Randalla

Yes, Jasper is a large national engine re-builder. And yes, the head is now off and the engine does indeed have dished pistons. I have no idea why the engine was built this way, but that's what I'm working with and why the question. No idea who made those choices. So...given all that, E31 or E88, with what modifications? Thanks guys.

I've looked at the write ups on using the P79 and modifying the cam towers and shaving the head but decided not to go that way for a variety of reasons. Madkaw, I should have also said that if the E88 or E31 are used they would be completely rebuilt, not simply bolted on. Siteunseen, will your E31 go on an L24 or L 28 block? Are you leavng the exhaust valves alone and only adding the larger intakes, or making other changes as well?

A few years ago I bought an extra L28 engine that had just been completely rebuilt by Jasper, but never fired. The engine sat in storage with my cars for the last four years and I've finally decided to do something with it. The block is an F54, with dished pistons, and the head that came on it is a P79. This combination provides a very low compression engine. The engine will eventually be transplanted into my 72 240Z. My goals are to increase performance over my tired stock L24, be able to run on premium fuel without detonation and to have the engine run equally well (relatively speaking) with my stock SU's or 40mm tripple Webers. I'm not touching the bottom end of the motor at all at this point, so the options are with the top end (head choice and upgrades). I'm well aware that the dished pistons may not be ideal for power but I'm trying to do this on a budget, while keeping this car very driveable. The head will receive a mild cam (approximately 270 lift) and no matter what head I end up choosing, ports will be polished and the valves will be unshrouded. I have three heads, an E31, E88 and the P79 currently on the engine. With the dished pistons I know I need the E31 or E88 to up compression where I want to be, somewhere around 9.5 : 1. It seems the two heads each have pluses and minuses. The E31 has a smaller quench area, will provide slightly higher compression than the E88, but has small exhaust valves, which I'm assuming may be a detriment with the larger displacement L28. I've been told I can swap in L28 intake valves on this head but this would require cutting some of the combustion chamber away to accomodate them. This would also seem to compound the smaller exhaust valve issue. The E88 head, with larger quench area can more easily be refitted with L28 intake valves and already has larger exhaust valves stock. It will however produce a bit lower compression motor than with the E31 head. I've been told there are two versions of the E88 head (an emission version and a higher compression version) but don't know what I have or how to tell them apart. So, my question is what way would you go, and why, given my goals and pocketbook, Would appreciate any and all advice. Again, I'm not touching the bottom end, so please don't suggest replacing the pistons with flat tops. Thank you.

Also happy you liked our work rossiz. For anyone here interested in having their vents, or any other plastic parts chrome plated, e-mail Mike or I at: vintagechromellc@gmail.com We are among a very small number of custom platers offering electroplating for plastic. Electroplating produces a superior finish and is durable enough to stand the test of time. Don't settle for anything less than the best.

One last reminder that Vintage Chrome's sale ends 1/31/15. We're still receiving orders, as recently as yesterday, but time is running out to get your parts to our Las Vegas depot by the cut off at the end of the month. Let Mike and I know how we can help. vintagechromellc@gmail.com

We have 2 sets of re-chromed taillight bezels that we would consider seconds, because of some very minor imperfections. Quite frankly, you'd have to look very close to see these small flaws. We're willing to let these two sets go for a bit less than our show quality sets. If you're interested in a set of really nice driver quality bezels and want to save a few bucks, shoot me an e-mail at vintagechromellc@gmail.com . I only have two sets available.

Thought I'd mention that the taillight lens pictured is one I restored. A little work on your lens with a very mild abrasive (polishing compound) followed by some plastic polish and a good buffing, and you'll have a taillight that looks as good as your new chrome taillight bar. Those two improvements will transform the rear view or your Z.

Keep in mind we do plating for just about any vehicle, not just Datsuns. If there is something special you are considering let us know. Here are a few non-Datsun parts we have recenlty chromed for customers.

The center of the taillight bars don't show up great in the pictures, but rest assured the black paint fill and the fine ribbing trexture is consisent with the originals. If you have questions about disassembly and re-assembly, feel free to shoot me an e-mail. Randy

I should have mentioned that we also have a limited inventory of other early Z parts that have been freshly chrome plated. Let me know if you're looking for something specific and I'll check our inventory and get back to you.

I forgot to mention what makes them better than new. The factory used a plating process called vacuume metalizing which tends to fade, is not corrosion resistant and deterioates quickly when exposed to the elements. The process used on the taillight bars I reproduced is called electroplating, which produces a superior finish and is durable enough to stand the test of time. Bottom line is these are brighter and more durable than the original factory parts, in addition to being accurate to the last detail.

Many of you that have 240Z’s know the chrome tail light bars are one of the first parts to go, due to exhaust gases, weather and time. I’ve owned over ten 240’s through the years and every one of them had rough looking taillight bars, with many even starting to disintegrate. A couple years ago I contracted to have a quantity of them re-produced and have since been offering them for sale. I posted here a year or more ago, but thought I’d provide an update with current pricing and a few pictures. There’s only one other vendor re-producing this part. Their price is higher and the accuracy is inferior to the parts I’ve produced from a perfect pair of OEM originals. Additionally, each pair of my taillight bars comes with instructions and all the necessary fasteners. I have many customers on this site and hope they’ll chime in and vouch for the quality and service received. If you’re interested, the price for club members, including shipping, is $129.95. E-mail me and I‘ll invoice you via PayPal, and get a set in the mail to you today. Satisfaction guaranteed! Randy

Here are a number of photos showing other work we've done recently for our clients. If you have parts for your Datsuns, or any other vintage automobile, you'd like chrome plated, shoot me an e-mail with a few pictures and I'll quickly get back to you with a quote. We currently have a promotion in place that expires at the end of January, so if you want to take advantage of that you'll need to let me know fairly quickly. E-mail me at: vintagechromellc@gmail.com.

Just a reminder that Vintage Chrome's special sale expires at the end of this month. If you have parts you'd like chrome plated for your own car, customer's cars, your parts inventory or to re-sell on eBay, there's still time to get them to our Las Vegas depot before 1/31/15. We do expect our costs to rise this year, so will likely not be able to make this same offer again. Shoot me an e-mail with a few pictures and I'll get a quote back to you quickly. vintagechromellc@gmail.com

We only have 6 sets of 260, 280Z bezels left at the blow out price of $299.95. Again, these are beautifully re-plated OEM parts with better chrome plating than the original factory finish. If you want the best available, for your refurb or restoration, here's your opportunity to get them for a price we will likely never be able to repeat. Your PayPal payment will guarantee you one of our six remaining sets. Satisfaction guaranteed.

At the risk of losing all credibility, we have decided to extend the special sale once again till 1/31/15. This really is the last time for extending our sale, . The first wave of parts have been released for plating but there's still time to get your's in to our Las Vegas depot prior to 1/31/15 to take advantage of the sale. If you have questions or need a quote, feel free to shoot me an e-mail or ring me at 602-312-4038.

We’ve been offering re-plated chrome tail light bezels for 260/280Z’s for about $400.00 per pair. In fact, if you look, you can currently find them on eBay for $389.95. Quality cores have become increasingly difficult to find. After 40 years, most cores are missing pieces, are cracked or the surface is so poor that plating would yield unacceptable results. Recently, after months of intensive searching, we were able to procure a quantity of cores that we likely won’t see again. We’re going to blow these out at a price we’ve never offered, $299.95. If you’ve been sitting on the fence and need a pair of “show quality” bezels, now’s the time! These sets will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. We’re even going one better. If you happen to have a pair of quality cores, that are intact and can be plated, we’ll credit you another twenty dollars when we receive your cores and verify their quality. Your net cost for a set of re-plated bezels would then only be $279.95. When these are gone, they’re gone. If, and when, we’re able to secure more cores, the price will revert back to the previous level. I guarantee these will go quickly, don’t wait. These bezels will never be less expensive! If you’re interested, your PayPal payment of $299.95 will secure a set at the special price. If you send quality cores that are plateable, we’ll credit your PayPal account $20.00 upon receipt. PayPal payments should be sent to: parallax.randy.lewis@gmail.com

We’ve had an excellent response to our year-end chrome plating sale and a lot of last minute interest. A number of people have indicated they need to do some disassembly before shipping their parts, with the holidays getting in the way of that. So, we’ve agreed to extend the sale a few days to accommodate those individuals and any others of you who may have come late to the party. We will honor our sale pricing another 10 days, for all parts received at our depot by 1/10/2015. Let me know if there are any parts you’d like quoted. Contact me at vintagechromellc@gmail.com. Randy

Hi Roy, I also have a 67 1600, and yes we can help you with each of the parts you asked about. We're plating each of these items for other customers currently. It's probably best if you contact me at our company email address (vintagechromellc@gmail.com) so we don't offend any of the Z only guys. Thanks for inquiring, we'd be more than happy to provide a quote. If your parts have significant damage, bad dents, rust, etc. it would be helpful to have you send a few pics so we can provide an accurate quote. Randy

Hi Geoff, This is Randy, Mike's business partner. Mike's headed out of town and may not have computor access the next couple of days so I thought I'd jump in. If you have questions while he's gone feel free to contact me offline at vintagechromellc@gmail.com and I'll provide the details on shipping and turn time. I recently sold a set of the hood vents and I believe you're right, the vents themselves are plastic, with a metal backing plate they attach to. Randy

Mike, Your last post reminded me that we currently have two sets of 260/280Z bezels (like the ones on your car) in for plating, that will become part of our limited inventory. We should have those back in the next 2-3 weeks. If you don't have cores to exchange and are interested in purchasing these, contact us right away at vintagechromellc@gmail.com. We have very few sets of these bezels available and may not receive more for months. Randy

Jim, thanks for the kind words about the tail lamp bars I reproduced. You've raised my curiosity about the possibility of reproducing the bumper guard rubbers. I have an excellent off-shore supplier (the same that did my tail light bars) who also specializes in rubber parts. Size is not an issue as you've indicate it might be for Steve. I need to do more research to see if there's enough demand to warrant the sizable investment. I know the 70-72 models are one size and 73's are different (both front and rear I believe). What I don't know is the availability and potential demand for each. I seem to recall that some were available, at one time, from MSA, Banzai and/or Black Dragon. I need to research what's currently available, at what cost and from whom. I'd be interested in using this post to gauge interest from members.

If you’re looking for “restoration quality” tail lamp bars for your 240Z, I’m confident these are the best you’ll find. Molds were created from a set of perfect OEM parts. I wanted to be sure all the appropriate mold marks were there (L and R for left and right) and that each part was dimensionally perfect, right down to the length and diameter of the mounting pins. Each part has been triple chrome plated to assure they will standup to the elements. My supplier produces parts for the OEM auto market, so you can be assured of their quality. Here are a few pictures of the tail lamp bars ready to ship. Parts are shipped in a poly bag, the fastening hardware loosely attached to the appropriate mounting posts and an instruction sheet is inserted to help with disassembly and reassembly. I carefully inspect and test fit each set with a set of tail lamps, prior to shipping. Poly bags are packed in slightly oversized boxes stuffed with packing material to assure damage free delivery. Tail lamp bars are $190 a pair, which includes everything you’ll need to install them. The price also includes shipping anywhere in the U.S. or Canada. E-mail me at: parallax.randy.lewis@gmail.com to order or should you have any questions. I’m offering quantity discounts to retailers or for individual orders over 20 units.

Dennis, If you're interested, I am beginning to ship parts tomorrow. E-mail me at parallax.randy.lewis@gmail.com

Thanks for your order Carl. Will get them off to you this week.