forum and guys on it are awesome! Thanks for doing such a great job, taking time to make parts and sharing the info!! On a side note, I just took a new Z06 for a test drive and it really makes me want to get my Z done! It's crazy fast and the 505HP was quite a kick, but the Z will turn heads like no other Vette! Since power to weight will be about the same, it'll be fun to play on the road courses! I want it done now!!

So, is Dave going "old school", so he can go head-to-head with Dustin's V8 Z?

I'll be running the 12.19 x .81" GT slotted rotors on the rear, to match the 12.19 x 1.25" rotors in the front. With brake pad technology, there are plenty of options where the brakes work well with cold and having MORE brakes is never a bad thing. In most cases, it's not a huge deal, but track days put everything to the test. If we make these cars fast, making them slow down really well is a good idea. Just my .46 cents.

I'm sure Dave will fill you in, but here's the deal: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=119784

OK, a "daily driver", but is Dave going to talk you into coming to play in the "V8 Z Battle Royale" here in Eugene? At the very least, we can setup a "Z stable" and at least have a bunch of cool Z cars grouped together in the parking lot! Looking forward to seeing it.

Eugene, Oregon.......land of the hippies! Look out treehuggers!! The Z will be burning fuel, brakes and rubber very soon!

He was more than just a team member, as Peter designed the Cobra Daytona Coupe!! He's currently in the finishing stages of his V8 510 (350 SBC). I've been emailing back & forth with him over the last few days and he also seems to be recovering well after his incident where he was hit by a vehicle that went off course and struck him while trying to get back on course at an off road race. Anyway, welcome to the fold!!

When I ran ZX fronts and drums in the rear, the Z 7/8" MC worked great. With rear discs added, I had to go with the ZX 15/16" MC to keep the same, firm pedal. I'm a big fan on very good brakes....then again, I'm all about HP, too. Both is a good idea!

You will have to do hard lines and weld on the tabs for the rubber mount brake line to go to. Making hard lines isn't a big deal, as long as you have or have access to a simple tube bender (plastic, hand held jobbers work great) and the flaring tool. The flares are bit harder to do. Maybe you and bend a coat hanger for the shape and find a local place to make the lines for you with the metric fittings. My buddy, Kelvin & I have worked on and built many things for our 510s over the last 15 years. I was at his place on the weekend and he's doing the exact mod on a customers rear control arms, so maybe he can snap a few pics for you for a visual. His email is kelvin@datsuns.com and more of his 510 parts are here: http://www.datsun510.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=3012

All your questions can be answered at http://www.dimequarterly.com and by joining the 510 list. Quick overview is that the ZX front struts work just fine, after you put coilovers on them or swap the spring perches, stock 510 brake lines work with the front ZX conversion. The rear is more complicated, as you need a caliper mount and have to make some custom hard lines in conjunction with the stock rubber line from the caliper. Hope that helps. I had this setup on my blue 510 and it would out brake just about any car I've ever driven. http://dimequarterly.tierranet.com/articles/readers_dime_2_3.html

If you need work on any model Z (or anything else) here in the Oregon market, Dustin (BURRL) at Peak Performance here in Eugene is the man! He does all the work on the Z32s, as none of the dealerships like to work on them and they send them to him. Just an FYI.

Most transmission shops work on rear differentials, too. Machine shops would not be a place to go, as they are not a mechanic shop. Hope that helps.

I would say "Yes", as they tube is the same, the difference is in the spring perch, spindle angle and spindle size (bigger wheel bearings). Not sure about length, but I'd say that the tube diameter is the same.

Although I've yet to bolt in my drivetrain, I have to say that the quality of the parts is first rate and the service from John has been excellent. Like Dave mentioned, he is still the only one to design and produce such a kit and while people are buying them, he probably needs to sell many more to even start making money on them. It's awesome to have guy like that who will take time to cater to our unique & very limited hobbies. Hammer down!!

Yeh, I think your car would cost at least $10k to do it today. I certainly hope to have the car done very soon. I would shoot for Shasta, but there is NOT a Shasta event for this year. New management of the ski lodge wanted to charge 4 times the amount for the facility, so no go. There's going to be some sort of 3-4 day deal at Thunderhill, but it's so damn hot that time of year, I'm not too sure about attending that one! We'll see.

Let me clarify. Dustin took his car in for a new paint job and just ended up with a full restoration. It's not cheap doing cars anymore. I got my 510 done about 12 years ago for $2k and now that's what the materials cost. Not cheap anymore!

You are a funny guy! No photoshop there, although it is currently back in Portland at the paint shop getting a bunch of things fixed that I wasn't happy with and then it's assembly time. See all the parts on the shelf, behind the car and on top of & under the bench? Just waiting for the return and it is time to get it going! Definitely took longer than I hoped, but Dustin knows what I mean about that. He took BURRL in for a $3500 reshoot of his car and a year later and 4 times the original cost, he ended up with a beauty. I'm ready to drive now!! Thanks, David!

If you cut the latch, it should let the motor sit back, then getting the block to clear the crossmember and then go with an underdrive pulley, you may get pretty close to where you need to be.

Yep, that is correct. Datsun is 12x1.25 and Toyota is 12x1.5. Close, but not quite.

The big one right outside Portland, Oregon is the Canby show, which had nearly 200 cars last year. Here's the link to the Datsuns Northwest Club that put's it on. http://www.datsunsnw.org/ There's also a big one in September up in Canada, where they autocross on Saturday, big car show/swap meet on Sunday.

Cool! Now you can join us for several of the awesome Datsun events here in the Northwest! See you at Canby?