Racer X

Do they make left hand drive version?

I like everything but the e-brake boot. That should be made with some nice leather, along with a matching shifter boot. The car looks sweet too, especially the floor. Makes me want a frosty mug of root beer.

Soon.

It has the same shifting mechanism of every 240 four speed and 280 five speed I have, but it is the only transmission I have with a companion flange, rather than an open spline.

Is that the 900cc three cylinder two stroke bike?

So one of the engine options I have. L28 With SU Carbs And 5 Speed by Racer, on Flickr L28 With SU Carbs And 5 Speed by Racer, on Flickr L28 With SU Carbs And 5 Speed by Racer, on Flickr It is an L28, N47 head, and (I was told but don't know for sure) a Datsun Comp 5 speed. A guy gave it to me, and said it had been in a 240Z. Supposedly it has an aftermarket cam, and whatever else was done to hop it up, but without opening it up I have no idea. He also claimed the transmission was some special Datsun Comp unit, again, I cannot establish that to be true or not. I haven't seen any examples in any of the online resources for Datsun transmissions of the era. It did come with a custom built driveshaft to mate it with a Datsun differential, in a Z, and it is a 5 speed gearbox. I'm going to rework the cart it is sitting on, and hook up a radiator and exhaust, and see if I can get it fired up to asses its condition. If it is usable I'll likely drop it in the brown Z until I can budget the time to rebuild the original L24.

Thanks Pilgrim. And yes, it is interesting how these cars have appreciated in value. I named this car, my race car, and another 240 I have, as well as my 1972 Camaro and 1948 Ford 8N when applying for a mortgage 16 years ago, and again 14 years ago when I applied for a construction loan to build my house. I believe at the time I placed a value of around $14,000 for the Z's and the Camaro, and $8,000 for the tractor.

I bought this car for Mrs. Racer 1.0 back in 1992 for $2,000. When we divorced she said she didn't want it, and demanded I pay her for it. I pointed out the car was bought with money out of my pocket, and the title was in my name, and I would not be giving her anything for the car, and that was that. I drove the car off and on until 1998, parking it because the oil consumption was excessive, and at the time I was trying to defend a championship in my race Z. So the car sat in the back corner of the shop, collecting dust. Fast forward to this past August. I'm at work, and my manager calls me, says I have to go home. Contact tracing had resulting in me being identified as being at risk to Covid19. Not wanting to waste a two week paid "vacation", I decided to clean up the shop a bit and see how the old Z was doing. I charged the battery overnight, and the car reluctantly came to life, 22 year old gas and all. Being all original, and numbers matching, I won't be making any changes that cannot be returned to the as new configuration. But in the interim I plan to replace the tired engine with one of the many others I have lying about, and rebuild the original as time and money allow. The car as I bought it in 1992 (alongside my race car): Double Datsuns by Racer, on Flickr Brown Z Red Z by Racer, on Flickr And after sitting in the corner of the shop after 22 years, dust, dirt, overspray (I painted a tractor and even though I had a makeshift spray booth, overspray went everywhere) and spider poop. 1972 Datsun 240Z by Racer, on Flickr 1972 Datsun 240Z by Racer, on Flickr 1972 Datsun 240Z by Racer, on Flickr Not easy to see through 22 years of dirt. 1972 Datsun 240Z by Racer, on Flickr I washed it. Notice the red haze of overspray. 1972 Datsun 240Z by Racer, on Flickr 1972 Datsun 240Z by Racer, on Flickr After the first pass around with rubbing compound and a buffer. 1972 Datsun 240Z by Racer, on Flickr 1972 Datsun 240Z by Racer, on Flickr And after about 20 passes around the car. I put some Panasport wheels on it that were on a 280Z parts car I had out back. 1972 Datsun 240Z by Racer, on Flickr 1972 Datsun 240Z by Racer, on Flickr And finally a coat of Zymol wax. Sunlight On The Z by Racer, on Flickr Sunlight On The Z by Racer, on Flickr Datsun 240Z by Racer, on Flickr Now for some mechanical work. I am going to change the car over to a manual tranny. These cars should never have had automatics. I also have new carpet, weatherstripping, and interior plastic panels to change out. Stay tuned. Racer

Looks like you have plenty to do Ryan. The rust will clearly be a challenge, but it isn't an impossible task. The rust on the firewall and roof will be the biggest challenge, as there isn't replacement panels available. Fabricating the needed parts will challenge your creative abilities for sure. I see you are taking a methodical approach, and planning things well. Your videos are nicely done too. For photos, you can create a Flickr account, upload you r images there, then post them anywhere using the hotlink feature. Free Flickr accounts are limited to 1,000 photos, the unlimited "Pro" account is around $60 US (cheap). A great way to host and share your pictures. I think it is awesome that there are younger guys like you taking an interest in the first gen Z car. You will ensure these cars will be around for many years to come. Looking forward to following your progress! Cheers, Racer

The Frost Fighter website says to us a razor blade, and that it will leave a shadow of the old lines. I would think using some cerium oxide and a felt glass buffing pad on a buffer should clean up any residual grid material, and leave a nicely polished glass surface. I've used the cerium oxide and felt buffer pad to clean light scratches from windshield wipers, and the scratches left on side windows from rolling up and down while rubbing against a dirty outer squeegee rubber.

For sure I've wanted to hook up with one of the club cruises, but I always seem to check in on it a day late. Like the cars and coffee at The Shop the other day. Once I get this car safe to drive again I'll be looking a bit more closely at the meet ups. Oh, and I don't do Faceplant, and I see the club website isn't current, so I'll have to rely on someone else to make it known elsewhere, like this forum maybe.

So after a bit of a hiatus from here I have an update. Mid August I was sent home from work for two weeks due to contact tracing, paid of course, but still, quarantine sucks, especially when the weather is nice. So I cleaned up my shop a bit, aired up the tires and charged the battery on my '72 and it fired right up. It has been sitting in the corner of the shop for 22 years. I bought this car for Mrs. Racer 1.0 back in 1992 (I said earlier 1995, but I found the bill of sale, and it was 1992), and when we divorced she didn't want it. I drove it until 1998, and parked it. So here it is with 22 years of dust, dirt, red overspray and spider poop. 1972 Datsun 240Z by Racer, on Flickr It is a '72, built 11/71, numbers matching, original everything, except tires and brakes, 77,000 miles. I've since washed it, went around it about 20 times with a buffer and rubbing compound, and then made an assessment. It will be getting some maintenance and repair items, and who knows what else. 1972 Datsun 240Z by Racer, on Flickr Sunlight On The Z by Racer, on Flickr I think I need to start a build thread. Oh, and I counted my Z farm. Six 240Z's Six 280Z's One 260Z One 280Z 2+2 Not all have potential, but I do have plans for two of the 240Z's, and at least one of the 280Z's.

Can't find a search option for this thread, and I can't remember if I posted these before, so here: Portland, Oregon, 1986, Electramotive IMSA GTP 300ZX Turbo IMSA Nissan Prototype by Racer, on Flickr IMSA Nissan Prototype by Racer, on Flickr IMSA Nissan Prototype by Racer, on Flickr

A lot of deferred maintenance there. Wonder how long its been since the cam cover was off?

Yes, I am, and yes, I did. Some useful info there too, although my engine is NA. I plan on keeping it that way so some of the exhaust fitment challenges will be easier. And not having turbocharger(s) to leave room for will be a plus. Also saw quite a bit of naysayers about this swap, but hey, you work with what you have. Even though the VG30 in stock form doesn't offer a big increase in performance, it does offer better reliability, and I won't have to be constantly tuning and adjusting the the carbs and valves. I'm really good at it, but it is a chore, and some days I'd rather have time for other things.

That has some great information, and is helpful, thanks! Pretty much all that. I have to assume it came from a Z, as I don't recall any 2 wheel drive pickups from that era, the Pathfinder was a 4x4 SUV, and the Maxima was FWD, right? It would be good to know the production date, just so I have a better idea what I have here. I picked it up about 16 or 17 years ago when I had my race car at a car show. Several people who came by during the day offered up parts and other cars. One guy had a brand new never used or installed L series header, I snagged it for $40. As I was loading up at the end of the day a guy told me he had a Nissan V6 with a tranny I could have for $50. I drove by his place on the way home and he and I wrestled it into the side door of my race trailer. I have a number if early Z's and I always thought it would be fun to drop it in one. Now I am at that point where it is time to see if I can get it started and run it a bit to determine the condition. The harness was cut when it was pulled and it doesn't have an ECU, so I'll need to find an aftermarket set up I think.

Thansk for the reply. Yes, I saw this. It doesn't really offer any real information though. And the last post in that thread has a (dead) link that looked promising, but since it is dead it is useless. As near as I can tell this engine should have been originally installed in a 300Z, likely an early one, but other than that I can't be sure.

Been trying to identify a VG30 engine I have. Searched the innerwebs and even this forum (among others) with poor results. When I search using the serial number I get lots of hits that lead me to engine swap threads, or information about the later 'W' version from after 1987. As near as I can tel this one is the 'A' version, but I can only guess as I cannot find a definitive description of the serial numbers for these engines. The one I have is normally aspirated, is bolted up to a manual transmission with no transfer case. So from that I cen be sure it was not in a front drive car, and not in a 4 wheel drive pick up. Is there a resource I am missing that breaks down the engines by serial number, that would help identify this engine? The number off of the rear pad on the right side of the block is VG30 369725A. Thanks in advance for your help. Racer.

This one is a Z31.

And Cadillac wins for the second time this year, in the new Cadillac prototype. Young Ricky Taylor and company came from sixth on the grid to win the classic 12 hour endurance race. Two races, two wins. Will they be on top at the end of the season? Stay tuned.

It would be fitting, since today is the running of that race. In fact it is on right now. I was surprised to see the television coverage is nearly flag to flag, but disappointed that Fox is the network covering it. Fox butchers racing coverage.

Sebring?

So I really wasn't happy with the condition of the scan I posted, so I spent a few minutes in Photoshop fixing it up. How does it look now? Paul Newman Portland by Racer, on Flickr

Arlington.

I'll need to go out and make a list. A few 240's, a few 280's, a 280 2+2, and I think I have one 260, but can't recall for sure. Oh, and a '79 280ZX that I was going to fix for a guy and when I told him what the repairs would cost he sold it to me for $200. I made the repair (the heater valve in the dash) and drove the car for about 10 years or so. It was just a beater, but still fun to ride around in. When the rain lets up I'll need to make take the time and get a tally, along with VIN'z. I have what was represented as a first year 240 that I got for free. The previous owner said his wife issued an ultimatum, and he had to get rid of a bunch of cars. I think he needed to trad in his wife. My woman is very supportive of my hobbies. She knows very well that it keeps my attention focused at home, and away from thoughts of other women.