zedevan Posted December 7, 2006 Posted December 7, 2006 http://autospeed.drive.com.au/cms/A_2655/article.html so similar to my car yet so not Quote
zedevan Posted December 7, 2006 Author Posted December 7, 2006 for some reason when i first opened it i could read the whole article, then went to look at it again and thought i'd retry the way i found it, just type in rb26 260z in google and its about the third one down and it opens up the full article, atleast for now Quote
mikedoeslife Posted December 7, 2006 Posted December 7, 2006 Damn, that way didn't work for me either. Save the page and send it to us! Quote
zedevan Posted December 7, 2006 Author Posted December 7, 2006 When you?re a car enthusiast who has owned the same machine for almost 20 years, chances are there isn?t much left on the car that remains unmodified. Just take John Whittaker?s 1976 Datsun 260Z for example. The suspension and brakes are f-a-r removed from the standard Datto parts ? and you?d better be ready for a surprise when you pop the bonnet... There?s a tuned Skyline GT-R motor hiding in there! Click for larger image John is the owner/manager of Brisbane Tuning and Turbo Centre and, as you might imagine, he?s had petrol pumping through his veins for many years. Back in the late ?70s, John purchased this RS30-series 260Z from its original owner and proceeded to give it the performance to run with the hot cars of the day ? namely, Toranas, Monaros, Falcons and Chargers. The first serious round of mods saw the original L26 in-line six equipped with a draw-through carby turbo set-up. John says this set-up made quite good power - about 260hp (191kW) at the wheels - but it lacked the oomph to make it a real on-road ego basher. After about four years of running a boosted L26, John decided to step up to the L28 engine (as fitted to the later series Zed). A new engine was pieced together with a ported head and some beefed-up parts and John achieved his goal of improving flexibility and torque. Now fast-forward to the start of the current millennium. Click for larger image As a workshop owner, John didn?t want to get left behind by the current breed of performance cars so he took the big plunge ? fitment of an R32 Skyline GT-R engine (RB26DETT). John says there was a lot of work that had to be done to accommodate the DOHC twin-turbo donk but the similarities between the L-series and RB-series bottom-end helped make it achievable. John recognised the limits of the factory engine mounting arrangement and added an upper engine brace to keep everything sitting where it should. The RB26DETT was slid into the Zed together with the accompanying GT-R gearbox. To suit its adaptation into a rear-wheel-drive car, John removed the front-drive section of the ?box and performed some custom mods. A modified HKS single-plate clutch is sandwiched between the engine and ?box. The Datto IRS has been revised with Nissan R31 Skyline LSD (R200) rear suspension running custom driveshafts. John says it?s unlikely the standard driveshafts would?ve lasted under the stress of a boosted RB26. Click for larger image A squiz around the engine bay reveals some power-up mods to take the RB26DETT well beyond its standard 280hp (206kW) power level. The inlet to the compressors is virtually restriction-free thanks to twin K&N filters and the turbochargers are based on HKS 25/10s. John says he ran the engine with the turbos as supplied from Japan, but after fiddling with the wheels and housings, he managed to pick up torque at both the bottom and top ends of the rev range. A 3 inch mandrel bent exhaust lets the turbines breathe. Click for larger image An air-to-air intercooler was initially used in the car but the front-mount placement of the big core didn?t do any favours in terms of maintaining coolant temperature. The alternative was to switch to a compact water-to-air intercooler set-up using a PWR heat-exchanger, electric pump and dedicated front radiator. John isn?t entirely happy with the set-up on the track ? some experimentation with pump flow and radiator heat-exchange properties might be needed. The intercooler plumbing is made from mandrel bent stainless tube and twin GT-R blow-off valves are fitted. To avoid engine destruction on the racetrack, John has upgraded to a thick core aluminium radiator with a large diameter electric fan. An Odyssey battery, isolator switch and oil catch can are neatly nestled into the rear of the engine bay. Click for larger image The task of controlling fuel, timing and boost pressure is given to an Autronic programmable management system. Fuel is supplied by a set of six Mazda RX-7 (Series 4) injectors and a 700hp Bosch Motorsport fuel pump drinking from a swirl pot. The ignition system is stock with the addition of an Autronic CDI. Boost pressure is limited to 1.2 Bar (17.6 psi) and you?ll find a maximum of 448hp (329kW) at the wheels. John says peak power is attained at 7000 rpm but with the recent turbo tweaking and careful tuning, the car produces strong torque all the way through the rev range. There?s plenty of punch available to kick the rear-end sideways on corner exit. ?The car is pretty neutral in terms of handling,? says John. ?It?s quite controllable and, when you want it, you can make it power oversteer,? he says. Click for larger image The all independent strut suspension uses coil-overs that are custom made by Brisbane Tuning and Turbo Centre using adjustable Koni dampers as the base. Custom adjustable swaybars were also fabricated and a carefully chosen group of bushes are replaced with Nolathane items. John says the car is still driven every day and it was important to maintain an acceptable ride quality. Click for larger image Braking is improved thanks to R32 Skyline calipers and discs together with a Holden VL rear discs. John also added a larger brake master cylinder and braided lines but fell short of installing a hydraulic handbrake ? he?d prefer to keep the original cable-operated system. Despite the substantial improvement, John says the brakes are still pretty marginal ? he plans to switch to R33 Brembos or AP monster anchors. Click for larger image The classic Zed body is standard with a fresh splash of original green pain courtesy of a friend. An aftermarket front lip was added back in the late ?70s/early ?80s and a new rear bumper was about to be fitted after our shoot. The previous one got a li?l bent at a recent track outing... Click for larger image Inside, John has kept much of the '70s Datto feel. The dashboard is standard and retains the factory tacho (using an adaptor off the Autronic ECU) and an oil pressure gauge is integrated where there's normally a clock. A boost gauge and shift light are also added to the steering column. The standard steering wheel remains and there's an aftermarket driver's seat and harness for track purposes. A new set of race seats are soon to be fitted. The area behind the front seats has been stripped and a custom rear suspension tower brace is installed. Rolling on its 16 x 8 alloys and Toyo road-legal slicks (which have now been replaced with Silverstones), John has taken numerous trophies in the historic racing class. And we know what you?re thinking ? it won against old HR Holdens, Anglias and Minis. Wrong! This machine has snatched glory from hairy-chested monsters such as replica Ford GT40s - get the picture?! John is justifiably proud that the car has been built entirely in-house and is frequently street driven. With a move to Silverstone semi-slicks he?s hoping for a bit more adhesion to further reduce lap times. And it?ll need all the adhesion it can get when John follows through with his plan to build a RB30/RB26 hybrid engine. ?I think it will arrive somewhere around 650hp (478kW) at the wheels and I want to make plenty down low ? 200hp (147kW) at 2000 rpm is what I?m after,? he says. Contact: Brisbane Tuning and Turbo Centre +61 7 3393 1588 Quote
mikedoeslife Posted December 8, 2006 Posted December 8, 2006 Evan, you are a legend. Thanks for the effort mate! Quote
NZeder Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 Here is the article in PDF format - and the images and text has also been posted above I see. 8391_.pdf Quote
RBZ 260 Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 It also the same at me that the first serious round of mods saw the original L26 in-line six equipped with a draw-through carby turbo set-up. _________________ Poster URL removed sounds like spam. as it doesnt make any F sense. happened on another forum as well.. Lurch nuking time. back to the topic i believe this same car is in one of the "Seriuos Performance" videos . they had that against various SR powered cars. from memory sr20 powered bluebird, 1600, KE corrolla and a celica, etc...... but the owner looked lot older. may try and dig up the video. or see if any copies are on the net. Quote
RBZ 260 Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 actualy its SERIOUS PERFORMANCE 6 • Eight car SR20 turbo conversion shootout: Bluebird vs Celica vs 1600s vs Corolla vs 180B vs Torana XU-1 • Two 550hp Supras head to head • Supercharged V8 Bullet roadster vs BD4's turbo MX-5 • Maz-Fix modifieds: 20B RX-3 & RX-7 SP single turbo • Blowing away turbo myths: Turbos, intercoolers, blow-off valves, wastegates • Australia's fastest GTS-T Skyline: 10.6 seconds and oversteer on tap • C&V's nitrous WRX • Rigoli's 480hp Corolla + workshop tour • Pushing Honda's Integra Type R to redline • GT-R powered Datsun 260Z gets towed away • NZ's fastest cars: GT-R, S4 RX-7 & Integra • First drive: Mitsubishi Evo VII • Rare Japanese WILL VS • Supercharged Honda S600 • 13B turbo Mercedes now got to find where is my copy. thats if i can find VHS video to play it on. Quote
Moderators Zedman240® Posted June 4, 2009 Moderators Posted June 4, 2009 I think he wants us to buy some of his "Refrigerated water filters" Pretty lame attempt at advertising... Quote
Administrators gav240z Posted June 4, 2009 Administrators Posted June 4, 2009 Go sell you're refidgerated crap else where! > No point talking to him, its an automated bot who posted it. Looks like these spammers are getting smarter though. God damn I'd love to find the bastards who write these scripts though. Quote
zzzzed Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 actualy its SERIOUS PERFORMANCE 6 • Eight car SR20 turbo conversion shootout: Bluebird vs Celica vs 1600s vs Corolla vs 180B vs Torana XU-1 • Two 550hp Supras head to head • Supercharged V8 Bullet roadster vs BD4's turbo MX-5 • Maz-Fix modifieds: 20B RX-3 & RX-7 SP single turbo • Blowing away turbo myths: Turbos, intercoolers, blow-off valves, wastegates • Australia's fastest GTS-T Skyline: 10.6 seconds and oversteer on tap • C&V's nitrous WRX • Rigoli's 480hp Corolla + workshop tour • Pushing Honda's Integra Type R to redline • GT-R powered Datsun 260Z gets towed away • NZ's fastest cars: GT-R, S4 RX-7 & Integra • First drive: Mitsubishi Evo VII • Rare Japanese WILL VS • Supercharged Honda S600 • 13B turbo Mercedes now got to find where is my copy. thats if i can find VHS video to play it on. i have that dvd its pretty cool, gotta love the old school rotor merc lol Quote
RBZ 260 Posted June 5, 2009 Posted June 5, 2009 cool Mick may have to bring them next time on the cruise. or if u can copy it for me ill fix you up for the troubles. Quote
zzzzed Posted June 5, 2009 Posted June 5, 2009 i cant see a cruize happening on the zedgarage any time soon so maby if you pm me your address ill send them to you. or drop them off if i make it that your way in the next couple of weeks Quote
RBZ 260 Posted June 10, 2009 Posted June 10, 2009 no probs no rush mick. when u in the area. cruise hopefully gets delayed needs some repairs to the z. need to change the clutch master leaking. got new one. and........ also been a bit nauty (not intentionaly) and went offroading (over median strips) with the z and kinda stuffed the alignment. :'( lucky its only the alignment and not the car could have been very nasty. Quote
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