'Z' Datsun Garage (Shiro Edition info)

[ZfrkS62]

I know most of the inhabitants here at JW are fans of the supercar, and let's face it..Datsun's are on the other end of the scale. but regardless, they played a big role for alot of enthusiasts. If it wasn't for Datsun, there would not have been a 300ZXTT let alone a 350Z.

So, as a tribute to the Japanese marque, here is a quick history of Datsun and their sporty little vehicles.



The name Datsun actually evolved out of complexities of the Japanes language. In 1911, Sotaro Hasimoto began the Kwaishinsha Company to begin building cars badged as DAT, after his three financial backers.

In 1930 a small car called a Datson was born. However, in Japanese, 'son' means lose, so the name was changed to Datsun.
'32-'34 Datsun Roadster:
http://img86.exs.cx/img86/7172/roadster6rk.jpg
'35-'41 Road Star:
http://img86.exs.cx/img86/7916/type159ao.jpg
'52-'58 DC-3:
http://img76.exs.cx/img76/2128/dc36zi.jpg




in 1937 the cars were being sold as Datsuns in one market (Europe/US) and Nissans in the Asian market. This continued up until the early 1980's when Nissan forever dropped the Datsun name with the end of the 280ZX run in 1983.


In the 1950's Nissan/Datsun built up their business quite quickly by manufacturing British Austins under license for the Japanese market. Then they went to producing Austin copies of their own wihle developing their own range of small cars. The first of which was the S211, a 1.2L 60BHP engine in 1959. it lasted to 1963.
http://img76.exs.cx/img76/5351/211top5kg.jpg

From '61 to '69, Datsun released a series of small engined roadsters. In Japan these were known as the Fairlady SP310 and 311 and SR311. in the European and US these were known as the 1600 and 2000 respectively.
http://img122.exs.cx/img122/7929/b103163ux.jpg
these cars did well in the US, which is where the majority of the 40,000+ examples were sold and was a prelude to the legend that was to follow in 1970.

In 1967 Britain's Austin Healey 3000 had been discontinued and it's replacement, the MG MGC was highly unpopular and was ceased in 1969.
Nissan/Datsun pounced in 1970 and released the 240Z in the US and the Fairlady Z and Z432 in Japan.

The 240Z had a 2.4L single overhead cam 150BHP, 149Ft-Lb torque, inline six coupled to a 4spd trans. which was offered with different gearing and differential ratios. The Fairlady had a 2L engine but only produced 130BHP.
http://img17.exs.cx/img17/9780/327gk.jpg
http://img17.exs.cx/img17/1743/4326ld.jpg

The limited production Z432 was a 2L dual-overhead cam 160BHP engine. only 413 of these were produced. The 432 in this badge represented the 4 valves per cylinder, 3 carb, 2 cam engine.

Nissan entered the car in international rallies, and it paid off. The little Z won the East Africain Safari not once, but twice.
http://img122.exs.cx/img122/7338/72240z4pk.jpg
North American sales were doing well. In 1971 10,000 of these little beauties rolled off of showroom floors. In 1973, sales had shot up to 52,500.

In 1974 the 260Z rolled onto the scene with a 2.6L inline six but it wasn't any faster than it's predecessor. Sales did even better in North America with the 260 and 280. 310,497 were sold. 230,128 of those were the US only 280Z, sold from '76 to '78.
http://img17.exs.cx/img17/6899/carsdogs0167xb.jpg
The 260Z came as a 2+2 which had a 12in longer wheelbase and a backseat. The 260Z's also came with an optional 3spd automatic transmission (which tops the car out at 95MPH instead of 120 that the 4spd trans allows. I haven't driven the 5spd so i don't know what that top speed is.)


1979 marked the entrance of the 280ZX, and the last car to be badged with the Datsun name.

Much heavier than previous Z cars, they were longer and wider but more efficient in terms of aerodynamics. They drew complaints from vetran Z drivers that they had lost their edge, but due to the fact that they came with power windows and cruise control, these drivers were in the minority.

They came with the T-top option, and as a 2+2. The 2+2 was only 7.9 inches longer and 200Lbs heavier. In 1981, only the North American market recieved the 280ZXT which put down 180BHP.
1983 markedthe end of the 280ZX and Datsun.


1984 started the 300ZX line which marked Nissan's switch from the long inline 6, to the compact V-6. The 300ZX lasted until 1996 in the US and was incarnated in two body styles.
The first echoed loudly the 280ZX and also came as a ZXT. That lasted until 1989 when the body changed to the more rounded version that ran from 1990-1996 that came as the highly sought after ZXTT.

But since the 300ZX isn't Datsun, i'll leave it alone for now :wink:

http://img122.exs.cx/img122/5880/dscn01643qq.jpg
2nd Gen. 300ZX, amongst 3 240Zs (240Z's have 2 styling cues that seperate them from the 260/280Z's. The front turn signals are under the bumper on the 40, and up above the bumper in the grill on the 60/80. The reverse lights on the 240 are incorporated into the tail light assembly, and on the 60/80 they are between the tail lights and license[number] plate)

(more pics coming soon)

[ZfrkS62]

a few Datsun club links...if you no of one that i didnt put in here, feel free to add it.

Northwest Datsun Enthusiasts
www.nwde.org

Washington Z club
www.zccw.org

Internet Z club
www.zhome.com

Desert Z Association (Arizona)
www.desertzassociation.com

Melbourne, Australia
http://www.alphalink.com.au/~donhill/

Germany
http://www.z-zx-club.de/

Britain
www.zclub.net

[gottacatchup]

My dad used to have a 300ZX he loved that car and wouldn't sell even after me and my brother were born and we moved to Alaska. Driving the car first thing to get studded tires on the solid ice was one of the most frightening experiences of his life. Especialy considering he'd never left Texas prior to that.

[ZfrkS62]

lol, they always have been a bit squirrley on anything but dry pavement since they weigh next to nothing. In the rain, that's part of the fun. :wink: ice, though..that is a much different story :(

[bmwmpower]

pretty old datsun- 240 ZX i have about 10 types of toys with this car

[TransAm]

Nice post ZfrkS62!

[BADMIHAI]

This car is absolutely gorgeous:

http://img17.exs.cx/img17/9780/327gk.jpg

Thanks!

[ZfrkS62]

pretty old datsun- 240 ZX i have about 10 types of toys with this car

sorry mpower, i don't mean to nitpick but it kinda drives me nuts when people refer to the 240 as a ZX. (other 240 owners are the same way) the Zs didn't get the ZX badge until 1979. But, yes they have developed quite the following.

with some mods, you can humiliate the living crap out of any ricer :twisted: and in alot of states, they are now exempt of emissions laws (those states with 30 year rolling exemptions)

my first victory in my 240Z came at the expense of a Civic Si (also my first race :D ) Little punk never got further than the back of my door 8)

BADMIHAI- The Fairlady 432 is quite the object of desire for many Z owners worldwide. I was considering for a ong time trying to locate the 432R DOHC engine and trans to swap into my 240Z, but that was before i sold it :(

[ZfrkS62]

www.zparts.com Thanks to these guys for this article. (also check out the project cars. someone twin turboed a Q45 engine and stuck it in a 240 :twisted: )


THE S.U. VARIABLE CHOKE CARBURETTOR
Text & Illustrations by Malcolm Land Featured
Technical
Article

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Introduction
The S.U. carburettor is one of the simplest carburettors ever invented! Unfortunately, following discussions with many people, the operational principles of this carburettor appear to be poorly understood. SU carburetors have a minimal number of moving parts and are easy to tune, providing of course you understand the operational principles! It is the intention of this article to help clarify those principles in the hopes that many owners will be able to tune and maintain their SU carburtetors aided by better knowledge and less blind experimentation.

The correct technical name for the S.U. carburettor is VARIABLE CHOKE or CONSTANT DEPRESSION (see note)carburettor. This document will refer to the S.U. as a variable choke carburettor.
The variable choke carburettor inherited its name because a sliding piston, acting under the effect of engine manifold vacuum, automatically adjusts the size of the throat orifice (choke) causing the air velocity and the vacuum over the fuel jet to remain constant.
The letters "S.U". are actually stand for a brand name and represents the words "Skinners Union" named after three brothers who, back in the early 1900's, invented, patented and began the manufacture of this type of carburettor.


There have been a number of S.U. variable choke carburettors manufactured over the decades. However, the basic components that make up the carburettor and the principles of operation are the same.


The variable choke carburettor consists of the following major components:

§ The fuel bowl housing the fuel float and fuel flow regulating needle. In later S.U. models (HIF series) this is integral with the carbie body.
§ The carburettor body which houses the main jet, the butterfly and the cold start enrichment device (choke).
§ The piston (air valve) which includes the fuel metering needle and dash pot.
§ The piston (suction or bell) chamber containing the piston, piston spring and damper.

The Hitachi HJG46W carburettor installed in the pre-pollution Zeds is based on the S.U. model HS6. The later model 260's (the GS and GSR-30) utilised the Hitachi HBM46W variable choke carburettor highly modified to accommodate the stringent anti-pollution laws introduced in the 1970's. Unfortunately, this later model carburettor was not as reliable as the earlier model. I found this out after purchasing my GSR 30.
The later model carburettor is difficult to tune. Instead of adjusting the air fuel mixture by adjusting the jet height, similar to the HS6 S.U., the jet height is fixed. Additional air bleeds into the side of the carbie (just behind the piston) via an adjusting screw causing the air fuel mixture to run lean or extra lean. Unfortunately, the GS series Zeds, released in Australia do not have hardened inlet valve seats that don't like lean mixtures terribly well and tend to pit. This also is the reason that the later model Zed's should not be fed with unleaded petrol (ULP).

The component parts, which together, form the variable choke carburettor are detailed in Figure 1 and are defined below:
http://img188.echo.cx/img188/2583/sucarb3sl.th.jpg (http://img188.echo.cx/my.php?image=sucarb3sl.jpg)
1. Air valve suction (bell) chamber
2. Air valve (piston)
3. Air valve (piston) spring
4. Air chamber to manifold vacuum connection (air less than atmospheric pressure)
5. Suction chamber air inlet (air at atmospheric pressure)
6. Dashpot
7. Dashpot piston damper assembly
8. Fuel needle
9. Jet
10. Jet retaining nut
11. Fuel bowl
12. Carburettor body
13. Throttle butterfly
14. Throttle lever (not shown)
15. Fuel float & fuel supply regulating needle (not shown)
16. Idle speed adjusting screw (not shown)
17. Choke cable (not shown)
18. Choke lever lowers jet to enrich mixture (not shown)
19. Choke cam - slightly opens throttle butterfly so not to starve engine of air when choke is used (not shown)
20. Choke return spring - ensures jet remains in the normal running position – choke is inactivate when engine is warm (not shown).


Most automotive combustion engines are effectively a reciprocating pump. The volume of air they draw over a given duration in time is proportional to their speed.

Example: Assume we have a four-stroke engine with a volume of 1 litre (61 cubic inches). If the idle speed is 1000 rpm, the volume of air flowing through the engine will be 500 litres (17.66 cubic feet) per minute.
At 5000 rpm, the volume of air will be 5 times that at 1000 rpm or 2500 litres (88.29 cubic feet) per minute.

Assume the engine to which the carburettor is supplying fuel is running at idle speed. The jet, fuel needle and piston spring are sorted to match the performance requirements of the engine. The dashpot assembly is filled with oil of appropriate viscosity. I’ll explain the meaning of “appropriate” later in the text.

The butterfly (throttle) is partially open under idle conditions (no air, no fuel – no combustion).
There will be restricted airflow into the engine and a large pressure drop across the butterfly when compared with that of the surrounding atmospheric pressure. (The lower pressure in the inlet manifold is a vacuum when compared with atmospheric pressure).

The vacuum on the engine side of the carbie throat connects to the top of the piston chamber via an orifice located in the underside of the piston.
The underside of the piston connects to atmospheric pressure via an orifice located near the throat on the air inlet side of the carburettor.

When the throttle is partially open the vacuum within the inlet manifold is allowed to communicate to a greater degree with the air/fuel mixture between the piston and butterfly. This in turn will draw air out of the bell chamber above the piston, causing a partial vacuum within this chamber. There is now a pressure differential across the piston (Low pressure above the piston, high pressure beneath it). This pressure differential will cause the piston to rise, pulling the tapered needle out of the jet, allowing more air and fuel to flow through the carburettor throat and into the engine causing the engine speed to increase.

When the engine speed is constant the air velocity (vacuum) past the jet is directly proportional to the volume of air passing between the bridge and piston, ie. piston height regulates the air speed over the jet, and piston height is proportional to engine vacuum.
Figures 2a and 2b indicate the piston and butterfly positions at low and high engine revs. In both instances the engine under load and is running at a constant speed. The air velocity over the jet in both instances is the same.

sorry guys. i'm going to have to find another way to get the rest of the figures to you. the pics aren't up anymore so i'll have to find a scanner and get them from the printout i have

PISTON SPRING
The spring within the suction chamber loads the piston in a downward (closed) position. The tension of the spring is selected such that the piston reaches its fully open position when the engine reaches its maximum air demand, that is maximum brake horse power output, not maximum RPM, at any given engine speed up to maximum BHP:

§ If the spring is too weak, the piston will be elevated to a level higher than its optimum position causing the engine to run too lean.
§ If the spring is too strong, the piston will not rise to its optimum position causing the engine to run too rich.

Why is this so? Surely, if the piston is higher than it should be, the engine will run richer, and if the piston is lower than it should be, the engine will run leaner?


Wrong! Remember the volume of air the engine draws is proportional to its speed.
So… If the piston rises too high the throat area will be larger than optimum, the vacuum between the piston and the bridge will be low. That is the air velocity across the jet will be low, drawing less fuel, thus causing the mixture to run lean.
The opposite occurs if the piston does not reach optimum height the throat area will be smaller than optimum… The air velocity will be high between the piston and bridge causing a larger volume of fuel to be drawn through the jet assembly causing the mixture to run rich

There are a number of springs available for the SU type carburettor each with a different compression loading. These are:

Blue 2.5 ounce
Red 4.5 ounce
Yellow 8 ounce
Green 12 ounce

I am unsure if Hitachi, via Nissan, released their variable choke carburettor with a range of different compression rate springs. I believe however, that the HS6 SU springs will fit the Hitachi carbie if a substitution is required.

I have not measured the spring compression rates of the Hitachi carburettor therefore I am unable to compare the ratings between the recommended spring used in the SU carbie and the Hitachi spring. Red springs are recommended where 13/4” SU carburettors are bolted onto the inlet manifold of an unmodified L24 or L26 engine.

DASH POT/DAMPER ASSEMBLY
The dashpot and damper assembly are also located within the suction chamber. The damper assembly, which is actually a one way valve, is contained within the dashpot filled with oil. The valve and oil work such that they impede the lifting of the piston, but allow it to fall rapidly once the speed of the engine decreases.

The dashpot serves two purposes. Firstly, it acts as a damper to prevent the piston following air fluctuations at low engine speed thus keeping the piston steady. Secondly, when the throttle opens it prevents the piston rising in unison with the opening of the throttle. If the oil in the dash pot assembly is too thin the piston will rise too quickly causing the air/fuel mixture to lean out.

Air and petrol, in a hydraulic sense, are both fluids and air is less dense than petrol. Therefore, air has less inertia than petrol. So when the throttle is opened more, air will be sucked into the carbie but the petrol will take a little longer before its flow rate catches up with the new air flow rate.

By damping (retarding) the piston movement with oil an accelerator pump action occurs, ie. as the throttle is opened, the movement of the piston is retarded a sufficient amount to cause a momentary enrichment of the mixture, enabling a sharp pick-up in engine speed.

What type of oil should be used?

Too often people use light duty (sewing machine or general purpose) oil in the dash pot assembly. This type of oil does little if anything to impede the upward movement of the piston as the throttle opens.
Engine oil can be too viscous (depending on climate). After 2 hours of driving it ends up in the bottom of the piston, the majority of it sucked into the engine. This happens because it is too thick to pass through the damper as the piston falls causing the oil to flow out of the top of the dashpot.
I use a mix of 20W-30 to 20W-50 and sewing machine oil. The ratio is three parts engine oil to one part sewing machine oil.
When you use the aforementioned oil mix if you attempt to raise the piston when the engine is cold you will find that a lot of force is required to move the piston to its uppermost position. When you release the piston, it will drop to the bridge quickly (less than half a second).

THE FUEL METERING NEEDLE & JETS
There are literally hundreds of needles available for the SU carburettor, the majority with profiles manufactured to suit particular vehicle engine systems. There are two types of needles available for the SU carburettor, biased and unbiased.

The biased needle has a collar and spring attached to the top of the needle. To eliminate droplets of fuel forming on the needle it is located within a bush located in the underside of the piston. The needle is a loose fit within the bush and is loaded by the spring in a downward direction causing the needle to lightly contact the side of the jet. All anti-pollution SU carburettors are supplied with biased needles.

OTHER FACTORS AFFECTING THE TUNING OF THE ENGINE/CARBURETTOR

SIZE OF CARBURETTOR
An alteration in the size of the carburettor should only be necessary if the breathing capacity of the engine has been altered substantially. This situation may be necessary if larger inlet valves are utilised simultaneously with alterations to the head, ports and cam, and/or an increase in engine capacity.

EXAMPLE


I installed a camshaft that gave additional lift to the valves and increased the inlet and exhaust valve duration.
I found that the red springs were inadequate, that is the engine speed would never reach redline, and the bottom end power was inadequate. At around 5500 rpm, it would miss-fire excessively.

I then uprated to yellow piston springs and found that the engine would rev to around 6500 rpm and then start miss firing. The bottom end power increased somewhat.

By finally changing to green springs the engine revs out well past red-line, about 95kmh (or about 60mph) in first gear (I have a 3.36 diff and a 2.9 first gear), and has plenty of bottom end torque. I did not need to change the fuel needles.

I don't have access to a chassis dynamometer so, the spring changes were done by trial & error. Had I made other internal changes to the heads, ie. larger valves or lumpier cam, I may have needed to replace my existing carburettors with twin 2” or triple 13/4” carbs.


AIR FLOW INTO THE CARBURETTOR
The medium, through which the air passes and enters the carburettor throat, can greatly affect the air fuel mixture entering the engine.
Air filters tend to reduce the airflow and lean out the air/fuel mixture entering the engine. The density of the filter element reduces airflow.

There are two types of filter element available on the market at present. These are the paper element type and the oil impregnated foam element type. Each of these have advantages and disadvantages.
Paper element filters tend to give less air flow restriction for a given element surface area but can allow more micro-fine dust particles into the carburettor which can build up inside over extended periods of time.

Oil impregnated filters tend to give greater air flow restriction for a given element surface area but are better at filtering out the smaller dust particles, provided of course they are maintained properly. Therefore, by fitting an oil-impregnated filter to the inlet side of the carburettor it may be necessary to enrich the mixture to accommodate the change of filter type.
Ram Pipes
Ram pipes, also known as ram tubes or velocity stacks, are horn shaped devices that can be fitted to the inlet side of the carburettor to improve the performance of the engine.

Comparing two identical carburettors, one fitted with a ram pipe and one without, attached to two identical engines. If both engines are idling and the carburettor butterflies are both in the same position, the engine with the carbie/ram pipe combination fitted will more than likely be running at a slightly higher rpm. This is due to the induction of additional air into throat of the carburettor and hence air/fuel into the engine.

More air flows into the engine due to the following factors:


§ the difference in the cross-sectional areas at the inlet and engine side of the ram pipe;
§ the cross-sectional shape (taken along the centre axis of the ram pipe);
§ inertia of the air entering the ram pipe (hot day = air less dense = less air into engine, cold day = air more dense = more air into engine).

the rest of this article is based on figure 5, but since i can't get it right now, it's not going to do any good. again, i will update this as soon as i can

[SilviaEvo]

thanks i will give the NW Datsun club to my friend who owns a 510

[coombsie66]

Good article, SU's suck though (quite literally) get a triple set of webber 40's on that Z! :)

[ZfrkS62]

Here's a fledgling Z forum i just found (i'm the 70th member to join)
http://www.cruez.com/forum/index.php


Good article, SU's suck though (quite literally) get a triple set of webber 40's on that Z!


HAHAHA!! yeah, they are little pain in the ass to get running correctly, but once they are, they're great. Easiest way i've found to do it is to use a combination of a UNISYN air meter and O-scope. Get the air flow matched and then adjust the mixture according to the firing voltages of the cylinders. As long as there are no vacuum leaks, it works fine :D

[ZfrkS62]

here's another link for a performance store out of Phoenix, AZ:
http://conceptzperformance.com/

[oscargarza88]

ok ZfrkS62 finnaly!
sorry i was confused haha

some very usefull links! highly recomended:
www.z32club.com (very usefull!! freindly)
www.stillen.com (very good parts)

ohh and a friend in mexico has a 510 too , he is mechanic and the car is just :shock: !!

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/422066
he uses it too!

[ZfrkS62]

thanks oscar :D

[Pwoarrr]

Thanks for the really informative post ZfrkS62! :P
I learned alot about z cars in this thread.....never knew there were so many datsuns leading up to the 240Z.
But I gotta say that 432 is gorgeous! Do you have higher res pics of it?

Btw, here are some links I found:

Japanese site that pays tribute to z cars....very well organized, worth a look!
http://www.zzzing.net

A site that talks about the contribution and history of the 240Z (especially its rally heritage)
http://www.z-point.nl/

[ZfrkS62]

Great sites Pwoarrr! Thanks alot :D Unfortunatley i don't have any higher res shots of the 432 :( I found it on the net somewhere awhile ago.

[ZfrkS62]

I figured for post #4000 i would do something big :D And since nothing new worth posting has popped up in BMW land, I would make a rather large Datsun update :mrgreen:

In my search for Z car images, i stumbled upon this:

You Might Own A Z Car If...

1) you know the salespeople at the auto parts store / mail order Z shop by name.
2) you've ever heard the expression : "You oughta drop a small block in it!"
3) you have no idea what the car in front of the car you're behind is.
4) you've been asked: "What is that, an RX-7?"
5) you've had young girls ogle your car, and older women roll their eyes at it.
6) people can tell if you drove "your baby" by smelling you.
7) you drive a Nissan with parts from at least 3 different model cars installed on it.
8 ) you search and search the net for a plastic or die cast model of your car or any other Z.
9) you have a stock pile of extra parts sitting in your shop or garage.
10) you have tons of photos of every kind of Z on your hard drive.
11) you have looked up everything you could find on Wangan Midnight.
12) when playing Gran Tourismo 2 you strive to get the 240: also goes for Tokyo Extreme Racer Zero.
13) you have to tell the kid at the parts store to look under NISSAN for your parts.
14) you know where almost every Z car (and its condition) in every pick and pull is in your area.
15) you get raped every time you see your local dealer.
16) you wanna hurl every time you see a "STILLEN" logo.
17) people start talking about cars when you walk into your local barber shop/auto parts store/church...etc.
18 ) you know the specs on at least 5 other performance cars.
19) you imagine that you’re driving an exotic when motoring through the twisties.
20) you are always passing because you hate following traffic with your fiberglass front end.
21) at least every weekend at the "lot" where the local hot rods, and rice and imports hang out little girls.. like 13 or 14.. don’t know what it is.. it’s just yellow.
22) you know the whereabouts of all S30 Z's in a three county area and the story behind each one because one day you will own it when the current owner just throws in the towel and buys something else.
23) the guys at the local Nissan dealer find old Z car parts that won't be sold to the public in the back of the stockroom and they just give you the parts and ask questions like "When is that Z you towed out of the junkyard gonna be ready?"
24) you take delivery of a new base model 350Z (brickyard) and the same night you drive from Nationwide Nissan in Timonium, Md. to Lawrenceville, Ga. to buy a set of mesh wheels for your '86 300ZX hardtop; rationalizing the whole trip as a way to break in the new Z.
25) you get your ace ex-Nissan Master Tech. to perform a 4spd to 5spd swap and change a whole mess of coolant hoses, fan belt, and so on finishing at 10 P.M. on a Thursday night so that you can start the all-night pilgrimage to Daytona Beach to see the Rolex 24 in your newly acquired 1977 Datsun 280Z with 164k on the clock and the S.O.B. still gets 26 mpg with an '81 5 speed trans. w/ 149k on it.
26) since 1990 you've owned 35+ Z and ZX cars and the family wonders why you're still single at age 32.
27) you find a random bolt on your driveway and can tell exactly where on your Z its supposed to go.
28 ) you have three boxes of bolts, nuts, and washer in your garage...all from the Zs that you bought and or parted out to make your one good 240.
29) your girlfriend starts to spot Z cars for you on the highway just so she can say it first.
30) every time friends see or hear of a Z car for sale they call you because they "thought you might be interested."
31) your wife answers the phone and says, "He has enough already," it's usually one of these calls.
32) you can estimate the build date of a Z with an accuracy of plus or minus 6 months before it gets within 100 yards of you.
33) spotting the word "Turbo" on a low-mile Z at the wrecking yard elicits the same heart-pounding thrill as finding a couple of bags that have fallen out of the back of a Brinks truck.
34) you actually ENJOY the smell of gas fumes.
35) the Franklin Mint collectibles don't seem like quite so much of a rip since they came out with the 240 model.
36) someone says "Z car" you never, ever, think they mean a Z28 Camaro.
37) you can spot a Z in someone's backyard while your just driving by. Usually the car would be under some type of shed or barely visible at all.
38 ) you get physically ill when you see a salt truck.
39) you personally know the owner of every Z you see around town.
40) you finally got that killer brake upgrade.
41) when you drive down the road and see a Honda boy and think “I wish I was driving my car.”
42) your wife complains about all the money you spend on the car.
43) your wife comes out to the garage and most of the time she is talking to your feet on the side of the car.
44) you assure all the people you know that it is just a car that you like to have fun with to see just how fast you can make it.
45) everyone you know always asks about your car.
46) every time you call the auto parts store you have to tell them this is a custom application.
47) when you get emails from people who have been to your web page.
48 ) you live in a country (Belgium) with only 40 z cars and you are working hard to register them all.
49) people seem to stop 10 feet from the crosswalk when they pull up to next you at a light on Friday nights.
50) your twin brother owns a 240SX and people refer to you as the one "with the nice car."
51) you start wishing your car would get a job so you could have a little money left over for yourself.
52) people ask "is it turbo??" and you just sigh and change the subject while simultaneously making future plans for ridiculous performance upgrades in your head.
53) people ask if your z is a 96 when its a 90.
54) it takes twenty minutes to relax that smile from your face from the ride to your destination.
55) you're logged onto the forum at zcar.com when you're supposed to be working!
56) you look at the middle of the dash for vital engine information.
57) someone pops the hood open on their car for you to look at the engine, and you're expecting the hood to pop up from the rear.
58 ) people are impressed by your 160 mph speedo.
59) you've ever looked at a Viper, Jaguar XKE, BMW M3, hatchback, etc., and thought " Hmmm, that kinda looks like a Z."
60) you drive through the local speed trap 5-10 miles under the limit, 'cause you know they're looking for you, not the grey sedan whizzing past you.
61) you've ever been beside a semi's trailer on the highway, looked through to the other side and thought " I could make that!"
62) instead of being greeted with "How are you?" people say "How's the Z?"
63) you can turn a 5 minute gas station trip for a Coke into 30 minutes of driving.
64) you have each and every extra dollar already allocated to which Z part it's paying for.
65) you've driven more than 4 hours just to meet somebody else with a Z.
66) you’ve driven more than 4 hours out of your way just to catch somebody else in a Z.
67) stopped to look at cars on a lot and the dealership asks you to leave because people are trying to buy your car.
68 ) you've considered building a shrine to Mr. K. in your living room.
69) you can't stay mad at her.
70) driving without a stereo doesn't bother you.
71) your hood doesn't latch all the way down ("it's because of the monster under the hood")
72) there's a Vette at the light and everyone's eyeing your car, especially him.
73) you have a 4 speed and still get better gas mileage than your friend's F-body.
74) everyone's jaw drops when you tell them how much you paid for it.
75) there is NO such thing as a "destination." All you want to do is keep driving and driving.
76) you get pulled by a deputy, for doing 80 in a 55, who asks you "What IS this?"
77) you know the name of your local UPS driver, and he asks.."another part for the Z?"
78 ) your UPS driver curses you for shipping ANOTHER differential that he has to pick up!
79) your mechanic refers to you as his "residual income."
80) your vacations are always Z car related.
81) you spend more on your Z than you do on rent/mortgage.
82) you continually get into arguments over whether its a "Zee" or a "Zed."
83) while cruising you know for a fact that your Z or ZX looks sweeeeeeeeeeet.
84) you notice virtually every other vehicle on the road resembles a jelly-bean.
85) you always rationalize your next upgrade with the thought "Gee if I had a car payment then I would be out this much every month."
86) people you passed earlier are staring hatefully your way as you meet at the stoplight.
87) every rattle gives you pause and every noise a search and rescue mission.
88 ) people shake their head when they find out how much you spent but you just don't care.
89) you have browser bookmarks on Z car topics that outnumber all other bookmarks combined.
90) no matter how perfect your car is and no matter how much you have spent in time, money, aggravation, frustration, and alienation, you still have that next improvement project in mind for your car.
91) you wouldn't dream of selling your Z car unless there was another one you wanted more than your "baby."
92) no matter what car is beside you, you want to race it!!!
93) you tell the wife after not driving the Z for two weeks due to vacation - "Honey I'm just going to go out to the garage to make sure it starts," then don't come back for an hour.
94) someone tells you “I used to have a car like that once.”
95) your buddy calls it a 24 oz'er.
96) every time you get frustrated with the car and think about selling it, you go out to the garage and she's smiling at you.
97) you change your mind and add another $500.00 to your almost maxed out credit card.
98 ) you smile whenever you tell a couple of friends that you can't take them because your car only has two seats.
99) you've driven fast enough for red traffic lights to appear green.
100) your idea of a coffin (when your old and grey) is your pride and joy Z car.
101) you are getting very familiar with the way different performance cars look in your rearview.
102) you can figure out why your car is acting up within minutes, while in the driver seat, as you limp her home.
103) you get irritated when people get her name wrong.
104) you have removed creature comforts such as your heater, to outfit the center console for more gauges and switches.
105) you own more than 2 sets of wheels and tires for her.
106) all you have to tell people your giving directions to is "just look for all the Z's."
107) people in your neighborhood (that don’t know you) refer to you as the Z guy.
108 ) your wife hates riding in the Z so you arrive in separate cars.
109) you whine and bitch about having a car with only two doors, and then go and sell it to buy a car with only two seats.
110) you find you can no longer manage your money.
111) you have more invested in your Z than in your home.
112) you find something wrong with it everyday, but love fixing it and seeing those new parts shine.
113) you see another import, you think, "I can take it."
114) you have a little sticker on the bottom of your rear view mirror that says "OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE LOSING."
115) your friends are jealous of your Z.
116) you get good remarks about your car at an auto store.
117) your parents or relatives just wish it was their Z.
118 ) you do a brake stand and your rear end stoops down telling you that you have lots of power in the car.
119) you'd rather clean your car than take your girlfriend to Checkers.

And now for the pics:
I located where they stuck the one picture of Jezebel (my ex-Z who now resides in Bellevue, WA and is apparently all fixed up now. Also the Z in my avatar :D). I had the pic taken at the Desert Z Garage Day in Mesa, AZ back in August of 2003.
http://img233.echo.cx/img233/9985/garageday03hi0364kz.th.jpg (http://img233.echo.cx/my.php?image=garageday03hi0364kz.jpg)
I credit her with alot of things. My career, my Z affliction, my thinning hair, and the reason why i don't have a bigger bank account :?
And now the rest of the pics :D
http://img233.echo.cx/my.php?image=airbrush7ty.png
http://img233.echo.cx/img233/764/datsunvs300zx6os.th.jpg (http://img233.echo.cx/my.php?image=datsunvs300zx6os.jpg)http://img233.echo.cx/img233/7645/bb71datsun0cy.th.jpg (http://img233.echo.cx/my.php?image=bb71datsun0cy.jpg)
http://img233.echo.cx/img233/8417/streetdatsunjpg5zg.th.jpg (http://img233.echo.cx/my.php?image=streetdatsunjpg5zg.jpg)http://img233.echo.cx/my.php?image=z2ph.png


DATSUN RALLY HISTORY

Datsuns began their rally history before WWII in Japan in as early as 1930. The first international rally appearance by Datsun was the 1958 Australia Mobil Gas Trial, basically an off road one lap of Australia that chewed up cars at an unbelievable rate. A Datsun 210, named the "Fuji-Go", won the rally. The team was initiated and led by a young up and coming Nissan exec from the marketing department, a certain Mr. Yutaka Katayama. Katayama, a car builder and racer in his own right, was one of many Nissan execs that believed racing and rallying was an excellent way to test and develop their cars and trucks. As a marketer, Katayama also knew that racing and rallying was a great way to sell cars as well.

Nissan made its first attempt at the East African Safari Rally in 1963 with a team of Cedrics and Bluebird 311's. No cars finished the race, but the Safari History is such a big story, that I've put it on a page of its own. Safari Page

In February 1967 a Bluebird 411 SSS ripped through Ontario, Canada, to win the Canadian Winter Rally... 101 cars entered the race, only 59 finished. 411's also took part in the Baja, along with at least one Datsun pick up.


Roadster entered in the 1968 Mont Carlo Rally

Nissan tried the Safari Rally with Cedrics again in 1967 and 68, again with little success. Finally they found a car that worked, the Bluebird 510sss which took class and team championships in 69, and won overall in 1970.


Frank Ball and Ron Thompsons SCORE rally 510, which also won the Baja.

The Z was entered in the 1970 RAC rally, but all 4 cars entered failed to finish due to differential problems. Edgar Herrmann drove one of the cars, another was driven by Tony Fall, and a third by Rauno Aaltonen.

In May 1971 a 240z driven by Tony Fall took first place in the Welsh Rally, came in 5th and tenth in the Monte Carlo rally and 19th in the RAC Rally.

The 240z, with Herrmann and Schuller, won the 1971 East African Safari Rally; Shenkhar Mehta brought his Z in second.

The Z managed to place 3 rd overall at the Monte Carlo rally in 1972, with Rauno Aaltonen at the wheel, but had little success elsewhere, finishing 5 th , 6th and tenth at the Safari rally. Aaltonen did finish second at the Southern Cross rally in Australia.

Back in America the 240z entered the US rally scene at the 72 and 73 Press on Regardless rallies, and with a 1973 BRE entry in the Baja.


Mehta in his 240z won the 73 Safari Rally over Harry Kallstrom and his Bluebird SSS on Penalty points, but only after Aaltonen rolled his Z. Herrmann did not finish.



Shekhar Mehta at the Scottish Rally


260z's were entered in the rally for 74, finishing in fourth and fifth. It would take several more years, and the Datsun Violet, before Nissan would see success at the Safari again.

Z cars would lead Nissan to 3 consecutive SCCA rally Championships from 1975 to 1977.

Just when it looked like Nissans star would fall in rallying, the Violet came along. Kallstrom and Andersson won the 1976 Greek Acropolis Rally, with Shenkhar Mehta and H.Liddon coming in third. This was only the beginning for the Violet.

The 1977 Acropolis Rally saw Kallstrom and Billstam place 3rd overall, with Siroco and Makrinos in 5 th . The charm was back on the Safari rally that year, with Rauno Aaltonen and Lofty Drews coming in 2nd overall in thier Datsun Violet.





510's still competed strongly in the SCCA's ProRally series, like Les Nelsons car pictured here. Check out Historic Pit Stop



1978 saw respective third place finishes in the Acropolis Rally and the Safari rally with Mehta and Mehta, and Altonen and Drews.

Greece was good again in 79 with Timo Salonen and Seppo Hajanne's Violet coming in second overall and Kallstrom and Billstam in 3 rd . Salonen and Stuart Pegg also came in 3 rd at the rally of Great Britain.

Then came the rise of Shenkar Mehta. Paired with co driver Mike Doughty, Mehta is the most successful Driver in Safari Rally history, winning 5 times outright, with 4 wins in a row from 1979 to 1982, all in the Violet 160J. No one has even come close to matching this win streak. Not only that, but Datsun Violets, led By Mehta and Doughty would sweep the Podium in 1981.

US Rally achievements




SCCA National Rally Manufacturers Championship 11 times -1971 to 1981

SCCA world Challenge Driver Championships
1993 Elliott Forbes-Robinson 300ZX Turbo

PRO Rally Manufacturers Championship 1975 1976, 1977(tied) 1978, 1979 and 1985

North American Rally Cup Championship 1977, 1978, 1979

SCORE off road Mini truck Manufacturer of the Year 1975-1978



Jim O'Connors Score Truck

SCORE off road Sedan Manufacturer of the Year 1979

Score off road World Championships(class 3 or 7)

1982 Roger Mears
1985 Sherman Balch
1986 Roger Mears
1986 Jim Conner
1987 Spencer Low
1989 Sherman Balch
1991 Roger Mears

HRDA truck series Championships

1984 Class 7s-Desert Spencer Low
1984 Class 7s-Stadium Mario Alesi
1984 Class 7s-Stadium Roger Mears
1985 Class 7s Spencer Low
1986 Class 7s Spencer Low
1988 Class 4 Jack Johnson
1989 Class 4 Jack Johnson
1989 Class 7 Roger Mears



International Rally Victories and notable finishes


1969 RAC Rally team prize Datsun p510

1969 Tap Rally of Portugal Jose Lampreia and Chris Melville 2 nd overall 510
"Chavna" and Loyens 3 rd overall
1969 E.A. Safari Rally Jamil Din /Maksood Minas 3 rd overall/first in class 510

1970 E.A. Safari Rally Edgar Herrmann and Hans Schuller 1st overall 510
Joginder Singh/ Bharat Bhardwaj 3 rd overall 510

1970 Australian Ampol Trial Herrmann and Schuller 1st overall 510

1970 Press On Regardless Rally Vanier Bros. 2nd overall 510

1971 E.A. Safari Rally Edgar Herrmann and Hans Schuller 1st overall 240Z
Shenkar Mehta/Mike Doughty 2 nd overall 240Z

1972- Monte Carlo Rally Rauno Aaltonen and Jean Todt 3 rd overall 240z

1973 Ivory Coast(Bandama) Rally Hermann and Schuller 1 st overall 610

1973 E.A. Safari Rally S. Mehta/Lofty Drews 1st overall 240Z
H Kallstrom/C. Billstam 2 nd overall 510

1973 Press On Regardless Rally J and C Smiskol 3rd 240z,J Rodgers/E Brooks 5th 510sss

1974 Rally of Portugal Harry Kallstrom/Claes Billstam 2nd in class 260z



Portugese Rally Z


1974 Rideau Lakes Rally E Jones/M Hathaway 5th overall 510

1975 Rally de Portugal Cortes/Gomes 5th overall 260z

1976 Acropolis Rally Kallstrom/Andersson 1st overall Datsun Violet
S. Mehta/ H.Liddon 3rd overall Datsun Violet

1977 Acropolis Rally Kallstrom/Billstam 3rd overall Datsun Violet
Siroco/Makrinos 5th overall Datsun Violet

1977 E.A. Safari Rally R. Altonen/ L. Drews 2nd overall Datsun Violet

1978 Acropolis Rally Mehta and Mehta 3rd overall Datsun Violet

1978 E.A. Safari Rally R. Altonen/ L. Drews 3rd overall Datsun Violet

1979 Acropolis Rally Timo Salonen/Seppo Hajanne 2 nd Violet
Kallstrom/Billstam 3rd overall Datsun Violet

1979 rally of Great Britain Salonen and Stuart Pegg 3 rd Violet

1979 E.A. Safari Rally Mehta/Doughty 1st overall Datsun Violet

1980 Acropolis Rally Timo Salonen/Seppo Hajanne 2 nd Violet

1980 E.A. Safari Rally Mehta/Doughty 1st overall Datsun Violet
R. Altonen/ L. Drews 2nd overall Datsun Violet

1981 New Zealand Rally Timo Salonen/Seppo Hajanne 1 st overall 160J Violet

1981 Corsican Tour de Course Rally Tony Pond/Ian Grindrod 3 rd Violet GT

1981 Rally of Argentina Shenkar Mehta/Yvonne Menta 2 nd overall Violet GT
Jorge Recalde/Jorge Del Buono 3 rd Violet 160J

1981 E.A. Safari Rally Mehta/Doughty 1st overall Datsun Violet
R. Altonen/ L. Drews 2nd overall Datsun Violet
Mike Kirkland/Dave Haworth 3 rd overall Datsun Violet

1982 E.A. Safari Rally Mehta/Doughty 1st overall Datsun Violet
Kirkland/Anton Levitan 3rd overall Datsun Violet


1983 New Zealand Rally Timo Salonen/Seppo Hajanne 1 st overall 240rs

1985 E.A. Safari Rally Kirkland/Anton Levitan 3rd overall Nissan 240rs

1988 E.A. Safari Rally Kirkland/ Robin Nixon 2nd overall Nissan 200sx
Per Eklund/Dave Whittrock 3rd Nissan 200sx

1989 E.A. Safari Rally Kirkland/ Robin Nixon 2nd overall Nissan 200sx

1992 Swedish rally Stig Blomquist/Benny Melander 3rd overall Sunny Gti-R


From: http://www.datsunhistory.com/rallyhistory1.html <= rally pics here

[SilviaEvo]

wow nice 4000th post! and yes i was looking for it!

[ZfrkS62]

^ i was wondering if i was enven going to find anything worth posting today :lol: Those were the best pics i could find that i thought were worthy of posting :(

I really need to find a replacement for Jezebel soon so i can finally take some pics worth posting :?

[RC45]

lol, they always have been a bit squirrley on anything but dry pavement since they weigh next to nothing. In the rain, that's part of the fun. :wink: ice, though..that is a much different story :(

I don't think "300ZX" and "weigh next to nothing" should be in the same sentence.

It's a rather heavy lard bucket.. ;) :P

[ZfrkS62]

lol, they always have been a bit squirrley on anything but dry pavement since they weigh next to nothing. In the rain, that's part of the fun. :wink: ice, though..that is a much different story :(

I don't think "300ZX" and "weigh next to nothing" should be in the same sentence.

It's a rather heavy lard bucket.. ;) :P

Compared to what was being produced at the time, yes they were light. the 83-89 300ZX was a fatass but the 90-96 was a respectable weight. All of them are squirrley as fuck though except for the TT with 4wheel steering, which is a little better.

[gottacatchup]

^^^the 1st gen 300ZX's were not however, and that is the car i and i believe Z were referring to

[ZfrkS62]

^^ If by first gen you mean 83-89 then IMO they are rather heavy.

I'm thinking it's time i added the ZX range to my list :|

[RC45]

At 3500lbs the 300ZX was a lard arse.. :)

[ZfrkS62]

^^I get 3,219lbs for the 1st gen (83-89) and N/A 2nd gen and 3,485lbs for the TwinTurbo HICAS equipped cars.

The 2nd Gen N/A 300ZX's that i've driven really havent felt all that heavy, thanks the their weight distribution, especially compared the 2300lb 240Z i was driving at the time.

I find it interesting you come into this thread just talk trash RC, but then again i must rememeber your Jackass Contract :wink: I'll take it as a compliment that you feel it's neccassary to try and put down the 300ZX. Although i would like to know if you have anything nice to say about it. But coming from you i won't be getting my hopes up :P :wink:

[ZfrkS62]

http://www.japanesecarfans.com/classics.cfm/classicid/5050816.001

neat little article on, you guessed it, the Z :D

thanks goodduck :D

[ZfrkS62]

http://www.cruez.com/forum/index.php?topic=78.new;boardseen#new

RB26 engine awaiting a finished chassis 8)

The vid link in the topic is no longer any good unfortunately.

[sads]

Theres a couple of rb26 240z 260z drag cars that I've seen in action loved them. You hear the turbo's in action and the first thing you think is what the f!@#k its a z and by then there already 3 car lenghts in front :wink:

[ZfrkS62]

http://myspace-374.vo.llnwd.net/00096/47/31/96531374_l.jpg

Thanks to corpse_grinder0 for this pic of his friend's Z. It apparently has 400rwhp from a 300ZXTT engine 8)

[ZfrkS62]

unfortunately not. I was hoping for more too.

[ZfrkS62]

Couldn't agree more Ronin. I would sell my soul in a heartbeat to own a 432R :D

[ZfrkS62]

http://www.rebelloracing.com/

This guy knows how to build a wicked Z race motor. He's about as well known as Darius in most Datsun circles.

There was a guy in the DZA with me in Arizona who raced a Z with one of Rebello's engines and pulled away so much in one race that the SCCA was going to make him tear it down so they could measure it, but once they found out who built the engine, they dropped their inquiry :P

[muffinman2002]

Hey everybody, ZfrkS62 asked me to post a little something on the 300zx shiro edition in here. So I'll do my best to do it justice. Well first of all I do own a 1988 300zx SS (shiro) edition. This is the first gen 300zx body style or Z31 body style as 300zx enthusiasts like to say. You can see my car in another thread I have posted on here at http://www.motorworld.net/forum/showthread.php?t=33405. Heres the history of the car:

In Janurary of 1988 Nissan Held "A White Sale." As part of that sales promotion, Nissan issued a special Limited Edition of the 300ZX Turbo SE Model - Called the Shiro Special Edition 300ZX Turbo SE. Refered to as the SS Edition, this car was painted in a special Pearl White paint (Shiro means White in Japanese). the Special Shiro Edition had the following as standard equipment:

- all Shiros had identical options, none were different
- VG30ET engine (turbo)
- 5spd Overdrive Transmisson (standard)
- two seater
- t-tops
- black interior
- cloth recaro seats
- exclusive pearl white paint
- exclusive 16 inch wheels (white in color)
- exclusive "european" air damn
- analog dash (digital dash was available on non-SS cars)
- non- adjustable, very tight suspension
- exclusive viscous limited slip rear differential
- only 1002 made for use in the U.S.A
- reportedly only 75 made for use in Canada
- Canadian cars had special ID plate just below shifter on center console

Pictures of what the car looks like can be seen in the my other post which I have given the link to above.
[/url]

[ZfrkS62]

Thanks muffinman. Much appreciated :D

[gigdy]

what are the differences from a non ss?

[ZfrkS62]

^^ softer suspension, non sport seats, digital guages..etc, anything that would differ from that list apparently

[muffinman2002]

Non SS's were different in the following ways:

- they never had recaro seats
- the turbos had adjustable suspension
- viscous lsd was available only on the ss. A clutch style lsd was standard on the turbos.
- both analog and digital dashes were available for other 300zx's
- the pearl white paint was available only the SS
- the front spoiler on the SS is different than any other 300zx

The engine in the SS versions were exactly the same as the regular turbo models.

There are more differences but its late and can't think of them right now. I'll elaborate more at another time.

[gigdy]

Thanks :)

[muffinman2002]

oh by the way, in the thread title you spelt shiro wrong.

[ZfrkS62]

oh by the way, in the thread title you spelt shiro wrong.

I had feeling i would :lol: fixed now