Savage42

You know, after I posted that message, I was thinking about adding something to that affect. I'd say that when you setup the car for extreme handling for auto-x or track use, there is no doubt that it will stress the chassis much more than what the average V8 Z that's run on the strip on occasion will ever see. I keep forgetting that the "auto-x & track" hybridz group is a bit smaller than the driver/straight-liner group.

Sure, just depends on how long you want the shell to live. I'd say you can get away with it in a 280Z with just things like strut bars. The 240Z is lighter and a "flexy flyer" and should get some other upgrades. My buddy has run his 400 SBC in a 240Z for over a decade with 225HP/400 ft lbs at the rear wheels. Of course, he's gone through 4 different shells, a couple due to wrecks and the others due to the stress cracks (actually rips) in the C pillars. Of course, it's also a street/autocross/track car that is driven to it's limits, but you get the idea.

Yep, a friend of mine found one of those original cars about 30 miles from my house in a field. He did some restoration and then sold it off. Definitely rare, kinda weird looking and got the crap beat out of them by the Daytona Coupe, but wouldn't mind one for the collection.

So, jmortensen, what do you think of "make shift" Hybridz gathering at PIR some time. I'm sure we could get several of us there to whoop on some BMW or Porsche butt at their club track day.

I guess it depends on how dialed in your handling is, as I'm sure you'll need to play with bars a bit to get it back the way you like. If that's not a huge concern, then you can go either way. Ideally, you don't want the tires fighting each other in the corners and a more locked diff will certainly get you some serious push on an autocross course. I ran mine at 60 lbs and the one and only time I ever got any kind of inside wheelspin was with slicks on some very tight, slow corners w/ steep incline at a hillclimb. With the weight of your car and what you are doing, especially with autocross action, I would lean toward the 75 lbs. If that's not enough, you can add a shim. It's not quite that easy to change if you go the other way. Just my 2 cents.

It's obvious that there are several ways to get the desired affect and I don't think any is "so much better" than another. I always ran the street stuff and just had it shimmed for additional breakaway torque. If your car is primarily a track car, then I'd go for the 100 lbs. If you want it to be "civil" for the street, I recommend the 75 lbs. It's amazing how much difference that can make. When you get at 100 lbs, it's darn near locked unless you have sticky tires that grip enough to get the diff to slip. With street rubber, you'll get the "chunk, chunk, chunk" type behavior that you get from a locked diff. If you've ever experienced that, you know it's not nice for a street car. Also, tighter diff will make for more understeer and more stress on the chassis. You want it tight enough to keep the inside wheel from spinning, but not locked. Hope that helps.

John, what is Thunderhill lap time? I may get down there in a couple months as part of the All Datsun Meet in Shasta. Being in Oregon, I'm stuck with Portland Int'l, or a long trip to T-Hill, Sears or Laguna....all in the plan for next year!

So, which tracks are those?

One of the guys on the 510 list posted this, so I thought I'd pass it along. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&category=33731&item=2479124077

Its a matter of taste - do you want to see what you're going to hit or do you want it to be a surprise. Now that's damn funny! Speaking from experience, John? I had a leaking master cylinder on the 'Cuda at Laguna Seca, where I lost most of the front braking and had to stop with the rears w/o getting axle hop. I was still fast, just scary going into the corners and the really good guys would dive into the inside & out-brake me going into the hairpin. Sucked, but gets back to Phantom's problem of bad brakes. More experience and the right setup, you can still go fast, just not "as fast" as you'd like. hehe

Well, it just goes to show that you'd at least want to go with the vented rotor. When most of the 510 guys go with the Toyota 4x4 setup, they go with the vented and not the solid rotor. I see that's not always the case with the Z guys. You also have to realize that his car is 2800 lbs and with 330 RWHP, his acceleration speeds should be considerably faster than an ITS car, meaning more stress on the brakes. I ran stock ZX stuff w/ R4S pads on my 510 (2400 lbs w/ driver) and could out-brake just about anything on the track and never had any fade problems. The other key is wheel design. Wheels with few hole or little space for air will cook the brakes more quickly than others. It's a fact that some big brakes with R4S pads will work great for the street & autocross duty while living through track days. I do agree with John in some respect, as I hear the same stuff about stock 510 brakes and some of the fastest guys on the track run the OE setup, just have good pads & fluid. I guess the bottom line is that 98% of the Z guys don't run their cars hard enough to warrant spending big money on brakes when there is an easy, cost effective alternative, but it's a personal choice. I'm all about having more than needed, but not like these "rice boys" who have 13" rotors & giant calipers on their 160 HP Hondas.

You da man! Time to be "the guy" for your Z/ZX/510 brake upgrade! We can do that!! 8)

Let's see, you want the ride of a Cadillac, comfort of a Mercedes, and acceleration & handling of a Corvette but with SUV ground clearance....all wrapped up in a 25 year old Datsun. Piece of cake. I'm willing to sacrifice a bit for ultimate performance, but think I can do it in something that is tame enough for a driver. Time will tell.

The word "consistently" is the issue. I would have to say a big "NO" to that, but it can be done. Only a true LSD or locker will always due it!!

http://www.porterfield-brakes.com

I've got the kit and the parts are nice. John had to get an auto to mock it up for the 4L60E that I'll be putting in the car, so mine will be on the road in the next couple months.

Here's the relisting. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2477040283

I've got a set of 200SX arms & axles, but they are snap ring style CVs that went with the R180. Interesting.

Actually, brand new clutch type for R180 & R200 at http://www.differentials.com in the $525 range. Ask for Jimmy and he'll get you setup.

I'd almost think that it's a Viscous LSD, which requires special CV axles, as the shaft is an integral part of how fluid goes through the diff. Good luck.

Oh, you have no clue how many times I've heard "I used to have one of those in high school" or "my buddy had one" or "my relative had one" or...... Heck of a good car to get back in the day, they were just under $2k new! The L series & IRS made it a great "bang for the buck" vehicle. Like you said, they also have some great racing history, with BRE kickin' the crap out of the BMWs and running with the high dollar Alfas. As for having both, you can go both ways!

First, a triangulated setup is the best. As for running tie rods, you need to have some adjustablity, so you can bolt it down. Not everything is going to line up perfectly every time. Shoot, you could have your car parked in a slanted driveway or not even on a set of jackstands and have enough flex in the car to not have the holes line up if there wasn't a way to compensate. The key is having a right-hand/left-hand threaded ends, so you can tighten the bar by rotating it. You have to remember that under hard cornering, the strut tower will end to pull outwards, so you are essentially using the opposite tower as an anchor. Rod ends are snug and don't allow for hardly any movement once tightened down. Hope that makes sense.

After a decade+ in 510s, I just made the switch to Zs. You can check out my 2 510s in my Gallery at: http://datsun510.com/photopost/showgallery.php?ppuser=49&cat=500&thumb=1 The blue car sold for $10k and the white one (Casper) for $20k. Anyway, the best source for 510 info is at: http://www.dimequarterly.com I got spoiled with this group, as just about everything has been done on these cars, everything is pretty well documented and all the info is out there for you. The Z guys don't go to such extremes, but there are a lot fewer 510ers out there, so we had to make due. As for restoration parts, they are getting pretty rare, expensive and a lot of it is NLA. You used to be able to buy just about every part for a 510 from Nissan up until 2-3 years ago. Almost all the parts have dried up and there aren't many parts suppliers for them. Any sheetmetal parts have to come from cars that are being cut up or guys who have them. The only parts you can still get are rocker panels & one guy made floorboards. That's about it. These facts has caused prices for nice 510s to skyrocket. In perspective, it's nice that you can get almost everything for a Z, although it'll cost you, but you can still get them. Many parts are like "gold" in the 510 world, things that we thought weren't worth much only 5 years ago. Times change and unlike Z, there aren't enough 510s to warrant reproducing many of these parts. That's why just about everything gets upgraded to later model stuff, as my car was pretty much a 510 in shell only! 8) Hope that helps.

My buddy has a 400 sbc in his 240 and it's a class champion autocross car here in Oregon. They are torque monsters. While his only had 285 HP, it does have 500 ft lbs torque. Torque is king, especially in a driver or autocrosser. (even hillclimb for that matter) They do tend to run a bit hot, so you just need to make sure you have a kickin' radiator.