About a year ago my boyfriend approached me about a car he had worked on a few years. I was interested, because it was different. Well, long story short it became our project. We've both put in quite a bit into this project and today I can finally say "we're about half way there".

Just a little info on the car itself. The chassis is a 1971 Datsun 240z. The motor is a rb26dett out of 1989 Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R. The Skyline owner had been in a rear-end collision where a F150 doing about 45 hit him while he was at a dead stop. Needless to say, the body was forever gone. Jonathan(the boyfriend) performed the swap, though not as easily as i've just said it.

The motor needed a refresh and the thought of "well...might as well build it" came up. Here are a few pics for you guys.

 

Nice, I'll bet that thing will be a sweetheart of a car. I always thought the first gen Z car was the best looking of the bunch, followed closely by the 300Z. If only the current 370Zs great mechanicals were packaged in such a slim and trim form rather than the thick and pudgy current body.

 

Thats pretty sweet. Gonna keep the 240Z the same color? I like where you went with the color of the block and think that the contrast on a yellow engine bay would be pretty cool. However a black Z to match your Gt would be pretty sweet too.

 

You hit it right on the nose. The Z is going to be black to work with the Mustang. The engine bay was rattle canned black before the motor was dropped in a few days ago and the yellow is the original color which is just until we get it to paint eventually. The block was originally meant to be black but it worked out being purple. A lot of the parts on the motor are HKS and their signature color is purple, hence the cam gears and the true HKS purple timing belt. If you notice the fuel rail is also purple. We started out with the idea to match each other since this is our biggest passion that we happen to share and we spend a lot of our lives around it.

 

Darn cool! Keep us posted!

 

awsome project people will be wondering what just happened to them after you blow their doors off...... pics of you and your bf working on the car??

 

Yes, I stand weird. I blame the engine stand.





Jonathan cleaning off the stock crank.







Getting the oil pan clearanced. I call this the Jordan Maneuver.



The stock manifold looks tiny compared to the Greddy. The rb had problems of going lean in cylinder 6 because of the manifold design choking air out of it, so the Greddy solves that problem.



HKS fuel rail along with 1,000cc injectors. Yes, we're going to need that much.



Adjusting the individual throttle bodies.





HKS true purple timing belt.



Getting the Greddy clear cam cover bolted in properly.



I like to call this the lonely Super Damper. No a/c, no power steering.



Wait...so you're telling me this goes there?







We haven't been entirely alone in this project. Some of the guys at the shop have lent a helping hand and we're thankful to each of them for it.



Carlos, the miner-looking guy is going to finish up the wiring, though not before he and Jonathan finish up the fuel system.



Messing with the brackets to the seats we're using out of a Mitsubishi Evo 9. We were having an open house the next day so we thought to put the seats in even though the custom brackets haven't been fabricated yet, just to give an idea of what the interior is going to look like.





I have the very fun job of scraping the paint out of the hatch so we can paint it and put the battery in as well as anything else going in there. I may think about my words next time before I say "What do you need me to do?"

 

That is Awesome !!!!!!!!

 

Pretty sweet project

gotta love the old Z's

 

Great build! Thanks for sharing!

 

This is going to be exciting once its all said and done. We're shooting for 1,000 at the wheels, though the boost will hardly ever be cranked up that high. Its just more of a status than anything. I can't wait to drive it. Heck, I can't wait to hear it start up for the first time!

 

1,000 horsepower in a Z? Oh my

 

Ah, I love talking to our customers with imports! They always have the most interesting swaps. I dig that motor AND the car it's going in - have to ask, what rods are those?

PS Where's my evo seats?

 

Awesome car Antigini!!!

My brother had a '70 or '71 yellow 240Z back in high school in the 80's. I loved that car. The car itself is cool enough, but the engine is even sicker....

 

I've been keeping an eye out for Evo seats! If we ever decide to go a different route with the seats, you'll be the first to know.

As for the rods, they're Eagle. Pistons are Wiseco.

 

I would recognize our design/bolt anywhere, but I like to ask thanks for paying my check!

So what's the time line for finishing this?

 

You work for Eagle? Kind of explains your name now!

There really isn't a timeline. The shop is crazy busy right now so we'll just have to see when there is some time. The motor was dropped in a few days ago and hooked up to the tranny, but that's about all the progress that's been made. Carlos, the guy who's going to finish up the wiring works for the Border Patrol out of town, so he's only here a couple days out of the month. Our welder, who is AWESOME by the way, is really busy with his real-world job as well so the seat brackets may take a while. It sucks when the real world gets in the way of your fun.

 

Uwaaa, sugee jan! This build makes me think of Wangan Midnight and the "Devil Z"

 

We've got that on PS3.

 

I run into the same thing when pulling favors from a few guys at the shop. I do work for them, it's really how I came about buying this car to tell the truth. I always wanted a Cobra, or a few imports I won't mention, but at 6'4 250 I don't fit in most very well! Not something I completely broadcast (where I work) but I am proud of what I do!

I'll make sure to check the thread when you update, I have a soft spot for those cars!