RedNeckZ

They were good enough to be used in most GT-2 Z cars over the years. Still have the drawing of a two hole mounting system sold by a racer a short time ago. So they aren't that bad, there is better and newer out there (240 SX system). With the 300ZX front brakes, it can stop you pretty good. But you can do some searching and find better systems out there. Several companies make complete kits for both front and rear disc brake systems. There is a sticky about several different setups at the top of this forum. My next Z is getting rotors from a turbo Z, 5 lug and both vented. Just haven't decided what caliber I will be using. Good Luck with your choice, Rich.

Yes, it is a early model 280ZX rear brake setup. Can't tell by the pictures if it has the wide hat rotor (early year) or short hat (later years). I have the early model calibers with the later model disc rotors on my 1971 240Z. I have used a flat mounting plate to make it work. Some people don't like it. But I haven't had any problems with them. Almost all of it was a simple bolt on. Some people have cut the plate and made it a three point mounting system (so you don't have to take out the axel stubs) . Hope this helps, Rich.

I have the 280ZX rear brake setup on my 1971 240Z. I don't think you can put the whole system (trailing arm setup on the 280ZX) on the 260Z. They are different designs and will not change over. But what you can do if all you want is the rear brakes, is use the system I have. I used a flat plate mounting system with the early 280ZX caliber (79) w/hat and later model flat plate rotor (80's) (small hat). There are other systems out there that are just as easy to put on (240SX). Just have to search this site for that info. I got my info from the ex-president of the Texas Z club (during the Colorado get-together world club meeting during the 90's). If you want more info on this setup I still have the info packet he gave me. I can send you a copy of the info thru the mail. Good Luck, Rich.

I have a L-28 w/E-31 head that has been ported/polished (Heads by Paul, Denver, CO) and has bigger valves in it. It also has a bigger cam (Schneider stage III 270-80f) in it and a header (6 into 1) with a 2 1/2 inch exhaust and triple 45mm Weber carbs. It has a five speed and r200 rearend (3:54) in it. The only thing that is wrong with it is that it has dished pistons in it now. Getting it ready to put 40 over flat tops in it. The last time we put it on the machine it only showed 180 hp. They think with the bigger size bore and flat tops I should be able to see above 200 hp. Drivability with it was easy. It even got good gas mileage if you didn't put your foot into it. Loved the sound it made when you put your foot into it! Also had a 3:90 rearend in it, good for speed and bad for mileage. Had to change it out. We also have run a Sig Erson cam (290AS) (had this cam in it for the test) in it. We flat lobed the cam, racing it. The engine has never gone above 7,500 rpm. Good Luck, Rich.

I have the early 280ZX calibers with the later (thin hat) rotors with the flat plate mount. I could not fit my 14"x7" western minilight look-a-like wheels over the brakes and had to go to 15" wheels. I was using the plans that I got from the Texas club ex-president (got it during the Colorado Z world meeting in the 90's). Don't know about it working any other way, sorry.

The rear disc system will put you into the 15" or bigger rim sizes. I did the 280ZX rear disc brakes and started with 15"x7" zero offset rims. Right now I am running 16"x7" rims with front wheel drive offset w/1" spacers, with 225/50/16 tires. 14" rims will not work, sorry. You can use the zero offset as the starting point. But you can run other settings if you use a wheel spacer.

First, without seeing your car. Yes, I would strongley recommend some type of frame reinforcement. Bad Dog parts has some good frame replacements. You do not need a rotisserie to do it. It will not be easy to do without it, but you can do it. Good Luck, Rich. Also seam welding the whole car would help.

I have two type spoilers for the 280Z. The first one is a fiberglass one that goes from wheelwell to wheelwell (no air ducts for brakes). I got it thru the old Premier Products out of Canoga Park, CA. The second one was on a Z, I bought in Colorado. It attaches to the lower valance and does not cover the tires all of the way. But has a nice splitter lip on it (second picture, currently attached to the G-nose)(it is being removed for replacement by the IMSA spoiler). So there are choices out there. Just have to find the one that fits your needs.

You may have the wrong collar needed for that transmission. The 280ZX transmissan, I have in the car now, has a centerforce 1 clutch in it and required a longer collar. You may need to replace it with a longer or shorter one, if everything else checks out. Take a measurement and let us know what you have. Have you put the the two clutch systems side by side to see if it is taller or shorter then the one you are replacing (I have at least four different sizes in the garage)? The collar does come in a lot of different sizes. Also look at the pushrod length, it can be made longer if needed. Good Luck, Rich.

I am now running rear disc brakes with the 300zx front brakes. Most of my drum expertise comes from running with the Colorado Z club on the Stapleton and Second Creek tracks. The Second Creek track was a very heavy braking track and was very hard on the stock brake system of the Z. I have boiled the brakes on the track and come off the track with no brakes at all. I found the new system that I have on the car now on this site while looking for a cure for this problem. I also have had to use the stock brake system during the time I was running in the SCCA BSP class (Alabama) of the Solo II program. During this time I didn't have a problem with the brakes. So you can use them on the street without any problems. Depending on how you drive on the track and what class you plan on driving in, you may have to live with the stock system or can go to the all disc system. Improvements can be made with the rear drum brake system. You can get improved brake pads for the system (cost $) and install some kind of air flow to the mounting plate to improve cooling. Some racers cut holes into the backing plate to improve cooling of the brakes. Since going to the new brake system I haven't had a problem with the overheating problem. Good Luck with deciding which way you are going to go, Rich.

I have been looking into this on the Z car I am working on now. Looking at a camero/firebird fenders as possible canidates for cutting up. They both can be gotten at a reasonable cost at most pick and pulls. They include the parts inside the fender needed to make it work. I am adding the IMSA flair kit and trying to add some air flow thru the radiator improvements needed to keep it cool. Also looking at mustang parts for cooling the rear discs. May use the shelby rear vents for pushing that air onto the brakes. They come in complete kits for the older models. All you need to do is search the subject across the whole Internet and see how others do it. Good Luck, Rich.

If you want, you can call some of the paint shops around your area and find out where they get their paint supplies from. Go to the store and ask to look at some of the current year paint code books. Look throught them and dream a little (ie, how would it look on the car) as you look at the books. You, then can pick the color you want on the car. They make the paint for you from the codes in the books. You can even have it tinted lighter or darker to meet your needs. Our store in town is called "Barnes wholesale automotive paints", I use it a lot. There is a lot of red colors made by and used by the automotive industries. Most of the stores have code books covering all of the car years to current. All you have to do is search until you find the color you want. Then get the paint code from the book an take it with you to the paint shop and give it to them. Good Luck with your choice, Rich.

I now have one with and one without it. I like it on my personnel Z because it removes the heat better then without it. I did have it on a 280Z that I owned awhile ago, before I got rid of, but I liked it then. I do not have air conditioning in the car that I have now and air flow helps with the removal of that hot air. I do have auto body training and have put it in the right way. I sealed it with the modern body sealers, both inside and out. I also have a few of them sitting around here that I have taken out of Z's that were parted out. I got the idea to do it after the 2000 Z meet in Las Vegas. We got to do laps around the speedway in the heat of summer. After three sessions on the track I was totally drained from the heat (didn't have it then). Now I am in NC and it is hot/humid here this year. It helps get the hot air out of the car. I do know that I cannot do this to my race car and understand why. I am not worried about the body strength from the roof. I have a roll bar installed in it (street car) at this time and also have strut braces, front and rear. I think it is up to the individual to decide if you want it or not. So make your own decision and live with it. Good Luck with your project, Rich.

:burnout:From the sounds of it, you may have the flat plate used in the 280ZX calber setup. The other setup has a step or added piece of metal sticking out the side of it and is not flat.

They are out of Greensboro, NC and use to be Japco. I am going to go up there this coming week to take a look at their kit and see my grandkids at the same time. I am looking at putting it on a 240Z I am turning into a race only car. Don't know if the flairs will fit the rims I want to run. May have to go to the IMSA style kit. Looking at 16X12 on back and 16X10 for the front.

A lot of people are running that setup right now. I am running a L28 block w/dished pistons with a modified E-31 head w/cam/headers/triple 45mm DCOE Webers. It is getting ready to go down for a refreshment of pistons and rings (40 over with flat top pistons). It should help it a little and hopefully I will not have to run premium gas.

The first picture is for the 240Z and the second one is for the 280Z. I prefer fiberglass over the other (urethane) for two reasons. First, it will not flex as much as the other (you will have to brace the urethane model to keep it from flexing) (check out this site for talk on the subject) at speeds. Second, I do body work and can fix it fairly easy when it is fiberglass. The model is pretty common for sale by most retail part stores that carry them. There is one other model out there that has a flat area to mount the plate on (its the one I have). I got my spoiler from Premier Products in CA, before it went out of business. Good Luck on choice, Rich.

To make the head work, you need to have it ported and polished. Install bigger valves with harden seats. This will involve cutting into the head (machine work) and pressing the seats into the head. Then get a three angle valve job for it. If you want to, you can weld the bowl area (again machine work) and have it reshaped to something better. Make sure you shave the head to make sure it is flat. I had ny head done by Heads by Paul in Denver, CO. Good Luck, Rich.

My current list is 2 1971 240Z's. Still have the world club plates for ten Z's. Most of them are sitting around the house as parts. The one Z in my picture is my street car and the other will be the track car when restored. Trying to save up the money to buy the IMSA flairs for it. Looking at putting in either a AMC 401 or a Chevy 350 in it.

I have one of both, with and without. After going to the Z convention in Vegas (2000) and going around the speedway during the hot season (June)(no sunroof). It was a real thrill (baking was a good word for it). I installed it this past summer just before we painted it. The car that has the sunroof is a daily driver and has to many modifications to make it worth much. The sunroof does help to get the heat out of the car. I like it a lot. Did a better job of putting it in then what most people did putting them in the car back in the 70's and 80's. My track car can not have it on it. But I wish it could, it helps remove the heat a lot. Just remember this site is dedicated to modifing the 240Z. So you can do anything you want. The car will be a refection of you in the end. Good Luck with your choice, Rich. PS: This car (daily driver) use to race with the Colorado Z club. At the time I thought it was pretty solid car. We had a trackday at Stapleton Airport and after one session I was surprised to have a track worker come up and hand part of my car to me. The man, who had the car before me had used bondo to cover over some rust through areas in the rear wheelwells to hide how bad it was. This past summer we went through and fixed everything that was wrong with it. But we know it is just a daily driver.

Isn't what this site is all about (changing the Z). Go for it, just keep us informed on progress. I also have the engine in a 2004 Grand Cherokee and have looked at this engine as a possible switch. Good Luck with it, Rich.

Don't know all of the facts yet. Need to know last time the engine oil had been changed? Have you tried to adjust the valves yet? Have you put any thing like Sea Foam into the gas tank? It should clean out the tank and fuel lines of any junk in them. It should also help clean up the valves for you (do this outside, it will smoke alot). Stuck or bent valves, you will have to take apart and fix to correct the problem. Keep us informed and Good Luck, Rich.

Don't know if it will help, but I had the same problem with my 71 240Z. I finally had to get the wiring harness improvement from one of the part houses (Black Dragon Auto) (part nu#72-040). It was not a plug-in and forget system. I had to splice and cut all of it into the system. But it has given me both hi/low beams and has brighten the lights on both levels. It sounds like you have a cut line or a dead ground some where in the low beam line. It also could be the connectors at the headlight. They rust up pretty bad over time. Good Luck with this problem. Please keep us informed on how you were able to fix this problem.

Fiberglass flairs are easy to bond to steel fenders. You just have to clean the area around them real good. But first I would recommend glueing and riviting the flair to the fender. After that clean the area around the fiberglass and where it meets the metal. Clean the paint away from the flair for at least 4 to 6 inches. Make sure you rough up the fiberglass to. Then blow the area with air and clean the dust off of it. Then use short or long strand fiberglass repair product from a can (where you have to add hardener to the material) and spread this over the seam area. Make sure that it flows over the seam and on to the fiberglass for a good distance. let it harden and then sand down the ridges. You can add more if needed. Finish it with a light coat of body filler. Sand and paint it to your liking. You can also seam seal the inside of the fiberglass flair to the metal by using some thing like the 3M seam sealer that is out there. They have both brush on and tube methods. Good Luck, Rich.

The choice is something we can not do for you. There are so many other engines and factors you could go for, that it is almost impossible for us to pick. Your choices are what you would like to have. But the cost is something you have to live with (don't forget the hidden costs). Search this site and it will give you a lot of info on all of the engines you want. Then you take that info, sit down and take a hard look at what you can do with what you have and pick the engine to go with. I am getting ready to see if I can fit a 401 AMC engine into the bay of a 71 Z. The fitment isn't that hard for me. The hard part is the transmission choice. It is going to cost me some money to have the parts made to fit most of the modern transmissions behind the engine block. It will have some good horse power, but I am looking for something that is driveable and reliable at the same time. Also the about cost, is it worth the money you will be spending on it (engine only). Or can it be spent on better things (handling and brakes). Only you can decide that, we all would like to have the baddest ride out there or close to it. But the cost of it will not allow it to happen for most of us. That is also part of the reason most people go with the V-8 choice. Per cost for horsepower, it can't be beat. You can add so much to engines now days that all it takes is money. Power can be payed for, but it doesn't make it last any longer. So look the site over (read and study) and then make your own choice. Good Luck, Rich.