My Fairlady (Rebuilding a Japanese Classic)

Miscellaneous IRL Cars & Motorsport
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This is my Datsun Fairlady Z

My Plans for the Car

Back when these little Z cars where on the drawing board, Datsun had a different plan set out for them. It’s not a coincidence that the fuel tank is positioned and weighted in perfectly to counter the driver’s weight, or that the engine bay is so large than I could creep under the car and stand right next to the engine. The rear quarter panels arching to allow flares and wider tires, the Pininfarina styling (thanks to Mr. Yoshihiko Matsuo) and the surprising racing performance of previous Datsuns (Like the Datsun 210 in Australia’s grueling, 10,000-mile (16,100-km) Mobilgas Rally) are all valid proofs of one single thing: The Datsun Z was as much of a Japanese sports car as the Ferrari 250 GTO was an Italian sports car.

There was no way that Datsun was going to keep up with the European giants (Porsche, Ferrari, Jaguar etc.) so they found a market for small, agile, reliable, hatchback sports cars in the US market. After all, for the price, there wasn’t much to compete, and guess what? Datsun sold a ton of these little Fairladies (Which makes it a bit of a slut, really)

So what is my plan? Well, what if Datsun set out to make a Japanese car to rival the European Kings? That is the goal I am aiming for; To bring to life the Z Car that never got a chance.

So what does this mean? Well, for starters, I’m making it more round and bubbly, which means more curves and wider arches (Look at the 250 GTO for a reference) This also means that I can strap on some wider tires. Next, comes the fuel cell, which I will need if I want to set up a dual-exhaust system. The original plan was a V12, but after some further research and decision making, I’ve decided to keep the L28 (Inline-6) that the car runs on. Instead, the whole engine is being completely rebuilt from the ground up. Almost every single part of the motor is getting changed, making it a completely different beast.

BUILDING A VINTAGE RACING MOTOR

ENGINE SPECS

Bore/Stroke: 89mm/79mm
Pistons: 29mm Kameari (280g)
Rods: 139.5mm Kameari (~575g)
Crankshaft: Polished, Stock L28
Camshaft: .290 Duration / .490 Lift
Valves: New valves (stock size) Upgraded springs and retainers
CR: ~12 to 13:1

Polished Crankshaft

crank

Kameari Rods

rods

Block has been bored and repainted.

block

Lower assembly of the motor completed (w/ Kameaeri Pistons)

pistons

I’ll post updates if anyone is interested.

Take Care!

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2

Seems like an interesting build. I’d like to see where it goes.

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I’ll keep updating this thread when there’s been new developments.

4

I like where you are going with this! To me these were and always will be the best Z cars!

5

The only other Japanese car build that I recall was a 1971 240Z(with a 4.3L V6 from a Chevy S10, and a turbocharger out of a Ford 7.3L Powerstroke Diesel), and that turned out interesting.

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Was that the same Z used by the lads on RoadKill, by any chance?

7

Glad someone got it. Definitely one of my favorite episodes.

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Haha, I assumed that was the one. Can’t think of anyone else brave enough to attempt it!

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That’s awesome man! Barely two miles away from where I live someone was selling their old 240Z, but they wanted way too much money for it, considering the condition of the car.

Would love to see how it turns out in the end!

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The original 240’s are really kicking up in price. If you’re really interested in a Z, do make sure to check for rust! These cars have a lot of rust build up right under the hatch and under the bumpers.

As of now, I’m starting with the block. It is getting bored and the new crank should be in soon.

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Got the new Crank in! Technically, it’s already in the car!

Crank

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Seems like a hell of a job but it is going to be awesome. Nice Z-Car already and best of luck in your pursuits!

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Yeah, the engine build alone is a complete overhaul. Narrowed down, I think the only component that hasn’t been listed as modified is the water pump, haha. Everything else is going with new life.

Then it comes down to the body and handling…whole different beast there!

Thanks a lot for the support and encouragement! The forged rods should come in shortly, followed by the forged pistons. Block is currently getting bored!

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Hope it goes to plan :), awesome car, the Fairlady Z family is definitely one of my favourite Nissans, including the 180sx and silvia s13s :slight_smile:

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The new Kameari Pistons are en route!

To put things into perspective, combined with the longer high-performance rods (139 vs 130mm), 6 of these pistons and rods will have the combined weight of about 3 of the stock ones. The new pistons have a much shorter profile and also have valve cutouts, allowing room for longer valves for those higher lift cams.

27.0mm CH + DSI rods (139.5mm) + LD28 (41.5mm) = 208.
Rod to stroke ratio: 139.5/41.5=3.36

Right: Stock flat-top piston from a P79 Head
Left: Kameari Piston


16

I noticed you want the wooden wheels, does that mean you get to have no safety? JK, so how is it going, are you going to put new speakers or something else?

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Well, to be honest with ya, the first thing I did when I got the car was take the sound equipment out. My new speakers will be a set of dual 4" pipes!
Hearing triple carbs opening up at 6,500 RPM is music to my ears, so I won’t need any speakers.

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lol, so is your car almost done? are you going to race it on one of those legal racing strips or ovals?

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Oh no, the car is far from finished. It has an estimated completion date of mid 2015, and that’s only for the powertrain.

20

I kinda like these little Datsuns, I think this car could look rather classy with the right choice of wire wheels.

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