Project: SteeZee - 1973 Datsun 240Z LQ9 V8 Build

[Aaj2k5]

Hey guys, already had a build thread for this, changed many things so I thought I’d make a new one w/ everything from the old thread all cleaned up.

My entire direction for this build changed within 3 days. Friday night an idea came upon me, and I researched. Saturday night I went and took a look at a disassembled car and put a deposit down. Sunday night, much thanks to a few guys helping me out huge (David, Ben and John), I picked up said disassembled car and brought it to my shop. I picked up an entire 1973 240Z, in parts, for a extremely good price.









Don't mind the surface rust on the frame rail - they're 100x more solid than any S13 rail I've seen lol.

Looks half decent with some Blitz Type 03's..





Spent some money on these that probably shouldve been spent on the Datsun lol. Oh well. Green XJ daily - then S13 daily - now red WJ daily - need new pics with lift and other mods.





Due to various reasons, left my shop in Tavistock (~2000 sqft) and crammed everything into my garage (~200 sq ft) FML. Space is a little tight. Working @ Rona part time has its benefits i.e. 1.25" thick melamine workbench for ~$5. I'll miss the shop mascot though.






Figured it was time for a legit rotisserie -



Stripped all paint off the car, as well as up to 3/8" thick of bondo off the roof and rear quarters even though the metal on the roof was perfect, and it looked as though they tried to reshape the contours of the rear for no particular reason. Used stripper, sandblaster as well as blowtorch and scraper. Primered it, and will get little spot touch ups when time comes for paint.





I'm set for fuel and efan.




5 bolt had to be removed from R34 GTR knuckle so I can use the Z32 big spline 5 lug. It appears as though the GTR knuckle is an aluminum version of the S14 which would eliminate the issue of coilovers for you guys that upgrade to Z32 uprights and need to switch bottom mounts.

Step 1: 3 Jackstands and a BFH.


Step 2: Booya.

[Aaj2k5]

Z32 Big Spline 5 Lug, S14 Front spindles, FLCA. Bushing on the FLCA had to be ground down 1/16" to fit the S30 Subframe..





A little bit of the dirty work. The name of the paint stripper is true.. As are the warning symbols :| Second pic shows one coat of stripper left on for 10 minutes which was wiped off and then a coat of easy off to degrease. Works wonders.




Started to measure & design my build in Solidworks. Have the 5 lug, Q45 output shafts, Brake rotors, as well as starting on engine.




Picked up a new cowl piece - thx JP.



Good news is that I bought a ZEDD Findings floor kit which is perfect as I am lifting the floors 1 3/4" to 2", as they sit below the rockers, and would scrape like nobody's business. I need to fab up my own GTR subframe mount and will probably make my own floor rails as the ZEDD findings ones are just bent 18ga sheet. After major components are fabbed up, I will take the car on rotisserie to nearest Line-X and spray the entire bottom - stiffens the hell out of it, sound deadens, as well as the obvious rust proofing bonus..

My new friend.



After grinding:



After primer;



Cleaned up and painted the Z32 5 lug and BNR34 knuckles.



Beforish:



After a couple hours:





Started cutting off all those annoying clip things.



Also, subframe is sandblasted just needs to get picked up and slapped on, so I can start on S13 coilover conversion on S14 arms..

My wallet hates me.

A buddy hooked me up with a E36 M3 Dash, centre console, glovebox, trim etc.. Will need a tiny bit of trimming obviously, but is almost the same curve and width as S30. E46 M3 Cluster looks alot nicer, so i'll probably end up going for it.

Started hacking the E36 dash with a dremel + sawblade.





Soo the only reason I was using the M3 E36 dash was because a stock one cost a fortune in good shape. Until I met a guy who lives a few streets over from me and he hooked me up.

'72 240Z Dash - professionally restored
Heater center vent
Centre Console
BNIB dash side vents
Glove box
Dash to windshield trim
Tail light finisher pieces

Enough speak, more pics.





Also started fitting the S14 suspension



And fabbed up some arms to hold the front on rotisserie.



Soo I got an email from the guy that I bought my dash from about a hood for sale out in Brantford. I headed out there after work and met Chris and Rob - couple of bro's that have a pair of Datsun Z cars - one of them RB swapped. Cool dudes - sold me this hood for $50 :O



Then I got to work on the front half of the rotisserie - s'all done. The rear half will be done up on Tuesday.

[Aaj2k5]

Soo Tim is pretty good at photochop and made this for me.



I'm a fan. This will happen + spoiler + black window trim - headlight covers.

Joe came over last night and we talked about expensive things..

1) 4-6 point cage, X bar tied into the rear R34 Subframe mount, 2 to strut towers, harness bars across. Tucked to cnt-hairs width from the roof and sides.
2) R34 rear subframe mount.
3) Fender brace that runs along the dogleg and around tucked to upper rad support and back around the other side (Beginnings of a tube front end).

PIG ROAST!!

Finally got off my ass and finished the rotisserie.

Rear welds are fairly solid.





Need to bolt the arms to the T-bar before I try spinning it lol.

Bolted er up.



Spun er right round.



Primered er up.



Including my freshly blasted subframe..



Most productive hour of my day

Had a few hours to work on the Z (I need a good name for her)..

Started with one of these..



Drilled a crapload of holes..




Cleaned the bish.




Primed a bit




Also, bought one of these to complete my modernized suspension - JDM S14 swaybar 27mm w/ JDM S14 TC brackets. Also doubles as a rad mount and I can now order S14 sizes with install ease.. Not bad for $45 lol.

Might work on er again tonight and see how far I gets

Sorry for the delay boys..

My co-op term ended so I took the gf to Santa Maria, Cuba to celebrate. Things got silly and we had drinking team tshirts made up for the group lol.




Did a bit more cleaning up on the underside the day I got back.




Started on the passenger side.




Made plans to have some guys come over and get both floors done on Monday night. Monday morning on the way to work going about 80 clicks down a street, this happened. I had to countersteer and the jeep was on about a 20 degree angle while going straight down the road. Scary ****.

[Aaj2k5]

Insurance doesn't cover mechanical failures. Ghey. Tuesday morning picked this up from my buddy JP for a good deal - should be a fairly sick daily.




2002 Sentra SE-R Spec V
6 speed, LSD, bunch of new ****.
Ksport Kontrol pro coilovers. Height and preload adjustable, and 32 way dampening adjustable, with camber plates with pillow ball mounts.
Jim Wolf balance shaft removal kit
Stillen Intake
XS-Power header
BC cams
Rota slipstream wheels, with 225/45/16 kdws on the back (90% tread) and 215/45/16 rt 615's on the front
Nismo lower tie bar
Kenwood deck with Ipod
OEM nissan roof racks with back rack, and snowboard attachments
Magnaflow catback exhaust
Vibrant flat black muffler

Exams are almost done so I got antsy.. ZEDD Findings Floorpans took soo much work to fit, I was mildly ticked.



Mocked up Sentra front coilover, S14 arm + spindle - Time to order some HSD S13 coilovers and make some camber plates.



Cleaned up drivers side front well tonight - 3 more nights of working like this and the car will be entirely primed



Got to cuttin and cleanin last night, got some fittin and weldin tonight.



Car is going to Adam's place Thursday night to start work on the frame rails, R34 subframe mount, camber plates and possibly a cage, so I got the entire car primed. Floors are only tacked in as they are coming back out to weld in the rear subframe mounts.


Woohoo - best update so far She's in Barrie for the next while getting **** done.



Been super excited to get the Z back from Adam so I thought I'd try my hand at Photochop.

Never used any sort of image editing software and this was done on free Paint.net program so it's by no means good but it's a decent idea what I'm going for..



Also, how the car was in October for comparison..



Food for thought..



Thanks to my buddy Matt for laser-cutting these at work



Build drastically changed direction HERE. I have been planning a KA24DET swap for couple years now, almost ready to start purchasing everything and my buddy Matt drops a bomb on me and gives me a LM7 (5.3L GM V8 ). Start getting ideas about building a boosted 5.3, got in a horny and bought a LQ9 (High Output 6.0L GM V8 ) from a local guy.

I’ve had my share of fun in turbo 4 bangers, but never dipped into the pushrods. Researched extensively and decided I had to pull the plug on the KA and go for it. Cost / power, reliability, torque curve, sound was way too hard to turn down. Also, the LQ9 setup NA form WILL be lighter than a full KA-T setup.

Went for the iron block LQ9 instead of LS2 for future boosting options, upfront cost and for rebuild safety mesh (unlike sleeved LS alum blocks, & only weighs 76 lbs more).

New Plan for motorset:
- GM LQ9 V8 (stock ~345hp, 380tq)
- LS2 Intake Manifold
- LS2 Cam (Very possible upgrade to Texas Speed 233/239)
- LS2 Valvesprings
- LS6 Oil Pump
- LS2 timing chain
- LS7 Lifters
- Meziere Electric WP
- Full gasket / bearing / ring rebuild
- GTO Pan (OR man up and go LS7 dry sump pan).
- ARP Con Rod Bolts / Head Studs
- Custom Longtubes
- Custom Motormounts
- Alt relocation – Custom mount w/ tensioner, P/S delete, E-WP.
- Magnum T56 6 Speed (More $$ than everything else together )

Pumped to see how it's coming along in Barrie!

PARTS LIST
ENGINE/TRANSMISSION
- GM LQ9 V8 out of 2006 Escalade
- Z33 VQ 6-Speed Transmission
- All accessories, wiring harness, PCM
- Aeromotive A1000 Fuel Pump
- Aeromotive A1000 FPR
- Aeromotive 100 micron filter
- Earl's Black Nylon braided lines / AN fittings.
- Taurus 3.8 E-Fan

CHASSIS/SUSPENSION/BRAKES
- R33 GTR Depowered Steering Rack
- S14 steering column
- S14 FLCA, Spindles
- JDM S14 Swaybar
- JDM S14 TC Buckets
- S30 Front Subframe (Sandblasted)
- R34 GTR rear subframe w/ axles, multilink & 5 lug hubs
- Cusco S14 RUCA
- Nismo GTR RLCA
- 3.538 Q45 VLSD, Z32TT Axle & big spline 5 Lug rear hubs.
- 10 point roll cage *IN PROGRESS*
- 3”x3”x.125” Frame Rails *IN PROGRESS*
- 1”x3”x.120” Mid Frame Rails *IN PROGRESS*
- ZEDD Findings Floor Kit
- ZEDD Findings Front Frame Rail Kit *COLLECTING RUST*
- R34 GTR Subframe Mount *IN PROGRESS*
- Custom laser-cut S30/S13 coilover camber plates.

EXTERIOR
- OEM Hood, doors, hatch, all glass, trim and lights.

INTERIOR
- 72' 240Z Professionally Restored Dash w/ accessories
- NRG Evo Black Steering Wheel

Most importantly, you have to have the gf who puts up with all your car addiction bs

[Aaj2k5]

Updated the wrong thread- hopefully a mod will close that other one..

My Datsun has been at the fabricators since Oct 27th, 2011. Now being Nov 10th, 2012, I've gotten mildly bored. Graduated Robotics and Automation in August and have been working full time since, so have some extra budget for the car

This was my garage at old home (just got a new house last week), tight quarters is understatement of the week. 10'x20'x82"...



Got in on a shop here in Kitchener - 3200 sq ft for a hell of a deal

From the front:


From the back: note the 10 ton gantry crane that runs the length of the shop.


We're set for air, have piping to all corners of the shop buried in the concrete. 100 amp 600 3 phase as well, with transformed down to 220/110.


Set up my stuff in the back right.



Picked up a Meba horizontal bandsaw 600v, 12" round cut cap.


Netted a (free) Tos Kurim Finesa FNK25 6-axis turret mill with Heidenham XY NC readout from work.


Also have a shop trailer now - 6'x12' 14,000lb Hydraulic Drop deck (sits flat on the ground when lowered)


I'll have some updates with parts I've collected soon!
Shop is slowly coming together..

Addition of the day:


I was told my Datsun would be coming home tomorrow. But have no confirmation in last month so we'll see how it goes..

[Aaj2k5]

Sorry for a disappointing update but:

shop organization is taking shape this is stage 1 of racking. Had to take down about 60' of heavy ass 4" sched 80 in order to get the rack into a decent place.



Hoist is anchored down and running now

Next is the fab table and finishing some more racking



not much happening to the shop or Datsun other than Brendan's VH45 S14, so here's one of the new shop mascot, Diesel.





Found yet another use for the 10 ton gantry crane

[zedfoot]

Cute dog. I had a German Sheppard who looked a lot like Diesel. Her name was Deso, because the little girl on the farm we got her from couldn't say diesel.

[Curtis]

Well if I could weld, I would love to do this and have a mind set that there is no time line...no rush. Just work on it as time and money allows. Great work. So is this garage going to be for a new business..maybe it was already stated

[Aaj2k5]

Haha my young cousin does the same "Deso" bit, too funny.

Welding isn't terribly hard to do stuff like this man, pretty much just bug a friend with a welder or buy a cheap one and start practicing.

I do have a timeline set for the car, I just did not include having my car at the cage fabricator for over a year and 2 months, unnecessarily.

Money providing, I should have everything to have a rolling chassis by this summer and fully drive able by this time next year. All depending how soon I get my car back lol

[Aaj2k5]

442 days since my car has left me, but it's home now..

Cage is not done, main hoop, diagonal and A-pillars are cut but not welded.

I'm not worried, I actually have the shop and capabilities to do everything myself now so it's all good. Big things to come soon! Just happy to have my car back..

[simey_binker]

nice, good to see this thread/car is back on track. I dig what you're doing, and I'm interested in how you're going to make the rear end work - I'm having horrible difficulty just getting mine altogether.

Sim

[Aaj2k5]

Had a couple hrs today to put towards the Z.. Time is extremely hard to find these days haha just have to be persistent.

This is the cage that was done by the fabricator. I am scrapping every part of it that was done - about 40' of DOM scrapped unless I can salvage some short pieces out of them.

Main hoop has ~3" between it and the roofline. Note the gnarly plasma cut strut tower holes.



The door bar stuck below the roofline.



The A-Pillar was fairly tight...



Took the S30 front subframe and nipped off the factory motor mounts..



Picked up a R33 GTR RHD steering rack. RHD because when you flip the rack over, I need it to work in that direction with the S14 knuckles flipped right to left (steering rack in front of subframe instead of factory).



Then I took the R34 GTR rear subframe and burnt out the factory bushings, sawz-all to the top flange and air hammer to push the sleeves out.





Mocked a SPL V1 Solid Subframe Bushing into the bore.



Tomorrow night's plan is to brace the subframe, ditch the diff bushings, find a bushing for the R33 steering rack and send out subframe(s) to JP @ Strip tech for powdercoating.

[Purestock240]

who did all that cage fabrication?

[Aaj2k5]

I'm assuming you are purestock from SON he is S13Counterpart on there, PinkNinja on here.

I've got enough material to start making my own with my shop neighbors Baleigh tube bender

[Notorious Nerd]

Ive read both of your threads and i have to say that this is a phenominal build Aaj! I cant wait to see whats next and like sim youve given me some ideas to use on mine. You also make replacing the floor and rails seem very easy. Unlike you though im gonna cheap out and just put metal in for the floor and do what you did for rails. Seems like the smartest thing to do.

Keep up the amazing progress!

Cheers,
Thomas