Drax240z

Thanks guys. I expect that the paint job was a little sub standard, as it was done for under $1000. I was just a little worried that I was seeing bigger problems coming from underneath... ------------------ Drax240z 1973 240z - L28TURBO transplant on the way! http://members.xoom.com/r_lewis/datsun.html

So where will this buisiness be located? I think I might make use of you if we can manage to get around customs charges somehow. If anyone is interested I have compiled some information on why NOT to use polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE = teflon) in an engine on my website. Follow the link at the bottom. ------------------ Drax240z 1973 240z - L28TURBO transplant on the way! http://members.xoom.com/r_lewis/datsun.html

Yeah the BMW 507 was designed by albrect (sp?) goertz as well as the 240z... A buddy of mine has a euro-model 1985 323i. Pretty run of the mill car in europe. I think its 2350lbs and 151hp. About the same as a 240z actually. I think a lot of the attitude that BMW's don't perform is caused by the drivers, and the fact that most of them are 50+ and just bought the car as a status symbol. Well the cars can haul if driven by someone competent. ------------------ Drax240z 1973 240z - L28TURBO transplant on the way! http://members.xoom.com/r_lewis/datsun.html

Just a small comment on coating internal engine parts. Make sure the coating that you use internally isn't something that will repel oil. (ie: Teflon) Some other lubricants might as well. Oil is used for cooling as well in the engine, and if the oil is repelled off the part, it can't cool it very well. Sounds like a great little buisiness project you have started! ------------------ Drax240z 1973 240z - L28TURBO transplant on the way! http://members.xoom.com/r_lewis/datsun.html

I washed and waxed my car today. It was painted metallic burgundy about 5 years ago, before sitting in a garage for those 5 years. Anyway, in direct sunlight, I could barely notice darker and lighter "splotches" in the paint. Almost looks like its showing through from the back. Just wondering if anyone has seen this before? I doubt anyone but me would notice it on my car... ------------------ Drax240z 1973 240z - L28TURBO transplant on the way! http://members.xoom.com/r_lewis/datsun.html

About the only one I have really used is Molybdinum disulphide. It has a grayish appearance, and is often used on Parker compression fittings as a lubricant. Well it certainly does its job well. About the only place I can think of to use it would be on bolt threads, maybe exhaust bolts or other hard to remove items... ------------------ Drax240z 1973 240z - L28TURBO transplant on the way! http://members.xoom.com/r_lewis/datsun.html

Well I started to teardown my $200 junkyard turbo motor yesterday. What a Gem! I am almost positive that the engine could just be bolted up without being rebuilt... But I am going to do it anyway. Everything is intact. I've allready got plans to take the air blower motor and use it for a rear window defrost system, and I think I am going to make an air compressor (portable) using the air conditioning pump. That thing puts out 430psi... I can't wait to get this thing in my car! ------------------ Drax240z 1973 240z - L28TURBO transplant on the way! http://members.xoom.com/r_lewis/datsun.html [This message has been edited by Drax240z (edited May 05, 2000).]

Hey Scottie, I was just wondering if you still had the dimentions of the 3" diameter downpipe you made for your L28 turbo. I'd like to make mine before I actually need it... Just looking for depth, height and flange pattern, but I can get the last myself easily enough. Thanks in advance! ------------------ Drax240z 1973 240z - L28TURBO transplant on the way! http://members.xoom.com/r_lewis/datsun.html

Found out quite a lot more info today about the whole thing. First off, propane is about 10% less efficient than gasoline. The 50% cost savings makes up for that no problem. Propane burns at higher temps than gasoline as well, and heads must be specially prepped for it. Usually the prep consists of extra hard valve seats. No big deal, I'm getting my head redone anyway. I don't know the densities of propane and gasoline offhand, but I think they are within about 10% of each other. Weight gain from the tank is pretty simply handled, I am going to run a slightly smaller tank than stock. (probably 45L-55L instead of 65L) As for availability, I'd say >50% of the gas stations out here have propane outlets, its becoming more and more popular all the time. Its also not that hard to get a "cardlock" access to a place for LPG. (liquid propane gas) All in all, this is seeming like a wicked idea. I can do away with injectors, ecu, afm, wiring harness, fuel pump, pressure regulator... All things I don't have for my engine now. I've found a kit for a Ford V8 for $100US locally, I can't imagine that not being sufficient for my fuel needs. I've also decided that everytime I get LPG, I will put the amount I pay for fuel in a bank account, and use basically what I saved over gasoline to upgrade things on the Z car. More reseach cometh... ------------------ Drax240z 1973 240z - L28TURBO transplant on the way! http://members.xoom.com/r_lewis/datsun.html

I'm not really going on any personal knowledge here, just what I have heard from the turbo guru's that I've had contact with or read posts from. (mostly on zcar.com) Cheap = starion or supra I/C. Just big enough to get the job done on those engines, and not a whole lot of potential beyond that. I don't know flow numbers at all, but I doubt these ones would allow an L28T get beyond 275hp or so. Maybe not even that. ------------------ Drax240z 1973 240z - L28TURBO transplant on the way! http://members.xoom.com/r_lewis/datsun.html

A buddy of mine is trying to convince me to run a propane system with my new turbo engine... Intriguing thought. I guess those of you in the US might not be too familiar with propane, its a common fuel up here for automotive, available anywhere. The plus side is that it's 1/2 the price of gas, and has an octane rating of 114. Would be like running race gas all the time... Damn, I'd have to run 20psi boost just to make good use of it. Can anyone think of any drawbacks to this system? (other than set up cost) The cost of propane is so much less than gas, I'll save enough money to cover the install in a couple of months. ------------------ Drax240z 1973 240z - L28TURBO transplant on the way! http://members.xoom.com/r_lewis/datsun.html

Well I am going to follow Scotties advice and not go cheap on the I/C... I'll probably try to find the NPR I/c and then once I fail at that I'll make a run down to Boeing Surplus and pick myself up a big aluminum heat exchanger and make one out of that. ------------------ Drax240z 1973 240z - L28TURBO transplant on the way! http://members.xoom.com/r_lewis/datsun.html

John, do you have an intercooler in the works? You haven't really mentioned it at all in your posts, except that you aren't running one. Seems to me you might be better off to spend the dough on an intercooler and run pump gas than to run race gas without an I/C... ------------- Drax240z L28TURBO transplant on the way! http://members.xoom.com/r_lewis/datsun.html [This message has been edited by Drax240z (edited April 28, 2000).] [This message has been edited by Drax240z (edited April 28, 2000).]

Thanks Scottie. I've actually been following your pages and progress for about a year now. Problem is my funds are limited, and the car is my daily driver. So the solution for now is to rebuild the bottom end (timing chain, bearings, rings) bolt it in to get my transportation back, then upgrade over time from there. I am going to call SDS today and find out some more info. What did your 550cc injectors come off of? 3" exhaust is planned, going to get some mandrel bent 270's and cut and weld and install it myself. TB is a bolt on upgrade, it'll have to wait a bit... bigger turbo will have to wait a little too. First performance mod after the engine is installed will indeed be the baddest I/C I can find. Which one of the SDS systems did you go with? ------------------ Drax240z ------------------------ 1973 240z - L28TURBO transplant on the way!

Hehe. This thing reminds me of a lawnmower my grandfather bought about a year before his death. (about 10 years ago now) I swear, it took him less than 5 minutes to mow his whole back yard on that thing. I bet you it did 30mph! It was some old homemade thing he picked up cheap... Funny watching your 65 year old grandfater get windburn from mowing his lawn... Something that will be with me for the rest of my life. ------------------ Drax240z 1973 240z - L28TURBO transplant on the way! http://members.xoom.com/r_lewis/datsun.html

I'm located in Vancouver, BC, Canada. And actually I know of another engine around for about $300US. (turbo) I ended up buying the $200 one today. Will have it in my hands by monday. Then starts the teardown. I'm missing the ECU, wiring harness, and AFM however. In a moment where I thought I had more money than I do, I planned on going with an SDS programmable system... Eliminating the need for ECU, AFM and harness. I'm not sure if I'll be looking for these things again or not, we'll see what I can get an SDS for. Going to do basically a stock rebuild of the block and head, valve job, rings and bearings, mild head cleanup... Right now I am going to see if I can squeek out enough to go with the SDS at the same time. Half the people working for my company got laid off this week... Happy to still be employed. Drax240z

From a wreckers around here actually. Everyone else was asking about $300-$350 for the same setup. I've allready got my current motor sold for the same as I am paying for the new one too. Not too shabby. Damn its ugly outside... maybe I should wait until tomorrow. Drax240z

This could fall under any category really... But I figured a turbocharged barstool was pretty high-tech. Imagine, beer store runs without having to get out of your chair! http://www.sdsefi.com/features/apr00stool.htm Drax240z

I am going to go pick myself up an engine tomorrow. I might be sinning, but its going to be a nissan turbo engine out of an 82zxt. Not really a hybrid, though I will be running a hybrid turbo! (does that count?) I've been quoted $200US for the engine, wiring, afm, ecu, fuel pump, turbo, etc. Engine may be bagged, but I still feel I am getting a good deal even if it is... I think I'll go more high-tech too, with a programmable FI system... Drax240z

Just a not so educated guess, but I'd say everything probably weighs in at about 800lbs, compared to 575lbs for the SBC. Since you are building a custom front end you might be able to do it so this doesn't happen, but your CoG would be way way forwards from the SBC or even the nissan I-6. As for power, you probably have more potential with the SBC... But there is that exhaust note to consider too... Drax240z [This message has been edited by Drax240z (edited April 24, 2000).]

$50 a sq yard... ouch! Well I should probably take the plunge, might not be as soon as I planned though. I was thinking about redoing ALL the origional interior panals in CF... I suppose if I make the mold for that I'd better be selling some too, to be able to afford it. As for the honeycomb... why not make your own? You can buy the epoxy necessary to bond aluminum to aluminum. You can buy sheet aluminum for top and bottom... and as for the center: As far as I know if you take sheet aluminum to the proper shop, you can get them to roll, press or bend the whole sheet into offset, 3 sided, half-hexagons. Then get them to cut the whole sheet into strips, with the strip width your desired thickness. Bond them yourself! To be honest I never even thought about buying it premade when I was thinking about using it... I wonder if it can be made as easily as I think? Drax240z

Check this out. It's an 8 cyl engine, approching design from somewhere in the same land that the creaters of the wankel engine did. Check out the page here. Drax240z

Hey, I was wondering a few things about the aluminum honeycomb setupt you were talking about using on your floors. If you've had it made for you, what was your approximate cost? And the big thing I have been wondering about is how do you plan on attaching it to the rest of your chassis? Rivets? From what I've seen the honeycomb is mostly used in monocoque chassis, where everything is riveted together. I can't really think of any other way to reliably and rigidly bond aluminum to mild steel for your case! Also, I've been thinking about making up some carbon fibre panals for my Z, have you found a place to get the materials? (just remembering you talking about the carbon fibre dash) Drax240z

Well put michael. Though I wouldn't really put either the camero or the corvette in the "good handling" area. Now there is a flame war ready to begin. In extreme hp situations, it is probably cheaper to get a solid rear that will hold up. But almost every race car, or race-bred street car has had a IRS. (and I'm not talking nascar or drag racing) If you want a high strength IRS, I have heard good things about the Jag rear end, used often in cobra kits... Drax240z

Generally speaking, an independant rear suspension will give you better road holding and handling characteristics than a solid rear axle. There are of course ways to have a great handling solid rear axle vehicle, as well as lousy IRS vehicles. For most applications though, you will have a better cornering vehicle with an IRS. Not to mention that a lot of people think it just feels and drives better! Drax240z