# 200zx?



## eightsixdrifter9 (Dec 19, 2003)

I was talking to a friend today about me seeing a nice Datsun 200ZX. He doesn't believe I saw a 200ZX, he doesn't believe there's such thing. I've seen a 200ZX tail light center piece more than enough times to believe it's an actual car. On Google I can't find any pictures but I can find a lot of things mentioning a "Datsun 200ZX" I was hoping yall could help us find out if it is real or not. BTW It's a 1970's car that looks very similar to the 240Z if that helps at all.


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## Token Moron (Mar 28, 2003)

dont listen to chris(slowestbitch ) im sure ive heard of it......the link i had was broken up but anyway......chris, post up the one u showed me


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## SlowestRice (Sep 14, 2002)

No such thing man. And dont listen to AJ he dont know much. lol j/p


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## scubaz31 (Nov 25, 2003)

Never heard of a 200ZX. The results from Google are all caused by typos and people not knowing what they are talking about.
Only tail light center pieces I can think of are the 280ZX and the early 300ZX ones.


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## ScorchN200SX (Aug 13, 2002)

*Well.*

Do some research and they are called the gazelles or early modle 180sx some came with a 2.L, 1.8T, V6. RWD crazy little cars and there is quite an underground fallowing for the S12.... Check out www.club-s12.org There are even a few out there with do i dare say DET swaps!!!! OMG!!!! :fluffy: :fluffy:


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## SlowestRice (Sep 14, 2002)

Why you gotta be posting pics of yourself Mike?


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## ScorchN200SX (Aug 13, 2002)

*Dman.... You figuered it out....*

Next time I will post a better pic of me drooling over cars..... I really want to get another one of those older 200s.... :fluffy: :cheers: :fluffy: Look Its Micheal Flatly


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## scubaz31 (Nov 25, 2003)

Ok, so there was a 200ZX in Australia then..?
But eightsixdrifter probably did not see a Datsun 200ZX similar to a 70's 240Z. Let me know if this seems right.


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## ScorchN200SX (Aug 13, 2002)

scubaz31 said:


> Ok, so there was a 200ZX in Australia then..?
> But eightsixdrifter probably did not see a Datsun 200ZX similar to a 70's 240Z. Let me know if this seems right.


I dont think so? Some of the 80,s cars were double badged with Nissan and datsun But if it said 200 on the rear panel thats what it would be. Iknow that in europe the 200 name sylvia/gazelle name chanded in the early 80' to the 200 then from there evovle into the modernday 240's But i beleive that wgat he saw....


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## icice9 (Dec 18, 2003)

there was a 200ZR i belive it was based on the Z31 it was made in 1984... they used the 2.0 liter RB20 in it... the car was limited production and was only sold in Austraila and in Japan... very rare.. a lot of the hybrid Z guys look for that car jsut for the motor mounts... i did a lil research to find motor mounts that would fit the RB26DETT in the older Z cars and the 200ZR had the perfect mounts for that swap...... as far as a 200ZX i dont know if that even existed... it could also be a late model 280ZX fitted with a RB20 in it...


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## eightsixdrifter9 (Dec 19, 2003)

I'm not talking about an S12 200SX/Silvia. And also I've been thinking maybe it did say 200ZR or 200ZG or maybe even 300ZX and I couldn't tell.


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## duckyz (Dec 1, 2003)

There was a 200ZR and a 300ZR. They were both based on the Z31 design.


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## Ryanthusar (Sep 30, 2005)

I've seen and ridden in a 200ZX in Brisbane, Australia. pretty sweet car if a little aged '8)


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## Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo (Dec 9, 2004)

I have to agree with the RB20 200ZR... I think that is the only thing it could have been. I know in Japan the Fairlady Z Z31 came with an inline-6, either RB20 or RB25, rather than the V-6 here in the United States and the UK. What country do you live in?


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## Marc Z31 (Jul 25, 2004)

SlowestRice said:


> No such thing man. And dont listen to AJ he dont know much. lol j/p


You are wrong. 








What do you think this engine is in?

*CORRECTION* this is in a 200ZG


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## Marc Z31 (Jul 25, 2004)

200ZR-RB20DET they made these in the 1987-1989 body style
300ZR-DOHC VG30 (but not like the Z32 engine) SOHC bottom end W/DOHC heads. The sedric has a version of this engine, the VG30DET (yeah, a single turbo rated @260bhp)
200ZX-VG20ET might have been called the 200ZG (maybe the ZG was the NA version)
I believe they put 6 different engines in the Z31 in japan

VG30E, VG30ET, VG20E, VG20ET, RB20DET, VG30DE, Correct me if I'm wrong


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## AZ-ZBum (Nov 21, 2004)

Japan only had 4 engines in the Z31. Only the 300ZR was not turbo charged.

200Z,200ZS,200ZG = VG20et = 170PS = 167.7 hp
200ZR = RB20DET = 180PS = 177.5 hp
300ZR = VG30DE = 190PS = 187.4 hp
300ZX = VG30ET = 195PS = 192.3 hp


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## AZ-ZBum (Nov 21, 2004)

Ryanthusar said:


> I've seen and ridden in a 200ZX in Brisbane, Australia. pretty sweet car if a little aged '8)


and for his first post, he resurrects a 2 year old thread! :thumbup:


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

AZ-ZBum said:


> and for his first post, he resurrects a 2 year old thread! :thumbup:


Unfortunately the search engine does not differentiate according to the age of the thread. There is also no specific time after which a thread is archived and cannot be replied to.


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## asleepz (Feb 24, 2004)

Marc Z31 said:


> You are wrong.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yeah but that's not a 2000cc engine. That's a VG30


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## JAMESZ (Mar 12, 2004)

asleepz said:


> Yeah but that's not a 2000cc engine. That's a VG30


Actually it is a 2000cc motor. Read the posts above yours if you don't believe him. VG20ET.


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

asleepz said:


> Yeah but that's not a 2000cc engine. That's a VG30


It does say _2000_ on the intake cover........


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## ICP Sux0rZ! (Jan 10, 2005)

not to mention theres a visual difference between the size of that plenum cover and the one on the vg30











3 bars inside, vs 2 bar on the other


after careful inspection you can swap the covers from those motors to ours if that it indeed a vg20

so it may be a 3.0 idk


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## asleepz (Feb 24, 2004)

Yeah I'm looking at stuff besides a cover. I mean I can stick 5.7L on my engine, doesn't mean it is. I see no real differences between a picture of a VG30ET engine and the engine up there.

Also, was the VG20 a 6 cylinder? I mean that's really small for a V6. But point out some differences between the picture you posted and a VG30ET because I have yet to see any.... All the way down to the size of the valve covers. That indeed has to be a VG30ET

If not, I want to see visual differences. There's no reason a 2000cc engine should look EXACTLY like it's 3000 (close enough) cc counterpart.


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## JAMESZ (Mar 12, 2004)

asleepz said:


> If not, I want to see visual differences. There's no reason a 2000cc engine should look EXACTLY like it's 3000 (close enough) cc counterpart.


Why not? It is a VG20ET. It is a 6 cylinder, and it is 2000cc's. I wonder why it looks so similar to a VG30ET if it is a VG20ET.


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## asleepz (Feb 24, 2004)

EVERYTHING IS THE SAME!

So your telling me they use the same block?


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## AZ-ZBum (Nov 21, 2004)

It could have been either destroked, or smaller cylinders. I don't know. But that is in fact, a 2.0L V6.

Learn about Nissan engine coding:
http://www.freshalloy.com/site/features/tech/engines/home_codes.shtml

VG = V6
20 = 2.0L
E = electronic fuel injection
T = turbocharged.


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## asleepz (Feb 24, 2004)

I know about the engine coding smart @$$, but the fact of making a 2 liter v6 is usually un-heard of. Obviously it wasn't that great of an idea not to last.


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

A short stroke 2.0 liter V6 would have major rev potential but not that much torque. Stock redline could have been 7000-7500 or maybe even 8000 rpm. But it wouldn't have much low end, like I said, so that's conceivably why it wasn't made for long. 

It's kinda the same logic behind the RB20DET. Why have a 2.0 liter in-line 6.


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

asleepz said:


> EVERYTHING IS THE SAME!
> 
> So your telling me they use the same block?


No, it's not the same. The intake manifold is obviously much thinner, by like 2 inches minimum. If it was a bore difference, the cylinders would be 1/3 smaller, so the chambers and consequently the valves would be a lot smaller. 
And you can't shorten stroke by that much, certainly not by a whole liter, without shortening the deck height as well, so it's probably only _visually_ similar to the VG30.


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## asleepz (Feb 24, 2004)

Visually (yes besides the intake manifold being much smaller after looking at it closer) it's exactly the same. At least from what I see.


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

VG20ET: Bore is 78.0mm and stroke is 69.7 mm 

VG30ET: Bore is 91.5 mm and stroke is 83 mm


That's some major internal differences to be the same block. The 350 and 305 are a lot closer than that, and at least share the same stroke. I'm willing to bet money the VG20 is it's own block. They probably _look_ similar because Nissan had a specific formula they used for V6 component layouts at the time.


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## AZ-ZBum (Nov 21, 2004)

Zen31ZR said:


> VG20ET: Bore is 78.0mm and stroke is 69.7 mm
> 
> VG30ET: Bore is 91.5 mm and stroke is 83 mm
> 
> That's some major internal differences to be the same block. The 350 and 305 are a lot closer than that, and at least share the same stroke. I'm willing to bet money the VG20 is it's own block. They probably _look_ similar because Nissan had a specific formula they used for V6 component layouts at the time.


Ummm.... 91.5mm bore with 83mm stroke = 3.3L. i.e VG33

VG30 was 87mm bore and 83mm stroke.

And to reduce stroke, you don't have to reduce deck height. You can make the rods longer or the pistons taller or both.

As far as why, there could be any number of reasons. It could have been for emissions, it could have been for power reasons, it could have been for governmental control restrictions. Fuel economy, etc.

Looking around z31club.com, it appears the VG20 and VG30 engines are externally the same size.


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

Ok bore is 87 mm and stroke is 83 mm on the VG30. First site I went to didn't differentiate between the 2.

You can add thicker pistons to reduce stroke, but that also substantially increases reciprocating weight. Might mean the VG20 was slower to rev and had a lower redline than the VG30.


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## AZ-ZBum (Nov 21, 2004)

Zen31ZR said:


> Ok bore is 87 mm and stroke is 83 mm on the VG30. First site I went to didn't differentiate between the 2.
> 
> You can add thicker pistons to reduce stroke, but that also substantially increases reciprocating weight. Might mean the VG20 was slower to rev and had a lower redline than the VG30.


Not necessarily. Piston acceleration plays a huge factor into this. The less the piston has to move, the more it can weigh and not affect redline. I haven't found a spec sheet for the VG20ET redline yet. Point is, there are a bunch of factors that weigh into everything. What you said with no supporting evidence means it's all theory. Which also means that what I say about them is also all theory. But which theory makes more sense?

i.e. would you make a smaller displacement engine with less stroke have a lower redline?


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

Obviously Nissan had it figured out, but since the VG20ET isn't made anymore there may have been some problems with the design. I can only guess as to what those problems may or may not have been, but one factor is that a 2.0 liter V6 using the same size block as a 3.0 liter, is a lot of wasted space and weight...... 2.0 liters is nothing a 4 cylinder engine couldn't do and maybe do better.


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## AZ-ZBum (Nov 21, 2004)

Zen31ZR said:


> Obviously Nissan had it figured out, but since the VG20ET isn't made anymore there may have been some problems with the design.


The VG30ET isn't made any more either. Must be problems with it's design as well.  /sarcasm.


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## nissandrew (Aug 23, 2005)

A 2.0 liter V6 just doesn't make a lot of sense. That is strange that externally they are the same size...does anyone have pics to prove that?


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

nissandrew said:


> A 2.0 liter V6 just doesn't make a lot of sense. That is strange that externally they are the same size...does anyone have pics to prove that?


They also made the RB20, which is a 2.0 liter I-6. Theoretically, that doesn't make a lot of sense either. But at least the RB wasn't based off some other engines block. 

If you want more pics, try Googling VG20ET pics. There are surely some around somewhere. I read somewhere that it was in the '89 Maxima. Probably just the JDM version, never heard of it in the U.S.


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

AZ-ZBum said:


> The VG30ET isn't made any more either. Must be problems with it's design as well.  /sarcasm.


Not the ET, but the E block lives on in the current truck lineup, right? Kinda like the SBC, which is like in it's 10th generation now...... Doesn't look much like it did when it started.


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## asleepz (Feb 24, 2004)

Best one I could find, size looks just about the same besides the intake manifold.


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## KA24Tech (Feb 2, 2004)

The Japanese are taxed on liter displacement in their cars, so a 3 liter is alot more expensive to own than a 2 liter. For this reason you see many cars with a 2 liter 6. Dimensionally the VG20 is a smaller more compact block than the larger VG sisters as well. To change stroke you lengthen or shorten the rods and you can also change the piston pin to skirt height so that the pin is closer or farther away from the oil control ring. The piston weight doesn't change much if at all only the pin placement.
Also remember the ZR1 is powered by an RB20...

Troy


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## AZ-ZBum (Nov 21, 2004)

Zen31ZR said:


> Not the ET, but the E block lives on in the current truck lineup, right? Kinda like the SBC, which is like in it's 10th generation now...... Doesn't look much like it did when it started.


VG30 hasn't been around since the VG33 was introduced in 1995. And the VG33 is not being retired in favor of the VQ motors.

Just because something isn't made any more doesn't mean it was a failure.


KA24Tech said:


> Dimensionally the VG20 is a smaller more compact block than the larger VG sisters as well.


I'd like to know where you read/found this. Everything I've read says the VG20 is the same size block externally. Just like the VG30 and VG33 are the same size externally.

This picture makes them look like all the external parts would swap around with no problems.


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## KA24Tech (Feb 2, 2004)

AZ-ZBum said:


> I'd like to know where you read/found this. Everything I've read says the VG20 is the same size block externally. Just like the VG30 and VG33 are the same size externally.
> 
> This picture makes them look like all the external parts would swap around with no problems.


I lived over there for three years and have seen them in person, they are definitely smaller when you look at them.
There may not be a big difference in size but there was one.

Troy


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