These are some of the great books we read and continue to reference in preparing and going through the process of our engine build. There is a lot of good information in these book. They are written at a level so people new to engine building can learn but also as you re-read them you will pick up more and more information and detailed tips.
How to Rebuild Your Nissan & Datsun OHC Engine
A great book by Tom Monroe even has a Nissan Part Number 99996-M8013. A lot of detailed information and background beyond the factory service manual about how to rebuild your Datsun or Nissan engine. Also includes a lot part numbers and installation tips for L-Series motors. Some of the material might be a little dated but a good solid reference for anyone attempting a Datsun Engine build.
How to Modify Your Nissan & Datsun OHC Engine
This book by Frank Honsowetz with Nissan Part Number 99996-M8012 goes beyond the rebuild book and provides a lot of details on improving the performance of your L-series motor. While a bunch of the part numbers and suppliers might be outdated there is still a lot of great details on specific modifications that were done on race motors to improve performance. It thoroughly covers all elements of the motor including the block, head, internal components improvements and even ancillaries such as oil pumps and exhausts.
How to Modify Datsun Engines & Chassis 510, 610, 240z
A rare and hard to find book written by Bill Fisher and Bob Waar. This book covers a lot of topics and is written about preparing Datsun 510, 610 and 240z cars for racing. This Nissan Part Number is 99996-M8010. Written in the early 1970s it covers a lot of topics relevant in that racing period some of which is still very valid to today if running Datsun L-Series motors or competing in vintage racing.
Theory and Practice of Cylinder Head Modification
Written by David Vizard. An excellent book on porting cylinder heads with lots of information on the specifics and why various things work in cylinder head porting. There are a lot of myths and speculation online about cylinder head porting and this book helps to demystify the topic. The book includes lots of examples that you can use to understand topics like valve unshrouding, intake port shaping and modifying various aspects of the exhaust ports.
Nissan Factory Service Manual
Depending on the year of your engine it is a good idea to download the factory service manual for your car. There is a lot of good information in the factory manual to use as a reference for sizes, factory tolerances and step by step processes. You can download a variety of Nissan / Datsun Factory Service manuals from XenonZcar or HybridZ.
Nissan / Datsun Exploded Parts Diagrams
Exploded parts diagrams can be extremely helpful for identifying missing parts or even determining how parts are assembled. We have used CarPartsManual.com as a great reference to find those difficult Nissan part numbers when ordering missing, damaged or new replacement parts for the engine build.
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