Haltech Heroes // SHAWN AND HIS TURBO LS DATSUN 240Z
By: Haltech
2021 has been a busy year for Shawn Bassett. He finished a complete rebuild of his Datsun 240Z then took it to the Pikes Peak Hill Climb to tick another item off his bucket list. It was at the 2021 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb that we finally got a chance to take a closer look at this one-off, unique build.
THE ORIGINS STORY
What started life as a ratty Craigslist find has been transformed into a time-attack prepared ripper complete with a slew of trick suspension/chassis components, a turbocharged GM LS mated to a BMW DCT transmission, and full carbon fibre treatment (the only sheet-metal panels remaining are the door sills and bulkhead).
THE HEART OF THE MATTER
The LS platform is known for its great reliability and performance and he felt it would be an awesome powerplant for “Judy” (what Shawn and crew affectionately call the wicked little Datsun). The rotating assembly was reworked by Texas Speed & Performance (TSP) and a Garrett G42 turbo shoves 17psi through the MSD Atomic AirForce intake.
THE ELECTRONIC BRAIN
A NEXUS R5 VCU takes the reigns on fueling and ignition duties, controlling a GM Drive-by-Wire throttle body and tying in a slew of sensor data for logging. A Haltech iC-7 displays all of the important vitals for Shawn to monitor while out on the track with this 800+ horsepower beast. Thanks to the traction management and the easy-to-use NSP software, he is ready to tackle almost any tricky surface.
Carma Performance helped with the electrical side of things relying on NEXUS’ built-in power distribution module to control all of the circuitry and eliminate the factory wiring and any troublesome relays. Utilizing the plug-and-play CAN keypad module, Shawn can control all of his cooling system and accessories from inside the cabin. The BMW DCT is controlled by a HTG transmission controller.
Inside there are other details like the fire-suppression system and the insane amount of cage work that will help keep Bassett safe while exploring the limits of the mind-bogglingly wide slicks.
“We actually pulled it off! Behind the scenes we overcame a lot of challenges. Being able to take the checkered flag is a lot harder than you would imagine.I wish we could have made a full course run, but as they say – The Mountain Decides.”
Shawn Bassett
Apart from competing in the Global Time Attack series he had also completed a sub 10 minute run up the shortened Pikes Peak course earlier this year, with the new drivetrain making his ascent quick and issue-free! We want to congratulate Shawn on finishing this build and wish him the best of luck through the rest of the season!
