rossman

Thank you Chickenman. I will prime the engine but instead of messing with the pump I'm going to pre-prime the cam by pumping oil thru the oil pressure sensor port until oil comes out the cam and spray bar then crank the engine *without the rockers* until there is good oil flow out the cam and spray bar. I'll have everything set up, install the rockers, set the valve lash then start it.

I ended up purchasing a set of new OEM rockers from Courtesy Nissan. They are listed as 1984 Maxima rockers but should be the same. The guy from Datsun Parts had a set listed on Ebay but I didn't trust that they were really Nissan since the ad didn't actually say Nissan. That and his smart ass response when I asked the question. Thanks to Chickenman for providing the link: http://www.courtesyparts.com/nissan/maxima/13257w0300/1984-year/gl-trim/2-4l-l6-gas-engine/engine-cat/engine-scat/?part_name=rocker-arms I think I'm going to have the cam inspected and micopolished if necessary by Isky for the extra insurance.

Is $6800 a reasonable price for an '82 ZX NA with 60k, manual, decent paint. Owner says it has a couple of rust bubbles and ac works. Haven't seen the car in person yet.

Thanks guys. I'm going to go with what Rebello recommended, oil and rockers.

Talked to Dave. He has seen this before. The good news is that they block off the bypass valve on all their engines so that all the oil gets filtered. He doesn't know what causes the spalling. It just happens sometimes. He said that the zinc additive in the oil I'm using isn't working. The surfaces are too shiny, should be more grey. They use a blend of Motorcraft, Pennzoil and Lucas break-in additive. Replace the rockers with good used original Nissan rockers, use the recommended oil blend and I should be good to go. This is what he has done for his racing engines and it works.

Thanks for the advise Chickenman. 1) Nope, never installed it still sitting on the shelf 2) None, see above 3) Check 4) Check 5) Check I'll be calling Rebello today to discuss.

Yah, that part I get very clearly I was referring to the failure mode of the pad. Why the trailing side of the pad and not the other.

All of the spalling is happening on the trailing edge of the pad. Seems like the leading edge would be the most likely place to fail since I'd think it would see more impact type loading. Anybody have insight on that?

Yep, #5 too... Unfortunately they all appear to be like this.

Here is the best shot I could get of #4 of 12 from the front. http://forums.hybridz.org/gallery/image/33849-spalling/

Sorry, been watching the tour all morning. Cavendish pulled it off again! It was a great photo finish! I'm no materials expert but It certainly looks like spalling. I've seen spalling on machine bushings that were used on a custom made fatigue crack propagation machine. We were seeing loads much higher than expected. The bushings were redesigned using harder material; solving the problem. I don't believe there are any good rockers but I'll verify. Pictures will be taken with the almighty Nexus 6 camera...that's all I got I may take one to work for photos if I can't get a good shot of it. We have a nice high-magnification camera there. Thanks for the feedback guys! More later...

You can barely see it in the last picture. I'll pull one of the rockers later today or tomorrow. I really don't know the specifics of the build except what is posted on the first page of my build page. I've been running Royal Purple high zinc synthetic.

Yesterday while inspecting my cam I discovered what I would call pitting on the rocker pads. The cam lobes show some minor scoring although I can't feel it with my finger or catch my fingernail on it. All of the rocker and lobes look similar. I've seen cam damage from lack of lubrication but this doesn't look the same. I removed the valve cover and checked/adjusted the lash pad gaps per Rebello's instructions at 500 miles but didn't notice this damage. I was primarily looking at the lobes and as stated I checked the gaps at the lash pads not the cam. The engine now has approx 2K miles on it. The cam was lubricated with grease and the oil system was pre-lubed prior to startup with pressurized oil pumped thru the oil pressure sensor port. Could this be a material/heat treat problem with the rocker? Is this something that will just get worse and possibly damage the rest of my engine or can I just run it as-is and keep an eye on it. I apologize for the picture size but I want to show detail...

It does sound mean! Make it robust and get some flex pipe in there!

Getting the interior back to stock is relatively easy, technically speaking. Check out Motorsport Auto's website. Your gauge issue could be as simple as a burned out fuse. The previous owner probably didn't take the time to adapt the speedo to the transmission (which I assume is not stock) and the tach to the engine. Get a GPS speedo and you don't have to worry about gear ratios and such. Noise could be a broken differential nose strap or broken/loose engine mount or a host of other things wrong with the drive train. It's difficult to keep a large exhaust pipe from hitting speed bumps, mine does too. I just drive carefully over speed bumps.

It highly depends on what you plan to do with the car and how much work it needs. Sounds like you plan to at least do an engine swap so here is what I would recommend: 1) Basic mechanics tool set, drill press, mig welder, cut-off saw, bench grinder, air compressor capable of running air-tools, impact wrench, die grinder set, dremel, vise, engine hoist, low profile floor jack, good jack stands, wire stripper, ratcheting wire crimper, soldering iron, hydraulic press, break-away bar, torque wrench set...I'm sure there is more.... 2) L28 turbo because that's what I wanted. 3) Start turning a wrench! Might want to consider taking a basic auto shop class, welding class, etc. There are some decent books on amazon. 4) I would start with basic maintenance and go from there. If the car is running, get to know the car first before you dig in and start a major job like an engine transplant. 5) Z31 LSD because it seemed the easiest at the time...which is not the best rational.

Yep, I was inspire by your panel but wanted the gauges angled up towards the driver. For music I plan to get an amp with built-in bluetooth. Kenwood makes a nice one.

Thanks! Yah, I'll use new or reconditioned fasteners for the final install.