boardkid280z

I got some Iridium plugs for my birthday, but they're not the ones I asked for. I asked for these: NGK Iridium IX BPR6EIX-11, 3903 (listed applications: all 280ZXs) And got these: NGK Iridium IX BPR6EIX, 6637 (listed applications: 1970-74 240Z, 260Z) Should they work ok, or should I try to go to the store and get the 3903s? My car: 280Z with L28T.

I wouldn't even trade my house for that Sure, it's a nice car, and it would be kind of special to have maybe the first Hybrid Z? but that is too much money.

I wouldn't get a turbo that needs an adapter unless I had a really good reason. Why don't you just get something with a T3 flange?

Cool build. Any big issues with the practicality of a slammed car? It just seems like you have to drive a lot slower most places to avoid bottoming out and damaging something. I like the powerplant. What's the displacement on that motor? What's the driveshaft setup going to be? Do you plan to race it or autocross it or anything or will it just be a street car? DD?

Nice looking project! That's quite the build you're putting together. Expecting to see a lot of track time?

Check your plug gap and electrode condition.

"can I use the stock zxt ecu and injectors on my na?" That seems pointless to me, and I don't think it would work very easily. You would need a ZXT wiring harness and AFM. I think the TPS is different too, and the engine speed sensor is different too (I think they both come off the distributor, but I don't know if it would work). I'm sure there are other things. Just build the motor, swap it and do Megasquirt all at the same time. It will probably take a week to do the swap, but it will be way easier to do all of that while you're swapping the motor. Or don't build the motor, just swap it in and put Megasquirt on it. That's what I did on a stock motor (besides intercooler, 3" downpipe, and MS obviously). I haven't run Megasquirt on an N/A car, so I don't know that it would really be an advantage, besides having the wiring harness done. Do you have the Megasquirt harness parts? I would build Megasquirt for the Turbo motor, I guess if you want to put that on your N/A setup, then go ahead. Just remember to build everything into the harness you'll need to run the Turbo motor. (Will you do fuel and spark? MS-n-S?)

No where else to post this yet, so I'll just put it here for now. The Banks Turbo is in and running great. First autocross after the upgrade - still only running 7psi or so, the wastegate is opening from manifold pressure with no boost controller interfering or delaying the signal (I think it's also the first autocross I've had without ANY issues with the Z).

55 psi is still pretty high. I'm not sure what the AFR is supposed to be at idle, but there's a good chance it should be more lean than 14.5-15.0. If it ran lean at 34psi, you probably don't have bigger injectors. The stock fuel system is designed to run at 36psi, so that is what I would shoot for. As long as lowering the fuel pressure doesn't lean the AFR out so much that it stops running smoothly, adjust the fuel pressure: What AFRs were you seeing when you had the fuel pressure was at 34? 13.5 is about what you should shoot for at WOT on an N/A engine. Any richer than that and you're wasting fuel. Any leaner and you might be running too hot. But usually a lean or rich condition can't damage a N/A engine like it can a turbo engine. Check your TPS and make sure it is working correctly too.

I blew a turbo and am getting my new one plumbed in. I wanted to make sure it was getting oil so left the oil feed line off the turbo while I cranked the engine and there was no oil coming out. (probably the reason my last turbo went out) I took off the oil filter to see if the oil pump was working at all. There is oil coming out where the oil filter goes, but it doesn't seem like a lot. I would have guessed that there would be higher oil pressure or more flow there. I took a video, so you can see there is no oil going to the turbo oil feed line. Can you all tell me if the amount of oil going to the filter is good, or does it seem low? If it seems low, then I can suspect the oil pump, if it seems good, I will see if something is clogging the passages to turbo oil feed. Thanks! Warning - The audio is loud! 1978 Datsun 280Z with '83 turbo motor Last turbo was a stock center and exhaust with upgraded compressor I just did an oil change Yes, there is oil in the pan Test done with: spark plugs removed, oil filter removed, fuel pump disconnected When I was putting the new turbo in, I saw that the oil lines were pretty dirty, and kind of dry, more coked i would say, so I cleaned them out real good.

My 280Z is my first car. I've had my Z 10 years now. When I got it, it had a ZX L28. It was loads of fun to drive with nice power and a nice sound. I did some upgrades like brakes and suspension, but mostly left the motor alone since I was intimidated by the cost of building an NA motor. Slowly I started to desire a boosted motor and dreamed about both turbo and/or supercharged L28 in my Z. I lucked upon a 280ZX turbo donor car and my plans started to take shape. I wanted an intercooler, I wanted Megasquirt, and I kept going back and forth between a stock bottom end, and slightly higher compression with stock pistons. In the end, making the swap easier determined that I would just leave the bottom end in the car while we did the swap (swapping head, intake, turbo, wiring harness). I've loved every minute with the Z since that swap (well before too, but even more since). A boosted inline 6 was just what the doctor ordered. Upgraded the compressor side, upgraded the injectors and did a few other things. And most of the time it is fast enough for me. I'm guessing it's around 250hp or so. Of course sometimes I wish I had 300 or 400 or whatever, but like I said, 250 is good enough for me most of the time. I think I get most of the satisfaction from driving it and knowing that I've touched almost every part on the car. And knowing that the car has it's original motor makes me happy too. I know the turbo isn't exactly original, but Nissan did make an L28ET and the basic block etc are close enough to what came in the 280Z originally. I love how easy it is to work on. Fuel filter, oil filter, spark plugs. So easy to access. Of course having had the car so long has really let me learn about the whole car and that knowledge has helped me appreciate the Z. I really love the sound of the turbo L28 too. Hearing the turbo spool is nice, and I go back and forth between different exhausts depending on what I feel. Sometimes I feel the need to drop the whole exhaust and run just the dump pipe (actually have added a resonator just off the downpipe for these times when I need a louder sound). Of course this is a the easiest way to impress others too and running no exhaust is good way to get people to ask what's under the hood. Of course I happily impress them by telling them it's the stock L28 with a turbo. Most people expect a V8 or something. I like having an inline 6 because it's not really the norm. I really like the inline 6 setup and power band though, I like the BMW I6s too. So in short, it's nice to be original, nice to be different, and nice to have the power and sound from the L28.

Nice looking CNC piece! What kind of power and boost are you expecting to make?

Sorry for not updating with the rest of the story. We blew another head gasket not too long later, and it wouldn't stop smoking. I finally figured that I probably had bad rings. Everything combined made it really hard to tune and it was pretty frustrating and the car sat for almost a year after I had to move and lost interest. I had always dreamed of a supercharged car, but I guess I decided the turbo setup had worked so well, and the supercharger setup was giving me so much trouble, I just wanted to go back to the turbo. So around in the spring of 2009 I found a '83 280ZXT and bought it for $300 or so and swapped in the motor and junked the car. (i'll try to find some pics of the car sometime). The motor was stock at first, and then I slowly added all the upgrades I had done to my turbo motor before: intercooler, Megasquirt, injectors, upgraded compressor, etc. Had some trouble with that at first too because I now had the 280ZXT distributor supplying my timing signal (I was using a locked N/A dizzy before). It seemed the timing was jumping around and I couldn't figure out what the deal was. Anytime we tried to tune it and turn up the boost past 10psi, we would blow a head gasket or something else would happen. Then I lost my AFR. So I ended up running it without a boost controller on the stock wastegate for quite a while - running 6-7 psi. One problem I found was that my plugs were gapped too large when we were trying to turn up the boost, I think they were all between 35 and 40 thou - I hadn't checked em in a while . It was fast enough most of the time, and it was nice not wondering if it was going to blow up any day. I got my wideband fixed this past weekend and turned the boost up to 10psi, it seems to be fine so far, I think I'll drive it like this for a while to make sure everything's ok, and then slowly turn the boost up. Anyway, part of the reason I'm posting here, is to post a video I made last week (the day before we turned up the boost actually). I don't know if there's much more to say about the supercharger setup, it was fun to build and put together, and then frustrating when it was running, so it sat for a long time, and then I sold it. Oh well, time to move on I guess. Here's the video, I guess I should probably start a new build thread, since the supercharger has been removed from the equation.

Sorry to hear about your troubles big-phil. Make any progress yet? Pull those pistons to see if your rings are in pieces? On the plus side, I just wanted to say thank you for the tip on the spark plugs. I've been having a fluttering problem at higher boost/rpm for a while now that I just wasn't able to figure out (I thought it was some setting in Megasquirt or a janky boost controller). Anything over 10psi and I couldn't give it full throttle without a flutter that felt like ignition cut out or timing retard like MS boost control was trying to cut spark. After reading your thread, I decided to look for some NGK iridium plugs. I couldn't find any locally, but went ahead and pulled my plugs to check the gap, and they were all in the low 40s. Can't remember when I put em in and I don't know why I would have set them so high. Anyway, regapped to 0.025 and the problem went away. Sweet, so easy - it sucks when the problem is so simple and could have been fixed a long time ago. Still would like to find some iridium plugs to help even more. Guy at Autozone tried to sell me these Pulstar plugs or something. $25 per pair ...hmmm. Any opinions? Well, first he tried to sell me the Champions, then the Autolite Iridiums, THEN the Pulstars. I just can't justify $100 for plugs unless they really are awesome. Then I had a major exhaust leak show up 2 days ago at the head. And my hydraulic head has had a lifter tapping for a few months (it gets real bad at the auto-X), so it's about time to swap back to my solid lifter P90, and find out where the exhaust leak is, hopefully a new gasket will fix it.

Wow, nice car. I wish I had the cash, cuz that would be the car I would want to buy.

When you say you let the sealant dry for an hour, is that before or after you install the pan? Like z-ya said, and what I would do and have done, is put sealant on the gasket, both sides, and put an extra dab of sealant anywhere there's a ridge or break in the block surface (like at the front cover). Then install the pan ASAP so the sealant is still wet. Then install all the bolts and snug em. Just enough to compress the sealant and spread it out. If you are waiting an hour and letting the sealant dry before installing the gasket or the pan or snugging down the bolts, the sealant will dry irregularly and you will have passages in the dry sealant for oil to stream out of the pan. Also, you don't need a whole lot of sealant, just enough to cover the surface - when you snug the bolts down, it will spread out and fill in. Especially because the sealant layer is thin, you need to be quick to snug the bolts down so the sealant is still wet and moldable. After it's snugged down, I would wait 1/2 hour to 1 hour and then tighten, keep going around, they will all probably need several tightening sessions before settling at 7 ft/lbs. Seems like I went around 5-6 times before all mine were tight the last time I did the pan gasket.

I would be concerned about adding any height to the intake side of things. Have you test fit this setup in an engine bay? I didn't realize how close I'd be to the fender until I dropped the motor in. Of course, the biggest issue I had was that my filter was too tall, but I think adding height under the SC would put it through the fender. Maybe you can see from pics on my build page how close it was: JCR build

That turbo looks real rusty too, it seems to me like every part should be cleaned, maybe even sand blasted before you put it back together. No wonder it it so hard to take apart. Try using vice grips on the front to twist the compressor wheel wheel you hold on to the turbine wheel with a socket or something. That might break it looks. Also, you could try heating up the compressor wheel.

Also, you don't mention it, but are you swapping the AFM internals? I think I have read that that's what people do. Found this interesting read a few posts down: Toyota AFM info

Ah yes, well, apparently, no one has an answer to your query. This is Hybridz and most people deal with upgrades and modifications that may eliminate the stock AFM. I have not heard of any instructions being available for the Turbo AFM, but if you do find them, or make some, please post them here. I can't tell from your posts, or from your signature, but I am guessing you have a mostly/all stock 1975-1983 280Z/ZX N/A. If you tell us exactly what you have that would help. Also, what exactly are you trying to do? It sounds like you're upgrading from the stock N/A AFM to the turbo AFM. Is that correct? As far as the swap goes, there's no exact science, and there's not gonna be any way to get it exactly right without a flow bench to put an exact amount of deflection on the door at a certain amount of airflow. But, here's what I would recommend: Do you have a multimeter (volts/ohms)? If so, check which pins produce a varying resistance when you move the flapper (actually better would be to find out which one is the 5V power pin, apply 5V to it, then measure the Voltage at the output pin). Like I said you won't be able to get it exactly right, because at any certain point, the bigger flapper door is going to be letting more air through and I don't know if that translates with the use of weights. So anyway, I would say use 2 points, 1 about half way, and 1 close to full open. Maybe 140ml and 280ml or something like that. Measure the resistance or voltage output on the N/A AFM for both of those points, then hang the weights on the turbo AFM and see if the R/V is close to what it was on the N/A AFM - if it's not, adjust the spring until it is. You probably won't be able to get both points exactly right, so I would go for a balance between the two. That's about as scientific as I think I would get. In fact - what I would do, since you're running an N/A is get the new AFM installed, start the car, then adjust the AFM while it's running till I get a somewhat smooth idle. Then go out, make a couple of runs, come back, adjust the flapper spring one way a little bit, make some runs, then the other way a little bit and see if it gets better or worse. I might be taking my turbo AFM out to install megasquirt soon, if I remember to, I'll see about performing this test.

Thanks for uploading those pics, B. Nice to see what some of these look like on a non-flared car. Do you have plans to lower your car? If so, do you plan on changing anything about your wheels/flares/tires to prevent rubbing? Will you put flares on?

Looks cool. Any shots of the front? I like the rear bumper. I had ideas of doing my front bumper like that.

Tip: use lots of fluid like WD-40 for cooling and lubrication, then the aluminum won't gum up the bit so fast, and the bit will stay sharp longer, and everything will generally be better

I'm thinking your post and questions are going to be too generic for anyone to respond to. You'll need to do quite a bit of searching as there is lots of info about this swap. LOTS of info. Even the EGR question has been addressed I am sure. In fact, start with the FAQs and stickies in the Turbo forum, and look at the bottom of this page for "Similar Threads". You could almost get all the info you need without searching, but I would never recommend trying to do that. Search is your best friend, or at least it needs to be. The only thing I would add that I don't remember reading anywhere is that you can't use the B/W (Borg Warner) 5-speed manual with the S30 driveshaft that mates to the Nissan 5-speed. I don't know how that looks for you (S130), but I think the B/Ws only came in the turbo cars so if you have a 5-speed, you will need to keep your 5-speed unless you swap and maybe modify (length) the driveshaft from a donor car. The B/W and the Nissan trannies have different output shafts (different spline count) and I believe they are different lengths too, resulting in different length driveshafts. If someone sees this and has the info maybe they can post more exact information.

It looks very clean and original. All the important parts look straight, even the frame rails. Doesn't seem overpriced at all. The 260Z isn't the most desireable, but it is lighter than the 280Z and has better reinforcement than the 240Z. And it has the 240Z wrap around bumpers vs the much uglier and heavier 280 bumpers. It's a z ! looks like a good deal to me.