77260Z

Brakes worked well after I got them all connected correctly, and they integrate nicely with the factory handbrake cable and mechanism. Was nice to finally be able to drive it in and out of the shed instead of having to push it! I started putting the door hardware back together - a little bit stumped with how the door lock operates. The lock will turn the lever, but not enough to actually lock/unlock the latch. I tried putting some hose on the end of the lever to act as a bush but it didn’t really help. Any advice would be appreciated.

Had a few hours free so made a start on the rear brakes over the weekend. Decided to go down a fairly straightforward 'bolt-on' style method which retained the factory handbrake cable. Not the cheapest option in the end (circa $1500) as I went with new brake calipers but all in all not too bad. I utilised the Milkfab kit (Rear Disk Brake Kit - Datsun 240z/260z/280z (milkfab-engineering.com)) and ordered some new StopTech brake calipers (this kit uses single piston calipers from a 05-14 mustang). The only modification required was to redrill the rotors from a 5-stud pattern to a 4-stud. Luckily this didn't need to be absolutely precise to the hub-centric nature of the hubs and rotors. The adaptors themselves bolt on nicely and are a quality product - well engineering and nice powdercoat finish. Will complete the other side, connect up the brake lines and handbrake cable and test them out!

Time flies, a year between updates! House reno's have unfortunately taken priority over the Zed but lately have been making a little bit of time to get a few things done which is exciting. Posting here to try and keep myself motivated as much as anything - slow progress is better than no progress. Got the car out of the shed and gave it a quick wash with the wheels on all round - still a big fan of the colour and the wheel combination. Finally finished off the bulk of the wiring and installed the fuse box in its final location. Final hurdle was getting the LED indicators working but using an electronic flasher unit (Narva Flasher Unit LED 12V 2 Pin 68249BL) sorted it out. Will likely need to sort out a cover for the fuse box eventually given how close it is to the accelerator pedal. Made a start on cleaning up the quarter glass. Next step is to install seals all around for windows & doors. And also finished off the last section of exhaust so it doesn't sound like a monster truck and I can move the car around shortly. Not the greatest welding job (or most tightly tucked exhaust) but it will do for now. Fairly happy with how it sounds as well. Has a nice rumble and a bit of a choppy idle too. Quick video (with my temporary fuel tank) below: Next steps are finish off the rear brakes so it can finally move and stop under its own steam!

Long time between updates, again. I bought a house a few months ago so that has been taking up the vast majority of my time & resources but I have been trying to progress a few things in the background. Front and rear wheel bearings have been replaced with new. I managed to find a machine shop to machine the front brake rotors (DBA DBA42355S for a Lotus Elise) to the correct centre bore (81.0mm) and PCD (4x103.0mm, 10.5mm holes) - this wasn't easy, quite a few machine shops won't touch automotive stuff. I used the milkfab caliper adaptors for the Z32 (26mm) calipers - Z32 Front Caliper Adapters - Datsun 240Z/260Z/280Z (milkfab-engineering.com). Due to using the 26mm versions of the calipers and different rotors I had to use custom spacers. The adaptors come with 8mm spacers, but I found that 5mm spacers were perfect to centre the caliper on the rotor. Before hooking up the brake lines and sorting out the rear discs, I wanted to get it back on its wheels and rolling so we could install a hoist in the shed. Turns out the Superlite wheels I bought are for later Nissan's and have a 66.1mm centrebore, not the 73.1mm CB to suit the 260Z. The wheels fit well on the rear but will need to be bored out for the fronts. I also found that with the bump steer spacer / roll centre adjuster that the steering tie rod hit on the inside of the wheels, so these needed to be removed. Was great to see it back on wheels and rolling again. Also allowed some space to install the hoist which will come in very handy!

Ahhh that sucks man. Let me know if you're interested in getting rid of these - might be keen for my build!

Sorry mate, just saw this - sent you a message!

NOS Tokico 260z rear brake cylinders - getting rare and hard to find. New drum brake hardware. New DBA DBAS1350 Street Series Brake Shoes $250 for the lot. Located Brisbane, QLD. Happy to post Australia wide at buyers cost.

Stock 260z front brake calipers. Overhauled with new seals, brake hardware and new brake pads. Brand new VMax R Slot brake rotors (R SLOT fits NISSAN 260Z S30 1973-1978 FRONT Disc Brake Rotors & PADS (vmaxbrakes.com.au) $450 for the lot. Located Brisbane, QLD. Happy to post Australia wide at buyers cost.

A bit has been happening in the background but I've slack on posting so this one is a big one. It was time for suspension to be done, and after removing the struts from the car I found 3 out of 4 shocks were leaking - I guess that's what happens when you have a project span the better part of a decade. I wanted to do the wheel bearings at this point as well for peace of mind so I figured why not go the whole hog and do the coilover installation instead of replacing shocks, so it was one and done and I wouldn't have to touch the suspension / brakes again. After a fair bit of research I landed on MCA coilovers. They're Australian based (in Brisbane like I am) with a good reputation and local support. I went with the 'Pro Sport' option for a good mix of street performance without being too harsh. I removed the front and rear struts from the car and stripped them down. I had an absolute nightware with one side rear spindle pin on the LCA - I broke a few homemade spindle pin pullers before biting the bullet and resorting to the hacksaw blade method to cut the pin. After receiving the order from MCA, I took them to a local fabricator in Ipswich (OTB Performance & Fabrication) and they cut and welded the coilovers to the struts. I was pretty happy with the welding and the finish (they were TIG welded) and after some paint on the bare metal surfaces I fitted the fronts to the car. I then went about doing the rears including cleaning and painting the LCA's and installing new wheel studs and wheel bearings in the rear hubs. And finally installed the caliper adapter to be able to fit up the 280zx rear disc brake conversion. I rebuilt the calipers and I'm just waiting on new rotors to arrive to fit these up. Also picked up some Z32 300ZX calipers for the front - they're a big upgrade from the stock front calipers. Photo for comparison: Waiting for the caliper adaptors to turn up from the US to fit these up and will also need to modify some rotors so that they will all fit up properly (increasing the centrebore and redrilling for the 260Z mounting pattern on the hubs). I have a 1" MC ready to go on for the brake upgrade as well. Looking forward to fitting these up and getting it back on the ground! Got some new wheels that I think will really set the car off. 15x8" mini lites. 0 offset on the front and -8 on the rear so will be interesting fitment wise. Finally, something that I've been eyeing off ever since I started looking at Zed's is the 'JDM' style exhaust. I picked one up from Z Story recently and have mocked it up on the car, but still need to make an adaptor piece between the headers and the exhaust system for it to be complete.

Any photos of the vents installed in the bonnet? Keen to see how these look!

A few little things completed today, new brake light switch and installing a new clutch master and slave (forgot to take photos). Main thing really though was just cleaning up and getting it back on its wheels. Exciting that it’s starting to look like a car again.

I was going to go with STEDI as I got the other LED lights from there (STEDI™ 7 Inch Carbon Black Pair LED Headlight pair with DRL | Kit) but ended up giving these ones a shot as they were $150 instead of $400 7 Inch LED Headlights to suit Nissan Patrol GQ / Holden H series / Jee (demonproparts.com.au) They needed some very slight modification to the headlight backing (some notching shown below and drilling out the hole to fit the connector) but overall fairly straightforward.

Quick update, I've slowly been getting things ticked off. I installed a maxi blade fuse block to replace the fusible links and finished off the engine bay wiring including headlight relays. Also installed LED headlights - I'm fairly happy with how they look and they should provide much better light than the stock headlights. They also have indicators and day-time running lights built in. Finally I got the tail lights cleaned up and including the surrounds and polished the old lenses up as well as I could, I thought they came out pretty well. Next steps: Bleed clutch and brakes so it can actually move under it's own power Tune the SU's & adjust timing Finalise dash wiring and mount new fuse box Begin interior fit-out (sound deadening, dash, etc) - most of the interior I think i'll get done professionally. If anyone has any contacts or suggestions for interior in the Brisbane area please let me know!

Big milestone! I was able to start it up last weekend and it ran and idled well. The 123 Tune Bluetooth distributor was actually very easy to set up. I haven't tried playing around with the tuning or advance settings on it yet but seems good so far. Also got myself a red top Optima battery. I've been working to get the cooling system sorted so that I'll be able to tune it up in the not too distant future. The radiator and the fan have now been installed (though I may upgrade to an aluminium radiator and an electric fan in the future). I also sorted out the PCV system - I added a Mishimoto mini oil catch can from the crankcase and valve cover that's plumbed back into the balance tube. The wiring is very roughly done at the moment - I just hooked up enough that I could start it. Next steps: Tidy up engine bay wiring and install a maxi blade fuse block for the alternator and starter wiring to replace the fusible links Connect final radiator & heater hoses and fill with coolant Connect choke cables and tune the SU's Complete headlight wiring mod to add relays for high beam and low beam so the power doesn't run through the switch

Late last year the folks moved house, and so did the Zed. A fair bit of time and effort has gone into setting up the shed at the new place, but I've still had a bit of time to get a few things done. The plus side is that I've moved back to Brisbane, and the Zed is now a bit closer than it previously was so I'm hoping I'll be able to make some good progress and get it back on the road this year. The next step is to get the engine all put back together and get it running and driving so that I can drive it on and off the trailer to get the interior work completed (I'm not going to do this myself). If anyone has any good recommendations for interior work in Brisbane please let me know! I bought a full interior kit from the Z Car Source in the US to make this part of the process easier. Engine work completed since last update: Carbs and intake stripped and vapour blasted along with the valve cover Carbs rebuilt and reinstalled - need to finalise the vacuum lines. The balance tube is off an L28 so has a lot of emissions ports that are not required Fuel rail cleaned up Bluetooth 123 Tune+ Distributor and new ignition leads Next step is to finish off the fuel system, the vacuum lines on the intake, hook up the engine bay wiring with a new battery and see if it starts!