Justin Fox
14-09-09, 02:11 PM
S30Mike's 260Z
Editing, Design & Contributors
Article & Formatting: David P. (.:JDM/Dave:.)
Photographer & Image Editor: Robert I. (http://studio-ichiban.com)
Featured Ride Owner: Michael D. (S30Mike)
Editing & Assistance: Steff (Queenie)
Thanks
I'd like to thank all those who helped me with this, the first Featured Rides article, to be the first part in a new series, inspired from JDMST’s previous Featured Rides section. I'd like to thank Mike for his contributions and generosity in sharing his fairlady. I’d like to thank Rob for his dedication to this issue, photography, inspiration and editing wise, you couldn’t have done a better job thanks mate!, also like to thank Steff for assistance with editing and her input and finally I’d like to thank Justin Fox for giving me this opportunity to furthermore contribute to this great community we thrive upon daily... jdmstyletuning.com, cheers guys.
.:JDM/Dave:.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2564/3918380624_273eba83a7_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2675/3917591979_b94b3b9a56_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3435/3917592303_684169fde3_o.jpg
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http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3426/3918380914_fb6eb3e118_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2629/3918381158_6fc71895cf_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2554/3918381460_d95d0abc25_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2671/3918381882_f00fd19082_o.jpg
It’s all very unique.
It’s all very nostalgic.
It's all here, in all its purity, rarity and most importantly - its crude rawness...
The 31 year old leather trim hugged me as I hopped in. The cockpit's extra legroom stretched ahead of me thanks’ to the Z's shark like snout. The seatbelts are quite a unique design - a yesteryear harness consisting of two pieces, adjustable and soundly pressed against my chest. My eyes are contently gazing at everything in the cabin. It's as if I’m rediscovering what it’s like sit in a car again, Dual door handles, a trinket-like reading light, stock tri gauges. It's bang-on retro JDM.
There I am, sitting in the Z. Its late evening, stopped at the service station. Mike's inside paying for the Fairlady's’ octane. A bloke mid in his mid 30's pulls up beside us to fill up, He's ogling the Z. His expression I can't pinpoint, he's either impressed or bewildered. We're about to leave. The key rotates. The L28's crank animates. An anticipating, deep idle thuds and echoes throughout. The guy gives a smug smile, as do I... Surely he wasn't bewildered.
How long have you liked cars for? And when did you discover the JDM concept?
I think I was destined to be involved with cars from the day I was born!
But if I had to choose a definitive point in my life that my curiosity into cars really started, I would have to say when I scored a Playstation for my 9th birthday that included a copy of the original Gran Turismo. I discovered the JDM concept a little latter down the track, once I had really been bitten by the car bug. I started becoming more aware of vehicle differences as I gradually got older and closer to the golden day when I would be of age to get my license. By the time L plates came along I had taken a massive favouring of Japanese sports cars as I respected the simplicity, yet excellence in their character and design.
How long have you owned the car for?
I have owned the S30 for 12 months now.
What drew you to choose the 260Z?
This car's characteristics and presence is something I could not resist.
At the time, I was looking for something different, and unique to the regular choices of Naturally Aspirated JDM vehicles. The choice to make the change, came when I test drove this car for the first time. The driving sensation I had previously lost from driving the car I had at the time, all came back at once, and I couldn’t get rid of the huge involuntary grin I had on my face! From that moment on I was hooked on getting that car, and since then the sensation has not decreased in the slightest!
What's a feature of this car you absolutely love?
I would have to say the L series engine. It’s an engine with characteristics unlike any other I’ve driven.
What’s a feature you dislike/irritates you?
Having to use a choke (a small lever the driver pulls when starting older carburettor engines to restrict the flow of air, enriching the air-fuel mixture) starting the engine gets a little bit irritating when you’re in a rush, especially when it’s really cold!
Have you taken it to the track? If so? What’s your best time? If not, why?
I have had the S30 on the skid pan at Eastern Creek, and I was impressed how it performed stability wise, and grip wise. It was a good fun day, but it was in 40 Degree heat, and once or twice I had fuelling issues which weren’t a major problem. In future I would love to take it to further track days, however I do use this as my daily driver at the moment, and I can’t risk having it off the road for long periods of time.
Where did you draw your tuning styling/inspiration from for this car?
It took a lot of fishing around to even find sources for aftermarket parts for this car. I was aiming to have a clean, yet meaner looking version of the stock configuration. A lot of the cosmetic appearance inspiration comes from the way the Japanese used to have them back in the day when they were racing them. Also I was able to look over in America where there are plenty of S30 fans, I ended up just picking and choosing what parts I liked off of their particular appearances.
What are your future plans for the car?
At this particular stage I am quite happy with it, I’m just trying to keep her in good working order which hasn’t been too difficult so far, but appearance wise I would like to make it look more aggressive by putting on the bolt-on flares. Performance wise, converting it to triple carburettors would really finish the engine off. Other than that, I just hope I can hold onto this car for a long time, and keep enjoying the wonderful experience of driving it!
Specifications
Model:
-S30 Fairlady Z (260Z)
Engine:
-L28 SOHC
Engine Mods:
-Stainless Steel Stewart Wilkins Extractors
-Full Stainless 3" Exhaust
-Forged Internals
-Engine Bore 3.0Ltr
-Lightened Flywheel and Balanced Crank
-Aggressive Cam
-Larger Fuel Jets
-Round Top SU Carbs
Driveline:
-280zx L28 Gearbox
-R200 Diff
Suspension & Brakes:
-Koni Yellow Shocks x4
-Tokico Classic Springs x4
-Ferodo Pads
-Stabilizer Bar
Wheels & Tyres:
-15x8 0 Offset Sport Max 513s
-225/60 Rears
-215/60 Fronts
Interior:
-All Original
Exterior:
-Poly Urethane Front Air Dam
-Duck Tail Wing
-Classic "Bullet" Style Mirror
Audio:
-CD Player Conversion-Replacement Sony speakers
Editing, Design & Contributors
Article & Formatting: David P. (.:JDM/Dave:.)
Photographer & Image Editor: Robert I. (http://studio-ichiban.com)
Featured Ride Owner: Michael D. (S30Mike)
Editing & Assistance: Steff (Queenie)
Thanks
I'd like to thank all those who helped me with this, the first Featured Rides article, to be the first part in a new series, inspired from JDMST’s previous Featured Rides section. I'd like to thank Mike for his contributions and generosity in sharing his fairlady. I’d like to thank Rob for his dedication to this issue, photography, inspiration and editing wise, you couldn’t have done a better job thanks mate!, also like to thank Steff for assistance with editing and her input and finally I’d like to thank Justin Fox for giving me this opportunity to furthermore contribute to this great community we thrive upon daily... jdmstyletuning.com, cheers guys.
.:JDM/Dave:.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2564/3918380624_273eba83a7_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2675/3917591979_b94b3b9a56_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3435/3917592303_684169fde3_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2437/3917592603_aed4d9513b_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2657/3918379616_88e0ee5a55_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2462/3918380018_67f3790e3b_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2455/3918380344_c820604ebc_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3426/3918380914_fb6eb3e118_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2629/3918381158_6fc71895cf_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2554/3918381460_d95d0abc25_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2671/3918381882_f00fd19082_o.jpg
It’s all very unique.
It’s all very nostalgic.
It's all here, in all its purity, rarity and most importantly - its crude rawness...
The 31 year old leather trim hugged me as I hopped in. The cockpit's extra legroom stretched ahead of me thanks’ to the Z's shark like snout. The seatbelts are quite a unique design - a yesteryear harness consisting of two pieces, adjustable and soundly pressed against my chest. My eyes are contently gazing at everything in the cabin. It's as if I’m rediscovering what it’s like sit in a car again, Dual door handles, a trinket-like reading light, stock tri gauges. It's bang-on retro JDM.
There I am, sitting in the Z. Its late evening, stopped at the service station. Mike's inside paying for the Fairlady's’ octane. A bloke mid in his mid 30's pulls up beside us to fill up, He's ogling the Z. His expression I can't pinpoint, he's either impressed or bewildered. We're about to leave. The key rotates. The L28's crank animates. An anticipating, deep idle thuds and echoes throughout. The guy gives a smug smile, as do I... Surely he wasn't bewildered.
How long have you liked cars for? And when did you discover the JDM concept?
I think I was destined to be involved with cars from the day I was born!
But if I had to choose a definitive point in my life that my curiosity into cars really started, I would have to say when I scored a Playstation for my 9th birthday that included a copy of the original Gran Turismo. I discovered the JDM concept a little latter down the track, once I had really been bitten by the car bug. I started becoming more aware of vehicle differences as I gradually got older and closer to the golden day when I would be of age to get my license. By the time L plates came along I had taken a massive favouring of Japanese sports cars as I respected the simplicity, yet excellence in their character and design.
How long have you owned the car for?
I have owned the S30 for 12 months now.
What drew you to choose the 260Z?
This car's characteristics and presence is something I could not resist.
At the time, I was looking for something different, and unique to the regular choices of Naturally Aspirated JDM vehicles. The choice to make the change, came when I test drove this car for the first time. The driving sensation I had previously lost from driving the car I had at the time, all came back at once, and I couldn’t get rid of the huge involuntary grin I had on my face! From that moment on I was hooked on getting that car, and since then the sensation has not decreased in the slightest!
What's a feature of this car you absolutely love?
I would have to say the L series engine. It’s an engine with characteristics unlike any other I’ve driven.
What’s a feature you dislike/irritates you?
Having to use a choke (a small lever the driver pulls when starting older carburettor engines to restrict the flow of air, enriching the air-fuel mixture) starting the engine gets a little bit irritating when you’re in a rush, especially when it’s really cold!
Have you taken it to the track? If so? What’s your best time? If not, why?
I have had the S30 on the skid pan at Eastern Creek, and I was impressed how it performed stability wise, and grip wise. It was a good fun day, but it was in 40 Degree heat, and once or twice I had fuelling issues which weren’t a major problem. In future I would love to take it to further track days, however I do use this as my daily driver at the moment, and I can’t risk having it off the road for long periods of time.
Where did you draw your tuning styling/inspiration from for this car?
It took a lot of fishing around to even find sources for aftermarket parts for this car. I was aiming to have a clean, yet meaner looking version of the stock configuration. A lot of the cosmetic appearance inspiration comes from the way the Japanese used to have them back in the day when they were racing them. Also I was able to look over in America where there are plenty of S30 fans, I ended up just picking and choosing what parts I liked off of their particular appearances.
What are your future plans for the car?
At this particular stage I am quite happy with it, I’m just trying to keep her in good working order which hasn’t been too difficult so far, but appearance wise I would like to make it look more aggressive by putting on the bolt-on flares. Performance wise, converting it to triple carburettors would really finish the engine off. Other than that, I just hope I can hold onto this car for a long time, and keep enjoying the wonderful experience of driving it!
Specifications
Model:
-S30 Fairlady Z (260Z)
Engine:
-L28 SOHC
Engine Mods:
-Stainless Steel Stewart Wilkins Extractors
-Full Stainless 3" Exhaust
-Forged Internals
-Engine Bore 3.0Ltr
-Lightened Flywheel and Balanced Crank
-Aggressive Cam
-Larger Fuel Jets
-Round Top SU Carbs
Driveline:
-280zx L28 Gearbox
-R200 Diff
Suspension & Brakes:
-Koni Yellow Shocks x4
-Tokico Classic Springs x4
-Ferodo Pads
-Stabilizer Bar
Wheels & Tyres:
-15x8 0 Offset Sport Max 513s
-225/60 Rears
-215/60 Fronts
Interior:
-All Original
Exterior:
-Poly Urethane Front Air Dam
-Duck Tail Wing
-Classic "Bullet" Style Mirror
Audio:
-CD Player Conversion-Replacement Sony speakers