Samuri conversion

STEVE BURNS

STEVE BURNS

Club Member
Look you all have your ancient rust buckets that were made by someone else that you are so proud of and show them to everybody
All I have left is my slimline belly that I made myself and am also proud of and enjoy showing to people
 
S

SKiddell

Well-Known Forum User
it with me, really gets to me when people moan about samuri
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People dont moan about "Samuri", they moan about the persistant myth and hyperbole that surrounds them...which is repetatively spouted and embelished by the unaware, the ignorant or those with vested interests (eg those eager to increase values, kudos or both)
 
nickknox

nickknox

Well-Known Forum User
Shouldn't we celecbrate Samuri and educate when post like this appear in a positive way.
 
richiep

richiep

Club Member
Yes, celebration of Samuri has its place - but the root of this particular discussion is actually nothing to do with Samuris. It's about the ins and outs of a triple carb conversion and associated mods and its cost/benefit equation.
 
R

RIDDLER

Well-Known Forum User
Well thanks for all your replies. Apologies if my use of the phrase 'Samuri conversion' grated on anyone. I don't know the history behind all this and just thought that a Samuri (apart from the body colour) was just a Z that had had a specific number of modifications made to the engine to increase performance.
I would probably enjoy a bit more performance from my car but don't want to do anything too radical and spoil it. I use it every day and needs to be able to deal with town traffic etc. If I wanted the head rebuilt/bored out etc and a different camshaft and manifold and carbs fitted what sort of cost would I be into there? Also, and perhaps more importantly, who would do the work? Fourways? I don't want to take it into some place that then leaves it languishing in its workshop for six months. I would like to take it somewhere that knows what they are doing, who could turn the job round in a couple of weeks.
Then again, I may just decide to leave it as it is as it is running really nicely at present - would just like to knock a couple of seconds off its 0-60 time.
While I am on, can I just ask - is there anyone out there still offering the S14 gearbox conversion - I believe Pmac used to do it? I had my box rebuilt a couple of years back and it is still OK but there are some very small signs of synchromesh problems beginning to return - worn rings no doubt.
 
SeanDezart

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
SKiddell said:
People dont moan about "Samuri", they moan about the persistant myth and hyperbole that surrounds them...which is repetatively spouted and embelished by the unaware, the ignorant or those with vested interests (eg those eager to increase values, kudos or both)
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hear, hear.....and most importantly for me, the myth tends to squash out others 'playing' with Zs all over Europe and outside of the English-speaking world - it appears only to be SCCA in the States, Big Sam in Europe oh and didn't they race some in Japan.....
 
SeanDezart

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
RIDDLER said:
I use it every day and needs to be able to deal with town traffic etc. If I wanted the head rebuilt/bored out etc and a different camshaft and manifold and carbs fitted what sort of cost would I be into there?

Also, and perhaps more importantly, who would do the work? I would like to take it somewhere that knows what they are doing, who could turn the job round in a couple of weeks.
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Use it every-day ? Either leave as is or go injection with your head work.:thumbs:

Two weeks ?:rofl:
 
Alphabettispaghetti

Alphabettispaghetti

Club Member
RIDDLER said:
Well thanks for all your replies. Apologies if my use of the phrase 'Samuri conversion' grated on anyone. I don't know the history behind all this and just thought that a Samuri (apart from the body colour) was just a Z that had had a specific number of modifications made to the engine to increase performance.
I would probably enjoy a bit more performance from my car but don't want to do anything too radical and spoil it. I use it every day and needs to be able to deal with town traffic etc. If I wanted the head rebuilt/bored out etc and a different camshaft and manifold and carbs fitted what sort of cost would I be into there? Also, and perhaps more importantly, who would do the work? Fourways? I don't want to take it into some place that then leaves it languishing in its workshop for six months. I would like to take it somewhere that knows what they are doing, who could turn the job round in a couple of weeks.
Then again, I may just decide to leave it as it is as it is running really nicely at present - would just like to knock a couple of seconds off its 0-60 time.
While I am on, can I just ask - is there anyone out there still offering the S14 gearbox conversion - I believe Pmac used to do it? I had my box rebuilt a couple of years back and it is still OK but there are some very small signs of synchromesh problems beginning to return - worn rings no doubt.
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I've not used them but some previous owners haven't been very happy with fourways over the past few years. You don't need a specialist, just find someone local with a current good reputation. Maybe an exhaust/cam/rolling road tune/skim would give what you want without costing the earth. How do you want the car to feel?
 
Rob Gaskin

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
RIDDLER, if your car is running like it was when I drove it then why change it?

You will just have grief and expense, plus your car is a good honest 260Z - don't mess with it.

Drive it everyday through the summer/autumn and then decide next winter if you want to change anything incl. gearbox.
 
richiep

richiep

Club Member
Talk to pmac about the S14 conversion - he's still the person to advise on that one.

On the rest, as advised here, keep it simple. Carbs, head work, cam, exhausts, in one hit is several thousand and the car will be off the road for a while in the process (unless you source and build stuff up in parallel, e.g, get a second head ported and built up to spec with cam and then swap on when ready).

Maybe the best is get something like the manifold and system Sean sells (version with 1 5/8" primaries), get Warby to fit, then get the car over to Ric Wood in Stockport for a rolling road tuning session.
 
R

RIDDLER

Well-Known Forum User
Rob Gaskin said:
RIDDLER, if your car is running like it was when I drove it then why change it?

You will just have grief and expense, plus your car is a good honest 260Z - don't mess with it.

Drive it everyday through the summer/autumn and then decide next winter if you want to change anything incl. gearbox.
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Thanks Rob - probably good advice really. Though I may have a chat with pmac about the gearbox at some point. Thanks again to all the others who have responded - particularly Richie - as I have found your comments helpful.
 
STEVE BURNS

STEVE BURNS

Club Member
Can not praise Pmac and Steve enough about the ease of the way their gearboxs fitted and what a delight it was to use it instead of the tired old original one
IMHO the best route to go
 
johnymd

johnymd

Club Member
Just a word of warning about the S14a conversion. The bellhouseing may need another threaded hole for the reverse switch to work so mention that to whoever does the work. Expensive to have to strip the whole lot down to do it after. This has been overlooked on quite a few of these conversions that I know of so beware.
 
P

pmac

Well-Known Forum User
This has been overlooked on quite a few of these conversions that I know of so beware.
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But not been overlooked on any Steve n me have supplied;)

As I have already informed Robert we dont do "plug n play " kits like the one we supplied to Senor Burns any more.
 
JK240

JK240

Club Member
johnymd said:
Just a word of warning about the S14a conversion. The bellhouseing may need another threaded hole for the reverse switch to work so mention that to whoever does the work. Expensive to have to strip the whole lot down to do it after. This has been overlooked on quite a few of these conversions that I know of so beware.
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Top advice there, John. I experienced the same problem when had my S14a fitted.
 
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pmac

Well-Known Forum User
SeanDezart said:
Our last off-the-shelf box as the investment (time and money) is too much - from now on (as probably like Pmac, they'll only be on customer cars).
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Steve has a highly stressful full time job as well as a busy family life. I am now "retired" so we have no time or need to do them and as you say the return is disappointing.
The last "customer build car" left the building at the end of last year as far as Im concerned so we wont be fitting any either.
Steve and me are now just looking after our own vehicles.

Thats a shame :( as everybody I spoke to who had them from you two had nothing but praise for them
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Well its good to go down in a blaze of glory:D
 
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