New Project - '71 Datsun 240z

Rockers and fenders installed but not blended.

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I have also gotten the doors stripped and painted as well as the hinges blasted, rebuilt and painted.

I still haven't gotten them reinstalled because I am going to finish the paint, inside and out, first.

 
Then, during my companies shut-down during the week between Christmas and New Years, I got the sun-roof hole roughed in, finish welded the fenders and got the basic body work done.

The pictures aren't so great, the flat primer washes everything out. But what you are looking at is kitty-hair fiberglass in the gaps between the fenders and new metal.

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The rear deck lid had a bunch of small holes. Kitty hair again.

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I know, some of you are cringing at using bondo, but this is just going to be a race car. I'm painting it with tractor paint from Carquest and I'm using a roller. This isn't a show car and never will be.

I also purchased an AutoPower bolt-in roll cage from another racer in Mass. After pulling the dash and test fitting the whole thing, I decided to only use the roll bar. I am not required to have a cage, and even a roll bar is optional. Also I would have not been able to use the OEM dash, which is a very "Datsun" item and I wanted to keep it. Additionally, my helmet hit the halo bars as well. The roll bar will be more than sufficient.

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Unfortunately, I was just laid-off again. I don't know if I am going to do any work this time, I am hoping that it won't take too long this time. I was already looking for another job. Anybody want to by a MINI?

 
It's been a year since I actually got anything worth mentioning competed...

IT'S FINALLY WHITE!!!!

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Still will need the bodywork finished, but I am sick of sanding and not being able to drive this pile.   So, because racecar, it's painted.   I have no illusions that there won't be any rust issues in the future, but now I can take care of any little spots with a sand blaster and use a detail roller to blend it back to the paint around it.

 
I have been picking away at other things as well.   I just got the body panels painted.

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Last fall, I got the carbs off and cleaned them as well as tackled the cracks in the dash.

Before-and-After's

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I used some hammer-tone paint to mimick some kind of texture on the dash after smoothing all the bodywork out.

I really hope to get this back on the road and all the bugs worked out before the event at Brunswick this year.   If I can not get bogged down in pedantic details, I should be able to do it.

 
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Wow what a great build I really like the 240z and the 280z. Have you thought of using the Turbo motor from the 280z someday.

 
A V8 would move me to X Prepared, unless it was a nissan motor, and that isn't really the direction I am going.   The ZX turbo motor is the easiest and cheapest way to more power and I could move back to Super Street Modified, though with the added frame rails I wouldn't technically be legal.   I have thought about it, but the priority list is: Reliabilty, Safety, Suspension, Power.   So a motor swap is way down the list of future mods.   See earlier dicussion on motor swaps.

The current motor has street carbs, full exhaust, Fireball optical ignition, coi and msd box.    I have a set of SK triples that I may throw on at some point as long as I don't have to do any extensive tuning to get them to work well.   It definetly makes more power than the stock motor in my 280z.   Though I am basing that on the butt dyno driving a car that has no glass, body panels, doors or interior.   It has to be at least a couple hundred pounds lighter right now than when it will be on the road and probably more like 500lbs lighter than the Turd.

 
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More progress this weekend.   Last coat of paint went on friday afternoon and today some of the bigger items that won't really impact the curing paint went on today.

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Almost street legal, just need to get the lights in.   The whale tail is the only thing left to install on the exterior.   Interior needs passenger seat, belts and a few other misc stuff.

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The fiberglass fenders and headlight buckets do not match up at all.   Large gaps and mis-matches.   You can see how bad the passenger door doesn't line up.  

Lots of stuff I am not happy with and may fix in the future, but for now getting on the road is first priority.

 
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Ive got a buddy with a '81 280zx 2+2.  Built with a GT35r.  Thing is nasty.  I love old Datsun Z's.  They feel very mechanical.  Noisy, rough around the edges.  Fun little cars.  That 240 is awesome!

 
It's ALIVE!

Just got the L28et started up for the first time in it's new home tonight.   Still not ready for the road, I just jerry-rigged the wiring to make sure it would fire up and not have any oil leaks out of the OEM cooler.   Once I got that straight, it fired right up.   So straighten out the wiring and get the exhaust mated to what I had done last summer, and it will be good to go.   Jumping from 120hp to 180hp (@ the oem 7lbs of boost) for effectively $100.

 
Just got some new toys

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Four corner coil-over kit and camber plates all around.

Only half way to full adjustable suspension, but this is a big step.   OEM there is only toe adjustment.   Being able to get as much camber as I need, along with fixing the ride height issues and just about doubling the spring rates will make a big difference.

 
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