jamo240

Okay...so here's my contrarian view!.... By way of example. When I was 20 years old, and my 240Z was just 15 years old, I decided that the all the factory bits were no good and I had to upgrade. Over time (about 10 yrs), I removed the standard rubber front lower control arm bushes and replaced them with spherical rod ends. I also went to 245/40R17 Yokohama AO32R tyres. Then I shortened the struts and lowered the car a couple of inches. The result...? A car that is great on a very flat road or race track, but nowhere near as driveable as a road car. On rutted roads (you know, where the trucks where those depressions into the road) the car is very darty and not fun to drive. Why is this?? Well, when it had rubber bushes, a higher ride height and 70 series tyres, when it went over such a rut, the tyre would provide some compliance, as would the bush, and the body would roll a bit, and that way the body stayed more-or-less where it was, and provided a nice stable ride. Now, with a much wider and grippier tyre, when that tyre moves sideways due to the rut, it immediately conveys all of that movement through a very low sidewall straight through a spherical rod end that has zero compliance and hence the body MUST move sideways to accomodate all this movement. That means the car darts sideways until a restorative force is applied by the tyre on the other side and the whole thing settles down. My point?? If you have a road car, consider that Datsun went to a fair bit of trouble sorting out suspension calibrations to provide a good compromise between performance and comfort. Before you start messing with it, consider how you use the car, and then if you do decide to change things, compromise the car MOST where it matters the LEAST. So, if you are building a racing car, go right ahead and make things super stiff and rigid as you'll be driving on race tracks that are generally flat and smooth. But, if you're building a road car, where you will mostly be poking along at legal speeds and may have the odd spirited drive through the hills, retain appropriate suspension compliance such that the suspension SYSTEM can do its job, and isolate you from noise, vibration, imperfect surfaces etc. So, in your case Luni, I'd be happy to stick with replacing any worn components with bog standard factory parts and thereby retain a comfortable factory ride! As for strut tower braces and all that....who in a road car is howling around corners hard enough to cause appreciable body flex??? If you were, you'd be seeing cracks in the body up around the cat-walks! Cheers Jamo

Hey Wally If you're interested in doing the Subaru rack, check out my latest build thread for some pics on how it all goes together (Jamo's RB 250Z builup). I think you might run into trouble doing the MX5 rack as the centre-centre lengths are too great from memory. One of the power steering threads on here goes into it, but I did some prelim research myself, and while the MX5 rack packages nicely, it's geometry isn't ideal for Z's. I don't know about the Sydney area, but there's a Mazda wrecker down here that has just about any rack you can imagine. I seem to recall an MR2 rack is about the right dimensions too, but dont quote me on that! Although I haven't seen Peter Mac's BMW installation myself, in my view, the Subaru installation is probably of a similar complexity EXCEPT that the orientation of the rotary valve is more complicated than what the BMW configuration appears to be. In my case, I re-oriented the valve by removing the two mounting lugs and re-welding them back on. While is was not difficult to do, this may upset your engineer. I should point out too, that if you haven't got a bit of fabricating experience and a good selection of tools including welders etc, I would outsource the job...I don't believe its a job you want to take on with no experience. Finally, you can use the standard Subaru tie rod outers, as they have the same taper as std Z, as well as ball joint offset to preserve steering geometry. I used Lexus IS300 (I think!) rack ends as these allow the right adjustment to get the tie rod centre - centre distance right. Also, I moved the lower control arm inner pivot point up 25mm and out 12mm each side to put the LCA pivot point on the same axis as the rack end pivot point...this corrects bump steer issues that Z's are blessed with. Cheers Jamo

Hi Alan Thanks very much for that...agree that 260 bolts are probably the same.....I will take a pic and send to you. Ta Jamo

Hey again. Here is a close-up of the plumbing. You can see the inclusion of the pressure sensor in the pump to gear pressure hose. This is used by the ECU to increase idle air when the pump is loaded up. Cheers Jamo

OK...Sunday update. Steering rack now finished off and ready for paint. Here are some shots for you to see how it all works. 1. Pic shows the gusset welded into the RH engine mount pedestal to stiffen it after a section of the inner wall was removed to make clearance for the steering pinion. 2. Pic of steering pinion showing clearance to the RH engine mount pedestal. 3. Pic of steering intermediate shaft universal joint to RH engine mount pedestal. The clevis bolt comes the closest, so I will use a button head unbrako in service. Minimum clearance is around 9mm. 4. Pic of the whole box and dice, complete with all the plumbing. The much talked about pressure restrictor is in the pressure hose which is kinda sticking up in the RH side of the pic covering the RP7 can! You can also see the bracket on the LH engine pedestal which holds the pressure pipe crimp so that the pipe stays still while the engine moves...this is essential to make sure the rubber hose flexes and not the steel pipe which would eventually fatigue and fail. The cam timing diagram was to explain to my young cousin how cams work....I do all my best layouts on the bench, and the best bit is it only takes some thinners to remove all incriminating evidence! Next post will show a few close ups of the plumbing. Cheers Jamo

Hey Bigfella Thanks for the compliment. I got the deadener off using a combination of hard, filthy work with the scraper and heat gun, and also wire brushes mounted to my angle grinder (they make a heck of a mess but do a great job of removing the deadener). I used them for the harder to get at areas where you can't get at with the scraper. The pressure washer also did a fair job of removing the looser stuff as well as the 40 years the black cacky shyte that accumulates everywhere in the tunnel from various oil leaks over the years. Finally, thinners do a good job of softening the deadener so its easier to get off in areas that the other methods can't get at. Cheers Jamo

Thanks Garvice...that's good to know. I don't intend on doing the speedo work myself, so when I get to that part, I'll start with Ringwood speedo service and go from there...may well lean on all you've learned so far to make it come out right....it does seem simpler to retain the electronic speed sensor and upgrade the dash unit rather than try to retain the elec sensor as well as a cable drive. I only have a few weeks mechanical work left, and then it will be into all the wiring and electrical/electronic work where all these issues are going to come out. I reckon I've got most of it covered, but I've identified about 5 knotty electrical/ECU issues that will be a challenge. Cheers Jamo

Thanks Sirpent...you're doing some nice work yourself. I will have it ready for the Xmas party (assuming it's on!), so you can see it for yourself then if you're there! Jamo

Wow Garvice...your tacho thread is really something....I used to work in Holden engineering, and recall the science that went into OEM gauge creation so that the light coming through the dials was consistent and all that...it's an art form. That you have made it work without all those resources is remarkable! Hats off to you! Do you think I could do a similar thing with a speedo? I want the speedo to look like the factory one...I don't want it to look like an aftermarket replacement. Cheers Jamo

Thanks SCO...do you know the part number of the speedo you used? I might get one and see if it could be used behind the 240Z fascia... Jamo

Hey Handsandwich I will zinc plate it, with a gold finish. I could paint it (outside only), but i like the gold finish...it's how we used to do the race pans at Gibsons. I have never had a problem with the finish flaking off if it's been done right. CHeers Jamo

Interesting possibility SCO....I want the car to look original though, so might see if Ringwood speedo service could graft the VDO internals into the 240z speedo assembly...might be possible. The standard speedo is god-awful anyway...ok when you're at a steady speed, but accelearting or braking it tends to overshoot. Cheers Jamo

Ok...status update: - Cylinder head went back together today, so it's fully reconditioned and ready to go....Orger's still do exquisite machining! - Frt x-member finished, with the LCA bolt holes moved 12mm outward and 25mm up. That puts the centres right on the same plane as the inner steering arm ball joints, so minimal bump steer. All the rest of the power steering installation is done now, so it's just a coat of paint for the x-member and put the whole lot back in the car. I am on to the engine oil pan now, and have about 12 hours work left in it I reckon and then it's off to the platers. Does anyone have any bright ideas on the speedo output from the gearbox...it currently has a speed sensor in it which the ECU uses to determine road speed and make decisions about whether to run the fuel pumps and idle speed adjustments. BUT, I need to have a cable drive to the car speedo as well...what to do?? What have other RB25 installers done about this dilemna? Cheers Jamo

Hey guys In reassembling my 240, I noticed I am missing one door hinge bolt (the ones from the hinge into the door). Does anyone have one they can spare? I know I could put any old high tensile bolt in, but I'd like to put a genuine one in if I can get one. Cheers Jamo

Hi Craig I had the fluid lines for my Subie rack/skyline pump setup made up by Enzed Bayswater. Jude knows all about them, and will crimp up what you want. I made mine up out of a combination of the R33 skyline parts and subaru parts. When I pulled the lines apart, I found that both cars had restrictors in the pressure line going from the pump to the rack. The restrictor is crimped to the end of a flexible steel pipe that is inside the rubber hose (it is actually crimped into the inside of the rigid pipe that bolts to the pump). The orifice diameter that the fluid flows through is about 2-3mm. It's easy to include it in your system. In my case, the ''other end'' of the flexible steel pipe was crimped into the rigid pipe that bolts onto the pump (via a banjo bolt), and hence I removed the rubber hose by removing the existing crimp (cutting off the factory crimp backshell) and pulling the old rubber hose off (thus leaving the flexible metal pipe in place on the rigid pipe with the orifice hanging off the far end), and then I put a new hose on of the desired length and then had Jude crimp the whole lot back together with new backshells so i ended up with a factory looking fluid hose with the factory orifice in place. Cheers Jamo

Hey Shane No problem...happy to tell you what I've learned through doing the install. I'll sort out a ''rear face of block'' location for you so you can put the engine in the right spot to be able to use the std R33 prop shaft...I'm happy with where the engine is, as it puts the gear stick in exactly the right spot to exit through the std rubber gearbox boot in the right spot, although you could move it back about an inch further than where I put it for the ultimate in weight balance. I have an RB30 short on the floor as I was also going to go that route, but didn't in the end for three main reasons: - Couldn't package the std two piece RB25 inlet manifold...the RB30 block being taller puts the manifold too close to the hood (I wanted the std manifold because it has longer inlet runners and better torque than the shorter RB26 ''copies'' that most people fit). My engine is installed on the original crankshaft centreline, and the inlet manifold comes closest to the hood at the front (actually it's the duct going into the manifold that gets the closest...about 25mm clearance to the hood)...if you add the extra ~35mm RB30 deck height it fouls). - Didn't want the extra weight of the RB30 block...being taller, it's heavier than the RB25, and RB installations are a battle against weight as everything you have to do to support the installation adds weight to the car. - Didn't really think I needed all the complexity to get the combo to work (eg custom rods and pistons to get the right CR, changes to get the VVT working etc), given the VVT RB25 has mountains of performance potential. The 25/30 combo is all about tyre frying torque or drag racing outputs, which i just didn't need for a strong roadcar. Just some things to think about, as an RB26/30 combo will be about the heaviest/most complex configuration you could come up with (heavy block, twin turbos etc)....BUT...it would look cool and if it was sorted out would pull the road right out of the ground! Jamo

Hey Shane Good to hear you're going the RB route...let me know if you want any tips on how to do it, as mine is 95% complete now. Cheers Jamo

Ha! Yes, it was a bit of messing around, and stripping old deadener off is a pig of a job....but, it is fantastic to work on now, as it is clean from end to end. This is the last time I am pulling it apart to do this, so I figured I'd do it right. Next car is going to have a 426 Hemi in it, so when I start that, I don't want to be thinking I didn't give the Datto my full attention! Cheers Jamo

Hey guys I had a bit of a diversion during the re-power, which was to clean up the underside of the car to complement the new engine. Thanks to KatoKid of the use of the rotisserie, which made the job a thousand times easier! First shot is of the underside before clean up, but after pressure wash Second shot is the underside after stoneguard Final shot is the underside after final paint Cheers Jamo

For what it's worth, I have a front spoiler on my car, none at the rear, and the hatch seal has been shagged for years, and I don't think the rubber hatch hinge seals are even there anymore.....BUT, my car has never had issues with fumes in the cabin, windows up or down. Don't know why, but it's never been an issue, so maybe the front spoiler is part of the answer!? Jamo

Whoa! That looks like the gap between my front teeth, and I can eat corn off the cobb through a picket fence... I'd aim for something a little tighter than that if you can...ideally you want to be measuring the gap with a feeler gauge rathern than a tape measure. Cheers Jamo

Hi Peter Heads are usually described by their casting designation...typical Datsun L heads are E88, N42, P90. An E30 head came off a 2.0 litre engine, so the chambers are smaller and hence the comp ratio is higher, although valves are smaller. See the link below for applications for various L series heads. http://datsunzgarage.com/heads/ Given this head has been milled even further that std, it will have an even higher CR, and hence the need for thicker head gaskets. I am not a fan of thick head gaskets if you can avoid it, and certainly running two is not ideal. My view: It's too much stuffing around for general road use...leave it to someone who is racing and wants to mess around with all the details required to make it work. The E88 head is the most common for 240/260Z, and if you just put a freshened up one on your engine (even just fix up the one thats on your engine now), that's probably the way to go. BTW: An asymetrical cam is a cam that is ground with a different shape on the opening flank compared with the closing flank. This is done to deal with the changing location that the cam contacts the rocker arm...you will note that the rocker arm has a hardened working face brazed onto it that is both curved and about 20mm long. As the cam moves across that face, it effectively changes the rocker ratio. The asymetric grind is there to provide the right opening profile at the valve, as well as provide stable valve train operation. All L series cams are asymetric, so don't get caught up with that as a marketing tool! I run a bog stock A grind cam (std 240Z...you will find the grind stamped into the back of L series cams) in my turbo L28 and it makes stacks of power. Now you won't get the same result out of a normally aspirated engine, but if you just run the E88 head with a little milled off it to straighten it and lift the CR a touch, you'll have enough performance for road going fun...ported heads, big cams and triple carbs are a slippery slope, and not necessary unless you are chasing performance you don't really need for fun on the street. That said, my latest engine now owes me $12k, so if you like spending money for unnecessary fun, go for it! Cheers Jamo

Hi Galderdi I asked about lead loading on this forum a while back, and one of the body guys suggested I don't bother, as it's an outdated craft, and modern plastic fillers work better anyway. If you are talking about the join in the roof turret, which is factory lead loaded, then I can advise that I replaced the turret in my car 15 years ago and after getting frustrated with trying to lead load, I did it in plastic filler, and it's never been a problem since it was replaced. Cheers Jamo

Welcome! That's a nice car. I'm sure I'm asking on behalf of a few of us....why did your wife's Gran buy a left hand hooker? Why didn't she buy Aust delivered? It would certainly make for an interesting project for someone who wants something a bit different though! Good luck. Jamo

Well done Dave....who know's what's possible when ze Germans and Japs merge!! Looking forward to seeing it in action. Cheers Grant