ktm

Have you adjusted your valves or at least checked them?

I had this done on my car. I had John at Bad Dog Parts modify his sway bar plates for me. He added a piece of metal across the top, so now the plate slips over both the top and bottom of the frame rail. I then took the car to a shop that specializes in rod building and weld them in. Before they welded them in though, I had them cut out a portion of the top rail and insert steel tubes through the rail. As for the bracket, the ST brackets should be slotted. I did not have a problem with their kit for my 240z.

Maybe "high hp" is a misnomer on this site. By "high hp" I thinking 300+ rwhp, outside the capabilities of stock fuel management, stock turbo and stock injectors. Once you replace these components, then your limitation is that of the head, exhaust, pistons, etc. My goal is to build-up a motor to the limitations of the stock internals, head, etc. with streetability and realibility. These factors, based on my reading is going to limit me to 300 to 350 rwhp. This is not a daily driver, but is meant for spirited trips on the weekends and the periodic trip to work.

I am swapping in an 1983 turbo motor into my 1972 240z. Following is the parts list I have developed for both a "stock" build and a "high hp" build. I believe I have captured most costs. Most of the prices are from either Summit Racing, the manufacturers web sites (SPEC for instance), or parts I am buying (like the 1975 tank for $50 and then refurbished for $350). I know I can save a few hundred by shopping Ebay, which I intend to do. Also, I know that some parts are priced a little high, such as the Aeromotive high pressure fuel pump. I am still researching and will determine what my actual need will be. The prices shown are for a "high HP' build. I would not want to buy a part that would not be capable of supporting additional power should I decide to upgrade later. Also, what are your thoughts on upgrading the turbo to a T3/T4 hybrid at this time and retaining stock injectors and the ECCS? The hybrid flows more than the stock T3, so the boost would not be turned up as high. I have put this together after doing quite a bit of reading both here and on the internet. I have read both of Drax's guides as well as bumblezee's how to thread. Clutch kit - 240mm SPEC Stage 2 $ 329.00 Flywheel - 240mm SPEC $ 370.00 75 Tank Refurbished $ 400.00 High Pressure Fuel Pump - Aeromotive $ 300.00 Fuel Pressure Regulator - Aeromotive $ 270.00 Fuel Relay - Painless $ 28.00 Fuel Lines $ 100.00 Fittings $ 100.00 Boost Gauge - Autometer $ 150.00 Fuel Pressure Gauge - Autometer $ 60.00 Intercooler $ 400.00 Intercooler Piping $ 100.00 Intercooler Hoses $ 50.00 By-pass Valve - Bosch - Audi TT BPV $ 50.00 Manual Boost Controller - Turbo-XS $ 130.00 Ignition Coil - Crane $ 60.00 Spark Plug Wires - Magnecor $ 50.00 Exhaust - Custom $ 250.00 250ish HP Build $3,197.00 Ignition Box - Crane - HI-6 $ 216.00 Fuel Management - Megasquirt $ 500.00 T3/T4 Turbo - Thagard $ 600.00 Injectors $ 250.00 Fuel Rail - JSK or Pallnet $ 120.00 300-350 HP Build $1,686.00 TOTAL $4,883.00

Just tagging this thread for future use.

MSA also sells the NGK blues.

jon, I just went through this very issue when I replaced an A-series transmission in my 1972 with a 260z 4-speed. My A-series had one collar, the 260z 4-speed had a different collar, and the 280z collar I bought (since Nissan only makes two now - per Courtesy Nissan and MSA) did not match either. I would do as Tony D suggests. Throwout collars are cheap. Just buy a matched kit for a 280z and be done with it.

olderthanme, the clear spark plug is Colortune. You can pick up a kit from MSA for around $60. It's basically an A/F meter. Jon, I have read your experience with the O2NB, but I am unclear on how it tells you your mixture. You indicated in previous posts that you just hook up a voltmeter to the O2 sensor and take your reading from there. How do you know what the acceptable range is on the volt meter? Previous posts indicate voltage ranges from 0.8v to 0.9v.

olderthanme, people use Colortune to get the fuel mixture correct. The synchrometer lets you balance the air flow; the O2 sensors should tell you your A/F mixture like the Colortune, correct?

Great, now I am back to where I started.

I just remembered some more information from all of my reading. This is what happens when you read too much. I recall that the stock T3 turbo is good for 12 psi and that the stock injectors are capable of flowing enough fuel up to around 250 FWHP. If these facts are true, then the only real modifications 'necessary' for the L28ET swap would be MS, boost controller, FPR and intercooler. Looks like I am talking myself right into an L28ET swap. I have been trying to stay away from fuel injection as I wanted to keep the car relatively simple. I am not afraid of fuel injection, it's just that I believe carburetors are much simpler and easier to understand. Thank you for your comment Tony D.

Before anyone says SEARCH, let me preface that I have been doing nothing but researching this very issue for hours upon hours. I must have over 30 hours of searching and reading posts on this site and I am still no further along than I was when I started. I have developed the following conclusions based on all my reading: 1) A stock L28ET provides the most bang for the buck - that is until you decided to increase the horsepower beyond stock. 2) Building a 3.0 or 3.1L N/A stroker is relatively pricey and the gains, while impressive, are limited. Once you build it out, there is not too much more you can do to increase your horsepower. Now comes my conjecture: 3) Building an L28ET to produce the same power as 3.1L stroker will cost just as much, if not slightly more, than building the stroker. I say this because, based on my reading, if you want to increase your power beyond stock in the L28ET, you are looking at an aftermarket fuel management software (MS), larger injectors, larger turbo, intercooler, larger fuel pump/FPR, boost controller, etc. The most significant cost is the software. Ok, after saying all of this, and having a defined goal in mine of producing 200 to 220 RWHP, both options are in the running but the stroker is slightly in the lead. I like turbo charged engines, especially on race gas and a cold day (thanks to my 2002 S4). However, I also like have gobs of torque on hand at low RPMs. Waiting for the turbo to spool up and hit peak book is aggravating. I keep flip-flopping back and forth. I was originally set on a stroker, but then the L28ET swap kept nagging at me due to its initial low cost. However, upon further reflection (see #3), this cost difference evaporates once you try to achieve similar HP numbers (unless I am mistaken). Saying that, the sky is the limit once you get MS as far as power is concerned with the L28, so why limit yourself to 200/220. This is a street car and will be driven quite frequently (not a daily driver, but I will take it into work occassionally). Your sage advice is most certainly welcome.

There is very little rust on the car. I have looked long and hard. Case in point. Following is a picture on my driver side T/C cup, rail, and wheel well. You can see the factory and aftermarket Ziebart coatings which I have been removed in these areas. The picture is taken before the final cleaning with mineral spirits to remove the undercoating residue. Terry, the bottom and sides are fine, it is only the top. Thankfully I stopped in time. I have thought about tapping the old captive nut and screwing the bolt from the top through the captive nut (and then attaching a nut on the other side of the bracket), but my concern is making sure the tap is perfectly straight. I reused the stock elliptical plate on the bottom along with the ST brackets.

I installed a set of ST sway bars on my car. In the front I drilled through the rails and ran longer bolts to the top of the rail. I used some large fender washers up top to help distribute the load....apparently it was not enough. As I was tightening the nut, I kept thinking, "Damn, why is it not reaching 18 ft-lbs (the right torque spec IIRC). There is an awful lot of thread showing." When I reached up to the bolt top, I could feel that I had slightly deformed the top of the rail. I did not make the same mistake on the other side. I contacted John at Bad Dog Parts and asked if he could custom fabricate one of his sway bar plates for me. Instead of just an angle iron, the piece now slips over both the top and bottom of the rail. I intead to have these welded over the rails. My question to the denizens of Hybridz: Is the squashed rail ok (enough) to have the plates welded over it? Or will I have to have the rail fixed?

Another tip is to draw an imaginary line from the two bolt holes shown in the second picture. The tang should be almost parallel to that line at TDC. Some call it the "11:30" position.

I removed my rack by jacking the engine. If your bushings were as fried as mine, you will not be able to simple pull the old bushings off the rack and attach the new ones. It was a good thing I was pulling my rack off otherwise it would have been a lesson in frustration. Do yourself a favor and just pull the entire rack. You'll have to clean the seating area for the bushings before putting on the new ones anyway.