GrayZee

Ha ha.. that's pretty funny. You're forgeting that I'm gonna be running a TURBO Vg30! When I'm accelerating and I hear that turbo wind up I can just pretend I'm driving a big rig.. LOL Thanks guys, I'm glad all of the comments were "pro trailer/pathfinder" Maybe I worry too much but I've been "pushed" by trailers in a panic stop before and really don't wanna go through that again.. I'll definatly get the 4wheel brakes as some provinces require them on a tandem anyway, regardless of weight. Maybe I'll get a equalizer later on if I feel that it could use the improvement. Oh, I also came across this website: http://www.nissanperformancemag.com/september03/pathfinder/ They were towing a 4000lb trailer (1000lb over rated capacity) and they said it was pushing it.

You have to either hook up the PCV or install a catch can.

You could swap the ENTIRE electrical system but that sounds like alot of work to me.. I would just use the harness that runs from the ecu to the injectors/sensors and then connect it the same way that people do the swap into the earlier models. The turbo gauge is not a part of that harness but it could be hooked up easy enuf.. Just grab the "boost sensor" located near the ignition coil. It's a black plastic box and says "boost sensor" right on it. Personally I wouldn't bother with the factory boost gauge as they are known to be a peice of $hcitt anyway. Just get a autometer one or something.

Also could be the AAC valve, lots of people disconect it without any issues.

I've been thinking about building a flatdeck trailer to tow my 280z. The car weighs roughly 2800 lbs. Most of the car trailers you can buy are 16ft long, 7000 lb GVW and weigh in at about 2500 lbs. A little bit of overkill for a Z. I figured if I could build a small enough, light enough, trailer then it may just be light enough to be towed by a small vehicle like my Pathfinder. Here's what I had in mind, let me know what you think... 12x7 deck size (the front wheels will sit at the edge of the deck with the Z's front bumper overhanging onto the tougue area, for this reason I will use a 5ft tongue) This way the car will just fit on the trailer. Tandem axle, using two 2000 lb drop axles, with brakes at all four wheels 13" wheels with aluminum rims (the small wheels will make the deck lower to the ground and easier to load) Also perhaps a little easier to brake with the smaller wheels. It may be harder to pull, but with a Vg30et I think I'll have enough power, it's the braking and handling that worries me. Since the trailer GVW will be 4000lbs and the car is 2800, then I'd like to make the trailer so that is weighs in at about 1000lbs.. Not sure if that can be done or not.. So what do you guys thinks of pulling 4000lbs with a Pathfinder? Is that asking too much? Certainly 4wheel braking is a must, perhaps a equalizer hitch would be a good idea..

Lower rad hose works good. Just cut the hose and re-connect via a metal tube with a theaded fitting.

The 79 clutch and tranny will work but the clutch might not hold up for long. Turbo engines have bigger clutches (larger diameter) the 2+2 models also came with the bigger clutch though.

When I'm racing I usually shift around 6k. The PEAK torque may drop off earlier but the engine already has alot of momentem at 4k that the 2k difference passes by with a blink of the eye. Also when you hit the next gear and drop in rpm, then you're right back in the powerband. A bigger exhaust will definatly increase spoolup, I noticed a huge difference and even a extra 2psi without making any adjustments to the wastegate. N/a engines have been built to do 8k or so but those engine have alot of work done to them, particularally with the cam and valves. They would have alot of vavle overlap which would make them perform well at high rpms but suck in the low end. Such a design would not work well with a turbo at all as it would be blowing some of the air/fuel mixture out the exhaust valve.

I've explained this before but the reason the ecu controls the fuel pump is for safety reasons. Picture this.. You get into a severe accident and your fuel line is broken and you are knocked unconcious. The engine stalls because of the leaking fuel, and because the ecu knows the engine is not running it turns the fuel pump off. Unless of course somebody does a engine swap and wires up the the fuel pump to a toggle switch in which case the fuel pump empties the entire gas tank onto the scene of the accident. Food for thought.

I don't think raising the torque curve about 4000rpm is something that can be done easily (or cheaply) It's just the nature of the the L engine. I have a full 3" exhaust right after the wastegate, and my peak torque is about 4200rpm Until I had my ecu tweaked I was getting some bad detonation around there. A bigger turbo would definatly give you a better top end, but that dosn't mean that it has to scream at 7 or 8k to do it. Just shift into the next gear and make that low end torque work for you.

I'm not quite sure what you are trying to ask.. You can put a kill switch (for anti-theft reasons) but make sure it dosn't change the way the fuel pump relay operates nomally. There are safety reasons why the ecu controls the fuel pump. If you want anti-theft kill switch, here's what I would do.. pin #16 on a 280zxt ecu harness is the wire that controls the fuel pump relay. Cut that wire and solder on two wires to extend the wires to where you want to have your fuel cut switch (preferably out of sight) Then simply connect the two wires with a toggle switch. Unless the toggle switch is in the "on" position, the car will not start. Or if it does start, it will die almost instantly.

Once you get a price on a rebuild you might want to price out a brand new unit. Usually the prices I get around here are not much cheaper than ordering new. Try this guy.. http://www.speedshopthagard.com I've heard good things, he's located in Florida and he's a HybridZ member (maybe you can get a discount)

I don't think anyone was ever denying that they existed, but if anyone is actually thinking of making a system like that in a old Z then maybe they should install ABS, traction control and air bags while they are at it... Personally I think just getting a decent wiper motor is challenge enough.

Never heard of that.. but I could see how that would work. That would be a complex ecu controlled system. Not worth the bother on a Z. Running a return line would be alot easier.

Interestng idea, but I don't think it would work. I keep thinking about how a air brake system in a semi trailer works.. When the driver presses the brake, it applies air pressure to all the brake drums (even ones that are 60ft away) in order for the brakes to release, the air has to be vented out. If the only release vent was at the brake pedal then there would be a delay in the brake release. So... big trucks have what's called a "quick release valve" mounted on each axle. Sort of like a relay for the directing of air pressure. This way the air does not have to travel all the way down the length of the truck to vent out. I imagine that it would cause similar problems for your fuel system. The reaction time would not be fast enough. It sounds like a good idea, but if it worked, I'm sure car manufacturers would have been doing that a long time ago. Let say that it cost Ford $2 to put a return line in every Tempo they ever made.. well that would have saved them millions and millions of dollars if that one part was not needed.. Obviously it is needed though.

I think the turbo/supercharger section would have been the ideal place to post, but oh well... I've seen people use the stock rubber boot and have the AFM right up against the strut tower/wheel tub, with a filter right behind the rad support panel in a 240z. However if you take a close look as a 280z vs. a 240z you will see the panels are a little different, and I don't think it would work well in a 280z. I have a 280z as well and I can tell you what I did.. First of all, I did use the stock rubber boot. Then I used the plastic air intake tube from a 85 300zx n/a. The tube is exactly the right size and incorporates a 90 degree mandrel bend. It is fairly long and allowed me to feed the tube through the large round hole in the rad support and connect to the rubber boot. This way there is a 90 degree bend in front of the rad allowing the AFM to sit sideways in front of the rad. Even the 300zx tube has a rubber that fits the AFM perfectly, in fact when installed it looks almost as a factory setup, as if Nissan made it. It is a Nissan part, afterall! Throw a K&N cone filter on the AFM and you're set. I did have to make two small modifications though: 1. cut a plastic small 1/8th T fitting off the z31 tube to allow it to pass through the rad support. (I just filled it up with some JB weld) 2. make a support bracket to hold the weight of the AFM (I used the two bolt holes from the original air filter on the top of the rad support to anchor the bracket) Hope that helps you out.

One of my high school teachers had a Volvo station wagon, one day somebody not only tipped it on it's side, but the rolled it right around on the roof.

Perhaps it is easier to install a VG engine in a right hand drive car. I know that ZR8ED has a VG30et but he had to make modifications to this steering shaft as I recall.

That's what I did..

I used to work at a carb shop, and I can't remember seeing any painted carb come in our shop that didn't look like $hcitt. I would just try to make the existing metal on the carb look good. What you do depends on the type of metal the carb is made of. Usually it's aluminum or white-metal.

Well that was never a issue for me as my Pathfinder never did have A/C in the first place.

Ha ha.. my truck has 470,000km on it. The original engine still ran fine when I pulled it out last December.

Thanks Drax, when I talked about this swap before everyone was anxious to see pics.. Now that I finally posted some, I only get one reply? Oh well.. I finished the downpipe, here are some more pics for those that are interested. http://members.shaw.ca/icecube/103-0331_IMG.JPG http://members.shaw.ca/icecube/103-0332_IMG.JPG http://members.shaw.ca/icecube/103-0333_IMG.JPG I still have to make it wrap underneath the steering shaft and a bit of the inner fenderwell will need to be trimmed. It'll be a tight couple of turns to get it around the frame but with my crossover pipe going under the tranny, there isn't anyplace else to put it.