mal_tiempo Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 (edited) Hello all, long time lurker/reader on this forum. Just picked up a 1973 Datsun 240Z and got some big money things out of the way up front. Too bad it's all stuff you can't see lol. Anyway, I had to drive down to pick up the car just north of Tampa, FL after spotting it on craigslist. I didn't really have a problem with it, the exterior looked pretty mint: Looked pretty much like exactly like the ad on the outside, drove it, liked it, brought it home on a trailer the next weekend. The car already has the early SU's, a 6-2-1 header, as well as a single 2.5in exhaust on the stock looking L24. Soon as I got it back in town, I got to put put around in it a bit, ran solid except for the clutch being shot. I'm not the biggest wrencher yet, so I decided to swing by the local Z guy here in town and see what he had to say. A week later, I have a new clutch and heavier pressure plate, and a machined/lightened stock flywheel that was balanced with the clutch at the machine shop. Did I mention it ran great already? I chirped tires on the way home. Also gonna pick these up this weekend, and the stock seats have just about had it and these are well-priced and minty fresh. Any way I can protect myself if these are stolen? Orlando is notorious for stolen Honda bits. On the list this week also is to give the car a bath, and clean out the (stripped) interior. Apparently, this was going to be a race car . It did come with a lot of the interior vinyl and plastic, and also an L28ET that was running when it was pulled. So far, the grand plan is: 1. Clean/finish interior Re-do floors (PO did a poor job with the replacement floor pan, slow rust) Install S2K seats Coat in POR15 Repair or cover dash (Holding out for that CF dash cap) Replace gauges and lighting 2. Re-paint/tidy up the engine bay (Probably the red that's already in there) 3. Drop the suspension and get some undercoat action going after being stripped and treated 4. Upgrade suspension (Shocks and springs vs. coil-overs? Camber? Wheels & tires?) 5. Tear down the L28ET and decide if I want to run it turbo or not 6. (Ongoing) Scavenge the net looking for parts I may or may not need. 7. (Ongoing) Re-finish exterior pieces like the faded black bumpers and faded air dam. Pretty much in any order or as things come up for sale while I have money lol. The seats are the end of the budget for now, aside from small bits check to check. Have a couple of books on the way to guide me through this, and an open mind with internet access so all you folks who have been down this road before can teach me. I don't like to half-ass things I do with my hands, so I hope that will show in this project. Until next time! Oh yeah, my daily: Edited November 14, 2011 by RB26powered74zcar edited as per mal_tiempo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tibby Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Are you sure they are S2000 seats? They don't have the same head rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mal_tiempo Posted October 26, 2011 Author Share Posted October 26, 2011 (edited) The AP1 seats have that nice cutout in the headrests, the AP2 seats do not, however. Otherwise structurally/visually the same, just means these seats are even newer . Edited October 26, 2011 by mal_tiempo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mal_tiempo Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 (edited) Picked up the seats, gotta wait until later this week to mount them, though. Also a couple random shots when I was riding around trying to find engine stand bolts for the L28ET. Edited October 30, 2011 by mal_tiempo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mal_tiempo Posted November 3, 2011 Author Share Posted November 3, 2011 So, the fruits of my labor and a friend who welds turned into this: Made a bracket for the S2000 seats to fit in the car as they are with no cutting of rivets or swapping sliders. Next up is the passenger seat which should go a lot faster. Also, notice the rust? Someone repaired the driver's side floor long time ago, but the welds have a few pinholes and weren't really finished well. The did do the whole pan though, wonder if I can just clean it up this weekend? We shall see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mal_tiempo Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 Soooo, did a little bit of work this weekend. This: Plus This Guy: Equals this: And then you add a dash of: And you end up with: I finally got to take my mom for a ride too. Next up is dash repair! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mal_tiempo Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 Maybe a little project inspiration? As far as I know, this hasn't been done in an S30 yet. This is in a 510 sedan, SyCK's car over on Ratsun. Relatively easy to squeeze 200HP out of, and unique. I'm sort of stuck on where I want this project to go engine-wise. I have a spare L28ET, but I REALLY don't want to go turbo. I could easily swap it in for the L24 and throw the early SUs on there, but I want it rebuilt and hotter anyway. The L24 has what I think is a bad ring or two, and is a bit smokey. I mean, this is a 73, no need to keep it original, but I'd really like to keep it Nissan. Guess I should weigh the costs of each build... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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