Drax240z

I wrote a bit of a turbo buildup article a few years ago. I still have it but it isn't hosted on the web anywhere. If anyone wants to host it, maybe add to it I'll happily send it along. Shoot me an email and I'll send it your way.

120mph and change in a 72 240z, stock drivetrain except 5spd... Airdam is highly recommended! (even 80-100 without an airdam feels really darty in comparison) I however don't condone high speed runs unless you are DAMN sure that its a safe spot.

Not for me. My dad has been looking at one for a restoration project. I don't know much about it, flathead 6, 4 dr... Does anyone have any info or links for these cars? Owned one before? Someone out here must have.

Whee! Go Burny, go!

James the method you describe should work just fine. A bit of advice though. (yeah I've been there too, strange feeling but its not that bad) Make sure you spend the time to get things to fit together well, specifically where you are welding. When you weld, either seam weld everything so that there are no gaps, or if you decided to spot weld, seal the crap out of the seam afterwards. Two panels close together like that will rust fast. As far as structure goes, I wouldn't worry too much. If you are replacing the whole floor pan, I'd go with something slightly heavier than stock. Its worth your while to undercoat it, and paint the inside with something water reistant as well. Enjoy!

Yup, you've got it! Lockjaw has the diagnosis dead on in my opinion. Take everything a dealer says with a grain of salt...

6061 will weld nicely and strong if you prep things right. Remove all surface oxidation and contaminants, and heat it up a lot before welding. If you try to weld without pre-heating you'll get cracks most likely, as the weld will cool too quickly. (the rest of the object will pull the heat away from the weld unless its allready up to a similar temp) Half our FSAE car is 6061-T6 and we've had no issues with our welds at all. (including major stress pieces like uprights, caliper mounts, pedal box, etc) One thing that does suck with 4043 filler though, is you can't anodize it after!

I believe that on the same engine, good tuning etc. we are arguing about 10hp here... (given CR's are similar, same cam, same valve sizing, same displacement, etc)

280zx's only came in turbo's from 81-83... just FYI. You might want to make sure of what you are purchasing! I payed $300 for an 82 turbo engine, without sensors or wiring, but otherwise complete. However, I think I got a pretty good deal and paying a little more (say $500-$600) isn't out of the question for a decent engine.

Hehe, I love it. You guys that thought this was serious need to relax a little though!

http://www.arielmotor.co.uk/ Pretty sweet little car, in the image of the Caterham Super 7...

Jason. I've doen a bit of Ti welding in the past. Make sure before you start TIGing it you practice. Ti doesn't transfer heat very well, and its quite tricky. Practice practice and you'll save yourself money and time in the long run. I'm assuming you know how to TIG and are planning on back-purging everything as you go. (or chamber weld it) If you've never TIG'd before then I suggest some extensive practice before jumping into something that is $33 a foot!

My 260z (N42, 2800cc, dished pistons, dual SUs) was falling on its face at 4500 too for a while. Well it was stuttering a bit I guess, not just an instant death. Added an electric fuel pump at the tank, in conjunction with the mechanical one on the engine, and those problems completely dissappeared. Oh yeah, check and replace your $1 fuel filter. You'd be surprised how much that can do if they are getting lots of crap in them.

Hey guys, I don't have anything really to add here, but I' really enjoying this discussion, and there is some great info here. Glad to see we can still disagree with respect towards each other around here. Kudos.

Does the 5 spd really weigh that much? I'd have guessed 60-70lbs. (but its been a little while since I've moved one)

I'd go with the single turbo VG30ET swap over the twin swap as well. Initial costs will be a lot less, and you don't have quite as much of a mess in the engine bay when you go to work on it. In either case, I'm sure ZR8ED can help you out with a lot of the logistics... On the other hand, that timeslip is pretty scary. 1.84 60'... if he could duplicate some of the 60' times around here (1.55ish) that 10.62 becomes REALLY scary. YIKES!

I'm likely at about $4500 canadian ($3000US into my engine and accessories) - 82 Turbo Engine Stock Rebuild - P90 Head with a few minor airflow mods - SDS EM-6E EFI/Ignition Control - MSD 6A - Isuzu NPR Intercooler - 240sx Throttle Body - Custom I/C Piping - Mitsubishi Eclipse BOV - 2.5" exhaust (3" in the plans) - Centerforce Dual Friction Clutch - Lots of little things that add up fast With a few more minor mods (injectors, exhaust, downpipe) The car should be capable of low 13's. One day soon I'll stop building race cars and finish building my own cars.

Yeah it would look cool, but I'd recommend following the path that the Nissan Engineers layed out for you in 1981 if you want to go turbo. I can't think of a single advantage to having carbs with a turbo setup over efi with a turbo setup... unless its looks, and even that is debateable. On the other hand, I think most of us here totally understand if you just want to do something unique!

Ti doesn't give off harful fumes when welding or cutting, not in any quantities to be concerned about anyway. Stainless is much worse, with nickel and chromium vapours. Take a torch to Ti though and you will quickly have a white hot fire out of control, (burns like magnesium) which is why it was probably suggested not to use the torch on it.

Ai the good old days. I was much like ZR8ED, feasting on information on zcar.com every day for a couple of years. I needed to learn! But when it started feeling like I was surrounded by a bunch of 10 year olds, I too started to look around. Poked around here a bit before registering. (well before it was Hybridz.org) And was hoping that these V8 guys wouldn't mind a I-6 turbo guy hanging out too. I haven't been booted out yet, so I guess they don't mind! I'm proud to be a part of this little thing we call hybridz.

I'd just like to point out that these numbers are on a stock internal engine... 339 rwhp, 428lb-ft of torque... those are serious numbers for any engine. Nice!

I have no idea where to post this, so here it is. I am in the process of designing a flowbench so that I can use it to do some intake manifold design work. I'm wondering if any of you guys out there have ever built your own flowbench, or used one enough to fill me in on a few details. I have access to sensors galore, and a datalogging system that will be incorporated with whatever I build. What I am wondering right now is what probes would be useful. My ballpark plan right now is to simply use a manometer (or equivalent high tech sensor most likely) measure pressure before adding any object, and then compare that to the same reading after the air is flowing through the object to be tested. From there the pressure drop should give me a good idea what type of restriction is caused by the object being tested. Anyway, if anyone has any wisdom to impart on this subject I'm all ears! Thanks.

Hey Chris, welcome!

Local driving school I did gave me probably 2 hours of track time, mostly with an instructor riding along for $100. Hard to beat that.

None Eddy. The N series with flat top pistons will put you right about 10:1. A thinner head gasket will put you over your 10:1 goal. Mill any, and you'll have a bit higher. Oh yeah, Norm. His times are not really a product of his engine. (I mean, they are, but not totally) He's been playing with suspension, tires, launches, etc. for ever, and I'm sure he has over 1000 trips down the strip. Once you have that type of experience, you can make anything fast.