BRE 240 Z: engine

Back in November 2016, I completed the BRE Datsun 510, which had been sitting around since February 2016. The verdict: A challenging but very detailed kit that would frustrate a beginner but reward a more experienced builder. Also back in February 2016, I completed the paint for the BRE Datsun 240 Z, which has been sitting on the shelf all this time.



I had been planning to complete both together but other projects intervened.



So time to hop to it and get the engine and chassis done. As with the 510, I decided to wire up the engine. The distributor grows out of the front cover on the left side of the engine, and is poorly positioned for any serious poking around, so I used an 8-cylinder distributor from Preston's Parts (with two wires trimmed off). Careful drilling of the front cover, after cutting off the stock distributor, is needed.



The plugs are well molded and can be used with the little boots available as part of distributor kits from Preston, Detail Master, Model Car Garage or others, but I have never had much luck with these, so I cut off the plugs and drilled through into the head instead, inserting the leads into the heads as far as necessary. If you drill clean through into the cavity inside the engine block, you don't have to worry about trimming wires to the correct length only to make them too short.

The Nissan 240Z OHC script on the cam cover can be brought out with a bit of gentle sandpaper after putting on a coat of gloss black, but is not as clear as in some other engines I have built.



The carbs come with a one-piece throttle linkage (a nice touch) and with holes predrilled for fuel lines, so I went for it.



One important point: the kit comes with bits for a street version of the 240 Z (which I don't recall seeing); so the plated reproduction of a stock exhaust manifold is not needed.

Next will be various chassis and interior bits. So far this is an excellent kit without excessive frustration if you build it straight out of the box, but offering opportunities to build in more detail if you feel like it. Stay tuned!