gav240z

It really all depends on what you want, a vintage racer feel would be to stick with the L-series. I love these engines, easy to work on, sound great and aesthetically look good in the engine bay. I also find them relatively good on fuel too! Another reason why I will more than likely keep the L-series is that you won't get hassled or defected by the Police. If you pop the hood and it's a stock looking L-series I think you'll get less hassle myself. Even though I've been in an L-series still on twin SU's that produced 280HP and it was absolutely nuts! You're not going to make gobs of power though without spending some time and money on it. It's definitely not an economical way to making power. If you are interesting in building a serious L-series speak with Peter Mac on here, there are various threads showing the work he's done with them and power he's obtained but it won't come cheap. If you like the idea of a turbo in a vintage car like the 240z then an SR20, RB or similar would be best. However if you want old school muscle feel a V8 would be awesome. To be honest these cars are so light that you don't need massive power to make them go, I would like to see what a 13B or 20B turbo would be like in these, I know in my FD which is about 200KG heavier it feels very very quick, I imagine a single turbo 13B with say a GT35R making about 400-450HP would be absolutely insane and wouldn't cost a fortune. The other advantage of the rotary is low weight to power ratio, you could stick that well behind the front wheels and have an almost MR drivetrain layout. However it depends on what you can live with . Rotary's do use a good bit of fuel. Again it all comes down to your build direction, I love the old L-banger but it is dated now. Perhaps ask for someone to take you for a spin in their car to get a feel for it? I know after being in a properly worked L-series powered Z I was like 'no need for engine swaps' .

Welcome Chief, stick up some photos of your work in progress. We are all an inquisitive bunch.

Hi Everyone, Some great photos in here of different design stages for the S30. Thought it was worth sharing, it also contains some of the names involved with the design process. Note: A particular German is not mentioned anywhere, hmmm funny that?

Ughhh what a sham, here I am thinking it was this chick into Zeds and restoring cars. Lies lies lies....

Hey Guys, I came across this today on Speedhunters. http://www.iheartstance.com/2012/11/speedhunters-guest-post.html Think we need to get a feature on this car and owner for our own site .

Agreed it's run its course. Funny it's the most viewed thread in the last couple of weeks.

Looks good, but we only get 1 picture?

Think I remember seeing it listed for sale a couple of years ago, in Geelong. Not sure if it's a different owner in Geelong or new owner? I'd be a bit scared to look under the paint on it. It at least looks reasonably complete. Not sure who thought that pin striping was a good idea around the rear quarter?

Any pics of the car? Engine looks good. Are your photos on picasa? If so they should have a share link which will give you the URL for pasting into forums / blogs etc...

Strange but when I saw the interior pics I thought wow looks really nice, but those seats belts certainly look the age of the car. Rest of the interior looks new. Tend to agree some new belts might be a good idea, but I thought generally speaking you replace them if they are frayed, these don't look frayed just faded and dirty?

Good to know it was just a few simple things causing the smoke. Every time something goes wrong with these cars people assume it's rebuild time . I always wonder how many cars for sale that say require rebuild actually do require 1? I've heard chook cooker before in Australia, not really sure how it got that nick name. Think it's to do with the dirty noise they make. A quick search on Youtube for 'chook cooker' and you can hear a dirty rotor alright .

Awesome looking Z please upload some photos of that red interior. It's 1 of my favorite combinations Silver on red and your Z looks absolutely immaculate even if you say it has some rust (don't they all?).

Oh dear, it looks like a lot of dirty laundry is being aired on Auszcar. If this does get out of control I think the thread will need to be locked. The issue is in the hands of the Police now and as such I would like to see them deal with the situation.

So have you sorted the engine issues you were having? It doesn't require a rebuild I'm hoping? Good that it starts on the button - hot, means compression is still really good.

Yar

Peter good luck with the sale mate, I'm sure it's not an easy decision. It looks like it was really coming along nicely too.

Yeah the ZX is a great car in 2 seater configuration and much more like the earlier S30. My favorite ones are the turbo racing cars like the 1 in this article. http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/alms-lime-rock-friday-notebook/

I can't believe your worried about the fuel cap / cover. We all know the eye sore of the S30 is the cigarette lighter. On a serious note I think the S30 has more in common with the styling of the Ferrari 250GTO than it does the E-type Jag. Now that had a cool fuel cap and position. @Ozzy 79 - why limit yourself to a simple fuel cap modification when you could build the worlds first racing brake 280zx?

I am fine with the standard 240z fuel cap . However if I was to change anything it would be to smooth it off and put the fuel filler behind the number plate so the plate would tilt down.

Mate, can you do me a huge favor and post up a tutorial on interior painting? I've read various articles around the web but I'm still a bit shy to attempt it on my FD's interior. Here is what I want to convert to: http://www.irishrotary.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6540&start=150#p48753 I want to paint my door cards in bright red and the rear storage bins (which have scratches and other marks on them). Speaking of which do you have tips for dealing with scratched plastic? Like it usually has that textured look, is there anyway you can replicate that say if you were to sand the surface before painting? Also the guys who matched the interior paint for you in Victoria, does the paint come in an aerosol can? I ask because I hear there can be issues with shipping them via Air and if I was to order from them and get it sent to Ireland I might not be able to get them sent over. Car is looking absolutely amazing mate.

Make sure to keep all the original bits you remove like those flat tops are the best ones I've seen in a long time condition wise. I also like ford tear drop mirrors or OEM door mirrors. I have some bullet mirrors but can't decide if I should fit them. I like the originals a lot. Wheel choice is a winner and please keep interior white. I had that combo on my first 240z love it.

Buy some of the rebuild DVDs it does look relatively straight forward but would help to have someone with experience watch over you. I think 4.5k is reasonable to be honest if its an expert and guaranteed work. You'll get many more years of use out of it if you take care of it. Second hand engines are unknown quantity so if you plan to keep the car I'd rebuild. Might wanna go 13b since parts can still be obtained I think 12a is harder to get parts for also Mazda made many improvements to ports that will give you more HP. Would you consider a renesis 13b? Would go like stink in an FB. Otherwise I highly recommend the 13b few out of the FD over an SR20 but I'm a converted rotary nutter. Maybe keep driving as is then rebuild a second hand motor on the side? Is it really smokey?

Don't be afraid to post up your build details in the members journals. Its the most viewed section of the forum followed by cars for sale . I guess even if we are all converted we still enjoy being preached to. PS: I called my z Evie after the Steve Wright ballad parts 1 2 and 3. My FD rx7 is called Tabitha. Long story behind that 1.

When you factor in the cost of restoring a poor example to this condition, you realise that no matter what you paid for this car, you probably got a cracking deal.