RedNeckZ

If you still need a L28 block and head? I have 5 blocks and 4 heads, blocks are all L-28's and heads are a mixed bunch. You would have to come here (Fayetteville, NC) to pick-up. Also have some 5 speeds (if needed). Just let me know if you do.

Have to ask. Did you remove the pressure valve in the rear of the car? It sounds like if you still have it on the car. I had to remove it to get enough pressure to the rear brakes to work. I am running the 300zx brakes on the front and the 280zx brakes on the back. If you have, the things they ask you to do should have worked. I also have racing brake lines on the front and Nissan stock brake lines (rubber) on the rear. Some people have added an adjustable brake reg. devices on it. Because some times, without it you can lock the rears up faster then the fronts. If you have already done this, just disregard this message.

For front fitment if you can not find parts to replace it. You can cut out the bad section and have a replacement part made for it (welding shop can help make it) and weld it in. Then seam seal everything and paint it. Good Luck with the problem. They can make it out of any material you want. Or find a replacement part for it at a pick and pull or at parts yard. I did most of my own repairs after going to a auto body course and did all of the work myself.

Do you want to keep it stock or do you mind modifying it for tire fitment. I had the same problem with my car. But I was racing it in SCCA B street prepared. I did this for bigger tire fitment. What you can do, if you want to modify it, is buy a stainless steel wheel cover off of a car trailer. You can get them from a farm sales place or even a place like Lowes. You have to cut the cars wheel well along the seam between the two halves and undo the outer wheel well seam (spot welds). After you get it out, you fit (cut to fit) the stainless steel wheel to fit that half of the wheel well. Take your time and weld it in. After that you seam seal every thing both inside and out. Then paint it to seal it and keep it from rusting again. If you want to stay stock, I hope someone can answer that one for you. One other thing you should do is to make sure to put the rim of the stainless fender against the outer fender and seam sealer it to the outer fender, do not weld it. Also a good time to seal the wheel well from rust as the Datsun did not come with any type of this. Good Luck! This is for rear fitment? You didn't say front or rear wheel well.

If you can come to NC. I have 5 of them in storage. Will not send to you. Have both models You can pick the one you want.

The 280Z struts are wider (bigger shock) and a small amount longer. The 240Z struts are shorter and smaller in diameter. I have been told you can cut the tubes off the 280z and weld the 240z tube on the mount and save some weight. The 280Z springs are longer then the 240Z's. They are the springs to use if you rally or race offroad. I have gotten a 240Z with the 280Z springs on it and had to remove them. They had to put spring clamps on them to bring them down to the 240Z ride height. If you get most weld on struts like Arizona Z car, they have you cut the strut and weld on another section to replace it. It is up to you and the way you go with it.

Thanks for the info. I do have a set of z32 calibers in the garage. Will give them a try.

I am starting to put my second Z together. I am putting a AMC 401 (stroked) into a 1971 240Z. I will be adding 300ZX turbo brakes on both the front and rear of the car. I need some help on what caliber would you recommend on this mod? I have done the 300ZX front brakes with the s12W calibers (first Z). I know I will have to make mounting plates to use this combo. It will be mostly a track car. About the AMC 401, I have two of them from my old mud truck and I want the chance to see if I can make it work. Thanks for any help you can give.

I am running the 300zx up front and 280zx early model calibers with later model rotor (short hat) on the rear. I moved the rear brake pressure (above the rear axle) over and reattached to the brake line. I run stainless steel brake hoses on the front and standard rubber brake lines on the rear. On the street I run a semi-metal on the front and standard organic pads on the rear. I do not have a adjustable valve on it. I track it a lot and haven't had a problem with it overheating on me. It gives me a very neutral feel with the brakes. So try to run a better pad up front and a lesser pad on the rear. With the old brakes (stock) I would come off the track with no brakes at all. I would have to bleed them before I could go back out on the track. Your front brakes take up most of braking action, so do as much as you can to cool them (brake cooling duct). I got my info for this a few years back from the old president of the texas club. He gave a paper out on this subject during a Z car convention. About the rear hand brake, what I did was moved the brake cable to each other side and attached. I then added a small section of small round pipe to the adjustment area, it went between the adjusting nuts and the adjusting rod. If you need a copy of that paper, just contact me and leave a address to send it to. Good Luck with it, Rich.

The 300ZX rotors needed the spacer, because of the hat size. The Toyota calibers come in several different sizes. You can use the S-12W, S-12-8 or the S-13W calibers to make it work. Just check this site for the big message about it. I have them (S-12W) on my Z car right now. I have it setup more for street then track. I have semi-metal pads in the front and stock pads (280ZX Setup in rear) in the back. I have removed the bais bar (above the rear axle) in the rear and have not added a pressure adjuster in the back. I use racing hoses up front and stock hoses in the rear. It has a very neutral feel to it and I like it. I run this in Solo II and on race tracks like Second Creek in Colorado and haven't had a problem with it. With the stock setup I would come off the track with no brakes (boiling point). I like it a lot. Can not afford the more expensive setups out there. Good Luck.

Look at the floor boards and frame rails the most. Depending on your skill at body work, most every thing else is fixable. Or see if you can take some classes on the subject and see if they will let you work on it in the class. Also check for any crash problem that maybe hidden from view (frame rails and frontend crushed areas). You need a straight frame to start with. From there, all it will take is time and money to get it to what you want. Some people have spent a lot of time and money on their rides. Rust is aways there. They never came with rustproofing on it. How you want it to be (stock or modified) is what you have to ask yourself. They are a fun car to work on and modifiy. So good luck and keep us informed on how it goes

I have a E-31 head that has been ported and polished. It also has bigger valves in it. Running 45mm DCOES Webers on it with a header. It is on a L-28 block with flat tops. Have a Schneider cam #270-80f in it right now. It runs pretty good on the street. Haven't had any problems with it in that area. Did have some problems with gas and sitting for a time. Had to replace the gas tank and blow out the lines. So you shouldn't have any problems with it on the street. I wish you luck with it. Rich.

Thanks, Roger, Got the new IMSA kit today. Was very impressed with the fenders and spoiler. More like show quality over racing quality. If anyone needs to know if he is good or his kit is for real, feel free to contact me. I will strongly recommend him to you. It is a good kit to have. Rich Jerabek (redneckZ).

Yes, you can do it. I have seen two Z's that have done it. All they did was cut along the body line without cutting it all the way off (fronts side only) and put in 2" or 3" worth of metal between the body lines to move it out. They did a real good job of welding it back together. I have one of their sites on one of the disc's I have with Z car info on it (need to find it). Looked a lot like the old California Z look (Jim Cook Racing Parts). Just take your time and do it right the first time around. How wide you want it, will be up to what you are looking for out of the Z (tire and rim size ?). I am getting ready to put on the IMSA bubble flairs and g-nose on a Z car I am rebuilding and I am looking at least a 12" wide rim on the back of it and 10" wide on the front. Don't know what size it will be just yet (16" or 17"), have to see what size tires I can get at the time. Good Luck with it and keep us informed on how it goes. Rich.

Keep the info coming. Have been looking at my Dodge Dakota and its brake setup. But yours look so much better. Looking at putting it on my second 71 240Z. Going to five lug and keeping it a track only car. Good Luck, Rich.

Check the pulley for a hair line crack. Had one do the same thing to me. The guy that had the car before me had replaced the two belt with a 280ZX three belt pulley and cracked it putting it on. I would also replace the key with a new one. Good Luck with it. Rich.

Being a former member of the Z car club of Colorado, I can say I have boiled my brakes (stock) on the Stapleton and Second Creek race tracks a few times in the past. I went to disc brakes all the way around it in 1995. I have the 300ZX brakes with S-12W calibers on the front and the 280ZX system on the rear (early calibers with later short hat rotors, flat mounting plate). I added stainless steel lines on the front and left the rubber lines on the rear. I also removed the rear bais system above the rear axle and moved the line over and reattached it. I run semi-metal pads on the front and stock pads on the rear. It is a good neutral braking system for me. I have run it at Secong Creek with it this way and did not have any problems with it. I have also taken it to Las Vegas for the 2000 club meet and ran it around the track there with no problems. A lot of people do not like this system because of it leaking. As of todays date, it still hasn't leaked on me. The new 280SX setup is a better system, just because it is newer and you can still get parts and calibers cheaply for it. I am looking at using a setup on the next car that uses the turbo 300ZX rotors. Will have to make the mounts for it after I decide what calibers I am going to use. There are several posts on this forum about this subject. Good Luck with the choice you make. If I had to do it again, I would do it with out thinking. It is the best thing you can do to your car for both racing and street.

The picture is the real thing. It is one of four that were put together by one young man, who had a dream . You should have seen it with the front wing. It was a great statement from him on how you could make it look and make it run. It was very fast and v8 powered and hand made by him. It shows what you can do with a Z, with just a little luck and knowledge of the craft. His story is told at the this site. For the pure at heart, it may hurt you to see it. But for us that live to modify, it is what we strive for. I have one that is modified for racing L-28 (plus) and one that will be started soon as a wild V-8 race car. I only use cars that have been used and abused most of their lives. Bringing them back to life is what I like to do. I have a lot of the normal rust problems, both frame and floorboards. I am not afraid to make changes to the body line of them. Better then sending to the junk yard for disposal. You have to see his car up close to understand what he was able to do to it. Plus he did it in an apartment parking lot out of a connex makes it very special. I was sad to find out that the molds for the body parts were destroyed. So the cars are one of a kind to us.

This is for BTF/PTM. The S-12 calibers are a bolt on and will fit 14" rims. I have run a 14x7 western minilight wheel on my Z with the S-12 caliber for over 2 years, before I went to the 300ZX/S-12W setup. You can cut out the dust shield for the caliber or remove it. I took it off and didn't have a problem with it for the time it was on the car. Gave the calibers to a friend to put on his Z before I left Colorado. Good Luck with the swap, it is a good change for the Z.

If you are talking about the gold Z facing away fom us. Then we are talking about the standard (inside the frame) louvers. The other kind of louvers sit outside the window frame. They are not that hard to find. The hardware for mounting it is the hard thing to find complete. Most of the ones you will find in the junk yards are missing the lower mounting plates. People come along and take them with them. The top mount is one long mounting plate that slides under the window rubber seal. The bottom is secured by two plate that are secured under the window rubber seal (they are not that hard to make, the plate). The hard part to find is the securing bolt that mounts to that plate and fits into the hole on the louver. It is secured to the louver by a swing arm that holds the louver to the car. I have two of them without the mounting kits (lost one to a high speed spin that ripped the both of the lower mounting plates off the car). They do look nice on the Z.

:bonk:Talking about a motorbike. I just got hit by one, while I was in my Jeep Grand Cherokee. I was in the fast lane and he was in the slow lane. He had just come out of his home and onto the road on cold tires. We started into a corner and had something slam into the back of the car. The next thing we know is a bike and rider goes sliding by in front of the car. Because of my driving in the Z and SCCA racing I went hard Left and started braking. With a lot of luck he didn't go under the car. He hit the right rear tire with the first hit (still have parts of his crank case in the tire and rim). He then slid down the passenger side of the car and hit the mirror (broke it). He then hit the front tire (his hand went under the car tire and broke his thumb) (has a cast from hand to shoulder). He then slid over a football field length in distance before stopping. He did have on a real good jacket on, which saved him from getting a lot of road rash. He had some in exposed areas, but he came out of it pretty good. He said he was going all most 80 mph before going into the corner. He must have had a angle riding on his shoulder that day. Makes you stop and think of what could have happen if he would have gone under the car at 55 mph!