John Coffey

The Nismo clutch pack LSD can be setup with varying levels of preload. Typically from Nismo they come with a 45 ft. lb. preload but lots of racers increase that number to around 75 ft. lb. My guess is that yours has been adjusted to the higer number or has a problem internally. But, just to be sure, did you actually open up the diff and check to be sure its a LSD and not just an open diff welded up? EDIT: Oops, sorry, if you've had the diff for a while and its suddenly acting this way, it needs to be taken apart and rebuilt.

The question about whether a 240Z "should" have a rear anti-roll bar (ARB) is actually up in the air regarding handling. Chet Whittle was very successful raicng an ITS 240Z with no (or a very small) rear ARB. Bryan Lampe actually did an experiment on his ITS 240 at the big track at WSIR and he shaved a second off his fastest lap ever by disconnecting his rear ARB and driving a very different line. On my 240Z I was able to put power down much better with a Quaife diff by going with a 17mm (vs. 19mm) rear ARB. I increased front roll stiffness by going from a 23mm to a 25mm front ARB and was willing to give up a little on corner entry to be able to get on the gas sooner in the corner.

Having put RBs, SRs, and L6s in 240Zs I can tell you a fully dressed RB26 is about 150 lbs (with turbos, plumbing, intercooler, etc.) heavier then a fully dressed SU carb'd L6 and about 225 lbs heavier then a fully dressed SR20DET.

Dave, I normally purchase my Aeroquip, Earl's, or XRP AN stuff from TMR in Orange or Summit Racing. I didn't see any brand names on your fittings. Who does your manufacturing?

Before buying anything get the rule book for from the racing sanctioning body you intend to compete with. A L28 in a 240Z is only legal in a couple wheel to wheel SCCA classes, both of which require extensive modifications to be remotely competitive.

http://www.summitracing.com

I don't have pictures of an install on a 240Z. The customer picked up the car before I could take them. I will be doing another 240Z first quarter next year so I'll take pictures then.

Blueprinting is much more then just getting parts back to the factory specs. In racing classes where the car has to run stock internals (crank, rods, pistons, cam, etc.) blueprinting is the meticulous measurement, machining, and fitting of OEM parts to make absolutely the most horsepower. For example: A stock L24 engine makes about 150hp. A L24 engine prepared by Sunbelt to meet SCCA's ITS rules makes a bit over 200hp using stock internals and a header. That's a 33% increase in power with a stock cam, unported head, stock pistons, rods, crank, etc. Blueprinting to that level is very expensive because it is almost pure labor.

Yup, threw them in the trash.

A rumor I've heard is that the BRE stage 1 springs were just the Nissan Euro springs painted yellow. Again, its just a rumor. The Euro springs were about 15% stiffer then the stock USA installed springs.

Confimed. The Konig center caps are about 1/4" too short to fit over the front hubs on my series 1 1971.

Although they are not the original color, I've started using 90/10 tubing to make brake and clutch lines for the cars I'm working on. The stuff is really easy to work with and singe AN and double 45 flares are a easy. Also, these guys are a great source for metric brake fittings. http://www.fedhillusa.com

> If Nissan were gonna do so much engine head research > why not just make it crossflow??? My guess is that they easily hit the power numbers they wanted with the existing head design and decided to spend the R&D money somewhere else. > I also heard that crossflow was better because air > entering the chamber doesn't have to make a 180 > degree turn to leave the engine again. Lots of folks think that, but its obviously not true. Remember, there's a compression stroke and a power stroke in between intake and exhaust openings so the mixture spends a lot of time hangning around in the combustion chamber. We're not talking about a fluid flowing though a pipe. Crossflow heads are generally better then same side heads because port shape and length can be optimized.

> Makes me weep to realize that I think I am cool > for having camber plates on all four corners of my ITS car! I've got 4 camber plates too! And Hyperco 2.25" diameter springs, a Quartermaster 5.5" double disc clutch, no flywheel, Quartermaster gear reduction starter, Genesis racing battery, Tilton master cylinders, Scroth racing harnesses, JWT POP charger, Nissan Comp oil pan, two Quaife diffs, three rear end gearsets, and much, much more... I just hope the damn thing is fast.

He's got $56,000 into that car? Bullshit! I've got a full boogie 3.0L Sunbelt engine, Motec M48 EMS, Quaife 5 speed sequential trans, Outlaw disk brakes all around, ATL custom fuel cell, C&R custom radiator and heat exchanger, two sets of custom Kodiak 16 x 10 wheels, two sets of Hoosier R3S03 275/45-16 tires, two Cobra Sportline 2 carbon/kevlar race seats, Penske triple 8170 shocks, and $10,000 worth of paid fabrication labor and I'm just touching the $50,000 mark. That's a $10,000 240 on a good day.

Taylor Race Engineering sells Quaife Sierra Rocketbox sequential 6 speeds that bolt right up to the L series engine. The trans is only 1/2" shorter then the Type B speed. I'm running a 5 speed version of that trans in my 240.

The guy races a 510 so there's a good chance those are R160s.

1970 series 1 with full interior, roll bar, bigger wheels and tires, type B 4 speed, 4 core radiator, 8 quart oil pan and oil cooler, fire extinguisher, rear anti-roll bar, strut tower braces, 1/2 tank of gas, etc.: 2,260 lbs without driver.

Keep the PCV system! A pressurized crankcase causes all kinds of problems (including reduced horsepower.) Run a line from your valve cover to the air filter and run a line from the block breather to the intake manifold WITH a PCV valve.

Living with a friend in Placentia California years ago I was driving a 1961 Ford Falcon, six cylinder (really only 5), 3 on a tree, and a lawn chair for a driver's seat - that I paid $5 (five dollars) for - the car, not the chair. Our house was 3 lots north of a 4 way stop and there was a short steep hill on the road just a couple houses farther north. One afternoon I'm driving home with Kevin sitting on the passenger bucket and I blow through the stop heading north. As I go through Kevin looks to his right, sees a cop sitting about 25 yards from the intersection, stopped. Kevin yells and I floor it, figuring the extra smoke will confuse the cop. We go past our house, up the hill, and do something resembling an e-brake turn (the e-brake didn't work) and head back south. As we start down the hill we pass the cop headed north. All we see is big white cop eyes and hear a Quadrajet in full suck. Luckily, I had left the garage door open (we had just gone to buy beer) and I slid the old Falcon into the garage - denting the water heater in the process and tossing Kevin into the back seat. Kevin falls out and closes the garage door as we start to hear the Quadrajet suck coming our way. We run out into the side yard and peek through the fence as the cop flies through the intersection heading south. A few minutes later he's back and heading west. And a few minutes later still he's back and heading east. Then he returns and parks near the intersection until it gets dark. When he finally left I got on my old Schwinn Varsity and rode down to the hardware store. I bought 6 cans of light blue Krylon spray paint and a roll of masking tape for $6. Kevin and I painted the Falcon that night. I saw the cop a few times after that and he stared at me and the Falcon long and hard, but he never pulled me over.

Ivan, He's right, you've got three "won't cost that much" in your post. When you hear that three times from any salesman here in the US you KNOW its going to cost you a bundle. ;-)

Is $8,000 your engine budget or your whole car budget? Remember, you'll spend an equal amount on driveline, chassis, and suspension that you spend on the engine. If you're shooting for 800hp (which no one has ever done reliably with an L6) you'll have to spend A LOT of money on the rest of the car. BTW... The Electromotive guys (John Knepp, Don Devendorf, John Caldwell, etc.) were able to get close to 750 horsepower out of a twin turbo L6 but it wasn't reliable.

The Nissan L6 has been tuned to make anywhere from the stock 140hp to over 750hp with dual turbos. How much money do you have?

Horsepower is basically an imaginary number derived via torque with this calculation: bhp = torque x rpm/5252 Being an imaginary number there are various methods of calculating it, with some methods more liberal then others. Until 1972 most US auto manufacturers used an old SAE standard method develop the so-called "gross" horsepower numbers. This standard was designed to measure the horsepower output of the basic block, cylinder head, and internals. The standard did not specify intake, exhuast, and accessory configurations. The Japanese used a more conservative version of that standard in their JIN measurement system. In 1972 the state of California, as part of their Clean Air act implementation, required all auto manufacturers to specify horsepower ratings using the SAE J245 (now SAE J1349 and J1995) standard. Somewhere the term "net" was thrown in by the automotive marketing folks, but there's nothing "net" about that standard. It measures crank horsepower with the engine as configured in the car including complete exhaust and intake systems. The current overall measurement systems are SAE (the most liberal), JIN (the moderate), and DIN (the most conservative). So, when you see the horsepower ratings for an American car you can assume they are a little optimistic, for a German car they are a little conservative, and for a Japanese car probably exactly correct (until you get to the mandated 280hp limit imposed by the Japanese government.)

Only one guy I know makes real carbon fiber hoods for early Zs. Hiten Patel at little.simba@cox.net. A few EP racers are running his hood and other CF parts. Again, these are real CF parts (not the crap you see on street cars.) His hood, including mounting hardware, weighs six pounds and expect to pay REAL money.