S130 Fairlady 280Z 2 seater

those lockers are illegal on the a road car here in NZ so not sure about AU.

Cos I'm sure your CIG diff is legal too right? 

Just do what Gerhard does....... As it skips the inside wheel.

"Yeah, it's an LSD. It's just really tight!"

Yeah right!!!!     

Subaru R180 is on my to do list too! I'll be watching with interest to see how you go about the axles and stuff

Subaru R180 is on my to do list too! I'll be watching with interest to see how you go about the axles and stuff

To be honest Alex, I'm hoping my CV's that I have in there now will do the job. 

Do Subaru and 280zx have the same number of splines?

Do Subaru and 280zx have the same number of splines?

Good question. One I'll eventually find out, when I either search or pull it apart.

I'm hoping they're the same. Jake says Subaru has 27 spline count. Not sure on diameter.

Meh, too many go fast bits Simon.

Pot, kettle? 

I'm spending money to catch you and you're spending money too.

Whoever doesn't run out first........ Will still be beaten by Gordo!

Good question. One I'll eventually find out, when I either search or pull it apart.

I'm hoping they're the same. Jake says Subaru has 27 spline count. Not sure on diameter.

OK from what I can gather:

• Front mount is the same (you just have to spin it around)
  
• Axels are the same length on an R180 from what i have read - see if you have two different length ones
  
• You need an R180 rear mount
  
• If you CVs are 27 spline plug in type on the diff side they will probably fit (that would be awesome). These diffs are the same as S-12 K-series R180 LSDs with the exception they dont have stub axels (which can be installed to bolt to stock shafts). So you know how Nissan are with that sort of stuff
  
• I'm going to have a crack at convering one of these LSDs to have stub axels so people can bolt them in with stock axels.
  

Well, I made my return to Haunted Hills Hillclmb, now named Bryant Park.

I stayed the night at Lurch's house, enjoyed a few beers and shot some sh!te. It was a very wet and cold day. Kindly, the weather cleared when I got up early Sunday morning. It was cold and windy, but considered to be pretty good weather up there.....

As everyone knows, unloading the cars and getting them through scrutineering is exciting as we all know whats coming for the day. When I fired up the Z, it sounded a bit "off". I put it down to just being cold. But when driving it through the pits to scrutineering, I knew there was something amiss. Once passed and signed off, it was back to my pit area to pop the bonnet. It was really not firing on all cylinders. I narrowed it down to number 6, big clue was I could hold the extractor pipe while it was running. I quickly called my local back up crew, Peter and Lurch, to see what my options were. Lurch found some plugs in his garage and headed down. While he was in transit, I didn't give up and took it out for a drive to clean out the cobwebs. A hint from Peter and clutching at straws by me. It was a shocker to drive! but I kept it in second gear and just gave it a good rev. Apparently, it sounded horrendous. All of a sudden, it shuddered, coughed and splurted. And like flicking a switch, it turned into the animal that I know and love.

I returned to the track triumphant! "That sounds a LOT better!" I was told, but it wasn't necessary, I knew it!

As it turned out, it was just a fouled plug, So I dropped the Pilot jet and backed of the Idle screw, to lean out the idle. 

to be continued..................

Once drivers briefing was over, it was time to start the event. Morning was standard clockwise track. Then after lunch, the figure 8.

My first run was non eventful as I was getting familiar with the track. But the first thing noticed was the clear lack of traction from the Siberian winter that seems to constantly live there.

Second run, I decided to get a little more serious and dropped my tyre pressures and do a burnout before starting. Not that it seemed to help me much, it seems that I've gotten the yips and have lost my balls. I swear I used to drive harder, a few breakages over the years has ingrained mechanical sympathy. I can only be called a blouse so many times by Peter Mac......... I was getting much better at doing line lockers, you don't really get much of an opportunity to do them. So by the end of the day, I was doing the best burnouts there! lol

By my 4th run, the track had more grip and I was starting to feel it a bit better and knocked a clear second off my times. Then they called lunch. Which gave the weather time to cool and even some fine water drops to fall.

The figure 8 track is even more daunting than the first session. For those who've never seen or been there. Video's do not do it justice. It is tricky with its off camber corners and crests where you cannot see the road. It just goes against your natural instincts to accelerate over a crest of a hill, knowing you are entering an off camber corner........ somewhere close. I set up my phone to take some incar footage for my first run of the 8. The grip levels weren't too bad, for the day. But seeing this was my first run, I took it easy. I watched the video and saw where I could make up some time. On my second run, over a crest that turns left off camber, I knew I could carry more speed. Problem is, the track was slipperier this time. I quickly became a passenger and struggled to regain both brakes and steering. Taking a slight excursion off the track with half the car. Posting half a second slower than run 1.

As it turned out, I couldn't beat my original time. The day, at least for me, was more of a drifting session. I had a ball, the car ran well after the early scare and everything was in 1 piece. A successful day all round!

As it turns out. From leaving home, driving my sessions and getting home again.

Is all under 300kms in distance.

So I'd like to see another Z, in fact, a whole group of Z's there next time. Its a really great day 

Looks pretty narrow Simon,  especially in that second pic! No wonder you were driving with your handbag  Shame about the weather, but at least it got a solid thrashing and everything is working well.

PMC engine on a track. Where is the YouTube clip? 

I've had that happen a few times; if you start and stop the car several times without a good warm up, plugs are fouled and it runs like a pig! (Once though it just ran out of fuel! hahaha)

This happened to me on Saturday. I just put the choke on to smooth out the car on the track, turns out I was out of fuel lol! Also had the terrible running thing before too, I just put my foot flat on the freeway on ramp and smoked out the cars behind me before the plugs cleared up.

PMC engine on a track. Where is the YouTube clip? 

If you had a facebook account you would have seen it

Yup.

I put a video on Facebook from the track.

But I've also got some wide angle lens incar with a GoPro competitor, made by Polaroid I think. 

I'll edit up a video for YouTube.

In the meantime, hit me up on Facebook mofos.

PM me for details

Sweet looking ride, nice to see another zx.

Sweet looking ride.

He is young and pretty 

He is young and pretty 

Oh dear....... George has his gay on again 

Rims

After much thought. I've decided that I don't like having black or dark mags on a black car.

I tossed around a few ideas and settled on painting the spare set of rims GOLD. So Friday night, the masking tape came out. While watching the AFL Preliminary final between the Pies and the Swans, I had a few JD & cokes. And while I wasn't either watching footy or pouring a drink......... The mags were worked upon, luckily it was a pretty average game.

Can't believe how much better they look for so little work and expense.  I haven't got them on the car yet, so no pics of them fitted yet. But DECA is on this weekend, so there will definantly be some action shots coming 

Bracing

Years ago, I made a strut brace that was meant to be a prototype/stop gap. I kind of forgot all about it really.

Well, I revisited it last week and pretty happy with the results. Its made from aluminium extrusion and since I don't have any TIG welding facilties. Its machined, drilled, tapped and screwed together. As you can see in the pic, its lower than the original. As there were some issues with lightly hitting the bonnet.

I'm happy with how its come up, its what version 1 should have been all along! 

Proof (that you're a nobhead!)

I've also picked up a new toy. An AEE SD19 action camera. It has 175° wide angle lens, LCD display, remote control and of course, the water/shock proof protective cover. It even has a damn "Laser" 

They supply enough mounts to have multiple positions, using 3M foam stickers. And a suction cup for mounting to glass and paint.

I've put a mount in the middle of the car inside the air dam that should give some great action shots aswell as capturing the induction noise from the cold air intake, which is right behind the camera 

Good work on the wheels, obviously JD&coke brings out your artistic streak  Strut brace looks very similar to cusco types!

Here are some pics of the latest mods.

The new strut brace fitted, with obligatory engine bay pic 

And the gold rims, fitted. Pretty happy with them now 

NDSOC & FPV clubs DECA 2012

What an amazingly fun day!

There were 4, yes, 4 Z's from this very forum entered.

Myself, sharing with my dad.

Gordon, Rich and Andrew.

Unfortunatley, we didn't get put into the same group though  :'(

Motorkhana

Out of 38 entrants, 3 of the top 10 cars were Z's! 

And all of us top 15!

Gordo won the Z challenge in 7th spot. 1 wrong direction, adding about 13 seconds.

Rich, a mere .01 sec behind in 8th spot. So timing error could have been a factor. 1 wrong direction, adding about 22 seconds.

Myself , 1.46 secs behind in 9th spot. 1 wrong direction and 1 hit cone, adding about 25 secs.

Ron, 4.84 secs behind in 11th spot. No mistakes.

Andrew, 12.82 secs behind. 1 wrong direction, adding about 17 secs.

Back track

Gordo, as expected was the quickest of the Z's again! With a 46.2 and 9th overall.

Myself, in 15th with 47.95.

Andrew, in 18th with 48.1.

Ron, in 28th with 50.24.

Rich, in 30th with 50.59.

I had a ball, until after lunch. When I tried to strat the car.......... DEAD!

Due to having an underun pulley on the ATI balancer, which is to slow down the spin of the water pump more than anything. The alternator, doesn't actually charge until 3,000RPM.

Now in a motorkhana, there is lots of idling and putting around. This means there is no airflow though the radiator also, so the thermo fan gets a workout to keep temps down. And if we turned the car off, we had to push start it.

So with 2 drivers, we wound up with no power. To get through the day, we'd do our run, race back to the dummy grid and connect a 4x4 battery with jumper leads to trickle charge. Made for an interesting time.

VB Challenge

This is a knock out slalom event between the 2 clubs. It is a total blast.

Sharing a car that wouldn't idle, as it stalled was interesting to say the least! But we did it.

In my first run, I knocked out a turbo Subaru and dad got knocked out by the eventual winner.

My second run, was against Rich's brother, Cam. The multiple winning Shelby Cobra,with secret weapon........ the hydraulic handbrake!

I struggled to get the car to the line, as I had to hold revs @ 2,000RPM. We started, as I took off. You knew it was running rich and was fouling the plugs. But I beat Cam to the 180° turn at the other end. I sounded my fog horn to let people know my barge was tuning around and found myslef slightly behind Cam. To make up ground, I had to push a little harder................ Which was near out of control! I was drifting more than anything else and made it into the garage sideways, without hitting a single cone! But was still beaten by the narrowset of margins.

Either way, what fun 

Can't recommend this event enough. next year, I want to see a heap more Z's!

Video to come.

Now to fix my electrical issue, PMC informed me of a more modern upgrade. So I'll be trying this soon.

Looks great.  The gold wheels are a big WIN 

Nice wheels. I love the engine bay, black ignition leads would make it look a bit cleaner I think.

I might be the odd one out not liking the gold wheels, but hey everything else is awesome so I don't even care that much!

I'm with Agno sorry Simon.