BRAAP

Here’s my $.02 Everything I’ve heard and read confirms the LM-1 is the most consistent, accurate, lighting quick response wideband tuning aid, especially for the money. We are using the LM-1 and the Innovate RPM converter for all of our tuning and data logging. Personally, I struggled a little bit with the Logworks data logging software, (used it on the Race car for dialing in the MSnS-EDIS) but Ron Tyler has been able to use it quite easily and whenever the discussion comes up about the LM-1, he has said nothing but praise for its capabilities, especially the data logging. I place a lot of value in the LM-1s lightning quick response time, even the super subtle misfires registered with the LM-1 right as it happened. http://www.innovatemotorsports.com/products/lm1.php

Uh, That there is some very bad advice, (unless you were meaning something else that you didn’t specify in your post). Controlling engine idle speed by means of altering injector pulse width on gasoiline engines is totally and completely the WRONG approach and should never be an option, EVER! There are so many other band-aid ways around getting an acceptable idle speed. In 99% of all gasoline EFI applications, Idle speed is controlled by adjusting the amount AIR the engine is breathing at idle by some form of air valve. Then injector pulse widths are altered/adjusted to obtain the desired Air Fuel Ratio ONLY. Any and all adjustments to the pulse width of the fuel injectors should ONLY be done to modify the air fuel ratio to a desired point. NEVER use injector pulse widths to control RPM. Sorry for being so harsh. It is this sort of misinformation that a newbie not knowing any better, might implement and worst case, end up with extensive and expensive damage to his/here engine. Most likely they’ll just end up with fouled plugs and major drivability issues due to the fouled plugs and they wont know how to diagnose the casue, yet rectify it.

Cool. Thanks for the heads up. I'll give this a shot... Okie dokie.. Well I registered, that went well, finally found the HybridZ.org group, said there were 17 members, tried to join that group and all I got was a message saying "We're sorry, this group isn't avaiblale right now. Please try again later." Most likely because there is too much TORQUE in that group..

Rusch Motorsports also sells steel and brass core plugs, in complete sets for the Datsun L-series, (Pioneer brand). We feel that the core plugs we sell are at least equivalent to or better in quality and function to the OE and other aftermarket “freeze” plugs. As such, we do not warranty the freeze/core/expansion plugs or ANY engine part or parts that may suffer a crack or breakage from the result of water freezing in the engine. For those of you that have been keeping your finger on the pulse of the FREEZE plug design and evolution, please be aware that the freeze plug industry has been intently working, since the dawn of casting metals, on a full functioning FREEZE plug that will releave the freezing pressures within the engine block, cylinder head, AND the plenum of L-28 EFI manifolds, with 100% assurance of no cracks or breakages. (Hey Tony. The freeze plug in the end of the L-28 EFI intake plenum is for protecting the manifold against cracking during carburetor icing). Until the Freeze plug industry does make that breakthrough, (and believe you me, we will be the first to let you all know), anyone smart enough to still trust the current-modern, or even the original old school freeze plugs, to protect their engines from freeze breaks obviously knows that all those broken blocks and heads that come into the machine shops all across the country, (especially in the northern portion of the states and more often between November and March, for some odd reason) are cracked and broken due to stuck fast idle cams on the EFI system, not routinely rotating the spark plugs, not enough O-2 sensor fluid, excess throttle shaft chatter, clogged idle jets in the fuel injectors, and because the pistons reciprocated. Like duh... . So if anyone calls up or posts Rusch Motorsports asking for freeze plugs, we will politely remind them that until the freeze plug industry gets the freeze plug design working with 100% reliability, we strongly recommend the use of core plugs AND some form of antifreeze for winterizing their engines. Even with today’s antifreeze prices, this route is by far the least costly route to winterize your vehicles engine, at least till the freeze plug industry is able to design a truly functioning freeze plug… It has been brought up that in the parts catalogs at certain parts stores, these plugs are listed as freeze plugs. Well, I feel it is truly one of two reasons. Which one do you subscribe to?... 1) They are anticipating the freeze plug industries big break through in making them 100% functionally reliable?… 2) It has to do with whole myth in the first place. (as covered in depth much earlier in this thread). The term “freeze plug” picked up momentum amongst the shade tree and not so mechanically inclined public, and the guys you find behind the parts counter fall into that same category, (if they were more mechanically inclined, you would find them on the other end of a wrench instead of selling freeze plugs). Being as this improper term is still being thrown around as educated fact, (evidenced by the mere presence of this thread), and the not so mechanically inclined general public still “says” freeze plug, the catalog publishers knowing full well the correct terminology, still print it in the format that parts guys like John Q. Public can easily look up, to sell across the counter?… A BRAAP satire...

Those pics are of the block already honed. If he hones the bores further, especially to the point of removing the scratches, that only makes the bores larger which means more piston slap, wider ring gaps which is more blow by, and the rocking pistons due to the excessive pistons to cyl wall clearance accelerates ring wear considerably. It really needs the next size up pistons. Neither route is the right way to go about this and he is fully aware of that, but as a disposable engine, as he coined it, the scratches are the lesser of the two evils.

Definitely either an F-1 or Indy power plant. For anyone wanting to know the real definition of scary fast or the more aptly termed stupid fast, that video is a great example.. (I want one)…

I thought of that a few months ago as well. Tape measure told me otherwise. The Z-32 dash is 57 inches across, available space in the S-30 is 50”. I really don’t see any creative way to make it fit without it looking butchered. Though the Z-32 dash is the same width as the Q-45 dash?.. Hmm…

Dave, Is that little rod dangling out the bottom of the strut tube an adjuster for your strut/damper valving? If you don’t mind, what dampers are running? Thanks, Paul

MS-II should be able to control the coil packs by itself, but you’ll need igniters, to figure out the correct dwell, etc. By using the EDIS module, it has the built in igniters, all the dwell info has already been figured so as not to over or under saturate the coils, (could burn up the coils if they are over saturated), all you need to do is plot your timing map in the timing map, check off the appropriate EDIS option boxes in the MS configuration. Bypassing the EDIS module is totally doable, but does require a lot more work, research, set up, configuring etc on your part,. Oh, and if you do not use the EDIS module, don’t limit yourself to the EDIS coil packs. Think more coils, think exotic.. like say 6 individual coils, such as GM LS—x coils. As for the 72-2 wheel on the cam or distributor drive, YES, that will work and EDIS would never know the difference. The only hurdle to jump with that is the finding a VR sensor that is capable of reading those small teeth AND still have a strong enough signal to the EDIS module for the module to interpret, especially at idle. If you are wanting to play in uncharted territory regarding EDIS, (and I whole heartedly encourage you to as EDIS is quite robust and fun to play with), I strongly recommend you start out by reading mine and Ron Tyler’s write up on the EDIS Test bench. LOTS of very good useful information there from which to start your own projects regarding EDIS, i.e. the 72-2 wheel spun off the cam or distributor drive. The EDIS Test bench. Lots of good info and pics.. http://www.msextra.com/viewtopic.php?t=14920 Some more good DIS ignition meat with info regarding EDIS… http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?p=666236 My own Mega Squirt w/EDIS-6 success story http://www.msruns.com/viewtopic.php?t=15436 Here are a few teaser pics from the EDIS test bench… EDIS-8 running full tilt…

Bill, I apologize if my questions are ridiculous so please excuse my ignorance. I’ve never heard of a “face book” before. What is a face book exactly? When signing on, it asks for Email and password. Being as it is related to HybridZ in some manner, are we supposed to use our HybridZ password? Thank you, Paul

Thanks for being a good sport. The fuel pressure regulator as used in 99% of all EFI systems are a “pressure activated valve” as you described. The pressure comes from a spring above the diaphragm and that is what maintains the fuel pressure, (the spring is represented in my cheesy sketch of the fuel pressure regulator above.) The vacuum signal is there to keep the pressure difference at the injector nozzle the same no matter what the manifold pressure is. i.e. at idle, manifold pressure is down a few PSI and as such the vacuum signal drops the fuel pressure in the regulator that same few PSI. That is how 99% of EFI fuel pressure regulators function. Though with aftermarket EFI, you can essentially eliminate the vacuum signal and program your fuel map, (injector pulse widths,) to compensate similarly, if you so choose, though most people retain the vacuum signal. In short, you were/are on the right track. As for where to get the multi port fuel pressure regulators? Well, the OE ’75 and ’76 Z car fuel pressure regulators have two outlets and look very much like the regulator in the sketch above, though it isn’t adjustable. The adjustability is just a fine tuning aid, not a necessity, just a luxury. Most aftermarket Fuel pressure regulators have multiple ports like the Mallory 4307M I used. http://www.malloryracing.com/ProductDetails.aspx?brandId=6&productID=8815762&majID=225&minID=2259&selection=0&minselection=4 It has 4 ports. I used one for a pressure gauge, one was the fuel supply from the pump, another for the fuel out to the fuel rail, and I plugged the last one. My Fuel pressure regulator was my “TEE” in that system. Hope that helps, Paul

Nope, not retarded at all. Though my mad subliminal skills are WAY powerful as you designed exactly what I described above, and quoted again below.... (You left yourself wide open with that one. I’m just playing so don’t take it personal. If I did offend you, I apologize and will delete my joking.) Another way to describe your brilliant design, again, place the fuel pump AND the fuel pressure regulator back at the tank. You can use the fuel pressure regulator AS the TEE itself as you described, (see drawing above) and it keeps the pressure at whatever pressure you set it at, 37 PSI in your example, throughout the entire line all the way to the injectors.

Hmm.. destroked VH41DE. Hmm.. Well, someone else already beat you to that exact idea and they proved it to be quite a successful power plant. It is a destroked Infiniti VH/VK, But instead of 180 degree headers, they chose to build it with a 180 degree crank! 650 HP, screaming at 10,700 RPM with that oh sought after exotic BRAAP exhaust note.. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it… Better yet! Stick that in your Z and smoke the tires… The Infiniti VRH35ADE…

Good one Warren..

First post in the Z-32 section… Hmmm... Lets kick this pig.. Preface and disclaimer; I guess I’ll start this forum with my own personal editorial like points/opinions on the Z-32, so please don’t take all this as bashing as there is some definite whining within, (more incentive to Hybrid the beast!). Not all Z-32 experiences are representative of mine, but more often than not, others are sharing similar sentiment. The Z-32 is not a budget car by any means, and will leave you driving plan “B” on occasion. Just keep that in mind and you’ll have a great relationship with the Z-32. My current Z-32… The NISSAN Z-32 300-ZX! Sold here in the US of A from 1990 through 1996. Sold in Japan through 2000 or there a bouts. The Z-32 is a drop dead sexy, fun to drive, spirited chassis, very photogenic, and even in 2007, its lines and styling are timeless and exotic. Some note worthy down sides to these cars. (let the whining begin...) They are relatively heavy, (compared to the S-30 chassis), the engine is quite difficult to work on due the expansive intake plenum that covers most of the engine bay hiding everything underneath. These cars eat their own fuel injectors for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Most Z-32’s on the road today have had all 6 of their injectors replaced at least once if not twice by 100,000 miles on the clock. The entire car is a ridiculously complex electronic network with an array of sensors, wiring, and computers in every nook and cranny of every corner in the car monitoring wheel speeds, temperatures in every climate controlled vent outlet, fuel temps, EGR temps, Climate control door angles, etc. There are enough electronics monitoring sensors and controls in these cars to send man to the moon. Just take a gander in the factory service manual linked here to see what I mean. http://www.300zx-twinturbo.com/cgi-bin/manual.cgi Misc pics from the brochure.. I’ll try and keep the rant list short as I could easily write a full length novel with in-depth testing on the many facets of the car including extensive data logging sessions… The Nissan ECU leaves a lot to be desired for the discerning sports car driver, it and that 3 square acres of upper intake plenum are the first items to get jettisoned during the Hybrid conversion. The rear multi-link suspension when driven at 9-10 tenths wiggles and squirms as the rear wheels are constantly slightly steering in and out based on cornering, braking, and power loads as Nissan intended, (see pic below). And that is the N/A cars. The HICAS on the Turbo cars adds even more uncertainty to the full tilt cornering experience. When driven at 5-6 tenths, i.e. typical of John Q-publics idea of spirited driving on the back roads, the car feels very taught and stable, just as the Nissan engineers intended for their target audience. It is when driven to the hard core 9 and 10 tenths that us Hybrid Z owners/builders find where the multi link shows its true inadequacies. For the non believers that feel the Nissan rear multi-link is a great sports car suspension, when is the last or only time, anyone has ever seen a Z-32 in the top rankings at national level autocross competition? Having driven national caliber autocross cars, owning 2 Z-32’s and a Q-45, (same front and rear suspension as the Z-32) the rear multi link suspension is definitely not a true performance handling system. The rear suspension might not be the only thing holding it back from true race winning performance, but it definitely is a part of that equation. With the ’90 parts car here at the shop, (our mock up mule for the V-8 conversion), I am intensely working on a way to utilize the OE rear hub to retain those great Z-32 brakes, and eliminate the garbage multi-link and make it a double A-arm arrangement geared more towards high performance handling with a bias towards transitional handling characteristics for Autocross and tight windy back road duty. I have been infected with Z-32 lust since the car was first introduced in 1990. I still have an original 1990 Nissan Z-32 brochure in the jacket. Earlier this year, the opportunity presented itself for me to acquire my first Z-32. First one was, shall we say ok to look at, overall it was a bit rough and in need of lots of expensive TLC, but a good project car for someone wanting a project car. I was looking for a reliable daily driver to replace the totaled Q-45. The second Z-32 cost over twice as much as the first one, hoping that spending more would mean less of a project car. Well, that theory sort of worked. It still was plagued with typical common issues for a Z-32 with just over 100,000 miles on the clock. A good close long time family friend that owns a specialty shop that maintains and modifies Z-32’s, (even the local dealership sends all their Z-32’s to his shop instead of working on them themselves), warned me of the typical issues these cars are plagued with. With my Z lust goggles on, I proceeded on and just as he warned me from the get go, EVERYTHING that he said was typical, happened! I was able to take care of the most pressing issues on my own, the minor ones that I let go aren’t worth the time and hassle as the car is getting a new heartbeat in due time. A V-8 of sorts, just not sure if that V-8 will have 16 valves or 32 valves.. The 32 valve Q-45 engine still runs very hard and is available, and the supercharged SBC 350 and T-56 for Project Fuzzy is the other option.. (Coin flip). stay tuned… One of the pluses of these cars are the brakes. They work, and they work great. Suck your eyeballs out of your sockets good. Stock brakes are ok for mild playing. The Brembo slotted/drilled rotors with metal master pads allow for marginally more braking before fade and pedal pulsations set in, and they looked great, (first Z-32 had the Brembo metal master brakes). The Specialty Z brake kit with front and rear Baer rotors and Brake man pads are a true high performance brake kit AND the front rotors are, get this, exactly 5 lbs lighter per rotor than the stock and Brembo rotors! I have abused these brakes on more than a few occasions to the point that the Brembo combo would have been totally gone, and the Specialty Z brakes kept slowing the car, corner after brutal corner, never pulsating, never fading, rotors glowing, (purple and blue tinted from the extreme heat once cooled). The only complaint from the brakes was increased pedal effort, till they cooled off and all was back to normal. The Specialty Z brake kit… This is the reality of Z-32 lust… Top car is what you thought you purchased, and what you woke up to the morning after with the Z-lust goggles off The Z-32 sex appeal…

Don't panic. The little casting numbers on the side of the head will either read P90 or P90A. Now keep in mind, not all P90A heads were hydraulic. Some were cast and manufactured with mechanical lifters. So in short, as long as there is a "P" a "9" and a "0" as the casting number, your good. The "A", well, it really means squat as the head coud be either hydraulic or mechanical, so just ignore it. Instead of horror, you should be kneeling before the gods of internal combustion, say a little gracious thank you prayer, then promptly get your .010" and .012" feeler gauges and adjust your valves, start your engine and dirive away a happy happy man.

Now that is a clever way to do that. I take back my previous comments. Sorry guys. Of all the hood shock conversions I've seen they all have been obnoxiously visible and in the way, so to speak. This converison is nice in that it opens up the area ahead of the core support for intercooler, air ducting for more efficient cooling, and does NOT impede engine bay access.

I just found another source that backs up everything Naviathan is saying. Mentions the Nissan version of the T-5, FS5R90A, as either ATF or gear lube. http://www.az-zbum.com/information.transmission.shtml I hope I didn't add too much confusion here.

First off, PLEASE oh please shrink the pics down to at leasst 1024x768, or 800x600 would be better yet. With the huge by large pics, the text also wraps requiring side scrolling as well as down scrolling to read. Sounds like a major melt down. How does the crank and the rods look? Were the bearings squished out at all? Any scoring on the crank journals? If detonation was present during the melt down, you might want to have the main webs of the block and the crank magnufluxed for cracks as detonation to the point of total melt down is typically quite severe, i.e. cracked block and or crank. How do the heads look, in particular, the valves and valve seats? Pending the parts are reusable, not broke, the cheap way out is just kiss hone the bores, (as you have already done, don't hone any further unless you plan to over bore and don't forget to verify piston to wall clearance and ring-end gaps) , re-ring and fresh bearings, the scrathes will still be there, the engine will run and the cylidners will make compression, it just wont be "right" if you know what I mean. As an engine builder/machinist, if this were my personal engine, and if the crank and main line is still in good condition, I would either overbore this block or just find another good core block.

I was under the impression that only the World Class T-5 from '88+ V-8 applications, (i.e. Camaro, Firebird, and Mustang V-8), used ATF and that was because of the composite synchros? As far as I was aware of in all my research on the T-5 back in the late 90's, all other T-5 trannies, aka NON World Class as used in 4 cylinders and 6 cylidners, utilized regular standard synchros and as such used regular gear oil? What I do know for a definite fact is that you do NOT want to use standard gear oil in a World Class T-5 becuase of the composite, (essentially paper), synchros. I 'm not sure what would result if you use ATF in a tranny that normally requires gear oil. Probably work just fine other than the synchros would behave differently?..

The S-30 Z cars already have hinge springs which function like lift shocks, are realtively light weight and out of the way. The hood prop is really just a safety when the wind blows. IMO, lift shocks offer nothing over the OE spring set up other than getting in the way while accessing the engine bay.

As was mentioned here and in that GRM article, the idea is for even exhaust pulses when those pulses meet up together in the collectors. Exhaust tuning can be more exacting that way, like on a 4 cylinder or the L-6. For a V-8, the 2 ways to do this is either a 180 degree crank, (aka flat crank, single plane crank, etc), or with the Dual plane crank V-8’s that we are accustomed to, (all domestic production V-8's), this can be accomplished by using “180 degree” headers as used on the Ford GT-40, some Panteras, or as fabricated on that Z in the GRM article. These tend be very long primary tubes and depending on available real-estate under the bonnet, can be quite ornate. The middle two cylinders of one bank pair up with the outer two cylinders of the opposing bank and vice versa. This makes for some very intricate header designs as seen in the accompanying pictures. The GRM claims of 40-50 ft lbs of torque, well, are not likely, though theoretically could be accurate, but only under certain circumstances and only with an engine built to a MUCH higher power level, aka Nascar. If he did engineer his primary lengths properly, took into account cam specs, induction properties, etc, realistically he may realize a 5-10 ft lb increase, 15 if he is lucky. here are a couple articles with pictures touching on the 180 degree header design… http://home.alltel.net/bsprowl/Exhaust/180FEHeaders.htm http://www.ssheaders.com/header.htm Here are some 180 degree V-8 headers for your viewing pleasure…

In the case of rod bolts, if you spin the engine too high for too long, the bolts could let go/relax, leaving you with a nicely ventilated block, trashed crank, etc. With main bolts, if cylinder pressures get high enough, (the mega boosted 500+ HP Turbo applications) the pressure could overcome the main bolts tension allowing the mains to open up, or worst case, spit the crank out the bottom, though usually doesn't happen that way, as 1 or 2 mains will get wiped out first, sometimes with a broken crank. As for head bolts, again, if cylinder pressures are high enough, (mega boost), the head will literally lift off the block blowing the head gasket out. We've seen it posted here many times with pictures of such damge, though usually the result of detonation, (unaudible as the owner never heard it), that lifted the head and blew the gasket, even with head studs!

Those look like real nice quality cast pistons. They are perfect for the mild to moderate stroker build. Do keep in mind those are cast pistons, not forged pistons. If you keep the RPM's down below 7500 RPM and if you plan on boosting, just keep boost levels to conservative levels with the appropraite compression ratio and they they will work just fine.

The IAT can be placed anywhere in the intake tract, from the air cleaner to as close to the intake valve as you can get it. Where is the the best location? Well, that is ongoing debate and each theory on where is best has its merit, but honestly, anyhwere in the intake tract will get the engie running and be drivable. I personally feel closer to the throttle valve is better due to heat seak issues of the non crossflow head design, but this just my opinion. Read this thread. It covers IAT placement pretty indepth.. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=115937