Jeff G 78

Like others have said, it makes me sad to see you sell your incredible Z, but I understand and wish you the best with both the sale and your business venture. I agree that Barrett Jackson is not the right venue for a Z. The cars that bring good money there are American muscle cars. The bidders just aren't there for Japanese cars. BAT is a good place to start and then maybe try to find a foreign buyer even though I'd hate to see another Z leave the country. One of my old 240's is now in Paris.

I don't have a direct answer, but I sent my race car's flywheel to Top End Performance and had them lighten it. I recall that they took about 9 lbs. off going from 25 to 16. I installed a new OE spec Exedy clutch and it works great. My engine makes around 200 HP at the flywheel. It has about 20 road race hours on it and everything is good. I think they charged about $175 plus return shipping at the time or something like that. It was well cheaper than buying an aftermarket flywheel. UPDATE: I just checked TEP's website to verify my numbers and their long-time machinist died unexpectedly last week. They are no longer offering flywheel lightening. I'm sure you could find a local machinist who could lighted your flywheel. The prints are available on the internet for the cut pattern.

I made mine in 5 minutes in the middle of a race. It isn't pretty, but as a test, simply replace the fuel rail with a length of hose from the fuel supply pipe near the frame rail to the front carb with a T fitting and a second hose to the rear carb. Cap off the return pipe near the frame rail. If the temporary fix woks (mine fixed 100% of the issues), you can play with a more elegant solution to accomplish the same thing.

After struggling with heat related issues while racing for several years, I finally ditched the steel OE fuel rail and the problem was solved. I had tried every type of heat shielding with no luck. In the end, I believe that the heat was coming through the steel rail mounts and into the rail. The insulation on the rail did a great job of holding the heat in. Once I went to an all-rubber supply, I have no issues.

Sounds and looks great!

My dad always called them railroad jacks too. He used to have several sets, though I think he sold them when he moved to Phoenix. Exhaust looks great Cliff. Is that a R180 diff? My R200 is bigger and has a square corner making the pipe fit that much tougher.

I'm thinking that like Zed Head said, their tolerances must be very big. Sounds like their "Premium" system is just as hard to line up as the regular system.

That looks like a lot of work, but there is nothing like doing it yourself! Great job.

What will the car be used for? If it's just a daily driver, a 205 will be good. Racers use 225/50R15 or 225/45R15. The diameter gets small though so the car gets much lower than stock.

Looking great Cliff.

I tried to scan old photos from 1986 of my #240 '76, but it looked nothing like the pics. I then tried to take pics of the pics with my phone and those weren't much better. The electronic version sucks, but here is my first nice S30 the day I bought it a little over 30 years ago. I had a few others before this one, but I got tired of dealing with rust and went south to Atlanta for this Z. I sold it about three years later in pristine condition, but I'm sure it's long gone by now.

I agree with Greg. My '76 280 #240 looked exactly like his. I'll have to find and scan a few 30 year old pics I have of my old car.

Michael Good @mgood has a green (#240 I believe) '76. He might be able to offer some help.

It doesn't look like the '76 or the '78 Racing Green #240 cars I have had. It looks to have a bit more blue to the hue.

I followed their daily videos during the event. Fantastic sounding Z car. Someday I will again own a 240Z with triples...

Thanks for the clarification James. The first kit I bought must have come with the rolled tip due to a slash cut tip shortage. I haven't installed the second kit yet, so I cannot comment on the sound with the alternate muffler. One suggestion that I think many people would like to see is the addition of an optional resonator in the kit to reduce boom. I know the pre-74.5 cars don't have the tunnel hump for it, but it would be nice as an option.

Congrats Julio! I wish you the best in retirement and hope you have all the time and money you need to enjoy your Datsun. I still have a ways to go before I can walk away, but I love my job and most people would give anything to do what I do. As much as I like getting paid to drive fast cars, I need to move somewhere warmer and nicer than Michigan. The roads suck and the winters are long.

Thanks for tagging me guys. Sorry for your loss Jasonsdad. I'm sure it was a great project for you two. Like Zed Head stated, start by taking and posting pictures of the big items. I'd be happy to take a look and try to help you sort and speculate on the value of the parts you have left. Unfortunately, this area isn't exactly full of Z cars, so the potential market for heavy items becomes very small. I've seen local S30 parts sit on Craigslist for months due to the lack of local buyers. In this part of the country as you are well aware, rust claimed most of the Z's, but the powertrains mostly survived. I have about five L28 engines myself. The problem is that it's cost prohibitive to ship heavy parts to the Southwest where they need good engines and transmissions. Hopefully you find the right local buyer that is in need of what you have. PM me and I will do what I can to help.

I know, I know Charles... Toronto is only a four and a half hour drive from my house.

I would love to go, but it's unlikely. I have too many projects piling up and I still haven't been able to move the race car to its new workshop. Until that is out of my garage, the street Z is stuck in the corner.

I have always heard that chain store alternator rebuilds are junk. I searched and found a local alternator shop that specializes in starters and alternators when I needed to replace the one in my '78. For the same money as a parts store rebuild, I got a quality rebuild. I actually bought an '85 Maxima alternator and they swapped the pulley from a multi-rib to a V and then they found an electrical connector that worked and even gave me the schematic to make a jumper harness. The whole unit was plug and play other than a simple jumper. I now have a 110 amp alternator that looks stock. I'm sure most cities still have shops like this.

Wow Galaxybj, I know that road very well. I guess all things considered, I'm glad to read it was a single vehicle accident. Somehow, I find it easier to stomach knowing he was having fun at the limit rather than getting hit by a distracted driver.

Good to hear from you Mr. Blake. It's been a while.

THERE YOU GO!

I'll let someone else finish the joke that Carl started.