Guest a_rhoades Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 I've owned 3 240sx's (1 S14, 2 S13 hatches), but I've liked the 70-78 Z 's for years (dad got me hooked on them). Lately, I've grown tired of my 240's, they're fun (still have the 2 S13's), but my desire for an old Z is really starting to take over. I came across a guy that lives about 2 hrs north of me, that owns a 260Z. We've been talking about trading a 240sx for a 260Z off and on for about 2 months, however, I have a few questions: 1. I'm not a fan of the 260Z bumper, and I'd like to have the 240Z bumper instead. However, I haven't seen very many informative threads about swapping the 2. 2. I've driven numerous "well equiped" 240sx's that had Tein suspension setups (mainly HE's), but I don't see any actual coilover systems for the Z's (not sleeves, actual coilovers). 3. Good handling is quite important to me, and I like stiff rides, but lower cars (again, why I like Tein HE's), is there anything that could get me close to that kind of setup with a Z? Sorry for the questions, but I'm not quite sure what to do. Any input would be nice. And yes, I'm still searching for answers. Thanks all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumo Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 If you are not doing a V-8 swap the 260 is the least desireable model. If you want the bumpers on the earlier 240 the swap can and has been done. There are actually two models of the 260Z the earlier ones had the thin bumpers and the later ones had the big crash bumpers. Go check out Modern Motorsports and see if they have what you want as far as brake and suspension upgrades. 8) http://www.modern-motorsports.com/catalog/default.php?PHPSESSID=90bb3762c581e2c70464e6a5079fa785 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest a_rhoades Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 I'm not sure what kind of swap I'm going to look into. I'm really leaning toward an LS1 though (lots of money, but it'd be worth it). The guy I'm thinking about buying the car from said it's an early model 260Z. Is that bumper similar to the 240Z's? Thanks for the link too. Why would the 260 be the least favorite for non V8 swaps? I'm guessing chassis weight/strength, but I'm not sure. Thanks Sumo Anyone have any other links/advice (besides "search", which I am still doing)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phyte Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 HEY! What's so undesirable about early 260's? Mine seems to run just fine If its an early 260 then it will have the thin style bumpers. As for handling/brakes/etc, ya there is PLENTY of after market parts. Phyte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z-TARD Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 The 260 was kind of a stop gap measure between the 240 and 280. The L26 engine it came with is the lowest HP motor out of any of the Z cars if I remember correctly. Nissan upped the displacement to try to gain back power lost to emmission controls, and it didn't really work out. If the car is pretty much rust free, grab it, and then ditch the engine as quickly as possible The early 260's do however have many of the desireable body characteristics of the 240Z. Smaller bumpers, front turn signals mounted in valance rather than in the grill. The 280 Z had a much stronger chassis than the 240, and I'm not sure if the 260's had this or not. If the frame rails under the floorboards run all the way back to the rear subframe, it's the 280 style and provides much more strength than the 240's which only go back as far as the seat. The suspension on the early Z's can be made to handle quite well. I don't know of anyone that makes a genuine coilover shock conversion for the Z, but Modern Motorsports has what is probably the best coilover adjustable sleeve conversion available for these cars. You can pick from different spring rates to get whatever level of performance you want pretty much. Anything from daily driver to setups so stiff you have to pee every time you drive over the bumpy stuff. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akeizm Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Nothing wrong with a 260z Ok mines a 2+2 but I like my 4 seater version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 I think you misunderstood Sumo's singlemindedness . 260's are great, with the stock motor, or for any swap that you'd do into any other 70-78 Z... not just for V8's. They are a bit heavier than the 240, I think they do have slighter stronger chassis but I'm not sure, but that extra weight had to go somewhere. The reason 260's are the least desirable is because of two things, the carbs that come equipped on the stock motor, and all the emissions equipment. The motor itself is fine... I find it hard to believe that the larger motor makes less hp than the 240's motor, all other things being equal, but then again the head might also be a factor, I dont even know which head the 260 usually has. If you were going to keep the motor you'd want to switch over to 240 SU's or possibly even to EFI, and ditch all the stock emissions stuff. The early 260s do have the exact same bumpers as the 240's... all 260's manufactured up to august of '74 had the thin bumpers, and then from 9/74 to 11/74 they had the bigger ones. Ask him to check the manufacture date on the plate inside the driver side door jamb. I dont' think you can easily convert from the bigger to the smaller bumpers... the bumper mounts of the bigger 280 style bumpers cant just be removed, I think they have to be ground off, but I dont know what else is involved. The few guys I've known who had them ground off never swapped to the smaller bumpers but rather just left the cars bumperless, which looks nice as well. There are tons of options and ways to make that Z handle VERY well, true coilovers or not. BUT, I've never seen a good handling Z that was slammed, if that's what you're planning on doing... I dont ever think I've even seen a slammed S30 Z and I KNOW none of the guys with the really good handling Z's have them much lower than stock, most are like 1-1.5" lower... you just dont want to go that low with these cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest a_rhoades Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Ok cool. I didn't mean absolutely slammed, but lowered more than just an inch or so. 2 inches max (I would imagine) would be ideal for me. I'm still waiting on the guy to return my email, but I'm really thinking about buying this one of it has minimal rust and what not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Nothing wrong with a 260z Ok mines a 2+2 but I like my 4 seater version. Well, you're weird, but we still love you. For a swap, there are a couple of factors that make the 260 an excellent choice. First off, do you know what makes an onion different from a 260Z? People cry when you cut up an onion. Being the least desireable Z (due mostly to the square-top carbs than anything else, I think) nobody cares when you cut one up. But they're still lighter than the 280, so you get a bit of performance increase there. Not much, but a little. Secondly, the electrical systems were a bit more sophisticated than the 240. A shunted ammeter keeps dashboard fires from happening, and the fuseboxes don't overheat AS readily. Still not perfect, but better than they were. THey have a bit less wiring to rip out than a 280. If I were to do it all over again, I might choose a 280 instead of a 260, though. Stronger bodies and better insulation make for a more liveable car for many folks. I'd give up a tiny bit of performance for a tiny bit more comfort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumo Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 I think you misunderstood Sumo's singlemindedness Hey! I dont have a mind and how did you know i was single? I just meant that if the guy wanted a stock Z, the 260 is usually the one that you stay away from and that you find them mostly converted to L28 FI or carb'd. If he wanted to do a V8 swap then 260 Z's are cheap. Sorry that i did'nt elaborate more, i ran out of Hot Cheetos when i was replying. :flamedevil: There is nothing wrong with the 260 especially akeizms because his is an Australian version. The US gets a different version that other countries get. Usually because of emissions the cars here get a choked up version of the car. Another thing i noticed when i arrived in the US is that you have the same name of a car but the one that sells (for example) in Europe is totally different. Let's say the 70's Escort and Granada, the US versions are totally laughable compared to their European counterparts. At least now you get some of the European variances of the cars like the Ford Focus ZX3 and European version of the Accord is sold as the Acura TSX here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 euro Escorts are friggin awesome... Cosworth baby!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumo Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 euro Escorts are friggin awesome... Cosworth baby!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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