ThermalWake

ie got a few questions on drag racing Z's. N/A i want to drag race my S30 with a N/a l28 and i would like to know what is the best way to go about reducing the weight of the chasis

hoov100

remove bumpers, hood, gut doors, remove all creature comforts, remove EFI in place for carbs, gut interior, take out the dash and replace it with a fabricated one, replace all stock gauges with aftermarket aluminium ones, lighter wheels.........etc

snwbrderphat540

you wont pass tech though, so strip the interior, passenger seat carpet, etc. A/C if its still got it. so on. and yeah replace dash

hoov100

if z's were meant to be drag raced there would be a chevy or ford emblem on the hood....

snwbrderphat540

or dodge... mopar yo! ford can suck my *****.

ThermalWake

i know but its not made for draggin, but im making it for draggin. im not into auto crossing, im not into road racing. but im not into anything but Z's so im going to take this one and strip it and make it my drag car,

hoov100

its your car...

ThermalWake

yeah it is. and i mean the condition its in isnt really worth restoring. and it would just be cool to evuentally get a turbo motor and turn 11 or 12 in a datsun that doesent look or sound very modified. i am looking at buying a 240Z when i decide to learn how to auto cross. and drop a built L28 or built L31 in. but for auto crossing i really really want a 510 or a 2000 roadster.

hoov100

weight isnt really an issue, its easy to remove weight in a s30,the real issue is getting the HP and making sure the car doesnt break in two when it goes down the strip..

BC240Z

I have to agree with hoov, in that the S30 chassis is very light as it is, however....
Seriously, I drag race these machines, and help others build em,. heres the plan.
I assume yer using a 78 or 79 chassis..yes? ....after '73, the doors have a "crash bar", inside them. get that sucker out first off !! and those bulky bumpers have to go, either run without, or find some early (pre '74) pieces. they look great, and are legal and light.
next,as SNW said,..gut 'er out,..carpet,pass.seat heater,radio (and dash in extreme cases) kick panels,.all that crap.. now heres where it gets fun,.....
get yerself a drill, and several "hole saw" blades, for steel of course. Peel the doors and hatch off, and pick a pattern to drill many many holes in the flat areas of the doors and or hatch. in the front section of the doors, and the rear section (around hinge side, and latch side).. dont go too retarded with holes, but you get the idea. do NOT, under any circumstances, drill the "chassis"/frame itself !! this will weaken an already weak link in the car.
Every hundred pounds is worth a tenth,..in real terms,.a tenth is a half a car lenght...period,and thats MORE than enough to win a drag race.....

This is a start....have fun.. and fer gosh sakes....wear a helmet, these suckers are FAST!
(ps... NO,..the "red rocket" is not lightened in any way, before the questions start flyin....she's stock)

ThermalWake

as far as mods go, i have a custom duel cone intake up in front of the radiator, stage 2 ( mild) cam, 6-2 headers, magnaflow muffler strait off the header, motor just runs the water pump and alternator. i took the outer pully off the crank because its not being used. i went from 3.54 gears to 3.90 gears in the rear. i have gutted the interior of all carpet speakers, headliner, my dash has been cut to right b4 the 3guage cluster. to where its just the speedo and tach. short thro shifter, bumpers and bumper supports, door pannels, heater, fan, all linkage, radio, fuel tank has been taken out and i have a fuel cell in the back its a 8 gallon. i also cut the tool buckets out behind the seats. and i have relocated my batter behind the passanger seat. im also wondering if i should remove the sway bars. i have after market sway bars, they are 1' thick solid they are very heavy. should i take off both or just the front or what.

im going to replace my 1/4 windows and hatch glass with plexi glass, and the front ones will be nets. and over time i will get a fiberglass hood, fenders and doors.

last time i weighed in i was at 2310 lbs my 77 280 with me out of the car and 2450 with me in it

snwbrderphat540

removing the rear sway bar will help you hook up some if your dragging.

BC240Z

So far so good, sounds like your well on the path. as for the sway bars,..ditch the front swaybar, its hurting weight transfer to the rear. The rear swaybar, leave it in. especially if it is aftermarket/thicker unit, it will help to plant the tires, these independent rear ends, like to "unload" very easily... the bar will help. .... Todd/BC240Z...

BC240Z

P.S... you didnt mention whether or not, there was a "crash bar" in the doors.. its worth about 40-60 pounds fer the pair.... OH.one more thing.. got any spare 3:90 gearsets to donate to a very needy cause?.....What I'd give to have 3.9 gears.....drooool ...lol

snwbrderphat540

i thought removing teh rear sway helped wtih traction cause it could squat better.... hmmm..... perhaps i got my info baskwards

BC240Z

Yer right snw, it does promote squat when you remove the rear bar. However... the bar does a great job of preventing wheel hop. the independent rear suspension is not intended for drag racing.....its fantastic for road racing!
The bar will "plant" the tires evenly. making for a straighter launch, and far far less tire hop.
Your info is not backward... just more applicable to a solid rear axle than our indy's.

BC240Z

Hey Therm... I'm curoius now,..you said it weighed 2310 without you in the car.
was that weight before, or after you put 'er on a diet? (stock or gutted?)

ThermalWake

my car weighed like almost 2700 stock. and it weighed 2310 with it gutted. still with full doors, both sway bars both seats, all of the back deck the entire dash, still in the car.im really trying to get it to around 2000 less if at all possible.

BC240Z

it sounds like your almost there, as far as weight is concerned. 2310 is nothing to laugh at. and yer still steel right?...no fiberglass yet?.....Cool !

Gawd those second gen Z's are HEAVY.. egad, my '72 was/is 2115 empty....and all stock! in fact, there is weight put INTO my Z !! (aftermarket underpadding) in '73, the weight started to go up substantially. (safety.bah!)
I might add... get a bucket of spare parts..lol
to date (3-4 seasons) I have broken 8+ (cant remember) U-joints,both driveshaft and halfshaft joints! one DESTROYED halfshaft (spread the ends like a cheap *****), 2 busted differentials, one wrecked gearbox (4-speed)..ripped the pins outta the shift slides?(first time powershifting) 2 clutches, 1 flywheel scarred beyond repair! and a shitload of rear tires..lol....no, I dont run slicks...I wish! (there would be more busted parts...hehe)

I have NEVER hurt the engine, and theres the funny part... I paid $200 CDN fer a '72 parts car 3 yrs ago,.with this engine in it. The oil bar in the head was loose, for who knows how long...it rattled (up top) like a can of marbles!! we bolted up the oil bar, adjusted the rockers..and voila! it has never.....ever missed a beat since. 2 1000+ mile trips, 3 yrs of draggin' and many, MANY mud-stang beatings on the street (oops).. and not a whimper. I turn the sucker to retarded RPM (9+grand) all day long....well every second day.
A freak engine fer sure. I bet if I tried to build one like this, it would cost me thousands....and blow to hell in 3 passes...lol!!

The weak link (in my opinion) is the halfshafts and indy rear...they are too easy to break. Use the best U-joints you can find. Install them carefully. make sure the grease gets to all areas inside the joint.... grease 'em every second race day.. but always keep spares,.you WILL use them up.
Best scenario is to replace the diffy with a solid rear...ya,..I know it sucks, but if you run slicks and any amount of power, you'll destroy that 'lil R200 diff ya got. It will last.......a while. I'm not sayin rip 'er out now....but you will.

BC240Z

BTW....
here's what happened to the rest of the $200 parts car.....


Some of you may already be familiar with the "Saturday Night Special II", Ron and Jason Mercers 7 second P-mod 240. I worked for Ron a few years.

ThermalWake

my Z is a first gen S30 not a S130 is that was what you were thinkin

BC240Z

Yer right, Therm... it IS a first gen...my mistake.
I just have a problem with a Z....after the '73-'74 era.
as I said in a previous post...if its not a '40, I dont think its a real Z ( MY UNDERLINE my opinion.)
C'mon...power steering??....power windows?????? digital dash....gimme a break! talk about overglorified toads!.....I got a steering wheel, three pedals and a seatbelt to hold me in...period....now THAT is a sports car.
(check your notes..) The '72 is the quickest and fastest Z, untill the twin-turbo '92 300.... that includes all the 260-280 and 300 turbo or not Z's! the reason?....power to weight ratio...period.
All engine and a place to sit.....I love it!!

(ps.. I HAVE raced against the '92 T-T.and it beat me by 6 hundreths! big whup!.... 350Z...same thing....3 tenths)

(PUH-LEEEZE understand..this is a tounge in cheek post...ok? I am NOT bashing your guy's Z's in any way)

BC240Z

<<<<< Pulls on helmet

ThermalWake

i know your not, and i mean, to me a S30 is an S30 when i an do 85 in 5th gear and stomp on the gas and it still smacks my head into the seat thats sayin something. aspecially for a 30 year old car.