jgkurz

I went over to the site and it's actually an entertaining read. I think this guy actually believes his own lies. Auxilary, What's wrong with an N42 intake on a turbo car? Seems to work well for me. Great rebuttal by the way. I have a feeling this guy could never be convinced he is off base. Maybe he did his dyno pull in 2nd gear.

Thanks for the advice. For some reason I mistakenly thought a brass radiator cooled better and also was little heavier than an aluminum equivalent. I'm going to look into an Aluminum cross flow unit.

Hello, I am trying to decide which radiator to choose for my 77 280z. Since I've put my intercooler in front of the radiator it will slowly overheat when the A/C is on. I currently have a new 280ZXT core. I'm trying to understand which of the below radiators will give me the best possible cooling. I know the aluminum unit is lighter, but I'm not sure it would have the cooling capability of the brass 4-core. I appreciate your thoughts and opinions. Performance Aluminum Radiator, 9/74-78 Z Manual Transmission Code: 16-7018 http://www.zcarparts.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=16-7018&Category_Code=PCLC04 or Heavy Duty 4 Row Radiator, 74.5-78 Z Manual Code: 16-6955 http://www.zcarparts.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=16-6955&Category_Code=PCLC01

From the Powermaster website.... http://www.powermastermotorsports.com "A one wire alternator has a turn on point (sometimes called “cut inâ€, which is typically 1200 engine RPM’s). This is the speed where the internal sense circuitry connects the battery to the voltage regulator, thereby turning the alternator on. Once the voltage regulator turns on, the alternator will remain on and charging until the engine comes to a complete stop. If the engine idle speed and pulley ratio combination do not allow the alternator to come up to this point during starting, the engine will have to be revved up to turn the one wire alternator on. The sense circuitry in the one-wire regulator can be bypassed to excite the alternator as soon as the ignition switch is turned on. This is called three-wire operation. This means the alternator will not be dependent on reaching a certain turn on RPM. "

I too am planning to convert to the GM alternator. The 1-wire sounds easy, but I hear the original 3-wire may provide better voltage regulation. I'd love to hear some opinions on this.

Thanks guys!

Huh? I've never heard of an 8 point strut bar. Please clarify.

Hi all, I'm in the market for a front strut bar for my Z. I've been told the 3 point bar works better than the common 2 point bar. Is TopEnd the only place that sells the 3 point bar? Thanks

Scottie, Thanks for the advice, but I think I'm stuck with what I already have. Supposedly the 83 Nissan T-5 I'm using has a 24 spline yoke that wasn't used on any other transmission. The GM and Ford version of the T-5 have different input and output splines I'm told. I'd love to go to a better part if only I could find a decent yoke that fit my transmission. My driveline shop said they looked all over for a new yoke that fit my T-5 so performance u-joints were not even an option. I looked at the receipt for my driveline and the flange that failed was made by PTI. I've never heard of these folks.

Hi Mark, I've always thought that having an IRS was better as it related to the driveline. In a Z car the driveline is fixed unlike a live axle that moves up and down with the suspension.

I had the driveshaft length made with 3/4 inch end play. When I pulled the transmission yesterday it had 1/16 inch end play due to the bent flange. I've been talking to several folks on this and I've come to the conclusion that the flange was made of poor quality not the u-joint. If anything should break first it should be the u-joint not the flange. The Nissan u-joint actually was the part that saved my car from serious damage. A lesser brand may have broke rather than just bending. Anyone have a source where I could buy a new quality yoke/flange that will fit my 83 Nissan T-5?

See my recent post that shows what happens to Nissan u-joints when you go drag racing. Supposedly these u-joints are the strongest available that still fit the Nissan T-5 yoke. http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/posting.php?mode=editpost&p=202424

Now I know where this strange new vibration is coming from... At least I finally got into the 12's. Being the front u-joint, I'm glad it only bent instead of breaking. By the way, this was relatively new driveshaft with the best Nissan u-joints I could fit.

Ford 427ci side oiler running on a high bank oval......

The 3:15 gearset is tough to find. I know NISMO made aftermarket gears in this ratio for a while. I think you could also get 3:36 in some Z cars. As for not wanting to modify your car aerodynamically you CANNOT officially race at Bonneville or El Mirage unless you have all the safety componants in place. You may as well build a real race car if 240MPH is really your intent. Other than a G nose, you will need to drop the car as far as it will go and add a significant amout of weight to the nose of the car to keep it down. I'm talking lead weight!! As you know, weight has nothing to do with top speed, it's just takes a little longer to get there.

Try to get an R200 with a 3:15 gearset. Using an overdrive gear vs a high gear ratio diff will spin the drivetrain at a much higher RPM which obviously is undesirable at 240MPH. Using the overdriven gear also reduces the strength of the transmission. If you keep it in 4th gear or whatever gear is 1:1 your trans will probably live longer. 240MPH with relatively non-aerodynamic Z will take some serious HP, that is if you can keep it on the salt .

My friends 1980 280ZX did 226MPH at Bonneville in 1991. He also ran a 78 Z back in about 1989 that went 188MPH. The 78 had a g-nose.

The cam is straight up. I wonder how my power would change if I moved it a hole forward? With 104 Sunoco unleaded and 20 psi I hope to hit 350-360 RWHP on my next dyno session. I'm confident that my turbo is too small at a T04E 50 trim to make any more than 400 crank HP. I should have gone with a 60-1 in my T04E housing.

So far I have done all the tuning. It's really not that hard with the new Tec3 software and a dyno to help. I might get a real expert to help tighten up the tuning and A/F ratios once I've done all I can. In my opinion, power tuning is easy, it's the drivability that defines a real pro. Last time I weighed the car a year ago it was 2950lbs with me in it. The difference now is I had a 1/2 tank more gas, heavier sway bars and a big cast aluminum FMIC. I approximated 50 more pounds. I also have A/C. It may weigh less, but until I get it back on a scale, this is my best estimation.

Hi all, as promised here are the results of my dyno and 1/4 mile run yesterday. Dyno: I made 306.9 HP at 5250rpm and 345.6torque at 4250. This was on 92 octane pump gas and 15psi or 201kpa. I was surprised with peak power being at a low 5250 RPM. It seems the L6's just don't make peak power in the higher range. This is just an observation while looking at other L6 dyno charts. With some additional tweaking I think I can make a litttle more power at the same boost level 1/4 Mile: I drove straight to the strip and raced until midnight. What a blast. My best was 12.936 and 110.14 mph. The hardest part was getting my car to launch with a decent 60ft time. I just have some Bridgestome 205/60-15's that really aren't great for drag racing. Once I lowered the tire pressure and slipped the clutch off the start I was able to get a best of 2.012 60ft. I was just happy not to blow a half-shaft. Here's some quick specs on the car: 77 280Z Weight: ~3000lbs with me in it. 3.0L L28 Mildly ported P90 head Mildly ported N42 intake Isky 480/490 cam Tec3 EFI 450cc injectors Walbo fuel pump Izuzu NPR FMIC BW T-5 Trans Aluminum 240mm flywheel R200 3.7 LSD T04E turbo (JWT Sport 400) .50 A/R housing with 50 trim wheel .63 turbine housing with stage 5 - 10 blade wheel 3" exhaust with Scottie downpipe

I run a 50 trim T04E with a 50 A/R compressor housing (JWT Sport 400). It fits without a spacer. I am planning to dyno the car tomorrow then take it to the drag strip if all goes well. I'll post the results when I get chance. I'll probably be limited to 3?? HP to the rear wheels with the 50 trim wheel. FWIW, If I had to do it all over again I would have done a 60-1 wheel in a T04E 50 A/R housing.

Hi all, I just finished a complete drivetrain overhaul in my 77z and I'm a little disappointed with the results. First some history. I pulled the Nissan 5spd and original R200 and added a rebuilt T-5 and a low mile 3.7 R200 LSD. The clutch is a Spec 6 puck with a 240MM aluminum flywheel. Both half-shafts are solid and the driveline brand new. The mustache bar and sway bar have urethane bushings. I also have a rubber bumper mod done to my diff strap to prevent pinion rise. Here's my problem. The car has an ANNOYING clunk/clank in the drivetrain. I've had six other Z's and none have been this bad. I have checked all the usual problem spots and everything looks and feels good. The problem occurs when I shift gears normally and also when I'm just cruising down the freeway. When I did have the Nissan transmission in the car for a short time with the LSD the clunking didn't seem as bad. When I'm coasting or slowly driving downhill the problem is lessened. At this point all I can guess is that the T-5 has more backlash in the transmission than the Nissan unit. It's bad enough that I will avoid giving people a ride just so I wouldn't have to be asked "what's that noise" or "is it safe to drive". I've spent a small fortune on my Z so if the car isn't enjoyable to drive I have a serious problem. Needless to say I'm extremely frustrated. I would appreciate any feedback or opinions. Thanks

I have a Tec3..... I think I'll just stick to the "tried and true" BPR6ES-11's

Great info. Just curious, why do you say they would work better with wasted spark ignitions? If they're still in good shape maybe I should buy them from you?

There is no penalty for running a live axle vs the original IRS. I would stay in the same class. You are correct about the spool. It's so hard to get traction in the first mile.