Time to build a dedicated track car with cage/harness/etc. I looked at several options including foxbodies, vintage Mustangs, even SN95 Cobras. In the end, I bought this:



It's cheap, has infinite potential, and is classy. They even make a 5.0/5spd conversion kit as well as a 13" Cobra brake kit.

Below is a picture of Pete Brock (designer of Shelby Daytona Coupe) and his BRE Trans-Am racer. Brock worked for Shelby during the late 60s. When Shelby left Ford to race Toyota, Brock started Brock Racing Enterprises and convinced Datsun to sponsor his team so he could compete against Shelby. Might be a good paint scheme for mine.

 

looks cool bro....first things first, gut it. completely. take all wiring out of it...run new stuff. racing seat, lightweight. cage welded in. stiffen the frame a bit with some nice SF connectors. adjustible coil overs, cobra brakes will be more then enough for that lightweight little car. what about the drivetrain in the azz, I dunno much about datsuns. looks like a 280 z though. don't know how far your willing to take this or what your budget is for this thing.....are you looking to keep it street legal or no?

I'd be willing to lend a hand on the weekends if you like. I have a few tools nothing spectacular, but have a pretty long experience working with stangs and some custom work on my old lincoln mark vii (had about 450 RWHP....)

 

Holy crap I love those cars! I wish I could find one in good shape.

 

Heheh... sweet.
Had a friend that had a 240, still have a friend with a 260.

Even with the straight 6 those puppies were a blast.

5.0 5-speed, huh?
I'm likin' it...

 

Is that why you were asking about selling my car......to gut it?? You meanie.

I will say this folks, when we went to Road Atlanta, he told me then that he wanted a "Z". Don't let him fool you into thinking he was serious about a mustang..........Other than the one that got stolen that is.

 

FYI, there are several sitting around town including one up on Monte Sano Blvd and one out on the road in the Old Huntsville Historical district near the Old Eastside Gym.

 

I would rip that car down to the bare necessities and treat it like the ***** it was meant to be!

 

Here is a picture of a 289 installed in a Z. Notice the whole engine sits behind the front suspension, making for a nicely balanced car. The real fun is that the 302/T5 weighs the same as the I6/5-spd that originally came in the car.

 

nice, very nice......psst...put a blower on it.....KB it and have fun.

 

Horsepower is only one of the ingredients in road racing. Suspension and brakes are just as important.

 

yes I know.....I put the others above
tires, wheels, brakes, spring rate, optimum control arm angle, damper, chassis stiffness, bushing play, alignment for cornering, braking and acceleration, cooling, brake calipers, lines, rotors, pads, if it's a live axle will you go 3 link or 5 link? sway bars, control arms, balljoints, if it's lowered in a different manner a bump steer kit makes all the difference. a light weight driveline including flywheel, pressure plate etc really helps weight wise obviously but in quick acceleration out of the corners. I would personally go aluminum block and heads as well as a high rev motor. if it's an all race car then you can change out the windows for lexan if you prefer to go even lighter.

I'm not a noob to high performance driving.

 

RICE! RICE! RICE!!!!


Seriously, I love those old Z's. Can't wait to see what you do to it.

 

I have seen two Z car V8 street converisons done in CA, they run hard and seem drive good. I have heard zero complaints on how they ran from the owners. They were more street / show cars. I am sure a track configuration would work even better. Make sure you post pictures.

 

I think I'm going to have to get some more kitchen passes to turn some wrenches on a...........Datsun???




























Seriously though, can't wait to see/ occasionally help on the progress.

 

I can't wait for you to see/ occasionally help on the progress.

 

when do you plan on working on it? if you put up a schedule, I have some parts laying around if your looking for something, they are for the 5.0s I have 19 lb injectors, 24 lb injectors, a 24 lb injector pro M maf, some gauges, things like that....let me know if your looking for anything in particular...

 

I probably won't get heavy into the car until after the 65 is finished, which will be mid-summer.

My intention is to run the stock drivetrain for a while and put my efforts into suspension/brakes/cage/etc. But if I can't get the inline6 running easily, it will get yanked and we'll install carbed 302/T5.

 

 

A complete '76 fuel-injected Datsun I6 will be valuable to a collector.

 

Let me know when you get ready to start the project, If you need some fabrication work I may be able to help.