rswilliams

looks good, seems to just be surface rust. did you check the rockers yet? That seems to be a real problem with these. I bought a 71 240z off a guy here in cali, after tearing it down, i've found no rust, but the quarter panels are rusted out. Your floor pans look good, and the battery trays are always a highly rusted area. looks like a great car to start with.

Any luck?

looks great, I vote 5spd though.

wow, nice car. That is pretty much exactly what I plan on doing once I get the funds together. I noticed you're in San Jose. I am in SC, let me know if you take it to any local shows or autox events. I'd love to check it out and get some ideas. Can't wait to see it finished.

honestly, have you looked at the prices lately. the rb25 seems to only cost maybe $500 more, it would make more sense to just do the rb25 first, you'll spend more swapping it out a second time. Seems on ebay, you can get an rb25det and trans shipped for about $2k. That's my plan in the near future.

you'll have to put it in gear at a stop, and then start to push it, it won't shift if the wheels/transmission are turning and the engine is not. Higher gears are easier, because for every turn of the wheel, the engine will turn less giving you more leverage on the engine. another thing you can try since you don't have the right socket, is to pull all of the spark plugs and try to turn the main pulley by hand. removing the plugs will give the engine 0 compression, and if the car is in neutral, you should be able to turn it over(may be difficult, but it should go). I would start by pulling the starter and inspecting it, 2 bolts and a few minutes should be able to tell you if it's fouled up or not. clutches are designed so that if you run out of fluid, they fail disconnected so you simply come to a stop. if it's engaging, that means either it still has enough in the lines, or something's siezed up. Clutch systems use brake fluid, so if you have some, go ahead and fill it up. I would bleed the whole system though. If you are planning to do a swap, I wouldn't spend much money trying to get the motor running. these engines don't go for much, there are multiple on craigslist near me, newly rebuilt and running engines seem to go for $500, used ones that don't run are worth maybe $100. tranny's are cheap especially if it's a 4spd.

yep, you're right. If it isn't clicking continuously, that may not be the problem. You said you got it to turn over with the suburban battery, so I would try that again. just hook up some jumper cables and see if it turns over. If that doesn't work, try bypassing the solenoid. take the wire from the starter motor(connected to solenoid) and hook that directly to the battery. That's what people do when they hotwire a car, it will also bypass the ignition switch. Be careful not to shock yourself though, it will arc. if it still doesn't turn over, the starter is bad. if it does, the solenoid is the most likely problem. If the solenoid clicks when you turn it to start, the ignition switch is working. I would also inspect the power wire to the starter, if it looks badly worn, or is missing insulation, it may be shorting out. That would also cause your problem. Also, if you don't have the socket to turn over the engine, you can put the car in gear and push it (try in second or third gear). hope that helps. nice z by the way, looks like a great car to start with, you'll love fixing it up, and it's a great way to spend time with your dad. I also got my first car (69 Mach 1) when I was 14 to fix up with my dad. We still work on it together to this day (I am 22 now). good luck, and keep us posted on how it works out, it should be a simple fix. The best way to tackle any of the electrical problems in these old cars is to bypass/check one component at a time until you find the problem.

The clicking sound is the solenoid. it usually clicks like that if the battery isn't fully charged. if it turned over fine with the other battery, I am sure it'll turn over once you get that battery charged. they usually sell batteries with a low charge.

Wow, that rb26 510 is amazing. can't wait to see it finished. That looks like an insanely hard swap. I'd stick with a sr20det, or a V6.

Awesome, thanks for the pictures. I really appreciate it!

Just bought an MSA II front piece off craigslist, and curious to see how it looks with ZG flares on an s30. Searched for pics, but didn't see any.

I just found a complete jdm RB20DET with trans, comp, and harness for $1000 on craigslist. The guy was planning on putting it in his 240sx, but ran out of money and time. Does that seem like a deal I should jump on? Here are my questions. Would the RB20DET be a good choice for my 300 - 350rwhp goal? If I get it, I am planning on adding the ebay top mount exhaust manifold, with full 3" exhaust all the way back straight mufflers and no cats. also an ebay intercooler kit. Fuel system will be custom fuel cell forward. Only other mod will be a bigger turbo a little ways down the road. What HP should I expect from this? how much boost would the stock turbo support? It seems that parts wise, I can get most of what I need for around 2k. That leaves the management system and injectors. I am still in college, and on a budget, so need to keep it as inexpensive as possible. Megasquirt interests me, but doesn't seem to be a good choice with the RB engines. If I just add the manifold and intercooler, would the stock cpu work ok for the time being? What other reasonably priced systems would work well. Or, after I make my mods, can I get the stock cpu reprogrammed? All in all, what would you guys expect this setup to run me in parts if I do all the wiring, and fabrication?

I really don't think it's necessary. 1-2 times a week is not a problem. Just let the car idle and warm up for a minute or two before driving. aren't accumulators usually used for race cars so while cornering hard, you don't uncover your oil pickup and run dry. I guess it would work for dry startup, but honestly, don't think it's worth it. They do make plates that fit between the oil filter and block with outlets for an oil cooler that would probably work for you. seriously though. save your money unless this is a track car, then get a better oil pan.

I just ordered a new clutch and flywheel for my old 351w. I got one off ebay. It is the F1 Racing stage 2 kit. The package came with a light weight chromo fidanza flywheel (both 28 and 50oz bolt on weight) and a carbon/kevlar gripforce clutch and pressure plate. The whole thing was under $350 shipped. very happy with it. I also had to get a rear sump oil pan. Summit has a conversion kit with the 5 qt pan, pickup, new dipstick and gaskets for $135

Keep up posted, sucks man, sorry buying your first car has been such a fiasco. Hopefully it'll work out for the best.