Datsun 280Z -77 - Build thread

peter_s

Club Member
I think it wouldn't stop when running with a bad battery - I'd look first at the alternator.
the ECU will increase dwell on the coils with the lower voltage. A bigger fuse would seem a reasonable response - with a bigger fuse you'd probably have got home and not found out about the problem until your track day next week :)
Good points all of them. If the alternator works as it should, then there should not be a need for a larger fuse.

I'm really happy that this happened actually, and how it happened. It could have happened at a way worse place, and at a way worse time. You always learn from things like these
 

peter_s

Club Member
On the whole a great day. An old Datsun doesn't need much charge but you have messed with it and gone efi ;) I assume you have a voltmeter in your 280.

My old 240 track car was really stable at the rear I could trust it 100% it was the front that understeered a bit that need the geometry setting.
However I had a lot less power than you but I only had 195 tyres!
Videos - yes please.:bow:
Yeah, shouldn't mess with things :D

Yeah, I have two actually. The one on the dash and the one in my app that I connect to the ECU. It shows the voltage is low while running. I saw the voltage drop slowly during the evening, but it dropped fast it the last 20mins before breaking down.

For your setup, did you alingn the rear somehow?
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
Yeah, shouldn't mess with things :D

Yeah, I have two actually. The one on the dash and the one in my app that I connect to the ECU. It shows the voltage is low while running. I saw the voltage drop slowly during the evening, but it dropped fast it the last 20mins before breaking down.

For your setup, did you align the rear somehow?

No my rear suspension (apart from ride-height and Leda shocks) was standard. I bought some of those elliptical bushes but didn't use them (still have them).

Love your car! I bet others at the track did too.
 

peter_s

Club Member
Thanks Rob. Both for the info and the nice compliment!

In general the thing that surprises the most people is just how good the L-series sound :)
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
Excellent video, it even has a nice mystery bit at the start - where's the car? The car looks and sounds fantastic. The speed shows too and I know that it will feel even quicker inside. Full-on braking too.
 

peter_s

Club Member
Sounds great.
Thanks Ian!
Excellent video, it even has a nice mystery bit at the start - where's the car? The car looks and sounds fantastic. The speed shows too and I know that it will feel even quicker inside. Full-on braking too.
Thanks Rob. Appreciate it! I was actually struggling with braking, the tarmac was really cold, it was windy and around 4 deg C. The fronts had a tendency to want to lock up, something I didn't feel last summer when I actually got some heat into the tyres. I hope I don't have any issues on track on Thursday, but I-m more used to track driving than sprint driving. The sprints are so difficult, so technical!

Sounds great!
Thanks!

That sounds properly amazing, great to see the car being thrown around in anger! Also that throttle response :bow:
Thanks Woody. Really happy with the response in the engine. N/A and ITBs are fantastic.
 

peter_s

Club Member
On another note, the club airbox will not fit under my hood :(

The DSI/Jenvey setup is angled upwards, so I have ordered another backing plate and a dome filter.
 

peter_s

Club Member
Quick report after my first real trackday with the Datsun.

First I did the biannual MOT. Passed with flying colors, not because it should have, but because the guy loved it! He asked how much power it had: "I don't want to tell you". "Don't worry, I haven't seen anything".

Then I drove straight to the track, car is now charging fully at 1700 rpm, so no problems there.

Trackday went without a hitch. Two issues though, one major and one minor. The major one, they measured the car at 101dB on the straight. All trackdays here are now 95dB basically. I wasn't even close! :D So I had to back off on the straight.

Minor: Need better brake fluid.

The car was very well balanced and easy to drive. On the other hand it's hard to drive fast with flow. I need a lot more seat time with it to be able to push it and extract more. I drove at 8-9 tenths.
Engine is SO good. It just pulls and pulls. In the video, I revved it to 7500 max. The max I saw at the end of the day after the sound guy went home was 8200rpm in third on the straight. If this was a track car, I would go with an even shorter rear end ratio. 3.54 would have been terrible, so I'm quite happy with the 3.9, a decent compromise.

I also drove a Westfield, that was VERY fun! First time driving one of those on track. Lack some grunt, but such a satisfying car to drive
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
Peter, watched the video and your car doesn't grip. The tyres squeal, it breaks away and you are fighting it with the steering. That is so unlike my old trackday car. I could set it up into a corner and it just felt so reassuring. I could have driven it one handed. I had an instructor come up to me at Mallory Park and say how planted the car was through Gerrard Bend - long right-hander. Something is not right. Your car will be heavier and more powerful but I don't think it's that. What tyres are you using, what pressures and are you sure the rear geometry is right? It looks a bit of a handful. These cars are usually very stable.
 

peter_s

Club Member
Peter, watched the video and your car doesn't grip. The tyres squeal, it breaks away and you are fighting it with the steering. That is so unlike my old trackday car. I could set it up into a corner and it just felt so reassuring. I could have driven it one handed. I had an instructor come up to me at Mallory Park and say how planted the car was through Gerrard Bend - long right-hander. Something is not right. Your car will be heavier and more powerful but I don't think it's that. What tyres are you using, what pressures and are you sure the rear geometry is right? It looks a bit of a handful. These cars are usually very stable.
Hi Rob,

I could use better tires, they are a limiting factor. I'm actually provoking the car a lot (it's an old rally technique) with excessive steering input, so I'm not fighting it much. I do this so I can feel how far away I am from the limit. I've been doing too much low grip driving in the last few years, so there are some habits that stick with you. The faster I go, the less I do this. This was the 2nd session, and I was still getting up to speed. The car actually feels very stable and predictable.
The tires are Yokohama AD08RS, not a real track day tire. I will change to something better when I wear these out, these are the most limiting factor now by far.. I think it will need stiffer springs to optimize it more, or thicker anti roll bars. I feel I have a great base to build on.

The camera angle is not the best either, you don't get a good sense of the speed.

Current setup front:
Camber -3.5. Toe 0, caster +2 deg.

Back:
-3 camber, 2mm toe in.

Do you remember what you used to run? What springs?
 

uk66fastback

Club Member
I'm in no way experienced with trackday driving but it does look a struggle a lot of the time to drive the thing in the corners!
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
I used mainly Yoko A048. But even on a compromise Yoko tyre it was stable. I was thinking yours may already be too stiff at the rear. I used 250lb springs and MSA arbs. My car was about 1050kg. With full cage 2 seats. Heater etc. There is one corner on your video (a right hander) where the car just breaks away without any provoking or warning. Very un Datsun like. I'd love to have sat in with you to 'feel' the car. This armchair critic is guessing.
 
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