Goals.

So before I inventory our spares and check out our chassis, I thought now would be a good time to explain what we're working towards.

First, let me talk about my opinion of the S30 chassis 260z.

I have never thought of the Z as a race car. The Skyline 2000 GT-R in Japan was the big dog race car. Sure, the Z had some success in IMSA, but when you think racing Datsun in America, you think of Paul Newman and his Datsun 510 coupe.

The Z line until 1996 (The last 300zx Twin Turbo) has always been (in my own mind, at least) a  part sports car part Grand Touring (GT). This is a car that two people can through a couple of bags int he back and drive from San Francisco to San Diego in relative comfort passing anything on the way. I owned a 300zx Twin Turbo and the happiest that car had ever been was on a long road trip. Passing cars in 5th gear with no effort. For the record, that car made 300hp, weighed 3400lbs and today can be had for between $5000-8000.

In 1996 Nissan of America got BORING. No more Twin Turbo Corvette fighter. The only fast Nissans were in Japan. The Skyline had become a MONSTER of a race car. Literally called "Godzilla" and banned from Australian motorsports due to it's dominance on the race track. Think about that for a minute. Australia, the land of convicts and man eating kangaroo's couldn't handle a Nissan. In America all we had was the Sentra (boring), Altima (rental car boring) and the Maxima (family car boring). We didn't get anything good again until 2003 with the return of the 350z.

The 350z was a return to what the Z was supposed to be. A sports car that could two people long distances with luggage and still handle a twisty road. Engine in the front, power at the back. A return to rear wheel drive. It made between 280 and 300hp depending on the year. Every year was a little better than the year before. Importantly, it did those numbers without turbo's or superchargers. Just good engineering. The VQ35 won a lot of awards for best engine. Curb weight of a 350z was right around 3200lbs. A good 350z can be had today for between $8000-$13,000.

So what does that mean to me and our 260z? Lets churn some numbers first.

Horsepower - 140 (165 everywhere but America due to smog restrictions forcing a inferior carb design.)
Transmission - 4 Speed manual.
Curb weight - 2450lbs. (not ours, obviously.)
0-60mph time - 8.0 seconds.
Cost when new - $6700

My goal will be to make my 260z into a modern Z car. There's a number that I see a lot in this post. 300. 300 horsepower. Now, in those cars that 300hp was pushing around 3200-3400 pounds of car. Our car is at least 1000lbs lighter than both of those cars.

Engine. Not sure yet, but we have a number goal. There will be a series of posts about my engine choice as I narrow it down. The great thing about the S30 chassis is it has a giant engine bay. I've seen everything from Viper V-10's to small block Chevy's to Toyota Inline 6's to rotary engines put in this car. The problem is there's too many choices. I have it narrowed down to 4-6 engines, but I'll detail all of those later.

We'll retain a manual transmission, but not a 4-speed. A good touring car needs at least 5 gears.

The interior. I want to maintain as much of a factory interior as I can. The interior of an S30 Z is a great place to be and is actually very roomy and spacious for full sized people.

Suspension. It's going to be lowered and adjustable. While a grand touring car should be able to cruise at 80mph with no problem, this is also a sports car. When we're not on the freeway it should be able to handle any corner we throw at it. If I want to drive 150 miles to Laguna Seca and put in a few hot laps then cruise over to Cannery Row in Monterey then this will be the car to do it. We will need modern wheels and tires, no 14" 40 year old skinny tires here. Traction and stability are king.

Brakes. The brakes are okay for 140hp, but dangerously inadequate for 300hp. With our low curb weight we don't need 15" Wilwood super brakes, but we will need to freshen and upgrade in the front and we need to ditch the drums in the back. 300hp dictates four wheel disc brakes.

Body. There's going to be some prep and rust prevention/repair on the sheetmetal, but after that it will be time for paint. Fast Japanese car's should be white (Japans national racing color in the early days of Le Mans.). The only thing that trumps that is fast Datsuns should be orange. not sure which I will go for, but I will be painting it myself. I will be running some form of widebody, most likely riveted on wheel arch flares. A period correct wheel arch kit, front bumper and rear spoiler are planned. This is a classically good looking car, no reason to mess with it. Fiberglass body parts might be used to keep curb weight down.

So, there we go. The short version is a white or orange 260z with a modern engine, suspension and brakes that has a period correct exterior and interior. What could possibly go wrong?