Fairlady Z

geez I've been looking after the pricing for some time now. since 04 when i got my 260z. Has been a slow transition must add. Bargains can be found but are getting very rare. People are noticing older cooler cars. so demand is growing. Like said above lot of younger guys are getting into it in particular the JDM styled cars with fat rims and flares and fender mirrors. Z are on top of their shopping list. 240Z are climbing and still think they too cheap compared to some other models. same as 260z. 280zx are finally going up took a while but good ones are not easy to find. Ive been looking for one for some time and nothing. so my price has to go up if i want one like it or not. or wait and never get one. Like Dat2kman said Z31 and Z32 are hitting low so as S13 Silvia's and R32 GTR. Gtr is slightly on the increase atm and R33 seem to come down more. I was crazy into new models at my younger days. S14,15,WRX Evo ETC..... but after having my 260Z i just cannot get myself to buy a newer car. New cars 1.Deprecation 2.Insurance 3.Everyone has one. Old cars 1. no depreciation if anything it increases. 2. Insurance cheaper 3. not many around so its cool to have it. 4. Easy to learn and maintain yourself. if you don't mind getting your hands dirty. few other ppl are noticing this and jumping on board. keep an eye on other non Nissan models. some a cheap now and typical owners of these models don't mind spending big for right car. though did notice 1600 have dropped quite a bit and good ones can be bought at reasonable prices. To me 1600 does not compare to a Z. Z is in different league.

yeah interesting build. had given me few ideas for my Z. But my fascination is a Z getting this treatment in Hungary. lets face it other than German cars classic sport jap cars are almost non existant in this part of the world. kudos to the guy building it. i guess thanks to internet having a classic car is not as hard as it used to be doesn't matter where you are.

from speedhunters website. not sure if posted before but interesting seeing where Z's pop up and what people are capable of doing with it. lots of different ideas when making a race car. so may be beneficial to some. http://www.speedhunters.com/2012/12/building-the-ultimate-grip-n-drift-datsun/

Well said Mick. Though i still think even l29 with 170kw against a lightly boosted rb20 have no chance. You have 180kw at the wheels thats over 200kw at fly. The l29 will guzzle while the rb will return 10l. Sorry bang for buck rb20 is unbeaten. Than for tiny bit more rb25 is best bang but the gearbox is bit more and install of it tiny bit harder. Mine had larger vg30turbo,chip, cooler, exhaust,cold intake and boost controller with 17psi. Estimated over 200rwkw. Made mince meat out of modified xy gtho. Thats basically dead stock rb20 internally. U can make a rb23 using rb25 internals, bigger injectors, apexi power fc ,z32 airflow and a cam and u looking well over 250kw at the wheels on a budget rebuild. Rb23 has lot more tourqe and retains its fast reving characteristics unlike bit lazy rb25. Since u got ur rb20 for free wont be that exy. Though read up more details on rb23 on SAU i think there are few tiny details u need to know. As for sump. I used original skyline one. Cut 20mm or so from the mounting all around. Rotated it 180 and welded it up. As for pick up i ordered new 200zr one from nissan $68. If u can find zr sump even easier but almost $600 new but no longer available. Saying all that ive seen Peters creation in Robertos car and its simply artwork. Music to the ears and only way to go if u want to have period correct high performance car or racing in a class where rb is not allowed.

Sorry guys i love the L series but you cannot compared them To next gen Rb series even the baby of the silver top rb20det in stock form Is potent motor 155kw and around 250 of tourque from memory (correct me someone) will still be better in every aspect than any mild l28. Vg turbo, rechip, and cooler 17psi will eat even the hotter and turbo L series that u have to spend 15k on motor alone. You sound like me and like doing everything yourself rb conversion will be cheap and easy. Mine cost me besides the motor and few precautionary changes not more than $1000. Yea did spend 100hrs plus rotating the sump modifying engine brackets and gearbox bracket btw not necessary but i wanted engine bit closer to firewall. But that what i do why would i pay someone. RB20det gutless compared to SR20det i wouldnt say so. Have both and massive fan of sr. But rb has more power and tourque is roughly the same. RB is cheaper to modify than SR for given kw. Only advantage sr has its lighter and smaller.being a 4 pot may look a bit tiny even with 6 there ample room In front of. As a track car sr will be best where weight is a concern. Rotary is good but with so many nice nissan engines theres no need to look elsewhere. Ive got 4,6,v8 and rotary but sr,rb,vg are still my favourites. Ultimate be vh45dett hybrid. Best of all the worlds. Lightweight high tech turbo nissan v8. But not easy conversion. Btw do you have the red top or silver top rb20det. One is nics and other eccs. The silver is one to have. Gearbox u can use rb20 or sr20 without issues. Sr stick is bit further back so suits z better but u can mix sr shifter on rb and bring the stick further back 2" If want more info pm me and i point you in right direction.

Been a week since last post. So far the chook cooker seems to be surviving the hot week we had in Adelaide. Hasn't let me down drives very good and fun car to be in. Though the heat inside is bit on the unbearable side. Must be getting old. So went to local Profix This morning (after been stood up by my regular a/c mechanic yesterday) and said FIX ME AIR! ;D 15min later I was driving with freezing cold a/c. worked so well that I had to turn it down to min by the time i got to work. only grief I got with at the moment is almost 19L fuel consumption. Still didn't get it tuned just got my new coils and leads and Peri extractors. So next few days change that over and get it tuned. It does run rich so hopefully getting the mixtures right will improve the economy slightly. Still to do is change water pump gasket and OMP gasket. check the diff leak. Finish polishing it and than just drive it till my next car project is completed. after that starting the new project. is it a Z or something else. keep u posted. ill finish this one off when i apply the body mouldings and do before after shots.

^^^Shut up Micheale!!!

RB all the way if after power economy and reliability. Had an rb20Det in my 260 with vg30 turbo. few mods and boost and be hard pressed for even stroker L28 with tripples comming near it. 200rwKw quite easy with rb20DET with light modding. with bit more 240-250 is relatively easy. and still return around 11l per 100km. purr like kitten every time you hit the ignition. Best mod I did to my 260Z followed by power steer and LSD. Though my 3x 240z projects going all 3 way. 1st Stock, 2nd L series mod and 3rd RB26DETT. so have all 3 worlds. if not daily duties or power hungry than mild modded L series will be sufficient for any S30.

Woohoo. I loved ur car always just wasn't a fan of the engine. not that is a bad engine just it was wrong brand. Cool another RB26 Monster to be created. pitty my car and RB26 are collecting dust atm. :'(I will get to it. Good luck not that you will need any but progress pics are must. good motivator.

Good choice of daily commuter. some tips when looking to by s14 s15. other than usual stuff. 1. VCT rattle on cold start up, Faulty VCT solenoid or wiring, VCT cam sprocket, Stretched Chain, cloged oil galleries, 2. gbox whine and clonking in neutral but go silent when clutch depressed , gbox bearing (if manual) 3. Extra Wiring near fuse box lots of unused plugs and a loop wire, Signs of auto to man conversion, also check radiator for oil coolers 4. Check for door sagin, and noisy closure. should be nice thud. bent door hinges 5. Check for unplugged Oxy sensors. faulty oxy sensors casue intermittent rough idle and hick ups at lower rpm and cruising speeds. 6.Check for coolant leaks under turbo and subframe. indicates turbo gasket gone or turbo loose and damaging the coolant pipe on turbo. (common issue with S14/15 expecially with no gearbox/Exhaust mount present. 7. as above with gasket if no leaks and it farts near turbo area its turbo gaskets and or missing turbo bolts which if not fixed will result in #6. replacement pipe is exy but aftermarket braided are lot cheaper and more robust. 8. Engine should be smooth and idle nicely severe shakes and misfiring at idle numerous issues. from MAF, OXY, Plugs, Coilpacks leaks on intercooler or vacuum lines. etc... 9. IF abs equiped check for ABS check lights that appear and clear once started. Also Air bag lights. 10. If feathering on front tires most probably tie rod and tie rod ends. 11. Diff usually ok but hard to check in short test. Most stuff is easily fixed. but some cost lot of money like the VCT sprocket $600+ 12. Check for crud under oil filler cap and as far as u can see in the rocker cover. well maintained cars this is clean and u can see the oil squirters for cams should be pale brown not crud covered have fun guys.

Yeah rear belts are on the shopping list front ones are ok not frayed or faded just dirty.I serviced the mechanism (tip given by vehicle inspector).now belts pull all the way. Ive cleaned the driver one but passenger still needs cleaning. No time but its on the list. Rears are water damaged and looking for better set. Though dont think i ever carry back passengers unless they hobbits or dwarfs. These are not ur standard belts. Clips and latch are special mazda ones. I will be restoring the front latches bit later. Rears I try source a bettter set.

Cheers guys. Gav yeah i wonder too how many engines that say require rebuild actually do need one. Its the different and unknown and masses do not want to deal with it. Than the few workshops that do make a killing. And also killing a great car with it. Ive seen cars done 350k still on The original motor proves that they ain't crap. And also seen one with 250 still original motor. So they not that bad. But i cannot stress if u not mech minded or bad with your hands do not attempt. I will definitely do few rebuild on rotaries just to have another notch under my belt. Few more interior pics without the glare and shadows

Gav take it the originals to plastic chroming places (usually most chroming places have plastic chroming) there is a guy in Adelaide that does it . Located in Lonsdale. cannot remember the name now. They strip the old ones and re-chrome it. Than just black out the sections that need to be. It will look as good as new.

niceeeeeeeeee engine. oh and welcome by the way

hahaha common Linton. RB is the only way to go for Real performance and keep it in the family I guess ultimate now will be the 3.8 twin turbo out of current GTR. Should fit easy.

thanks guys. Gav engine issue false alarm all sorted out. emission hoses and intermittent coil on leading spark and leaking oil metering pump caused all the commotion. glad it did saved me 4.5K engine rebuild. two days of daily duties and hasn't let me down. purring like a kitten and no smoke. wooohooooo. Goes well as long as you keep the revs above 3K. If you give it after 3k it flies till the buzzer tells you to change gear very hard to judge shift just by listening to engine its so damn quiet. Before 3 feels like turbo car bit sluggish and lazy. does need a tune up to check the mixtures so that may get ironed out. put the rest of the seats in this morning still to do door trims and hatch area. PZG302 Chook Cooker its what I call it as well now after hearing it from one of my Z mates. Never heard ppl refer to them like that. Must be the 70s thing. Its funny i like it. I'm trying to keep everything as stock as possible. no fancy stereo no engine upgrades. may do extractors just to open it up a bit. Need to replace the gasket there anyway so may as well make small improvement. I keep the stock stuff so i can revert back to it at any time. Got a set of stock wheels but prefer the 15" that i got on it now for road use.. Any changes won't be hard to revert. anyway few pics taken at work. not the best due to sun and glare. Also needs a wash lot of dust on it. still to do list: 1. water pump gasket 2. OMP gasket and clamps 3. Door trims and back hatch trim. 4. Wash and finalise polishing. 5. Side Body moulding's to be attached 6.New leads and Coils 7.Attach grill and lower splash tray be picking these one by one next few weeks. Got lot of other stuff to do till end of the year.

Welcome G. yes please pics of the interior as the rest say silver with red my favourite combinations also the plans for the Z are going to be sweet. triples with original L24 will be my decision.

Cheers guys, Dimitri yeah once all done parking it in same spot and taking same pics and before after shots. As for last owner I'm actually going to drive it to his work.not far from my work. No work tonight rest time orders by the missus. Drive today went without a problem. Warm day stuck in traffic.temp didn't move. Few looks from other drivers with smile on their faces. Though got intimidated by few 4wd drivers. Scary all i see is bull bar and plate. Tomorrow 37c so be a good test on its second day out. Need to regas the a/c as soon as possible. Power steer be nice but oh well i get used to it.

woohoo its ALIVE!!!!!! good on ya Mick. Geez i miss the RB sound and only been without it for 2 weeks. so going to be ready for the 25th at Gregs? It better be. My chook cooker is going to be there so got to have few more Zs to outweigh the other models present at a Z get together.

Bit more work on the weekend. though mostly unnoticeable. like wheel alignment and electrical. I'm sure the car will create some attention so added an alarm and central locking for convenience. fixed my electric mirror issues and few other electrical problems so now all is working like the first day from showroom floor. finished my trim restoration and started refitting it back. though only managed to get one seat in and complete the center console. Today its first day of Daily drive duties. trip to work went OK. no major issues to report at the moment. Filled it up and we see how much she guzzles. Still needs a tune. Running a bit rich and definitely needs coil and new leads which are on their way. but she start within the first rotation when warm. didn't realise how small or low it is till mixed with normal traffic. having trouble seeing the drivers in normal cars. their doors seem very high.... few pics. nothing spectacular. hopefully tomorrow have better pics when all completed. at Bridgestone getting wheel aligned. Created a bit of a stir when it arrived. The guy doing the wheel alignment took it out 3 times. he wanted to make sure its all perfect. To me he just wanted to drive it trim bits ready for bit of color. all done. seats still Needs a bit of a clean couple of small stains other than than its respectable. no big rips or collapsed sponge. nice and comfy. hopefully all that will be inside the car tonight than I take some interior shots. It be quite a transformation.

yeah yeah i never said this be fast rotary I was aiming for standard rotary. heaps of modded ones around. I may do another one bit later and have it efi and turbo. but considering removing the air pump and fitting extractors to it. (can be reverted easy) gasket is stuffed so need to look into it anyway. not a 13B at the moment. looking to find a cheapish 12A. and rebuild it just in case.

hahahahahah you two sound like two mother in-laws arguing who's pasta is better. ;D Both taste good sooooo......... hell funny but maybe scaring ozzy79 away. though ozzy if you have kids and want missus on the good side than get one of the 2+2. You can carry the family out on a cruise and when excess baggage is out than you can still have fun by yourself. Missus wont whinge about the money you spend as the family will come to enjoy it too. Once they realise the attention they getting you probably won't be able to get rid of them. 260z 2+2 or 280zx 2+2 can look as good as any two seater. heaps of people have proven that on here. just don't put crappy kits like that blue one you posted from US. All they need is clean paint, nice wheels and lowered accordingly to give it a nice stance. Doesn't have to cost a fortune or do 0-100 under 5sec. They are fun even with light suspension upgrade. Not being powerful prob save you lot of money in fines. If they are clean they are big head turners. your missus will love it. (women love attention heheheheheh ) so go save up and get a nice Z or ZX get what your heart is set on and what u can afford. Don't worry what some of us say here. mostly its just fun and jokes.

Cheers Luvemfast and Gav. Gav no probs can do. give u a quick run down now and i make a sticky later when my free time opens up Viponds does sell spray can variety and they sell the stuff across the globe. They have a whole range for Mercedes interior repair colors which they sell to Europe. You can choose on of the std colors or send them a sample and they color match it for $10 extra. they quite good. 1L cans are most economical and can cover lot of area. few tips for your plastic. remove them and check the stamping at the back. if ABS (i think most later model cars use ABS plastic) than no issue. IF PR or PPR its polypropylene and vipods don't stick to it well. it will stick to it but it will chip easy. this Mazda has PPR and does have issues. but I'm leaving t for time being as don't have time to redo it. As for vinyl or leather seem to stick really well so dash and door trims no problems. regarding PPR plastics mostly found in 80s cars i think it may be possible to paint using normal acrylic paint or possibly enamel. still experimenting. keep u posted. to get scratches out u can sand it so it nice and smooth. don't use rough paper. would go lower than 240 ideal 320 grit. slow tedious but only way. if light ill use 400 paper and just sand the scratch lightly once painted in covers it well. if deep than use lower grits. as for getting texture back . leather look no. for satin look yeah. its more of a technique. bit hard to explain. last few coats what i do i spray from a larger distance. the texture ends up being rougher and you get the 3D effect. repeat that few times till it builds up to texture u like. alternatively what i do is Spot-Squirt from distance. Similar to spraying your fav perfume on. one quick spray from distance than move along. your finger dies quickly but has nice texture. build up few layers. once dry leave at least 24 hour. get a good clean chamois wet it and lightly rub over the area. this will remove all the sharp particles and feel like smooth leather. once dry u can always add armor all or equivalent to get some shine if needed. i usually leave it as is. paint is UV stable so doesn't need anything but for harsh Ozzy sun I prob still recommend it just like on new dashes. by the way that red interior on silver car is my favourite combo. i recon it will look good on yours so definitely give it a shot.

Dazda don't feel bad. Beginners luck. though have researched very hard across 5 forums and talked to at least 4-5 rotary specialist that are willing to talk and not rip you off. overall pattern emerged that i realised with Rotary owners. 1. Hardly any stock cars around 2. Most owners have no idea they just drive and get someone else to fix it. 3. People that know they really know their stuff but only when things ain't stock and they don't take into account what issues incorrect emissions can cause. Besides one quiet member. So really no reason to feel bad. understandable. But i did rub it in to some ppl that were giving me the S$^Ts and calling me cheapscate noob via PM. Probably the reason why i got rid of my Rx4 years ago as community wasn't good. Though there are some really good members out there. SA guys seem to be in force and are willing to help any way possible. Yeah I hope i get at least 3months out of it than I don't care if it blows up. Still on a lookout for cheap 12A hopefully with symptoms like mine to have as a back up and learn to rebuild it myself. 3.5K for labour is just stupid for a simple motor. once i perfect that than i be set. another notch under my belt. Than may expand the rotary collection.

^ hahahah yeah poor 2 Seater 280zx :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( whoever did that to it should be beaten to death by that kit.