primaz

I do want to give a big thumbs up and shout out to "artishard" here on the HybridZ, I kept searching to find anyone whom had one of RIPS old custom oil pans and it turns out that "artishard" here on the HybridZ has that very pan and was kind enough to share several pictures. Those pictures were amazing as it looks like they are enough for Robbie at RIPS Racing to make a custom oil pan for my application! This is why HybridZ is so great to learn from others mistakes and share information so valuable in our pursuit of performance!

Datsun 240Z RB30 oil pan For my 1972 240Z, I wanted to create a reliable big horsepower streetcar capable of 800-1000 HP. To meet those goals I choose RIPS Racing whom has the proven track record in creating reliable high HP street cars, exactly what I was wanting. One of the issues I faced was that Robbie of RIPS had lost his template for a rear high-capacity oil pan for a 240Z swap. There does not seem to be any good oil pans for a 240Z RB swap. If you are building a big horsepower RB engine to be swapped into a 240Z PLEASE BE CAREFUL AS I PERSONALLY DO NOT THINK THERE ARE ANY GOOD PANS AVAILABLE AND YOU WILL NEED TO GO HAVE A CUSTOM OIL PAN MADE! Here is my sad experience thus far... After spending weeks online reviewing so many oil pans only to find that all of them were not adequate based on RIPS observations. I found this one JHK pan from U.P. Garage that appeared that it might work so I took a chance after they told me it would work, https://upgarageusa.com/collections/jhk-oil-pans/products/jhk-rear-sump-rb-cast-oil-pan When I received it, I shipped it straight to RIPS as I did not want to undo their professional packing. I did not open the box, as I just brought it to DHL and they put their label over where your label was. I sent it to Robbie at RIPS Racing in New Zealand. Unfortunately when it arrived to New Zealand it was damaged. I told Eric, & Doug @ UP Garage via email, The oil pan you shipped to me was damaged. I did not open the box, as just brought it to DHL and they put their label over where your label was. I sent it to Robbie at RIPS Racing in New Zealand. Additionally, Rob told me that this design would not work as there is insufficient clearance between the oil tube and also between the baffle and engine. I have attached pictures and an MP4 where Robbie shows the box damaged before fully opening it. This was an unfortunate expensive mistake as it cost me over $700 to ship it only to find out it was damaged and would not have been a good pan for my application. When I get my fully built engine towards the later part of this year Robbie will send your pan and I can return it. I would hope that I get a refund. Now we need to source a better pan that has more oil capacity, and a better design to provide the oil flow needed for my engine. On a phone call UP Garage said it was my fault for not opening the box before I shipped it to New Zealand. I told them I examined the box it was not damaged in anyway, so I reshipped it without opening it in order to not disturb their packaging, but they still denied any liability. I then sent them the following email, Eric, & Doug, I sent the pics you texted me to Robbie, and I am glad he explained the issues technically with the oil pan. Doug was telling me that your pan would work fine on a more stock build but reading Robbie’s great explanation, I doubt that would be the case on my 2 WD RB block. Regardless, the oil pan was damaged and if you feel that it can be resold to someone as Doug stated, I will send it to you after I receive my complete engine with the damaged oil pan from RIPS. You are specializing in a local RB market would be better suited to find a new home for this oil pan than me here in Northern CA. Doug claimed it should be easy to sell it as the damage was cosmetic, then it would make sense that afterward you resell the oil pan, you could reimburse me for my purchase or at least most of that cost. U.P. Garage sent this email to RIPS, We are, and have been, huge fans of your hard work to bring HP to the RB world!! So glad that the JHK pan has found it's way to your examination table. Here are the measurements we have taken on the RB25(rear drive block) screen configuration. Keep up the great work!! Feel free to call us: +1 253 565 9823 Doug/Erik Fatty Fat Cat www.upgarageusa.com From: RIPS Racing The pictures you have sent are not from a 2wd block, they are from a AWD block, possibly a RB26 with the longer AWD pickup. The measurements you have are with the pickup you have on your block and quite different to the measurements I have with the pickup and oil pan I have received. As stated, with the pickup bolted on (without a gasket) the pan will not go down all the way to the block, the pickup screen is holding the sump up a little bit meaning the screen is already touching the bottom of the sump before its even bolted down flat. There should be about 10mm clearance when the sump is bolted down meaning as it is, bolting the sump down will put load on the pickup and be squashing the screen and the tube inside the screen will be pretty much hard against the floor of the sump meaning a massive restriction in oil flow. RIPS also sent them this email, Hi, Just to add to this, with the oil pickup installed on the block (even without a gasket) the sump would not sit flat on the block, the oil pickup was ever so slightly holding it up so the screen on the pickup was hard against the bottom of the oil pan. This means if the sump was bolted up tight the pickup tube itself (inside the screen) would also be basically hard up against the bottom of the sump meaning major restriction is oil flow. There should be around 12-15mm clearance between the end of the oil pickup tube and usually around 5mm clearance between the screen and the bottom of the oil pan. As it was supplied there is no way it could have worked and would have surely led to an engine failure.

Their overall suspension including the front to me is good. It has evolved to the current version which has been updated at least a couple of times. Instead of trying to design your own you might consider just upgrading the Viking to the quad adjustable which is what I am doing. The Viking with their front can work great but you just have to be sure to know roughly what height you want, the tire/wheel height, etc. To me it is not a limitation on travel but they just have a limitation on the range of changing the ride height but once you know the desired midpoint that is a mute issue. I am getting their current Track Attack but am ordering them with the upgraded Viking 4 way adjustable Berserker coil overs so that I can get the ability to please my wife when not racing and high speed settings when needed with their independent high and low speed rebound and compression system. Once you know your desired midpoint then the Viking will give you around 3 to 3.5" up and down height adjustment which is plenty and your not likely going to change once you find your ideal level. Many big HP Corvettes, and other street/track cars are very happy with the Viking Quad coil overs. The Apex extra settings to me do not make it weaker but rather just complicate it for owners as those settings would never ever be used so you are just creating more chances for DIY people to get frustrated. Also as Ben280 suggested Viking tech support is very knowledgeable and can help you choose the right version. Again I do not believe there is any issue of bottoming or travel limits. It is just that the Viking gives you plenty of adjustability but the design is not a standard nono tube coil over so you just need to know the mid point of the height you want the car to be and order the right length to match. It is all of their adjustability which creates this difference compare to a mono tube where you do not have all of those knobs to adjust things.

I was asking because on the front of the Track Attack the Viking coil over set up needs to be ordered based on the wheel/tire height and how you want it to sit as the front setup due to the Viking design has limited travel for adjusting the height. The Viking is not like a standard coil over where you have all of the adjustability to change the perch height; it is a good design but you need to get the right option. Apex does not tell you that. The rear is fine as there is adjustability with the cantilever ability to have adjustment for height. Also be careful as that suspension has way too many unnecessary adjustments that would never be used so you can get into trouble easily on the setup...

Have you actually finished the installation of the track attack, or are just asking these questions hypothetically? I am somewhat familiar with this set and based on what I read it sounds like you have not installed it yet, is this correct?

It seems like the posts here are fairly old and there are more options and all have now updated speed feedback usually via GPS or some other means to make everything automatic. There are a few other power steering options, two good electric and one more high end hydraulic more customizable and for show: https://zpowersteering.com/ I think this seems to be what many are say is one of the better ones out there that has evolved and the level regulates by the speed of the car so no knobs needed but this and the other electric I believe can be adjusted. ZPS uses a much smarter solution. Our proprietary system continuously senses and measures the torque differential between two inputs: Your hands on the wheel, and the tires on the ground. When there is a disparity between these values, our system instantaneously applies or subtracts steering assist so it remains constant and linear. It is a “need-based” application of power, rather than being based on an irrelevant value such as vehicle speed. Simply put – When you need it, it’s there. When you don’t, it’s not, just like a hydraulic system. https://www.ezpowersteering.com/car-brands/datsun-en-us/240z-en-us/z-series/ I think this was one of the first ones and has evolved and supposedly Zpowersteering copied their design? https://retrorack.com.au/240z-rack-kit This is cool looking, very customizable, well built if you want hydraulic https://www.silverminemotors.com/products/electric-power-steering-kit-for-240z-260z-280z-datsun-1970-1978-s30?srsltid=AfmBOoo542JU9EXenZ92aEsoDikk3hWuIf06n2-OgBn6SwUdxCeLvKvq I have this on my wife's 240z and it works well. To me it is a little sensitive but when you get used to it, the feel is decent. I have another 240z that I am thinking of trying the Zpowersteering option or the EZpowersteering? Not ready to pull the trigger so if anyone has experience in those compared to the Silvermine, I would love to hear your thoughts? Right now I am leaning towards EZpowersteering?

Another option is from Technotoytuning, https://technotoytuning.com/nissan/240z/long-nose-r180r200-cv-axles-240260280z

Could you post a video of how it operates in your car so we could hear the "noise at idle" that Godzilla Race Works forewarns anyone whom buys this tranny? Love to hear your thoughts after you have drove it a bit to get use to it, etc..

I used these general ranges and ended up with about 1.1 negative camber on all four corners, yes the car is lowered a good amount as it sits about 4 to 4.5 inches off the ground. The front wheels are +13 with 5" backspace, lip size 2.125", the rear wheels are the same: Front, Toe: 1/16” to 3/32” in Camber: 0 to 1 negative with 1 being preferred Caster: 4 to 6 positive. The actual number between 4 and 6 is not important, only that both sides are the same Rear Toe: 1/16” in Camber: 0 to 1 negative with 1 being preferred The best is rent or find a shop that has the offset wheel measuring tool as every brand of coil overs, springs, and cars are a little different. I had the stock fenders rolled to ensure that there were no sharp edges or rubbing. To me it is weird to hack up a Z and just run 245 or smaller tires; I do like flared Z cars and own an extremely flared Z with 345's and 285's, but when you flare it to me it should be to put much wider wheel than you can with a stock body. Yes you need to spend some money for coil overs, rolling the fenders to maximize the tire width but that will make the car handle better anyways and yes custom offset wheels are needed but to me better than cutting the car up spending money on flares, paint and body to just put the same size you can without flares.

I would recommend to upgrade with coil over setup. With good quality coil over's you would be able to go even wider than 245 since you have mild flares as I have coil overs on two of my stock body 240z cars with no flares, no rubbing and am running 245 wide tires on all four corners. If I had added flares to give 2-3" more space I would be able to over 255's and run 265 to 285's. You can see one of my 240z's with no flares running 245's on all four corners so if you have flares I would be wanting to go wider. Why cut the car and add flares if you are running the same size tires you can run without flares?

I would recommend to use 16" rims as then you can also upgrade brakes to large size with no issues. I am running 16" x 8" with 245 45's on all four corners with no flares no rubbing https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?zip-code=94545&width=245/&ratio=45&diameter=16&rearWidth=235/&rearRatio=50&rearDiameter=15 You can get these all street legal tires: Yokohama A008P, Advan AN052, Bridgestone Potenza Sport, Pirelli Pzero Rosso, Pirelli Pzero Collezione, Pirelli Cinturato P7 in 245 45 16

Yes I had my body shop roll the fenders. I am not sure about the +25? I know that the 245 tires fit comfortably and the rears could go a size larger with the current offset but we wanted to be able to rotate the tires to get the maximum life of the tires. As long as you focus on three piece wheels then your choices open up to any custom offset you want. I agree the CCW's look nice, I have another car with their D240 3 piece wheel and those look cool. Also there are shops that will custom re-barrel a three piece wheel and you can typically take a 16" or even a 15" wheel and change it to a 17"; not sure if that opens up options on buying a used set of rims just for the center sections? CCW used to make custom 2 piece wheels but I think they stopped doing that as the orange Z was a 2 piece welded that cut the cost by half; some smaller wheel companies may offer that as well? but I like the 3 piece in the event you hit a pot hole hard/fast you can just replace the barrel.

BBK? I assume Big Brake Kit? As long as you are using a 16" or larger it should be fine. I am running the Arizona 12.5" big brake Wilwood kit on two of my 240z cars. Actually the larger the diameter the more tire options as new cars are not using 14" or 15" anymore. For 17" there are good tire options with the Michelin Pilot Sport which is a good tire https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Sport+All+Season+4&frontTire=445YR7PSAS4XL&rearTire=44YR7PSAS4XL&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes My Red 240Z is running ground control coil overs with the same Arizona 12.5" vented rotor big Wilwood brake kit and the same tires. 16" wheels has less options than the 17" I believe for the ultra low profile but there are still options in both 16" & 17". I would look carefully at the tire size and brand options and let that guide you between 16, 17" or even 18" if you are ok with the large diameter. You will need to see the options in different tire heights from 40, 45, 50 to help guide your preference. The right offset is critical to avoid rubbing and I would recommend to roll your fenders. I would recommend to spend the money for a 3 piece wheel which will be easy to replace an inside or outside barrel if you ever dent it vs the 2 piece welded versions I am running. A 240Z with 245 wide quality tires with coil overs will handle incredible, you will love the feel...

I am using CCW wheels, 16" x 8", offset +13, backspace 5", lip size 2.125" on the orange 240Z with BC Racing coilovers; that enables us to run 16x245x40 series tires on all four corners no flares and no rubbing. Every car can be slightly different as you may use different suspension such as different brand coilovers, springs, etc. By measuring using those wheel measuring tools you can determine what is the ideal offset, etc. that you can fit and thus the widest tires. Running 245's on all corners is very easy as there are others I have seen on the forums going much wider pushing their setup to the maximum. Our 240Z's with 245's, with good suspension and good quality tires handle extremely well. The orange car uses fairly soft springs to give it a very mild ride and the red z is running much stiffer springs but that is the one I drive. I like the CCW brand and styles but any good quality wheel that is a 3 piece design will enable you to custom choose the offset, etc.

It is good you have the time and skill to do that! One thing I have done on two of my 240Z cars is having beefing up the frame rails. I do not mean the kits that are out there like the Bad Dog parts but instead more heavy duty boxed frame. The first 240Z we did we welded a heavy gauge U shaped on the inside and underside matted together to form a true boxed frame. That worked good but a lot of work and you had to take out all of the interior. The next version on the second 240Z an already boxed heavy gauge metal was welded just to the underside. This work was done by Dando's Automotive in Fremont, CA. Both of these worked great as the cars are so much stiffer and stronger. It actually saved my life see this post. You might consider also doing this as I think it is a great way to improve a street car for stiffness as well as safety without needing that extensive of a roll bar setup. I am building a more crazy street car that already has a 9 point cage which I plan on doing this same frame rail upgrade. My Red Z without any roll bars to me is about as stiff as my Z with a 9 point cage which is pretty cool...

My cousin used those on his caged Maverick, they work great. You just push it down and it disengages the bar so you can slide it out and when they are put back in place they just pock up and locks. They are plenty strong.

I would recommend options like this, if you must have door bars, as these will allow the bar to swing out and are spring loaded making it easier than pins, etc. http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.com/mmo102002.html I would also try not to go crazy on the bars as you can try to limit bars around the passenger area. There are also retractable 3 point and 4 point seat belts or just do 5 point harness on the drivers seat. Believe me most women do not like seats with 5 point seat belts nor do they like any bars near them as they are worried about being hit by them, etc. You also should consider more comfortable racing seats like the Recaro and look at their Comfort series or Dynamic which is more race but still reclines; spend more on seats that are leather, recline, adjustable and comfortable. There are a few brands that can do that and have handle a 5 point belt but not many.

The V12 will be a head turner. One thought on the cage as it really is for safety as you can get the stiffness with frame rails and strut bars; you can have the door bars swing out and there are spring activated locks for roll bars. My cousin did this on his hot rod so you have the side protection but still enables easier access. People forget that yes they are ok with climbing over bars but most others are not

Are you talking about that Race Cast LSV12? I think it has that cool factor being a V12 and does use LS engine mounts, but that I believe is a cast iron block, so why not get an aluminum block LS instead as you get the same horsepower & lighter with much more options in parts, etc.? I am all for cages but the reason why I mentioned what I did on my mild street Z's is that to me it gets the chassis stiffness without the need for a cage which is good for a more street car. Your significant other will typically not like being in a car with bars all over and if they have to climb in or over bars that car will only be driven with you in it and sometimes that causes people to sell the car unless it is for the track and they have the funds to have a lot of cars. To me for the street you really only need a cage if you want to track it and the rules require that or if you are going to the extreme and the car could roll, etc. due to crazy speeds or extreme racing. I do have one street car that does have a semi-cage because the goal is over 200 mph on the street yet I did not go all the way as I did not want to go over the line and make the car impractical for the street, which is easy to do. You car sounds like a cool build but be careful not to go over the line as it sounds like your car is like my cars primarily street.

Twisted, One other bit of information that I wanted to share as I know many people are using the Bad Dog parts but what I did was have Ken at Dando's Automotive in Fremont, CA whom did their own versions which I feel is way better than the Bad Dog which is not fully boxed. Their first version was done on my RedZ 240 where they mated two heavy gauge steel U shaped pieces that are just a bit wider but not by much more than the stock Z rails and by welding an inside and and underside piece they form a fully boxed rail that appears stock if you are not a Z freak. On my wife's orange 240Z they used their new design which is a fully boxed heavy gauge steel rail that is welded just on the underside. Either way that creates a fully boxed frame and that I believe creates a stiffer setup than the Bad Dog non boxed rail.

Great build and would love to know all of the tweaks, etc. to get the RB engine in there! I plan on having RIP's build me an RB30 turbo for my 240Z Primadonna Z. Very curious to see how the intercooler and the turbo piping will be installed. Please continue to post pictures when you are doing the rest of the build FYI, on another restomod 4 door that I installed a mild LS1 that I have completed, you might consider using the Heatshield Products, https://www.heatshieldproducts.com/lava-shield and line the entire tunnel and under all of the exhaust pipes. I wished I had done that on my other restomod but I did not think of that before I installed the engine so I did the best I could be adding it afterwards but not as good to do as it would be to do on yours now before too many parts get installed.

Twisted, I agree that a cage is needed for safety for a track car. What I do think is that for a street car the frame rail upgrades can achieve a lot of chassis stiffness that is better than many mild cages but not as much as a more extreme cage. For the street it is good to me as you get more stiffness than just a simple hoop cage and strut bars and more than a cage with a hoop and even a diagonal bar. I have another 240Z with a 9 point cage but not a full cage, it has a hoop that is welded also to the strut tower, a welded bar between the strut towers, welded bars behind the strut tower to the back of the car, a diagonal bar going to the passenger floor area near the tunnel, bars from the front towers to the center of the firewall and my other two 240Z's with the frame rails to me are about the same and possibly a little more as I can jack the car and have three wheels off the ground. I was very impressed with what the frame rails can do without a cage but do plan on adding them to my caged car which is also a street car. There are lot of people that do a more simple cage for the street and then you have more hassle for using the car on the street and the frame rails can do the same or more for chassis stiffness but they do not protect against a roll over or other types of crashes, although it did save me from the rear end accident thank god....

The do make great products and I am upgrading one of my 240's to their upgraded front/rear A-arms, tubular crossmember, inner/outer tie rods, and steering knuckles. One of the shops Dando's Automotive in Fremont, I use is in early stages of installing the Track Attack package. They are waiting on parts from Apex to finish the install. I did look at where they are on the install and it looks cool. What I have heard is that the kit so far is well made and installs with no issues other than Apex really should provide a good written installation instructions, thankfully Dando's is very skilled at fabrication and Z's so they figured out the install but probably wasted 2-3 hours due to the lack of instructions not provided. You do have to mod the rear spare tire well so I do not believe you will be able to put a spare tire in there unless it is 100% flat with no air? but who cares I too am eager to see how it works and right now I do plan on using the Track Attack kit for my Primadonna Z in the future when I have time/energy to get back to that build.

I do not see rolling the fenders on a 240z affecting the value in my opinion. If you roll the fender the car looks stock and if you use the tool jhm mentioned you can get a custom offset wheel. I have two (2) 240Z's no flares but both have rolled fenders running 16x8.5" rims running 245 40 tires on all four corners which fills up the well very nicely and looks very clean. The extra width makes big improvement in handling... I have seen others even put wider tires than I have with no flares either just squeezing it to the max. I wanted to keep all four the same so I can rotate the wheels to get the maximum use of the tires. If you do not lower the car as much you can run the same tires as I have. The Red Z is pretty low, around 4" off the ground and the orange one is higher.

jhm is right you should look at Tire Rack and see what tires are available. You do know that you can get custom white lettering stickers to stick on any tire, with that you might widen your options going to a 15, 16, or even 17" as a 240Z with coil overs can typically take an 8.5" wide rim and if you roll the fenders you can easily put 245 or even a bit wider on all four corners. The smaller diameter tires are being phased out so your options are limited...