wheelman

Simple question, are the front fenders on all S30 models interchangeable? I have a 73 240Z with a destroyed right front fender and a line on a fender from a 75 280Z 2+2, but before I make the trip to buy it I want to know if it's a bolt on. Wheelman (Ken Wheeler)

That's an interesting design but it isn't going to prevent camber change as the suspension moves through it's arc, on the rear of an S30 or the front of a Z31. Picture the control arm as flat (parallel to the ground) as the starting point for an up or down movement, either direction it moves the hub will move toward the center of the car which will change the angle of the strut which in turn changes the camber. The only way to prevent camber change is to eliminate the strut as a fixed mount point for the hub, in effect create a double arm arrangement with a pivot at the top and bottom of the hub. Then you have to arrange the geometry in the correct way to eliminate differing horizontal movement of the two pivot points.

If you read my post on the second page of this thread I pointed out a very simple, cheap and effective solution to the 3/8" port fittings the Wilwood MC comes with. You cut that end off the hard lines that connect the MC to the distribution block, install 3/8" flare fittings on the correct end and install the modified lines. It sounds like Wheelman13 already did this and it cost him 99 cents. I did this with mine ~4 years ago and have had absolutely no trouble with it since. In my case I fabbed completely new lines with a 3/8" on one end and a 10mm on the other, bought all the supplies from a local NAPA store at the time for less than $10.00 USD. BTW: I tried using the port fittings from an after market 7/8" MC I'd installed in my Z before the 1" Wilwood and they didn't work. I don't remember why now as that was 4 years ago. Updating the title of this thread isn't necessary, if you read the whole thing several solutions are provided.

RebekahsZ, No I can't, I've trimmed the fenders (both front and rear) and run ZG flares. With +6* caster I had to trim the front of the wheel wells to clear the outside edge of the tires when turning to full lock. I'm running 9.5" rims in the front and 10" in the rear, don't know what the offsets are but I run a 1" spacer in the rear so the rims will clear the strut tube. I guess I should link a picture of the car, here is an older one but the car still looks basically like this:

BIll, It was good to see you again at the driver's school, your car looked really good. As for your brakes, I have a similar system to what you want, in the rear I used Maxima calipers, they look like a 240SX unit but have bigger a piston which balances better with the 4-pot units you have in the front. An adjustable prop. valve will let you tune it to fit your style. I still have my e-brake. One thing I did to make modulation easier was put in a 1" diameter master cylinder, it requires more pedal pressure but is much easier to modulate. Here is my current setup: Springs: 350 front, 325 rear (i may go stiffer at some point in the future) Sway bars: MSA kit 1" front, 3/4" rear (I've tried running without a rear bar, didn't like the feel of it at all) Alignment: camber: -3* front, -2.25* rear caster: +6* toe: .2* out in the front, .3* in in the rear shocks: Koni single adjustable yellows, front 1 turn stiffer than the rear. tires: Hoosier A6, 275/45-16 all around (I ran 11.5x23.5-16 Hoosier slicks for our pre-season events). ride height: ~5.5" from frame rail to the ground (the arms slope down from the internal pickup point to the hub) 3:54:1 diff ratio, clutch type LSD with custom 300ZX CV joint axles. I also added power steering. In the past I was never able to adjust the rear toe so the car was tail happy and over steered most of the time. I installed adjustable arms front and rear and had it aligned to match John Coffee's recommended setup. Right now the car has a slight understeer when power is applied and it hooks REALLY well exiting corners. I'll probably soften the front shocks a little to reduce the understeer but for now the car is doing great. BTW: My co-driver and I both set faster raw times than a Corvette C6 ZR1 being driven by one of our better local drivers at our first 2 pre-season events. We would have repeated in the 3rd pre-season event if we hadn't corded the clapped out set of Hoosier slicks we were running. Basically we took the raw fast time of day 1st and 2nd spots in my Z. The change that made the biggest difference was the rear toe in, at least that's what I think made the biggest difference. I look forward to seeing you down here in the Tri-Cities again soon, our next event is the weekend of Apr 12,13. You should also try to get over to Spokane for one of their events, the surface there has tons of grip, way better than at Tri-City Raceway where we held the school you attended.

What about us Eastern WA folks, (I'm in Kennewick, actually south central WA) are we welcome too? I doubt I'll make it to many meetings but you never know.

They're different thickness to offset the motor to right side of the car a bit, it provides clearance between the left header and the steering shaft. The set back plates are shaped accordingly so that the engine is not tipped to the right or left.

Yep, both are in place and have caused no problems.

I installed a 1" Wilwood MC 2 years ago in combination with vented Toyota front calipers (S12 not S12W, same piston sizes as the solid rotor Toyota caliper but configured for vented rotors) and Maxima rear calipers and didn't remove the check valves. I've had absolutely no problems with any brakes dragging or the system being weak. I'm also running a 280Z booster (not the 280ZX) so there is a bit more pedal effort required but it helps with modulating the brakes at the limit so I prefer it this way. I also took a different approach to the 10mm thread issue, I fabbed completely new lines with the 3/8" fittings on one end and 10mm fittings on the other, these connect to the splitter block/brake pressure switch mounted to the frame rail. I also eliminated the stock proportioning valve in favor of an adjustable one on the rear brake circuit, I personally think this change is manditory when replacing the rear drums with disks. A couple things I ran into when I swapped to the Wilwood 1" MC. 1. One of the bleeders was completely crushed right out of the box, I replaced both of the cheap aluminum ones with the brass ones from my stock MC. 2. One of the check valves was totally mangled right out of the box. I replaced this with one from my stock MC which had 2 installed. The symptom of the mangled check valve was it wouldn't let any fluid pass in either direction. I found this while trying to bleed the rear brakes and not getting any fluid at the calipers.

I ran with just an alternator for a while. To do it I fabbed a bracket that included 2 pulleys to delete the AC and PS. Later I installed power steering so I wacked off the PS delete part of the bracket so now it's just an AC delete setup. At the time I installed the first setup I got grief because it wasn't a pretty chromed/billet part but the car is a race car so I really didn't care that it wasn't "pretty". Here is a picture of the original setup.

An SBC (LT1) mounts further forward in an S130 than a JTR installation in an S30, very similar to whats called a Scarab mount, so the balancer is not going to interfere with the steering rack or crossmember. You really shouldn't try to use the JTR S30 Chevy V8 swap book to determine how to mechanically mount an SBC into an S130, the chassis is very different from an S30 and the mount positions are not the same.

I'm running the Hedman Tight Tubes on iron LT1 heads (not angle plug) with no problems except access to a couple of the plugs for removal is tight. These headers provide a lot of clearance to the frame rail on the right and the steering shaft. Edit: Running JTR mounts.

I just started learning the guitar again after many years of distraction, here is my new axe: It's an Agile Dauntless, basically a Les Paul style guitar. Got a great deal on it due to a small chip in the finish on the head just above the D string tuner. Here is my other guitar, had it for years but it mostly sat in the closet while I raised kids, built and raced cars. It's a late 80s vintage Kramer F-3000. Anyway, thought I share with you guys, I'm pretty sure similar threads have been posted in the past. Sorry for the crappy pictures, the camera in my phone sucks and insists on rotating the image.

MS2Extra supports more trigger options than the standard B&G code, after flashing the new firmware use TunerStudio to make sure your trigger settings are still the same. After this the system should work as it always did with your stim.

You know you own a Datsun when your post on the local auto-x club web-site about how you winterize your car is "I dis-assemble the whole thing, spread the parts around the garage and put it back together in the spring." and no-one in the club is surprised.

Version 3.2.1 is now in release, upgrade to it before doing anything else. Also, which version of TunerStudio are you running? I tried version 1.14 but had lots of communication problems, reverted back to 1.04 and they disappeared.

Dat240ZG, Go for it man!!!! I did this very thing to my wiring harness 5 years ago and have had absolutely no problems with it. Just solder the wires back together where you cut them to remove the extra length, do 1 wire at a time and you'll be fine.

Kali, I haven't made a firm decision yet but did procure a set of stock rear arms to cut up if I decide to build my own. I've visited that link in the past and came close to placing an order but found a thread on here that reflected poorly on the person offering those arms. I don't know the whole story, but what I found made me think again. Things may have changed with the guy but I'm not willing to risk nearly $600.00. Question for Jon and Miles: I like both of your designs but I don't see provisions for connecting an ARB to the arm, how are you planning to do this? Do you have any pictures of the modifcations?

Which Toyota front caliper are you guys using? I'm running a vented front Toyota and Maxima rear setup and actually have to use an adjustable prop valve to reduce the rear bite. I think the Maxima calipers are essentially the same as the 280ZX units with a different e-brake setup, but don't quote me on it, they are bigger than the 240SX caliper though. Thing is I'm running the S12 vented front calipers not the S12W units. These calipers are the same as those used with the stock solid rotor but they are configured for use with a vented rotor. I'm also running a 1" master cylinder with a 280Z booster. Many guys say this doesn't work but I call BS on that. There is a little extra pedal effort but it makes for much easier modulation on the track. For pads I currently have cheap parts store units but they work pretty good for auto-x.

I joined this site and continue to come here (although not as often as I used to) because it contains the most extensive library of information on how to modify an S30 for performance that can be found anywhere. I'd hate to see that diluted with a bunch of threads dedicated to making modifications that are all about a current automotive fad and detract from the performance of the cars we love. Just as I supported the moderators when they banned political topics in the past, I would support them if some sort of guidelines were developed that limited the threads posted discussing these types of mods. The other option I would support is creating a sub-forum just for that topic and enforcing it's use by moving any threads discussing stance type mods to it, sort of a stance tool shed if you will. I'm biased about this topic though, it's ALWAYS been function over form for me, I don't care for the ultra low look and can't understand why anyone would ruin their car like shown in the video posted above.

Ryan, Sounds like I really should see what Auto Machine in Pasco would charge. I've never had problems with S&B or Poynor (except for timelyness) but have to agree about the guy at S&B being a bit of an ASS. He always treats me like I have no idea what I'm talking about. I have a compression tester but not a leak down tester, all the cylinders read ~190+psi so the rings and valves are good but thats not where my concern lies as I've already stated. Yes I'm running block huggers right now. They are ceramic coated Headman Tight Tubes that dump into 2 1/4" pipe that merges into 2 1/2" just in front of the diff and exits through a Hooker Aero-Chamber muffler. It sounds good (sorta like a european sports car) but could be a bit louder. This is good to know. I wasn't aware the LS1 uses PM rods or that the LT1 rods are rated for 500-600hp. Maybe all I really need to do is replace the rod and main bearings then as Ryan suggested spend the rest of my money on a good set of heads, a hotter cam and port work on the intake. You guys are giving me too many options to consider, I thought I had a simple plan worked out and now I need to reconsider my choices.

Michael, You make a very persuasive argument yourself and it is very close to my original plans. I was going to replace the valve stem seals (most likely source of the oil smoke after a high rev run), install 1.6:1 roller rockers and call it good. This last summer I had 2 instances of very low oil pressure while waiting in grid at auto-x events that caused me to change my mind to do a complete rebuild. I haven't pulled the engine yet so I'll consider your view point before moving forward. CockerStar, I'll either have S&B Machine or Poynor Machine do the machine work. I prefer Poynor but it's pretty much a one man operation and he takes a long time to get things done but does a good job. The first dyno run was a place in Yakima, I don't know the name. The latest was at Kaizen Speed during a recent Dyno Day, they were trying to run almost 30 cars in one day so cut a few corners to push the cars through. The $2500.00 is all new money I have to spend, I just listed the $730.00 as money for parts that won't count against this budget. The PCM/ECU (EMS as you call it) is fully programmable and I have the software to make changes myself. The changes I'm planning to make are not very extensive so the tune should be pretty close already and the firmware has the ability to "learn" the new setup over time.

Yeah, this thread does sound a bit dis-jointed doesn't it, guess thats what happens when I think out loud and post it online for you guys to see. The main goal is to increase the reliability of the engine and at the same time moderately increase the power output, on the order of 30 - 50hp. If the increase is larger than that I'll be happy. I define a usable safe rpm range to be 2500 to 6500 rpm. The budget I've given myself is $2500.00 or less for all parts and machine work. This isn't a hard number and I haven't done much research yet to determine how realistic it is. Things such as big valves and aluminum heads would be the first items to be cut if they aren't possible within the budget. The deal with 6" rods is improvement in the rod/stroke ratio. A better ratio makes the engine more resistant to detonation at higher compression, at least thats what I've read. Considering I plan to replace the rods and pistons anyway I figured I could improve this aspect of the engine with very little if any additional cost. Weight is not the only consideration with aluminum heads but running them would reduce the weight on the front of the car by ~80lbs which theoretically should improve weight distribution and handling. This has not been "proven" but is generally accepted on this and many other car related forums. This is an auto-x car so handling is a very important consideration, if I can stay within budget and meet the other goals using aluminum heads it makes sense to use them. I'm not looking for a huge increase in power but if I can pick up some with a small additional cost above a standard rebuild I'll make those changes. Your suggestions of re-worked LT1 heads, coated pistons and chambers seem to fit with this goal. Some additional info: The following items have already been replaced 1. Timing chain and gears. ($100.00) 2. High Rev Valve spings ($300.00) 3. Cam (LT4 Hot Cam, $230.00) 4. Water pump ($100.00) This is approximately $730.00 I don't have to spend during this rebuild, it's already been spent.

This would only be satisfying if you did all the work yourself. I can't imagine a scenario where I'd actually buy something like that, all my self respect would be GONE.

rsicard, I hear what you're saying but I simply don't want to do a 383, plus to do it RIGHT there are more factors to consider than just the crank, pistons, con rods and machine work. The larger displacement will flow more air requiring larger injectors, a different cam, a new PCM tune, throttle body upgrade, possible port work, yada, yada, yada. Remember the goal is to increase the usable safe rpm range not build more low end torque. Michael, The rebuild is due, the engine is from a retired Montana State Highway patrol car and has over 105k hard miles and I'm sure many long hours at idle on it. I didn't rebuild it when I did the swap, just replaced the cam and valve springs then dropped it into the car intending to do a rebuild within a year, that was 5 years ago. There are times when the oil pressure is lower than I'm comfortable with and I get a noticable puff of oil smoke when I close the throttle after a high rpm run. I'm not lookig for an additional 100hp, just the ability to rev a little higher without risking the bottom end or a sucked valve. Plans at the moment are to bore it .040" over, replace the 1.5:1 stamped rockers with 1.6:1 rollers and maybe move from iron heads to aluminum (mostly for weight savings) and go with 6" rods and appropriate pistons. If I retain the iron heads I'll probably have 2.02" intake and 1.6" exhaust valves installed. No boost or nitrous!!! Reading back through this thread I noticed I quoted different power output levels. The first set I gave were at the flywheel calculated based on a dyno session from several years ago and assuming 15% drivetrain loss, the second set are at the wheel levels from a different dyno. If I calculate flywheel hp assuming 15% loss from the current dyno it is 339 which is pretty close to the older level. I'm also suspicious of the rpm numbers from the most current dyno run, I don't remember seeing any cables hooked to the engine to directly read rpm so I think they ran the rollers at a given speed then looked at my tach and entered a conversion. This would produce wrong rpm numbers as my tach is not accurate. When I compare the shape of curve from first run from several years ago to those from yeaterday they are almost identical except for the rpm scale. I know the older session had accurate rpm numbers. Anyway, I have a decent idea of the current output level that can be used as a baseline for comparison after the rebuild.