Sanchez

Thanks I'll work out the fuel in a few days hopefully when parts come in and as for exhaust leak that could be an issue. Just to get it driving I went with a stock manifold and one of the down pipe studs broke so I installed it with the other 2 and clamped down the side that had the leak with shaped sheet metal. When I have the cash I will get headers but with college loans to pay money is a little tight. What I have noticed is that the sound usually seems to disappear at certain RPMs as long as I am cruising at steady RPMs. Edit: I'm just gonna try and get a new manifold from somebody around here since I have no need for a header on an unmodified engine. Just tried drilling out the bolt, everything was going great, and then the extractor bit broke in the damn stud, just my luck. Edit: Another update on the condition of the engine is I forgot to mention that the engine shakes a bit even with the new motor mounts. It did this with the 240z distributor as well just not nearly as bad, which makes me believe a large chunk of the problem lies in the distributor/ignition/timing. It is almost as if a single cylinder isn't firing but all of the cylinders show good compression and all of the plugs are sparking alot better than with the 240z dizzy.

So I finished a rebuild of a 1982 280zx Engine recently and put 4-screw SU carbs on it and a stock exhaust manifold with 2 inch pipe and a turbo exhaust back so I can drive it daily with out waking up the neighbors. This is going to be pretty long so go ahead and ask questions and thanks for reading. Now to my problem/question: Driving now during break-in the engine makes a bothersome sound for daily driving that has not gone away in 200+ miles of driving. It has a very lopey and gurgle/burble exhaust and rev characteristic that sounds like a car with a cam that is way too hot for the application even though my cam is the stock grind. The idle is solid and does not jump around more than 100rpm on occasion and falls back to normal without dropping low after letting off the throttle. I fell like the carbs are well tuned and not the problem but I feel like the issue has something to do with timing and/or various tuning adjustments/gap settings of the car. I cannot for the life of me find a 280zx distributor with a working Vacuum advance so I've given up on trying to find a working VA and come to grips with losing the mpg saving that come from the Vacuum Advance mechanism. After tons of research I found info on using mechanical advance only and ended up buying a distributor on a recently wrecked running car that I pulled off and put on with very little rebuilding. 1st. I put it on and centered the Stator/reluctor inside, checked for basic function, set plug gap to 0.040", checked compression (all cylinders ~160), rechecked my hot valve gap and did some small adjustments to specs. Wired up the E12-80 module (tach still works, lucky me). Also cleaned the ztherapy carbs out and set to baseline for initial start up. 2nd. Then I set initial timing to 10 degrees BTDC and revved the engine to get mechanical advance all in (I messed up resetting the timing pretty badly at first and caused a few massive backfires, but corrected it quickly and nothing seemed damaged). I read 22 degrees of mechanical advance at 3500rpms which seemed higher than I would want for mechanical only advance. 3rd. I bumped initial timing to 15 degrees and got 37 degrees total at 3500rpms again and the car began to drive a better than when I had the pertronix and 240z distributor on the engine but it still seems to have a decent amount of noticeable engine/valvetrain noise and still doesn't have the free revving capability many people claim comes from the 280zx swap and from other Z cars I have driven in. Tuned in the carbs best I could with unisyn for the smoothest idle, the smoothest I got still seemed rougher than it should be, and got 22 inches of mecury at idle from a vacuum gauge at the balance tube. 4th. Checked the distributor advance reference spreadsheet for my model, D6K81-01 which should actually have 17 degrees centrifugal/mechanical advance at 2800rpms. If that is true than I should be able to go to at least 20 degrees initial which I think might be better for smoothing out the engine and driving feel. Should I trust my timing light here? I am new to timing and did tons of research before attempting it so do you think it is possible I may have used my dial on my timing light incorrectly causing the reading to be a bit off? 5th. I have most of the parts from 2 280zx distributors I tore down as well as the 240z distributor so I'm going to try and rebuild a distributor from parts while I use the current one to drive my car daily and continue to finish engine break-in. The new one I build will have no Vacuum advance either cause none of mine are in usable, the 240z vacuum dashpot had a medium fast leak that keeps getting worse over time so it's not reusable either. I also heard that many rebuilt dashpots have the wrong advance setting and can damage the engine if used, plus I'm sure every breaker plate I have has the broken plastic bearing run. I'm asking here on hybridz cause we have no reliable distributor shops in the area so I can't have it recurved by a professional so I'll do it myself and learn from the experience. How do you go about re-curving the mechanical advance yourself? Like where do did you get different springs for the weights and how do you do this slotting thing to lower the total amount of mechanical advance? From what I understand about timing, advance, VA, idle/cruise mixture, and off-idle mixture it seems like I would want about 23 degrees initial and 12 mechanical to when all in. I would like to know how that sounds to you smart ignition guys and here suggestions or examples of your recurves. Additionally I would like to here your thoughts on everything else I have mentioned that you think might be causing the odd driving and revving (e.g. plug gap, exhaust, etc...). Or if you think this is caused by a completely different issue than let me know, cause I have the original 4-speed that I did a mild overhaul on while out, but I have not done any work to differential or the hubs so something could be catching or clunking in there. I'm not very sure of the fuel delivery system (small leak from the Facet fuel pump and weird FPR, and no fuel rail or retunr line, but fuel pressure checked out) so I'm replacing that shortly anyway.

I was a little scared to drive the car too hard with the weather up here in St. Louis being nuts lately and since I was still breaking in my new engine. But I took it out for a few launches and couldn't get the tires to chirp until about 2000 rpm. Checked the tune, did some adjusting to the timing, enriched the mixture some (my father forgot to account for the leaning out caused by the airbox), optimized the plug gaps, put air in the tires, and lastly put another 100 miles on it the last two days. Today it was a whole new beast... The tires chirped around 1400 rpm and the car launched more how I expected it too launch. From what I understand a heavier flywheel makes the car more of an easier shifting ride with less need for clutch modulation, and that heavier flywheels cause a little more parasitic loss through the drivetrain due to more rotational mass. Thanks for all the help, I plan on swapping a fivespeed trans and new rear end in soon so I will keep with this flywheel until then. Last question, would I notice a big difference in driving characteristics after going back to a stock flywheel with the drivetrain swap I'm planning on doing? Should I notice any differences by changing the wheels to 225/45r16 (24.1in) wheels?

Thanks Xnke, couldn't find the info anywhere on the web or forums. So that is 6lbs heavier than stock right? Could the combination of a 29lb flywheel, 3.36 rear end, 4 speed trans, and the 235/60r15 (26 inch diameter, way too large, I'm planning on changing it soon) wheels be the cause of this thing feeling like a slug off the line?

Correction to original post: the S30 flywheel is stamped with a casting code of "E30" and the Maxima is "Y70" source from this post http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/78187-70-240z-flywheelis-it-lighter/ This means mine is clearly a retrofit of some sort. I will weigh the piece soon and update with the weight of my A86 flywheel.

Thanks, that's what all of my research led me too, the AE86 but the info I found on the flywheel did not include a casting number. This is my first time ever dealing with clutch and flywheel on any car so I'm new to this kinda thing. My car does have one of the worst cases of "Previous Owner Syndrome" I have ever dealt with, so it would not surprise if he managed to rig up so other flywheel he had laying around to this car.

Hey guys, I've been working on rebuilding my transmission recently. A friend of mine was disassembling it the other day at his garage and showed me pictures of all the casting numbers on parts when we met up later. I noticed the flywheel was stamped with "A86" which is different from what I had read about in research. Research about the casting code comes up with some European Toyota corolla. I haven't had time to look at, weigh, or do any physical examination of the part. If it helps the flywheel has 6 bolts to the crankshaft and it came off of a 1973 L24 with what I believe is a 260z transmission (because it has a neutral switch on it, if that is an identifying factor, I don't know. Maybe somebody could help me identify my 4 speed?). Does anybody have information to share on this flywheel? I have never heard of any flywheel swaps besides for the Maxima flywheel or kamaeri racing flywheel. Also if I'm not mistaken the stock Z-car flywheels were coded "Y30" and the Maximas were coded "Y70?"

Haha good one but which stain am I trying to avoid, the white vinyl staining my new blue jeans or vice versa? I was thinking a white stylized interior with either the Datsun Blue, Orange, or a satin black. I also got word that my graduation present might be a gnose kit *wink wink* so I need to keep that in mind as well also.

So I was at my Interior refinished shop asking about getting the seats reupholstered in white when I noticed that the had a wall of interior paints to choose from. I realized this could allow me to stylize my interior with white and it would give me a great looking interior if I stylized with white, two tone black and white like somebody previously suggested, and it would really open up my choices of body color to nearly any color I want as well. Would anybody who has used these before give me their opinion on how this vinyl/interior paint works. Does it look and feel good?

Yeah it's starting to look like tan/black leather interior matches any monochromatic exterior paint. I would love to have this thing be totally originally restored but since it is a '73 240z it doesn't have that coolness boost from being totally stock, cause the '73 240z's and 260z's were terrible stock (in terms of carbs and smog equipment). Plus I have an L28 in it already and I sort of like making this one to fit my expectations for a car, give it that slight luxury and comfortable feel that I think the early Z interiors lacked when the day was not just right. This is going to be a daily driver and one thing I have learned in St. Louis is that your car will fade from a bright color to a dull color after 2 summers and 2 winters here. BTW: Poundz9oh9 I would really like to see those pictures if you don't mind. Satin black sounds nice, I'm trying to picture it with a nice off-center racing stripe all the way down the body as well.

Alright cool. I'm getting a lot of good information from you guys so far. Thanks a ton

Thanks for the help, as I said being colorblind has made decisions about colors a real PITA. I like the feedback I have gotten so far, White on white is out of the question, I would like to see a Z that had white interior and the black exterior because that sounds like it could be neat if done correctly. Domzs - What do you mean by "tone the interior?" Do you mean dye it a lighter color? Miles - Your interior looks pretty nice, but I have grey seat covers on my torn to shreds seats right now and it does not really do it for me, I prefer more contrast when it comes to interiors and exteriors. What color is your exterior by the way? Sideways - I am really liking how your interior looks, what is your exterior? That tan/black combo looks really clean. When I bought the 240z it came with half of an A/C kit installed on it, I believe this was a dealer or first owner install and it once worked. I took it off of the car because it was dirty, missing parts and the installer did a crap job with the wiring (turning it on caused the headlights to pulsate and overheated their fuse in about an hour). I kept the pieces, but I don not think it would be feasible to reuse those pieces, and the added challenge of the L28 block being different. Whether I do AC or not the interior is in need of an overhall anyway so I'm not trying to save as much money as possible here. Thanks for the fast replies too, I can always count on this group of people to answer any Z related question.

Alright guys, It is time for me to think about the aesthetic qualities of my '73 240z since I have finished the L28 swap. My car has the original paint, Yellow, and color code of 112 on the radiator support. These cars came with black vinyl interior, which is KILLING ME. I cannot drive in the summer without showing up to my destination drenched in sweat (I live in St. Louis, MO). I want to go to a white interior: White seats, white vinyl, possibly a white headliner, white door panels (just the nice looking white interiors like the Blue and Orange Z's had an option for). This will clash so bad with the Yellow that the car will look disgusting, I'm colorblind and just picturing that still looks ugly to me. I want to know whether anybody has done the white interior with the metallic grey, metallic black, or the white exterior Z paint? I love monochromatic color schemes since it is all I can see so I don't really want to paint it blue or orange. I also plan on going ZG style with this car down the road with the fender flares, fender mirrors and g-nose kit, so I'm taking that into consideration as well. Thanks for the help (and for the moderators if this borders more on exterior section then feel free to move it).

Is that not alot of of tension it seems like alot. Im sure it is obvious that I am really new to Forced Induction, I have done my research I just need to make my way around that learning curve. I have been crunching numbers on alot of Superchargers available to figure out the Drive ratio I need for certain boost levels. I began working on my Z when I was 15 (18 now), and I built it back to my daily driver from a car that could barely make it a mile, had no floors and sounded like death itself. Since then I have helped rebuild many more simple NA engines, but my L24 is giving up so I rebuilt an L28 and I am about to drop it in with SU's just because I need a daily driver. Once I go to college I plan on doing more work while I dont need to drive it. This was/is my first and only car and I want to take it to my grave, but I cannot stand having sports car that will not crush on the streets. My preferred direction is SC and you are clearly very intelligent about this. Is your build complete? Do you have any problems with it? Thanks so much for bearing with me, if you read my other topics Im sure you can tell that I can be indescive and sound a little (I cannot think of the word right now) and tend to plan very far ahead.

Wow 180 lbs of static pressure on the belt system. I gotta say that is a lot more than I was expecting, that does make this a whole lot more complicated than I had hoped. I have a Megasquirt ready to go when I switch my cam and swap over the SU's for EFI on my F54/P79 setup. Well looks like I have no hopes of doing this even with the 1k I set aside for this project, my best choice would just be a port and polish to get the most out of my L28, shiuld be able to squeeze maybe 150whp out of that. But thanks for alk this info, even though it was not what I wanted to hear, now anyone else who comes up with these insane ideas like me will have a little more information than what I kept running into which was "Its possible"

Yeah I heard the SC14 have a big problem with overheating, I would never run boost or SC without an intercooler. I can get an M90 from my area for 100 dollars so giving it a try will not be at all costly, and I have decent fabrication skills to make mounts

The m90 should blow enough air through to get some good boost near what an L28et would be pushing. And I am certain that the Z has room for it either under the manifold or below it. And I am certain it can be done without too much money and fabrication. Right now in my engine bay I have room to store 3-30 racks of beer on the passenger side and a 12 pack under the manifold (don't ask me why I know that). I just need to figure out about the TB and tubing and the belt system and it should all mate up to a stock Z car. If I am wrong I would like to know, I just think the sound of a SC and the ability to control when it is used makes it great for a stealth powerhouse. Plus having recently driven my friends dads very on with the quad turbo compared to his SC Countach, I liked the feel of the Countach best and I was able to save gas driving it to the track with the flip of a switch.

Yeah I was looking at the specs and the SC14 displaces roughly 1400cc of air at max RPM, barely enough to get any good boost out of an L28. Plus they are prone to high temperatures which means high chances for detonation. On your build you use an Eaton M62, what sort of power gains are you looking at? I would estimate you are getting about ~10psi of boost making 250hp at the rear wheels with an aftermarket ECU correct?

Xnke: I have read your thread, in fact all of the posts as well abnd I am mighty impressed by your build. It is reletively straight forward and uses an Eaton like I was hoping to see used. But yours is the only one and the write up is great for those who are very knowledgeable and want high boost. I see superchargers as "passing agents," something to give you that nice little umph when you want to really drive it hard or make your way around a sunday driver or school a punk who thinks their obnoxiously loud Toyota camry with a digustinhly large muffler is the hottest thing on the road. I was looking at an intercooled SC14 as a decent option for using because it can be switched and offer a small amount of boost for a good 30% increase in power when needed.

I have just been toying with the idea of Supercharging the L28e, but the info I have found on it is mediocre at best and most of the topics on it turn into a "Turbo is better" thread. I am well aware that turbocharging is more efficient and probably cheaper. I am looking for info about theoretical setups that arent ubercostly or difficult. I was thinking along the lines of an Eaton m90, running it on the ZX heads with flattops or maybe some larger diameter dished pistons, mounting locations, using it with stock manifold, good ECU and injector choice, would you need the turbo dizzy or not, turning the SC on with a switch or at a certain throttle position. I'm finding all the info I can on this and would like input from other members. It would be nice to have a thread dedicated to Supercharging that did not die out after 2-3 posts with no info other than "get a turbo." The website is called Hybridz not Turboz so it's cool to see people experiment so we know what does and does not work. So lets get this threaded flooded with so much info that SC's become slightly more common among Z's

Thanks for all of the help. I sure you can tell by now that I am having trouble with my whole car build itself, and It does not help that I am clearly very indesicive. I am now dead set on either fixing this P79 for a street driven high horsepower NA motor or hopefully somebody will respond to my parts wanted post about buying or trading for a turbo head with peripherals.

I got a P79 full engine and I would like to buy a P90 head in decent working condition with the manifolds and turbo equipment. Please send me some offers. I am willing to trade the P79 head and manifold as well, it is in spectacular condition, came off a car with 50,000 miles and a great owner who took care of it.

Thanks for all of the help, but my engine has just been decided fir me. Immediately after purchasing the E31 a local Z car enthuasiast (spelling ?) offered me a complete P79/F54 setup with trans and efi and exhaust for it, so this is my new project. Now I need to find out how to squeeze the most HP and Torque out of this engine. A moderator can feel free to close this thread if they do that on Hybridz.

That cost is for light machining only, I estimate another 1000-1500 on parts (valves, cam, pistons, etc.). Yes I am having trouble with tuning my SU's but after hours of troubleshooting I have discovered that it is my 40 year L24 that has sticking valves and the like. The SU's are fine its all in the engine hence my focus on the L28.

Im guessing these rods do not have a set of KA24's attached to them but I would like to see some pics. I will PM you my email address later.