Zedrally

Hope this helps with the missing pieces. Datsun 240z's in the Marathon. 4th OR #54 Simon LIngford/David Mair 11thOR #47 Michael Cotter/Warren Ridge 16thOR #50 Robin Stainer/Mike Burleigh 19thOR #19 Stewart Wilkins/David LOwe 20thOR #89 Andrew Pidden/NickFennell 28thOR #42 Phil Hooper/LIna Hooper 29thOR #14 Gary Fitzgerald/Tony Kitamura Have located 1 photo (rear only) of one zed, MC240Z not able to distinguish what number, but could hazard a guess that it might be Michael Cotter? Only 17 cars out of 95 starters failed to make it to the OPera House. The only serious injury of the event was a broken arm for one of the Dutch competitors after a fall from the back of the baggage truch in Turkey!

Wow, You Guys are un-believable. Homlogation papers as well! Alan, I'.m unable to enlarge them [make readable] from the thread. Any chance of you sending me a copy direct? Guus, I'm still interested in your mount and the method of manufacture. What elde can you pull out of the hat!

Guus, I couldn't help but notice the neatness of the Driving Light mount on your car. Much improved to the version that I'm using! The photo in the Rallaye Video Thread looks great, could I ask you for some close ups of the mount and possibly a explaination as to how it's made? I've started a thread for this so any info on the subject remains together. TIA:cheeky:

Hi all, Loving all this detail but I'm afraid that 9 pages is getting a bit big when you're trying to sort out details. I would rather mention this now, because at this rate we could be up to 100pages and utterly lost! Could I suggest that we start a new thread for either each year or each rally. At least in this fashion information will be easier to obtain, verify or add to.

Mike, This is part of a Tarmac Rally or as they are called in Aus, Touring Road Events. Generally, it follows the concept of a dirt rally, but run over bituman roads and timed to the minute [not seconds]. It can have stages of Transport, Navigation Touring, Motorkhana, Hill Climb [now that's another area of interest] and up to last year closed road sections. The small cars really kill the larger one in the Motorkhana [just picture a Mini and a Mustang going thr the same test]!

The tank, good question? But I have to ask why? Does it have a larger capacity or has the one you have rusted out? Oh, there were differnt versions [not model]of the ZX so I suspect that like 240-280 there will be many interchangable parts but not panels. Question for our Euro friends, did the 280ZX appear in Europe?

Good news! amsag is up again, for those that are interested amsag run the Southern Cross rally series (yes, it still exists]. Cruise over and check it out. www.amsag.com.au Mike

Silence from the US? Does this mean there are no 240's rallying? Does rally exist there?

Dan, that would depend on the state of your shocks. In my case, they where pretty well shot, so I decided that I might as well go the whole hog. That's pretty much the way it is with rally car prep. It really becomes infectious as your always looking to upgrade something. My advice is to get out there with what you've got and add, modify as you go. Oh, I should add, if your in the dirt expect a few "offs". Hopefully, you won't suffer any damage but you have to be realistic and be prepared for some panel beating. Even know there are many things I would like to add/modify, but I ask myself will they make me drive any better or win events. I doubt it, I'm no youngster, so I know fear and my limits. At the end of the day its the camarardrie that I enjoy. Ah....4am wet..cold..windy..cars limping home, beer in hand and stories to tell.....there's nothing like it. Go forth. Mike

Amazing what this digging does. For Sale I think i can answer your query very easily Mike , read below. DATSUN 240Z DATE: 06 May 2002 CATEGORY: Rally Cars PRICE: $16,500 CONTACT NAME: Gavin Edwards CONTACT NUMBER: 03 8704 9828 CONTACT EMAIL: gavinedwards@unite.com.au ENGINE NUMBER: L28415777 REGISTRATION: ch 4750 DESCRIPTION: Datsun 240 zed rally car for sale . This car is #573, trying to find out what it did before it was re-built. Gavin adds: This car was built by David Greig for rallying in the late 1980's , its won the VRC , VCRS x 2 and the VCAS series . 4 wheel vented discs , with racing front discs and a balance bar. Koni wet legs with adj rebound , adj platforms and arms etc. Option 1 gearbox with works sandwich plate and brass synchros. 4.4 r200 lsd freshly rebuilt. new unis through out [ genuine ] rally seats and harnesses . Pro trip and map lights . Engine originally built by Les Collins , currently features ; flat tops ,fly cut with floating gudgeons, freshly balanced crank , Les head with 40 mm ports , datrally manifold with 3x 45 dcoe's,oil cooler , big extractors and button clutch. Will throw in a complete rolling 240 zed shell and some spares for 16,500. email me on gavinedwards@unite.com.au or ph 03 8704 9828 .

OK, Little snippnet to add. Mike, I've got a photo of Ross Dunkerton in a 260Z in the 1976 Southern Cross (which he didn't finish due to suspension problems). He started at car#13 and the number plate looks like MGN2343. 1976 - ah, those were the days when rally drivers were real men; Day 1: 900km total Day 2: 950km total Day 3: 750km total Day 4: 790 km of which 590 competitive (including one stage of 218km!). There are two pics of Zeds at the 'Cross at the AMSAG site - Bob Watson and Shekhar Mehta (you'll be hard pressed to identify number plate though!) The AMSAG site mentioned is down at present so I'm not sure of the photo's mentioned. Will add more as I will contact Frank Kilfoyle to see if he has anmore to add. Mike

Any chance of getting a copy? Unable to save image. Would love to use in Club Magazine. Looks like Bob Watson with back to camera! Mike

I've only competed in these when they are part of a Tarmac Rally. The zed really isn't up to it as it's longer wheelbase just can't compete against Mini's! Having said that, only recently I took the 240 out to a grass motorkhana and probably had the best non competitive time I've had for years! Mike :classic:

Dan, Believe or not I'm using my daily driver, "slightly" modifide as I've progressed. I've been a zed nut for years having boought a brand new 260Z in 1977 [i think]. A lot of zeds that eventually found there way to the land of OZ, i believe where "bitzes", that is to say a bit of a 240, 260 and the USA 280. This one is one the last 73 zeds, high VIN and probably was meant to go to the UK, so the idea was to buy it and have fun.... First thing we did was to put it up on a hoist and go mad with the MIG, chain up the diff, add a few chains to hold up the exhaust. I changed the suspension to Koni shockers riding on doughnuts for "extra" height, this way I can pull the "nuts" and lower the car for track or autocross if I so desire [haven't so far]. Changed all rubbers etc while we where at it as well. Tyres came next, quite a few sets for different work, Dirt, Tarmac& Road. Up to that stage we didn't have any distance measuring equipment but were having a ball anyway. Not wanting to spend a fortune on the car I played around with some bike computers and had success in a 3 display version of my own manufacture. This lasted till summer this year when the LCD displays "fried". I have a Terratrip on order and will instal next week in readiness for the Experts Trial {read Nav nightmare] late in August. You may wonder about roll bars.... I possibly have the only 240z log booked rally car without Roll bars in Aus, this anomoly occured as up to last year Roll over Protection [ROP] wasn't a requirement for some of the events that I competed in. Now it is, but for me to compete would mean fitting a full FIA cage, seats & harness's. Frankly not worth the expense, so it's historic rally only for the Zed. I'm waiting on a photo from a rally that I was on and I'll post it as my avtar. Even though it's red and looks like a Safari replic. it isn't. But that's another story..... Mike

I also getting a lot of info about 260's and later Southern Cross's. Do you want this info or do you want a "pure" 240zed list? Mike

I had always wondered the same so I asked around and found a rally club to join. My intention was not to joina specific type car club but rather a club that ran events that I liked and accepted all different types of cars. Best advice: Find a rally club and join, it really is the only way that I can think of! Mike

Mike, This is going to be different country to country, even in Australia events type differ state to state. The club I'm a member of [Historic Rally Association] promotes many different types of events to please it's membership base. One type it doesn't is WRC type rally [pace notes, flat out forest racing], that's best left to others as we prefer to emulate the Historic aspect [pre75]. This really is Navigational type rallying or trials, generally at night usually set up as Transport, Competitive, Transport etc, all stages varying in length. On the other hand we also promote Touring Road events, these being timed to the minute rather than to the second, Navigation generally being more difficult and run on dirt and bitumen. The HRA CLassic is all bitumen as are many others. THese bitumen event bring out the classic cars are are really worth the effort to run in as they tend to be "head turners". At the bottom end of it all are the Navigational Nightmares, which, in true Historic fashion generally use Historic Maps, a crystal ball sometimes comes in handy with these. Best advice is join a rally club, it's really surprising how welcome you become and you will never feel out of place as you already have something different rather that something modified! Mike

I suppose in a way times change and events change. Although we still forest rally, due to insurance issues all planations that were used are no longer available to us. Much state forest has been declared National Parks and is also been made unavailable for rallying. Luckily there still are areas available, however it requires travelling to reach. On the Tarmac side there is no such problem, many excellent events are held each year, possibly the most exciting would be Targa Tasmania, many 240's & 260's enter this. visit www.targa.org.au there should be photos of many zed's. Our own club [Historic Rally Association]promotes it's own 2 championships, these being Rally and Touring open to Historic [Pre 68], Post Historic[68/75] &[75/80] & PRC pre 80. Whilst there are zed owners in the club it would be difficult ever have more than 3 appear together. Mike

Not might, he is.... MN

All, Bob Watson mailed this to me:... MN Mike, Jeff Beaumont and I were part of the official factory "Datsun" team (before they changed to "Nissan") in the 1973 Southern Cross Rally. The other team members were the late Tony Fall / Steve Halloran, Shekhar Mehta / Roger Bonhomme, all in 240Zs, and Frank Kilfoyle/ Mike Osborne (I think) in a 180BSSS. Mehta had won the East African Safari that year. Bruce Wilkinson ran the team . My car had been previously run in the Monte Carlo Rally that year. It was left hand drive, had heaps of power and a lot of traction at the rear, so it was very prone to understeer, which made it very hard to drive. Tony Fall took me for a drive during a testing session in the Kinglake forest, and his technique was to constantly weave the car so that it was always in a slight oversteer attritude, even on the straights. His comment was "if the bastard understeers, your'e dead". The rally was one of the wettest Southern Crosses ever - only nine or ten cars finished the course. Tony Fall hated driving the Z in the wet, and more or less indicted that the sooner he retired the better. Sure enough he rolled near the end of the first night, and was last seen disappearing into a caravan with an attractive girl. The rest of the team soldiered on, but Andrew Cowan inevitably won in a Mitsubishi Lancer (one of his 5 Sothern Cross wins). . Kilfoyle finished seventh, I think we were ninth and only one other car finished behind us. Conditions were atrocious, and I must say it was one of the scariest and most difficult drives of my career, wrestling with a very powerful left hand drive factory car in pouring rain and slippery mud. I have some photos of the car, but there was so much mud around that the number plates were probably unreadable. I will check. I know the plates had Japanese registration. Nissan finally won the Southern Cross in 1977, Rauno Aaltonen was first, Harry Kallstrom was second (both in twin cam 710s) and I finished third with Peter Godden in a Gerry Ball single cam 710. Bob.

Guys, All is at hand and we are working on the solution. Luckly, I know Bob Watson and will be able to supply more details after I contact him. Mike

The wheel cover was pointed not circular as the pic, it is simialr to the steering wheel cushion but wrong colour, they where black not red. I can't put my hand to it presently but I would bet that it's the bonnet badge off a 260 or 280. Mike

What different types do you guys compete in? I'm using the 240 in the forest on Navigational trial type events and a 260 on Tarmac/Touring events. Mike

What is it what you're trying to find out about this? Mike

Full setup details as such: Sealed Beam lights converted to H4, running 100/130w globes, each filiment is separetly relayed. When I used only this setup all was OK. Added DL (Hella spot 100w ea) and sep. relay, upgraded altenator to 85amp internal regulated. That's when all my problems began. On other point. I had originally wired the relays directly from the alternator, have now changed to starter motor, but very hesitant to try out the new arrangement just in case I have another double failure at speed amoungst the tree! Mike