primaz

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...

What I have found is that by upgrading the factory frame rail sections from the rear all the way to the front it works better than a cage which is great for using the car for street and track. I had this done by Dando's Automotive in Fremont, CA. Their first versions were using heavy gauge "u" shaped rails under and inside the car which mimicked the stock which was hard to even see it was modified. The second Z we did there they found a boxed steel that was just welded underneath and that worked almost as clean without needing to weld inside. FYI, I have a third Z with a 9 point cage and these other more stock street machine Z cars have a chassis in my opinion is as stiff if not stiffer without using a cage! Also as proof my RedZ was on the freeway stopped in traffic and a Prius hit me at over 55 mph and the car was not totaled nor was the chassis bend bad at all and I survived, which I might not have if I did not do this frame rail work. That is why I did it to my wife's Z, just purely for safety not for performance for her Z. I included two pictures of the car after getting hit and one after fixing it. If any 240Z got rear ended this hard without the frame rails it would be totaled and me the driver probably might not have survived or would be injured for sure. The crushing of the rear stopped due to the rear frame rails being so strong. I got pushed into the next car and was so pissed off but so glad for the frame rails as it saved my life and my car's life!

Wow that is cool, I did not realize you are on this forum; you designed the kit at Godzilla! That new kit you are developing using the TL70 sounds like a great transmission option, when do you think that will be available and where will it be sold? Hopefully this will help people understand my goals. For the two (2) 240's I mentioned at the start of this post, they are street cars mainly with weekend racing in the mountains. One is more mild with a Datsun Spirt 2.8 stage 2 and the other is a Datsun Spirit 3.0 with my head that DL Potter ported. Both are sporting coil over suspensions with 245's on all four corners & Arizona Z car Wilwood brake upgrade, one is more mild for my wife and the other has every APEX Engineering option to upgrade the stock suspension. They are fine right now both with Nissan Competition 5 speeds but my question was since it seems like nobody has parts and I am not sure if I can ever get them rebuilt, is why I wanted to know what the options are if one of those failed. The intent is just reliable Z cars to street race and have fun with. Neither car is focused for the quarter mile but rather spirited driving on the street. I like how the Nissan Competition tranny can provide good acceleration thru the gears with the ability to control the car in the mountains leaving it 2nd and third in hard cornering and ability to downshift even to first gear in a 15 MPH corner. We both like the feel of stick shift and want the Z's to be great general purpose sports cars to punch off the line but mainly drive thru the mountains curves. I have a more extreme 240z that I am building and that will have a RIPS RB34. I am too far away from finishing that so I have not looked into what other RB owners are using for transmissions. When I finish that car it will be a street car like our other Z's but intended to race other exotic sports cars on the street in the mountains and freeways; it will be putting down 700-800 HP and that car is the famous Primadonna Z car with massive 345's and 285's or possibily 315's in the front, but that is a couple years away...

I think that is why that full kit for $4750 is more of a true cost as it includes the 6 speed tranny but you still need to factor another $200-$500 for shipping so it is really more like $5350 most likely. I think any good tranny will be around $5K when you are all done but will it be easily serviced in the future? That G-force T5 could be a good option if that company stays in business so that the internals can always be rebuilt? I love the Nissan Competition 5 speeds, my only worry is I am not sure what or where to go if I break it? They shift so nice and really increase the response of the Z but are so rare nowadays...

so you mean a Borg Warner T5 transmission used in Fords will bolt right up to our Nissan L-series engines? and then use G-Force Transmissions to build up their internal gear set https://www.gforcetransmissions.com/tran_gt-5.asp ? Am I understanding you correctly? and what do you mean by DS?

I read that Hoke Performance is no longer making his kit to adapt the 350Z 6 speed transmissions to the L series engines. I have two (2) 240Z's with 2.8 and 3.0 liter engines both with the rare Nissan Competition 5 Speed close synchro 5 speeds but not even sure if there are places that and rebuild those anymore if anything every happens to them? I think Les Collins Racing all the way down in Australia may still work on the Nissan competition race boxes but not sure if anyone in the USA does? What are the options now for an L-series engines as far as transmissions? I am just curious as both of my trannies are in good shape but curious as to what you guys are doing now if you have a performance L-series engine? I saw this kit for the CD00A 6 speed for $4,750 but that requires a GPS speedo as there are no provisions for a manual speedo and you need to cut the stock transmission tunnel (not sure how much hacking that means? Also gear train noise prevalent with these trannies, not sure how loud or annoying that is? I used SPEC 1 clutch on my Nissan Comp 5 speeds and really like how they work for a street car, wondering how those work with the CD00A as they say the noise is different with different clutches? ). https://www.godzillaraceworks.com/drivetrain/complete-cd00a-6-speed-swap-for-l-series-engines What other transmission options are there for an L-series now?

I thought the idea of the SubtleZ kit was to give you 1.5" extra width without looking like it was flared, so why add any lip flares to it? A stock body 240z with rolled fenders can easily handle a 245 in the front and a 245 to 275 in the rear with the right offset so with 1.5" extra you should be able to add some healthy rubber on the ground... I am going to build a RIPS RB34 for my Primadonna Z; love his engines!

That was where we installed in her car, here is a picture from their website. In person you really have to look from below to really see the motor. When you sit in the car you never see the motor and it is not in the way at all. I think the picture makes you think it is low but, you really cannot see it easily as I had to crouch down put the camera below the seat and angle the camera up to take the picture. I think this is a nice power steering setup for the early Z cars.

I installed the Silvermines EPS kit with their GPS speed sensor setup on my wife's 240Z and I am really impressed with it! It works great, it is clean & looks like it was made for the car as it is hard to know it has been modified at all (I had to angle the camera up so you can see the electric PS, otherwise you would never see it in the two pictures below), and the car drives like a new car. You can parallel park the Z with one hand! and the response is very nice at higher speeds with the GPS sensor enabling it to track like any modern car, very smooth at any speed and obviously quicker when parking but almost too good as I am OG and now her car drives like a new Z car. I do not have any regrets for that car and do highly recommend it. This car has custom kick panels with separate tweeters and mid-bass speakers so we mounted the GPS up high around the firewall out of sight but still accessible if needed. Only thing was not clear is that they did not provide a install manual but after talking to them their pictures online show all of the connections, etc. labeled and highlighted, so their manual is just looking at the pictures online;; it was easy as it was well engineered so no mods needed at all. It goes in fast but it took a little time to find the place to mount the GPS sensor module. On my other mild 240Z with a 3.0 liter I am going with the Apex shorter steering arms as I just want to see how well I can go with stock as I personally like the more manual feel, but the Silverline EPS is a cool setup. https://www.silverminemotors.com/datsun/datsun-240z/power-steering-kit-electric/electric-power-steering-kit-for-240z-260z-280z-datsun-1970-1978-s30

Really every Z will be slightly different depending on the suspension setup etc. Really the best way is to go a good tuner shop or tire/wheel company with your car as they will have the wheel tool to measure what is the maximum offset to fit the largest tire and wheel for your car especially since you have flares on the car. As an example on one of my 240Z's that is stock body but rolled fender lips & BC Racing coil overs, we are running 16 x 8" with +13 with a 5" backspace and the car is running 245 wide tires on all four corners. When you flare a car and done suspension mods you should easily be able to much wider than a 245 size tire. I have seen some people max out a 240Z with no flares and even get 275 in the rear. Thus with flares you should have cut out enough of the stock body to go way wider than limitations of stock body Z. Do not skimp on the cost of the wheels is what I recommend and thus go with a 3 piece wheel that you like the design and have a shop measure it for you to find the ideal offset, etc. and stuff the most tire and wheel you can. You can also rent that tool for around $50 to $75 dollars with a deposit of a few hundred dollars or so and measure it yourself. You will never find someone with the exact same setup as you, etc. so l recommend to do it right and measure it then buy... Also look at Tire Rack to see what is the available tires for that rim size as that might influence you to go to a different diameter wheel and tire. 16" sizes are getting harder compared to 17" and larger as newer cars dont use 16" anymore but there are an ok selection with 16" but ultra low profiles are harder to find. I find it laughable that people cut up a 240Z with flares only to put the same size tires I did with a stock body. I am all for flares but to me you should be gaining with wider tires not just doing it for looks...

I agree 100%, Datsun Spirit in my opinion if the best Datsun L series engine builder and I would recommend them over Rebello. Eji take so much pride in his work from his more mild affordable engines to his more expensive 9000+ RPM engines. There is no cheap way out but remember a quality blueprinted engine from Eji will be reliable and well worth the investment. There is skill in a quality engine builder so I recommend to just go with a proven builder like Eji. If you want an engine at that level expect to pay $17K or more for his stage 5 engine but if you look at any modern performance car like a BMW, Porsche, etc. you can expect to pay the same for a new factory engine so for a Datsun L series you can get a incredible powerful, reliable engine that will last longer than those new modern engines and have low maintenance as L series engines are so easy to service compared to any modern sport car engine. If that price is out of your budget then get his Stage 4 for around $12K and that is a great engine that will rev to 8000 comfortably and put down 300 HP at the rear wheels. Even his stage 3 will rev nicely and put down 240 HP at the rear wheels for only around $6,800 and is a great setup for your ITB's if your budget will not allow for a Stage 4 or 5.

I would call and email them as they are generally pretty responsive and do have spare parts..

I think their new "Track Attack" front and rear suspension is the way to go if money is not an issue. I am planning getting that for my extreme 240Z build. https://www.apexengineered.com/store/p26/TRACK_ATTACK_-_Complete_Front_And_Rear_Kit.html

Yes, I highly recommend Market Auto in San Jose, CA ask for Dave They are at 140 San Jose Ave, San Jose, CA 408 292-9888 They have done two of my 240z's Here is the one I finished recently for my wife. The car was stripped to bare metal, all rust repaired, seam sealed, undercarriage painted with POR-15, rear valance/fender seams weled, new rear inner fender wells, painted with Lambo Merci-lago three stage orange, 911 Porsche mirrors.

Also as far as brands I would highly recommend CCW they make quality, reasonably priced custom off set 3 piece wheels and are well respected in racing and performance street users...

One thing to consider is that now most of the best tires are moving to 18" or 19" so when you go with a 16" or 17" you better look at the tire options and really make sure you want to stay with that diameter especially if it is a street car as the quality of tires can be very limited. I have two 240z's with no flared bodies with custom off sets and they are running 16x8.5 with 245 on all four tires but there are only a couple of decent tires and the prices is a little high. My more aggressive street 240Z has monster 345 and 285 15" but now I can not get tires for that size so I am going to go with a 19". One of the best street tires is the Michelin Pilot Super Sport and they only make one size in 17" but in 18" and 19" there are a great array of sizes, https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Super+Sport&partnum=43YR9PSSXLV3&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes I would first look at the tire options very carefully before you decide on the rim size...

I really think you are upgrading in the wrong order. The front brakes end up being 70-80% of what stops your Z car. I would say that Techno Toys has a great reputation on building good products but for the money I think that is a waste. For around the same cost I would recommend the Arizona Z car 12.5 vented Wilwoood kit for the front for $795 and use the $129 Master (Which is a Datsun stock MC used in later model Z's) they sell that works well with the stock drums or if you decide later to upgrade the rears to disc brakes. Why spend what it costs to get really good front brakes? You are not going to feel any real improvement until you upgrade the front brakes. http://www.arizonazcar.com/brake.html I put this setup on my wife's 240Z and it stops great and the pedal feel is very nice. I would do the front brakes first and if you had $350 more in your budget I would bump the Arizona Z car front up to a 6 piston caliber and if you have another $200 I would upgrade the rotors to 13"; I would do those upgrade before even contemplating rear disc upgrades as the fronts are where it matters period.

First why are you wanting that rear end? I am assuming you want to put big horsepower, is that right? If so for less money than the Techno Toy I would recommend, the Apex rear end kit as it can accept a For 8.8 IRS, R200 from your Q45 as well as R32 Skyline & 300ZX, or R230 300ZX TT I believe it is a better design as it eliminates mustache bar & dog leggs, and provides more adjust camber, toe, roll center, caster, etc. If you are going big power this would be a better kit and then go with a Ford 8.8 IRS which you can get cheap on Ebay; the 8.8 IRS is better than the Q45 diff https://www.apexengineered.com/store/p62/Rear_Suspension_Kit.html If you have more money you can go ultimate rear suspension with their https://www.apexengineered.com/store/p24/TRACK_ATTACK_-_Complete_Rear_Kit.html that is a better design than trying to make the stock design better as it converts to a modern double A arm dynamic, like an Indy or formula one car! and can use so many IRS diffs that can handle way more power than a Q45 diff

I used this setup from Arizona Z car for one of our 240Z' and found it to be a great street and mild racing use http://www.arizonazcar.com/brake.html I also bought the new master they recommended and left the rears with the stock drum brakes and the setup works great. There are also good kits from Techno Toys and Silverline so why re-invent the wheel when those are proven to be ready to bolt in and fit without issues. Also unless you are racing or have really big horsepower you really do not need disc brakes in the rear...

On my newly finished 71' 240z that is running a Datsun Spirit 2.8 stage II, headers, and rebuilt SU's, the car was not easy to start with the more aggressive cam. I had a previous engine in another 240Z which was tripple Minuki's and I used a Nissan gear reduction starter and that made a big difference in starting the car especially in cold weather. I did some searching around online to see what was available and tried the one from Classic Car Performance know for making performance starters for British cars https://www.classiccarperformance.com/products/datsun-240z-260z-280z-high-torque-starter which uses 5 roller bearings, and it has made a huge difference in being able to start the car easily in cold weather. From my experience the more noticeable advantages of a quality gear reduction starters are when the car is either running a performance cam or triple carbs. The car starts on the first try which never happened before and with the aggressive cam it a person whom is not familiar with a choke and Z cars would easily flood the engine but now that seems to be a thing of the past.

If you are interested in a 240z with no rust, R200, 280Z engine, 5 speed, very good mechanically that just needs paint, I would change interior color as it is white, I know of one that I believe he would sell it for around $3500 more than that rusty 280Z, let me know. PM me I tried to send you a message but the site is having some issues so I could not get to your profile for some reason?

My car did not have rust or issues with the stock rails. I used Dando's Automotive that specializes on Z cars; they have two ways of doing their custom frame rails. My Red 240Z used their "U" shaped steel rails where they are boxed by welding them both under and inside the car. Now most of the cars they do they use an already boxed rail and just weld that on the bottom of the car which cuts the amount of labor a lot. As others have said it appears your car can be repaired but it does sound scary to me that you said, "window gets pinched to the door frame"? On Z cars until you bead blast the undercarriage and the rest of the body you will never know where all the rust may reside. I would really recommend you check the more common areas of rust to see if you can tell the conditions of those areas to decide if the cost is good. The areas I typically see is the rear rockers before the rear wheels, the rear hatch (when you open the hatch look carefully at the channels and seams), bottom of the front fenders where often the drain plugs get junk preventing water from escaping. Z cars are uni-body so no frame but they can be repaired it is just how extensive the bodywork is required. If you feel the car is a good buy, fix the stock rails first and ideally if you are ready to do the entire bodywork then bead blast the entire car and see what areas might have had hidden rust. Then fix those areas and if you can afford it put the rails I did as that is great for performance and safety.

It should not be that expensive to have a good body shop install those Z car depo type Sheetmetal but another option while more expensive it better if you build the car for more high performance. I frame railed my 240z which provides a visual that looks like the stock look but provide incredible strength and even more than many roll bars. A good body shop or repair shop that can weld could do this somewhere between $1500 to $2500? FYI, besides the stiffness this saved my life and prevented my 240z from being totaled; I got rear ended by a car while stopped in traffic and the unibody was undamaged even with a hit from the rear from a Prius going 50 mph! Without those rails the car would have been totaled for sure.

I used the Gorilla "The System" all lugs were lock set and then purchased their more secure X2 wheel locks to use one for each wheel. That provides two keys but each wheel has two different locks. The X2 has two stage spinning systems to make it harder for a theif. https://www.gorilla-auto.com/the-system https://www.gorilla-auto.com/x2-wheel-locks https://www.gorilla-auto.com/graphics2016/GorillaCatalog2016_Page_35.jpg

I would recommend to get a 1975 or older Z as then you will be smog exempt....