Building a Z-Car, but it's not a Camaro!

[fearlessmark]

Hi, I'm new to this forum, my friend and member here glassman turned me on to this site, so I thought I'd start a thread on my build.

I'm building a 1973 Datsun 240Z!

This is the humble beginnings of the project. The car is generally straight and has only minor rust.



For those of you who don't know much about these cars, the stock 240Z has a 2.4L straight six, 4sp, and independent rear suspension. These cars have a rich racing heritage in SCCA competition with the likes of Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE) and Bob Sharp Racing in the 70's and early 80's. They also have a long history of SB Chevy conversions dating back to the 70's.

I'll be doing a LS/T56 conversion on this one. This is a multi year project, the build will progress as my funds allow. The goal right now is to have the LS swap done by the end of the year.

I'll post more as work progresses!

[Vince@Meanstreets]

can't wait. i have always loved these cars. My buddy in HS had a nice 71 Scarab. Super fast.

You can get a nice engine set back with the LS.

[fleetus macmullitz]

Welcome.

Looking forward to seeing your build.

[Rick Dorion]

I'm looking forward to this! I bought a 73 new for $4,200. At the time I couldn't believe it. Raced 3 years at Lime Rock. Still would like to get another. Keep us posted please! And welcome!!

[coolwelder62]

Sound's like a Cool project.I love these car's W/a GTO body kit.

[Flash68]

They now make a wide flare kit for these cars too.

[Todd in vancouver]

Very nice project and welcome. You will find a small army of guys on this forum with a wealth of knowledge. Looking forward to seeing this one come together

[DETON8R]

Awesome project, light car, good handling, and with a few mods it should be a rocket that handles.

And it is a pre-1976 vehicle, so no smog inspection requirements here in the Golden State. Nice starting point.

How much of a weight change do you expect by removing the iron in line 6 and replacing with the LS engine? As I recall the SBC swaps in the past made the car a bit more heavy, but the weight was more central to the car so to wasn't a big sacrifice, as it helped transfer some weight toward the rear. Do you have a target weight after the car is done?

Also there's a lot of room up front in the engine bay. Any chance your gonna use a turbo or pro-charger with all that real estate in front of the engine?

Have you seen the yellow Z-car at the Good Guys events in Pleasanton? I think he's running a SBC, with a cage and other mods.

[WSSix]

Nice project and welcome to the forum.

[srh3trinity]

I have wanted one of these for some time. I like this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4UmvhC3TqM

And the wide body version after he re-built it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujEhJNBnq9M

I like this one too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeJggBCEjBE