yeah, I'd go along with that. But I've personally seen variances greater than 30% from one chassis dyno to the next which easily account for it.

I went to the QLD Z Car Club dyno day just last Saturday. There was a full house 3.1 there as well, which was the favourite at the start of the day. He was only beaten by 2 cars with 2850cc engines both built by a mate of mine.

On a side note, my 1200 (L18 1995cc) had 32% less power than the my mate's 240Z that won the dyno day but I still beat him around the racetrack

Good point about the dynos. HP was measured on a NZ Dynapak - so it may not be equivalent to other Dynos. It does 13.3 @ 108 mph on the 400m (DOT tyres, coarse chip road surface not a dragstrip) which may give a better indication, weight is about 1100 kg. A 3.1 will beat a 2.8 if they are both set up well - with the advantage of torque. At 3000 rpm there is over 100 hp at the wheels - nearly as much as a standard 240 at peak revs which is why it likes hillclimbs.

RE lap times - there is no faster 240/260 Zed on DOT tyres around our local Manfield circuit here in NZ - my best time is 1min 18.8 on Dunlop Formula R, good for close racing with modified atmo Porsches etc.

I am about to build another motor which may have EFI and dry sump. Unlike a 240 or earlier 260 I can run EFI on this car in NZ classic racing as it is an S31 model - the last of this shape. It had EFI on it as original equipment when I bought it in 1985. In those days carbs were the easy choice for more HP.

13.3 is right on the money for a top bhp L series Z And your terminal speed shows it is a top bhp motor.

I love Zs. They're the ultimate Datsun. And yours really looks the goods too. You probably already know about it, but just in case... www.classiczcars.com is a pretty good Z car site. Its worth a look for anyone who likes these gorgeous Datsuns.

Zeds are such a great car for amateur racing. But I started in the late 1970's(!) with 1200's so when I saw my current coupe for sale I just had to own it. Trouble is it's too good to modify so I would like another one already modified then I will develop it from there. There's nothing like well set up 1200 - modern cars have advanced in so many ways except mechanical simplicity and weight - which makes the 1200 unique. Yours looks the business. The fastest 1200s have lapped Manfeild in 1 min 15, back in the early 80's Tony Marsh won the NZ saloon car championship in one. In comparison with the Zed they are slower down the straights but corner like a single seater if set up right. They used to run soft slicks on 10" rims Rear, 8" front with motorbike carbs etc on the ultimate ones.

I believe there is a video of Tony marsh, Roy Harrington (Craven mild escort) and others from the 80's Shell series that has been put together in Auckland.
I am trying to get a copy but its all personal footage on to tape or DVD I am told.

It would be great to have a copy.
I am told Reg Cook makes an appearance as well

I've always liked Z's as well our family owned one for years and it was very quick and fun. I always wanted to build that car up, but we got rid of it. At the Trust Drags I went to a month ago, I saw 240Z's with NA L series run in the 12's. The fast Z's are going low 11's, all Naturally Aspirated L series, and they sound AWESOME....something about the Nissan inline 6's (RB, L, etc) they just sound sweet revvin up with the right exhaust.

The guy I referred to before that won the Z Club dyno day was into drag racing a few years ago, and ran a best of 12.9 @ 105. But that's with a dedicated strip suspension setup - designed to transfer maximum weight to the rear as quickly as possible. Great for launching, terrible for cornering.

Judging by Zcar's quarter mile time on a circuit suspension setup, I'd say he could go a full second quicker on a drag setup, so he'd right up there with those Japanese drag race 240Zs.

But take one of those drag cars and put it on the circuit and see who's faster.. and it won't be by just a second either!

*sob*

that's so beautiful i could cry

did someone mention an 3.1L?

so that's the LD28 crank in an oversized (3.0mm) L28 block and L24 rods?

i wanted to build one of these combos but tyhe cost for machining was horrendous - like $5k assembled short motor.

Here's the "cheap" 3.1 recipe. Current motor is an L28 block bored to 89mm, LD28 Crank, KA24E pistons, early L20A with 9mm bolts or L24 early rods. Have bought used cranks from wreckers. I'm pretty sure I was the first in NZ to use the KA24 pistons - well before Nissan Motorspports USA added them to their catalogue. They have standard floating pins/circlips and drilled oil grooves and good casting shape - it's amazing that they last as long as they do, and they were cheap at the time. Just ream the little ends of the rods to make the pins a floating fit. I have bored plenty of blocks 3mm over and never sonic tested them! Also fitted are L28ET oil pump and head studs (L28ET or later L28 P90) - essential but I still see L engines without them, and always having gasket failures.

Next motor will have forged pistons and custom rods. I have just received a more extreme cylinder head and hand fabricated inlet manifold from Reg Cook, so it will be interesting to see how much more we can squeeze from the old L series. Reg has forgotten more than most of us will ever known about Datsuns. My goal is a 12 sec 1/4. In the early days it used to break cranks at the back and the front pulley would weld itself on. I only rev it to 7200. Tried a bigger front balancer off a BMW - from Z Spares in Clayton from memory which helped a bit. The fix was a steel flywheel with a twin plate clutch. Have had no problems since.

Latest chassis mods are AP calipers and rotors - 4 piston differential bore on the front and smaller 4 piston rear. Went to Manfeild 2 Sundays ago - the brakes are now better than the driver - I really have to concentrate to brake later - scary at 7000 in 4th. It brakes late enough that lightweight sports cars (Lotus 7 copies etc) cut me off entering corners - they think they have outbraked the old Zed without checking their mirrors.

Welcome to 1200.com Don, I believe you have been lurking quietly on the site for a while but it is good to see your Zed on the site. How about some pics of your 1200? I think you are being too modest about your driving ability too, that car has to be one of the fastest street registered Zeds anywhere..and the most reliable By the way guys the induction roar on this car is incredible it's another car like Timbo's 240RS that raises the hairs on your neck at full noise!!

This is a truely amazing car, nicely engineered and superbly driven!
It's the most astounding car to watch at a hillclimb, the engine pulls cleanly from nothing!!!
The 240RS takes 2 gears to cover the same piece of road Don will do in one long burst...
I think I need more cubes!