Dadson Racing - A Legacy. aka My car is basically finished :D

[Whittie]

Dadson Racing. A Legacy

 

It was one evening in mid 2003 when a boy was researching suitable first cars for a budding high school car enthusiast. Hot hatches and turbo Jap imports were hot on the short list of potential purchases for our young hero, as he had to have something that would stand out in the school car park dominated with Holden and Ford boats. It was on this fateful evening that his father, John, after discovering his son’s fascination with high-powered cars and remembering his own petrol fueled younger days and the dangers he put himself into on the road, came into his son’s room to offer to take him for a test drive in the ‘perfect’ car he had tracked down.

“Heya Tom, what you looking at there?”

“Oh not much dad, just looking at some cars on the net”

“Oh yeah, what are you liking at the moment?” John asks

“Not much, couple 206 gti’s floating around and a couple neat Silvia’s. The Peugeot looks tit’s but loving the Nissan for its mod-ability. Why’s that?” offers Tom.

“I think I’ve got a great car we should go check out. Wanna come?”

“Ah yeah, what is it?”

“A race car. A classic”

“A classic race car?! What is it”

“A 260Z, you’ll love it”

“A what? What’s a 260Z? what do they look like?”

“Like a Ferrari!”

“Cool! But who makes it and how old is it?” Tom replies, not quite buying his dad’s evasiveness.

“It was built in 1977” John offers, knowing the reception the manufacturer is going to get from a 15 year old teenager.

“Ah yeah. But who made it?”

“Datsun” John offers happily.

“A Datsun… Um, I think I’ll pass thanks dad!”

“Ah, come on you haven’t even seen one before!”

“Ok ill look it up on the net”

“Na na, don’t bother with that, we gotta go”

“Ah, fine, not like I got anything else to do tonight.”

“Let’s Go!” John exclaims with much excitement.

 

Its several hours later when John and Tom finally get the keys to the two seat sports car and back it out of the driveway for a test drive. “What do you think Tom?” Asks John after seeing his son’s expression of wonderment at the iconic sports car with semi-slick race tires and a loud exhaust.

“It’s still a Datsun dad, why would I want one”. The famous last words out of Tom’s mouth before John mashes the loud pedal and the pair is travelling at over 80kph sideways down a quiet suburban road.

 

3 hours later and Tom arrives back home in the passenger seat of his new pride and joy, grinning ear to ear, still savoring the moment and not recognizing the long and arduous journey that lies just over the horizon.

 

John wanted to take no risks with his son’s safety and so had Tom on the track the very next day, his 16th birthday, getting driving instruction. It was several months later that Tom had his track license, road license and he and John were entering events together. It was then that Team Dadson Racing was born.

 

The Journey

 

It was about 6 months after the purchase of the car that the first incident occurred. Pushing it around pretty hard trying to post a PB at the local racetrack, Wanneroo Raceway in Perth WA. Coming in to the elusive Kolb Corner, an on camber 180 degree right hander at the bottom of a hill before the back straight, Tom lost the tail of the car and sent it at 90 degrees into the soft sand trap. Looking out the passenger window into the yellow sand as he came to a stop, Tom didn’t realize how lucky he was to stop the right way up until the rescue car came around and towed him out to reveal the left hand rear tire ripped off the rim. “You were DAMN lucky there son, I’ve never seen that not end disastrously before” to quote the rescue car driver.

 

Post race inspection to the car revealed that the forces on the chassis had twisted the frame rails and cracked all the rust in several structural locations. This well and truly rang the warning bells in John’s head and the car was towed to the panel shop for new frame rails and rust repair followed by a CAMS spec roll cage in case the next incident didn’t end as luckily.

 

Fresh from the recent body work Tom and John decided to more seriously enter Sprints and Track Days around Perth. John consistently posted faster and faster times and it was almost a year and a half later on Father’s Day 2006 until Tom, previously second placed at every event to his more experience father, finally scored his first win. A “Bitter sweet” moment for John this marked the beginning of the father-son teams fierce rivalry. Not satisfied with just trying to beat each other, over 2006 and 2007 John and Tom started working more seriously to turn the Datsun into the true sports car it could be. The Nissan 2.8L motor got a bore out to 2.9 Litres whilst the head got a shave, port and polish. The electric distributor got replaced with an MSD digital version and an LSD Diff went in. Then it was time to look towards the interior and all the carpets were replaced, with sound deadening added for comfort when driving on the road. In Tom’s mind the obligatory subwoofer was a long time coming before the gearbox, brakes and suspension all got an overhaul.

 

It was then with the new power and toys that John and Tom started looking further afield to fulfill their lust for new and exciting tracks. 2007 saw them at Phillip Island for the historic motor races and then the Nissan/Datsun Sports Owners Nationals. The WA round of the Dutton Rally also featured on the calendar. However, not satisfied with just Phillip Island, in 2008 the opportunity arose to participate in a regularity trial on the famed Bathurst race circuit in NSW, the first time in 30 years that level 2 CAMS license holders have been permitted to compete on the circuit. With the mindset of “While we’re at it” The trip to NSW also saw John and Tom compete in regularity trials at Eastern Creek and Oran Park.

 

It is now though that John and Tom are looking forward to even more grand adventures. A new diff for Bathurst, new suspension components after a Torsion/Compression bar failure at 180 k’s under full brakes that could have ended much more seriously than just the scare it was for Tom, the new hand built custom extractors and the new mandrel exhaust signals the completion of foreseeable modifications to the car. With January 2009 signaling another trip to NSW to race Oran Park and Bathurst regularities, with a follow up trip to Phillip Island and Tom finishing his Chemical Engineering Degree, Dad and Son are satisfied to say that after 4 and a half long years that the car they have built over the years is ready to be enjoyed ‘as is’ for while.

 

When asked for a closing comment Tom offers, “However trying the times might have got, however out of hand the modifications and expenses, nothing could have been more rewarding an experience than building this car with my dad. Firstly, I would like to thank Mum and Dad for all the support over the years. Big thanks also go to Tus at Osborne Park service centre for building a Kick-Ass engine and a heartfelt thank you to all the other sponsors and everyone who over the years has helped solve trackside issues and offered support and advise to a couple of budding motorsport enthusiasts”.

 

The Dadson 260Z sports the following modifications:

 

Owners Name:

 

Tom Whitfield

 

Vehicle Make:

 

Datsun

 

Vehicle Model:

 

English delivered 1977 Datsun 260 Z 2-seater Coupe

 

Horsepower:

 

Unknown since modifications. Expecting 200+ RWHP (previous RWHP @ 180)

 

Quarter Mile Time:

 

Expecting low 14’s (Previous PB @ mid 14’s)

 

Engine:

 

Nissan L28

Triple 45mm Weber Carburetors

60 thou over bore

Polished, Ported and Port Matched Intake and Exhaust

Oversized Valves

F54 Block

P90 Head shaved 2mm

Datrally 78 Cam Shaft

Lightened and balanced bottom end

L24 con rods

MSD Digital series 6 ignition

Pointless distributor

Crow Cams double valve springs

Flat top pistons

2 1/2" High-flow exhaust

Custom, equal-length, tuned 6-2-1 extractors

 

Driveline:

 

Nissan 5 speed close ratio gearbox

4.375 R200 viscous LSD

Custom CV joint drive shafts

Lightened flywheel

Re-lined Exedy Heavy Duty Clutch

 

Suspension:

 

Koni internally adjustable shocks

King springs

Adjustable front camber kit

Larger sway bars front and rear

Complete Urethane Bushing set

Race front Radius rods

 

Brakes:

 

Front: XR8/Commodore 2 spot vented front brakes

Rear: Nissan R31 skyline single piston solid rotor rear brakes

 

Rolling Stock:

 

Track:

6 1/2" 3 piece ultra light weight aluminium 15” rims

Street:

14” Nissan 280z polished and painted factory rims

 

Bodywork:

 

Aftermarket modified front spoiler

Datsun option rear wing

Aftermarket 2 window sunroof

 

Interior:

Momo Race seat

Momo Race steering wheel

Short shift kit

Full carpet and vinyl Re-trim

Checker plate floor

All original and working gauges

 

Stereo:

 

LG 200W head unit

Alpine 4x50W amplifier

Clarion 6x9 Speakers

12” Alpine subwoofer

[Whittie]

Some Pics that I think capture the build are available here:

 

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v621/Tommo560/Dadson%20Legacy/

 

along with plenty of other photos. Just use the folder browser on the left to see my other pics.

[Whittie]

Youtube videos ensue:

 

http://au.youtube.com/user/whittie260