slownrusty

Thanks for the replies...looks like I will be back under the car again this weekend. Cody - I did try and hammer any inconsistancies on the mating surface of the oil pan and make sure it was good and flat before re-installation. What is the Indian Head stuff exactly? Are we talking about the motorcycle company and a sealer they use? jmortensen - Looks like I will take your suggestion - thanks! I thought about ordering the Nissan Competition oil pan gasket but I decided to just use plain ole Permatex. Regards - Yasin

Man...awesome thread....Great reading from each reply...thanks to all and Bastaad525 for starting it! Yaisn

Hi Gang - Well after over 2+ weeks changing my oil pan gasket and installing my new Autometer Gauges, I bent down under the car to find a little puddle of oil...I was so mad...that I actually started to chuckle...you know where you get to that point where you have just about had enough... Well I am sure we have all been there. Anyway, the reason I think the new oil pan gakset is leaking?? When I actually called the local Nissan dealer to buy this gasket they said that the computer actually does not have an oil pan gasket actually listed for the L28ET - I was shocked! The Tech said that they recommend using a decent layer of RTV without the gasket. To be honest I have done that before (on my Toyota and it worked) but I preferred going with an actual gasket instead of RTV alone. So the Tech ordered a new oil pan gasket for a regular (NA) L28E and that's what I used. The new gasket is a Cork rubber (not my favorite type) mix. When I installed the new oil pan gasket I did put a thin layer of RTV on both sides it to fill any voids but when I tightened it down with the 20+ or so 10mm bolts, the gasket looks like it smushed out to the sides at bit especially at the back where the sump is. So there are some sections where the oil pan gasket is overhanging a fair bit past the edge of the oil pan. My plan this weekend is to buy Permatex with the Hylomar and remove the oil pan gasket all together and use the Permatex by itself (without the gasket) as suggested from the Dealer...hopefully that will cure my leak. Any thoughts gang....thanks for bending me an ear (again!). Regards - Yasin

Hi Gang - What stores carry Hylomar....-or- has anyone used the Permatex with Hylomar? Yasin

Congrats Mike....simply awesome. Yasin

Well the Z18ET really is getting rare and not too may made it over here (pretty much were all JDM imported engines...the Australians are getting 250hp all day long out of the Z18 (yes they are 8plug). How about the CA18ET (also 8plug) and they came in the S12 chassis car, you just have to find a donor or one at the Junk Yard. The Turbo KA24 would be a pretty big project, but there is no denying the gains! Yasin

Well to be honest the 3SGTE IC is better than no IC at all, running boost straight to the TB is going to limit how much boost you can run. I would really check eBay, there are some smoking deals on ICs on there. A turbo car and (a good) IC, is like Whitney and Bobby - they are meant to be together (okay bad analogy....LOL!). Ironically you can sell that 3SGT%E on eBay for a reasonable price and get a decent IC Regards - Yasin

Congrats....that's some beautful numbers...sounds like you are not too impressed with the fine tuning capabilities of the SDS? There should be no reason to have a SAFC with a stand alone? I have heard a few people comment on the same fine tuning ability of the SDS and degree of mapping. Either way delicious numbers. Yasin

Stay away from the 3SGTE IC - if you are going through the trouble of installing an IC, get a decent one (eBay has some awesome deals!), you will be much happier. Those stock Toyota ICs are nothing short of rubbish, sorry to be blunt, but I have tested them on various cars and never been impressed. There is no coincidence that its being offered to you cheaply! Its a known fact that these factory ICs are not very good, and that is one of the first things most Toyota owners upgrade right away. Yasin

This project started off a few weeks ago, with removal of the oil pan (what a frustrating ordeal that was!). Then lots of little welding to make fittings for the gauges, bungs and Tees on the block etc. Here is my oil pan after the painful removal, very rusty, flaked paint, dented, caked with grease and leaking oil from the bad oil pan gakset: After sandblasting the oil pan and using a special black high temp rubberized primer: After sandblasting, the final coat and a new bung welded in for my oil temp. gauge: Taking the stock oil pressure sender, separting it and using the Tee, and adding a -4AN outlet for the oil pressure gauge and the new Turbo oil line feed: To install the Autometer gauges, was not too bad really (just have to have patience!) , I took (spliced) the lighting source from my cigarette lighter and I re-used the stock plastic cups for the OE gauges and everything fits extremely snug with the Autometer 2 58" size gauges. I started installing the new gauges yesterday after work and had it all done by lunch time today - not too bad! Regards - Yasin

What about a Z18ET swap or a Turbo KA24? All the 240SX are throwing away their KA motors for a dime in favor of the SRs and the KA has been proving itself in a boosted application, lots of torque...and a great powerband. There are a few KA turbo kits available as of now. Regards- Yasin

So if it is in fact a sticky hydraulic lifter, how do you go about determining which is the bad one, with the valve cover on and car running? Yasin

Sweeeeet...good job....the fun begins now.... Yasin

Kudos to the owner! http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1516760&page=1 Yasin

If the owner of the body shop did a proper job grafting the body kit into the car (sounds like he did), then you will do more damage to the car trying to remove it than anything else. I use to work at a body shop and I know how tormenting it can be to remove a crappy installed body kit let alone a decent install. Yasin

Well Gang - SUCCESS! -I got the tranny back in tonight with help from a good friend, we got it in in less than two minutes. Having another pair of hands is the lifesaver! Tranny is all bolted in, tranny x-member, driveshaft, shifter, starter, clutch slave etc etc.....only thing left to bolt in is the exhaust and fill it with Amsoil Synthetic 75W90. Next is the Autometer Gauges Install! More on that coming...I am hoping to have Autometer Oil Pressure, Oil Temp and Boost all mounted and operating by Saturday evening....we'll see....naturally lots of pics will be coming. Thanks for all that chimed in and the help encouragement - Mucho appreciated - Yasin

Dan Brian260ZT - Thanks for the suggentions guys. I will tackle it again tomorrow after work and hopefully report back with good news! Regards - Yasin

Cool models guys. I have about two hundred models...I mostly collect Japanese models ..NissanDatsun...Toyota....and Mazda. I should take some pics..I got some neat rare ones from the '70s I will take some pics. Yasin

I mounted mine infront of the radiator and made some brackets to use the stock holes. I have removed my AC and and also tghe electric fan that sits infront of the condensor. However, I have now relocated it to a new mount I made it sits between the "Z" and "X": Regards - Yasin

Well Gang - Just tried reinstalling my tranny by myself - I spent three + hours and had absolutely ZERO luck....have any of you guys done it alone? Man that sucker has some weight to it...sheeesh! Using my floor jack and pure tug power were my only tools! I have a clutch alignment tool and feels like I have the input shaft on the tranny splined into the clutch disk but cannot seem to get the tranny bell housing any closer to the block. On the passenger side I can thread one of the bolts into the block but on the driver's side there is a several inch gap, too much too allow me thread the bolt in. So basically the tranny is sitting at angle. Looks like I will need to call on a buddy to get that last bit in - sheer brute power. I can barely see the ring gear in the space between the block and the bell housing, so I feel like I am close, however feels almost like the snout of the input shaft does not want to go into the input bearing. Any tips you guys can share? Regards - "A Very Tired" Yasin

Well I started the thread a week or so ago asking folks out there, the route they took to upgrade their turbo oil line feed. I finally finished mine tonight. My major considerations for my oil line upgrade was to: 1) Get rid of the banjo bolt on the turbo end 2) Get rid of the inverted flare end at the block 3) Have a Tee provison for my new Autometer oil pressure gauge at the block. Here is the stock line removed: Here is what I came up with: I was going to run a swivel Tee at the block for the oil press. gauge and the turbo oil line feed and I thought the threads were 18" NPT, apparently it is not. It looked to be 18" BSPT and I did not want to retap the block so, I removed the stock oil pressure sender unit and separated it. My plan at this time was to re-use the stock factory Tee that already has the right male 18" BSPT threads, so: I redrilled one of the stock Tee outlets so that a 18" NPT male could fit easily: I then bought two 18" to -4AN connectors (75cents each). I had my buddy weld a slug into one of these connector ends to completely block it off then I drilled it out to 80thou - this served as my new Oil restrictor. The other 18" to -4AN connector was welded on as the adapter for the oil pressure gauge. Here is the new Oil Restrictor: At the turbo end I could not find a 12mmx1.25 adapter (checked Earls, Aeroquip and two massive hydraulic stores), so I removed the stock flange and welded yet another 18" to -4AN connector to it. Here are all the fittings, and hose ready to go: I connected the Earls elbows to the braided line myself as the Hydraulic stores never take the time to do it carefully and always gouge the sweet looking anodizing. The down side, is that making the hose takes for ever and the sharp steel ends of the hose has me bleeding like a stuck pig during assembly. The hose is a -4 size and the elbows are all -4AN. I used about 40" of hose for new line. When I was threading the new Tee into the block one of the 18" to -4AN connectors was fouling on the side of the block that the oil filter is mounted to, so I had to get my dremel out with a cutting wheel and do some pursuasion, you can see it to the left of the picture with the shiny notched corner: Here is everything installed and complete. Total cost about $110. For an additional $40 I got a new braided line for the Autometer Oil Pressure gauge with the Earls fittings to adapt it (more on that coming soon). Hope that helps! Regards - Yasin

Crap....I wish I bought it....James count me in, if you do decide to cut another batch... Yasin

I have the JSK billet rail on my L28ET - well made and looks beautiful. I polished it after I got it. Yasin

On the STi it works well as that IC is top mount and heat soak is the number one complaint from WRXSTi owners. In Japan the Evos have a factory water spray option. Personally I would convert that kit to a water injection kit! Yasin

Absolutely great find....that's one of those stories I always hear about and wish it could happen to me! Good luck with the car and giving it a second chance at life. So did the seller throw in any drumsticks, wings.....LOL! Regards - Yasin