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Engine and chassis swap datsun 260z


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Hi,

We bought a nice and hard datsun 260 from calafornia.
we have our Z full disassembled, and we would like to swap the chassis and engine.
I have a full chassis from a skyline R33 GTS and a RB26DETT engine.
I have also a RB25DET gearbox and rear Dif.

But we have some problems with the fitment, has anyone done this before?
And can 

somebody help me with some technical info, prefer pictures or photographs.

Thank you,
GreetZ Jos

 

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Just curious....what would be the goal of the full chassis swap?  Modern suspension, etc? 

 

Like Sleeper said, you would be essentially chopping up a Z body and fitting the sheetmetal to the other chassis....basically Franken-Z.  Good luck if you decide to attempt it....I'd be very interested to follow that project!  :-)

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The Car for that is the S130. The chassis lends itself to the rear suspension cradle swap, and the front end on a GTS is the same between car cars....so nothing needed there.

The big difference is the rear suspension, and that swap is common in Japan (also swapping in Z32 rear cradles to the S130)

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yes it would be a complete ground-up fabrication, with everything from the skyline R33
like subframe, shocks, arms, rods everything.
I have all parts in stock, but I was hoping that someone had already done a project like this.

This is what we get now.....

post-48662-0-16602900-1424992787_thumb.jpg

post-48662-0-16526400-1424992807_thumb.jpg

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  • 2 months later...

You certainly got a nice body.  I haven't seen one that clean in a long time.  If you start cutting on the unibody be sure to weld in some temporary bracing ahead of time.  You probably already know to do that - but just in case - I wouldn't want the body to distort on you.

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  • 5 years later...

6 years later... with chassis companies going and doing more custom builds - anyone know if there’s a chassis mfg out there now doing a subframes for Nissan / Datsuns? (that are already built?) Am getting my build and cost sheets in order to do a massive 260Z crate swap and 2021 Franken-Z restomod inside and out (think AMG 63:) with a steel wide body. Will take 2-3 yrs and every day the costs mount more than I like but this was my 1st car when I was 15 and can finally afford to build this toy to have some fun with (and show) I’m not gonna mention the motor as the purists will just dog pile me - but think y’all will like it in the end (I know this has never been done. And no it’s not a “Hell-Z” or the likes). It’s Def still old school but need a framed chassis to support the new (new to this car) motor. I’m phoning Roadster Shop Monday after seeing their setup on Kindig. However everything in their shops are USA muscle cars / trucks it seems?  but did boast of their “custom” capabilities. The C-10 chassis Kindig bought with front and rear suspension etc was $17K. Can only imagine what a custom made one would cost? Cheers

 

PS: (I’ve seen JAG 2x3 side rails and subframe kits floating around on YouTube and such... but need more than that. Plus I’m not the welder so rather just have a rolling chassis all level, new and perfect if it exists!? :) 

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My next S30 is going to be an all tube frame chassis. I am lucky in that southern California has plenty of donor vehicles for the skin material.  

I have done so much rust replacement, chassis reinforcement and reconstruction that I'm stuck wondering "what have I not replaced?" 

There are some talented shops that can make you the tube frame with some key dimensions from a template S30. I plan to design mine on CAD, and construct it myself. 

 

I would still consider myself very much a novice amateur, but I am making mistakes and learning everyday! its fun making stuff from scratch. 

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I'd like to see more dedicated tube-chassis and other radical mods.  Whatever happened to jos260z's project?  Promising start, but then...?

 

One approach is to build a proper round-tube chassis on a jig, with the desired front/rear subframes (or even better, mount the suspension directly to the chassis, eliding subframes and their associated weight).  Hollow-out (technical term?) the Datsun body, and then wrap it onto the chassis.  This has been done before, but recent examples are hard to come by.  In the 90s there were some drag racers... the name Ron Jones comes to mind.  Ron used to post heavily here, then drifted away.  That car, if memory serves, used the stock 240Z front suspension pick-up points (including K-member) and a fiberglass front clip (hood, valence panel, fenders and "bumper").  In back was the obligatory tubbing, 4-link and Ford 9".

 

The salient question is of course why one would do this, apart from the tackling of a challenge and the desire for originality.  One answer is weight reduction and stiffness-increase for drag racing.  Dedicated drag-cars tend to converge towards one common solution.  The "bones" are all one triangulated tube frame, and the body amounts to the aforementioned wrapping, be it a Datsun or a Chevelle or a Fiat Topolino.  

 

I'd also like to see more cars with firewall setback.  Put the largest and heaviest component of the car further aft... that is, the engine.  Zs are famous for their enormous passenger-cabin.  With the seatback securely pressed against the rear tire-well (stock or tubbed), there is plenty of room for setting the firewall aft.  Why go to all the trouble of a tube chassis, if retaining the stock location of the principal components?  Get creative!

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