Bob_H

Specifically, can you look in the turbo section for the RB26,(Skyline GT-R), and look at the GT/Lemas Turbos? I'm looking for either a scan of that page, or a break down of what it states. The older catalogs will have the compressor maps for it,(it was the best turbo NISMO offered for the RB26). What is the max efficiency if it doesn't have a compressor map? Thanks, Bob

And as another question, what is a very high compressor efficiency? I.E. low 80's, mid-high 80's? What is the highest you have seen?

Well, I've looked high and low for this specific compressor map to no avail.... Specifically, I have the Nismo GT-Lemas turbos, part number 14411-RS581 A general page with different turbos can be found here: http://www.jdm-imports.com/JDM_STUFF/Turbos.htm Its the 5th from the bottom. I can't for the life of me find a compressor map for this turbo.... Anyone help here? They were the same turbo's used on the Skylines used in the 24 hrs of Lemas, etc... -Bob

Why 12k? That is very arbitrary and in my opinion, unnecessary. I'm sure you've read http://www.exvitermini.com/ and maybe his discussions on various sites about RPM. I only bring this up because I see it all the time in the "tooner" crowd, (not saying this is you!). I want my motor to turn XXXX rpm! But they don't mention power at all. I'm sure with the serious quality of your build, you have a time goal, or maybe a hp goal. Its extremely expensive to turn 12k rpm in ANY motor except motorcycles...... You should be able to achieve serious hp with less than 10k rpm, which will severely decrease your dollar expenditure. I think this page puts it well: http://www.theoldone.com/archive/world-according1whatishp.htm Of note is this: When I say this company has done some amazing things, its a bit of an understatement. Here is one example,(was written in 1998):

Is the clutch hub spring or solid? And since you got it free - what is the street price of a brand new one? -Bob

Is this a drag race oriented port, or a road race oriented port? I.E. max absolute power, or reliable power? I have been reliably informed that those who build the road-race motors don't remove all the squish from the exhaust area. I'm no expert, but it was worth pondering. -Bob

Phew....$8k worth of work for all that...... Plus some prep work for the bottom end... A $10k motor easy. But I'd bet that their head work and piston is worth 10% power - or 50 hp on a 500hp setup.... -Bob

So needless to say, I've been doing a lot of oil control research. Mark, here are some links that should interest you. You have the high output oil pump as do I,(I have the HKS), so as I understand some of the issues, here is what is compounded by the bigger pump. RB's have a tendency to pool oil up in the head, esp. in the rear where there is insufficient drainage to get the oil back to the pan. Now you take a smaller than stock capacity oil pan,(such as what you had originally), and you are pumping oil out of the pan, w/o replacing it... I'd bet your baffling was good, maybe even sufficient, but the level was low as lots of oil was pooling up in the head. Here is a link discussing oiling issues in detail. Very good discussion. http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=110680 Post 55 on page 3 talks about having wings on your sump - i.e. if you don't have some form of wings, then you should be very wary of track/road course stuff. I.E. the capacity to deal with cornering in the sump. The restrictors are in the block to the head. Post 63 shows where the restrictors go and post 72 has a pictoral of someone doing it,(poor quality pictures). #76 has the cyl head oil return pictured - and the later pages show some other solutions to the rear cyl head return to the sump. All in all a good discussion.... -Bob

Good call on getting it running first -- it will save you lots of headaches later, and oh, you won't be sitting on a project several years later like some of us! I'm using a push type clutch setup, if you don't end up using that style - let me know, I'm interested in your clutch setup. As for what to look for to tell if its a R32 or 33, check here: http://forums2.freshalloy.com/showthread.php?t=160362 And: Shoot, I can't find it right now... There is a sensor on the plenum which is positioned differently... I'll have to take a look next week. -Bob

Of course, that works in the front sump pan....I'd be interested in a close up picture of the pickup, etc...

My little thread is a month old now - maybe someday I'll start working on it again! http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=115751 RB26 in the car pictures are on page 2. I did move some things around the garage last weekend! Just nothing to do with the car -Bob

I just volunteered to contribute. I'll start adding personal sites that have been around for a long time,(mine, Bryan Little's, etc..) And as much as we don't like zcar.com, etc... I think they ought to be added, esp. if we want it to be used by many people,(the only way to keep it relevant in my opinion). -Bob

Just to clear up any confusion,(since I have some reading what you wrote), J Taylor has a TH350 behind his RB25. Sure, stock internals on the ENGINE, but he is not running the RB25 transmission. If you watch the video of the run vs. the Viper,(where he killed a piston), there is no drop in sound on shifts, i.e. an automatic transmission. Smooth acceleration w/no boost drop. -Bob

Dood! That was a great find,(the website). I just picked up 2 different sets of motor mounts for cheaper than I could have found for 1 new set. Thanks, Bob

Thanks for all the offers guys - I ended up finding a screamin deal on a 98 BMW M3 sedan. I couldn't pass it up and bought it last week. -Bob

I had the same problem. I posted a comment 5 days ago and it was put up as sold,(it was last checked a few days ago so I'm not sure when it became "sold") Link here: http://classifieds.hybridz.org/showproduct.php?product=3108&cat=19&page=1 -Bob

Why not remove the internals,(gears), from the oil pump and utilize the crank pulley? My personal thought is you take the chance of weakening items with what you are discussing. It would be fairly simple to get a longer belt, or bolt a cogged pulley on the front of his existing damper. I'd personally be interested in your solution, esp. since I'm down in Corpus Christi and facing the same issues,(either modify my existing pan, or go dry sump). If you could send me a PM with your expected cost to duplicate I'd appreciate it. -Bob

Do you have a picture of the pickup tube? And I'll start by saying I'm no expert - but here is some thought as I look to modify my pan. Most "racing" type wet sump pans have "wings" on either side to keep oil available and from sloshing out of the sump area under extreme cornering. I see they added the "dams" to keep the valley's closed in yours. Was the pan already kicked out to the left side? With something like the Nissan Motorsports L6 competition pan, it has clear "wings" on both sides of the pan - maybe oil is pooling on that side, (the wing side), and is not able to get back to the pickup? ...Edit - I now see the orientation of the pan - I was looking at it backwards. Comments don't apply. Now of course, I could be looking at the pan backwards and the wing is actually on the right side,(pass side of the car), which is pooling oil to dump into the diamond under right turns. (As above, this is correct, you have the wing on the pass side). Interesting that you all chose to put the sump in the middle - vice there rear like mine and others. Just thinking out loud. If you take a look at the Arizona Z car pan, its design is very similar to yours,(link below). The Nissan Competition pan has the center section almost the same as well. Biggest difference is the diamond portion is physically smaller. Again, just thinking out loud while I go through what to do to my motor... Of course you still have the issue of uncovering the pickup under braking. I think that is mainly because of the ramp down into the sump area - which allows the oil a 45 degree path up towards the front of the car. I don't think that will be much of an issue with a pan like mine since the front wall is flat,(as is the Arizona Z pan and the Nissan Comp pan). Or you could just go easy on braking.... I don't think so! Also, with the aluminum plate screwed to the top - does it have a sufficient gap for oil to drain back down the sump? I can't tell from the pictures. Or maybe that is the intent, to keep the oil in the sump? I assume holes will be cut to allow the oil to drain down into the sump? See this for a cover plate with drain holes: http://forums.hybridz.org/showpost.php?p=394116&postcount=10 Just trying to think and help. Not trying to dissect your design work. I would not have thought of most of these things had you not had your problems. I guess if we can learn from your mistake - we all benefit. -Bob

I think KAZU's idea in that thread is the best bet - take an existing drysump,(some inline 6 cyl would be sufficient, L6 would likely be easiest) and adapt it to the flange for the a RB26. Then of course you have the oil tank, lines and the pump. Here is a L6 sump: http://www.drysump.com/pan16b.htm And their main price list: http://www.drysump.com/pan16b.htm As you can see, its a near $600 pan that you would be hacking up to adapt to the RB26..... I'm sure since they have a Computer water jet, they could cut just about anything for you. Of course the real cost is the plumbing, the pump and the tank - they'll quickly exceed the cost of the pan. Surely with some adequate sumping, it should be fine. I guess that's why I'm anxious to see your sump baffling. My original thought had been just to run two across the motor,(left to right), in front and behind of my pickup. You can see my pickup in this post: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?p=696138#post696138 Since the pan is shorter in that direction, it shouldn't need traps in that direction. I'm not sure if that is clear or not... Here is a quick MS paint picture of the direction,(attached) -Bob

It was tried in our Z community, and abandoned due to complexity,(he has AC and power steering). Here is that link: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=109375 KAZU has a serious car which is significantly modified,(dash, suspension, etc.. - I wish he would drop in and give us an update). I seriously doubt there is a dry sump setup out there since the front diff is integrated into the oil pan and there is fairly extensive baffling and crank scrapers already. It is only those of us putting the motor into a RWD setup which would consider a dry sump setup - and I haven't seen any. -Bob

That was my assumption as well - that the oil pump failed due to lack of oil, high rpm, which in turn = excess heat in the pump = failure of internal rotors. Mark - I have the HKS oil pump and I know how much they cost - I'd lean with Matt on this one, (the "quote from a birdie"). He has built a lot of RB26's with significant power and seen lots of failures. I'd hate to see your new HKS pump fail with the same issue. With your motor stood straight up vice leaning like stock, or how most of us have ours, your returns are in the cyl head are still aided right hand turns,(the drains on the left side of the cyl head and the rear). So that shouldn't be an issue. The way it dropped off, then suddenly re-appeared was almost identical to my L6 oiling problem at the track, (insufficient baffling, led to significant bearing wear due to lack of oil in certain turns at 6000+ rpm). I don't know what your oil pan looks like, or what the baffling looks like - but I, and I'm sure others, would be very interested in some pictures. What I think really killed your bearings was turns 9 and 10. With 9 a hard right hander, followed by a short downhill to the long turn 10, the acusump couldn't re-charge between pressure falling off, and the real damage was done on the exit of turn 10. You can see in the video, on initial right hand turn, (into turn 9) the pressure drops to about 20 as the acusump takes over, then to zero after its depleted. It recharges as you charge down the hill, for about 2-3 seconds, then you brake again, and it drops almost immdeiately to near 0, with a fall to zero as you begin to turn. You also downshift to 2nd in that corner,(you can gain speed by leaving it in 3rd gear), and that just puts more rpm into the pump w/o oil. That is why I think turn 10 killed your oil pump. I'm serious about seeing some pictures of your oil pan and its baffling - I need to see what I can do to improve mine. BTW - do you have any videos of your car at TWS before the RB? -Bob

I'm not interested in the Impreza's - and I am very familiar with the 2.5RS - not for me. I'm sure you've heard of Pat Olsen and his exploits with his 2.5RS. Only Subaru I would like would be the STi, however, that is well out of my price bracket. Thanks guys who have PM'd about a car - I'm still in the market. I thought I had a great line on a 98 M3 for a great deal - but no joy at this time. -Bob

Mark, Glad to see you got the car out to TWS. While I was watching your video: http://web.mac.com/markrolston/iWeb/Site/Z-Blog/0D6E575A-E65E-435E-A127-EC18E4F71405.html I noticed the oil pressure was moving all over the place - and to near zero in right hand turns. You never did say what kind of oil pan you have? I assume a custom job? After watching yours I'm going to pull my motor again and send the pan off for some mods - I didn't put baffles in it originally, but now I will - I don't want to spin a bearing after I let the pressure drop like that. Besides, I need to re-inforce the pan anyways since its such thin aluminum. Its hard to tell with the way the video is cut - but that looks like low 2 min range at TWS? I'm interested to hear what you think about your oil pressure. -Bob

Thanks for the fun! If I decide to go ahead with the more modern cars etc.. my budget increases - however, there are good deals out there for less than $10k - and I have the time to look since I don't have to buy one right now. There are at least 2 RX-7's that are good candidates,(and I just missed the boat on a good deal that sold at $7500), and several M3's. S2000's are harder and the min. I can seem to find a decent one is about $11-12k. I set a limit of $10k for a Z knowing that I will be selling it in a few years, so I don't want to pay top dollar, but I will pay a good price. I won't touch a Z32 for a daily driver - too many issues to deal with. I know you say "But an 3rd gen RX-7 can be a nightmare" and I agree. However, I have a future LS1 RX-7 project in the wings and a suspension swap project in very very slow progress which uses the RX-7 suspension so I'm willing to take that trade to start tuning that suspension on the track. I'm just looking for a clean early Z to track and drive. An early 260z would be perfect esp. if it had A/C or at least provisions for A/C. Now that I think about it, A/C is pretty important - not that its working, but that I can put it in,(I'm certified to work on them and can fabricate lines). 110 in the summer plus a flight suit makes for a hot day. I did own a 3rd gen supra once - a 90 turbo. No thanks. Brakes absolutely SUCK - and I wasn't driving on the track! And when you took out the targa top, it shook like a fat girl belly dancing - it wasn't pretty. Great tourer though. I'm also trying to stay with lighter cars - they are easier on brakes/tires/etc.. on the track - equals less money spent on the go-fast crack pipe in the long run. That is why I have a miata - tires/brakes last forever on the track when the car weighs less than 2500 lbs. -Bob

Well, I am selling my miata as my daily driver - I'm just plain too big to drive in this every day for 80 miles... its not comfortable. I have cruised the classifieds for a month or so on all three sites to no avail. About a month ago there were some promising ones if I had been in the market at the time. I decided to post this here instead of the Cars wanted for the discussion of what I should end up with. Below I'll list what I'm looking for, what I won't accept, and other cars I have considered,(no commentary necessary about those.) BUDGET: ~$10k. Don't have to spend that much, but that is what I'm allotting. If you aren't familiar with my current project, visit this thread to see my long term project: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=115751 Picture of that project attached at the bottom. Nevermind, can't post attachments in this forum. I only post that to re-inforce that I AM NOT looking for another project! I want something I can drive every day to work, (37 miles each way at 70mph), and track twice a month, (autocross and track days). My wife will also be driving the car - so super high power is not really an option,(400+whp) but I may consider it. I have seriously considered some older S2000's, mid 90's M3's and 3rd gen RX-7's. I'm not 100% set yet, but need to see what options are out there at this time before I rule out another Z. Sometimes when you post a price range, people who hadn't thought about selling will consider it. I'm willing to go with the simple and clean. A nice example would be something like this, (Dtsnlvrs): http://www.geocities.com/superb60ce/71photos.html Interior is very clean, paint is great, suspension has some work done and motor is tuned. I'm not looking for a bone stock motor. A 2.8L, tripples, well tuned SU's or some conversion,(V8 w/at least a 5 speed). Here are some 'props' to cars I would be interested in: 240hokes 280zforce There are plenty others out there - but I don't know if you are interested in selling,(hint to those guys I listed... ) I will not consider automatics and bone stock cars don't really appeal to what I'm looking for. There was a 240Z for sale last month with full sound deading, 2.8 with tripples, suspension/wheels, nice paint/interior and I think the price was $10k. Can't find it anymore since I believe its sold, but that would fit my requirements well. I don't want to wrench on something. I can work with suspension since I have a full blow ITS adjustable suspension on my original Z, (the Datsun Workshop car), and can swap it pretty easy. No rust problems, no frame issues, as a matter of fact, I can travel to pick this up - as long as your car can drive back to Corpus Christi, TX under its own power with no issues. If it has issues, then I'm not likely interested as I need a driver, not a project...(see the theme here? ). Pictures are a must! Besides, how can everyone else enjoy this thread if you don't put pictures of your Z here! I'm pretty wide open on what I'll consider - just make sure its runs fantastic, is sorted and ready to go. Since I posted this in the forum instead of the classifieds - lets discuss various options. -Bob