Javi Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 OK well I'm totally new to this forum so let me introduce my self. My name is Javier but everyone calls me Javi. Ive been looking for a Z car for quite some time. And I found one a few hours away. Its a 74 260Z I haven't had a chance to go look at it yet. From the small and limited pictures ive seen the body looks good. And its an Arizona car so im hoping rust wont be a problem. Im hoping to fix it up over time. My main question is how much power can you make on a L26 with it being NA. My goal for it would be 200HP to the wheels. Im just wonder how to make that? Would putting in a intake,cam,header,exhuast and pistons get me there or close? Im sorry if this is a dumb question but im totally new to this fourm bear with me please. Oh also from the looks of the bumpers it looks like the early version of the 260 that ive heard has lower power due to emissons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilesrebel Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 OK well I'm totally new to this forum so let me introduce my self. My name is Javier but everyone calls me Javi. Ive been looking for a Z car for quite some time. And I found one a few hours away. Its a 74 260Z I haven't had a chance to go look at it yet. From the small and limited pictures ive seen the body looks good. And its an Arizona car so im hoping rust wont be a problem. Im hoping to fix it up over time. My main question is how much power can you make on a L26 with it being NA. My goal for it would be 200HP to the wheels. Im just wonder how to make that? Would putting in a intake,cam,header,exhuast and pistons get me there or close? Im sorry if this is a dumb question but im totally new to this fourm bear with me please. Oh also from the looks of the bumpers it looks like the early version of the 260 that ive heard has lower power due to emissons. If you are looking to make some big power. throw away the su carbs! go to www.thezstore.com for several performance options. but as far as a simpile performance change I would go with a 4 barrel intake conversion and header from www.arizonazcar.com you should be able to push a little over 200hp with that or you could go with a tripple webers setup but I would suggest the 4 barrel conversion, because that is what im running on my 260z but mine is from bob sharp racing but the design is the same between them. your stock pistons should be fine depending on the miles of the car. my 260z had over 300,000 miles on them and still looked good. a cam is a good gain but it can get a little costly just check out www.thezstore.com for tons of performance stuff. and I dont think there is a big power difference between the late and early 260z but i wouldnt know for a fact. my 260z was made in december 1974. but i threw out the su carbs years ago. Exhaust. probally a 2.5" exhaust out to a muffler of your choice would be best. but im not an expert on exhaust. good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue72 Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 200 WHP with an 2.6l L series is a lofty goal, but not impossible. Assuming an 18% loss of power or so from crank to wheels, that would mean around 245-250 crank horsepower. To get there I'd recommend improving the airflow drastically. That means you'd probably want triple webber carbs (or another well flowing carb setup) and a higher lift and longer duration cam. Modifications to the combustion chambers and intake/exhaust ports might need to be done as well. Whichever head you chose to use, you'd likely want a higher compression ratio to help make more power N/A. There are a couple of ways to raise compression, such as welding up the combustion chambers in the cylinder head, or shaving and shimming depending on the cylinder head you use. If you kept the E88 or any of the heads with smaller intake or exhaust valves you might consider modifying them to allow the larger valves too. A well done port and polish job can greatly improve airflow too. As long as the bottom end isn't too worn and the rings were in good shape it should stand up just fine to the top end improvements. Throw on a header, electronic ignition, appropriately gapped spark plugs and a few other little things and I'd bet you would have handily achieved your goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 Im not an expert but just throwing on all the parts listed above wont get you far. You have to pick parts that work together and you need to be able to tune your system. What kind of header, what kind of jets in the carbs, whats "high lift" or "high duration"? What kind of modifications are to be done to the chamber? Etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue72 Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 That's true, you must study out each of these parts first. You want a combination that will work together. If you have too much or too little lift or if your carbs and jets are too big or small for the airflow, don't have your AFR's adjusted acceptably over the whole RPM range, etc, you are only hindering performance potential. Best approach is to read the motor section stickies and buy the "How to Modify your Datsun/Nissan OHC Engine" book. My list was just a hypothetical setup that believe would work if well thought out and assembled properly. I think it's a good idea to point out that no single modification will allow you to achieve those power numbers. Only improving the carburetion and exhaust system will not get you there. Only improving the engine's breathing through cylinder head modifications will not get you there. Only achieving a stable, strong spark and optimizing the cam timing will not do the trick. It will take a good buildup with a thourough approach to making every part work in conjunction with all of the others. I also agree with the "throwing parts at it won't necessarily make it faster" idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javi Posted December 10, 2008 Author Share Posted December 10, 2008 oh alright. thanks for all your input Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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