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Lowrider's 260z


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hey man great car, saw your piston man and I just wanted to touch bases with you that those are N/A pistons. I don't know what you running now but if it's still a boosted na, save yourself some trouble and grab the next avail f54 block. :)

 

Tubo piston

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hey man great car, saw your piston man and I just wanted to touch bases with you that those are N/A pistons. I don't know what you running now but if it's still a boosted na, save yourself some trouble and grab the next avail f54 block. :)

 

Tubo piston

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Thanks! Yupp, they are indeed N/A pistons. It is an F54 block, but it is the N/A version with the flat top pistons. Im pretty sure the cause of the failure was the lack of precise fuel control anlong with boost out of the turbo's effiency range. Im still running the flat tops but now I have megasquirt to control my fuel and am running stock boost.

 

The current plan is to collect parts on the side and build a dedicated turbo motor. However, I now have to deal with the issue of the exhaust liners on my p79 coming apart and destroying my turbo!

Edited by lowrider
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i dont think the turbo pistons are any stronger anyways. the f54 blocks just supposedly have stronger blocks. because it has extra "webbing" of some sort. i like your build though man. definitely keep it up. my z has been sitting for the last couple years and i plan on starting a build.

You would be correct, there was a recent thread that gave the dimensions of the ringland for the turbo and N/A flat-top pistons. The pistons are nearly identical for the exception of the pin height and the dish.

 

Well thanks! This thing is definitely my labor of love.

 

Ok, since I haven't updated in a while I'll get everyone up to speed. I installed a set of crx seats into the car. Fabricate a few brackets, use the datsun sliders, and we are good to go. I love these seats! The bolsters fit me so well and are so supportive! Pictures:

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Anyhow, this Sunday was quite interesting... I was running some errands in the car, just enjoying myself, when as a pull onto a side street I hear a "ting ting ting". I didn’t think much of it just sounded like a rock hitting my IC piping. I knew something was wrong when I no longer built boost... I pulled over immediately checked everything no blown joints everything is in its place. I limped the car home, when I get there I take the filter off of my turbo to find that my compressor wheel is not spinning. I thought the turbo was toast; I proceeded to pull the sucker off to find out what went wrong. When I got the turbo off I spun the compressor wheel, somehow it was free again... while I was taking the downpipe off so I could checkout the turbine a piece of metal falls out of the turbine inlet. "The turbo is screwed" to the contrary I’m one lucky SOB. The piece of metal that came out was just small enough to reach the blades, yet when it made contact it wedged the fins instead of grinding the ever-living hell out of them. The turbine was fine, now to find out where the metal came from. THE EXHAUST LINERS! On this discovery I pulled the intake and exhaust manifolds to see which cylinder it was and if removing the liner was necessary. I found that the number two exhaust liner was so loose it was rattling. Pulled that sucker to find a gap where the missing piece fit. Upon more inspection none of the other liners were loose of fatigued so I left them in for the time being. I smoothed out the port and reassembled. I know this is far from optimal but the car is currently my only transportation so I needed it running ASAP. So on to pictures!

 

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Edited by lowrider
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  • 2 weeks later...

I've been on a parts buying spree!! Two turbo and a fuel rail later seems the only thing im missing are larger injectors.

 

Bought a T04B with the intent of putting it's compressor housing on my t3's exhaust side. Turns out after looking at the map that it was into the surgeline. Roughly a week later I was calling the local wrecking yards for a holset... Found an WH1C for next to nothing! Its map is the equlivelant of the early HX35 so it should play nicely with everything else.

 

I bought a pallnet fuel rail off of Rossman, and installed it yesterday along with cleaning all of the stuff off of my intake manifold. It makes for a nice clean setup.

 

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T04B:

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Holset:

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Megasquirt:

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get some supra 440's or even some other injectors that are a little bigger and now you're in for some real fun.

Thats the plan! I have a lead on some 480cc injectors for cheap that im pursuing!

I intend on grabing an N42 non-webed, non-egr intake off of one of my dad's cars. Shave all of the bosses, powdercoat, gasket match, and port it for my weber throttle body. Then slap it on when I do the turbo!

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  • 2 months later...

Long time no update! I’ve been busy with school and such up until winter break. I had picked up a Holset on my last update. I finally started digging into installing a few go fast goodies!

I started by removing a non egr, non webbed n42 manifold off of one of the datsuns my dad owns. Part of the deal was that I replace the removed intake manifold, not a bad price if I do say so myself!

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Next up was to smooth that sucker out! The plan was to go completely smooth and to powder coat the finished product. I gained a respect for the people that completely shave these manifolds. I put a ton of work into this thing! I welded up all of the holes after shaving the raised bosses, ported it for my Webber throttle body and sandblasted it.

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^^^^^ The glorious powder coated under shot to show all of the vacuum ports.

 

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42# hr low impedance injectors

 

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Holset in comparison to the stock t3

 

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Intake off and turbo removed

 

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Test fitting the holset… spacer needed.

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Yours truly holding the massive beast.

 

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Wrapping the exhaust manifold.

 

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^^ yours truly on the right and my good friend on the left.

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I couldn’t help putting the unfinished intake on with the exhaust and the turbo.

 

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Welding up a crack in my thermostat housing before powder coat

 

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Getting the turbine housing loose, That thing did not want to move so I brought out the muscle.

 

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Turbo bolted up for good. It required a ½ in spacer.

 

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The Intake in all of its beauty. Also notice the polished Webber throttle body!

 

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Doing work!

 

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MMMMmmmm

 

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Configuring megasquirt to play with the new injectors

 

Well, I got It running. I haven’t set up the timing control yet. I took it down the road and was dumb founded with how fast boost came on! But unfortunately I had a problem with controlling boost… It wanted to over-boost ridiculously, I’m talking wanting to pass up 20 psi and keep going. I however caught it before it got there I didn’t let it passed 15psi. I guess retarding the timing the first time out was a good idea. ïŠ

 

So I needed some control over the boost… so off came the turbo for a little port work.

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I opened up the wastegate a lot, but didn’t get pictures of the final product.

 

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For extra insurance I took the divider out all the way to the wastegate hole so It would bypass from both sides. I’m sure glad I did after I got everything back together.

 

Even after All of the porting, it creeps just a little bit. I’m using a 7psi waste gate and it holds until 4000 then it starts creeping slowly going to 15 psi but I haven’t pushed it until I can control the timing with mega squirt.

 

I should have some more info in the next few days, first impressions and alot of tuning! I cant wait! Ill also post pictures of everything together and working here soon as well.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Next on the agenda I needed timing control with this holset, so I figured I would hook up an 8 pin gm hei to hold me off until I went edis. But low and behold, Im apparently inept of wiring the output mods for the hei with ms2 extra. So I finnaly bit the bullet and picked up the trigger wheel from an escort, the vr sensor, and the module from an explorer. I took the dampener off of my L26 and chucked it up in the lathe, Took down the front pulley. Fit it to a .005 interference fit with the trigger wheel. I Then made a bracket to fit the vr sensor. Turned out well, I mounted the module infront of the battery. The coil was mounted on the firewall next to the battery. It turned out really clean.

 

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And a video of the car at 15psi: I was short shifting at around 4500 to avoid boost creep passed 15psi.

 

But as in the words of bigphil "my car's name is trouble". I destroyed another flat-top piston at 16psi...

 

But up until then, It ran like a scolded dog! I had been tuning with the new holset and my edis system. My ignition map is really conservative and AFR’s spot on. I didn’t hear any detonation; of course It doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. The only indication that something was wrong was a little bit of a miss at idle and a few puffs of blue smoke (which I thought was my turbo’s oil seal).I limped it home, and the compression test told all; 120 psi across the board except for number 6, which was a meager 45 psi. Added some oil to the cylinder and retried, got 90 psi. I’m thinking the ring lands broke again.

 

Im considering swapping in the N42 that I have in the shed, topped with my p79 head for the time being so It will be a little more forgiving at pressure.

 

Next plan of action:

I have an N42/N47 motor sitting in the shed that came out of a running 280z. If the leak down test proves it to still be good, I’m going to put my p79 on the N42 and slap it in the car for the time being.

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Great build thread man. You should really make yourself a little clamp/bolt on mic and headphone setup to listen for knock...even if you like replacing pistons :P I use a chassis ear but you can make one just as good for not much money at all. You won't beleive how good it works.

 

http://autospeed.com/cms/title_Detonation-Detection-and-Recording/A_2717/article.html

 

http://www.d-series.org/forums/diy-forum/95756-diy-electronic-detonation-detection-det-cans-under-25-dollars.html

 

http://www.tercelreference.com/articles/knock_detection_listening_device/knock_detection_listening_device.html

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Great build thread man. You should really make yourself a little clamp/bolt on mic and headphone setup to listen for knock...even if you like replacing pistons :P I use a chassis ear but you can make one just as good for not much money at all. You won't beleive how good it works.

 

http://autospeed.com/cms/title_Detonation-Detection-and-Recording/A_2717/article.html

 

http://www.d-series.org/forums/diy-forum/95756-diy-electronic-detonation-detection-det-cans-under-25-dollars.html

 

http://www.tercelreference.com/articles/knock_detection_listening_device/knock_detection_listening_device.html

Thanks! I’m definitely going to make one! I don’t really want to have any more broken pistons... they are just an inconvenience. Thanks for the links as well!

 

Your car sounded great before it blew up. Makes me want to ditch my NA L28 and get started on the L28ET sitting in my garage.

Thanks. lol You should! Once you feel that turbo power the NA just wont cut it!

 

 

And just for an update, Im going through the n42 long block that I have, in prep to accept the p79, holset, and all of the other goodies.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I forgot to update! My-bad!

I went through the n42 removed the main and rod bearings on 1&6. The bearings looked new, I plastigauged them and both ends came within spec! everything else was a matter of swapping parts from one motor to the other. I replaced the timing chain and sat the p79 head on, and everything just fell together from there! I ported the wastegate on the holset more; to the point where it will barely seal. Out of curiosity I took the piston out of number 6 on the flat top motor. The compression ring fell apart in my hand... So it wasn't a ringland!

 

I got the motor back in the car with help from nate_82zx. The next day she was running!

Started tuning the following day. The port job helped, but the holset still has boost creep. I'm going to end up going with an external wastegate, hopefully sometime during the summer.

Any-who, I got a full day of tuning in, before the weather took a dump on me.

 

Then all of a sudden spring came! This week has been beautiful and I've been taking full advantage! I just about have the car's ve-table tuned with a rough timing-table. It pulls like a mule at 15psi! The lower compression is noticeable, you can definitely tell when your off boot.

 

And so I don't leave you hanging, I know how boring these post are without pictures. lol

 

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The port job helped, but the holset still has boost creep. I'm going to end up going with an external wastegate, hopefully sometime during the summer.

 

What kind of AFR are you running in the ~10psi up area? A lot of people tend to run a 'safe' tune really rich and that can cause boost creep in some cases, especially with larger turbine wheels. Another thing is that with a richer charge in the chamber, the burn happens faster so what might be a conservative timing setting for 11.5:1 afr could be closer to knock at 10.0:1 AFR.

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What kind of AFR are you running in the ~10psi up area? A lot of people tend to run a 'safe' tune really rich and that can cause boost creep in some cases, especially with larger turbine wheels. Another thing is that with a richer charge in the chamber, the burn happens faster so what might be a conservative timing setting for 11.5:1 afr could be closer to knock at 10.0:1 AFR.

Well, my AFR's are really rich. Its a consistent 10-10.5:1 up till 12 psi, hits a really rich spot of around 9.5:1, then goes back to 10:1. I haven't gotten to tuning up top yet, so far I have been dialing in my cruse, and IAT corrections. Hopefully I will have a chance to get the positive pressure region tuned by the weekend.

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  • 1 month later...

A month later... And the motor is still alive! Shocking given my track record! During the short period of time that the weather was nice, I daily drove the car. The cruise and part throttle ve tables are spot on. I still have the timing roughed in and very conservative. I had the chance to tune the positive pressure region too, but I don't exactly have it dialed in. The car was pulling 23mpg on dd duty including some on boost pulls. I couldn't be happier!

 

Otherwise I haven't made much headway on the car. I did fab up a "cold air" intake that draws from the driver side brake duct in the front valence. Other than that I have been doing a few odd jobs for nate_82zx. I shaved a non webbed n42, along with put some finishing touches on a fuel rail extrusion for him, pretty uneventful. The z currently awaits better weather so I can drive the darn thing!

 

"cold air" intake

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Nate's intake

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fuel rail

 

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