AlteredZ

Posted on August 10, 2009 by Jesse O'Brien in Featured Cars

Pete Paraska helped establish the v8-powered Datsun s30 movement, and is one of my personal inspirations for my car.  His build website is http://alteredz.com/

• Q:  How did you come into the possession of your Z?
  • I bought it from the second owner in 1981.  The guy had some cheap body work done to it, had it repainted the original color (110 red-orange), and fixed the A/C.  The car had the 72 SUs on it and ran pretty good.  It was my first experience driving a sports car, and it was a deal-maker — great looking car that was fun to drive!  I missed the power of my 70 Camaro (built 327), but loved the styling and handling.  $3100 way back in 81 was a fair price.
• Q:  What does your vehicle ownership timeline look like? (what did you own/modify leading up to this?)
  • My first car was a 1970–1/2 Camaro.  Standard trim, gold metallic and black vinyl top.  350 2bbl with TH350 automatic, 3.08:1 open rear.  I bought it in the summer of 1978, when I got my license.  The next summer I rebuilt a 327/300hp engine (double-hump heads, 10.5:1), and added a 327/350 cam — along with a TH400 trans — the car ran like a 6cylinder until about 30mph and then set you back in the seat.  It was quick enough to get a 1/2 car lead against my buddy’s 1968 GT500 Shelby Mustang, from a roll, until we hit about 90 when he pulled away.
  • The Camaro got wrecked (Girlfriend was driving, we hit a telephone pole), but the 327 survived.  I bought a 68 Nova (6cyl) and drove it about 6 months before swapping the 327 into it — what a death trap — 6cylinder suspension and brakes, but a lot more power.
  • Next I go the 240Z.   It took me over 20 years to obtain the dream of having a running V8 240Z.
  • Since buying the 240Z, I’ve had or had use of a 76 Cutlass, 73 Dodge Dart (slant 6), 81 Toyota Corona, 85 Maxima 5spd (loved it!), 89 Integra, 92 Eclipse GSX, 91 Mitsubishi Galant VR-4.  My current daily driver is a 2000 BMW M5.  I LOVE this thing!
  • My V8 Datsun 240Z could not be a daily driver, it’s too desirable to just park anywhere.  When I drive it, people are always commenting on it when I park or pull in somewhere, heck just stop at a light.  If I’m driving down the highway it gets  a thumbs up.  I attribute that to the body style.  To me and others, it’s one of the most beautiful shapes put on the road.  All I did was take away things I thought looked bad.  I modified the bumpers to not “stick out”, trim is matte-black, and the air dam and rear spoiler update it a bit.  The combination of the color (95–97 Audi Europa Blue Mica) and the WRD 5-spoke wheels with polished rim are what really catches the eye in my opinion.  But it would never catch a glance from people if the styling department at Nissan back in the mid 60′s hadn’t gotten it basically “right”.
• Q:  You did a massive amount of fabrication on your car.  Have you considered offering your services professionally?
  • Maybe in retirement — which is 20 years away!   I’m way to slow of a car builder to make a living at it!
• Q: You’ve done a few projects in the same chassis.  How many different driveable versions has your Z seen?
  • I had two different, basically stock L24s in the car, and the 327 had about 10k miles on it when a rod bearing went.  This was from me thrashing it at 7000rpm for extended amounts of time while tuning the upper end of the rpm/load map with the Megasquirt.  Driver error!
  • I had a 407 cu.in. Chevy V8 in the car right after that.  10.3:1 compression, Canfield 215cc heads, Victor Jr. and a Holley 830 HP carb.  Cam Motion Low lash roller cam (243/249 deg dur @.050″, 274/280 deg dur @.020″,.567/.570″ lift w/ 1.5:1 rockers, 112 deg lobe separation angle).  Very torquey!!!   However, the engine didn’t last long as I ran it at WOT too lean and the sleeve in hole #6 warped and lost compression there.  In other words, I was stupid and went WOT for an extended time at the top of the rpm range before I had checked to make sure it wasn’t running too lean.  Driver error!
  • The 327 got rebuilt after that and I had it in the car while it was being worked on at the bodyshop to fix damage from being rear-ended.  I drove the car for maybe 6 months with that version of the 327 before putting the 407 back in the car, this time built on a Dart Sportsman cylinder block.  I sold the 327 at that point as I needed the money to rebuild the 407.
  • The 2nd build of the 407 went south, due to an overheat situation that galled a piston.  In July of 2008,  the 407 went back together with new pistons (CP — 16cc D-dish), rings, intake (Professional Products Crosswind),  830HP Holley carb, and MSD E-curve distributor.  I went to a different cam spec this time, and had David Vizard recommend the basic specs — 251/251 deg @0.050″ lift, 281/281 deg dur @.020″ lift,.577/.577″ lift with 1.5:1 rockers, and 105 deg lobe separation angle.  I broke in the engine at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) days later during a 2-day driver’s school and it is doing great.  The car is quick enough to accelerate from a roll (out of oak-tree turn at VIR) right with my buddy’s 2006 Ford GT (not the Mustang, but the GT).  It feels quick, but I’m sure more will be desired before long!
• Q:   If you had to guess, how much of an investment (time and money) have you put into it?
  • I worked on the car for 11 years off and on doing the restification and engine swap, suspension, brake, and chassis modifications and getting the body and paint work farmed out.   It’s been one and off the road since 2003 for about 2/3 of the time.   The monetary investment is not something I want to talk about in public:).
• Q:  What are your plans for the future for your V8 Z?
  • I’d love to go back to fuel injection.  I had it on the 327 and the first 400 build using a Holley 4bbl TBI and a Megasquirt ECU.  I have an old Hilborn mechanical injection manifold that I want to convert to EFI, and possibly use something different for an ECU.
  • I want to put different rear brake calipers on — Mustang parts with an integral parking brake.
  • Finish the interior (new carpet) and put in a sound system.
  • If the 407cu.in. engine ever needs to be replaced, I’m pretty sure an LSx GM V8 will take it’s place.
• Q:  Do you see the 350z as a reincarnation of the older s30 style?
  • Not at all.  They both were made by Nissan, have a Z in their name, have 4 wheels, 2 seats, RWD and 6 cylinder engines.  The 240Z is a classic beauty, and to my eye, the 350Z is a squashed toad.  So you can’t really related the 2, in my opinion.  The 370Z is better looking, and reminds me more of the S30.
• Q:  What would you consider to be the most important modification a new Z owner could perform?
  • Speaking of the 240Z-280Z, get the suspension back in stock shape, or add urethane bushings, stiff rack mounts, and a tighter joint in the steering shaft.   Good strut cartridges, and get rid of any bumpsteer.  And of course, wider wheels and sticky tires. You may notice I didn’t go for engine or brake mods first — the stock 240Z in reconditioned form is still a great car — but a few suspension upgrades make it a bunch more fun to drive.
  • If you are talking about the 350Z — I’d be looking to add power.  I had a ride in a 350Z at VIR, and could not believe how low on power that car was!  I hope they aren’t all that underpowered from the factory!
• Q:  What driving habits or modifications make you cringe when you see them?
  • Left lane bandits that cruise the left lane and won’t move over, not paying attention to driving (cell phone, etc.), timidness, and not planning ahead (waiting to look for traffic only once you’ve entered a merge, round-about, etc.
  • New driving peeves:  Driving slow (50–55mph) on the highway thinking you are saving fuel or (OMG!) lowering your carbon footprint (most cars get better mileage running 65–70mph), and accelerating slowly away from lights, on entrance ramps, believing the old, outdated thinking that quick acceleration wastes fuel.  Few people realize that you should accelerate near your torque peak, then shift up asap in order to use the engine in it’s two most efficient rpm/use ranges — high-efficiency acceleration and low rpm cruise.
  • Modification peeves:  Wings and body kits on cars that can’t go fast enough to get a benefit.  Large Diameter chrome wheels with sub-35 series tires.   The loudest blow-off valve possible.  Fart-pipe exhausts.  I could go on, but I won’t!  LoL

Tags: featured, Nissan, s30