PZG302

Brabham, The cheapest way to build the car you want is to build the Zed for sprints and as a weekender. If you want to go door to door racing, buy a ready built car for that, Historic Formula Vee would be a great choice, cheap car, cheap running costs and little risk in binning the car. They are driven flat out just about everywhere at any track and plenty of meetings. The biggest problem in building the Zed for 2A racing is that state events are not common, you will be running with cars that will do EC in low 1'30"s and that's the slow cars. and you wont see them. And that's if your entry is accepted. At the usual events they run at you are looking at National meetings and entry fees are steep, last time I looked at running anational meeting it was over a grand for a couple of races. State rounds are dear enough at around $400 for two races and qually, all up about 50km of driving. I'm not trying to put you off racing, but trying to steer you in the best bang for your buck. Before you really commit to building a race car go to a few state meetings and see who is running what and find the category that will match your budget. Talk to the guys who are running, at state meetinngs everytinng is open and you get anywhere and all the guuys are very approachable. If you want some names to talk to in different categories, eg Historics, Prod Sports, IPRA and so on I can let you know who would be good to talk to. Do your sums and work out what you can afford and from there it is easy to progress. In my case, I am building the S14 to Prodsport because I have run in Pordsports for a while and looking at the rules, an S14 also qualifies for IPRA as it was not FIA homologated, prodsports allows me to builld the car cheaper as I have more freedoms in body work and suspension, eg IPRA all steel panels, 2B hanging panels free material and flares allowed. IPRA have to run a set wheel size with a control tyre, Prodsports depending on weight, and for what I am aiming for I will be limited to 40" of wheels, so 10"s all round or staggered fitment and diameter free so I will be runing 2nd hand Porsche cup tyres or GT3 tyres on either 18" or 19" rims and wets will mot likely be 18"s. In my opinion the cheapest racing car will either be a Formula Vee or MX5 buillt to 2F rules for door to door racing. The other advantage of building a car to suit the rules is that other events are open to you like the state and national hill climb championships or other feature events, up here in queensland that would include the Historic Noosa Hillclimb or the Cootha Classic if it gets up again. With the historic car you get thhe opportunity to race at some of the best events in the country if you want to do interstate meetings like Phillip Island and the Tasman meeting with the F5000's. Have a good hard look at your budget to race after you have built the car before you commit to buildinng it. As an example I look at about $1000 for a local meeting and that is with nothing going bang and at leaat double that for an enduro round or an interstate round plus a freshen up of the motor every one to two seasons depending on the number of events and also getting a full complement of spares and also the throw away components like brakes, shock and tyres to consider. To do what I want to do I am looking at about $15k to get the S14 built, another $15k to get all the other bits, extra wheels spare motor and gearbox plus body parts like panels and lights, basically a second car in bits in my garage shelving plus $5k to do the sprint series and then for the Qld round of the Enduro series about $1.5k and about $2k for an interstate round. And that is cheap racinng and I will be mid pack in the enduros, and depending on the cars running on the day for the sprint series I would expect to get into the top 5 if I'm lucky and drive well. Hope this is of somme help. If you want any more info PM me for a phone number for a chat.

Well done Mick. Those bits of pplastic better be in the shop next time I'm down South.

Not really my cup of tea, I prefer to not flre a zed for the lines, have used other ways to fit big and good rubber under guards, however with the flares on and with the skirts will look integrated and may even change my mind. Seeing the work you have done I know this will look right and be right.

Steve, Get some decent headers, Wilkins Motorsport or magnaflow, as recommended by the others. For the system, go to Fat pies in Lawnton and talk to Les. They do very good work at a good price and actually know how to make performance exhausts that work and are quiet. They work on a lot of race cars, both drag and circuit as well as show cars. I have uused them a couple of times for the Zed and will be using them for the Chugger.

Notwithstanding having a RB engine, the car won't comply with 2B if you turbo it. For Groups 2B and 2F any turbo cars must be as they left the factory in terms of turbo, inlet and exhaust manifolds. Boost may be monitored. Realistically, if are going to build an RB powered Zed you will only be able to run it at sprint events. The closest you will get to door to door racing in it would be the six hour regularity relay at PI. Personally, if an RB powered Zed is going to happen no matter what, build it into a nice road car and buy either the go-kart or historic formula Vee to go racing in. You could even fit the Zed with a tow bar and use it to tow either as the Formula Vee will fit in a box trailer. Doing this will save you monney and heartache in the short, medium and long term.

Brabham, The Corvettes that are running in Sports Sedans are built to Transam rules. The category was opened up a few years ago to let New Zealand Transam cars come over here and play to bolster numbers in the National Sports Sedan Chamionship, and our cars to head over to the East Islands to play in their championship to help their numbers. The Transam cars are similar in performance, but built differently, no space frames like sport sedans and are more resticted with what they can do in terms of mechanicals. They are also cheaper to buy from the States as competetive cars than buid a new sports sedan here. If you are serious about getting into door to door racing with the Zed, your best bet is to get the specs from CAMS for Group SC and build the car for historics. An RB engined Zed is only eligible for Group 2A sports cars at the moment, and then you will up against prototypes. This avenue may also be shut down so that only true prototype cars will be able to be raced in 2A, ie radicals and so on. Then you have the problem of finding somewhere to race. You may, and it is a very big may, get a run in a 2B Marque sports race as an invited car, but you still be at the back of the field with the old GT Chamionship cars that are no longer eligible for their national series stepping down to state level. Also if things go wrong, and I am a great believer that if you aren't prepared to write your car off you shouldn't have it on the track, a Zed is a pain in the arse to rebuilld with bits getting harder to find and also the expense of the reapair work. My new S14 from scratch will be cheaper than fixing my old Zed. If you want to play in Marque Sports or Prod sports, get a Group 2F MX5, a front running car can be bought for around $15k and if you can drive you go very close to winning the championship. It will be cheap to run as well, just tyres and a freshen up for the motor each year, or less if yoou play mid pack for even cheaper. And if you bin it a complete car can be bought for around $3k. it will teach you a hell of a lot about car set up, driving and racecraft, plus the racing is good and generally clean and as well as sprint type races as per usual at state rounds they have a one hour enduro series run in the three eastern states over four rounds. Another category to look at would be Under 2 litre in IPRA. A 1200 coupw with na SR20 would be a good car, or for real cheap a well sorted Suzuki GTI is a ball to race. Matt

But you do get what you pay for.

I like the wanky plates and have had a few..... Z16, Jason should remember that one, for my first Zed, workshop that sponsored me paid the yearly fee ZED016 on my old XD ute when I first had the green car, again a bit of advertisiing for the workshop. MXN46 (MX NA6) for the hairdresser car, and my plates for my dailies, MAT707

What ya doinng tomorrow???

Well I took for run today and cheap chinese tyres make for fun in the middle of an intersection when the woosh comes on...... These will be replaced in the new year. Also did oil and brakes ready for roadworthy next week and will get a full service and check in the new year at the next oil change. Brake pedal is a little low for my liking but a bleed of brake fluid should sort that out. Also is a non ABS car so makes it easier for the transfer and fitting up of the GTR brakes for the new one. Finding a few marks here and there, but for a car it's age and milage it is in really good nick and the important bits are good, no horrible rattles on start up, no water leaks anywhere and only a bit of oil weeping out od gaskets, but the oil rag will fix that over the weekend. One comment was made today that as I start collecting bits and pieces I will end up with more cars and this one may stay on the road, but we'll see......

I would take it to Peter Mac to fix. Give him some folding, wait a few weeks and the spark plug problem will be fixed as will having to drive behind a black car on the track....... Might need to find a discrete dry cleaner though, only your dry cleaner and yoourself should know the true colour of adrenalin, and from whence it comes.

Well when this one came up, what could I do??? I was looking at S1 cars and at the same price they were all butchered anyway and way too many alarm bells going off. The xtra I paid for this one, I'm still out in front on the other road registered ones I saw advertised down south as I don't lose time and money getting it home. Today will be give it some oil, as it's due for a change, new brakes front and rear, as they are nearly shot and then fill it up with petrol and go for drive on the mountain to get a feel for it.

Can't run a 240Z as a sports sedan as it is not a touring car. The only Z's eligible to run as sports sedans are: 260 2+2 280ZX 2+2 Z32 300ZX with chev engine only All the rest must run as sports cars in racing. The planned mods you have will make the car ineligible for Marque or Prod sports cars, CAMS Groups 2B and 2F, but again for sprints anything goes. Before you spend dollars, read the rules for what you want to run in. The CAMS manual is available free on online with all the racing categories laid out.

Looking good. even thogh my next project is completely different there is still some great ideas to pinch.

Insurance won't be too bad for 4 old clunkers. My insurance bill for my 4 cars comes in at under 2k a year, albeit 2 are on laid up cover at the moment, but the S14a is $850, the S14 on laid up cover is about $150, the charger about the same for laid up cover and the hairdresser car is just under $250 a year. All with Shannons. Obviously individual circumstances may change these figures. Back on topic, regarding clubs I'm a member of 3 for what I want out of them, the MX5 club for track days and social events, the HRCC for racing, well events they run that I like to compete in that membership can make easier to access, like the Noosa Hillclimb and the Cootha Classic as well as the free entry to the National historic meeting each year to watch. The final club is the prod sport association in Qld for racing in their series. If you want the proposed club to give access to motorsport, be maindfull of who you want to be associated with. CAMS require affiliation fees based on member numbers, but gives access to CAMS licencing and events. AASA, well the insurances are a bit of an unkown at the moment as no one to my knowledge has had to make a major claim, ie disability and/or loss of wages, which CAMS does cover in their insurances for particiants and officials. Also CAMS events do seem to be better run and more pprofessional than AASA, up here in QLD anyway. As with any club, you won't please all of the people all of the time. In some ways I wonder what isn't available in Vic for those who are looking to be potential members of the proposed club. At the moment I am not what you would call an active member of any of the cubs I am a member of. I help at the MX5 track days if I am not running and have the day off work for their Monday track days and participate in probably half a dozen social runs a year including running one run a year, the HRCC I am just someone who pays their dollars, for PSCRAQ again I am using the club to race, at this stage I turn up at race meetings when I have the time to give anyonne a hand that needs one for a rce meeting but would rather be racing. many years ago I was a very active member of the Z club in Sydney, on tha committee as motorsport editor and general comittee person. The biggest challenge is finding someone who is commited to the club and can give their time as and when requires. At this stage in life I can't give that commitment to step up in any of the clubs I am a member of.

But it has 280k on it, but a well looked after 280k, I have the full service history and I am the 3rd owner.

Finally an update.... After being made redundant in June for some reason I had to do sensible things and put the payout into things like the mortgage :-\ I finally have a full time contract until March next year at least, with the opportunity to go to full time, on a pretty good rate, it matches my last position pay and covers petrol for the 90km each way commute. In losing the ute with the job and not wanting to use the missus' car, because it's new and the roads and trucks would destroy it and the haidresser car would be too uncomfortable to drive that far I had to get somethinng suitable for the commute. In my thinking I will use this for up to 6 months, buy another ute and then I will have the donor car for the mechanicals for the racing 200. It is pretty standard with only a pod filter and big exhhaust. It goes quite well when the woosh kicks in at over 4k and is comfortable and was cheap. I ended up getting it for $6500 with the old owner delivering it to Briisbane from the Gold Coast this arvo, could have bargained harder for the cars I saw down south but it would have cost me more than the difference in airfares, ppetrol and time to get it home. So thanks for the offer from John and Simon to look at a car for me in Mexico, but I found one here. And the best thing was the owner was not a phully sick hectic flat brimmed wearing retard with next to no grasp of the english language in either its written or spoken form. A handshake deal payys most of the money and the balance on me getting the key in my hand, no fuss from either end. This was how buying a car should be. So hopefuly in 6-9 months there will be a working be to swap out engine gear box and drivetrain as well as brake lines and fuel lines and get the ghetto racer up and running.

If it's the weekend of the 29th 30th I should be abe to sneak down for a bit, depends on what has been planned for me and where.

Feck, if it was between Boxing Day and new Years Eve I would be in as I will be heading to Mexico for Christmas at the outlaws.

Sorry to say, sounds like thay have even dipped the pineapple in chilli before inserting it. I would be going back there to either get the work completed to the correct standard as per your original scope, or getting a refund and taking it to another shop and also approaching the MTA and RACQ, if you are a member, to see if you have any recourse. RACQ would help with advice on how to approach the workshop and may also be able to offer legal advice to redress the situation. It's not like a Z is hard to work on, sure thay have some idiocincracies being and "old" car, but they are dead simple, even I know my way round most of a Z.

No worries, just let me know when and where.

yeah Scoota, I'm in Brisbane but depending on when you need it picked up could take the hairdressers car for a run. Matt

Sean, I'm heading down to melbourne for Christmas so can either take thm down or bring them back. If I ever find out if I have the job I'm waiting for, I maybe down there in the next couple of weeks to pick up a car.

Chemset bolts are used in your slab to hold the hoist. Very briely, drill hole in concrete where you need the bolt, put in bolt and set ajent, let go off, bolt is in concrete for you stub toes on. Mount hoist over bolts and secure with nut.

And getting that bargain of a motor box combo back out there, that's now been sitting for almost 12 months....