I just wanted to give you guys an update on my Speedhunters Project SR240Z – also known as Ole Orange Bang.
It’s been a while, as we are all very busy here at Speedhunters bringing you guys fresh new content. The funny thing is, we spend so much time behind the lens, it’s really weird to be in front of the lens.
A little while back I got an email out of the blue from Mike Amezcua, who creates the Shift Pattern video series. He wanted to do a feature on my S30.
If you didn’t see the video when we originally posted it, you can watch it by pressing play above.
Not only did Mike do a video feature on Ole Orange Bang, he also followed me around the next day for a Speedhunters Dream Drive shoot.
My friend let me drive his 1969 427 Corvette Stingray – with a 4-speed manual of course. It was such a fun car to get behind the wheel of, but more importantly, a really fun car to shoot.
The thing is, we don’t really care to be in front of the lens most of the time, and I actually prefer to be that ‘fly on the wall’. But it was cool to be able to work with Mike and see a nice video come out of it.
As for the Dream Drive piece? I still need to work on it, but it will be up on Speedhunters soon enough.
Animal Auto
Ole Orange bang is 45 years old now, but she has never been better. That said, I am constantly trying to improve the drivability, as well as the reliability.
As you guys can probably imagine, I don’t actually have much time to work on my own car. Plus, as things get more complicated, I don’t actually have the skill.
This is where Andrew Molina of Animal Auto steps in. He has a small tuning shop located in Norco, California.
He works on all types of cars, but mostly specializes in Japanese cars. He also builds some impressive drift cars, and his personal drift and street car is an FD3S RX7 to die for.
I actually first met him in China as crew chief for Ryan Litteral when he was competing in World Drift Series China. His skills impressed me, and I figured there would be no better person to work on my personal project car.
So what did I have Andrew do right off the bat? Porsche 911 axles, rear disc brake conversion, front Toyota 4×4 4-piston brakes, an oil cooler, and an oil filter relocation kit. He also fixed a few minor issues here and there, all in the name of reliability.
There was nothing wrong with the stock axles, but I have broken them before while drifting at an open practice day, so I figured with the added power it was time to upgrade.
I got the axle kit from the great guys at Wolf Creek Racing. Their service was excellent and their parts are quality, and paired up with the Subaru STI R180 I won’t have to worry about my driveline for a while.
I decided to poke around the shop a bit to see what else Andrew had going on.
Motor swaps or general maintenance – he does it all. While I have nothing against big-name shops, I like the one-on-one service that Animal Auto can provide.
So where did Andrew learn this stuff? He is so young, and he looks like a little boy.
Well, he actually picked up quite a bit of knowledge from Ross Petty at Garage Boso, when they were still around.
Plus, he has been in the drift paddock for quite a while helping teams out when they need it.
The stuff that I had him do was small-fry, but it’s still nice to be able to trust someone with my pride and joy.
While the GReddy oil pan helps with oil temps, I figured it would be a good idea to have an oil cooler installed for those hot Southern California track days.
The filter relocation kit makes it so much easier to install the oil cooler.
Everything looks much cleaner with AN fittings.
Now it’s just that much easier to change the oil filter too.
In terms of power, I am happy with the way it is now for street use. Weighing 2150lbs (975kg) with 300whp and 300ft-lb, it flies just fine. Until I get better safety equipment that is… I know it’s time for a rollcage.
The brakes are actually pretty tricky. I went with Nissan Maxima calipers in the rear, and I am not sure I really like the driving feel of the setup. After it was all said and done, I spent about $2000 for the front and rear brakes, but I think I might actually go with a Wilwood setup now. I drove a standing mile 240Z just a few weeks ago with a full Wilwood setup and I liked it much better. In fact, the stock drum setup felt better! So hopefully you guys can learn from my mistake.
Once I change out the brakes again, I will feel much more confident returning to compete in Global Time Attack.
Sabelt Seats
I’ve been meaning to change out my Sparco reclinable seats for a while now. I picked them up at a Sparco garage sale for $700 about 10 years ago!
The issue I had was finding a one-piece seat that looked good and was narrow enough to fit inside the S30 cabin.
My friends at Sabelt heard about my struggle and let me try a few of their seats to see if any would fit. I tried three, and the third model fit perfectly, just like the Sparco reclinable had.
While I didn’t have a problem with running reclinables on the street, they just do not hold as well as a one-piece seat when you’re on the track.
These GT-090 steel frame seats are also FIA approved and I think they have the perfect old school look that I wanted.
Out comes the old passenger side seat. What’s interesting is, I don’t actually use a bracket, because the seats bolt to the stock mounting location.
They fit in nice and snug with just enough room on either side for the seat belts.
However, I tried closing the door and I ran into an issue. While the seats bolted in perfectly, they were too wide on the shoulders. The door closes, but there was quite a bit of stress on the door panel.
The guys at Sabelt told me that these seats fit perfect in a Mazda Miata so they should fit fine in the S30.
So, I figured that since the frame is steel I could bend it one inch and it should be okay. It worked perfectly.
While it’s cool that these seats look great, I am definitely looking forward to using them on the track.
This car was built to be driven, not to look pretty.
I will keep you guys updated on what I have in store next for Ole Orange Bang, but in the meantime I will enjoy her on the canyon roads near my house.
Larry Chen
Instagram: larry_chen_foto
larry@speedhunters.com
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
Nice Larry. I like how you find time to develop Ole Orange Bang despite your busy lifestyle. Keep up the good work!
May I please know the song from the video - Long Live Larry?
even though you said that it was built to be driven not to look pretty, I think it's pretty from any angle
Love that Z, even though you might not think it's perfect...
Future feature??:
" Andrew Molina of Animal Auto: his personal drift and street car is an FD3S RX7 to die for."
Have you swapped out the original master cylinder? If you did, and I missed it, disregard the rest of this comment.
If you didn't then the proportion of fluid going to your rear calipers is now excessive since the previous drum set up needed much more fluid volume to get the brakes to apply. Now that you are running calipers out back they are likely receiving too much volume which is having a negative effect on your brake balance and therefore taking away from your braking performance. Maybe a Z32 Master will bolt up?
ShifterKart yessss, this answered my question of what to do with the rear axles http://www.wolfcreekracing.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72&Itemid=61
ShifterKart muchas gracias!
utenjm so when is work/linkup day?
ShifterKart this weekend. The big nut that holds rear hub together got damaged during assembly last week. Being replaced now.
OscarPais I was also going to propose this as a possible solution. Sounds like the braking bias is way off.
Can't even look at this knowing my friend dropped a RB26 into his Z from a GTR and also TC24-B1Z aka Twin Cam racing head from OS Giken is out there.
Loving this type of feature, you guize (yes i said "guize") need to do more "behind the scenes" features that show the talent behind some of the builds.
Top. Notch...
I know this is all about the 240, which I really do appreciate and enjoy, but thanks to the teaser I'm now more interested in your driving impressions of the Corvette. I was the proud owner/builder of a restomod 1968 427 convertible, so I'm always excited to hear what others think of them.
I'm looking up to this project. This is pure inspiration !
OscarPais Nailed it.
Killing me Larry
When can I take you through the San Diego mountains? If you've never driven Palomar Mountain, it's arguably the best road in California!
D1RGE EXE I have not, but it's on my list.
OscarPais I did, I put in the 15/16 master, out of a later Z. That is one more thing I might try though, using a larger brake booster and bigger master, but I just did exactly what the kit required, and I can see it working fine for street use, but track use is no go.
Are these 15x8 with 225/50 R15?
Is that duct tape on your lens?
Back to the car, lucky you to own such a beautiful car and finding someone to give it some modern touch.
I own a 1976 mazda 818 (known as mazda mizer in US) and the lack of skilled people not far from home for that prevent me from giving it a more modern touch (that and the fact that it was such a clean one that i didn't have courage to try to modify it).
I still hope to find another old school japanese car and give it some upgrade one day.
Thanks to share your passion and maintain that hope.
Time for a chin spoiler and flares my man!
ThatRX7Guy Eh, and be like everyone else?
Jocky Gaff tape. Glad to know those are still on the road today.
@Kurai Yup, Enkei Compe with Yokohama A048
the thing with gaffa'ing up your lens is you must never hide the red ring....
car just looks like a great fang around the mountains, I need to invest in a Japanese classic for mountain runs. the stagea is just too heavy
Larry Chen ThatRX7Guy you have a form follows function thing going here. I can see that. Make choice upgrades to an already great car. Keep it up, it's what i would do with a project like this.
Damn I love Ole Orange Bang, keep up the good work Larry Chen.
When is Takata putting your seat belts in?
Nice Z. This swap is more drivable than the more popular RB26. One thing you might look at on your brakes is the stock proportioning valve that's on the firewall is set up for drum brakes. Change it out with one from a 280ZX, it will be set up for rear discs. It's not only a proportioning valve but it's also a timing valve. I'm running a Z in Chumpcar/Lemons. We have big brakes, 2nd gen RX-7
4pot calipers with '05 Sentra SER specV rotors in front, Z32 calipers
and specV rotors (cut down) in back. It stops like crazy and never
fades.
Chri5 Duncan I will definitely look into that. Thanks for the tip.
Larry,
Thanks for the updates, it is a gem of a car, despite how may think it doesn't look "nice". Did I miss the engine build details I am curious what mods you have to acheive the 300hp/tq. Also, how do you handle the endless "why did you ruin your vintage car with a modern motor?" or "Z's never came with a 4-cylinder" remarks?
@SW1 You can follow up with the rest of the build here: http://www.speedhunters.com/tag/ole-orange-bang/
Well when people complain about the modern motor, I just tell them that I needed something that would be reliable and something I could drive very far if I had to with that kind of power. No brainer really.
Looks pretty reliable with all those new bits, good idea for bending the seats. That's probably the easiest to change oil filter I have ever seen hahaha!
Your 240Z makes me want to have an old light-weight Japanese car , with a reasonable weight/price Japanese 4-banger power the rear wheels ... they are perfect combination IMO , especially when you could add more rigidity to such a car , it would be insanely good !
Larry Chen I had the same issue until I changed to a 15/16 sized brake master cylinder and removed the check/timing values in the new master cylinder like Duncan said. Wilwoods are still best but the 15/16 MC with check valves removed it performed much better!
Larry Chen We are also running a 1" Wilwood master, this also is definitely a factor. Yes the valve looks the same but it's internals are not. If you read the FSM though it becomes apparent that it's different. The smaller valve on the fender is just a splitter with switch. It's the valve on the firewall that you want to change.
I'd love to have a Speedhunters shootout between your Z and Dino's R, even if they are so miles apart.
On that note, tell Dino to get working and give us some updates on that Bayside Blue san-yon!
I'd really love to see a Speedhunters showdown between your Z and Dino's R, even if they're several thousand miles apart.
On that note, tell Dino to get working and updating us readers about his Bayside Blue san-yon!
koko san New boxer engines from Subaru beat it slightly. The FA20 engine has them on the top front of the engine, mounted completely inverted so they drain the oil during an oil change. Also has a dish to keep oil from spilling all over the bay.
Although his car doesn't have the l24-l28 that is common in the s30 chassis, those are easy to change (side mount with nothing around), but they leave a mess down the block.
raidensnakeezio We had this idea, but for the stateside Speedhunters. I can only dream.
RDS While I like massive power figures in a heavy car, it's crazy to have to overcome the weight with equally massive tires and electronic gizmos. Simpler is better in my opinion.
Chri5 Duncan Cool, I will look into it. I have the 15/16 mc already, so I may just have to upgrade to the wilwood 1"
Always love reading S30 builds.
Your drive chain should be pretty bullet proof for your power now, thats always a good thing. However I see you are still running the front diff strap, I would recommend changing this for an RT style mount, TechnoVersions do a good one for a good price. Not sure if its a problem, but if you are planning on tracking a lot, keep an eye on rear diff temps without a finned cover.
You have fitted T3 adjustable rear ams but I can see they are both fully wound in, is your Geo setup how you want it with them like that or have you just not had a chance to set the geo yet? Considering these for mine to allow me to adjust my toe.
Some things that might be good for your brake setup (and have already been mentioned) are a new MC and an adjustable prop valve, I have a 1" master cylinder and prop valve (I have the prop valve in the cabin so I can adjust on the fly depending on conditions) My brake setup feels awesome, one of the best braking cars I've felt, I run wilwood 4 pots on the front and Mustang GT calipers on the rear, most setups for the S30's I've seen leave the rear a bit underpowered imo.
I'm amazed your car weighs less than a ton, its not far off the weight of my EF9, I reckon your engine setup is about 100kg lighter than my RB26 and while I'm yet to weigh my Z I'm expecting it to be around 1200kg with full interior and at least 40kg of fuel, I'd be over the moon if I could get mine down to even 1100kg. My EF is quick with 250hp and 970kg so I know your Z is seriously rapid.
I'm having a dilemma with my seats, I love the style of the stock Z seats, however I know I would be much better connected and therefore able to drive better with a good bucket seat. I love Bride Stradia 2, but they are almost too wide for the S30 and I can't bend carbon like you did with yours.
Anyway, I like the reliability and performance mods you are undertaking, keep the updates coming. I see your exhaust scrapes at the same place as mine just under the rear of the diff, probably does the same as mine and scrapes under hard acceleration. I would say hope you continue to enjoy your Z but I know if its anything like mine its impossible not to fall in love with driving it.
Ian Cormack
Your drive chain should be pretty bullet proof for your power now, thats always a good thing. However I see you are still running the front diff strap, I would recommend changing this for an RT style mount, TechnoVersions do a good one for a good price. Not sure if its a problem, but if you are planning on tracking a lot, keep an eye on rear diff temps without a finned cover.
I already have a solid front diff mount, so it should be ok for now, but I will look into it.
You have fitted T3 adjustable rear ams but I can see they are both fully wound in, is your Geo setup how you want it with them like that or have you just not had a chance to set the geo yet? Considering these for mine to allow me to adjust my toe.
The arms were adjusted by Westend in Socal, they do pretty much all the top auto-x comp cars here. They did the corner balancing, and alignment. I've been taking my cars to them for years and they are the best around here.
Some things that might be good for your brake setup (and have already been mentioned) are a new MC and an adjustable prop valve, I have a 1" master cylinder and prop valve (I have the prop valve in the cabin so I can adjust on the fly depending on conditions) My brake setup feels awesome, one of the best braking cars I've felt, I run wilwood 4 pots on the front and Mustang GT calipers on the rear, most setups for the S30's I've seen leave the rear a bit underpowered imo.
Yeah, this is really the only part of the car I am still tinkering with to get right. It seems that everyone has a different solution. As always I will just have to try everything for myself.
I'm amazed your car weighs less than a ton, its not far off the weight of my EF9, I reckon your engine setup is about 100kg lighter than my RB26 and while I'm yet to weigh my Z I'm expecting it to be around 1200kg with full interior and at least 40kg of fuel, I'd be over the moon if I could get mine down to even 1100kg. My EF is quick with 250hp and 970kg so I know your Z is seriously rapid.
Well the thing is I don't have a cage, so I am saving weight, but of course I sacrifice rigidity. Aside from the CF hood, I have a few minor weight savings mods including heater delete, and radio delete. Everything else as you can see is there. The interior does not weigh that much.
I'm having a dilemma with my seats, I love the style of the stock Z seats, however I know I would be much better connected and therefore able to drive better with a good bucket seat. I love Bride Stradia 2, but they are almost too wide for the S30 and I can't bend carbon like you did with yours.
Yeah, it's tough the Z-cabin is so narrow, and if you spend the money on a CF seat and it does not fit, that would be seriously terrible. Even though the Sabelt seats are steel, they were MUCH lighter than the Sparco torinos, I saved about 30lbs total.
Anyway, I like the reliability and performance mods you are undertaking, keep the updates coming. I see your exhaust scrapes at the same place as mine just under the rear of the diff, probably does the same as mine and scrapes under hard acceleration. I would say hope you continue to enjoy your Z but I know if its anything like mine its impossible not to fall in love with driving it.
The exhaust only scrapes on speed bumps, unfortunately they are very high over here in Southern California. Make sure you post up pics of your Z here so everyone can see it. Thanks for the comments!
Larry Chen RDS Electronics are the devil!!!
Larry Chen, If you tell Wilwood all your caliper piston sizes they will do a calc and recommend a correct master size. Just contact their tech dept.
"This car was built to be driven, not to look pretty."
Your argument is invalid, at least to me.. because it's still looking good!
Seriously awesome s30. My Dad had one and had planned on restoring it, but it had caught fire when I was only a child. The amount of parts that were put into this from different cars blows my mind. Thank you for another great feature Larry Chen!
On an un-related subject. When BOSO Garage and Ross Petty were mentioned it got me wondering, what happened to Ross Petty? He just seemed to vanish.
Larry Chen Ian Cormack
I already have a solid front diff mount, so it should be ok for now, but I will look into it.
Ahh, I missed that, that would probably be enough on its own (although I have heard of them breaking but that was on abused high power drag Z's) For me I didn't want to run a solid mount to make sure noise and vibration was at a minimum, the RT syle mount I have mounts it tight but theres still some poly to cut down the NVH.
The arms were adjusted by Westend in Socal, they do pretty much all the top auto-x comp cars here. They did the corner balancing, and alignment. I've been taking my cars to them for years and they are the best around here.
Glad to hear its all well set up, Mine is not corner balanced yet, might be worth doing though.
Yeah, this is really the only part of the car I am still tinkering with to get right. It seems that everyone has a different solution. As always I will just have to try everything for myself.
The good news is it is an area that can be sorted well, I can outbrake most things in mine.
Yeah, it's tough the Z-cabin is so narrow, and if you spend the money on a CF seat and it does not fit, that would be seriously terrible. Even though the Sabelt seats are steel, they were MUCH lighter than the Sparco torinos, I saved about 30lbs total.
I would definitely have to find someone with a seat I could test fit first before buying any.
The exhaust only scrapes on speed bumps, unfortunately they are very high over here in Southern California. Make sure you post up pics of your Z here so everyone can see it.
We have some nasty speed bumps here also, however my exhaust is quite low at the rear and I recently found out one night that it scrapes on hard acceleration on full boost as the guy behind me pulled up and said I had sparks flying out behind me, I have the rear relatively soft for maximum traction.
I've added some photos, I always have a hard time deciding which photos to use
Larry Chen
This one didn't load earlier.
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