Tony D

All the S30's have a drain plug. If you put in 'too much gas' you can always drain it back out and use it again. FYI, you are FAR BETTER OFF completely filling a tank and using Sta-Bil fuel treatment for a long term car than leaving it half full or totally empty. You will rust like crazy from condensation in the tank. It costs $30 to fill the tank today...there will be less evaporative losses from the tank (cap the EVAP line and there will be nill loss and degradation for over a year if you have good sealed lines on the vapor hoses) full as opposed to less than topped off. Unless you empty the tank completely and then post purge with dry air to completely remove all traces of water (and then maybe stick a desiccant sock in the filler neck) you will get rust in any tank that isn't near full. Been there, done that. Got 30 in the back yard and always have 'lawnmowergas' when bringing one out of the back 40. The alternative is more costly than the initial $30 to fill the tank and let it sit for a couple of years rusting internally.

You are better off just making a bracket near one of the horns to mount the IAT sensor for underhood ambient temperature compensation. If it's in the manifold it will heat soak, and the balance tube is not moving a lot of air as you mentioned, so it will be worse there. Look at the larger ports in the TB, there should be something you can stick the fine-wire GM probe into the airstream without much ado. Like remachining one of the heaters on the top where the return spring bracket mounts. A simple block there with the appropriate holes to refix the bracket, and a hole to the top of the T/B's airstream would do nicely. Have you checked out a 240SX for their Airbox Air Temp Sensor? It is VERY small, and mounts with two screws on a diamond shaped metal backing. Two wires to lead out. Spotface a flat flange mount just about anywhere on the body that will let the sensor poke through and you're in business. It's so small, I would almost bet you could hide it UNDER one of the metal heater bodies on the top of the TB and just have the wires and connector hanging out... If you were into hiding things, that is. The flange on the 240SX sensor for the airbox has holes very close to some of the original thermostatic elements in the 73/74 air cleaners. If one was so inclined to use it in one of those...without a lot of hacking... (whistles innocently...)

(note to self, 'still in machine shop four months later'...) LOL I saw the author post, and got excited! Tease!

Don't know, they are fine in the photo album at my house. I just looked at them again over Christmas...

Actually the stock 240 return line is 3/16", smaller than the 1/4" mentioned. I used the vapor recovery line connected to a high point vent as return on my 73 EFI conversion. My tank venting was accomplished with a 'high loop' up near the vapor tank, and then vented through a small K&N filter outside of the cabin. The stock fuel feed line was used on the outlet of the pump from the surge tank, the stock tank pickup was used with the Bendex Style Ticker pump to fill the surge tank, with the bleed off the surge tank being bled back through the tank's 3/16" line as a high point 'bubble bleed'. Later I incorporated the vapor line return line to the top of the surge tank, and then to the top of the main tank where it was before. I had no issues with either setup. The reason the stock return line always leaks is people think it's 1/4" and use the wrong line, and try simply clamping down the hose tightly. Use 3/16" line and it fits like it should and won't leak. but if you use that small line it will overfuel at idle with close to 45-50psi in the rail because of the phenomenon Pete mentioned. Running it through the vapor line though was fine, same as in my 260. I put the whole mess on an aluminum plate back by the tank, and used the factory mounting holes for the electric pump to mount it. Some spacers to move it off the frame and clear the moustache bar links and you can have a big mounting plate back there to mount everything.

Realistically, if you have teh Bridgeport and one of those adjustable boring bars it's really a quick thing to do to open up the bore a smidge. With the same Bridgeport, and a rotary table the tapered bore syndrome will get you all tied up thinking 'o.k. how much wall thickness is not enough?' Packing Devcon Aluminum Putty into any low spots on the body is advisable before you start, if you're like me, anyways!

Oooooh, that's the one with the 3.36 Ratio R200 if you have the non-automatic version! Those V-8 Guys like those differentials. That car will really come alive with a 3.70 diffy and a four speed, or early five speed and a 3.90. They are surprisingly quick when equipped thusly...ask the guy with the comparable model coupe who was a consistent second slower than me in the 1/4 about it...LOL

Oh, that is funny as hell. I must have missed something while working this weekend. Was someone being amused by something I said??? I can't see that Draxquoted item elsewhere so I'm figuring someting must have gone away. I'm trying to figure out what I could have said to elicit that response... (no steaming, flaming, latent hate-PM's waiting in my inbox...) It's good to know I'm loved. Even if it is man-love, according to the graph at least.

But putting the TB in the lathe backwards (lathe jaws gripping 'out' to the bore) and trimming just a little out of the throat would let you shrink/press them into the bodies with some loctite and be done with it....and not have the hose look and clamps out front... Not that Tony would know anything about boring that damnable square bore to round in 73/74 Flat Tops....oh, you can do it on a Bridgeport with a rotary table and mill, or a simple boring bar once you find center of the bore...not that I've ever witnessed that being done or anything...snarfk! XNKE is correct on the cowl, ths Japanese do it all the time as they are not confined with the Master-Vac and linkage being in the way of a reverse-mounted airbox. The issue with longer horns is packaging them with proper clearane inside an air cleaner for proper flow. More clearance is needed meaning a fatter filter housing...or one with a 'dome' and open mesh element surrounding the mouth of the pipe.

What happens is anything not sent to the North American Market gets tagged with 'JDM' or in some cases "Euro".. gawfk! In reality we got very few permutations of badging that they got everywhere else in the world... What should be more apt a descriptor is 'US MARKET' when discussing this stuff. The block cover Monzster shows is on 'late model' L-Engines, and the plaastic cover which looks similar was used on the latest model Cedrics and others to keep the valvetrain quiet and keep heat transmission to levels less than a Mazak-Cast item. Same kind of thing happend in Jeeps... As for that "Nissan 2000OHC" cover, I just dusted mine off on the back porch, sprayed it with cosmoline, and stuck it in the rafters I just installed in my lockable shipping container. Any Z-Enthusiast with theivery on their mind just lost a great target of opportunity as all the stuff on my back porch has now been filed away this past weekend. Amongst things (not to threadjack, but while I'm at it...) stored under lock and key in a metal container: Original G-Nose (rough), Upper portion of G-Nose (two piece aftermarket-new), Triple Manifold (Bare), Beta Motorsports CF Cowl-Induction Hood, gads I was packing for two days solid with all the assorted bits and pieces to numberous to mention. They were just laying there. All you had to do was get past the dogs... That Classic Z thread is a good read, and should be referenced for the Mercedes linkage alone...

something is obviously lost in the translation with 'mr k's book'...

LOL Only in California would "Chen" be considered a common last name...

This is incorrect. A non-return fuel system is available in most new vehicles as part of Federal Evaporative Emissions Requirements. Without using a return line, the fuel in the tank stays MUCH cooler, and therefore decreases fuel offgassing. A variable speed pump and fuel pressure transducer is all that is required to have consistent fuel pressures for a non-return fuel injection system. Matter of fact there are aftermarket kits out there now that incorporate PWM Control of the fuel pump through the ECM to do just that. BOSS Fuel Injection has PWM controllers that will run up to 500HP through their ECM. After that point, you must use a return line, simply because the amperage required to control that size fuel pump can not be accomodate within the confines of their small ECM control box. The reason G35 Guys are switching over to other regulators/return lines is for similar reasons---the existing controller and pump will not support the horsepower, not because the inherent design of the fuel delivery system is flawed (non returnless). The key point is to remember that the fuel boils because of heat soak AFTER the car is shut off. Realistically, if you have a problem with the setup you make, simply raise the fuel pressure from 3 bar to 4 bar (around 60 psi instead of 45) static and that shold raise the pressure boiling point more than enough to solve the problem. I'm amazed I didn't remember this from my own issues. I ran 4 Bar initially because I thought my injectors may need to be larger (I originally set up twin 270cc Turbo Injectors and was running lean on the dyno at 100hp, so I changed to 550's and went back to stock EFI pressure of 36psi static and occasionally had some soak restart issues until I bypassed the 3 sec timer on MS to run the pump longer.) I just put two and two together and realized that the decrease in static rail pressure (I was feeding injectors UNDER the SU's near the exhaust...) could account for the problem I was having with the 550's which didn't happen with the 270's at higher pressure! I'd say bump your fuel pressure and compensate by 'increasing' the size of your injectors in the MS program to accomodate the increased flow at 45psi -vs- 60psi (or whatever) and you sohuld be fine. In other words, run it with what you have, and if you have a problem FIRST try to increase the fuel pressure to 60 psi and see if that cures the issue. If not, then return lines or other methods for gietting cooling flow to the injector pintle fuel line may be required.

ADD TWO MORE TO THE LIST!!! 1990 Chevrolet C3500 Dually Crew Cab with a 454 Big Block (Red) 1979 Peak Brothers 22' Enclosed Car Trailer (former occupant, NHRA 29 T-Bucket that ran 6's @ 220mph at Lions Dragstrip) 2.38 Acres... Photos abound on the internet, I just haven't posted any recently. There might be some older photos of some of the stuff at my Cardomain Page: sharkie73z If I post any, they usually go in one of the vehicle accounts there.

The problem with most racing belts is they are not compliant with FMVSS sections regarding passenger restraint, and are therefore not 'legal' for use in road vehicles. I know Schroth makes DOT/FMVSS complaint harnesses, others probably do as well. It depends on what your state vehicle code references as criteria for roadworthy operation. Some states specifically defer to 'federal standards' others are much more vague and in those cases it could be legal to use them on the street. With the mounting caveats mentioned above, also realize that a seat that does not secure you laterally is all but useless, and if there is any foam to compress it makes even the tightest 'race harness' a moot point---you can slip out from it under seat compression and literally be thrown from the vehicle (this happened at a land speed event at 100mph when a stock bench seat in a vehicle compressed enough to allow the driver to move in a manner that slipped a couple of harness straps free and bounced him about the interior till he was dead and quite unsightly...) Belts can be recertified, but it usually costs near as much as a new set. They are throwaway items. If someone wants to use throwaway parts for their street car, take steps to insure you are not making any claims for suitability for application and let them know that so you don't get litigated upon when Johnny Honda's parents come looking for the guy who sold their son 'racing seatbelts that failed' when his Accord went into the tree at 132mph... And thanks to John C's post in another thread, it is FMVSS 209 that I refer to, and since I mentioned Schroth, John posted their installation instructions there, and on the obligatory 'litigation avoidance pages' of their installation manual you can see their warnings about their racing belts and street usage: http://www.schrothracing.com/docs/Competition_Instructions.pdf

That's a neat little gizmo!

One other option would be to put the fuel distribution block in the center of hte manifold with the regulator attached there, and using that as a centralized return point for the fuel return line. This way the length of the lines to any individual injector could be minimized/equalized, and you would know liquid fuel would always be in the block, just a short distance from the injection point. It could look very Hilborn-Like set up that way as the return pellet housing and return lever could be on that block to make it 'look' mechanical. The thing that is in my mind is the length of the lines to the longest injector may result in a pressure drop during batch firing. The lines should all come from a suitably sized distribution block with an accumulator on it to minimise pulsations when the injector banks fire. JeffP has a nice example on his webpage. I didn't have any issues firing alternate pulse 550cc injectors through 1/4" dedicated lines, but then I only had two of 'em. Putting the lines higher -- say on the same plane as the valve cover mounting bolts -- would allow you to make some neat insulated line clamps. The heat transmitted by the metal standoffs bolted directly to the head in early cars is considerable. Much of the heat transmission to the fuel lines was eliminated by simply insulating the heat transfer point with some phenolic holders instead of brazed sheetmetal holders (it's one of the reasons why the OEM line holding apparatus was plastic lined...)

Searchy Searchy...the part number for the recommended replacement washers from McMaster Carr is listed already. A package of ten will arrive UPS from their Norwalk CA location in a day to most of Nevada...

I have seen Jack's car, and can attest what he shows in the photos posted here are only the tip of the iceberg. That car was a SoCal car that was shipped to the NL from my back yard, and I am continually amazed at what the progress has been from that humble starting point. I owe him photos of it from my back yard, so he can show how far it 'really has come'! I am remiss in my dutues. Maybe now that my archive drive is at work, I'll have some time to comb through it and find those shots! I love the foreshadowing of hte English Wheel in the foreground! LOL

Obviously the seed planted over Christmas was germinating. That seed being the phrase: "Just because I don't buy it doesn't mean it won't be stored out back anyway!" On Friday evening I got word it was still available, and for the negotiated price of $4500. I passed this on to the wife that evening, and that Saturday Afternoon or Sunday some time, we could go look at it. While riding over to Lowes to get some stuff on Saturday morning, she out of left field blurts: "You can get the Dually, but you have to paint one of the Z's!" Where did that come from? I can have it, but I have to paint one of the Z's? This was not on the table. IMO, the painting of one of the Z's was in the same column as 'Getting a Tow Rig' or 'Heading to Bonneville for a week.' You know, "Those items which I particularly like to do from time to time." Nothing was mentioned about removing the 7 cars (which I still am progressing on regardless)... I have to paint one of the Z's! I guess Santa Claus came late for me this year. I get a Tow Rig Combo, and will have a Shiny Z to put into it! I am heading to the bank for the cash in 8 minutes, and taking a 1/2 day vacation to go pick up the rig.

Fuel Injection Lines run out over the head may suffer from some heat soak...and not having individual lines back from each injector to the FPR Manifolding block may cause issues in heat. All depends on where you are driving it. And it usually happens after the car has been shut down for more than 5 minutes, but less than 10. This is the design criteria for the cooler fan on the ZX's. There was some gas formation that was hard to get the car restarted till liquid fuel traveled back in the rail to cool it, or the increase in pressure simply recondensed vaporous fuel back into liquid form. The injectors cycling will vent the gassous fuel with enough cranking (as in the early S30's when it happens), but having that 3 second reprime pump to clear the rail of fuel vapors and get liquid petrol to the backside of the injector will only work well if there is a return from the hottest point. Doubling up the lines or running a 't' with a smaller bleeder orifice back to the regulator manifold would do it....but it's going to get the top of the manifold extremely busy. If you're not running in the desert southwest, likely it will never be an issue. Any place in the Midwest or where there is considerable aerosols in the atmosphere to keep road temps down will likely never have an issue with the flash vaporisation after shutdown. And that's when it occurs: after shutdown. You will only notice it after shutdown and when trying to restart in that 5-10 minutes after shutdown timeframe. Shorter, and the heat soak is not an issue. Longer, and it's not an issue. Even my 75 will sit idling for hours on the Lakes in 120 degree heat and never miss a beat. But shut it down and try a restart at 7 minutes and it's hard to start---the MS "FLOOD CLEAR" logic will help with this a lot. Shut it down and try a start after an hour or even 20 minutes and it's perfect. But 7-10 on that car, and it's sometimes hit and miss. Shorter than that it fires fine. The stainless may help, a nice stainless heat shield between the head in a 'tray' layout may add to the look and work nicely as a heat shield. Sticking them inside a split rubber hose may give it a more "Hilborn" look as well... Though the lines as laid out look mean as heck. My kid said it looks 'like a racing diesel'! LOL

The selection of 40mm PHH's is significant in that the EFI system handles airflow completely different. A set of air horns as-cast by Derek in a 40mm bore size would be equivalent to 44 or 45mm (and realistically, more like 48mm) Carburettors. What Derek has cast is comparable to, and will flow better than most 50mm Carbs in full race trim, yet due to the EFI setup will idle and have around-town drivability never dreampt of in such an application. There is no doubt to be benefitted... What he's cast would make power comparable to what is on World-Class Competition rigs running much larger carburettors. And it was from this viewpoint that I opined such a comparison as yours was totally specious. A non-starter. It would have been mentioned as-such two years ago. To bring it up now simply smacks of shouting louder to get the word in after the microphone has been shut off and the audience is leaving. Kind of counterproductive, and causing spook more than any relative good that could come from the mention of such 'concerns'. The parts as-designed are capable FAR beyond what his intended usage for them will be, and likely will ever be.

Yep, those short trips are killers for EFI and gas mileage. The electricity for a block heater is pennies compared to the petrol cost. My wife is almost convinced something is wrong with her Frontier as it's in the mid-teens going the 5 miles to and from work the past month or so... compared to high teens in the summertime. Cold start warmup circuit. It's not off till she gets almot to work. In the summer, shes likely starting at 40C+ instead of 0C or maybe 10C at the most.

I'd leave any block heater connected. Starting a high performance engine up with the cylinders all the same temperature (operating temperature or near it) does have advantages. And with EFI, you would save all that time on the cold-run loop sucking down gas you don't need to waste! Block Heaters: A Green Alternative as a gas-saving device for an EFI car that nobody ever considers! They run the engine up warm enough you rarely need more than the initial priming pulse to start the engine, then immediately are warm enough to go into closed-loop operation. Gas saver to be sure...

Methinks it's gone, or the guy went out of town for the holidays... My only hope is that he returns and finds my calls on his machine. I've started looking at open deck trailers as I got crap I got to move now, while I'm home. And I needed one of those anyway---in addition to needing an enclosed unit 'down the road'. I just don't think women get the whole 'target of opportunity' unless it involves shoes or clothes or something relatively cheap. I tend to look well into the future on some things, and stuff will sit for extended periods. Then when it 'happens' things move really fast and people wonder how something so complex got done so quickly. It's 10 years of planning and 6 months of feverish activity...that's how!