Still around but no progress :(

[PeterAllen]

Thanks - I covered the unibody construction.

 

I can see where your engineer and the regulators are coming from on this.

 

Changing the configuration, even the gauge size of components, will affect the deformation pattern of the vehicle in an impact. From that perspective I would agree that careful consideration needs to be given to replacing the engine bay rails with a heavier gauge material - the last thing you want on impact is for them not deforming but coming through the firewall into the occupant compartment. 

 

I don't think an S30 would have any ADR compliance requirement regarding cabin intrusion other than the side intrustion bars in the doors - anyway the steering wheel is likely to kill you before anything else. I doubt any modification which strengthens the occupant compartment would likely be rejected on a car of the S30 vintage.

 

The lastest update has NSW adopting the National Standards in Jan 2009, i.e. three years after the other states!

[DevilZ]

Is it just me that thinks an S30 is complete junk with anything except an L - series engine in it?

 

I cant understand why anyone would want to fit another engine to an L series like an RB, SR20 or VG30 etc..... especially not V8's !!!!

An R33 skyline goes for less then 10k now a days. If you want an Rb why not buy one of them. There chasis and gearbox is already built to take the engine and its a tonn cheaper to upgrade the suspension etc on a skyline then a Z plus the brakes are decent too.

 

Anything but an L series in a Z just seems like junk to me. Also significantly drops the resale value.

 

 

[mrp69]

Thanks - I covered the unibody construction.

 

I can see where your engineer and the regulators are coming from on this.

 

Changing the configuration, even the gauge size of components, will affect the deformation pattern of the vehicle in an impact. From that perspective I would agree that careful consideration needs to be given to replacing the engine bay rails with a heavier gauge material - the last thing you want on impact is for them not deforming but coming through the firewall into the occupant compartment. 

 

I don't think an S30 would have any ADR compliance requirement regarding cabin intrusion other than the side intrustion bars in the doors - anyway the steering wheel is likely to kill you before anything else. I doubt any modification which strengthens the occupant compartment would likely be rejected on a car of the S30 vintage.

 

The lastest update has NSW adopting the National Standards in Jan 2009, i.e. three years after the other states!

 

what happens with this national standards??

 

does that mean i dont need to reegineer my car as its engineered in VIC and im in NSW??

 

peter

[stevo_gj]

Is it just me that thinks an S30 is complete junk with anything except an L - series engine in it?

 

I cant understand why anyone would want to fit another engine to an L series like an RB, SR20 or VG30 etc..... especially not V8's !!!!

An R33 skyline goes for less then 10k now a days. If you want an Rb why not buy one of them. There chasis and gearbox is already built to take the engine and its a tonn cheaper to upgrade the suspension etc on a skyline then a Z plus the brakes are decent too.

 

Anything but an L series in a Z just seems like junk to me. Also significantly drops the resale value.

 

 

 

Ahh you purist you! I can see where you're coming from with that but many people on this forum (me included) want the pros of having a newer engine combined with the styles of the S30. I want an original looking 260z but with a modern powerplant that has better fuel consumption, reliability and power. You're right about devaluing the car though, and the only reply I have to that is that I never intend to sell my Z, which isn't really an argument haha.

 

And as for skylines (i associate bad things with that name unconsciously) they're just not to my tastes. I love Zs  (no offence to any skyline owners, that just personal preference speaking)

[biggels240z]

Hey guys i know where your coming from abouta modern day engines with more power but in terms of reliablility i ve done more thatn 100 000 k since i rebuilt my zed and havent had a problem with it , it gets around 8.5-9k per litre no matter how i drive it if the cops pull me over it looks standard i dont think you can bet the l series engine it will take a beating and keep coming back for more!!!!! unlike a lot of more modern combos!!!!!!!!

 

just my thought

 

cheers

Richard

[stevo_gj]

Hey guys i know where your coming from abouta modern day engines with more power but in terms of reliablility i ve done more thatn 100 000 k since i rebuilt my zed and havent had a problem with it , it gets around 8.5-9k per litre no matter how i drive it if the cops pull me over it looks standard i dont think you can bet the l series engine it will take a beating and keep coming back for more!!!!! unlike a lot of more modern combos!!!!!!!!

 

just my thought

 

cheers

Richard

 

I still haven't been pulled over! I must not look very sus... or they see my seat covers and are too busy laughing. Anyway you certainly are right, the L26 motor (original) I am running is still going strong and has been very reliable so far. I won't be changing until its about ready to die anyway with the way my finances are going. The fuel efficiency I get is closer to 7.5 k / litre, or 13L/100km which is pretty average.

 

I've noticed something though, people that describe talk about L series motors use qualitative arguments, while people who talk about newer engines tend to use quantitative arguments. Interesting...  Not necessarily a bad thing just thought I'd point it out. You can't put numbers on sound quality and originality and many other of the reasons that its good to use the L series engines.

[DevilZ]

Ahh you purist you! I can see where you're coming from with that but many people on this forum (me included) want the pros of having a newer engine combined with the styles of the S30. I want an original looking 260z but with a modern powerplant that has better fuel consumption, reliability and power. You're right about devaluing the car though, and the only reply I have to that is that I never intend to sell my Z, which isn't really an argument haha.

 

And as for skylines (i associate bad things with that name unconsciously) they're just not to my tastes. I love Zs  (no offence to any skyline owners, that just personal preference speaking)

 

I thought about the path of running an RB in the car initially too just on the basis of fuel injection, power etc....Back 7 years ago there was a lot of hype about DYNO power (princesses) and everyone wanted 1000hp+ hahaha but after racing in enough cars you find that power doesn't automatically transform into speed. For example this guy who used to race with us had a 400kw at the wheels Honda CRX and he got smoked time and time again by a stock SS Holden.

Anyway I liked the idea of running the origional L-Series better because i didn't want to take away from the character of the car but I did want more power and easy starting etc...(the benifits of new engine). The old L-Series are already very reliable as they are fairly simple engines. Thats why i went down the path of multi throttle body injection. The car starts and runs like any other modern engine now and is putting out fairly decent power. The L-Series scream is still there too !!!

[apsilon]

....Back 7 years ago there was a lot of hype about DYNO power (princesses) and everyone wanted 1000hp+

 

I'd say that's still the case. You still see a lot of massive turbos being bolted to small engines so they produce high peak power. Only thing they're good for are drags and brags IMO.

 

As for engine choice I understand both sides of the fence. On one side the appeal of a modern engine and the conveniences of them as well as being a good starting point for a build (less work to achieve a goal as you've got a head start) while retaining the unique style of the car offers something that simply can't be bought in a production car in the current market (excluding a few exoticars that are out of reach of most of us). On the other side I also appreciate the effort and nostalgia that goes into keeping it within the vintage.

 

This will be my last build, I feel. I decided it may as well be something with great style so the 240Z was obvious but I also would've liked a V8 as it's about the only engine that I've never owned and they're not available in any decent cars that I can afford (no Falcodores aren't a decent car IMO, sorry) so this was sort of a last chance. As such I wanted to build my modern interpretation of what the Zed could and should be today, especially after owning a 350Z which I felt really missed the mark in terms of heritage. To that end I chose a modern V8, even a Nissan one to keep it in the family, the VH41. Then I ran into the roadblock known as the RTA. While it's a legal swap they make it far more difficult than it needs to be.

 

Realising that I'd like to get it done so I can enjoy the car I decided to take an easier path with the RB26 conversion. Afterall the RB series is pretty much the direct decendant of the L6 series so it seemed a fitting swap. That was going to cost more however so that delayed things and work and life got in the way as they tend to do. That was all pretty depressing that my goal had been delayed further. I had intended to finish the project within 2 years but 2 years down the track I haven't even started. So here I am today. My goal now still being a full restore/rebuild and for ease (in terms of engeineering approval etc) I'll be staying with the L series. I've done a lot of planning over the last 2 weeks, more than I've done in the last year and am determined to be on the home stretch of the project by this time next year. Time will tell I guess.

 

[PeterAllen]

I'm installing an LS1. It passes the National Code of Practice requirements to which NSW will eventually sign up.

[apsilon]

How? The VH41 only scrapped into the allowed capacity by 34cc?

[nat0_240_chevZ]

How? The VH41 only scrapped into the allowed capacity by 34cc?

 

prob a 260z? ie heavier.

but the COP is only a guide to what they will allow without toooo much drama's.

you CAN legally still get almost anything engineered and roadworthy, provided you have heaps of coin and an engineer willing to sign his insurance policy over for it, they will not dis-allow a car because it wasnt in the easy category to comply with road safety regs. read them carefully.

 

nat0

[apsilon]

You're right, you can do anything if you're willing to go the path of moving away from production status. Now that I'm at home and have my notes I can see the RTA weight for the 240Z is 1041kg. Under the yet to be introduced rules the allowed capacity for an NA was 4x that so 4162cc. I can't see a 260Z, even a 2+2, weighing that much more.

 

If going for an ICV rego I'd love to hear more about what's invovled etc as it's something I didn't even consider as it was outside my area of interest.