The Brown Hornet - as NEW 1971 240Z - SOLD

[acf321]

and finally.

[Brabham]

Looking nice Adam. What is Nat's new toy, Maserati Bora? I know what it is but it escapes me for the moment. I also agree with you on the Pic of the Porsche 917 you put up, it is my favorite car of all time. I would have a long tail in Gulf colors if money were no object. Did you know there is a company in Melbourne that builds an almost exact 917 replica, many of the parts copied from an original car, it also takes a Porsche engine, check out werkzcars.net or .com I think it is. The orange looks great on the finished car, will be good to have a few more running zeds in Sydney since there are not many Sydney zeds left (mine is not running!!!). Cheers.

[garvice]

So you don't need the 260 shifter?

 

Brad

[acf321]

Week 52...

 

James sent me these today ... the dizzy is not on, or the leads and the exhaust is not my system, but is the exact NISMO factory race tuned length items, complete with the ever so sexy (and period correct) heat wrap. I bought new open ended alloy lug nuts in gunmetal finish to go with the wats through the week, and have ordered new Klearz parking / blinker lens through the week. Did not get in to see the hornet however.

 

I was in Red Hill Victoria at a winery and saw a great red zed 240 fly by.. made me want to get the hornet operational asap! if that was your car, it looked awesome and was going bloody fast !

 

I don't know about you, but this motor looks pretty exciting in my book.

 

Cheers

 

Adam.

 

ps Lurch - i sent these pics through, but while waiting my mate here showed me how to attach finally. Thanks for offering to assist me on this mate.

[Scoota G]

Ohhh ahhhh Japanese Porn ... Me Rikey

[RB30X]

Brings a little tear to my eye. :'(

[WA240Z]

Engine really looks the goods. Are you going to be using a similar tuned length header, or a more standard unequal length primarys header? The set in the picture look like they would work well with a twice pipe exhaust system. How long before the engine gets onto the engine dyno? I must say I don't envy the wait you have had, 12 months now, but, the standard of craftmenship that has gone into your car will, I am sure, be more than worth the wait once finished and you get to really enjoy driving an outstanding restored sports car.

[acf321]

thanks WA240..

 

i think that is the exact system that James is putting on my car ... he tells me that is the one he has ordered for me. I'm no exhuast expert , but it is a tuned length Nissan racing item. The wait has been a long time now, but this really has given me a lot of interest and been a nice distraction from work etc etc etc.

[acf321]

Week 53...

 

These pics just in tonight from James, entitled 'Dat-porn'. The engine is all but finished, but for the heat shielding, and an internal part we're waiting on from Warren for the dizzy. The leads are custom MSD, made by James. Nat's waiting on some new front brake rotors and then the car will be on the ground, complete with Watanabes. Need to get the gear shifter changed (as in Lurch's red car) to account for the 260Z box, fuel pump and lines installed and I reckon thats about it.

 

Should be about a month before this is all done, but closer to the time i'll post a note to tell you to keep your ears open .. I'd say we'll all be able to hear this thing fire up for the first time !

 

Enjoy.

 

Adam

 

[chris240]

looking Maaaarvelous Adam....

cant help thinking that when I lived in Sydney, James' workshop was 6-7mins around the corner...

[acf321]

week 54...

 

Again, not much more to report, other than having had the wheels added and Nat has 'blacked out' the front of the radiator shroud. We've been waiting about ten weeks for the correct brake master cylinder to arrive, but unfortunately the wrong one turned up this week, so back to the drawing board. Spent two hours just fiddling with the car with Nat today. I made (yes me!) a new piece to fill in the transmission tunnel hole from the incorrectly installed 260Z gear box, and then we changed the window channel rubbers and properly aligned the glass. This stuff literally takes hours to get right.

 

Hopefully i'll pick up the motor in the coming couple of weeks to get this part moving. Nat (and I) want this thing to get moving.

 

Cheers

 

Adam

[C.A.R.]

The rear rims need more dish Adam - to my eye it make the car look odd :-\

[mossy]

The car looks fantastic Adam, I have to agree with Lurch though some dished r-type wats would look amazing on your car, here is a pic of the 16x8 wats I just picked up.

 

[NZeder]

I am sure the ultimate goal is R-Type with more depth - but for now the F-Type is what Adam could find used and locally in Sydney. Car is looking great Adam. Makes me want to get out to the garage and work on mine again. If fact bye guys out to the shed now.

[acf321]

Thanks guys for the comments, good to have the feedback.

 

Salty, you'll have to come up and show me how to wrestle this thing around a track .. just like the old school ones you drove back in the day!

 

Hopefully I have some updates and more photos by the weekend .. Nat's been busy.

 

Cheers

 

Adam

[mossy]

Heres a pic of my wats Adam, they are 16x8 0 offset and 225/45 tyres, it doesn't look as good because it needs to be lowered and I'm thinking the colour need to be different but it may give you an idea anyway.

[acf321]

Week 56...

 

The hornet is on all fours. We're waiting on a few parts which are on order and include; front rotors, OEM master cylinder, and a plate for the dizzy and we're about ready to go. Nat has sent my seats back to the trimmer to have the covers properly fitted, and the radiator has gone out to be triple-cored and restored (this gives me factory look - with extra oomph). I'm planning on picking up the motor next weekend, and am working on getting the exhaust system planned and ordered. If you missed the other post on 240Z exhaust, I have decided to go either Stahl, or Nissan Comp manifold in ceramic, with 2.5" stainless and mandrel bent single pipe, with mid resonator and rear muffler.

 

We've decided we'll have a better look and play with the suspension struts and springs (king 1" lower) once the car is running, but for now the plan is to get the hornet actually going. I actually don't know the diff ratio (its an R180) I have (but suspect its 3.9), nor do I know the ratios in the box, again both of which we can fiddle with at a later time. You might be interested to know i've got a quote on an LSD too (just in case!).

 

I have been restoring the centre console to repair holes at the rear, and the brace between shifter and ash tray that was cut out by a prior owner to account for the more forward located 260 box shift position, that we are fixing as can be seen on Lurch's 240Z car. I bought Matt Clemensha's Sabelt Harnesses which I got yesterday, and they look fantastic.

 

Hopefully something a little more exciting soon.

 

Cheers

 

 

 

[acf321]

week 57...

 

Again not a whole lot to see, but Nat had the factory radiator rebuilt with a new larger triple core insert, so I can keep the factory looks, but have the versatility of more cooling. I've been working on the centre console and have rebuilt the bridge between the shifter section and the ashtray section. I did it with fine three ply, and in the photos i've added you can see it in the interim stages. Today I bought some plastic putty, and undercoat, and when I take a photo tomorrow you'll see that it looks virtually indistinguishable from factory (i hope!!). As chasing up a clutch (anyone have any suggestions here - and no I don't want a brass button drift style thing .. just a good strong clutch to tame the 250'ish ponies). Have got the new master cylinder and a bunch of small parts from the US, and am waiting on new front rotors from Warren (that I will have slotted). Unless someone can find me a set of 1 5/8" Nissan competition headers (or point me in the right direction), it'll be about three months before I can get a set from the US.

 

Can anyone tell me how the rear of the console was held to the back of the tranny tunnel? Were there simply two flat headed screws put through the console into the bracket on the tranny tunnel? seems a but messy if that was the case, but I don't know as my console had thumb sized holes in it at this position, so i'm not sure what to do here. Its hard to find a photo of a correct factory setup, of this location as well.

 

Exhaust is all but planned and ready to go, and we'll likely collect the engine in the next week or two from James. Once that's in Nat can go about customising the shifter to fit properly.

 

I'm now planning how i'm going to run her in .. Salty suggested a run up over the mountains to Lithgow and back one early early sunday morning ...  Sounds tempting.

 

cheers

 

[GV260]

Correct. Refer to attached photo.

[acf321]

Thanks Salty and GV

 

I actually was wondering if anybody has a photo of the console in place, with the OEM screws in place, holding the console in place?

 

i have filled the holes (as they were all smashed up) and I am wondering how do I eventually fix this console to the car, as the factory did, when restored?

 

I know as Salty said, there is one screw in the location of the coin tray (on the 71 console), but what is on the rear and how does this look fitted to the car?

 

Cheers guys

 

Adam

[Riceburner]

Adam here is a pic. Three screws in the rear storage area then two up the very front adjacent to radio. The screws are just black counter sunk metal threads, no washers on mine. They end up flush with the bottom of the console.

 

This is for a 72 model, the early model cars had a different console.

[acf321]

Week 58...

 

Had the day off work, so spent some more time of the centre console .. Ok so its not a professional job, but from what it was to this is a big improvement. I even managed to work out a way to reinstate the chrome strips on the Choke / Throttle lever plate. Not perfect yet, but its getting better. Need to get matching screws for the coin tray and rear mounting holes (to be drilled) and then it should be right to go.

 

I also finally got my seat back adjuster centre caps (i had the circular adjuster dials) from offshore .. They were a little dull, so got a lick of paint too. Am ordering some more bits and pieces from Japan at the moment, including 5-speed shift knob, oil tank for rocker cover vent and so on. Did not collect the engine, as Nat's working on a mate's 356, so the hornet's been moved from its usual spot.

 

Until next post. 

[gus]

you have done a pretty nice job on the centre console if you ask me.... what you do to it?

did you repaint it?

 

clean.

[acf321]

Hi Gus

 

I filled all the holes and cracks with plastic putty and araldite. There were cracks in the corners, and at the rear where the holes had been made to hold it in place, so I made up some braces out of aluminium plate and glued them in place underneath. Sanded the whole thing, undercoated and painted with matt enamel. I asked Nat, and he suggested this was the best way to go. Having let the paint dry and then sanded it several times, I can see it is very hard and durable. Sandpaper required a bit of effort just to shift it. I'll make up either a rubber or leather pad for the rear of the console to protect the new surface and that should do it. Also considered getting Nat to spray the whole thing in clear satin coat two pac ... still might do this depending on how it finishes up.

 

cheers

 

 

 

[acf321]

Week 63....

 

Having left no update in some time, thought I should fill you in on the progress of the 'The Brown Hornet' - and unfortunately i've been slack and have no pictures.

 

1) we've taken the dash out and cleaned out and repainted the frames of the three small gauges .. these were pretty grubby and in need of extra attention. The Dash place (that Nat recommended) can match the new vinyl to the OEM factory finish so they tell me, and I'm getting Nat to do the console in 2 pack satin/matt black. 

 

2) today we picked up the engine from M.I.A Engineering. Its a masterpiece (in my view) and is literally ready to bolt in. We have also restored the gearbox, and put in a new clutch. Whilst I did not see my engine being built, James did have two L26 race motors under construction and showed me the internals, that were the same as mine. I was amazed to see that the actual cylinder bores have 'notches' cut in them for valve relief, and the slightly domed pistons sit proud of the deck height. I am getting a little anxious about how this car will go around the streets .. Hopefully its useable! James tells me it'll be fine!

 

3) The body is back together, including rear tail surrounds, rear bar, rear hatch, scuttle panel, suspension and wheels. I would like to have the car about 1.5" lower than were it now sits, but that will come in time.

 

4) Once the motor is installed, the hornet will be trailered to Penrith Muffler Man for the exhaust manifold and system. I did speak to Andy and he really knows his craft. We're going with tuned length extractors in mild steel. I have also had an offer to use a system from a mate in the French 240Z club, and MSA are pricing up a final price on a Stahl. At the end of the day, i'm pretty sure PMM will get the job.

 

5) Seats and frames are all as new, with the covers just requiring some minor adjustment to fit correctly. The factory radiator has been triple cored and restored... it looks excellent!

 

Hopefully nxt week I can get some photos with the motor installed. After that, she'll be booked for a trip to Penrith!

 

Cheers

 

Adam