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I tend to agree with Gareth.J. that it may be a dowel or both of them as there are two. They locate the head gasket and head when you assemble the motor . But if you have swapped around blocks and heads for a new combination then these dowels may be to long as they come in different lengths . No amount of tightening will fix the leak. They are just bits of tube and the head bolts do pass through them. I had a problem the same as you have when I was fitting in a metal (nismo) gasket.A real head ache so to speak over a couple bits of tube 1.5mm to long.

Thank you for the advice Peter . But I was just interested in if it was possible as getting ones hands on a LD28 crank is difficult at best. It was just by chance that I have possession of the turbo L24e rods and was wondering if it could be done. Plenty of L28-26 cranks around. As I only do sprints and not very often now going over 6500 rmp would not be a problem. It is just strange that Nissan would use these rods in there turbo motors from the factory if they may be prone to failure

As it gets colder ,the worst your starting problem will become. You sound like you have already made up your mind what way you want to go . So just do it . It will stop the starting problems when tuned . I did the same and it was not a bad idea . Some thirty years on it seems very cheap now. Yes I still have the car. Nothing sounds like triples on a L series motor (EXCEPT possibly a XJ13 Jag with 6 Webber's) at full noise or just idle. Triple SU are possible but to date there are only 10 manifolds in Australia (very rare) and can not be bought new. They are better than twin chokes down low and mid range (4500-5000 rpm) using Volvo 1" 3/4 SU , but that is where it ends. If you wanted this set up I may know where the dies for the moulds for castings are.

Interesting point Dave ! Thanks for the input Lurch .We meet at LAPZ 2011 for a moment ,it was a very busy day that day. Dusty wants to plan a mini version of that event ,but do it mid week some time soon. But to Jason's request , the last time at Lakeside for me ended in engine failure . Usuall thing, I have talked to you about this kind of thing before. Inlet valves this time but only three. Not easy getting over the Gateway Bridge on three cylinders to get home in peak hour traffic. So good excuse for a rebuild. I have a turbo L24 which I was going to use parts from to build up some projects . Turns out the rods from the turbo have 45mm big ends and use 20mm pins. So grinding the L28 crank to suit would give it 84mm stroke and using pistons from a Nissan X-Trail as they are 89mm , use 20 pins and have a height of 31mm. I haven't done the sums on this but was wondering if it could work . But for now I have stayed with standard L24 rods and KA24 pistons for the next engine. I will compare the two cranks along side one another Dave to see if there is any see able difference.

Is it possible to grind the big end journals on an L28 crank off set and down to 45mm to end up with a stroked crank? If so what may be involved in the process ?

It's your show Pete . So what ever you decide will be fine . But I draw the line at wearing a weenier costume.

A 6.00am start . Pete that will make it cold and dark . So where do you plan to start from ?

We could be up for that . 260DET may want to join in on the fun as well. But to be able to take our club reg cars there and back home again within the rules of QLD law . Someone will have to organise it as a ZCCQ official club run . An" EZY EVENT" so I'm told. Good job for Dusty

Well I said "Hi" to" Tommy " James, just before our first run . After that I was preoccupied with a blown engine and not in a very good mood. All my fault with a laps of concentration in gear changes. However before that happened I did get to try out set of wet weather rubber from Silverstone and in heavy rain managed a 1.10. The tyres were not at there limit at that time and rain was heavy enough to require wipers to be on full.They were only 185 x 55 on 14 x 7 inch rims but they did a good job. But my Daughter had her first run in her Hyundai and was confronted with a Ferrari and Audi A8 and some thunder box V8 supertourior. Not the sort of thing a first timer needs . But she took them on as best she could in light rain and did every thing right . On her next set of runs she lowered her time by 4 seconds to finish with a 1.18 for the day. This out a car with only 80 KW at the engine. So now I have proof daughters do hear to their Fathers sometimes and take notice of what they say.

I am afraid I don't know much about racing on Salt or Clay . All I know is they do it only once a year for records and if the weather is bad it gets cancelled until the following year. But I will ask Steve to post details as soon as he well enough to do so. I also have a story of one of his trips and details of that event in a ZCCQ newsletter of Summer 2011. If you PM me with an email address I will send you that newsletter.

Seems there have been those after land speed records at play again. But by all accounts it seems harder than most motorsports activities we take part in on this forum .A couple of years ago one of our forum members landed the Australian land speed class record (f). We visited his home and inspected his cars on a QLD Christmas party run . But this year it took a bit more out of him and landed him in hospital with Heat Exhaustion, Dehydration etc and Kidney Failure. I would like to wish Steve a speedy recovery . What won't we do to race a Z ?

Welcome to another Queenslander. I would say you were lucky you didn't have to teach your car how to swim on the return trip home.

Next Wednesday week is round 2 the midweek sprint series . It will be my first time out in 2 years and my daughter will also be competing for the first time in a sprint . I just hope all this rain is gone by then and we bring our cars home the same way we take them out

So Zac was flying the flag for the forum then. I take it the ZCCQ was not there with its marque tent then ? I did not plan to go as I am still putting the rear end back into the car and I was only there last year because at the time I was the editor for the ZCCQ newsletter . Not the case this year. There is a pic of that 120Y in a report on here of June 2012. So there should be another Jap day in June of this year .All going well

My guess is they have given you front inserts and not rears. There is around 80 to 85 mm difference in length's from front to rear. You need to take them back and get the correct inserts . But I would take a measurement of the inside length of the strut and take your gland nut with you when you return them. Koni make a wide range to lengths you should be able to get something much closer to what you need and they should be able to supply spacers if required.

They do tend to look down on leaking drive trains. But as this is a ASAA event it will be self Scrutinising. The day as it is will be for street reg cars .Non street cars can run, but will receive no points towards championship. The meet will be subject to sound level restrictions as it always is at Lakeside.But d3cOy if you don't have your LSD in I wouldn't worry about it if its your first time to Lakeside. Put it in after your first meet and measure the improvement next time out.

Did Nev run in his white 260? I cannot see myself doing Night sprints . My Night vision is not the best and under sprinting conditions you describe, I think it would be a bad idea for me. But the daughter and myself will be going to Lakeside on the 6th March for the mid week daylight meet .

Gates open at 7.30 am Earnshaw State College cnr Earnshaw & Tuffnell RD Banyo Gold coin donation is appreciated

I am lucky as I only lost a small gum (which is now fire wood) and a sail over the pool. But I'm keeping an eye on the creek at the back . The river is at 9 m and at 11m it will enter the shed .But that is not the main problem it will be heavy rain. If we get it and it backs up in the creek it will have nowhere to go. pic is from the shed :-\

I would like to be able to change the colour of the car at will just to confuse the competition .

Well it looks like you boys might be able to settle this fine point at Easter . If not then perhaps an Ironperson (new age talk here) event .A bit like an MG Ironman event. A flag to flag event , sprint ,1/4 mile, hillclimb, one car ,one driver over say the next Nissan Datsun Nations event in 2015. Word is QLD ZCC is next to host the next one, if WA and South Aust don't put there hands up. I hear the NDN events do incorporate the Z Nationals and it should be easy for a Z club to organize an ironman event. Give your ideas to 260DET to bring home to present to the NDN15 committee.

If nothing else this will make Nev's week , because that is how long it will take Nev to stop laughing about the excitement about a claim he didn't even put forward .I am not sure if I agree with Jason about the difference of flag to flag events over Sprints or some regularity events . I have been in a number of HRCC regularities that you could mistake for flag to flag events with all sorts of panel damage.I think it was just good luck that in the 2010 LAPZ's event with 20 every fast Z's all on track at the same time round Lakeside that no one came to grief. Sprinting still requires a high degree of skill and balls. Its very scary a 1000kls from home and going sideways towards a concrete wall coming on to the straight at Oran Park. Nev's win in the 2012 sprints series just confirms the previous series wins of Peter 2008(300ZX) and myself in 2004 (260Z) that if you want to win a series you can do it in a Z.

Nice orange Zac But you need a cold air box for the carbs and perhaps instead of milling a 10degree angle on the manifold . You use a die grinder to D shape the inlet port . Air fuel mixture wants to find the quickest way into the chamber and that is across the floor of the port which is the shortest distance to the valve.

This may be a good day to join the Skyline Forum for a Breakfast as they are booked in for that Sunday. It will also be followed by the second round of the 6 round Street Sprint series. If you are interested in competing in the Street sprints on the day you only need a street rego car and cost will be around $145 for 4x(4laps) Breakfast will be from 7.00am to 8.30am including track time The sprints will get underway from 12.00noon to 4.30pm.Entry forms can be down loaded from Queensland raceways www.qldraceways.com.au

24 MARCH