BRAAP

You can call a local automotive machine shop and tell them you need CORE plugs or SOFT plugs or EXPANSION plugs for your Datsun L-series,. Tell them what the block is, i.e. L-24, L-26, or L-28 and what year the block is and they will set you up, (It really doesn’t matter what year or even which engine it is as the Pioneer expansion plug sets are the same fro ALL L-6 engines.) You have the option of BRASS or STEEL. Brass is more expensive, but if you plan to not rebuild the engine for at least 100,000 miles, then go with the BRASS, otherwise the steel CORE plugs are just fine. If they are having a hard time finding them for you, give them one of these Pioneer part number… Steel plugs PE-132 Brass plugs PE-132-B Or you could just order them through us…, but only if you promise to NEVER call them freeze plugs ever again… The sizes are 35mm, 40mm, and 50mm. You'll know which is which, (one under the fornt cover, one under the bellhousing and the others are visible on the both sides of the block, 35mm). Ruschmotorsports@hotmail.com

If it helps, the early Dodge Vipers also had side exit exhaust, just ahead of the rear tires. Off the top of my head, they are one of the more modern production cars to have side exit exhaust…

C’mon guys, this is Hybrid Z, THE source of technical info. You all no better than this. There is NO magic HP in a firing order change. It is what accompanies and complements the firing order change that “frees” up hidden power that was being restricted in the first place! The firing order change in itself does NOT produce more power over what was previously available. (where is Grumpy when you need him?). And at that, totally dialed in setups of comparable displacement will produce similar power, PERIOD, regardless of their firing orders. That crap has all been sorted out way back when these engines were originally designed guys, I’m talking back in the ‘40’s and 50’s! The ‘60’s, 70’s, ‘80’ and the ‘90’s only showed us that there is power to be unleashed in fine tuning and cylinder head design, (port shape and location) of the original design! . Don’t let the magazines snow you into thinking there is free magical HP to be had here… How many magazine articles have you guys read about a new way to approach the SBC 350 that over the years only proved to be nothing more than, if its tuned right from the get go, it will make power!, i.e. NO MAGIC!!!!! You guys are all looking for that little bit of “magical” HP that these magazine articles reference, in this case, a camshaft that allows a different firing order… (in the engine building/machining trade, we refer this as “Magazine engine builders”, not a positive label to say the least). Please, take what you read in magazines with a grain of salt. A 350 CID engine will produce “so much power”, no matter what its firing order is. Differences in ignition timing have more affect on power produced than the firing order will. There are SO MANY other variables not accounted for that these 30 HP increase claims are just pain BS!!!! Trust me, there is no magical free horse power to be found that hasn’t been found out already… Do a little research fellas. The Ford 5.0 back in the mid to late 90’s came with 2 different firing orders. The Thunderbird/Cougar/Truck 302 had a different firing order than the HO 302 Mustangs. Ever notice how sedate and mellow the exhaust note is on the V-8 Thunderturds vs the HO Mustangs? It wasn’t because of more duration and lift of hte Mustang, it was the firing order! The firing order of the HO Mustang is similar to the old Ford V-8 and typical Chev and Chrysler V-8, (that typical rough sounding rumble.) The 4-7 swap smoothes out the firing pulses to the ear. The LS-x GM engine use the same firing order as the sedate Ford V-8, not only was the 4-7 swapped but 2 of the other cylinders are also swapped. It was for noise, vibration, and harshness reasons, not for free magical power. The LS-x engines do sound “smoother” than the traditional V-8 at full song.. Hmmm.. now if you tuned the induction and exhaust systems to either firing order, they will produce similar power throughout the rev range given similar valve timing specs etc. What I’m trying to say here is don’t get suckered into thinking you are buying a free 30 HP gain just in a 4-7 swap cam! Also, don’t let me sway you from a 4-7 swap cam. I do feel that it is a step in the right direction if you want a smoother, less audible V-8. But PLEASE, don’t accuse the 4-7 swap of allowing or robbing power just because of the firing order change by itself! That would come for the improper tuning. (Grumpy could clarify this better than I). There are too many other variables to take into consideration. In short, by believing the 4-7 swap alone is worth HP, would be like taking only one verse out of the Bible and using that one and only verse as the interpretation of the entire book. That would be WRONG! Magazine articles do just that all the time. They are paid by parts manufactures, so keep that in mind when you read an article about an engine build-up that is too good to be true. They are selling parts to help pay there bills. Just read between the lines when you read those magazines and you will be well served. If you really want to be different with your V-8 firing order, look into a 180 degree cranks, (also known as a flat crank or single plane cranks for the 90 degree V-8 blocks. 180 degree headers offer similar results, but without having to use a different crank and cam). Ever notice how a Ferrari V-8 sounds like a high strung sport bike but a domestic V-8 sounds like a Harley V-twin! Domestic V-8 cranks shafts are duel plane or 360 degree in techno speak, and have the firing order in such a way as to be viewed as 4 V-twins sharing a common crankshaft. The Ferrari V-8 is like a pair of inline four cylinder engines sharing a common cranks shaft, hence the exhaust notes…. Supposedly the single plane allows for exhaust tuning, but 2nd order harmonics are greater, i.e. the engine will be buzzier just like a big 4 cylinder. For what its worth, NASCAR has played with both over the years, and are still using the traditional firing order, as well as the top echelons of drag racing… You have better chance of freeing up corked HP by building your own 180 degree exhaust system like what is pictured below. The center 2 cylinders on one bank communicates with the outer 2 cylinders of the opposite bank, and vice versa… This allows for exhaust tuning, but any real power gains will only be realized on higher end performance projects, i.e., greater than 120 HP per CID.

Ok, We are going, right? Anyone else interested in seeing these first hand and going to the show, (trust me, it is WAY friggin cool), let us know. We can meet for breakfast, go to the show, then head over to Rusch Motorsports for some bench racing, pit fire, and BBQ?…

Continue on with your build. You won’t have any issues. The Flat Top L-28 pistons pop up out of thebore .020”-.025”, and with a stock Nissan or Felpro head gasket, the squish with a matching head is then PERFECT! Though you wouldn’t want it any closer than that. Your pistons will NOT contact the head or valves, (unless you don’t time the cam properly). Hope that helps, Paul

Ahh… The miniature engines.. So Ron, are we going to again this year? It's still in Portland right? Here are some more pics of those miniature engines… I have video in VHSc of the Rotary and Blown V-8 running… BTW, they use automotive heater cores for radiators...

In short, if your cooling system is up to par, then you could run the thermostat that your particular set up is “tuned” to and it should work under all conditions, i.e. no need to change it out other than for routine maintenance. FWIW, All my custom engines that leave our shop, (keep in mind that all these engines are built with performance in mind, not mileage and emissions), and as such, I prefer to run the 160 degree Thermostat, and whatever you do when buying a thermostat, don’t skimp on quality. Over the past few years, I have run into NUMEROUS medium quality thermostats that were bad, i.e. either were very inconsistent varying engine temps, stayed open, or didn’t want to open fully. It has been my experience playing with, and performance-tuning engines, with performance as the primary goal, that cold water and hot oil has allowed the engine to run stronger. Smokey Yunick also supports that theory for making power. Take that for its worth. Keep in mind, that if you do change the thermostat to a different heat range, especially if you go to a drastic change, you might want to retune your AFR’s and ignition timing to compensate for the different thermal environment within the combustion chambers. Your target AFR range shouldn't change, but if left untuned, the actual AFRs will be different, at least slightly. Hope that helps, Paul Ruschman

Maybe this will help fuel your desire of an RB powered Z car… Here is a ’77 280 with a Mopar 440 and manual shift bodied TF 727…. Sold it to a gentleman in Louisiana.

AWESOME drift angles… great video. COOL car, congrats on your purchase. I wanna ride! Power-on over steer RULES!!!! (wrong wheel drive pull toys, need not apply… )

Linky no worky...

AHHhh... Roger that. Very nice.. Thank you for sharing.

There is a carbureted Nitrous SBC Z-32 here and an MS EFI Twin turbo SBC Z-32 here as well. The Nitrous SBC Z-32 photo album http://album.hybridz.org/showgallery...0&ppuser=20240 The Nitrous Z-32 thread. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=118470 The Twine Turbo SBC… http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=110873 We are also planning to V-8 a Z-32, possibly my ’93 N/A car. I just brought home a ’90 N/A shell this last Thursday for mocking up the mounts… The mock up shell.. The V-8 recipient...

VG30E boosted TT; Good torque, not known for high RPM breathing in N/A or boosted trim without going to some great extremes. SR20DE with a hair dryer; set up for similar power levels as the VG30ETT, the SR will be a little more peaky in how it delivers its power, but the SR will breathe that boost more efficiently. Also, the SR should be a tad lighter. Hmmm…. I think you better say what those other engines are…

Nope, these are N/A. 1 fast Z’s very impressive high 12 second street driven 280 Z and the build ups I quoted are all N/A! Not Turbo.

Matt, Well I’m sure that as soon as you noticed that I posted that you know which way I’m going to steer you. EDIS!!!!! Pinpoint timing at all RPM and MAP points, no dizzy cap and rotor, etc… Timing map…

Here ya go. 2 separate projects that both Ron Tyler and myself are involved in. (Me the engine builder/head work and modified OE intake. Ron, EMS and scratch built intake manifold) Both are custom N/A L-28s, stand alone EFI, 6 coil DIS ignition. One is N-42/N-42 getting mild cam and custom scratch built intake and is getting close to initial start up. The other is a F-54/P-79 combo that just left the shop running at about 95% of optimum tune, (just passed tail pipe smog this week), running a cosmetically enhanced OE N-42 intake stock cam and runs much harder now than it did when it came in with the OE EFI and dizzy ign. Custom N-42/N-42 project… http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=117607 Custom F-54/P-79 project… http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=119783

The drop in compression will have such a minimal impact on performance vs if it had the flat tops, you probably wouldn’t even be able to feel the difference set of the pants, from that little bit of compression ratio difference. Bolt on your carbs and exhaust, just run regular unleaded, set the ignition timing a little aggressive, say 40 degrees total mechanical advance, and this low compression 400CC larger engine will pull harder than the L-24 hands down. FWIW, the OE Turbo cams have a wider lobe separation than the N/A cams. If you also install a stock N/A cam, it will give you little more mid range punch that you will feel seat of the pants over the flatter power band that the turbo cam would deliver in your N/A Turbo long block application. Have fun…

Garrett, Uhh.. well…. This is bit of a gray area. I choose to error on the conservative side and blanket statement this by just saying no. In general, what you are saying is true. For a particular engine type and displacement, all else being equal, cam, displacement, etc, and IF the two engines had similar leakage rates with the piston throughout its travel in the cylinder, (not just from a leak down test which only measures leakage with piston at the top of the bore), then yes, a higher cranking compression would indicate a higher compression ratio engine. Also keep in mind, the faster you crank the engine, the cranking compression will most likely be higher as there is less time for “leakage” to occur during the cranking cycle. (the Nisan gear reduction starters spin the engine slower than the older heavy bulky starters, so just swapping starters will result in different cranking compression numbers)… i.e. If you slowly hand crank a tightly sealed engine over by hand, you may never build up even 75 PSI, but if you install a good fast starter on it, hold open the throttle valve open, and attach a fully charged strong battery, you could easily hit 180-200 PSI cranking compression. A big cam on a high compression engine should have comparable cranking compression to a small cammed low compression engine of the same displacement, (this is if the compression ratio matches the cam specs that is.) In short, there are too many variables that would take way more time to isolate, verify and account for within any particular cylinder of any particular engine than it would be just verify casting numbers, remove the head, verify bore, stroke, piston dish, and cylinder head volume and calculate it out exactly. The room for error has just been removed, so to speak, by calculating the volume, not allowing leakages to skew the math… . (if that made any sense?...)

To verify a stuck open valve, pull the valve cover, and rotate the engine through at least 2 complete crankshaft revolutions. While you are rotating the crank, visually verify that all the valves of the affected cylinders are indeed opening up with cam and then closing as well. You may notice just by looking at them, that one of the valves is will appear to be somewhat open when the cam lobe is not in contact with the valve, that will be dead giveaway. If it is indeed a stuck valve, it could be a bent valve due to contact with a piston due to a broken valve spring or some other reason. If that is the case, the head will have to come apart for repair. If it is just a sticky valve and not a bent valve, more than likely it is due to rust between the valve stem and valve guide. Being as I am a perfectionist and if there is ANY reason why any internal part of an engine isn’t functioning even remotely as it should, I always stress that the engine or at lest the offending component should come apart for thorough investigation as to WHY, then make sure measures are taken to prevent that WHY from happening again, and the engine or the offended component, properly machined/rebuilt before returning it to service. Personally, that is the only way I would personally handle this situation for any of my customers or my own personal projects. For those among you that are into the quick and dirty no initial cost fix, (consider this only temporary), if it is a stuck valve, you can remove the rocker and lash pad of the offending valve. Then be absolutely sure that the piston for that valve is at BDC. Now using a soft blunt drift, such as brass or aluminum, take a hammer and tap on the end of the valve stem, (be sure you are perfectly straight up and down to the valve stem so not to impose too much side loading on the valve stem and guide). The valve should bounce and hopefully come to the closed position. Then verify that it doesn’t stick open again during crank shaft rotation. If it continues to stick further and further open, then just remove the head and fix it properly, i.e. take it to a competent machinist, which generally isn’t the cheapest one in the phone book, unless it s friend pulling a favor for you. Good luck, Paul

Yes, it is possible to have 0 PSI cranking compression Lets say a piston rod broke so the piston doesn’t move up and down the cylinder, or a valve is stuck open so the cylinder isn’t sealed for the piston to build any pressure, etc. If you are referring to using cranking compression to calculate static compression ratio. That is virtually impossible! It is though an indicator of dynamic compression ratio, but in no way can it be used to figure out static compression ratio. Too many variables such as cylinder leakage via the valves and rings as the piston travels up the bore, and of course the real biggee is that the intake valve doesn’t fully close till the piston is some point up the compression stroke, (after BDC). Hope that helps,

Just as Grumpy says, don’t buy Chinese. When I started shopping for a lift, after a bit of research, I narrowed down my choices to Bend Pak and Mohawk. Bang for the buck with quality and reliability as major determining factors, Bend Pak and Mohawk were definitely at the top of the list. Bend Pak 4 post lifts; http://www.bendpak.com/default.isg?cPath=214 Bend Pak Parking lifts; http://www.bendpak.com/default.isg?cPath=358 Bend Pak 2 post; http://www.bendpak.com/default.isg?cPath=216 Mohawk 4 post; http://www.mohawklifts.com/consumer/4post.php Mohawk 2 post; http://www.mohawklifts.com/consumer/2post.php

Very cool. Keep us posted as you progress over the next month.. I take it your custom L-series will be Mega Squirt controlled? Take care, Paul

Dustin, I have an '85 N/A parts car. It is complete other than auto tranny.

Stevo, Yes, you are absolutely right. The P-79 intake port does have “slight” D shape where as the P-90 is pretty much non existent, but you can just barely see a small flat on the inboards port wall. The Maxima N-47 has a VERY Pronounced D intake port, WAY more than pronounced than any of the other late heads. As for the cast step in the exhaust port, I am not totally sure, and the only explanation I can offer is that it is there for valve guide support and to help carry heat away from the exhaust valve as it is closer to the valve head. Here are a couple pics of a P-90a head that we built for a hybrid member across the pond. To save you some searching, here are a few good L-series head threads… Lots of good “meat” to chew on in regards to L-heads… http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=104420 More good meat to chew.. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=105653 L-head mods, DIY http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=110269

Yes, the P-79 is very close to the P-90 in port design and EXACT in chamber design, with exhaust ports being the prominent difference between the two. In regards to the exhaust liners, you can spend the multitude of hours removing them, but if mega exhaust flow is your goal, you would be much better served just finding a P-90 head and porting the exhaust port by removing the step in the roof. Trust me on this. For mild to hot street applications, the round exhaust ports with the liners intact are more than adequate and offer great flow. Just blend that sharp edge from the back side of the valve seat to the liner using a die grinder or dremel tool. If you want to really make it worth your while, you need to unshroud the valves as well. I wont go into details in this post, but if you perform a search, the details and pics are here on this forum… hint (BRAAP has posted pics with the how and where to remove material… )