Each year the Historic Sportscar Racing association (HSR) organizes the largest and oldest event for Historic race cars on the East Coast. It’s called the Classic Motorsports Mitty and it took place at Road Atlanta, GA from April 27-29. We attended The Mitty to provide race support for Randy Jaffe’s #46 BRE Datsun 240z (driven by our hero John Morton) and Alex McDowell’s Datsun Bluebird Coupe and Hakosuka Skyline.
Nissan was the featured marque for the first time with John Morton serving as Grand Marshall so naturally every Datsun-fan was drawn to The Mitty. I took a Thursday night red-eye flight from San Jose with part of the ZCG crew and when we arrived at Road Atlanta our paddock was an absolute feast for the senses. Nestled primely across from the front-straight footbridge, we had an impressive display of West-Coast racers, from L to R: The BRE Datsun 240z, BRE 370z, Comedian Adam Carolla’s #44 Frank Monise Datsun 2000 Roadster and Bob Sharp 610, Alex’s Hakosuka Skyline and Bluebird Coupe, the Friselle GTU 240z, Dave Stone’s Frellsen B-sedan 510, Jim Froula’s (Racecraft) Datsun 260z, our friend Glenn Chiou’s VIPS/Loren St. Lawrence 240z and Bob Clucas’ IMSA GTU 240Z.
Take a Lap With John Morton
At 76 years of age John Morton is still formidable behind the wheel. Here he is piloting the #46 BRE 240z that we prepared around Road Atlanta; the very same track where he won the 1970 and 1971 National C-Production Championships!
Well, That’s Racing
The sweet smell of race fuel, frantic adjustments, checklists, and engines blaring to warm-up for the next session all reminded us how much we love racing! From the on-board video above, you can see the BRE 240z performed well with John Morton at the wheel but what it does not show viewers is the not-so-glamourous side of racing: part failures. The Z ran great in Thursday’s practice but when we arrived at the track Friday morning, Rob told us the engine failed during the first session. He needed all hands on deck. What followed absolutely humbled me; the ZCG crew went to work in a supreme effort to get the #46 BRE 240z alive again for Saturday/Sunday’s races.
John Morton Must Race
To get a first-hand perspective of the Z’s revival I asked ZCG Lead Technician, Josh Corwin, to give us the play-by-play of the heart transplant. Please read on to see a video chronicling the events!
1) How, when and why did the engine fail?
It is still too early to know exactly what went wrong with the engine. A complete teardown will be performed to isolate the root cause. I can tell you that during Friday practice, John Morton was accelerating up Road Atlanta’s back straight coming up the hill before turn 10, in top gear at wide open throttle well over 100mph. That is when a major engine component let go resulting in multiple holes being punched through the engine block, affectively turning the engine into a boat anchor.2) What was the plan to get John Morton back on the track?
Get an engine, put it in the car, put John Morton in the car, and put the car on track. Simple enough, except finding an engine that could perform was the challenge.As word spread through the paddock that John Morton needed an engine, the Datsun Community banded together, and offers of engines came swarming in. Multiple race engines and high performance street engines were all up for grabs. All were seriously built engines, but none of them felt right.
Rob’s ultimate plan to excavate a couple E.B. Parkinson motors, like dinosaur fossils, was crazy to say the least. But, going with his gut, the resurrection of a true vintage race engine was put in motion. Half of the crew went with Randy to his storage to look for a replacement motor, while other half, including myself, received the green light from Rob to began the task of removing the expired power plant in anticipation of the Datsun Relics arrival.
3) Technically, what was involved with swapping parts and prepping the 40-yr old parkinson motor?
The old engine came out quickly, as many hands made light work. It was then tucked away into the back of the trailer, to be disassembled at a later date, as we worked on getting the car ready for its new engine. Prepping the vehicle was pretty simple, but there were necessary steps and precautions that need to happen to make this a successful transplant. We only had one shot at this, so nothing was left to chance.
Below, (L): Gary Brizendine and BRE Engine Chief John Caldwell lend a hand and knowledge: Caldwell is confirming the jetting on the 50mm Mikuni carbs. (R) The original exhaust system from the 1970s is removed from #46. Morton had already blown apart the exhaust tips on the first session!
With any catastrophic engine failure, one of the concerns is metal bits getting stuck in the oil cooler and lines. So, first thing is to remove the oil cooler and hoses and flush them out. Any leftover engine material in the oiling system can destroy a fresh engine in minutes. Luckily, Road Atlanta’s used oil disposal shed also had 2 solvent tanks, which we used to back flush the cooler and clean the lines of any possible debris. While all the reusable pieces were getting cleaned internally, we moved on to cleaning the mess of shrapnel and engine oil that coated the engine bay. Just as we finished, the oil cooler system came back fresh and clean, and shortly after engines arrived. We could finally switch gears to the reassembly of the BRE 240Z.
The crew brought back two “long block” engines, meaning the cylinder head and engine block had already been assembled. At first look they were identical in every way and definitely appeared to have been sitting for 40 years. Looking closer, we found one of the engines did not have the timing chain installed which led us to use the one that was “more complete.” We put a wrench on the crank bolt and it rotated 720 degrees, smooth as butter. The next task was to take all the undesirable accessories from the old engine. The 40 year old water pump, alternator, flywheel, crank pulley, thermostat housing, oil filter adaptor, and valve cover were all tossed. We then tackled a quick clean up, removing years of dirt and grim that had built up while sitting.
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The next step was to make sure the adjustment of the intake and exhaust valves was perfect. Only slight adjustments were necessary; a very good sign. During this final diagnosis the rest of the crew was carefully removing the accessories from the hurt engine; carburetors and intake, distributor, spark plugs and wires, water pump, crank pulley, alternator, clutch and flywheel. Taking extra care when removing the original 40 year old BRE 240Z valve cover, oil filter adaptor, and exhaust header. Installation was easy. Once all the pieces were installed, the engine was ready to be dropped back into the Z, and all the hook-ups began.
With the engine now fully installed, minus the valve cover and spark plugs we have reached the most critical part. After draining the old oil out, for some time, we put the drain plug back in and filled it up with fresh oil. We coat the cam shaft with as much oil as possible, not wanting to damage anything with a dry start-up. With the engine full of oil, valve cover still off and the spark plugs left out, we cranked the engine over. This allows the oil pressure to build up as quickly as possible and with the least amount of stress on the engine.
After what felt like an eternity, oil started to flow, eventually making it all the way up to the head. With things moving along smoothly we installed the spark plugs, wires, and valve cover. Filled the radiator, and crossed our fingers. The first couple of attempts to light off this engine only delivered a few pops and snaps. After rechecking the firing order and distributor timing, only a distributor adjustment was needed to get it all back in time. We crossed our fingers again, and this time the engine awoke from its hibernation with a roar.
4) What were you feeling the entire time? Once it fired up? Describe the vibe in the pits
You hear about people “getting in the zone”, that is what I felt. I was so focused on what I was doing, that everything around me was a blur. I didn’t even notice the audience that had surrounded us. But, once that engine lit off, the only thing louder that the exhaust was the crowd that had come to cheer us on and that is when I snapped out of it and realized what we had just done. The crew all worked together, did what many thought was impossible, and gave life back to such an iconic race car with antique race parts. The question remained, could the engine perform at the level of a modern race engine?
5) How did the engine perform?
Simply put, timelessly. It sounded amazing, ran smoothly, and performed well beyond my expectation. It was on par performance-wise with engines built much more recently and with modern technology. It was a testament to the knowledge and talent of the race engine builders from back in the day.
6) Would you have done anything differently?
It’s easy to look back at a race weekend, dissect what happened, and ponder “what if…”. I cannot say I would have done anything differently, as our experiences and guts guided us in making the best possible decisions. What we take away from this weekend adds to our experience and allows us to be even better next time.In the video below you can see and hear the heroic effort of the ZCG team as they perform the engine transplant Josh just described. After it successfully fires up, owner Randy Jaffe and Rob decide to show it off by crashing the Grassroots Motorsports live broadcast!
Epic Racers
Saturday’s schedule included morning qualifying sessions and afternoon racing. The newly-revived BRE 240z would be put to the test and as Josh mentioned, it performed flawlessly. John Morton would post his best time of 1:39:67 and finish the race in 3rd place! It was almost a fairytale-like ending. John’s longtime partner, author and scholar Sylvia Wilkinson proudly shows off his lap times:
In the midst of Friday’s BRE 240Z revival, ZCG was also providing support to our client Alex McDowell who was racing TWO cars! His Datsun Bluebird Coupe and Hakosuka Skyline ran in groups 3A and 5, respectively. It was great to see a smile on Alex’s face after he put in some serious driving time with each car. Starting with the Bluebird, only minor braking and tire pressure adjustments were made and the Sora Blue Coupe outran many competitors.
Come aboard the Bluebird in this video of Alex mixing it up with a BMW 2002!
Alex Wins the Nissan Feature Race!
After racing the Bluebird in one session, a few hours later Alex hopped into his L-series powered Hako to run Group 5 Big Bore Production alongside Boss Mustang 302s and 911 RSRs. We received lively feedback from him after each session as he was having a blast. Alex’s enjoyment (and concentration) led to an overall 1st Place in the All-Nissan Feature Race! We are extremely proud of you Alex!
Listen to that triple-carbed L-series in this short video of Alex in the Nissan race and paddock. In-car footage coming soon.
Glenn’s VIPS 240z
Our friend and fellow racer Glen Chiou ran his VIPS/Loren St. Lawrence 240z. In addition to being a talented race car driver and restorer, Glenn is the absolute encyclopedia for Historic race Datsuns. It makes us happy to see a younger enthusiast so enveloped in the rich stories behind these vintage cars.
In true, privateer-style Glenn encountered his share of mechanicals and performed all the troubleshooting himself…
<Catch Glenn’s vintage racing adventures in his own journal over at Japanese nostalgic car Japanese Nostalgic Car. Enjoy this video of Glenn out on the track below:
Mike Anderson’s “Rock Vest” Datsun 2000
Mike recently acquired this famous Datsun Roadster and he has carried the torch by racing it decades after its heyday. This SR311 was campaigned by owner/driver Rock Vest who won over 60 races throughout the Southeast in the 1980s. It has been a joy seeing Mike race on the West Coast and back to Road Atlanta at the Mitty for the first time since Vest ran the SCCA Runoffs 3 decades ago.
Three other vintage racing roadsters joined Mike this year: Albert Gast’s E Production SRL, Les Cannaday’s Lightweight SRL and the #44 Frank Monise/John Morton BRE SRL (display only).
In this video below you will see in-car footage of Mike in the Rock Vest car AND the 3 other roadsters. It’s my tribute to the Fairest lady of them all, and being a roadster owner myself it’s the least I could do for my fellow owners!
In addition to the Datsun racers, there were some genuine luminaries including NASCAR Hall of Famers Bill Elliott ( driving a Dodge Cup Series Charger) and Ray Evernham. We also spotted Howard Turner’s 88 Jaguar XJR 7/8, Jeff Mckee’s ’66 SPF GT40 and Angus Russell’s wicked ’85 Porsche 962. We heard AC/DC singer Brian Johnson was also in the paddock!
The Beauty of Road Atlanta
I may not have visited every road course in the states, but I’d say that Road Atlanta is by far and away the most beautiful. Laguna Seca, Thunderhill and Infineon are all gorgeous in their own right, but I think the diversity of the available shots at RA trumps them all. Here is John Morton walking the track:
Track access for fans was so much more relaxed than ‘Seca. The staff did not whistle at you for straddling a concrete barrier to get that perfect shot! My favorite feature was the “paddock walk” just for fans before the Nissan Feature Race. I really wish Laguna Seca would allow this! Check out this video showing the line-up, roll-out and green flag:
Despite its beauty, RA is a both dangerous and exciting. Racing a vintage car is a gamble–it’s putting a priceless piece of racing history in harm’s way around every corner. Parts can fail and drivers can make mistakes. On Saturday, the BRE 240z was hit from behind by Grayson Upchurch driving the Al Gast Datsun Roadster. We took it in stride and poked a little fun at the resulting damage. Morton is quite the gentleman:
Video of the contact:
A VW Rabbit unfortunately suffered far more damage:
Paddock Life
Our homebase for the week was inside the “Pro Paddock”. This year’s Mitty was incredible because of the wonderful people that we pitted with and folks that stopped by to visit.
Randy Jaffe’s race car hauler was a rolling museum of BRE memorabilia. The F-450 tow rig also sported a fitting vanity plate:
A tremendous effort was made to create a friendly atmosphere for Datsun fans. Signed copies of The Stainless Steel Carrot and Inside Shelby American were available along with posters.
John Morton spent time autographing and taking photos, he is always a true class-act. He signed just about everything that fans could imagine:
John is always a big hit with the ladies. As long as Sylvia is in close range:)
Highlights from our paddock experience can be see in the video below:
People
Contributing to the fun were many family and friends. Randy invited his Mom and sisters, Rob’s sister brought her whole family and Josh’s father Keith Corwin was once again an integral part of our team:
We were humbled by the number of people that stopped by including fellow Datsun owners and racers:
Several West Coast friends made the trek to RA, including Datsun 510 owners Tom and Matt Dockery and Anthony Schwisow:
<Alex and Michelle McDowell are newly engaged and they proudly showed off their vintage racing pride!
Randy had a neat idea: have the crew wear white pants with red BRE team shirts to replicate the 70’s vintage photos.
Camraderie
Rob and the ZCG crew are always willing to lend a hand, even if it’s for the competition! Comedian Adam Carolla was having carb trouble with his Bob Sharp Racing Datsun 610 so Rob got to work on the Mikuni’s:
(L) Rob and Adam discuss the 610’s performance issues and solution. (R) In exchange for getting his car dialed in, Adam tries to offer us engine building advice. While chewing on a mouthful of sandwich:
While we dial in Adam’s 610, Adam hams it up with Dave Stone:
Hop aboard the Datsun 610 with Adam Carolla and see Rob working on the carbs in the video below:
Interested in listening to semi-luminarie Adam Carolla’s perspective on The Mitty and vintage racing in general? Check out his Road Atlanta recap HERE
Paddock Highlights
Scattered around the inside of the course were hundreds of makeshift garages stuffed full of all the great, classic machinery. These cars are staggeringly beautiful the closer you get to them. You notice all the timeless little details that contribute to the raw feel of the hand-drawn designs from decades past, details that aren’t included in the same way on modern-day vehicles.
B210 racer!
Rob sending out John Morton:
Jim Downing’s IMSA Gatorade Mazda RX-3 (RHD)
A real-deal Bill Thomas Cheetah:
Gary Savage’s’ 78 Datsun 280Z with a Chevy LS6
Bob Clucas’ IMSA GTU 240Z and BMW CSL:
The actual race-winning #46 BRE Datsun 510 (resides in Nissan Heritage Museum)
Car Corral Gems
Nissans and Datsuns were out in strong numbers and not just from Georgia!
Chris Melde’s gorgeous Series 1 S30 on Work Equip 01 wheels at the Nissan tent. That’s a Nissan Figaro behind it:
Datsun Roadsters!
Vintage Wheels of The Mitty
I am a wheel addict and I love vintage wheels. The paddock did not dissappoint. BBS, Volk, Minilite, American Racing…all shod with meaty slicks of sometimes incredible proportions:
The Bring a Trailer Datsun 240z Arrives!
We were happy to see that the guys from BaT successfully completed their epic 4,600-mile journey from San Francisco to The Mitty in the BaT 240z. Co-founder Randy Nonnenberg piloted the Z on the last leg of the trip via the The Coker Tire Road Tour from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Randy and Michael Emery (who handled 98% of the driving :)) both dropped by our paddock in the midst of our engine revival on Friday. Once the BRE 240z fired up and the evening light was right I texted them to come back for a photo-op:
Not sure why, but I envisioned that the two Z’s would look just right positioned this way. So thank you Randy and Michael for indulging me!
BaT had their own tent setup in the Fan Zone with some cool cars from actual #BaTAuctions. ItZ a Zmall World and I bumped into a familiar face Friday am: Vance was attending the Southeastern BaT Alumni Gathering with his 1972 Datsun 240z that he won on BaT!
You can catch Michael’s trip to the Mitty HERE it’s a great, inspirational read! We look forward to seeing the BaT 240z again!
Thank You
What an amazing weekend! Thank you to Randy Jaffe for being such a gracious host to the ZCG team while we stayed in Georgia.
Big thanks to Meghan and Sean Garner(Joe Apel shown with Rawb) for running the show in the paddock!
None of this would be possible without Jim Froula (Left). Jim transported several of our California cars to the Mitty. We love you!
The Bluebird, Hakosuka and VIPS 240z were loaded up onto the Racecraft transporter, heading back to CA:
A short video of the loading session:
Goodbye BRE 240z, see you at the RMMR!
Thank you John Morton and Sylvia Wilkinson, your continued enthusiasm and support are admired and revered by all!
And finally, thank you to the Z Car Garage team. This was definitely one for the books!
Please enjoy our mega-picture gallery and get ready for our next stops: The Spring classic and RMMR at Laguna Seca where Nissan is the featured marque!
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