Hello from the USA!

[Antigini]

My name is Antigini, i'm from Texas and i'm 22 years old. I was invited over by Braze from the 300mclub he joined not too long ago. First a little about me...i'm 22 years old, a college student and just getting my feet wet in the racing scene. I'm currently the proud owner of a 2007 Ford Mustang GT/CS(California Special). I've been out to the drag strip several times and the past few years has been enough for me to know i'll want to continue doing this for years to come. Now, pictures!





So far i've added an intake, tune, axle-back exhaust, a 12" Kicker subwoofer in a custom-fit box, a Rockford Fosgate mono-amp, hood struts and sequential tail lights. For the drag strip nights i've got a set of Mickey Thompson ET Streets.

Now for the real reason why i'm here! Braze said you guys may be interested in this.



The project car for the moment...a 1971 Datsun 240Z.

[img width=578 height=770]http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m97/svs_06/RB240Z/100_1047.jpg[/img]

[Macci86]

interested? Noo... Wait, rb26? :o More pics? ;D

[Cantoona]

Welcome here There is always space for one Datsun man
Here in Finland those mustang etc are not very popular cars, main reason maybe high fuel taxes and cars minor supply. Nice car btw.

But that yellow one? Have you built it yourself? Can you add more pictures and information about modifications?
Is that possible to register street legal there in Texas? That old Z will kick your
Mustang with little modifications on strip Have you already tried 1/4 mile with Z?

[Pasi]

New pony cars is not imported officially to Finland. That makes it stupidly expensive to get one here by yourself. Even though they are very affordable in US. DOT-approvals are not valid here so you have to change all the window glasses and lights to E-marked ones (among others) before you can register it and pay loads of taxes.

Its simply not worth the money and effort. Unfortunately.

[Antigini]

Thanks for the welcomes everyone!

Cantoona, i'll let my boyfriend know there's always room for a Datsun man.

As for more info, the motor was originally from a R32 Skyline which was legally brought to the US by a company called MotoRex. The owner was rear-ended by a pick-up truck going 45 while he was at a complete stop, so the frame was entirely useless after that. The owner decided to swap the motor out and my boyfriend(Jon) did the swap into the 240Z some years ago. The car was in relatively good shape with minimal rust, although the previous, original owner of the Z decided he wanted fender mirrors and cut a hole 5-6 inches closer than necessary, then left the hole and covered it with band-aids(no joke!). It sat that way for a while, not running until a few years later Jon and I purchased the vehicle from his friend, then got to work on getting it running right. So, aside from the fender hole, it needs a new front lip, some rust to be taken care of and a paint job.

Performance-wise, the motor was just pulled last week, taken apart and getting ready to be rebuilt. Along with Wisco pistons, Eagle rods, Greddy manifold, HKS camgears, HKS truetiming belt, HKS fuel rail, 1,000cc injectors, Greddy oil pump, ARP head studs/main studs and a few other goodies, we're looking to upgrade the turbos as well! It'll stay a twin turbo for now and if the goal number just seems too difficult to achieve with two turbos, we'll go with one single large turbo a few years from now.

[img width=578 height=770]http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j121/Antigini/Z%20Build/ZPull2.jpg[/img]

[img width=577 height=770]http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j121/Antigini/Z%20Build/ZPull.jpg[/img]

I'd like to say that even though this isn't my first "Nissan" experience, it is a great one! Its basically my "learning" car so while i'm not really doing any of the work, I get to be present when I can be to watch, learn and sometimes help.

[Uldiz]

Cantoona, i'll let my boyfriend know there's always room for a Datsun man.

;D

[Ass0]

Hello!

Looking good. Waiting more pics from that car. ;D

[Antigini]

Almost forgot! If you'll notice on the lower driver's side corner of the windshield there are two stickers. One is for license plate registration and the other is for inspection. The reason this car has no trouble passing inspection is because your vehicle only has to abide by the rules which were set at the time. This means we'll never have to change out the lap belts in the Z if we didn't want to. There are also no emissions tests! So long as your car runs, the blinkers work, and you have lapbelts, you can get an inspection sticker.

I understand the unwillingness to pay ridiculous fees just to get a car like a Mustang to be legally owned. A law was passed not too long ago that prohibits ANY vehicle being brought into the country if it was not made to be sold here. If I wanted a Skyline i'd have a few choices. I could either go find an illegal Skyline which has already been brought into the country and rarely drive it, or pay far too much for one which has been legalized, or I could use a loophole in the system. Basically, you'd have to find someone in Japan(or whatever country you'd be importing the vehicle from) to take it apart and ship it over in pieces under the status of a kit car, which you could then register and title here, although it would not officially be called a Skyline. Either way, its costly and a big headache.

The Mustang will never best as fast as the Z, sadly. Its far too heavy and the 4.6 3valve motor it has in it just isn't capable of the numbers the RB is. I just want a mid/low 12 second quarter mile car that I can also take out for road races. The other vehicle we use is a Scion xD. It gets great gas mileage...at least for this country!

[Tuuve]

It's a 22 year old woman with a mustang and a RB26 240Z... I'm not a religious man, but there must be a God...

[Metallisti]

http://www.youtube.com/user/Antigini

[Antigini]

Hey, you found me! No videos of the Z up yet. Its going to take a couple months for that.

Tuuve, I only own 50% of the Z car. I do, however, own 100% of the Mustang! And yes, it is a 5 speed.

[Cantoona]

Cantoona, i'll let my boyfriend know there's always room for a Datsun man.

OMG Sorry.. My bad Ofcourse the more prettier gender is welcome here
Nice story about Z, is the transmission and pinion from skyline too?

[Antigini]

The tranny is from a 300ZX and the pinion i'm really not too sure about. I will get an answer for you though.

[Puuhis]

Hey, you found me! No videos of the Z up yet. Its going to take a couple months for that.

Tuuve, I only own 50% of the Z car. I do, however, own 100% of the Mustang! And yes, it is a 5 speed.

10 points to Mustang and 12 to 240Z.
Got a friend in Texas "texfinn" you know him ?

[Antigini]

Hey, you found me! No videos of the Z up yet. Its going to take a couple months for that.

Tuuve, I only own 50% of the Z car. I do, however, own 100% of the Mustang! And yes, it is a 5 speed.

10 points to Mustang and 12 to 240Z.
Got a friend in Texas "texfinn" you know him ?

I doubt I do. Where in Texas is he? Most people tend to be on the "other" side of Texas. I reside on the most western tip.

[Puuhis]

Denton, Texas (Dallas)

[Braze]

Hi there,

Nice to see you make it in here, welcome again

[Kimi]

Welcome Antigini Both of your cars looks awesome!
A S30 with a RB26 is one of my dreamcars. A lightweight chassis with a powerful engine is so 8)
I'm working on my second 240Z-project, but it will take time before it will be ready for the road.

[Antigini]

I have not forgotten about you all! We hit a bump with the original guy we paid to "borrow" space from, who was also going to help with the build. It took him a month to rewire the harness! This was unacceptable considering we had a target completion date at the beginning of May, and his interest in the project dimmed far too much for our tastes. So, the car is now at a local performance shop(Luna Performance) which Jon happens to be the new shop manager at(at least one of us isn't completely inexperienced. ). Now that we have access to an ACTUAL building with a lift and all his tools are there, we can work on it when time permits.

Anyway, on to the good stuff! The harness was rewired and the motor was pulled apart when it arrived at the shop. As it stands, we have assembled the pistons/rods, clearanced the bearings, cleaned up the original crank(the rb26 crank is nearly unbreakable!), and begun the head work with removal of the valve springs and whatnot. Its been a VERY busy couple of months, so even though we'd like to have more work done, the new target date is mid-June for a carshow. All of the fittings have FINALLY come in, because apparently the "special" colors of black and purple are constantly on back order. In case anyone was wondering, the Z is going to have a black/purple theme, like my Mustang. ;D Now time for a couple pictures!


These were the best boxes to come in of them all!


In case anyone was wondering about the Mustang. The stripes were removed about a month ago because the sun ate them up quicker than anticipated. Don't worry, they're coming back! Although, maybe just a little different...


As time continues, i'll continue to post! I know I have some other pictures on my dead camera I need to upload. Sorry I don't have more for you guys now. :-\

[Antigini]

As promised....pictures!





Wiseco pistons.





Eagle rods.



ACL bearings.



They're assembled! I did #3 and #6. Poor #6...see below for reasons why.



My hands are too small to hold the entire thing without the piston moving around, so I made use of all four limbs.



Yup, I broke a ring and i'm never going to live it down. Oh well, i'll take it in exchange for getting to work on it. The ring was ordered the next day and #6 has been assembled since. Poor #6.



Just cleaning the block up a bit. It still needs more before we paint it.



In case anyone was wondering...



[img width=578 height=770]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/LisaInverse/Luna%20P/MotorBuild2.jpg[/img]

That would be me standing weird. I have no idea what that was all about...

[img width=577 height=770]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/LisaInverse/Luna%20P/MotorBuild1.jpg[/img]

Torquing the ARP main studs down to check for bearing clearances.

[img width=577 height=770]http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j121/Antigini/Z%20Build/ZBuild2.jpg[/img]

We had an issue with the thrust bearing clearance. Even after sanding it down almost all the way to the metal, it still won't clearance. ACL is sending a replacement set.

As of right now the head is at the machine shop and probably won't be back for another couple weeks. I grabbed up the valve covers, sprayed paint thinner and stripped the paint. After i'm done getting the rest of the paint that I missed off, i'm going to sand them to a nice, smooth surface and then comes paint! The block is going to black since you really won't see it anyway and the valve covers are going to be purple, which should resemble the HKS purple...hopefully.

As for the shop the car is at now, here are some pics. Its bigger, better and after that, still better.



There is still a good 15 feet behind me.



Sitting right at home in between the Challenger and Barracuda.

I'm probably going to be taking pictures of the rest of the parts soon so I can post them up!

[Antigini]

Its was a busy week and will continue to be for the rest of this month it looks like. Pics may not be up for a bit, so in the meantime any comments or questions? Its awfully quiet around here!

[macce76]

Finnish men are so shy and quiet. ;D

Still, looks nice what your`re doing. Keep posting any progress. Z`s looking like it`s going to be mental. 8)

Will the same colour stay or are you going to paint it?

[Henry]

Wow, I'm speechless!
By the way is there many Skylines in Texas?

Here´s my own Skyline GTS-T > http://minunauto.com/auto/9231

Specs:

-RB25DET Engine
-Apex'i Dual Funnel Air Filter
-Apex'i 3" Cat-Back with 3" Autobahn88 De-cat (test pipe)
-Mines ECU
-Aftermarket Lightweight Flywheel
-Aftermarket Race Clutch
-Blitz Boost Meter
-Blitz Electronic Dual Solenoid Boost Controller
-HKS Turbotimer
-Greddy Washer Tank
-Nismo Oilcap

Suspension
-Cusco Coilovers
-Cusco Front&Rear Strutbars
-HICAS Lock Bar (sharpens handling)
-Wheels Are 18" Rota P45F 8,5" And P45R 9,5" With 225/35/18 - 255/30/18 Tires

Body
-GT-R Frontbumper
-GT-R Spoiler
-URAS Sideskirts
-URAS Rearbumper
-LED Tail Lights

Interior
-Nismo Shift Knob
-Momo Steering Wheel
-Skyline Floor Mats
-JVC DVD Player And Front Speakers, Pioneer/Alpine

I think I need new/better fuelpump to my car and also bigger downpipe and large FMIC

Boost is stock now, 0.7bar, and I think there is about ~300bhp now.

And I'm wondering how much cost one gallon gasoline there in Texas/USA? 1 gallon = 3.78Litres (our metric system)
In our country gas prices are very high, 1 gallon costs (95 octane) about 4,91€ and that is 6.91US$
1L (0.26gallons) 95oct = ~1.30€ = 1.83$
1L (0.26gallons) 98oct = ~1.40€ = 1.97$

[Zygi]

And I'm wondering how much cost one gallon gasoline there in Texas/USA? 1 gallon = 3.78Litres (our metric system)
In our country gas prices are very high, 1 gallon costs (95 octane) about 4,91€ and that is 6.91US$
1L (0.26gallons) 95oct = ~1.30€ = 1.83$
1L (0.26gallons) 98oct = ~1.40€ = 1.97$

I was last week @ Dallas, Regular fuel (87 AKI) somewhere 2,60$ / Gallon

Bear in mind, that US uses AKI Octane rating where in Europe we use RON.
95 RON (Europe) ~ 90-91 AKI (US)
98 RON (Europe) ~ 93-94 AKI (US)

[Antigini]

Here in the US the octane ratings differ from state to state. Most states offer 93 octane, but here in Texas we only offer up to 91. The last time I filled up, I filled with 91(tune specific) for $2.71 a gallon. I realize in Europe that's rather cheap but here in the States that is actually a high gas price. Earlier in the year we were under $2 for 91 octane.

Henry, to answer your question you don't really see many Skylines around this area of Texas. You're more likely to see them in California, Florida and the upper east coast states where there is more money and people spend much more on their vehicles. There is at least 1 Skyline in El Paso(R32) and i've heard of a couple others but never seen them.

[Antigini]

Well, its almost been two weeks since I last posted and still nothing to show for it. We've got the block taped up and we're planning on painting it tomorrow(and hopefully I will finally finish those valve covers). For now, I have parts pictures!

[img width=577 height=770]http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j121/Antigini/Z%20Build/Cabinet.jpg[/img]
The goodie cabinet.

[img width=577 height=770]http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j121/Antigini/Z%20Build/FuelRail2.jpg[/img]
HKS fuel rail




Here we have the fuel rail for the 3rd time, the fuel pump and fuel filter.


Fuel pressure regulator and other fun tidibits.  ;D


HKS cam gears.


Clear cam gear cover so we can watch them spin!


Holding up the cam gears are the HKS camshafts.


More fuel stuff.


Gaskets..obviously. 


More gaskets.


1,000cc injectors. I forget the brand.


No mistaking that brand! This oil pump is no longer made by Greddy.


Intake manifold.


PowerFC.

[img width=577 height=770]http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j121/Antigini/Z%20Build/Fittings.jpg[/img]
The black and purple fittings only. A blue one snuck in there somehow. We're very color-oriented with this build.

[img width=577 height=770]http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j121/Antigini/Z%20Build/Seat.jpg[/img]
Seats out of a Evo9 will be going into the Z. Rather comfortable as compared to most other seats i've sat in.

That's all for now! The shop is busy busy as of late, and only getting busier! We're starting to wonder if this thing will even be assembled by September.

[JPir]

Henry, to answer your question you don't really see many Skylines around this area of Texas. You're more likely to see them in California, Florida and the upper east coast states where there is more money and people spend much more on their vehicles. There is at least 1 Skyline in El Paso(R32) and i've heard of a couple others but never seen them.

Oh dear. Wikipedia (ultimate hall of truth :) says that population of El Paso is little bit over 600 000, and theres only handful of Skylines?
I think that heres probably 30 Skylines in my hometown Vantaa(population 200 000).

[Kennedy]

Henry, to answer your question you don't really see many Skylines around this area of Texas. You're more likely to see them in California, Florida and the upper east coast states where there is more money and people spend much more on their vehicles. There is at least 1 Skyline in El Paso(R32) and i've heard of a couple others but never seen them.

Oh dear. Wikipedia (ultimate hall of truth :) says that population of El Paso is little bit over 600 000, and theres only handful of Skylines?
I think that heres probably 30 Skylines in my hometown Vantaa(population 200 000).

It's USA. Importing non-US based cars are way harder than importing to Finland.

2007 text ->

To date, theres only about 120 or so FEDERALIZED Skylines in the states, so finding one may not be easy, or cheap. But I personally would much rather invest in a sure thing, then risk paying a few thousand less and get it deported.

Customs can seize Skylines and crush..

http://www.nicoclub.com/articles/skyline-import-1.shtml

The only Skylines that can be legally imported into the United States are the 1996-1998 R33 GTR and GTS skylines and any Skyline that's 25 years or older. Then once you got them here you have 120 days to fit them with DOT and EPA equipment plus you have to have **** loads of paper work.

http://www.mnsportcompacts.net/forum/sho...hp?t=71777
http://gtrusa.blogspot.com/2008/06/updat...eized.html
http://wmexpressway.net/index.php?showtopic=28571
http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread/344322

Jpir, ei todellakaan ole niin yksinkertaista jenkkeihin maahantuonti..

[vihis]

Hi,

Good luck with the build, hoping to see alot of project pictures in the future.

You have a lot of fancy bits there and that OEM filter sticks out from the crowd ! Why not try a Nismo Veruspeed one ? They're not very expensive and seem effective.

Features 21% less pressure loss, 24% increase in filtration, 10% less flow resistance, and 37% increased life.

[JPir]

Jpir, ei todellakaan ole niin yksinkertaista jenkkeihin maahantuonti..

Yeah. I knew its not simple to import Skyline to States, but i didn't imagine it would be that hard.