BLOZ UP

I got started on the wiring this weekend. It's nice to be able to get stuff done on the car without getting covered in oil. A nice change of pace. I got quite a bit done: Megasquirt is powered and grounded and working. I have the CTS hooked up (using the CHTS on the VG30E, as in the Z31 it came out of), CAS, and TPS. A mess: A somewhat tidier mess: The relay above is for the fuel pump. I am using the stock S30 relay for megasquirt and sensor power, but the fuel pump relay wire coming out of megasquirt is to ground the connection. The stock relay, as convoluted as it is, doesn't really have a way to connect the ground just for the fuel pump circuit. So, I have that relay to switch +12v to the stock relay's fuel pump circuit when grounded. So it's a relay to turn on a relay. It was either that or forego MS's fuel pump wire and have the fuel pump be on whenever the ignition is on. Since most (all?) of the Nissan harness connectors were broken, I replaced them with weatherpaks. I have a Bluepoint weatherpak crimper, and it really just barely does the job. I can't see myself spending 80 dollars on a new one, so this will have to do, you just have to be careful when crimping the connections. I have a feeling I cut the harness too short. Not a huge deal, I can add length to any sensors that need it (TPS, most likely). Measure zero times, solder twice. I have some 550cc precision injectors, I just realized the Z31 connectors don't fit, but I found some cheap new ones off ebay that should be in soon. They are low impedance, and rather than try out my MS2's flyback circuit, I will just use the L28's dropping resistors. The stock wiring is really dumb in some places. The power for the injectors and ECU isn't on a fuse (this appears to be a PO's modification), and the injector power wires go from the battery, to the driver's side firewall hole, to the main relay, out the firewall to the dropping resistors, back inside the passenger compartment only to loop around, and then out to the injectors. Another couple feet and they could have skipped the dropping resistors as the resistance of all the copper it had to go through just to get to the injectors would be equivalent. Inbetween wiring spurts, I welded up the intercooler I had chopped up earlier. The 1/8" thick cast end tanks were near the maximum my little TIG could muster, and I had too small filler as well. Good thing no one will be able to see it easily. This fan, although a little small in diameter, fits easily between the intercooler and radiator. Flipping the blades over converted it from a puller (as it was on my Z31), to a pusher. Less efficient this way but I don't see cooling being an issue. I also drilled holes and properly mounted the radiator. Closing shot of TunerStudio working:

I've been playing with TS for a while. Should have got it a long time ago.

Wow. I had no idea they were such a deal over there...

I got some 1-1/4" butt weld fittings. They fit perfectly. A little porting on the head, and they would line up perfectly. I regret buying so many of the 1-1/2", but I was just going off of what I had had before, and what a few other people had used. I also picked up a VG33. It was out of an automatic Frontier, and that's all I know. I fear a few bent valves, as I took the timing cover off and noticed some remains of a previous timing belt--there were teeth stuck in some crevices. The belt that was on it was also not tensioned properly (or really, tensioned at all). I was planning on removing the current VG30 and replacing it with this VG33, but it looks like a rebuild of the VG33 would be prudent. I know the VG30 in it right now will run, albeit at various compression levels. I had another VG30 I was planning to rebuild--and I tore it down. Wish I hadn't done that now, as it was in much better condition than the motor in the car right now. Oh well. The oil filter thing won't clear the crossmember. I need one from a Pathfinder, that points the filter straight down. The result of a leaky brake booster: I have a reman booster and master waiting for me to get the motivation and time. How I am going to fix the alternator problem: New radiator that's been waiting 5 years on a shelf: It needed some support tabs: All done (well, except there are holes to be drilled): Only one of the 12" fans I have fit. Either a larger fan or a shroud is going on it. The intercooler I plan to use: It just barely fits: The plan is 2" from the compressor outlet to a 2-2.5" silicone reducer on the intercooler (passenger side). The other side of the intercooler will be 2.5" to the throttle body. This way it fits within the stock radiator support holes. I had to chop off the air filter support bracket, or at least part of it. And remove the front bumper supports--although they could be modified to fit. You would need to remove the horn mounting brackets. That makes 2 modifications to the S30 so far: 1) Heat shield pieces, 2) Air filter box support removed. Not too bad. I don't plan on removing or modifying anything else. I could cheat some bends, but then I got an idea! Batteries died on the camera, but the outlets were chopped off and will be placed on the next higher face of the intercooler ends. Not as efficient, but it was either that or cheating bends like I mentioned, sourcing short radius aluminium from somewhere, or getting a smaller intercooler.

What turbo(s)?

34D? Where?

So, about collector insurance. In the post I linked to earlier, Tony D said he had Hagarty insurance. From what I read on their website, you can get collector/classic insurance, and still be able to drive it. I wonder if this would meet the requirements. I suppose I need to call up Hagarty to be sure. Bar that, I suppose the best solution is to just keep my car registered in TX, and keep my TX driver's license.

But in the post of tony's that I linked, he said he had Haggarty... They do classic and collector insuring. Where classic would be able to drive more often than not. I'm guessing purchasing collector insurance and regular insurance on a single car, giving out the appropriate one whenever needed, is a bad idea?

So, I'm swapping a VG33 into my S30. If I move to California, I have to: 1) Get all the emissions components out of the car the VG33 is from to work on the S30 (CAT, EGR, CCV+Carbon Canister, etc.) 2) Use the ECU that matches the engine. So, even if I got megasquirt 3 to control all the emissions equipment, it wouldn't be legal? Good thing my MS2 can fit in the stock ECU box... All of #1 is fine and I could possibly make it work, but, if I have to use the OEM ECU, what's the point of doing an engine swap? Tony, does this still apply? More info I found: http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/california-smog-law-62783.html http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-315947.html

Nice one.

What's not to believe? "Oh, I'm too rich--oh wait! Too lean! Wait, rich--no lean!"

Why did they remove the rolling exemption? It makes so much sense. What percentage drive around 30+ year old cars?

But why care about them at all? Is that even the point of the secrecy, or is there something more? But a big "Yes!" for releasing the source code, that's all I really care about.

I knew I shouldn't thrown mine out...

Adding another passenger "tampers with a smog controlling device"...

Well, I have some midterms coming up so no real time to work on it. However, I did get some 1-1/4" SCH10 straight pipe, and with a little cleaning and slight grinding, it will fit right in the flanges I have. This is good so I can weld on the inside which is preferable, and only do partial welding on the outside. So, next week I will order some 1-1/4" pipe fittings and eventually start from scratch with the manifolds. I have enough straight pipe to start on a pair of 3-1 merge collectors though. In other news, I removed the A/C components a couple days ago. Apparently I disturbed something because today I found a large pool of brake fluid sitting on the frame rail. The paint there is ruined. My MC has apparently been leaking in to the booster. And the booster gave way. Luckily I never completely flushed the fluid when I got the car and it had already absorbed water. So, the paint is bubbling but not coming off as easily as it would with fresh paint. For whatever that's worth. When I remove this VG30 for the VG33 I will have to repaint it there. I've been trying to get a hold of a VG33 long block with no luck so far.

Okay, I see now. I thought you were implying earlier that anything other than 14.7 will kill the cat. Now you actually specify some values.

The OD of 1-1/4 fits right in the flanges I have, and the resulting ID matches the exhaust port diameter, almost exactly. A little port too match and some polish, and it would be perfect. What size are the VG33 exhaust ports? I thought they were the same as the VG30.

I have VG30s out the wazzoo. Some even have speed holes in the pistons.

Keep in mind MS3 is closed source. In that it will only work with TunerStudio, which is closed source. They also haven't released the schematics. They say this is because they are tired of people asking for help and they have Russian or Chinese knock-offs. So, it's headed down the road of propriety, which is what they wanted to avoid in the first place. But damn, it is tempting with all those features. For the L, MS2 is more than enough.

In for the lulz.

Very interested in your manifold design. I was making mine out of 1-1/2" SCH10, then realized that 1-1/4 would be much better. So, back to the drawing board. I'm planning on a 3-1 design on each side. The "1" being 2" SCH10. But I have midterms coming up so I haven't touched it in a couple weeks.

Good deal! I need more garage space!

KBB is around $6,000 around here for a TT. Actual market value is around $8,000-12,000. They've always been high. We were lucky and got a non molested, albeit high-mileage, 92 TT (auto). After doing the timing belt, coolant hoses, a rear main, subharness delete, door lock fix, alarm fix, and replacing few corroded connectors and it's as good as new. The low mileage ones were just too high to justify spending so much. We got it for just under KBB + $1,200 in repairs. Now I feel much better about this car then the $8,000+ ones which few of had actual proof of a timing belt job, or anything else for that matter. You just have to sit and watch the ads for a while till a good one comes up. They are getting more and more out of reach for "kids". Too old and relatively unreliable. They are also less widely known now-a-days. I don't know if they will ever reach Z31 status--where there's always some cheap one in the local paper. They are a proper sports car.

Since I'm guessing it was a 1 car accident, the fault will most likely be 100% on the driver of the car, unless the tree can speak and say it jumped in front of him. So it's 10,000 - whatever deductible.