"Mechanix Menace": An LS7-motivated, chopped and heavily modified 1973 Datsun 240Z

[Ripper]

Amazing... I'm speechless.

[chevyz240]

April 30, 2006. After a winter with no major progress, I put the car on wheels and tow it out of the garage in order for me to take out the Porsche that's parked in behind it. It is always inspiring to see the car from some distance in daylight.

IMG_1112liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[chevyz240]

September 29, 2006. This Friday afternoon, a mysterious crate appears in my driveway...

IMG_2075liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



Chevy part number aficionados may realize what this is...

IMG_2079liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



... an LS7 crate motor!!

IMG_2107liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



Ever since I read that GM was going to sell the new LS7 as a crate motor, I couldn't get the thought of maybe getting one for myself out of my mind. Reading more about it, seeing it at the PRI show, and finally riding in a Z06, convinced me that although the initial outlay may be considered hefty, this is something I must have. The way the Z06 pulls from just above idle to redline is quite impressive. Since my car will be 500-600 lbs lighter than the Corvette, the performance should be quite OK!

The light weight of the motor, the dry-sump oiling, the fuel mileage, the dependability, and the potential for further performance enhancements are a few of the traits that made me take the plunge. How I am going to get the car through inspection here in Sweden with this motor is something I will have to think about though! In the worst case I can use the old motor for that purpose.

This is something I don't want the inspection people to see! Just 3 times the stock displacement...

IMG_2111liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[chevyz240]

October 21, 2006.

It's suddenly fall again, and time to get the project going once more! After lots of thinking about how much work I am going to put in the car, I decided to widen the car quite bit, even though it is going to take a lot of work. If I have spent 15+ years working on the car, I might as well take the extra time to get it the way I really want it.

I order to get the car low and wide, the rear wheel wells need to be modified. I start by taking the rear suspension off. The BMW M5 third member and the shortened Beemer half-shafts with their adapters can be seen here.

IMG_2200liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



This is the half-shaft I have been using. As I am intending to design new suspension front and rear, I will design the rear suspension for stock length BMW half-shafts. This will have the benefit of not needing to weaken the shafts by shortening them.

IMG_2207liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[chevyz240]

December 11, 2006. The fender lip and the outer part of the wheel well has been cut off and replaced with horizontal sheet metal. This will enable a wider track and a low ride height.

IMG_2302liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



This is what it looks like with the car right side up.

IMG_2305liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



Preferably, I should have raised the entire wheel well in order to give as much space for the rear tires as possible, but that would have been quite a bit of work. Instead, the new sheet metal is angled slightly upward from the inner wheel housing, taking into consideration the camber gain during wheel travel. This will provide as much space as possible for the tires without too much work. I will still have to make a compromise between ride height and compression travel though. In the end, I think it will be OK.

IMG_2306liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



After endless hours of trying to decide on what track width to run, I think I have decided on around 1600 mm (63"). This will be good for road holding purposes, and it will also enable me to build a side-exiting exhaust system concealed behind the rocker panels. This may be the only way to get a decent sized system with the ground clearance I intend to run. There is not going to be space enough in the transmission tunnel. Another solution would be to route the exhaust above the transmission. We will see... Also, the car will probably look cool with it's newfound width!

[chevyz240]

December 26, 2006. Here, I have mocked up a wheel to get a feel for how wide the car will be, and to try to imagine how to widen the body in a good looking way.

IMG_2325liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[chevyz240]

January 6, 2007. Another view with a rear wheel mocked up.

IMG_2375liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[chevyz240]

January 20, 2007. Starting to mock up the LS7 in the engine compartment.

IMG_2429liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[chevyz240]

February 7, 2007. The LS7 has been mated to a T56 out of a 96 Camaro. Unfortunately, the flywheel and the clutch on the LS7 was so big, I had to cut part of the bellhousing off to be able to mount the tranny on the engine. I will have to weld the bellhousing up to fit.

IMG_2450liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[chevyz240]

March 24, 2007. Even if I am planning to build a totally new suspension front and rear, I really would like drive the car soon. So in order to be able to do that, I have decided to put the stock suspension back on temporarily (a reoccuring word...), and install the LS7 with as little work as possible. Here, I have positioned the motor in the engine compartment and am starting to build new motor mounts.

IMG_2701liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



A little closer to being done...

IMG_2707liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[chevyz240]

March 25, 2007. The finished mounts. The tranny mount is also done.

IMG_2718liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



In this side view it's easy to see that the engine is positioned fairly far forward. This is also a temporary (there's that word again) solution, just so I don't have to shorten the driveshaft. Since the T56 is quite a bit longer than the M21 it replaces, it means the engine has to come forward.

IMG_2720liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[chevyz240]

April 11, 2007. I am building a foot rest for the passenger, which will also house all relays, fuses and the different harness connectors on it's backside. To ease access the foot rest folds down.

IMG_2722liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[chevyz240]

May 19, 2007. The yearly procedure of winching the Datsun up on the street takes place. This is to enable my Porsche to come out of hibernation.

IMG_2797liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



The enlarged rear wheel wells are clearly seen.

IMG_2800liten by ChevyZ240, on FlickrIMG_2802liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[chevyz240]

October 19, 2007. After some wiring work during the spring and the traditional summer break from the project, I am now concentrating on the work that needs to be done in order to start the engine. These are a pair of exhaust manifold flanges a company water cut for me.

IMG_3230liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



I am reusing the rear half of the old exhaust system I built. Since I may need to reinstall my old motor when taking the car through inspection, I decided not to weld the new front half of the exhaust system to the rear half. Instead I will make a flanged connection here as well. These are the water cut flanges for that purpose.

IMG_3229liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[chevyz240]

October 21, 2007. The exhaust manifold flange has an oval opening. This oval shape needs to transfer to the round 3" tubing, while at the same time making a 90 degree turn. I am reshaping a standard 90 degree exhaust tubing elbow to match the radius of the opening in the exhaust flange. I also cut the tubing in half to enable sheet metal to be welded in to match the oval shape. Since I plan to build headers in the future this job isn't done to perfection.

IMG_3248liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[chevyz240]

October 22, 2007. The gap is filled with sheet metal...

IMG_3254liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr
IMG_3253liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



...,everything is seam welded...

IMG_3256liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



...,and the welds are ground...

IMG_3259liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



...,on the inside as well.

IMG_3264liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[chevyz240]

December 28, 2007. This is the finished product after all welding and grinding is done.

IMG_3293liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr


The exhaust is tucked up as high as possible in the transmission tunnel.

IMG_3295liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[chevyz240]

January 04, 2008. After some careful thinking, I have decided to place the Peterson dry sump tank in the left front wheel well. This is roughly the same placement the Z06 Corvette uses, so there shouldn't be any oiling issues. If the tank was placed in the trunk, which would be better for weight distribution, there might be problems with the suction stage of the oil pump during heavy acceleration, which the car hopefully will see lots of!

The bottom of the tank will be sitting in the wheel well, and the top will protrude through the sheet metal and come up in the stock battery location. Here, a cardboard template for a stiffening flange is made.

IMG_3305liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr



This is the actual steel flange before welding it to the wheel well.

IMG_3307liten by ChevyZ240, on Flickr

[srh3trinity]

Not like you need any help, but here is a little inspiration for a flared rear fender: http://www.dfwmustangs.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=33826
I like this one a little better: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2978513/1971-datsun-240z/

[chevyz240]

Not like you need any help, but here is a little inspiration for a flared rear fender: http://www.dfwmustangs.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=33826
I like this one a little better: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2978513/1971-datsun-240z/

Hi Stephen,

yes they are both pretty good looking, but I think I will widen the entire car outside of the cabin, but change the curvature of the sides a bit, and add moderately sized fender flares. I am currently working on a CAD model, to better see what it will look like.