Datsun Oppoers(?) Unite!!

"The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner" (peter-mckee)
10/19/2014 at 17:35 • Filed to: None

I know there's a couple of you guys on here. Time to come out of the dark and show yourselves! I'm all excited cause my 240z now runs GOOD (according to my friend, I haven't even seen it yet :( ), and I just scored on craigslist and got some wheels, dash cap, new seat upholstery, door cards and original tool kit for 65 bucks! That being said I have little use for most of this so if any of you guys want something let me know.

And post em up!

DISCUSSION (31)

claramag, Mustaco Master > The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner
10/19/2014 at 18:02

Datopposun

The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner > claramag, Mustaco Master
10/19/2014 at 18:22

Datopposunites! That's the word I was looking for!

bhardoin > The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner
10/19/2014 at 20:23

Yeah, buddy! I've got the green 71 in my thumbnail. What year is that, 73?

The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner > bhardoin
10/19/2014 at 20:52

Yup, officially the worst 240z to leave the factory! Smoggy carbs and an auto! Right now its got a Holley though and some round tops ready to swap on.

The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner > The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner
10/19/2014 at 20:53

Are you from California?

bhardoin > The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner
10/19/2014 at 21:30

Right on! Once those awful flat tops and related smog stuff are off it the year really doesn't matter. I've never been in an auto one though, how is it?

Yeah, I'm in central CA. You were... Utah? Am I remembering right?

The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner > bhardoin
10/19/2014 at 21:40

I have yet to even see it in person so I can't say. The car's at a friends house down near Ventura, but yeah I'm in Utah.

BoulderZ > The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner
10/19/2014 at 22:49

Glad to hear yours is running again! Enjoy some of the nice fall driving weather! Here's mine. '78 280Z Black Pearl. Not stock.

Kinja'd!!!

The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner > BoulderZ
10/19/2014 at 23:02

Mmm... looks nice! What have you done to it?

bhardoin > The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner
10/20/2014 at 10:22

Well, let us know when you find out, I'm curious. Also, if you get the chance, Ventura is really close to this amazing road called highway 33 - it heads up the mountain from Ojai. It climbs 5000 or so feet and it'd be a really serious test for your car, but it's pretty amazing.

BoulderZ > The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner
10/20/2014 at 13:44

Some performance mods, some just to get the car to look decent. Bored 0.020" over, flattop ZX pistons (~10:1 compression), new rod and main bearings, ARP rod bolts, new rings, Arizona Z car extra capacity trap door baffle oil pan, reground cam to Web 94a profile, 6:1 coated MSA header, 2.5" mandrel exhaust with resonator delete, 3 angle valve job, a little cleanup on the head, new timing chain set, Pallnet fuel rail, aluminum crossflow radiator, all urethane bushings (suspension and steering), new ball joints, new bearings, ARE Ansen Sprint wheels, 4 piston caliper and vented rotor conversion up front, disc conversion in back, all suspension pieces powder coated, Tokico springs and blue tube strut cartridges, new roof, new hood, new front fenders, new headlight buckets, grille replace and powder coat, re-chromed bumpers, rebuilt dash, Corbeau Targa RS seats, MSA autocross D steering wheel, aluminum pedal covers, all new weather stripping, new emblems (deleted a couple), deleted the body line trim, MSA full carpet kit, eclipse stereo and speakers, Hella headlights, re-plated all the yellow-zinc fasteners, MSA front fiberglass air dam, MSA strut bars front and rear, Crane coil, Taylor wires, converted the A/C to R134a (still not finished, damn NLA expansion valve), new center console. I'm probably forgetting something, but that's the gist of it.

Favorite tires so far were Yoko AVS ES100s, but they're NLA. Running track-able tires all the time gets expensive, even if I only put 1 or 2 thousand miles/year on the car. Thinking of getting nice HP summer-only street tires on the 15s, and buying a set of 16s or maybe even 17s for track use only. That means I need to get a TIG rig, build a removable hitch for the Z, buy one for the Jetta, and build a modular trailer for outings to the track, biking, and camping. So, that has to wait for a bit.

The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner > bhardoin
10/20/2014 at 15:13

I used to live around Thousand Oaks. I'm very familiar with the 33. Driven it nearly a hundred times in my truck to go hiking/backpacking. Amazing road, way better than Malibu, in my mind.

bhardoin > The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner
10/20/2014 at 17:55

Nice! Yeah, I'm a ways north of there, but whenever I have to go that far south I try to take it. Even though by the time I'm at the top my carbs are running filthy rich.

The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner > bhardoin
10/20/2014 at 21:27

Have you only gone to the Pine Mountain Pass? The road from Frazier Park back down to the 33 is holy crap awesome. Big banked sweepers and tons of visibility. Kinda scary just because of how fast you can get going semi-confidently. And then there's Lockwood Valley, which is just straight terrifying because of how random the turns are haha. The first time at speed is like walking around a corner and being punched in the face.

bhardoin > The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner
10/20/2014 at 21:44

I haven't, but holy crap that looks insane. Maybe I'll make a pilgrimage down sometime.

The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner > bhardoin
10/20/2014 at 23:26

Definitely worth it. Makes for a good loop too. 33, lockwood valley then through Frazier Park and down back to the 33 back to Ojai. Makes a pretty long loop but It's almost all twisties and pretty scenic.

Quattro-luvr, Powered by Datsun & Stinger > The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner
11/04/2014 at 10:57

1978 280Z here in Lexington, KY.

Kinja'd!!!

It's getting ready to go up on a frame dolly for the winter. I have rust to fix and am going to rebuild the motor.

Congrats on your 240!

Quattro-luvr, Powered by Datsun & Stinger > BoulderZ
11/04/2014 at 11:07

Boulder, who did your cam regrind?

Did you have your dash pad restored? By who? I was looking at Just Dashes.

BoulderZ > Quattro-luvr, Powered by Datsun & Stinger
11/04/2014 at 12:26

My cam re-grind was done by Web: http://www.webcamshafts.com

I used their 94a profile, which could be described as a mild "stage 1". It starts and idles just fine in street and even cold weather uses, but does improve performance for track use and spirited driving. The really great part about it is it allows you to keep the original hardened camshaft billet and maintains stock base circles, so setting up lash pads is vastly easier that with a whole new setup. I had Delta camshafts regrind my rockers ( http://deltacam.com ). They also did great work. I'd highly recommend either shop for cam/valvetrain work. Service, turnaround, pricing, and shipping were all great.

I had my dash restored/rebuilt by Just Dashes. Their quality and service are great. My dash was completely cracked through over the tach, speedo, and at least one of the center gauges (fuel gauge, maybe?). They rebuilt with all new foam underneath, and vacuum formed on all new top grade dash polymer material (I think BF Goodrich makes it?). Everything reinstalled flawlessly, they were dead-on with specs and measurements. The thing is, at the time at least, they and only one other shop would do that kind of work. The other one was in Australia or New Zealand, I think. Shipping from/to CO would have been silly. I don't know if that's still true. But, with such limited supply, they knew what they had and that it was a seller's market. You could count on the price being about 10% more than what a New Old Stock dash would cost. I went with rebuild in order to keep as much of the car original as I could and because brand new materials are going to last much, much longer than old materials that have been sitting in a warehouse for a couple of decades. None of that makes the cost any easier to swallow. At the time, NOS dashes were right about $1,000, and rebuild was like $1200 including shipping (shipping a dashboard is interesting). I recommend having your preferred adult beverage around when you place the order.

The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner > Quattro-luvr, Powered by Datsun & Stinger
11/04/2014 at 19:32

Nice! That one looks pretty clean, good luck with the rebuild!

Dsscats > The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner
11/05/2014 at 20:41

Hey, I'm just down in Studio City! If you're in LA again, let me know and we can do some Nissan/Datsun cruising!

Dsscats > The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner
11/05/2014 at 20:44

Kinja'd!!!

Kinda.....

The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner > Dsscats
11/05/2014 at 20:47

I should be down there to pick it up sometime soon (was thanksgiving, now christmas...). I'll let you know if I have some free time between manically fixing it and seeing friends!

The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner > Dsscats
11/05/2014 at 20:49

It's a Z. You get a free pass for not being a 350/70. THOSE will never count.

Dsscats > The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner
11/05/2014 at 20:52

It's so sad that almost every time I see a Z33/Z34, I wave or flash my lights. I've had 3 flash/wave back at me. I was leaving a meet with one.

Dsscats > The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner
11/05/2014 at 20:53

Alright, sure! Come drive the 300ZX while you're at it! My email is dsscats@gmail.com

The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner > Dsscats
11/05/2014 at 20:58

If they had a straight six, I bet everyone would love them as a heritage car. But now they sound like vacuums and we get to agree that they're sad haha

The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner > Dsscats
11/05/2014 at 21:01

If my friend and I can get it fixed up enough by then to be confident we should definitely go for a drive! Old auto trans does not equate to super high confidence before 800 mile drives across the desert!

Dsscats > The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner
11/05/2014 at 21:05

Haha old autos. Even Nissan autos in the 90s......

The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner > Dsscats
11/05/2014 at 21:08

Oh yeah you have an auto too right? We shall see who's is better!

Dsscats > The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner
11/05/2014 at 21:11

Indeed. 4speed4lyfe