260Coupe

Peter - well said ..................couldn't agree more Alan

Hi Simon Unfortunately the Jag rooms were costing a fortune and the club was rapidly going broke in 2006 hence the change of venue to a no cost location. By the end of 2006 there were only around 40 people attending the Jag rooms.....I was there and saw the decline.... (and the then committee had disintegrated thru in-fighting- hence why the old committee had to reform for 2007 to get the club back on track) At approx $400 per meeting for room hire, we had to move or we would not had any $$$ left to host the 2007 Nationals (which were a huge success and got the club financial again) Also whist the Jag rooms were a good venue meeting wise, the other down side of the Jag rooms was the lack of food and having to pay for over priced drinks which only further funded the Jag club. On the subject of a printed magazine - we have canvassed the members many times and the preference is to have a printed mag in the mail box rather than an electronic copy only . The last time we broached the subject we only less than a 10% take up rate on the electronic copy and it more work for the committee to filter out those who did not want a hard copy and adjust the fees accordingly.............but again $65 is peanuts (The VHRR is $150 per annum) As I said, I have only best wishes to any one who wishes to form a new club - however much effort is required and I think the level of effort is being underestimated by most who have not served on a car club committee before. If I was looking at joining a club (even for $30 per annum) I would expect some level of return............regular events and regular mags (emailed is fine) and these however take organisation by a committed few............and as we all know committees are hard to recruit and they are eventually villified for not appeasing the minority. On the subject of Benny's Zed - yes that was not handled all that well however again we seemed to have someone wanting a permit plate above all else, this was made clear with the response to the 12 month wait period..........as it turned out the car was sold not long after (so I'm told). Did Benny actually attend a meeting or call me to discuss ?..........was there any intention to get involved with the NDSOC or was it just a convenience to obtain a plate???.,..the jury is still out on that point Whilst I think there may certainly room for a stand alone Zed club, the entire premis of this new suggested club seems to be "do as little as possible for the most return"..........minimal committee input (do as little as possible) - low fees (but still expect events to be held) and still be eligible to issue permit plates (without following the rules- and with the possibility of jeopardising the permit scheme for all). Call me "old skool" but I think clubs should have some for "formality" in the way they are managed and as the committee are all volunteers, they like to see members actually contributing to the club (event attendance, help organise or assist where possible) not just take all the benefits a club (such as the NDSOC) has to offer without giving anything back............but maybe I'm just getting old and grumpy On the subject of the longevity of the NDSOC...........we have maintained a constant membership of 250 + for the past 15 years, we hold events to satisfy the majority and whilst we are not as Zed centric as we were 20 years ago, the Zeds have certainly not taken a back seat and with the influx of 350/370 zed owners....the numbers are on the rise. It is the strength and history of the NDSOC that gets us invited to events such as the Grand Prix display, Shannons events, Geelong Speed trials, Hanging Rock, P.I Classic etc etc .................so I think the future for the NDSOC is very much secure. Sorry about the diatribe ...............see you on Sunday at the Xmas party cheers Al.

Interesting topic and whilst I support any person with the "intestinal fortitude"to start a new club , I think a few things need to be clarified given that some comparison has been made with the NDSOC On the subject of the fees and "accumulated assets" I can only speak for the NDSOC and shed some light on the fee structure - The majority of the $65 annual fee goes towards the publishing of the monthly club magazine and in comparison to similar car clubs is on par or cheaper than many. The remaining fees pays for CAMS affililation, Public Liability Insurance and affiliation with the AOMC (this allows the NDSOC to issue club permit plates) As to "accumulated assets" - having a healthy bank balance provides a club with the ability to host major events and buy merchandise and give something back to members in the form of event discounts and freebees etc. I find it interesting that many on this forum have expressed great interest in the upcoming 2013 Nissan/Datsun Nationals which will be hosted by the NDSOC - How do you think the NDSOC could possibly host such an event if it did not have considerable funds in the bank ? With track hire, insurances, CAMS permits, event merchandise, venue hire etc there will be outgoings of approx $20k before any revenue comes in from entries...........hence why any club must have solid financials if they are to host any event.........which in turn benefits the members. Given that $65 per year is less than a tank of petrol ........... I find it hard to fathom how anybody thinks that is over the top Also On the subject of permit plates, the premis of your argument seems to be around allowing heavily modified vehicles onto the permit scheme that is primarily for standard or lightly modified vehicles (read the AOMC guidelines), Vic Roads and the AOMC are already clamping down on such practices and this has the inherent risk of jeopardising the permit plate scheme for all clubs. The NDSOC policy on modifications is strictly in line with the guidelines and whilst some clubs may allow some deviation from the guidelines this is again puting the entire scheme at risk in the long term. (as a foot note- The NDSOC has over one hundred vehicles on the permit plate scheme, the majority being standard or lightly modified, as such we as a committee must act for the majority and not jeopardise the permit scheme for a few who wish to "bend"the rules" for their own benefit) And finally............the current NDSOC committee is made up of six Zed owners I'm sure I'll be flamed at some point .........but so be it regards Alan Life member NDSOC

I'm heading up from Mentone via Nepean Hwy, Jasper Road and Hotham St so if anyone is along the way I can give them a ride. Al.

Records are scarce however the number of 260z 2 seaters sold from '74 to '78 was around 650......info came from my sister who worked at Nissan in the mid eighties and did some reearch collating import numbers. Al.

Zeds that attended Wayne Moody - Gun metal grey 240z - won best classic Zed show n shine Dave Toleman - Silver 260z 2 seater Helen Phillips - Yellow 260z two seater Dimitri V - Red 240z Gerhard Metz - Bronze 260z two seater Malcolm Shapcott - Orange 240z Agno - White 240z Mark Todd - red 280zx - third place Concours Mark Biondo - Blue Z32 - won best modern Zed And me Green 260z two seater, white 280zx, silver Z31 cheers Al.

If you can afford it go Panasports over the "Superlites"as they are around 2.5kg lighter in a 15 x 7 size .............or try the new Performance "GTR"Superlite which are the same weight as Panasports but the down side is the wheel centre is an odd size and they don't sell caps to fit..............and the painted finish is rough........and they are for track use only (so the sticker says)

If you have Koni sport "yellows"with the tag on the top then they only adjust for rebound......not bump

yep I should have 2 or 3 cars there and most likely will be roped into doing the judging again Please note that prospective members most welcome but must be in by 9.am cheers Alan Lifer NDSOC

Engine type: Hi Compression L26 Size: 2.6 Tank: 60L KLM to Tank: 550-650 on highway at 100km/h , 450-500 at constant 125 km/h L/100K 8-12 on highway L/100K 15-17 around town Carb: triple 44 Mikuni's with 32mm chokes

For those looking for a run to stretch the legs of their Zed, the NDSOC will be hosting a run to Apollo Bay and on to Lavers Hill All welcome When: Sunday 28th October Where: Magnificent drive along the Great Ocean Rd and back Meet: United (previously Shell) Westgate outbound Time: 8am departure Cost: nil RSVP or more information: social@ndsoc.com.au cheers Al.

If the requirement is that S30's had to be sold in AU in 1969 then that is a different situation, obviously. That is the argument that is maintained by the VHRR

Many have tried and failed to prove that a 240z was manufactured in 1969 as the 240s sold in Aust all had a compliance plate dated from 1970 (unless I'm proved wrong the first batch of Zed arived in early Feb 1970, there were some preproduction cars released for the media in very late 69 however these did not have a compliance plate fitted as evidence of their production date). The historic racing fraternity is very much biased against anything that is not british and the Jap cars are barely recognised as a sports car at all (I was a member of the VHRR and the HRA had first hand experience of their bias). cheers Alan Ex Group Sc driver

Lochy -yes rear wheel cylinders are getting pricy and drums and shoes can be relined On the subject of hard driving- my old Group Sc 240z was running standard brakes (as required in Sc) turning 118 rwkw on 240 carbs (135kw on tripple 44 Mikuni's) and was good for at least ten hard laps around P.I averaging 2.01s....jason Lea did 15 flat out laps around Winton long track (notorious for cooking brakes) at the last Historic round and still had working stoppers..... ...not sure how much harder one could drive on the road. Ahhh well each to there own..........I am just a little perplexed as to why some would take a step backward instead of just getting the stock brakes working as intended. As I have advised many Zed owners............drive a good Zed with brakes that work and use that as a yardstick before thinking that rear discs are the answer. Spend your money on getting the stock brakes woring properly and on decent tyres instead My 2c Al.

Guys- Question I certainly appreciate the enginnering skills that go into such a conversion however Not withstanding big HP track cars that require long time fade free stopping power:- For a road going Zed- Is there a definite and measured advantage over the standard braking system and has this been tested ? (using brake performance testing equipment). I have driven many Zeds with rear disc conversions and without an adjustable bias valve and major upgrades to the master cylinder and front brakes - the brakes are always compromised including rear brake lock ups, long pedal travel and ineffective hand brakes etc. Why I ask is that there seems to be this "misnomer" that the standard Zed brakes are rubbish however standard brakes can be made to perform exceptionally well and far beyond that would be required by the most spirited of road drivers. With nothing more that braided lines, rekitted calipers and wheel cylinders and the correct pad/shoe compound.(and a set of DBA slotted rotors to negate the effects of pad glazing) the standard brakes are more than adequate for road use (ask any Group Sc Zed driver who has to race on them) Apart fron the shiny disc behind the rear wheels I'm at a loss to understand why this is necessary for a road car . At risk of being flamed Alan

Report the mechanic to the relevant NSW Automotive body (the equivalent to the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce - VACC) and to the Dept of fare trading etc..............and put your claim in writing detailing all the issues and present that to the repairer for a full refund. And find a decent mechanic

Standard 240z airbox made around 10% more mid range power and torque over ram tubes alone...........Lou Mondello and I tested this on the engine and chassis dyno a few years ago on both a race L24 and a stock L26...........results were conclusive........So yes put the air box back on The factory did not spend millions of yen developing airboxes for people to remove them thinking they would make more power !............more noise yes.....more power definitely not. Al.

If it is a regrind it should have a number stamped on the end, you may have to remove the cam sprocket to check.........you should then be able to google the specs or check any of the cam grinder's web sites (Wade's, Camtech etc) The other option is to use a dial indicator to measure the lift and duration but this is quite a complex exercise ......or you could try a stock 240 A grind cam and see if that improves the drivability Al.

Maybe try installing smaller chokes and retuning the webers..........there should be no reason why the tripples could not be made "streetable" I run 44 Mikuni's with 32mm chokes on an L26 are they are like fuel injection on street car Al.

Hi Guys Just a reminder to those who would like a great weekend away driving some fantastic roads Th NDSOC marque Sports GT rally is on again - Oct 13-14th. We are touring the brilliant back roads (sealed of course ) of South Gippsland, the format is simialr to the Duttons Grand Prix Rally (with out the time trials). Overnight stay at a mystery destination you must navigate to followed by a "very social"dinner and drinks , the Sunday is a leisurely start with similar nav questions to a lunch stop and finish location within 1.5 hr of Melbourne. All sealed roads, challenging navigation questions, dinner and drinks on Sat night, fun prizes Entry fee $35 per car Non members/prospective members most welcome PM me if you are interested regards Alan

Making motor sport more accessable also requires making events less costly and have more of them..........with only three "Hesteric" events per year down here in Vic.........grids are full with long wait lists, the number of races for each group beting reduced hence track goes down while costs go up. my 2c Al

Try the Ramada Eco Resort heaps of trailer parking and rates are very reasonable given it is Easter Al.

Wow that's good news.........I had to renew my L3s (from an old "general comp license) back in 2003 after a few years away from racing and had to do the OLT ...........$650 at Calder on a 45 deg day in a three layer race suit with the soles of my boots melting on the firewall of my Zed !!!

This one seems a bargain ! http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/datsun-260z-1977-13338191?base=1216&vertical=Car&cr=12&page=2&eapi=2&__N=1246+1247+1252+1282+4294966615+4294966410+1216&num=15&silo=Stock&sort=default

Another item to check is the water pump...........the pump veins can rust away to nothing and inhibit circulation. If your radiator is clear, your thermostat is Ok and you water pump good then look for a blown head gasket, easiest way is to pull out the plugs and look for one that is has been steam cleaned. Also make sure you have flushed your cooling system with a radiort flush to get the gunge and rust out of the water jackets around the block. my 2c Al.