racer_z Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 I recently acquired an early '71 Series I 240Z. It was supposed to be a parts car but I am seriously considering turning it into a street/ road coarse beast as I have most of the parts from my other projects and parts cars to build a complete car. So here is what I have come up with so far. Any additions, suggestions or input is welcome. Early 1971 Series I 240Z, Color code 112 (LIME GREEN?) Engine- 1983 L28 F54 block. Ported and polished P90 head with competition valve job. Competition-prepped LD28 crankshaft. Competition 9mm connecting rods. Forged pistons with 10.5:1 CR (any suggestions?). Competition cam (Suggestions?). Triple Mikuni Phh44 carbs on a Datsun Competition intake (possibly a Kimeari intake?). Either Datsun Competition Overdrive 5-speed or '83 Datsun 5-speed. R200 CLSD. I know there will be a lot more to this list but this is just what I am kicking around in my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUNNY Z Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 You should definitely part it out. And sell me that R200. Seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perfect240z Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 I second that! I'll take anything competition . Are you looking to go L series or other motor options? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 (edited) Is that a list of what you WANT, or what you HAVE? Big difference. I'm becoming more and more of the opinion that unless you either A. want to take forever to finish a build, or B. have lots of money, you really need to take your budget and cut it in at least half, if not a quarter, then see what you can build with that. Too many projects never get finished because of the scope of the idea. It's easy to get carried away with a "simple project". Been there done that. My favorite memories are of DRIVING cars, and generally my head is filled with the "simple projects/swaps" because they GOT DONE and I actually DROVE them. I'm almost of the opinion now that garages are evil places to keep cars, and that if you can't finish a stage of a project in a week then it should be left to those with deep pockets and serious dedication. Starting a "budget" build with a deep scope (suspension, body mods (flares, custom shaving etc), unusual engine swap, welding cage/tube chassis bits and such) is TOO MUCH for most of us to tackle effectively all at once. If you keep your project on the road and demand as such, you're much more likely to get stages DONE and keep it on the road where you'll actually enjoy the work being done. So all that said, I'd say "throw it together" with what you have and go from there. Don't fuss over the details. The details that matter are the ones right in front of you and those will sort themselves out as you need to tackle them. Don't freak out about what tires you're going to run when you're still on jackstands with not suspension. Don't fret about compression for force induction when you're tackling welding mounts of a swap. Don't fret about composite body mods while you're bound to the garage in a non-running state. This is where I'm at in my 75. I took it off the road because I could, due to having a second DD capable vehicle, and it's been garage bound for almost 3 years now, which is a tragedy. If people check my project thread and think I'm crazy for being so "basic" or "cheap" or some might even say "ghetto" I'll just wait and laugh when I'm actually driving it unlike the 75% of us that are on this forum because our car is in a perpetual project state. I don't resent this board or it's members. I, in fact, love this place. But it's too easy to get caught up with ideas with out actions. Let other's projects be inspiration to actually DO, not inspiration to just dream. Edited August 19, 2012 by Gollum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racer_z Posted August 20, 2012 Author Share Posted August 20, 2012 The parts listed are parts that I actually have, save for the LD28 crank and the camshaft. All of the other parts I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zmanco Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Everything you listed is for the drivetrain. What about the suspension and brakes? If you're going to build a street/road course beast, expect to spend anywhere from $3k to $5k depending on what you already have and how far you plan to go. For example, with that kind of power, brakes that will do well for 20-30 minutes on the track with good f/r balance are at least $1500. You'll need new bushings, springs, struts, camber plates and/or adjustable LCA/TC rods. 250 hp in a stock chassis won't be much fun on the track Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racer_z Posted August 25, 2012 Author Share Posted August 25, 2012 ^^ That was more where my question was geared toward. What type of suspension, brakes, etc are you guys who are running road coarses and VARA, etc running on your cars? I want something that will be powerful, light and fast but be able to corner, handle and stop well also. I don't know a lot about the suspension and brake aspect of the Z car, so I would like some help in that regard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snailed Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Well said, Gollum. It's very important to make sure you set attainable goals. It's not easy to do and like you said, even if you have the motivation, it's easy to run out of money faster than you can build. My project is taking a while also but that's fine with me. The scope of what Racer_z want's to do seems very reasonable to me. It's pretty much all bolt-together stuff you can do at home if you can afford or already have all the fancy parts needed. There are much cheaper ways to get great brakes and suspension but they require knowledge/information, fabrication and time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 You can build a nice 3 or 3.1L engine with what you're describing. But... my recommendation would be, since you don't have the LD28 crank and you have other trans options, would be to not buy and prep the LD28 crank, sell the Nissan Comp box, and use the money to build a 300hp Turbo engine using the block and head that you have. A good Nissan Comp box can get $3,000 depending on which one it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texis30O Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I would pick up the R200, and maybe the tranny. I will be in Dallas/ Richardson this weekend......have cash as well..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 My best advice is to do one project at a time. Get it built and running on what you've got, then upgrade more parts later. that way you can enjoy your can instead of the pie in the sky. It's worth it really from the enjoyability standpoint. So get it running on what you've got, then get the suspensions etc upgraded (I really like the AZCAR stuff, purty) A lot of projects start off with the best intentions, but often never get completed due to time and resource depletion. So take smaller steps, get it going then go on to the next step. Tho, if you do quit, I want that Diff too !! hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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