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Again, did you calibrate your timing so that the actual timing (as seen with a timing light) matches what you see in Megatune? If you haven't done this, then your timing table means nothing, and your timing is probably way off. At no load (idle), you can run a lot of timing. Doesn't hurt, just gives it a nice idle. How much boost will you run? 250kPa (150kPa above atmospheric) = 21psi. Do you really want to run 21psi? Your timing at 15psi will be 21 deg according to your table. But if your calibration is off, who knows what it will be. Best to verify your timing calibration before doing anything else. I would also suggest spending a few hours on a dyno to get the tune close. Pete

Check all of you intake connections. When it wasn't running right it sounded like a intake leak. I doesn't sound all that good. I am assuming it's a stock cam right? It should pur like a kitten. Did you calibrate your timing? I'd set you idle timing to 30 deg or so, it will smooth the idle right out.

Do you mean the whole back of the car, or just the rear quarter panel (skin)? To swap the entire back end is not worth the effort. Just find a different car.

Looks great for what you have into it! To get the color perfect you really need to blend onto adjacent panels. I had some color mixed up for my silver car, and it was close, but not perfect. Even different production runs of the same exact color code can be different. That is why when you buy paint to do an entire car, buy a gallon plus one quart and mix them together before starting to paint. Then you know they are the same color, and you will have extra if you need it. I just re-did the hood on my latest project because I didn't get enough color on the hood. In the sunlight you couldn't tell (blinded), but in the shade you could (I could) see a difference. I had some extra color, so I wet sanded, then put one more coat of color, and then two coats of clear. I used PPG Omni clear on the hood as I ran out of what I use on the rest of the car (Restoration Shop). Either I'm getting better at spraying, or the PPG Omni is a much better product. I think it was $30 for a quart including the hardener. Don't skimp on the clear, it really makes all the difference. No buffing, wet sanding on the above photos. Yes, there is a little Orange peel, but this is a driver, not a show car.

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I have nothing against experimenting with different clutch flywheel combos, as long as I'm not the one pulling the tranny in an out over and over again. Been there, done that. So for people that just want a known good setup, just use the clutch, clutch fork, slave cylinder, throwout bearing and collar for an L28ET. They are plentiful, and can easily handle 300+ ft-lbs. And like you said, Nissan used the same clutches on many different vehicles, so I don't think these will be hard to find any time soon.

How long has it been sitting? What does the gas smell like? If it has been sitting a while, and the gas is nasty, this is how I would proceed: - Put a clear plastic filter between the tank and the pump (will keep crud from getting in your pump). - Replace the fuel filter in the engine compartment. - Remove as much fuel from the tank as possible. Most 280Z do not have a drain plug, so the best way to do this is remove the tank. But that is a lot of work. You can probably look inside with a light and see what the condition of the bottom of the tank is. - Put a few gallons of fresh fuel in the tank. - Remove fuel pump relay and jumper the socket so the fuel pump runs. Let the fuel pump run for a couple minutes to flush as much bad fuel from the fuel system as you can. - Look at the clear fuel filter you put in to see how much crud it has filtered out. - Put the fuel pump relay back in. - See if she runs! You may need to send the injectors out to be cleaned. You should also check the condition of the ignition system. Pete

I'd reconsider the turbo swap. You have all the pieces there. The 3.1 is going to cost you a lot, and you may be dissapointed with it in the end. Has your old Z allways been in Vegas too? If so, you could part out the body pieces if they are rust free. Doors, rear quarters, floor pans. You know, while you got the sawzall out 8^). Good luck on your project!

Glass is in. Hood on, but needs adjustment. Exhaust is done. Drove it a couple miles today. Runs great. It pulls nice at all RPMs. It has a sweet intake and exhaust note when you get on it. Hopefully get it on the highway soon. I've got 4.44:1 gears in there now so it will be interesting to see how it is on the highway.

It's not a part you can order from your local Nissan dealer.... I got mine from a rust free car. It's a lot of work as you have to drill out 50 or so spot welds to remove the center section. Or you can replace the whole center section. It's a lot lot of work either way.

Figure out what is wired wrong in your harness before you plug another ecu in or else the same thing will happen to the new one.

Jon, your right, anything bolted on (not welded) that has bends in it isn't ideal. Especially those pivot style ones. The one we have on the race car originally used the three strut bolts before we put camber plates in. So the little welded on tabs and single bolt arrangement was an afterthought. Still, it makes a big difference in handling, and is far better than any two point pivot style.

This is what we fabricated for the front of the race car. If you were do something similar for the street I would make the square tubing at the firewall longer so that you can keep the stock hood latch. We have a pinned fiberglass hood on this car so it doesn't really matter. Pete

Engine placement is going to effect the handling (weight balance) as well. Ive seen some mounted high and forward, and others (like mine), mounted close to the firewall and low. So it really depends on a lot of things. You need scales, and at a minimum adjustable coil overs.

Dave, the mirrors are the metal ones that came on the 280z Black Perl Edition. I've got the same ones on my silver car. I had an extra set I got on Ebay, and I figured I'd see what they look like. I like them. BTW, it may be hard to see from the photos, but all of the graphite parts have a high gloss urethane on top of a metalic base, so it looks much better in person. It really comes alive in the sun (the orange doesn't hurt either). Shades are required when looking at this car in the sun!

Appreciate your comments. It will get a BRE style air dam painted orange to match the body. Yea, matching the wheels was the plan. The wheels centers are a little lighter than the rest of the graphite parts. I actually painted some spare handles orange, but the graphite looks better. Some of the reasons for the RB25DE is that it's a street car that my wife and daughter will drive. 200HP is more than enough to propel a 2400lb pound car for them to drive. It will be as fast as a stock 350Z given the power to weight ratio. Modern engine, drivetrain, EFI, etc. Turn the key, and drive. The motor is stock, and will stay that way. Should get great fuel economy. The suspension is setup with Eibachs, Koni adjustables, 7/8 front sway bar, none in the rear (yet). 4.44:1 gears and RB20DET trans. I haven't really driven it yet, so I'll have to see what it needs then. Brakes are new and stock except for Porterfield R4S pads and a 280Z booster. It should be a fun little buggy to drive... Pete -

Thanks Dave. what do you guys think of the metallic graphite mirrors, door handles, bumpers, etc. I didn't want to do them in black, and everything in orange would be too monochrome. So I guess it is a kind of three tone scheme. I even used the graphite in the engine compartment on the booster.

Nice numbers Austin! I've seen stock 350Zs make between 230 and 240WHP, so your in the ballpark. If you need some direction for mods either NA or boosted, I know someone that has tuned many 350Zs using the Greddy e-manage system. He has gotten some pretty impressive numbers from a stock 350Z by just adding the e-manage and retuning.

Thanks Clive. It should be at the convention if all goes well. Pete

Nice work! Dyno time? Curious to see how it does on the dyno.

Nice work! Dyno time? Curious to see how it does on the dyno.

I would keep the 7.5A fuses in there for now. If they don't blow, then switch to 5A. Easier to replace a fuse than an injector driver.... Also check your log to see if you hit 100% duty cycle.

Are they low Z injectors? Are you using a resistor pack? What are your PWM settings? Do you have three injectors on each driver? In the log, do you ever hit 100% duty cycle? Lets assume the injectors are low-Z and in the 2.4 Ohm range. Let's also assume that you have three wired in parallel on each injector driver. Thirdly, lets assume that you do not have a resistor pack, and you are using the default PWM settings (OK, we are making a lot of assumptions here, and I think we all know what happens when you ASS-U-ME). The DC resistance would be: 1/(1/2.4 + 1/2.4 + 1/2.4) = 0.8 Ohm Ohm's Law: I = V/R = 12V/0.8 Ohm = 15A So using my assumptions above, yes, you would blow the fuse if you hit 100% duty cycle. If you are using a 5 Ohm resistor in series with each injector, it results in 4.8A. Which is just below the recommended 5A injector fuse size. If the PWM settings are correct, it will limit the current well below 5A. Pete

The flares in the photo are the MAS racing flares. Maybe MAS made them for MSA? I have a set too. I might use them as I am not a fan of the ZG look. Pete

That's how the RB motors come from the factory (at least my NEO RB25 came that way). No gasket. It's a stamped steel pan just like the L-series. Pete