Hi all,

I'm in the process of buying my first Z, a 75 280z.

Plans are for a capable track day car, essentially completely stripped but clean-looking (I'll deal with a little extra weight to maintain a good looking car), full cage, with the bare bones of being street legal so I can drive it on the streets every once in a while.

with the car I am getting a 4 speed (which will probably not be used, in favor of a borg T5) and a p30/e31 engine, so I'm assuming 2.4

Tentative powertrain plans are F54 block, with the e31 head/mani/round top SU's that I already have

to get to around 9.5-10:1 CR and safely be able to run 91 or 93 octane (we have 93 available pretty much everywhere around here=] ) should I be looking at flat tops or dished pistons?

This build will be taking place over an undetermined amount of time, I'm not in a hurry at all and want to do everything right and learn all along the way.

Input is much appreciated, I am mechanically inclined (I am a tech at a Subaru Dealership) but I do still have a lot to learn in this trade. At school I tore down and reassembled SBC's and 5.7 fords, along with a dodge 5.7, and various modern nissan engines like the qr25, the vq35 and 37, and the vk56, so I have some experience with engine building and assembly, and I'm hoping it will help me out at least a bit with this build.

That said, any critical literature I need to invest in to help me on my build? anyhting else you can think of also?

Thanks!

Welcome to the site!

Welcome! Where in NC? Looks like you've got yourself a fun little project.

I just bought my '73 240z in November. I enjoyed it for a month or so, and now have begun emptying the engine bay. I'm not sure where I want to go with the engine (have a numbers matching L24 but with '72 3 screw carbs) but I also picked up an E31 head along the way. I'd also like a track-friendly car...but plan on keeping a full interior with stereo, etc.

We should keep each other in the loop; maybe meet up the next time our cars are on the road.

Good luck and have fun.

Invest some time (i.e. a lot of time) in the free FSM. Get it at xenons30.com.

thank you, that site is amazing!

@73str86 I'm living in Hickory right now and working in Charlotte. I'm hoping to get the car into a track day at Carolina Motorsports Park when I get it up and running good. But yeah I'll definitely keep everyone in the loop if you do the same. Just getting used to navigating these forums and will start either a build thread or a blog on the car when I get it home Feb 5th

You're welcome! Blue has also compiled some fantastic "Tech Tips" over at atlanticz.ca that I'm sure each one of us has used at some point of Z ownership.