Tribute to my Uncle Paul

[Doug]

Hi,

 

I found your great website & figured you guys would be the ones to ask for some guidance. My Uncle left me his 1971 Datsun when he passed last year. I am finally getting around to putting some ideas in place. I would like to have some work done to the car to make it much faster & handle great on a budget. I am strictly a novice with cars and have a mechanic friend willing to help me out a bit on the work & labor costs. My goal isto make this car a pocket rocket as my Uncle would get a kick out of that & to beat my fathers new Audi sport TT. I would like the car to be able to run with the Mustang GT crowd or faster. I would be interested in the names of the parts, new or used, & where to get them, the rough cost of them. I am cost conscience & looking for the greatest bang for the buck.

 

1. Replace or modify the engine ? If I replace I would buy a used engine. Any suggestions on what works well with this year & where to buy. I live in PA?

 

2. Suspension/ handling ?

 

3. Braking system will the current system be able to stop the car adequetely once the horspower is increased ?

 

Any other suggestions on modifying the car. I have a limit of around $2500. I know that is asking a lot but figured i could at least start the process.

 

Many thanks to all.

 

Doug.

[cygnusx1]

Condolences on the loss of your uncle.  Welcome to the site.  

 

What is the current condition of the car?  Pictures?  $2500 can dissappear REALLY fast if the car is not clean already.  You have identified realistic goals for the car.  They are readily attainable goals using the knowledge on this site.  Use the search feature and here are some keyword pointers. Search here for:

 

Turbo Swap

 

V8 Swap

 

RB swap

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read the stickies at the beginning of the suspension and brake sections.  After you do some reading and some assesment of your 240Z, we can help you much more!

 

 

 

 

 

[datsun723]

Welcome to one of the greatest Z enthusiast sites on the internet. Congrats on your Z!

 

All of those questions can be answered by using the search feature. It is in the upper right corner of your screen.

 

Cheers!

[crazyoctopus]

2500 is actually quite alot when it comes to the 240z, and you can do alot with it. The first thing that you need to do is prioritize what you want to do; you laid out a general idea but before you put ANY money into the car you need to look at all of your options. That was my mistake. I figured that I'd do things down the road, and "down the road" turned into 2 months later with the parts not even being worn. So make a list, read everything on the forum you can, and take a few days to decide on whether to buy the part or not.

 

You said you want to keep up with Mustang GTs, so I am assuming that you favor straight line power more than how the car handles. so look into power, r200s, and brakes.

 

cygnusx1 brought some great options for power, but personally I really like the KA-turbo and SR20det swaps that are becoming more common. They are light, make good power, and have a great following (and KA twin cams are going for about $400 right now)

 

also check out THIS thread, as I am sure it will cover alot of your initial questions

[cygnusx1]

2500 is actually quite alot when it comes to the 240z, and you can do alot with it. The first thing that you need to do is prioritize what you want to do; you laid out a general idea but before you put ANY money into the car you need to look at all of your options. That was my mistake. I figured that I'd do things down the road, and "down the road" turned into 2 months later with the parts not even being worn. So make a list, read everything on the forum you can, and take a few days to decide on whether to buy the part or not.

 

You said you want to keep up with Mustang GTs, so I am assuming that you favor straight line power more than how the car handles. so look into power, r200s, and brakes.

 

cygnusx1 brought some great options for power, but personally I really like the KA-turbo and SR20det swaps that are becoming more common. They are light, make good power, and have a great following (and KA twin cams are going for about $400 right now)

 

also check out THIS thread, as I am sure it will cover alot of your initial questions

Oh absolutely don't limit your swap potential to what I listed.  Those are just search terms to get your mind rolling.  But BE SURE the chassis is good before you bolt $2500 onto it.

 

 

 

[crazyoctopus]

BE SURE the chassis is good before you bolt $2500 onto it.

 

truth

[Doug]

Many thanks Guys for your guidance, I will spend sometime browising the site based upon your feedback. I will also get some pics of the car's condition to make sure I am not bolting down a lot of money on a bad chasis.

 

One of the members asked what i want to accomplish wiht the car. I am looking for a car that handles well & has some peep off the line. Basically, an weekend drive car that has a kick. I am not looking to set records in the 1/4 mile but would like a car that can go straight fast as well as have some handling capabilites.

 

What kind of potential can i do with the stock engine, such as adding racing carbs or for a moderate cost would it make more sense to go to the Ka trubo or Sr20 det. swap?

 

Many thanks for the help.

 

Doug.

[surfer.tech]

^ IMO even if it is a bad chassis, it should be worth saving. if you truly wanted to pay tribute to your uncle, bring the car to its former glory. bring it to the condition to where your uncle loved the car and then, make it your own.

 

theres probably a reason on why he left you that car.

Edited May 1, 2010 by surfer.tech

[Doug]

I agree.. If i can make it quicker great , if not I will bring it back to its better days.

[Xnke]

2500$ is not really that much money to spend on the car, if you have any rust at all. read up on the rust problems, check the car thoroughly and then decide.

 

for 2500$, I'd go with the SBC V8 swap. It is a lot of work, and you won't be able to afford to pay someone else to do it. 2500$ will disappear pretty fast in labor costs.

[crazyoctopus]

do all the work yourself and all you have to do is buy parts

 

triple webers are going for 1300 i think, with mani and linkages, KAs are $400 (plus $450ish for the kit), SR20s are $1200 (plus the $450ish for the kit). There are alot of options, and in the end it comes down to what you like.

 

the FIRST thing you should do before you buy anything is do a complete fluid flush, and drive the car as much and as long as possible to figure out what needs to be replaced/fixed. Once you are satisfied with it in the current condition then start modifying the car.

[Doug]

Thanks Crazy Octopus.. I will take your advice & flush the fuilds & put in some driving time.

[az240z]

One other thing, check to see if there is a z car club in your area. If so join as there will be a lot of knowledge and help with the specifics of the car.

[Daeron]

If you really want to keep up with a Mustang GT with the stock (or close to stock) engine, then the engine alone will eat up your entire stated budget, leaving the paint, any rust issues, the brakes, the interior, the wheels, and the suspension pretty much as they are.

 

We need to know the condition of the car. My uncle passed away last August as well, and we have alot to be done with his Datsuns as well as the ones we already had, so I understand the situation you are in, but we don't have a clue what the car is like. If he had upgraded a few key aspects of the car already (chances are decent) then the 2500 starts stretching much further down the road..

 

Otherwise, an electronic ignition, a freshened/pepped up 2.4 or 2.8 liter block with an aftermarket cam and some prepped SUs will pretty much eat up 2500 bucks. You might get some triples in there.. but for all we know, you might have triples already!!

 

Now, dropping in a smallblock could probably be done (if your mechanic is the right guy who will really go a mile for you) with a couple bucks left over, because there is a fair chance at snagging a motor, with carb and transmission, for STUPID cheap because it is American Iron and it is plentiful. That nets you 200 + wheel horsepower easily, sometimes for $500. If your guy spends $1000 putting that engine in, it still leaves you with another grand to get some tires, upgrade the brakes a bit, and maybe get some springs and struts lined up, and a bushing kit to tighten the chassis back up to better-than-par.

 

I am NOT the "Put a smallblock in your Z-car!!" guy!!!!!!! I am the archetypal L6 lover, and even if your uncle didn't touch the car it may yet have pieces worth making it into a nice runner. L28 engines are available cheaply, too, and an L28 block (the one with flat top pistons) combined with an early 71 head (an E31, your car may or may not have this head) could be slapped together, with rebuilt and mildly modified stock 71 SU carburetors, and net you a peppy but economical engine that has room for much growth later down the line when you take the head off, enlarge the valves, and put a bigger camshaft in it. Of course, that would mean bigger carbs than the stockers, or possibly a switch to EFI, but I am showing you how the path could go.

 

 

In the end, it is a wash, and as much depends on your tastes as anything else. "Budget" is a joke around here; I am a junkyard cheapskate and even I never stop throwing money at these $%^#$#$^&*ing things, you know?