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Better Than Butter S1


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So this project actually started a while ago. I have been working slowly on my own project while working on customer cars on the side. It was one of those facebook post by some kid on behalf of the original owner who was now 87 years old. This one and only owner pre ordered it in december of 1969 and he recieved it 4/70. The maintenance records and documentation that came along with it are amazing. I have always had a passion for the S30 and this was finally my S1 I have been after. It was painted mercedes off white late in the 80s and thats the way the owner wanted it so that is the way he made it. Originally from California it traveled over to the east coast and sat inside a warehouse since 2003. (good thing too becuase I have worked enough cars over on the east coast to see what the salt does to them.) Anyhow the car was listed on FB for a few months and I had glanced over it a few times. It was a few months after I saw it that I decided to contact the seller. I asked if there was any documentation and low and behold I was presented with stacks of paperwork and service history. The ad did say it had an L28 now and this was why myself and I assume others passed it up. Turns out the original engine blew in 1990 and the owner got it serviced (like he always did) at Nissan. They had no more L24 engines so the installed a brand new NOS L28 Long block. It is all documented on the reciepts and work from the repair facility. At that moment I knew this was the car for me. I immediately worked out the viewing and hurried to pick it up with my trailer. It was better than I had expected and the documents made it that much better. It had to sit for some time after I got it home, but shortly I started work making it better. I will post in chronological order the progression of work through pictures. Enjoy...

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Here is a little of the suspension refurbishment. I started by media blasting it all. Then SEM chassis through my spray gun. All new poly bushings from energy suspension was added. I got lucky and also found some NOS Tokico illumina 5 way and springs. I wanted to make it all period correct. Since I wanted to use a solid diff mount I decided to modify the rear member and add strength because they are prone to cracking. 

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An oil catch can was added and so I made a bracket to utilize any stock holes I could. I did not want to drill any more holes in the car. The plan is to modify while being able to revert to stock. The price on these cars is so great now maybe one day I would need to sell. Oh who am I kidding. I wont sell her.

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All brakes are new. Porterfield rear drum pads and fron is EBC green stuff. Rebuilt the calipers with NOS rebuild kit. Drilled and slotted Stop Tech rotors and all new bearings and extended studs on all corners.Refurbished the E-brake system and used a T3 cable. The quality is great and it works fantastic. All dust shields and backing plates were media blasted and coated with SEM chassis paint.  Shouldnt rust anytime soon and will stop on a dime. No reason for overkill brake setup. Modifying the stock and getting good pads does a fantastic job.

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It was hard labor, but I replaced every connector on the harness after checking continuity and resistance drops across each circut. I want to make sure the harness lasts the life of the car. Big shout to Vintage Connections. They sent me a kit to redo the car plus some. Stock fuel pump harness utilized for the electric pump. Made a jumper to power it. All of my electronics, even MSD and aftermarket stuff, use stock style connectors for ease of connection and changeability. Hella horns used in place of stock. They are loud and annoying. 

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Big shout out to S30World.com and Chris V. for making these tanks and sending me one. They are exact copies of the euorpean versions and fit perfect. Never worry about rusty gas again. I replaced all the supply and return lines with aluminum lines. Everything in the fuel system is now new and perfectly clean. 

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After running the welded R-200 for a while I decided I didnt like how it treated my tires coming in and out of driveways and parking spots. I opted to do a 3.9 R-180 Subaru WRX STI swap. Companion flanges came from John Williams. I ordered all new hardware and seals/ gaskets from Subaru direct. Hydroblasted the covers with my homemade cabinet. 

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It took forever but I finally found an authentic set of SSR SpeedStar Watanabe RS-Eight wheels for my Z. It is impossible to find an original set with the correct offset. I took them apart and refinished the barrels. Stripped and powder coated the faces. New hardware throughout each. Better than new and they fit the car perfectly. I used a 5mm spacer on the rear. 

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The engine is an L24 2.4L bored 1mm oversize. I have Nissan comp 9mm rods in it. The pistons are flat tops and the entire engine was blueprinted and balanced within a milligram. The head is a rebello racing E-31. I have plans to build out the L28 and install my secret sauce E-31 machined and worked by a long time Bob Sharp mechanic. Im running MSA 6-1 headers and 2.5" exhaust with a turbo muffler. The ignition is powered by MSD digital 6AL, and the distributor was a stock unit with petronix ignitor installed, but the signal was too weak for the digital 6AL box so I installed the Mallory Unilite. Custom ground Cam by ISKY. Nissan comp valves and springs. The transmission is a zx5spd. The carbs are custom bored and I have custom jets and needles made for better performance at higher RPM.

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Edited by 10HBMartian
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Big shout to my son. He has really helped me more than you might think. We finally got it driving and stopping after about 4 months of being down. The paint isnt perfect but everything mechanical is now new. Perhaps next spring I will paint it back to its proper 901 silver.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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