Mike's 240K to GTR Replica Build Part I
Mike's 240K to GTR Replica Build Part I
As most of you know I am a bit of Nissan 300ZX fan, some say obsessed but what do they know.
However the twin turbos, ABS and many computers means this car does not really fit in a lot of classic meetings (yet). As I seem to hanging out with old folks lately I thought I should wisely invest my money in a more classic race car.
Now the Mustangs/Camaros are not really me and everyone seems to have a 240Z and given all the smack talk I have dished out to these cars over the years, that did not seem to be the way to go.
It clearly had to be a Nissan and when researching some classic Japanese racing I came across the 70’s skylines the KPGC10 and KPGC110. I thought those ‘Ken Meri’ skylines look awesome and as they were based on the Datsun 240k shell what a good plan.
Well as many of you know finding a good 240K is actually quite rare. Now I remembered seeing a white one at the Z club track day along with Don’s blue one.
You can actually see me in the back of this pic wandering aimlessly along
Marks 240k street car and Don’s 240k race car.
So I tracked down Mark and went to check out his car. He was not interested in selling, so I contacted Don via PM and said “I am investigating my next race car project and was thinking about a C110 240K. As you have one, I wondered if you knew if anyone had one for sale?”
Next thing I know (and for reasons I am sure Don will chime in with) I was the proud owner of his mint 240K racecar. So pretty easy to find one actually thanks to the Z club forum.
Here’s Don probably wondering what the hell he done. (I was up front with my plans though).
Car on the trailer on the way to Dale’s workshop
So we had a plan to make a few minor tweaks and turn it into a GTR replica.
Arrived at Dales on the 1st of June and we pulled out all stops to get the car ready for the Ice breaker event (13 and 14th of Sept). A tall order but with Dale of Coastline Automotive managing it and Chad Lake of Lake Inc helping we got stuck straight into it.
However the twin turbos, ABS and many computers means this car does not really fit in a lot of classic meetings (yet). As I seem to hanging out with old folks lately I thought I should wisely invest my money in a more classic race car.
Now the Mustangs/Camaros are not really me and everyone seems to have a 240Z and given all the smack talk I have dished out to these cars over the years, that did not seem to be the way to go.
It clearly had to be a Nissan and when researching some classic Japanese racing I came across the 70’s skylines the KPGC10 and KPGC110. I thought those ‘Ken Meri’ skylines look awesome and as they were based on the Datsun 240k shell what a good plan.
Well as many of you know finding a good 240K is actually quite rare. Now I remembered seeing a white one at the Z club track day along with Don’s blue one.
You can actually see me in the back of this pic wandering aimlessly along
Marks 240k street car and Don’s 240k race car.
So I tracked down Mark and went to check out his car. He was not interested in selling, so I contacted Don via PM and said “I am investigating my next race car project and was thinking about a C110 240K. As you have one, I wondered if you knew if anyone had one for sale?”
Next thing I know (and for reasons I am sure Don will chime in with) I was the proud owner of his mint 240K racecar. So pretty easy to find one actually thanks to the Z club forum.
Here’s Don probably wondering what the hell he done. (I was up front with my plans though).
Car on the trailer on the way to Dale’s workshop
So we had a plan to make a few minor tweaks and turn it into a GTR replica.
Arrived at Dales on the 1st of June and we pulled out all stops to get the car ready for the Ice breaker event (13 and 14th of Sept). A tall order but with Dale of Coastline Automotive managing it and Chad Lake of Lake Inc helping we got stuck straight into it.
The only choice of wheels had to be the Watanabes and keeping with the T & C rules I could go up no more than 1” from stock.
So I bought a set of 8.5” x 15” from http://www.otomoto.com.au/ an Aussie company that had them in stock and sent to NZ with free freight.
They arrived in grey
But we immediately painted them gold for reasons that will become obvious soon,
The Wantanabes seem to be a knock off of the American Minilites, here is a Minilite for comparison.
We wrapped them in a set of Toyo R888’s as that tyre was in Dale’s stock pile, might go to the Firestones or Hoosiers later. But at the moment the R888 is a ok all round tyre to learn on.
The car came with a set of Toyota Surf 4 pot upgrade with Hawk DTC pads and rotors – which are still for sale http://zclub.org.nz/viewtopic.php?t=4407 but we decided to upgrade those.
The first option was to buy the Sumitomo brakes that the KPGC10 ran in the race series but they have stopped making these.
Then I was going to go with the Willwoods but using American brakes on the Japanese car did not feel right.
To be correct we need to run lug mount callipers so the only other manufacturer that make a copy of the lug mount calliper that would fit within the 15” wheels was AP racing.
Our good friends at http://www.racebrakes.co.nz/ sent me a set
Dale modified the brake pedal and fitted new master cylinders
We also fitted new brake lines and a hydraulic handbrake (in preparation for when we replace the rear drums with discs).
All fitted, love those hook rotors.
So I bought a set of 8.5” x 15” from http://www.otomoto.com.au/ an Aussie company that had them in stock and sent to NZ with free freight.
They arrived in grey
But we immediately painted them gold for reasons that will become obvious soon,
The Wantanabes seem to be a knock off of the American Minilites, here is a Minilite for comparison.
We wrapped them in a set of Toyo R888’s as that tyre was in Dale’s stock pile, might go to the Firestones or Hoosiers later. But at the moment the R888 is a ok all round tyre to learn on.
The car came with a set of Toyota Surf 4 pot upgrade with Hawk DTC pads and rotors – which are still for sale http://zclub.org.nz/viewtopic.php?t=4407 but we decided to upgrade those.
The first option was to buy the Sumitomo brakes that the KPGC10 ran in the race series but they have stopped making these.
Then I was going to go with the Willwoods but using American brakes on the Japanese car did not feel right.
To be correct we need to run lug mount callipers so the only other manufacturer that make a copy of the lug mount calliper that would fit within the 15” wheels was AP racing.
Our good friends at http://www.racebrakes.co.nz/ sent me a set
Dale modified the brake pedal and fitted new master cylinders
We also fitted new brake lines and a hydraulic handbrake (in preparation for when we replace the rear drums with discs).
All fitted, love those hook rotors.
Last edited by mikec(nz) on Sat Jan 29, 2022 5:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- Z Club Member
- Posts: 163
- Location: Auckland
They look spectacular , some serious stopping power
It's always a good day when you drive a Z
There was not a lot to do in the interior. One thing that needed fixing was the seat. A really narrow, non adjustable race seat had been fitted, so we decided to fit a wider one on sliders.
New race seat and sliders thanks to http://www.racetechseats.com
Very quickly it became apparent why the narrow one had been fitted there was bugger all room. So dale was out with his grinder
So much for a simple tidy up
The dash was also badly worn and cracked.
We pulled that out and sent it to Auckland to http://www.dashboardrestorations.co.nz/ who did an amazing job. The only suggestion would be to take a bit extra off the dash before sending it to them, especially around the instrument panel and roll cage as it came back slightly bigger than when we sent it off. This made a few things harder to fit.
We removed a few things that were not really necessary and ran new fuel lines through the car and put the battery (that was behind the passenger seat) into the boot.
Before shot
After shot
The woodgrain on the instrument panel was peeled off by chad and then he polished the ali underneath, simple way to get the GTR replica look. He also did a lot the rewiring - but more on that next.
The little dash skyline badge was fitted thank's to Yossy of http://www.ooparts-international.co.jp/ who helped me source a lot of the hard to get Japanese parts such as badges, indicators etc.
New race seat and sliders thanks to http://www.racetechseats.com
Very quickly it became apparent why the narrow one had been fitted there was bugger all room. So dale was out with his grinder
So much for a simple tidy up
The dash was also badly worn and cracked.
We pulled that out and sent it to Auckland to http://www.dashboardrestorations.co.nz/ who did an amazing job. The only suggestion would be to take a bit extra off the dash before sending it to them, especially around the instrument panel and roll cage as it came back slightly bigger than when we sent it off. This made a few things harder to fit.
We removed a few things that were not really necessary and ran new fuel lines through the car and put the battery (that was behind the passenger seat) into the boot.
Before shot
After shot
The woodgrain on the instrument panel was peeled off by chad and then he polished the ali underneath, simple way to get the GTR replica look. He also did a lot the rewiring - but more on that next.
The little dash skyline badge was fitted thank's to Yossy of http://www.ooparts-international.co.jp/ who helped me source a lot of the hard to get Japanese parts such as badges, indicators etc.
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- Posts: 175
- Location: Invercargill
Coming along nicely, keen to see how this turns out
Repeat after me.................. I am a Nissan/Datsun holic. Nice work Mike, great to see your latest project moving along. I'm sure Don will be watching on with great interest.
Next - Z Club events:
= Check out events page here or our Z Club NZ Facebook page.
= Check out events page here or our Z Club NZ Facebook page.
!972 240z
Retirement is great. Growing old sucks.
Retirement is great. Growing old sucks.
Looks great Mike. You know RS Watanabes are period correct as they where the rim Nissan had on the sports options catalogues for many models.
You can still get the correct Sumitomo Calipers you just have to know the right sources. If you want to ever go down the road I can help you source some
Most admit I was bidding against Don on that car many years ago.
In my opinion GT-R flare change the look of these cars and make them look much better as they detract from the odd swage line on the rear quarters.
You can still get the correct Sumitomo Calipers you just have to know the right sources. If you want to ever go down the road I can help you source some
Most admit I was bidding against Don on that car many years ago.
In my opinion GT-R flare change the look of these cars and make them look much better as they detract from the odd swage line on the rear quarters.
Thanks Mike
Don mentioned you were bidding against him when the car came up on Trademe all those years ago. He also told me what he paid for it back then, how things have changed.
I knew you had some, but seemed like prying them off you would have been tricky, it was a tough call but I run AP's on the 300ZX and they are just awesome. As these AP's seem a pretty direct replica (lug mount 4 pot) seemed to be the best option.You can still get the correct Sumitomo Calipers you just have to know the right sources
Don mentioned you were bidding against him when the car came up on Trademe all those years ago. He also told me what he paid for it back then, how things have changed.
I so agree, I struggled buying the 240K, without the vision of what it would look like with the flares, I probably could not have done it. I bought a model of the Blue Nissan Skyline GT-R 1972 Presentation car (image car) and used that as my guide and inspiration.In my opinion GT-R flare change the look of these cars and make them look much better as they detract from the odd swage line on the rear quarters.
One thing I noticed straight away was the car had no power steer. As we were putting on wide tyres and going to running aggressive camber I decided to fit some power steering.
This was probably the most difficult part and the most costly (after the brakes) part of the build.
There are some electronic options available but they don�t really fit with the �period correct� and may not be as well proven.
So with the help of P G Hydraulics of East Tamiki, Dale�s skills and some machining by the local engineers (Gamman Engineering) we got it done.
It turns out the260c power steering box is a direct bolt in. P G Hydraulics figured this out and supplied me with a reconditioned 260c box which they had worked their magic on (we will keep that info quiet), but see them if you doing something similar as they really know what they are doing and have an extensive range)
However we did need to shorten the steering shaft which is job best left to the professionals.
Along with the box P G Hydraulics supplied a power steer pump with built in reservoir and some mounting brackets.
Dale measured up and somehow squeezed in a new pulley on the front and organised the new plumbing.
While we are in the engine bay, we plumbed all new fuel lines. Chad climbed under the car and removed the old Holley pump and replumbed all the lines, Dale designed a new return flow system and fitted a new fuel pressure regulator. Don had been having some trouble in that area, so these changes seem to have it running better.
The triple Dellorto carbs got some new floats and some replacement parts courtesy of Murray at http://www.weberspecialties.co.nz Seems the parts for the Dellortos are getting a bit harder to find. So might upgrade to some slightly bigger Webbers later on.
The old 280ZX ignition and coil were binned, though it was working it was quite corroded and had been contributing to some rough running.
So a MSD unit was sourced thanks to Pete (The Butcher) Stevenson
Along with a Mallory coil, MSD coil, an hour meter and some new old school HKS gauges. Chad did a good job wiring that stuff up (well no I won�t mention that here Chad - turned out later Chad f*&^ed this up as well, like pretty much everything else he touched ) and we have a super strong spark.
The old 280ZX stuff is available if anyone wants it.
.
This was probably the most difficult part and the most costly (after the brakes) part of the build.
There are some electronic options available but they don�t really fit with the �period correct� and may not be as well proven.
So with the help of P G Hydraulics of East Tamiki, Dale�s skills and some machining by the local engineers (Gamman Engineering) we got it done.
It turns out the260c power steering box is a direct bolt in. P G Hydraulics figured this out and supplied me with a reconditioned 260c box which they had worked their magic on (we will keep that info quiet), but see them if you doing something similar as they really know what they are doing and have an extensive range)
However we did need to shorten the steering shaft which is job best left to the professionals.
Along with the box P G Hydraulics supplied a power steer pump with built in reservoir and some mounting brackets.
Dale measured up and somehow squeezed in a new pulley on the front and organised the new plumbing.
While we are in the engine bay, we plumbed all new fuel lines. Chad climbed under the car and removed the old Holley pump and replumbed all the lines, Dale designed a new return flow system and fitted a new fuel pressure regulator. Don had been having some trouble in that area, so these changes seem to have it running better.
The triple Dellorto carbs got some new floats and some replacement parts courtesy of Murray at http://www.weberspecialties.co.nz Seems the parts for the Dellortos are getting a bit harder to find. So might upgrade to some slightly bigger Webbers later on.
The old 280ZX ignition and coil were binned, though it was working it was quite corroded and had been contributing to some rough running.
So a MSD unit was sourced thanks to Pete (The Butcher) Stevenson
Along with a Mallory coil, MSD coil, an hour meter and some new old school HKS gauges. Chad did a good job wiring that stuff up (well no I won�t mention that here Chad - turned out later Chad f*&^ed this up as well, like pretty much everything else he touched ) and we have a super strong spark.
The old 280ZX stuff is available if anyone wants it.
.
Last edited by mikec(nz) on Sat Jan 29, 2022 5:42 pm, edited 2 times in total.