trwebb26

My latest project car is for sale - a 2003 350Z with an LS1. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Nissan-350Z-Track-Coupe-2-Door-2003-Nissan-350Z-Track-with-LS1-T-56-6-speed-LS-Engine-Swap-race-/121097931413?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item1c31ffca95

Link to my new project build thread: http://my350z.com/forum/na-builds/545819-03-350z-ls1-swap-lots-of-pics.html#post9559804

Starting a new project (LS in a 350z) and I'm trying to track down a good motor and trans. Let me know what you've got!

Walkaround of the car:

Holset HX35, HY35, and WH1C turbos all have a "bolted" connection outlet to the turbo. All of the other "reasonable" Holset turbos (like the HE351) have some kind of v-band connection that isn't a 'normal' size V-band flange... it is some kind of in-between Holset metric wierd-ass size that no vendor (that I could find) sells an adapter and vband clamp for. You are pretty much stuck with modifying the stock elbow (which I've seen done on this site by 2 different people), or cut off the v-band altogether and weld on a standard 4" flange (like I did). You have a bolt on flange... buy a mild steel flange off of ebay, bolt it to your turbo and run a 3" exhaust tube right off the back of that thing for your downpipe. A tube through a flat plate weld has pretty much the very worst fatigue characteristics of any weld joint so I would make sure to put in a flex connection somehwere before you support the exhaust / downpipe to the car. A gusset or 2 from the flat plate to the tube would be good insurance against a weld crack as well.

Car is now for sale: http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/94928-78-280z-with-custom-turbo-f54-engine-megasquirt-lots-of-mods/

My criteria for a crazy boss??? He's a Z owner that trolls the hybridz forums... Now lets see if he notices this post and hits up a reply. C'mon Cameron... I know you'll see this.

Yowsa... if you don't know where the throttle body is... you should ask yourself if you have the skills to fix the problem. This BCDD will involve taking part of your intake tract apart to fix it. The high idle thing isn't something new to 280z owners. Some searching on this forum will do you some good before you get flamed by the moderators. It has been covered lots of times. In the FAQ section of the forum you'll find service procedures and factory manuals: http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/58288-service-procedures-for-nearly-every-car/ http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/48824-factory-manuals-download-here/ Also do a search for the fuel injection book for the 280z. I have a local copy on my harddrive if you can't find it on this site.

Got an 83' turbo motor that has been sitting for 10 years - reported 60K miles - turns over with no problems. I've already got a good alternator, starter, thermostat, intake/exhaust/turbo setup, plugs, wires, refreshed dizzy, megasquirt, proper fuel, etc... I just need a good reliable longblock. I've purchased: - ARP head stud kit - Water Pump - Oil Pump - Brass Freeze plug set (the ones in the block are rusty) - Timing Kit - Full Gasket Kit The plan is to take off the head to get a look at the cylinder walls and take off the pan to get a look at the bottom end. I'm only going to loosen the mains / rods if something looks fishy - at which time I'll end up buying more parts. The questions: 1) Would you do anything to the head while it is off? I thought about removing/cleaning the valves and replacing the valve seals and maybe giving it a quick gasket match job. Should I do it... don't bother? 2) Would you replace anything else on the lower end while it is this far apart? I'm trying to avoid the expense of new pistons/rings, rod and main bearings, rod and main bolts, and machine shop work... That stuff adds up to a lot of money (and time at the machine shop) - especially when my power goals (less than 350 HP) should be just fine on a "stock" bottom end. Thanks for the help.

That is how mine is plumbed: Make sure the polarity of your wires is right - if they are backwards the pump will pump backwards.

So I bought an 83' turbo motor/tranny from ebay for $300. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-280zx-turbo-engine-T5-transmission-/250645575079?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3a5ba3f5a7 I'm gonna go pick it up and I'm trying to decide how many parts to buy for it before I take it apart (the stuff I know I'll replace). The goal is to just have a stock motor that I can put 300-350 whp to without worrying about problems (I won't go higher than 12 psi of boost). I'm running megasquirt v3.0, innovative wideband, HE351 turbo, w/ big intercooler and all the proper fuel system. See http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php?/topic/78872-280z-progress-frame-floors-exhaust-fuel-cell-lots-of-pics/ for more info. I'm a touch concerned about the unknown with the engine. I know I'll be taking the head off to get a good look at the cylinder bores and taking the pan off to look around. While I've got it this far I think it is cheap insurance to put in a new complete gasket set, new water pump, new oil pump, and new timing set. What else should I consider before I stick it in the motor and fire it up? New valve stem seals (cheap and easy to get to)? Hone and re-ring with a good set of rings (cheap)? New bearings / plastigage? ARP studs ($$$)? I know it will get easy get carried away buying parts for it. Well since I've got the pan off - I might as well replace the rod bolts... and since I've done XXX, I might as well XXX... I'm just looking for the biggest bang for my buck for reliability. Thanks for the help.

Check my thread for pics of the tank from my 78' http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php?/topic/92500-jsk-rail-280z-seat-belts-280z-fuel-tank-tc-rods-and-more/

I'm going to rebuild an F54 block... but the rods from my 78 280z are going have considerably less miles / will be in better shape than the ones from the F54 i'm rebuilding. Is there a difference?

Central Illinois

It sure didn't take long to blow up the 78' N/A motor boosting to 8psi... I need a 280zx F54 (prefer non-hydraulic head). I'll consider just about anything from a low mile junkyard pull to a fully built race engine - I just need something that can handle a bit of boost reliably. The price isn't really that much of an issue as I'd consider anything from $250 junkyard motor to a $3K engine. I only need the longblock. Email me at trwebb26@yahoo.com with the details of your engine. Thanks!

I got the car ready to take on a test drive - washed it... got in and heard a noise. The noise got louder and louder. Sounds like an exhaust leak - coming from one cylinder... It is really loud - almost like one cylinder is runnng completely open. Probably a f'ing head to manifold leak (I'm praying nothing is cracked). I tried tightening all the bolts with no luck. Looked for the leak and couldn't find it. I'll be trying to feel around for it with a cold engine next. If that doesn't work I'll be taking it all back apart to find my leak *sigh*.

Looks great for somebody who says they don't have much experience. Before you weld on your cage - please clean up both pieces of metal you are welding together with a grinder/flap wheel. Ok to cut corners like this on the beauty panels for your cell, but not when doing cage welds.

I've gotten several PMs asking if I've dropped off of the face of the earth and the short story is... yes... My son was born on 02NOV09 and I've been really busy since then and have been operating on a crazy amount of sleep (only a few hours a day). I think I finally got caught up a bit yesterday so today I did a bunch of stuff around the house that has been needing attention and tomorrow I hope to put the Z on the ground and take it for a spin. Hopefully I have enough time to adjust the valves, troubleshoot my oil pressure sending unit, get a decent tune in it, and make a movie for you all to see. No promises cuz a 2-3 week old sure is helpless, and I sure like helping out seeing about him.

Agreed... In not one of those pictures did I see a grinder. I understand that the vast majority of people that own cars like this don't work on em' themselves, but the floor of the garages looks cleaner than my kitchen floor. I'd love to see a thread of pictures of VERY nice practical garages (the set of X-treme 4x4 is probably the best one I've seen that matches what my "dream" garage would look like) - maybe even one with a Z in it?

The stock harness won't have enough of the wires where you want them to be in my opinion. You'll either need to buy a few spools of 16ga or pony up for the nicely labeled and color coded wiring kit. You pick. I wasn't as strapped for cash so I bought the wire and I was glad I did.

Do you want to verify your build? If so you'll need a stim. You need a cable to hook up to your computer What are you using for throttle position?

Oil and water leaks fixed. I found a massive air leak at the boost gage which explains why I couldn't get it to run again... Rocking a 70kPa idle . Fixed now and everything starts and idles great. LOTS of tuning to do. Put the wheels/tires back on - tightened up everything on the suspension except the coilovers and I'm ready to get it on the ground, set the ride height, and do some light driving. It is very clear from just messing around in the garage that my acceleration enrichments need some major work, but I was really glad to get all the big bugs worked out today and ready to drive it around the block a few times for some tuning. I still don't know what's wrong with my autometer oil pressure gage... either the wiring is screwed up or my sending unit needs some love. Heading to the hospital so my son can be induced... I'm really excited to be a dad.

Gives opening times at different voltages - This chart will give you what you should be entering into Megasquirt for opening times and battery correction. http://injector-rehab.com/kbse/lag.htm Too bad it doesn't have the supra injectors (440cc) that I'm using. I can't find it anywhere on the net.

I found my oil leak (pinched o-ring) and the water leak (radiator cap wasn't on tight - yeah - laugh it up). Tried to start it to verify my leaks are fixed and now it won't start. *sigh*.

Cuz I already made this one....