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Zetsaz

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Posts posted by Zetsaz

  1. 16 hours ago, Dat73z said:

    @Zetsaz I belive it's 1/16 high temp non-adhesive backed silicone sheet. I don't recall where I got it from but any industrial supplier, amazon, ebay etc. should have some form of it. Yes punch the holes for the screws and cut a small circle in the center to slip over the shifter area. 

     

    I started to swap over the springs from the eibach to swift along with the pillow ball camber top hats. It seems to be doing what I need the suspension changes to do, providing camber adjustment, more clearance, and also preventing spring pop out at droop. 

     

    Thanks!

     

    Also related, things you're mentioning are why I went with BC coilovers. I like that the full strut body adjusts without affecting the spring preload. In the future if I want much better performance I'd just go with KW but I can't justify it with how little I drive the car now that I'm out of the country

  2. Where did you get your silicone sheet for the shifter? Did you just cut your own hole? I need to do something similar. I have a stock boot flipped 180 with the shifter hole opened up but since it's formed for the opposite direction it's pulling slightly while in gear which isn't good. 

  3. On 12/3/2022 at 2:34 PM, heyitsrama said:

     

    Wanted to buy this but need to relocate my MS3x first. It's in the stock ecu location but much fatter, so these wouldn't work until then :( 

     

    On 12/3/2022 at 8:57 PM, fusion said:

    Thanks guys.  I don't need audiophile sound but don't want it to be terrible either.

     

    Just rear 6x9 speakers in a replacement taillight panel cover like the one MSA sells is your best bet then if you want something easy. You can always wire for front speakers and figure out what you want to do with those later.

  4. 41 minutes ago, Flak said:

    I do have the fsm.  My problem is that the p/o ripped out EVERYTHING.  So I literally have 0 vacuum anywhere, I believe.  I currently don't have vacuum to the FPR.  Would I just route a vacuum line from the TB to that port on the FPR?  I also don't have the a/c in right now, but I believe you are talking about the fast idle actuator.  I do plan on reinstalling that when I get to the a/c reinstall, probably next summer, but I wouldn't imagine that is needed to run it without ac?  Maybe needed for heat too?


    Route your aftermarket FPR the way the manufacturer recommends, I have mine off the vacuum port in the middle of the intake between the 3-4 runners. 

     

    Yes! Fast idle valve, but no, not necessary yet. Pretty sure your car also needs vacuum going to the bottom of the distributor for the vacuum advance. 

     

    Fast idle isn't needed for heat, but you do need the vacuum canister with vacuum lines going the right places for the stock system to have heat. IIRC, the system defaults to AC mode if your lines are unplugged. Probably a failsafe so you're not cooking in the summer when people are more likely to drive a sports car.

  5. Do you have the FSM? 

     

    There's a section that can help you with vacuum line routing. 

    I would double check where you have your lines routed to and see what's missing or incorrectly installed compared to stock. Realistically here aren't that many vacuum lines you NEED just to move, but stuff like the AAR definitely help for cold starts. Also looks like you have an aftermarket fuel pressure regulator, so I would double check your vacuum to that.

     

    I forget what the FSM calls it, but it looks like you're also missing the little booster that pulls on the throttle linkage when the AC puts load on the engine. Kind of primitive but functional piece that would also be connected to the vacuum canister. 

  6. An enclosure for two 6x9 speakers that replaces the taillight cover panel like the one MSA sells is about the best sounding option without extensive work.

     

    Think about a modern coupe or sedan you've been in. It almost always has speakers behind the rear seats pointed up towards the glass. It's a more than good enough situation for the majority of uses. Stock location points the speakers right at each other and doesn't have ideal acoustics. Speakers on the storage compartment is also okay, but realistically, you're pointing them straight up instead of slightly towards you and they're taking up as much or more storage space than a panel that replaces the taillight cover.

     

    Those rear speaker adapters aren't a bad option if you don't care that much about loud audio and just want something since they likely won't fit something as big as a 6x9. That said, they're probably a better option than the stock location since they're about as discreet and will probably fit close to the same size speaker, but are at least aimed better.

     

    Adding front speakers is the bigger hang-up since space is at a premium. Do you care about front audio, or do you just want some tunes in the car?

  7. Just now, Dat73z said:

    Livable is subjective, with a modern properly sized single on the L paired with modern compression and tuning you're already spooling off idle with good drivability. Nowadays I think it comes down more to the novelty aspect, as the packaging gets pretty crazy in the s30 chassis. 

     

    Can confirm. For reference @A to Z, me and @Dat73z have very similar engine builds (as far as the turbo bits go), except I'm EFI with stock L28ET compression and I'm still at full boost by the low 3k rpm range, and some boost not that far off idle.

     

    At cruise speeds with my current gearing I'm going into boost the moment I push the gas pedal even in 5th. Around town it's not quite the instantaneous response my G37S had, but it's also lower displacement, lower compression, and doesn't have the modern VVL technology. With better compression I'm sure I'd be close enough to only notice if I was REALLY paying attention to rpm.

  8. 12 hours ago, A to Z said:

    Have any of you had luck with a twin turbo setup on the L series.  Seems that 2 small turbo's might help with lag and really provide a movre livable street setup

     

    The issue with a build like this these days is that for the cost and effort you're really not getting much of a benefit over going with a modern turbo. The effort and cost to source or create a manifold for twins is more than creating a manifold for a twin scroll. that coupled with modern ball bearing turbos that spool faster and are more efficient than old designs means there's not much benefit (or at least not enough for most people to justify the increased cost and complexity)

     

    That said, Todaro Racing did a nice twin turbo VQ37 build, and Koshikubi engineering out of japan has a REALLY nice Twin L series being built right now that could provide some inspiration you can find them on instagram @koshikubi_engineering 

  9. What year is your vehicle? Hard to help without info since some things changed over the years, and may be different across cars with/without AC, and with/without California emissions stuff. 

     

    You don't need special batter cables, the batter does lead to the fusible links, but not directly. Positive end goes to the starter which goes to the bundle splitting into the fusible links. The fusible links are basically an old version of fuses, but they don't go out in the same way, so sometimes it can be hard to tell unless you measure resistance and continuity across them. 

    Most people upgrade the fusible links. There's an example on my Musician's Therapist thread where you can see how I did it, but also here: https://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/fusiblelinks/index.html

  10. Holiday sales update:

     

    Those of you who know me know I've been very into photography lately. Recently Fujifilm announced their new X-T5, and I was tempted to preorder it as an upgrade to my X-E4 but decided that I didn't need the upgrade features on it for what I do (at least not now). So that money has gone towards black friday sales on some parts I've been craving.

     

    -Just ordered an Apex Engineered front crossmember. Already have the T3 steering rack waiting, but on top of the worn out rack, the bump steer and front geometry was not confidence inspiring, the rack will be fixing the bump steer issues as well as improving the front control arm angles, which are pointed up towards the outer ends even at my conservative ride height. 

     

    -Debating ordering a Protunerz intake for their currently pretty nice discount. Other than the increased flow, I like the angle and clearance it provides to make things easier to work on, but more importantly, the built in provision on the throttle for the GM IAC valve I already have would be nice. Only downside is having to drill into the brand new flange to clear the cylinder head mod. Still thinking it over :( 

  11. On 10/29/2022 at 9:57 PM, fusion said:

    I removed all the HVAC components from my 1976 280z and have no plans to reinstall.  There is now an open hole where the blower connected to the air inlet that runs from under the cowl to inside the car.  Wondering if I should block this off or not.  At speed, will air be moving into the car or out of the car?  I'm also wondering how much air will be moving.  Does anyone have any experience with this?  I wouldn't mind a little air movement but don't want a lot.

     

    I replaced my oe system with vintage air and the open hole has been a source of frustration. Can't remember which, but one of the European datsun builders actually 3D printed a replacement that fed into the vintage air system.

     

    I can confirm after several thousand miles (including round trip down the entire Pacific coast a couple Aprils ago) that you will have plenty of airflow into the car through that hole. In the mornings when it was cool on my pacific coast drive I had to have the heater on all the time. You don't notice it much as driver, but you get a cool breeze on your feet on the passenger side (or a hot breeze if it's summer).

    I attempted to just use some heat shield/insulations stuff, but a single drive and the air pressure behind it blew it off. You'll need to cap it off by taking the cowl panel off, or create some kind of plate from the dash side, either way you'll probably be drilling a bit. Only non-intrusive solution would be something like the 3d printed panel feeding into a new fan setup. 

  12. 6 hours ago, Exposed said:

    @Zetsaz @TUME @Dat73z Thanks guys, was thinking of running 5mm

     

    @Jboogsthethug Ya I'm liking how its coming out, only thing I dont like is how many peices I made it in. Might redo it one more time and try 2 or 3 sections instead

     

    Hmmm... seems my post didn't include full comment. I was going to say the one area of concern would be the door to fender gap. Maybe it's just mine, but something about the hinge design had a tiny leading edge rub on mine at first when it was reassembled even though the gap seemed right. I would double check your clearances there before committing to a number, with enough tolerances to account for future paint. 

  13. 7 hours ago, Dat73z said:

    Did another 150 miles today and the car didn't skip a beat on BR7ES and 10lbs of boost. I think I need to get new tires. I'm currently running r888s which are fairly old. My buddy hopped in for a drive and we lit up the tires in 1st gear at 30 or 40mph and spinning into 2nd as I was rolling into it on an uphill onramp.  

     

    Also considering painting the intercooler black. I thought the fairlady Z grille would obscure it a bit more but at a distance it's pretty obvious, and I prefer the OE Z look with the coolers and rad support blacked out. 

    20221001_100929.jpg

     

    I'm with you on preferring the more subtle look. Painting is fine but I knew that's what I wanted from the beginning and got my Mishimoto intercooler in black.

  14. On 9/21/2022 at 7:04 PM, rossman said:

    Nice!  It's really cool that T3 is producing reproduction steering racks. Now you have something to do when you come home for Christmas break ;)


    Gotta have something to do to keep me warm in those Utah winters haha. Honestly have rarely been quite this excited about a new product. So much of "this other part number works" and limited info on rebuilding these. Something new and ready to go out of the box is a welcome treat considering how much I'm a bit burned out on rebuilding stuff. 

     

    On 9/21/2022 at 7:04 PM, rossman said:

    Good to hear that you're OK after the earthquake.  I've never experienced one and never want to. Here in Houston we have hurricanes but at least you know they're coming!

     

    There was another one last night! Again I'm far enough away to not really experience damage, but it was enough to make my bed feel like a hammock for a bit before evacuating my building. Almost felt like I was being rocked to sleep before my sleepy brain finally realized there was something I was supposed to be doing haha

  15. 17 minutes ago, rossman said:

    Yah, I'm sure it's impossible to make money doing custom work at what an average guy considers a reasonable price.

     

    @Zetsazare you referring to the slotted part of the bracket? Having a screw type adjustment would be nice instead of the old-school crowbar method that's required with this setup.

     

    Yes, I'm referring to the small slotted piece on the top rear that bolts to both the compressor and the main bracket. 

    It's hard to tel if the small piece was used strictly for cost or if the curvature on it is strictly necessary to avoid fouling on the compressor, but I did see the turnbuckle on someone's (maybe on. instagram?) 

  16. On 9/18/2022 at 12:25 PM, Dat73z said:

    Hey thanks @rossman, really appreciate the pics. I think your setup looks clean. I saw another Z recently that had a vintage air setup installed by a professional shop and their install didn't look as nice as yours fwiw 

     

    Some "professional" shops are professional mostly because they have the tools to do it quickly and functionally, not necessarily pretty. There was a guy close to me in Washington that had a really impressive setup with hardlines on his car, but he doesn't offer that to most people in his shop just because it's much more pricey and time consuming. 

     

    @rossman I have the same AC mount, and I actually recently saw someone who replaced that rear piece with a turnbuckle. Seems like it'd be a good solution for proper tension. I'll probably try to upgrade that bit on mine when I'm home this winter even though my lines aren't done.

  17. A mild update from the faraway land of Mexico:

     

    My new T3 steering rack arrived yesterday! Brother sent a picture and took the car out for a quick ride.

    The stock rack was worn and would have been very difficult to fix up. On top of the slower steering ratio than a 240z I had a sticking point just outside of center that prevented me from tightening it up, so it always felt a bit sloppy, even with brand new steering and suspension components everywhere else. 

     

    In unrelated news for those who care: yes I was close enough to the earthquake epicenter down here to really feel it, but no real damage to anything where I am. Someone somewhere probably had some glass bottles break. It happened only a few hours after we had a scheduled evacuation drill at my school... long day haha.

  18. 5 hours ago, Jboogsthethug said:

    Dang I have always wanted to commute via bike but never been close enough to do it. My drive is 50 minutes of freeway so yeah I'm not about to do that ha. Saving all that money and buying car parts will be so rad! I would love a new Jimny, those things are so sick! Such a bummer they're not in the states. 

    Are you down there to teach at a school I'm assuming?

     

    Yeah, no way I'd do it if my commute was longer than a few miles. That's actually part my beef with US cities, everything is soooo spread out. Realistically I could walk a block or two away for my basic grocery necessities even. if I want a snack or a bit there's literally a tiny shop across the street from my apartment building. 

     

    A Jimny would be so rad. I see them everywhere down here. They're well past the initial run they did to test the market and they're always in low supply at dealers. Are apparently super popular.

     

    Yeah, I'm at a fairly nice American school here. As a location (other than the unbeatable natural beauty of the pacific northwest), for my social life, and as a job this is way better for me, but specifically as a music program it's a notable downgrade. I'm teaching middle school with no real team like i used to have and the past few years have killed the program a bit. BUT, that does mean I have some flexibility in how I approach it and I get to start most of the kids totally fresh.

  19. On 8/6/2022 at 5:09 PM, Jboogsthethug said:

    Hey man, how is Mexico? How long will you be living there? Did you take the Z?

     

    Mexico is solid! My new wheels are a Marin hybrid bike. Aluminum frame, hydraulic disc brakes, all that fun stuff that I've now kitted out with everything I need to commute on bike.

    Minimum 2 years I'll be living here. After we'll see. 

    No car right now, we'll see how long that lasts. Will either bring down the hardbody or buy a new Jimny if I stay here for a long time. Z will probably not come down :( Guadalajara is a pretty well developed city, especially by latin american standards, but a lot of speedbumps would be killers down here, and I trust most drivers in the city here even less to not completely destroy my car in an accident. 

    The upside is i'm saving a ton of money not insuring another car or paying for gas. Will be my summer car every time I visit family. First purchases I have planned for next year are the new T3 steering rack, Z car garage brakes, and if I'm saving a lot more than expected, new flat top pistons to up the off boost performance below boost.

  20. 14 hours ago, Dat73z said:

    It's turning into another crazy week so I had to break jacking the car up into 2 days lol. 

     

    This morning I got up early and got the car in the air to prepare coolant draining. 

     

    I also did an undercarriage inspection since I've covered a few hundred street miles. Everything looks good except the typical rear cap seal seepage. Pretty annoying but it's minor enough that I can live with it for now. Usually I replace those seals myself even if someone else did them as they're tricky to get right. In this case I sent it but as is tradition with that strategy I'll need to rework it at some point 😂.

     

    I snugged up the pan a bit more and will keep pressing forward. 

     

    Pretty sure mine is seeping from the same area, but much more, and it's driving me insane. 

  21. Realized sometime during 4th of July weekend that I had a cylinder not firing. Seems like one of my ignition coils was toast, and the plug was fouled as a result. 

    I replaced the coil and plug, did some retuning of the fuel map with autotune and it's running much better!

    Averaged 19mpg on the way here from WA, which I thought was low. I had assumed it was just the conservative tuning on the megasquirt to run slightly on the rich side coupled with my 3.9 rear end, but it still seemed unusual for a turbo engine. 

    Did a datalog on a drive to SLC with a friend and averaged 23mpg after the fix! That's without trying to baby it. Was over 70 or over 80mph depending on the section of the interstate we were on as well as a few strong pulls to near redline on the on ramps. 

    Pretty sure if I keep the speed down a bit and don't gun it I could get 25 mpg highway 😎 Very satisfied with how things are turning out so far, just need to redo my exhaust hangers and hopefully it'll solve my little rattle. Only a week until I head to mexico though, so it might wait.

  22. That's looking really good! I like the really simple tab you used for the hanger farthest back. On my old exhaust I had a hanger on the exact spot you're using for the center.

     

    My vibration problems seem to be unrelated to the exhaust, however, so I'll have to check if a CV is going bad or something else is fouling. Deleted the front diff crossmember with the z car depot billet control arm clamps and the noise is identical. Can't get the thing to bump no matter how far I make it swing. 

     

    Next upgrade really needs to be some electric fans like yours.

  23. A few select shots from this year's cruise-in. The car sure has come a long way! Was excited to have my brother join me in his MR2 even though his is still even more of a work in progress than mine and isn't quite as clean. Still a looker. Expecting clamps to delete the front diff crossmember soon which will hopefully solve my exhaust "buzz" problem. It's no longer a rattle but still a bother. Will likely still redo at least one exhaust mount to a more solid style with a rubber or urethane washer on a through hole instead of a rubber hanger to limit movement

     

     

     

     

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