At first glance Mark Hermann's 1971 Datsun 240Z appears to be a clean restoration and nothing more. Then you look beneath the hood, where the O.E. L24 straight six has been swapped for an SR20DET and it's clear this car is special. While SR swaps have become commonplace, this is one of the first SR20s we've seen sunk into this chassis. In fact, a quick Internet search on a couple of hybrid engine Web forums yielded a link to pictures of this very car.
The swap was tuned and installed by Z-car and Nissan specialty shop Z Fever in Tampa, Fla. This same car has been built and tuned two different times by the shop, with two very different engine configurations. The first session took place close to 10 years ago. The car's original owner brought it to Z Fever and had upgrades performed on the original L-series straight six-exhaust, camshaft, headers and carbs-before selling it off to an individual in Ohio.
Several years later it showed up again for sale in central Florida. Hermann was in the market for a 240Z. This one caught his eye because the suspension and brakes were already upgraded and the body was rust-free. The L24 motor, however, needed an overhaul.
Hermann is friends with Z Fever's owner, Doug Mitchell, who coincidentally had worked extensively on the Z years before. The original plan was to pull the current powerplant and drop in a supercharged L80 motor from a 280ZX. That motor was slow coming together, however, so the car sat in Z Fever's garage for about two years. Fed up, Mitchell and Hermann changed plans.
Since the SR20DET is smaller than the long six it replaced, there's room on all sides for it to fit in the engine bay. All bolting points were realigned with custom mounts fabricated by Z Fever for both the engine and its transmission.
Additionally, clearance on the bottom was a little tight, with the SR's oil pan resting uncomfortably close to the suspension crossmember, so the new motor was inserted into the engine bay with a slight backward slant. The conversion alters the weight distribution enough to make it a midship powerplant in the strictest technical sense, with the front of the motor lining up nearly flush with the front axle. Using the newer, smaller motor also liberated about 200 pounds from the car's nose and dropped its curb weight to under a ton.
Modifications to the motor have been kept simple. A custom open-element intake feeds the turbo with cool air drawn from behind the driver's side headlamp. The turbo itself is a stock SR unit (Garrett T28) modified with a Fever Racing outlet pipe-Fever Racing is the name of Z Fever's product line. The turbo is bolted to a Z Fever tubular exhaust manifold, and waste gases are dumped through a modified S13 downpipe and custom Z Fever exhaust system.
The boost charge is propelled through candy red ceramic-coated plumbing and past a stealth-mounted GReddy front-mount intercooler from a Silvia application, which is all but invisible behind the factory-look 240Z grille. ProCoat Performance Coatings is credited with the candy piping and the matching candy red valve cover.
Fuel management is controlled by a factory-spec SR ECU supplemented with A'PEXi piggyback electronics. A 255-lph Walbro fuel pump and S-AFC provide the juice supply, and a V-AFC doubles boost from 7 to 14 psi. Z Fever tech Charles Juckett, who worked extensively on the car, estimates power output in the range of 250-wheel hp. It's a number that could be easily pushed further with other airflow modifications.
"It still has the stock intake manifold, which could definitely be upgraded," Juckett says. "It still has the stock turbo. There's a lot that can still be done."
Still, Hermann is satisfied with the SR's demeanor, and isn't in any hurry to upgrade the current engine configuration, or the car for that matter. The wheels are 17x7-inch black powdercoated NZO Typhoons installed with 1.25-inch spacers that impart a 42mm offset. They're strung with Michelin Pilot Sport rubber, sized a modest 225/40R-17 at all corners. The brakes remain stock 240Z assemblies up front, while the rears have been converted with updated disc assemblies from a '79 280ZX.
The suspension was subjected to mild treatments by the car's first owner, who installed Motorsport Auto lowering springs and Tokico dampers front and rear. Juckett says since the swap the feathery front end could benefit from a revised spring rate, but as of today it hasn't yet happened-remember, the suspension and brakes mods were already in place when Hermann bought the car. Suspension Techniques anti-roll bars were placed front and rear, as well as a custom "tri-brace" system within the engine bay comprising a single brace bridging the front shock towers and two angling from the tower brackets backward to brackets bolted onto the firewall.
Body mods are almost nonexistent, other than a subtle molded front lip from Motorsport Auto, new fiberglass bumpers and a sparkling white paint job in the car's original factory color, white 904. On the inside, a pair of Kff,ff,,fff,,f,,nig V Racing seats replace the tired, original Datsun units. An Auto Meter boost gauge was installed below the steering column and the A'PEXi electronics ingested into the glovebox. Hermann also added new carpet, and now says the only thing missing from the car is a kick-ass stereo for the long Sunday drives.
1971 Datsun 240zEngineEngine Code: SR20DETType: Four cylinder, aluminum block and head, turbocharged and intercooledExternal Modifications: Custom engine mounts, Fever Racing exhaust manifold, downpipe, exhaust, GReddy front-mount intercooler, Turbo XS RFL blow-off valveEngine Management Modifications: Walbro fuel pump, A'PEXi AVC-R and V-AFC
DrivetrainLayout: Longitudinal front engine, rear-wheel driveDrivetrain Modifications: Fever Racing Stage 2 clutch
SuspensionFront: Motorsport Auto springs, Tokico shocks, Suspension Techniques anti-roll bar, Fever Racing tri-braceRear: Motorsport Auto springs, Tokico shocks, Suspension Techniques anti-roll bar
BrakesFront: StockRear: 1979 280ZX disc assemblies
ExteriorWheels: 17x7-in. NZO Typhoon, 42mm offsetTires: 225/40R-17 Michelin Pilot SportBody: Fiberglass bumpers, Motorsport Auto front lip
InteriorKff,ff,,fff,,f,,nig V Racing seats, Auto Meter boost gauge