73' 240z upgrades

[shane4golf]

i am rebuilding a 73' 240z and i have some questions. starting with the engine first. I dont plan on racing the car just street driving. So what should i change to increase horsepower. the next is suspension. what should i change to give it a smoother ride and increase preformance. I know I will be lowering the car an 1" or more.

please advise

[240znz]

Be careful when planning on adding more ponies to that car. There are other less expensive things that can be done before you up the anti as it were....IMO anyway.

A car that handles and stops is usually a better car if you aren't concerned about straight line speed. The L24 will lose your license just as well as a big HP motor.

1. Sort those old brakes. Little point going quick if you can't stop it quick.

2. Suspension. How about some Eibach progressive springs. They lower the car by 1" and give a standard ride when driven normally. Load the car and they progressively stiffen, giving you a better sporty ride. Recommended by many here. MSA and VB sells them.

3. Add some anti-sway bars if they aren't already fitted.

4. Adding HP is a collective thing. Start adding things in stages. Maybe a different model head first to raise the compression. Add those big values if you adon't have them already. Some argue that it is best to start out with a L28 as it has 20BHP more as standard. Add a bigger cam!

Food for thought?

[Bambikiller240]

Regarding your inquiry about the suspension. You mention "next is suspension. what should i change to give it a smoother ride and increase preformance. I know I will be lowering the car an 1" or more.

Increasing performane AND a smoother ride are generally at cross purposes. Performance will require stiffer struts, springs, and bushings; which will make a "smoother ride" almost impossible.

For performance, you can go with Polyurethane bushings in place of the stock rubber bushings. Tokico and Suspension Techniques make performance struts and springs. Larger Anti-Sway bars will also increase performance.

If you want a smoother ride, replace the worn stock bushings with new OEM rubber bushings. Gabriel and KYB make struts that are decent if you aren't needing a lot of performance. Some people like the Eibach "progressive rate" springs. They are initially soft, but get stiffer the harder you push the car. Many people who race their cars don't like these because the transition between soft and stiff can be somewhat annoying to deal with in a racing situation.

You might consider investing in a book called "How to Hot Rod and Race Your Datsun". http://www.zcarparts.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=70-1056

It will give you a lot of information that will be of help to you and answer many questions you will have as you improve your Z.

[zorro]

I assume your running the original drive train L24 twin carbs points distributor etc... First thing is put an electronic distributor on it. There are several brands but the Bosch or Hitachi one off the L28 engines works well. It will create a stronger spark and allow the car to rev freely and give a better burn creating more horsepower right across the engine rev range, not to mention start better.

From then it is endless you can put a high compression head on off one of the other engines or better still use a P90 head and shave it to up the compression from around 8.75:1 to 10.0:1 or better. However there are many things needed to do chain length sprockets clearances etc. Best to talk to a Z specialist for further info. Feel free to e-mail me if u need more of a hand.... happy Zeding.........

[dat240z71]

Check out this sitelots of good info

http://www.geocities.com/zgarage2001/engine.html

[shane4golf]

thanks for all the advice everyone