zeiss150

I believe that the stock springs will be fine but you need to have the rockers and cam re-surfaced! If you don't the they will wear eachother out in no time flat. good luck!

Isn't hybrid Z a great site... read this thread, it should answer most of your questions... and leave you with a thousand more http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=104196&highlight=n%2Fa+turbo

suposedly the turbo pistons have slightly thicker ring lands. zx N/A L28e engines came with flat top pistons only (provided it is an F54 block with a P79 head). If you have one of those 1979 N/A zx's with an N42 block and an N47 head then maybe you might have dished pistons, that engine combo will give you 8.5:1 CR but is more prone to detonation than the N/A F54 P79 combo the P79 head has a better design (as does the P90) and can be turbo'd easily the 8.5:1 CR is a great way to go for a turbo design as long as you don't plan on running huge boost. With the higer CR than a stock turbo (7.4:1) you get a quick off boost engine and once the turbo kicks in, watch out. If you are looking to make a monster turbo engine go with the turbo pistons and stock 7.4 CR I think there was a thread on this side about the ring land thicknes of turbo pistons... one of the guys mic'd them and compaired the three difference pistons. I haven't had much luck with the search function on this site but you could give it a try and see what you come up with. I do sort of remember reading in one of my Z books something about all the L28 pistons being the same ... even the turbo ones... but ... the mic #'s hold the truth. Good luck!

Yes you can put carbs on your 280zx... SU's as a matter of fact. SU's are a british carborator that was used on all kinds of british cars in the 60's and 70's. Nissan had Hitachi (a carborator maker) buy the licence from the british company that made SU's in order to make a Hitachi, Japanies, exact replica that was used on the 1970-73 240Z (they were also used on the datsun 1600, 2000 roadster). In 74 the 260Z got an F'd up verison of the SU that was all smoge limited. In 75 the 280Z's all got Bosh Jet-tronic FI. Since the head design of all the L28 engines from 1970-1983 is almost unchanged (on the out side that is, lets not talk about chamber design) the $hitty FI can be taken off and the awesome SU's from the 70's can be bolted right on. This is a perfect set up... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-240Z-Early-1969-to-1970-Twin-SU-Carburetors_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33550QQihZ017QQitemZ270021751174QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW This has every thing you will need for the swap including the heat shield (its very important, without it, the return springs don't have anything to hook onto) There are other carborators that you can put on a Z engine, Webbers (tripples or dual carbs) or Makuni, and there are some setups where you can run a holly 650cfm carb (lame). If you plan on going turbo then don't waste your time with carbs FI is the only way to go. And don't use the stock FI, go with an aftermarket system, something from the 21'st century. I've found that this site as great as it is doesn't really specialize in Carb setups thats why I got to http://www.classiczcars.com/ they have a forum just for SU's Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions

$400 for a complete motor. Make sure it has the dizzy with the CAS all the turbo parts, down pipe, Jpipe, check to make sure its a P90 head not a P90a or a P79 (the P79 head didn't come on turbo motors). No cracks in the exaust manifold, oil cooler, wireing harness if your gonna use the stock or z31 ecu, thats most of the basic turbo stuff. pull the valve cover see what the cam and rockers look like. there might be other stuff but i can't think of any right now. good luck

well the honda vtec engine gets 160 but it has 30 years of engineering on its side (by the way I just saw a Vtec engine put in a 1400 lb 1972 mini cooper talk about scary fast). here are just a few reasons why duel over head cam veriable valve timming hemispherical head design better flowing head more than 10:1 compression raito If we could have a modern head design with all that stuff for the L28 it would probably make 300 HP pretty easy... oh wait they did that ... its called an RB26 I think 170 RWHP is pretty respectable for a 30 year old engine, considering that the engine was really well built in the first place. As far as the turbo L28 goes ... well you can get 300 RWHP with out to much trouble. Anyone know of a good dyno place in Orange county California?

Does anyone know a good dyno location in Orange County, Southern California? I've been dieing to dyno my Z befor I make it turbo. Thanks

Let me just say ... Paul, dude Also, I ported my TB opening for the 60mm, and I finnished it with a file and it turned out really smooth... I know that has nothing to do with the runners but..... there it is. P.S. does any one know if they will ever have an episode of "overhaul'n" with a 240, 260, or 280Z? just wondering cause I would love to see what Foose would do with a Z!?

I have that Z31 turbo its pretty cool it has a water cooled bareing section. I would shell out 3-4 hundred bucks for megasquirt. get some bigger injectors too. Maybe use your short block from your N/A engine that way you have a little higher compression and a better responce off the line but if you go that rout you will need to put an Intercooler, and while you're at it port your intake manifold for the 60mm TB off a 240sx. If you are looking for close to 250 WHP or so those are some of the things I would do to get into the range. But it depends on how much HP you want, and how much cash you are willing to spend. Good luck and keep us posted . P.S. Great post!

The 60mm throttle body upgrade is a great, cheap way to get 10 to 15 more HP, I think. Buy a TB from any 240sx and it pretty much bolts right on.... Well it bolts right on ....BUUUUUUUTT... if you want that 10 to 15 extra HP you have to open up the intake manifold to let all that new are IN. If you wanna do that you should take off the intake manifold and while your at that take off the exaust manifold and put on a header for 180 bucks. for the rest of your money I would get rid of that old fuel injection computer ... put in a megasquirt for about 300 bucks. Good luck

I did some googleing last night and I found an interview with Some of the guys that worked on the BRE 240Z. He said that they didn't do much to the engine it was pretty much stock. except for that crank problem, which nissan fix, it was the most stock race engine they ever had. If they were able to get 9000 RPM then that couldn't be a "stock" head, or could it? I'll search for rc's240z but I did a search on hybrid and didnt get any info.

Hey guys I just got the history of the Z book for my B day and I was reading about the BRE 240Z race car and I was wondering if anyone know's what kind of mods they did to it in order to kick everyones a$$. Does anyone know what kind of cam they used ... was the E31 head super ported and pollished, did they do anything to the short block, How much RWHP were they getting, do we have any pictures, did they use SU's if so what needles did they use, was there anything done to the intake manifold? As you can see I have some questions about the car its self. The book talks about all the awards Datsun wone and the drivers and SCCA and BRE and Bob Sharp racing, which is all very interesting but I wanna know the specs. Keep in mind I'm only 4 chapters into the book so if the info is deeper into the book please forgive this post. The mentioned in the book that they used a performance crank shaft to limit the vibrations at 7800 RPM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But they don't specify what year they did that in. Has anyone tried to build a replica version of that 240 race car and if so what did you do? Thanks guys, Im just having fun learning

Hey hollywood, I live in LA county, if you need a Z buddy let me know. Im not to far away. If you wanna stay with the 6 cylinder you will need turbo for that kind of HP. N/A just isn't realistic. I have a N/A Z now ... If you want some compairison we can get together and drive our Z's. Let me know if you're interested. zeiss150@yahoo.com Matt-

the cost to convert a N/A to a turbo is the amout I listed above PLUS the stock turbo parts 1. Z31 T3 water cooled turbo about $150 on ebay 2. turbo exaust $50 on ebay 3. turbo oil pump $80 new 4. turbo CAS distributor $50 on ebay 5. Optional, P90 turbo head (the P79 N/A head will work great for more than 300 WHP) About $200 6 turbo down pipe a custome one is $297 but its pretty awesome... you can use the stock one and that should come with the turbo. So with the basic turbo parts and the other parts listed above you can turn a N/A L28 into a turbo L28. the cool part about doing that is that you will have a Higher compression raito of 8.5:1 compaired to the stock turbo CR of 7.4:1 which will give you more power at lower boost levels. Im sure that there are some other small parts that im missing but you'll figure out whats missing when your engine blows up... Just kidding. You would have to tap your oil pan with an oil return line and make an oil feed line off of the oil pressure sensore site. You would also need to plumb the cooling to the turbo which wouldn't be hard at all. Let me know if you have any other questions Matt-

I don't think there is anything better than a FREE Z! Good luck!

question... "What would you do with that much horse power with 1k dollars" Interpritation... what would you do to get that much HP with only 1k Answer... Provided that you have all the basic turbo parts (exaust manifold, T3 turbo, P90 head, CAS dizzy) and a good short block and head, these are the mods and prices that I would do to get in the 300 WHP range. 1. after market ECU (the stock one suck A$$) megasquirt about $300 on ebay. there is an entire section on how to set it up and tune your Z with this system on this web site. 2. 440cc supra mkIII turbo fuel injectors $80 on Ebay 3. custome fuel rail for your new injectors ... price? I think about $150. there is a guy on this site that sells them. 4. Intercooler about 300 bucks on ebay. This one is important with out the "right intercooler" your WHP will be very limited. 5. 60mm throttle body from a nissan 240sx $35 at the junk yard. then port your stock intake manifold, Free ... if you do it yourself... I did it and it took me about 3 hours and I didn't really know what I was doing. 6. MAP sensor $20 ebay, and Wide band O2 sensor $80 on ebay. 7. fuel pump to feed those bigger injectors $99 on Ebay 8. Boost controller and blow off valve $45 on ebay ... yeah I know they arn't the best quality but we're on a budget ... right? OK... I think thats it... I'm sure im forgetting something but thats all the money anyway. If you add all that stuff up it comes out to about $1090.00 Now you've spent all your money on these parts ... so you better know how to put them on and tune them. Keep in mind this is just my personal research that I have done for my turbo build. I've bought a lot of the parts that I have listed and I have done some of the mods. I'm sure that there are more expensive AND less expensive ways to get to 300 WHP but this is the plan that I'm sticking to. I've been reading and reading and reading what other people have done, and the parts that they have bought, and the problems they have had. 300 RWHP is totaly do'able with the parts and mods that I have listed above. there is a lot more money that can be spent on stuff to get more HP, like 3" down pipe and exaust system, t3/4 Hybrid turbo, rebuilt short block with 240z rods and special flat top pistons to get a better stroke raito and higher compression raito (dont forget about the forged piston option), custome intake manifold, larger fuel lines, external waistgate, custom ignition, custom turbo cam,Larger fuel injectors, ARP rod bolts and head studs, Head work, 70mm TB, and a bunch of other stuff that is way out of my technical know how. Like I said before the limit of your L28 is limited by your WALLET and your imagination. Good luck and let us know if you have any more questions.

Well the Naturally Asperated 2.8 L6 engine has the potential to put down about 180-225 horse power to the rear wheel depending your setup. If you Turbo The 2.8 L6 (or just buy a 280zx turbo) you can put 275 -400 Horse Power to the rear wheels the more HP you want the more $ it will cost you. 300+ WHP should cost somewhere in the range of $1000 over what you pay for a turbo setup. The 280zx weigh's about 2,900 lbs. vs the 240Z which weighed 2400 lbs. You could make a 12 second car with out spending all of your college money. the NON turbo 280zx had a 0-60 time of 9.2 seconds if you get the turbo version your 0-60 times drops to 6.8 sec. If you just turn up the boost a few lbs you could take of a second of that im sure and that doesn't cost anything (well... its doesn't cost you anything out of your wallet... but it could take a toll on the engine and if your not careful you could turn it up to much and blow the engine... and that could cost a lot). What to look for when buying the car... RUST Thats what kills most Z's look for it in the bottom of the doors, frame rails, trunk, front fenders, rear wheel wells, under the battery, floor pan. As far as body work ... anyone can do it. You just need time ... lots of it and some skill, which can be learned .... over time. The limit to what you do with your Z us is only limited by your wallet and your imagination. Good luck and let us know if you have any other questions.

$250 was just a guess... that would be for Quality PPG paint, about 1 gallon which with reducer that makes 2 gallons. and that's california prices. I just spent $600 on my PAINT... that right just for the paint (I'm gonna paint it) Its a 2 stage PPG with a super hight quality UV protection Clear coat. I'm painting it Le Mans Sunset Nissan paint code A17. I know what you mean about being sick of seeing your car with primer spots all over it. I just painted my entire car with a red primer coat today, it looks pretty cool. Now I just need to guide coat it, block it, take it apart and then I can paint it, piece of cake;). I'll post before and after pictures once I get it all done.

Nice Job! Be carefull with that clear coat, The negative reaction with the rustolium is "bad times" I tried that once. once it reacts it starts a crackeling and the end result is that you have to strip it all off and start all over again. The rustolium should buff out nicely but, because there is no hardener in the paint it will always be "soft". It will scratch and chip and dull very easy, also don't get any thinner or gasoline next to it it will mess it up pretty bad. If you plan on doing it again I would get some automotive paint you can get a single stage black (enough to cover the car) for about $250. You clearly have the skills to lay down a great paint job, so why not lay down great paint. I wanna make sure you understand that I'm not ripping on you, I think what you did was really cool, but I know how much work is involved in painting a car and for $210 dollars more you could have a pro quality paint job that could last for decades. If you are on a tight budget then I totally understand and any paint is better than no paint. BTW I did the same thing with my motorcycle and it came out awsome once it was buffed out, but because there was no hardener in the paint it dulls and scratches so easy. Did it buff out to an awesome shine for you?

The engine is an L28 (L is the stright 6 part and 28 is the 2.8 liter dispalcement part) more specifically an N42 block with an N42 head. the HLS30 part is standard for all 70-78 Z's the following #'s are the # of the car build (this info is off the top of my head and I'm sure I will be corrected if I'm even the littlest bit wrong) 1. the breaks If you're gonna go fast you wanna be able to stop fast. Do the toyota brake up grade or the 300zx upgrade (or is it both, toyota calipers and 300zx vented rotors?) 2. Will it get faster? I don't know, how long was the engine sitting? It couldn't be that long with a fresh rebuild, How much of a break in was giving to the rebuild? is everything working right on the engine now? Is your timing set for the best power. Start by making sure the basic stuff is working right then add moddifications to make it go faster. 3. Takico struts.... just one choice You can get a full set on Ebay for about $200 or so 4. Rust hides in the smallest places check... under the battery box, the rear deck, the corners of the doors, bottom of the fender by the door. $1400 isn't bad for a running rust free Z. You need to figure out what you want to do with the Z. How much Horse power do you want, Stock or 300 to the wheels, do you want stock interior, stock suspention or race. You can make your Z into just about anykind of fun race or weekend sports car that you want. Your wallet and your imagination are your only limits. Good luck and let us know if you have more questions. P.S. All the modification that I talked about and a million more are on this site. My advice is to read read read. P.P.S. the stock horse power on that engine is 135, just so you know what you are starting with. P.P.P.S. last one ... go here ... It'll blow your mind http://www.geocities.com/zgarage2001/z.html

I commend your desire to keep it N/A. A lot of guys go the LS1 route to get that high torque N/A ride, not that you would want to do that, I'm just say'n. The 225 WHP N/A L28 is a rare animal. It looks like you are on the right track for that though. If I was you I would either switch to tripple carbs or at least do the 240SX 60mm Throttle Body swap. Its a direct bolt on .... sort of... You do have to port out the intake to make it work but once you do that it bolts right on... then you have to hook up the throttle linkage. Also I would get larger injectors and a wide band O2 sensor along with a after market computer to controll it all. I think tripple webbers are about $800 or you could get the other stuff that I mentioned for about the same price or a little less. What is your compression Ratio? That 460/270 cam is barely a performance cam, I have that one in my Z It pulls real hard from 3k to 6K after 6K I loose power, I'm running SU's BTW. I plan on putting my Z (72 240) on A dyno before I make it a turbo to see what kind of WHP I get. I would be thrilled if I get 170-180. but It is most likely 150-160. Once I go turbo I should have close to 300 WHP almost twice what I have now. I would guess that 1/4 mile times with that kind of HP would be in high 12's You can deffinatly get 225 RWHP with a N/A L28 it just depends on how much CA$H you wanna spend. Good luck and keep us posted.

one word... turbo. Thats a heavy Z compaired to the 240 so your gonna need lots of HP to get that Z into 12's on the quarter mile. unless you are in love with the N/A motor (which I wouldn't blame you, the instant throttle response is a blast) you might as well build the motor for the kind of HP you "really" want. Instead of dropping almost $200(closer to $400 if you get the springs for lift over 460 and new nissan rockers) on a custom cam. get that custom ECU and 440 cc injectors,60mm TB, turbo exaust manifold, and a Z31 water cooled T3 turbo, intercooler and 15lbs of boost. That will get you closer to the 300 whp range and 13 sec 1/4 (just a guess). I built a nice N/A L28 and now I'm re-doing it into a turbo. If I was gonna do it again I would go turbo. Just my 2 cents.

Supprised your L28 runs like a champ, after sitting for all that time? Welcome to the world of the AWESOME L28 engine. First it will drive you crazy cause it won't work right, then once you fix it ... you fall in love all over again. If your Z is running like a champ I wouldn't worry about the carb rebuild. Have fun and welcome to the Z world.

Hey Racer, just to be clear, I said "filter" and x64v said, "strainer" ... Its the same thing, and He's right, its on the banjo fitting. Thats the metal part that the fuel hose clamps on to. How do you know that fuel is getting to carbs? If you Pull the fuel line off at the float bowl (i.e. the banjo fitting) turn over the engine and if fuel pumping ... then you have gas. but you still need to make sure that the fuel is getting "into the carb" Make sure the float bowl is filling up and you don't have a stuck float needle. Also, check the fuel line from the float bowl to the "nozzel" I've had that plug up and then, no fuel to the carbs. Also take off the air filter and make sure that the "pistons" move up and down freely. to test it just push up on the "Piston" with your finger and let it fall down, It should make a "Clunk" sound once it hits bottom. If the piston moves freely then fuel should flow when the engine is on. Check this stuff before you do the "rebuild" then you will know what "needs" to be rebuilt and what is working just fine. Let us know if you have any more questions :brunout:

The Kit that MSA sells looks like it has a special evaporator that hooks to the existing 240 blower box, the rest of the parts are all standard and can be taken off any 280ZX, (i.e. compressor, condenser, dryer, hoses and hardware). So if I were to take the evaporator and blower box of some sort of modern "compact car" and fab it into the 240 wouldn't that work just fine?