School me on Datsun/Nissan S30's

[lolcantturn]

I saw at least 15 of these cars driving around the tail of the dragon when I went this weekend...one even passed our E46 M3 in mid corner...
Anyways, beautiful cars. What does r3v know about them? How does it compare to an E30 in terms of handling/power? I'm thinking about picking one up as a second car garage queenery/weekend driver

[King Mufasa]

The Japanese Corvette

Yeah very nice car and getting rare by the minute. Rear discs no drums and coil overs. People swap to upgrade the diff to the r200 from r180, found in the s12 silvia and 200sx direct bolt on.

[shiftbmw]

I've had five 240z's, one 260z w/ chevy 350, and one 280z with a bunch of Datsun comp parts. Stock for stock, a 325is is a faster car both in a straight line and around the turns than a 240z, but the margin isn't huge. That said, there are few cars with the kind of soul a 240z has, and mile for mile the 240z put just as many smiles on my face as my E30's.

Regarding making them go faster, there is a huge aftermarket for them. The engine bay is huge, so just about anything fits. The 2.8L out of a 280z with the right head and cam combo as well as the pre-73 carbs(or triple mikunis!) will make the lighter 240z quite a bit faster. You can toss in the 5 speeds from the 280z/280zx, as well as a 3.7:1 LSD from certain 300zx's. There are also nearly bolt in chevy small block swaps, and an RB25DET is almost a bolt in affair as well. People swap the rear brakes to disc using Toyota 4runner parts.

Just watch out for rust, as these cars were prone to it.

[hamster]

I had this one back in the 80's. 1970 240Z Please pardon the "whaletail" it was an 80's thang.

Loved that car - inline six, manual trans, independent front and rear suspension, proper set of gauges, simple design.... Hmmm... sounds kind of familiar...

One of the downsides to these old rice burners was the lack of modern anti-corrosion treatments to the sheet metal. Rust never sleeps.

I count the Datsun 240Z as one of those cars that were great right from the beginning. I still miss mine.

[TYBG]

Datsuns are a ton of fun, 510 is my favorite but Z's can be had for cheap fun on CL. ratsun.net is a good forum to check out if you want to read about them.

[rturbo 930]

The E30 is going to handle better, but they still handle well. Your biggest problem is going to be finding one. I've bought one from OK and one from CT - both rustbuckets. Currently trying to find one from CA and it's proving to be pretty difficult - had one slip away from me today :(. I'm probably going to be selling my E30 to get a nice Z and be done with it.

They're good cars though if you can find a solid one. They're easy to work on, and the motors are great for what they are - the L series is a much better motor than the M20. There's a fair amount of aftermarket for them too, but there isn't as much for them as there is the E30.

Are you set on a 240z? A 280z can be made to be almost as light as the 240z, but they're a little better built - stronger where it counts, a little more refined, better diff, fuel injected, 5spd instead of 4 (in later cars), the chassis is a little stiffer, etc. They can be made to look like a 240z without too much work.

And please... if you buy a Z, don't immediately tear it apart for an LS1 or RB or SR. I see so many people do this without giving the L series a chance. I think you'll find that it's plenty fun with an L series - stock or modded. I have an L28 making maybe 225hp that'll be going into whatever Z I end up with, and I expect it to be plenty.

Check out Hybridz.org and classiczcars.com. Hybridz is geared towards modding the Z whereas classiczcars is focused on restoring them.

I can probably answer any questions you have - except how they drive... haven't gotten there yet, lol. So close though...

[Threehz]

When mine is put together in a few months I'll let you know.

240 is preferred for weight and simplicity, 260 is the red-headed stepchild, 280s are most available, and I have never talked to single person who has anything but love for the Z.

[CrusherCurtis]

Love me some S30. Call me crazy but they remind me of a Ferrari 250 car. Classic GT

[rturbo 930]

Love me some S30. Call me crazy but they remind me of a Ferrari 250 car

There's quite a few 250 replicas based on an S30. The Ferrari used in Ferris Bueller's Day Off for the driving scenes is an S30, IIRC.

[shiftbmw]

Please pardon the "whaletail" it was an 80's thang.

It's cool, you can't be considered a Datsun guy without at least one whaletail. See below. A few of my others too.

[ak-]

My mother had one

[hamster]

I like this one. 280Z?

[shiftbmw]

^Yes, 280z.

[Threehz]

shiftbmw, you got all the right wheel setups going. Nothing I hate more than modern wheels on classic cars...

[freeride53]

Mi padré

it's one of my dreams to buy him one just like he had in the late 70s, after i graduate, get a job, and make a stable living.