aarang

To get my current 280ZX, I flew to SoCal and drove it all the way back to Portland Oregon, about an 18hr drive. That was by myself with no cell phone to call for help. Made it with no problems until the headgasket blew five minutes from my house! Aaron

I am just taking a guess here, but it seems that if you have the block breather open with a filter and have the rocker cover plumbed in the factory spot after the AFM you would have a non metered source of air coming into the engine. It sounds as though the engine is running a bit lean. Not a vacuum leak as it is before the throttle plate, but air would be drawn through the block breather up to the rocker cover and into the turbo after the AFM. In the past, I would always have either both breathers hooked to the factory location, or just put filters on both the block and rocker cover. A quick way to see if this is your problem would be to take the rocker cover breather line and plug it into the block breather. Cap the hole where the rocker cover breather went before the turbo. Don't leave it setup that way, just take it for a spin and see what happens. Hope this helps!! Aaron

Ya, I actually checked the wipe pattern before buying the lash pads. I just use the stock pads , .120, and make shims out of different thickness aluminum , .050,.060,.070, etc. and put it between the rocker tip and the stock pad. Then I set my clearances to the cold spec and turn the cam trying different shims until the wipe pattern is centered. I just add the amount of the shim and stock pad to see which one I need. Aaron

It's a pretty small cam for a turbo application, so I'm only at .460 lift. Later down the road I'll get a larger regrind and some Schneider springs. I did install the Felpro/Ford Viton seals just in case. Thanks for the reply. Aaron

Hey guys, In Honzowetz' book he states not to use lash pads thicker than .170 with the stock spring keepers. I am using a Delta regring that requires .180 thick pads and subsequently already bought and installed them before reading the book again!! I was wondering if anyone here is using .170 or thicker pads with the stock keepers and if there have been any problems with them. My guess in my case is that I'm splitting hairs and will be fine, but just trying to make sure I won't run into any problems. Thanks in advance. Aaron

Just wondering if the solid lifter completely covers up the little oil hole for the hydraulic lifter. I know you can't really watch it run to see if oil is coming out, but I wonder if that would be an issue as well. Also, you could run your old N47 'A' cam in the P90a with the solids while your waiting to get an upgraded cam. I tried it recently, It works pretty good with the stock turbo. Gave me about 500 or so more RPM on the top end over the P90 cam. Aaron

If it was a replacement L28e from Japan, most of the ones I have seen are P90a hydraulic head, flat top piston F54 block. I haven't seen an L28ET from those Japanese engine places. So he may have put all the turbo stuff onto a normally aspirated engine. Pull a spark plug and see if you have flat top or dished pistons, and that will give you your answer. Aaron

Aircraft use that style of wastegate. You can go to an aircraft parts shop and they should be able to help you. They are all pretty large, though. The ones we use are 2.25" wide. Also, be prepared for sticker shock. The last time I checked, an overhauled one was about $1300!!! Aaron

When was the last time this mechanic had his compression tester calibrated, or even knows how to use it properly???

When I still owned a 240z, I had a 1980 truck 5-speed in it. It was a direct bolt in. I liked the ratios, but shifting that thing sucked. It was very notchy. No matter what fluid or shifter I tried, it was never a smooth shifter. I like the later ZX N/A trans better. Aaron

I keep meaning to join the NWZ club, but I am working alot of O/T and have two little ones to watch during the day!! My car sits in the garage waiting for me!! LMK when you want to check out the spacer. Aaron

I actually bought one of those myself. The problem I see with it, though, is that the design of the wastegate hole does not allow manifold studs ( much longer than stock of course) to go all the way through to the other side. The bolt holes are threaded on both sides, not really an issue as a drill would solve that. I had actually considered trying to bolt it from the inside of the manifold, but that was sketchy at best. I think having it welded to the manifold would be the best option. It would work better In my opinion if the W/G hole was on the longer side ( bottom in our case) of the adapter. If anyone else has any ideas, lets hear it!! John, if you would like, I can send you mine if you want to take a look at it first hand. I doubt I will be using it any time soon. Aaron

I've found that alot of these shops who have all this "experience" with Datsuns and talk about how great their work is can't deliver. For machine shops, I'll usually find one that does only high performance stuff, has been around for a long time and was recommended by a few people with Z's. I was lucky to find one in my area that does great work at good prices.

Looks great. What's the part number and where did you get it! 25 year old fusible links suck! Aaron

You could just pull off the manifold again, and helicoil the stud holes. I have had to do that very same thing many times on those front and rear end studs. Aaron

If you convert to solid pivots, I think using the n/a cam would be an improvement over the turbo cam for the turbo engine. I think someone else here used the N47 'A' cam on a turbo motor with good results. Aaron

I was going to try that type of return system with my Aeromotive regulator. Less fuel lines on top of the manifold is always a plus. Do you think there would be any pressure fluctuations with that setup?

I got my exhaust/intake studs from the local Ace hardware. I used stainless nuts. Also, I would recomend putting anti-sieze on them before installation, easier to get them out if they break! Aaron

It just unbolts, no cutting or welding. You don't need air tools or anything. Just a good breaker bar! Aaron

Sometimes you can get a good deal from Ebay. I got a set of turbo injectors recently for $26!! Right now, it seems things for our cars are going for less money on Ebay.....Strange. Aaron

I know you want to get your car running ASAP, but NOW is the time to swap out to the manual rack crossmember!!! If you do it now, you won't regret it. It's alot easier with the engine out. It might set you back maybe an extra day of work on the car. Aaron

Hey AE2ZX, sorry to hijack your thread, but I was installing a 280ZXT oil cooler and adapter into my car. I have forgotten how this thing goes in since it has been such a long time that I saw one installed last. Could you take some pics on how the lines are routed and the cooler is mounted. I'm beginning to wonder if I have the right thing!! Thanks in advance. Car is looking good by the way!! I'll post a couple of pics of my car when I find my camera! Aaron

Changing out the crossmember really isn't that big of a deal. If the motor is going to be out anyway, it makes it that much easier. It is still not that bad to remove with the motor in the car. I think it would be worth the effort in the end. I like my manual steering, the turning effort is not that much more than the power steering and I have 225/50-16's on the front. Aaron

Ya, the crossmembers for the manual and power steering (rack and pinion type) look almost the same. At one time a while back, I had FOUR 280ZX's in my driveway!!! Two 83 turbos ( power rack), one 81 base model ( manual rack), and one 79 GL ( recirc ball). If you measure the spacing between the holes for the 'clamps' that hold down the rack to the crossmember, I believe the manual one has wider spacing. The clamps themselves are not the same, and the rubber bushings for both racks are not the same. I had tried at one point to put a manual rack onto a power rack type crossmember, but it didn't work out right. I ended up getting a 1980 ZX that had manual steering, got rid of the parts cars, and didn't have to worry about it in the end. Also, the turbo fits no prob with the manual rack. Aaron

Just a thought, If your car has the recirculating ball type steering setup, I don't think your crossmember has the bosses on it for the rack. I think you will need the crossmember off the car you pulled the rack from. Also, the manual and power steering crossmembers are not quite the same. It is easier just to get the whole setup from the manual steering car. Aaron