Im new - 260z questions for you :D

hi, im getting myself a 240z or 260z, dead set keen on it. not my first datsun though, ive got 2 MQ patrols, may as well keep it in the family  who knows, i may discover some awesome swap-over parts that no body knows about?!?

 

anyway, ive been looking around for months, not seen a lot for sale in a cheap price range over here in perth. today i went and looked at a 260z 2+2. i thought i wouldnt like the 2+2 being that its longer, but im pretty fond of it. ive read that the longer wheel base may be better for driving, whats everyones take on this?

 

im a little concerned about the weight of the 2+2. from a quick wikipedia search, a 2 seater is 1 - 1.1 tonne, where as a 2+2 is over 1.3. thats a little on the hefty side. how much can be shed, removing the rear seats and trim and the like. this car is going to be a toy, like all my other cars (i train to work), so functional is the aim of my game. im thinking it should come in pretty light with a lot of stuff pulled out.

 

im going to bomb out the suspension on this car and have a go at some racing. ive actually got a vn commodore that ive done all coilovers, heavy sway bars etc on, but i want a smaller, sleaker car. the Z is filling this spot perfect, but the vn would be weighing in at 1.3-1.4 and thats why im a little concerned about the weight (not saving a lot). but my question in this paragraph is, i presume i would have no trouble in working a 2+2's suspension. ive done some reading, it sounds like the front is all the same, and whilst the rear is a little different, i should be able to get the correct shocks. and i presume bush kits and sway bars etc would be 'universal'.

 

the car i looked at today is an unfinished project. it was pretty nice, a lot of rust fixed in it. just a few spots, some on the drivers b-pillar, a little along the bottom edge of the doors, that was about it (im pretty good at finding it, the old MQ has taught me well. datsuns are the definition of rust lol). EXCEPT for the big problem i found, the drivers side chassis rail at the front, i found a little hole on the outside. then i had a peak on the inside of the rail, it looked like the whole side of the rail had torn-off/rusted-out from the engine mount forward ~20cm, and a plate had been welded over the top. but it looked dodge, having only a length of weld down the vertical ends, nothing along the top or bottom. this got me worried, so i offered a real low price but the guy wasnt keen. he wants 6 for it, so i think i will let it slide. seen a nice one on carsales in WA with rego and looks decent condition, <10k, i think that will be the buy for me. but what do you all reckon about that chassis, pretty dodge? would the rego people pass something like that? how common is that chassis rust and what is usually done to fix it?

 

hopefully some of my 50 questions get answered. as you can see, im so keen for a Z 

Welcome neRok, unfortunately rust is common, comes with the breed...don't rush it, buy something that CAN be fixed and is practical and financially viable to do so

 

The more rust in the car, the lower the purchase price would be a good rule of thumb

 

Chassis rail is structural so a bodgy repair might not pass rego

 

Pete

first welcome second chassis repair can be done If you look at the spa master experience you will see what was done on my car where the rust got to the floor and sub rail .

Any way good luck

Bruce

Traditionally most people have preferred the shape of the 2 seater but as members here have proven you can make some changes to a 2+2 to make them an awsome looking car. As for the weight keep it in perspective.....Try getting any 6 Cyl these days less than 1500 KG. It is near impossible. I really doubt a VN will actually weigh 1.3 unless it was totally stripped to be a race car. I have owned a Commodore and they are cr#^p to drive compared to a zed. 1300kg for a 2+2 would be full interior and accessorised. So 1300KG for a 260z 2+2 is not so hefty. Beggers can't be choosers anyway. If that weight really bugs you so much you'll just have to fork out the extra for a 2 seater. But at the end of the day it really depends what you plan to use it for. Road use, the extra weight will hardly make a difference but the extra convience will. If you plan to use it on the track then its a different story.

 

I think you might have your wires crossed regarding the differences between the models too.

 

When you say the front are the same and the rear are different. It is true for the panels. Not so for the suspension. The 240z have different size struts (smaller) and the caps up on top were shorter. The 260z had thicker struts and taller caps. Aside from that there was no difference (please correct me if I am wrong). There is no difference (aside from wheelbase) between the 2 seater 260z and a 2+2 260z suspension.

 

 

The 260z had thicker struts and taller caps. Aside from that there was no difference (please correct me if I am wrong). There is no difference (aside from wheelbase) between the 2 seater 260z and a 2+2 260z suspension.

i thought i read that something was a little different in the rear of a 260z 2+2 compared to a 2, longer shocks or something, but i cant be sure, i was doing a heap of reading yesterday, its hard trying to absorb all the info at once.

 

my vn is pretty stripped, no ac, no heater box, not even a hint of a stereo, half the dash gone etc. i think it would be fairly down there, but its still a big car.

 

and i can see the sexiness of a 2 seater, the roof appears to swoop from the windscreen all the way back, whereas 2+2 has sort of bump.

actually, im just comparing 2 pictures as i write this, is the 2+2 shorter from the back of the rear wheels to the end of the car, not so much overhang?

 

thanks Zedsabbath, that was my thoughts.

 

i will have to go find your thread  Spamaster240z, but im stuck reading the bodywork section at the moment 

...the sexiness of a 2 seater, the roof appears to swoop from the windscreen all the way back, whereas 2+2 has sort of bump.

actually, im just comparing 2 pictures as i write this, is the 2+2 shorter from the back of the rear wheels to the end of the car, not so much overhang?

...

 

I think the only bit that differs is that they added the extra foot between the door and the rear wheels to accommodate the rear seat. I'm not sure there is less overhang on the 2+2, but I could be wrong 

 

Oh, and welcome to the forum, good luck on the hunt. 

i only just noticed the overhang, but it could be this picture deceiving me.

WOW, that was hard to read!

I felt like I was reading a text version of your thoughts.

 

I always refer back to this australian site when it comes to australian delivered specifications.

http://zshop.net.au/260tech.htm

 

2+2 is 2630lbs (1192kg) while 2 seater 260z is 2425 (1099kg) so a difference of less then 100kg. The 240 is lighter again due to less strength in the chassis/doors etc.

 

For the 1300kg you might have found specs on an american version (they had extra safety regulations to adhere to), check out the bumpers on that car.

 

So 1200kg is quite a light car, and as you have already mentioned, yes there are quite a few things that can be removed to reduce weight. Dashboard alone weighs a metric crap load. Galderdi has reduced his weight quite a bit with fibre glass panels etc, ask him where to reduce weight from.

As people keep mentioning "around my gut" is a great place to start

 

Replace the standard starter with a VL starter - 2KG

Front fibre bumper -2kg

Rear fibre bumper -2kg

Rear fibre hatch -5kg

Rear hatch glass (Perspex) -2kg

Remove extra mounting lugs from diff -1Kg (The ones we don't use)

Diff Swap from R200 - R180 - 5kg

Fibre Bonnet -5kg

Bonnet hinge reduction -1Kg (Take out the spring and drill holes in it)

New Battery, $130, - 8.54kg

Fibre Windscreen Plenum panel - 2Kg (hard to believe but true)

 

Thats 34.5KG before you even start on the sound deadener and interior.

 

I wouldn't recommend fibre bumpers for a car driven on the road a lot but its up to you.

 

So far my car (240z) weighs in at 1030KG (including a full cage) I know there are lighter cars out there but I haven't finished yet.

I always refer back to this australian site when it comes to australian delivered specifications.

http://zshop.net.au/260tech.htm

2+2 is 2630lbs (1192kg) while 2 seater 260z is 2425 (1099kg) so a difference of less then 100kg. The 240 is lighter again due to less strength in the chassis/doors etc.

For the 1300kg you might have found specs on an american version (they had extra safety regulations to adhere to), check out the bumpers on that car.

thanks for that link, i hadnt found that site. thats good news about the weight, im laughin 

 

thanks for the good tips on weight reduction galderdi, all the little things add up! 1030 with cage, thats pretty good imo.

 

quick question, does the 1192kg include aircon, was it standard fitment?

A/C was definitely not standard equipment, so I assume it isn't included in 1192kg.