rome03

May need to reinforce what? You shave down the sharp edges, clean out rotten foam, and fill in with the bumper stuff right? Then after it hardens in place you sand it. Im confused, what did you mean by reinforce "them" to give the foam something to grab onto. What is "them" Sorry

Bitchinz, I'm interested in doing the exact process that you did. It looks great! You know how the dash kinda flares up where it cracks, is this where you beveled it down to match the rest of the dash's height. Did u also bevel out the rotten foam, which made the crack larger, then filled it in with the bumper repair? Also, what do you mean by waxing and greasing? You sanded it and waxed it.....what about the greasing? Thanks.

Wow that response was amazing! I really appreciate the help and steps you laid out for the rebuild. I agree with everything that you mentioned. I have found the same answers on other threads but I gotta say Its perfect having them on the same one. Going back and forth and reading different threads and opinions had me a bit confused but this is great. I also had a conversation with my cousin and he brought up the same point you did. I can't/don't want to spend all of my budget on the perfect build with the horrible brakes and suspension I have now. I will buy the turbo engine, do a basic check for reliability, upgrade the other things the car needs in order to handle my power goals and finally return back to upgrading the engine. I'll have the stock turbo engine but it will be ready to go once more money comes in. I guess what I have to do now is find the right kit for the disk conversion and start replacing the suspension and bushings! Thanks

Seattle, Thanks for the tip. I went back and saw that I slipped up 3 times! Brakes! haha. Ok so what I'll do is research the n/a block from the zx to see if it has the holes for the oil, just to keep my options open, but I will be looking for a complete turbo engine as my first choice. Once the turbo engine is purchased what would you recommend I tell the shop to do to make sure the engine is running good without doing everything I had planned? You mentioned checking the compression, but what else would be a good idea for a healthy engine? This way I can feel confident driving it daily. Maybe: Replacing the seals New head gasket Minor head work Arp head bolts valves and valve seats 240sx throttle body Clean injectors Upgrade my fuel lines Fuel Pump Megasquirt Upgrade Ignition like MSD or something Oil Pump Water pump Flush radiator or New one

Pharaohabq, Most of the threads I have found where people had a turbo had the f54 block and p90 head. From what I read, that set-up came in the zx for turbo and non-turbo. Are they exactly the same except for the fact that one had a turbo? Im asking this because my dad has a zx non turbo with the f54 and p90 sitting at home with a running engine. So would this be the set-up I should be building or does it have to be exactly the turbo block/head? I'm asking this question because from what I read non-turbo/turbo zx's both ran a f54/p90. If this is right, then I could get started right away with that engine. As I'm sure you know the P90 is the turbo head, and the f54 had flat top pistons. Im guessing the f54 turbo had dished? So could i put the turbo dished pistons in the f54 block from the zx and that would be the same as a turbo engine. Im just trying to figure out if there is a possibility that i can use the one from the zx, this way save money and not have to buy one. Thanks for the help.

congrats on the new car. I got mine yesterday! what block and head does it have. Are you building the one it came with?

seattle, I read the link you posted. I was talking to the shop and they said that If i wanted the turbo to get the ecu/harness/afm from the turbo engine. But if i plan on doing megasquirt does that eliminate needing all those things? Also how much does megasquirt cost? I've heard about 1000. There are many models and I'm wondering if you know which one z's use. In my previous post i also forgot to mention that if the compression is good on the current engine i have then i could possibly save a lot of money and not do all of the porting, polishing, balancing that i originally thought of doing. So i would just need a turbo kit, megasquirt which was already in my plan, checking my fuel lines and fuel pump, and call it a day? is this possible? took the bumpers off!

To your first point. Lets just say that the running engine i have now gets its compression tested, and it checks out, then doing all the things i wanted is not really necessary because its probably pretty healthy right? I get what you're saying about the n/a vs turbo. I guess with all the things i was saying would be better on an n/a motor and not really necessary with a turbo set up to reach the numbers i want. Although i would feel better about doing it, but you're right its expensive. and leaves me with little money for the breaks, interior, and suspension. So swapping a l28et would be better because it would already be running, have the turbo, and i could use my money to fix breaks, suspension, interior since i would save so much money on labor without doing all the balancing and what not. then what ever is left over and whatever i save can then be put back into the engine. knowing that everything is built right instead of a bad ass engine in a crappy car. right now I'm looking at a 5000 budget. is there a place where i can buy a l28et with warranty or low miles. a place to order them where they are guaranteed to run? Thanks a lot guys!

Here was my plan. taking the engine apart, making sure everything is good. polishing the head. balancing the block to make sure its running right. Install megasquirt and just buy the turbo ecu/harness/manifold. basically just building what i have now. I mean the car runs now i just want to be safe. Is that not a good idea? Im trying to understand why it would be better to buy a donor car for probably $1000 and still have to invest into that engine doing the balancing, head work etc etc, because who knows if that engine is good, instead of doing the exact same thing to the engine i have now and save myself the $1000 from the donor car. Im selling my g35 so this will be my daily driver and will need to have almost all of the work done at once asap at the shop since ill be needing the car. I wanted to drop it off, get the engine nice and running right, get megasquirt, turbo manifold, fuel pump, injectors, arp bolts, metal head gasket, turbo, exhaust, upgrade ignition, and make sure cooling is good. after that upgrade breaks and suspension knowing that the car won't leave me stranded.

Pharaohabq, Thanks. Im really excited to get started. I just got back from the shop where they inspected the car. The noise only came from shifting hard and it was because the diff. bushings are shot. No rust! and the engine has no leaks. What I was going to do to this engine was take it apart and get it all check, polished, balanced, head work and what not. Since it will be my daily driver i need it to be really reliable. I understand what you're saying about the l28et but i would be spending the same amount of money on that engine to get it balanced, clean, head work, etc. etc. plus the money it cost to buy. I could always sell the engine i have now but thats not guaranteed, so i could loose some of my budget. You mentioned the stronger block/rods......you mean because it would be the f54 block? And you're right about the benefit of getting the ecu/harness. I guess i have to do some research and see if its a good tradeoff. What is a good compression to run with boost. The guy at the shop said he would do the arp head studs and a 3.55mm metal head gasket. He said it would bring the compression down to 7:1. Isn't this a little low? he said that the turbo would being it back up. I thought it was fine do run about 8:6 even with the turbo. Im going to replace all of the bushing in the car. 250$ for a full pro thane bushing kit. any one have experience with this kit?

seattlejester, Thanks for the reply. Ive been reading the forums like crazy and have learned a bit but you cleared up some of what i was confused about especially the compression, i didn't know what kind of compression is normal for a turbo. The goal is to be turbo. 100% positive on that. I have a running engine right now. n42 block and n42 head. Im trying to find the best combination that would save me money. For example. Many people have the f54 block with flat top pistons and the P90 head. But i would hate to have to buy both things. Others run the f54 block with the n42 head that i have now which is one less thing i have to buy. others run the same set up i have now but u mentioned that the f54 block will be desirable in that it has the oil drains and oil source to feed the turbo. So what happens if i wanted to have a turbo with the n42 block i have now? What kind of compression does my stock 78 l28 have, i read that the block i have now has dished pistons. Thanks

there are so many combinations that people recommend on the forums but everyone says the f54 block is the best because of the flat top pistons. I currently have the n42 block and n42 head. Ultimately the goal is leaving it running perfect and ready for the turbo, so what is a safe compression to have for the turbo. I want to make 300 wheel horsepower. I read that someone was putting flat top pistons in their n42 block instead of buying another block. I also read that keeping the dished pistons but putting l24 rods gets you up to 10:1 but i don't know if this is true and or safe for a turbo setup. I plan on rebuilding the motor but need to figure out if I'm good with my block and head and should replace the pistons or get an f54. Whatever is cheapest is better. Also i want the engine to be able to rev to 8000. I found this but not sure exactly what is necessary. I don't want an over kill. Just a strong basic setup for turbo. L28 BLOCK BUILD Degrease block $61.00 Degrease crank $17.50 Regrind mains (if required) $140.00 Regrind rodjournals(ifrequired) $140.00 Regrind both at once $200.00 Resize rods (if required) $120.00 Check line bore (refundable if boring required) $30.00 Line bore (if required) $250.00 Resurface deck $75.00 R&R six pistons on rods $42.00 Bore & hone block w/stress plate $160.00 Balance $150.00 Pistons &rings(choice..$300-800) TBA Rod bearings (Clevite) $30.00 Main bearings (Clevite) $50.00 Freeze plugs installed $30.00 ARP rod bolts 9mm MSA# 10-1312 $100.00 High capacity oil pump MSA#17-8021 $65.00 Conversion set ZONE Felpro #CS21157 $20.00 Block labor (de-burring, prep, end gap set and $300.00 assembly) N42 HEAD BUILD N42 core $150.00 Degrease $20.00 R&R guides and seats, resurface and grind seats incl. parts $480.00 Cam kit (cam, rockers, springs, retainers, lash pads)MSA#10-2000, Stage III $770.00 Head gasket set ZONE Felpro #HS21157PT-1 $54.00 Timing set ZONE #76011 $80.00 Labor (porting/port match and assemble head/valves/springs) $300.00

After months of dreaming about a Z I finally bought one today. 1978 280z. 5 speed. N42 head. Fuel injected. Problems: Cracked dash. Needs seals around doors and windows. When you shift hard it sounds like the differential bangs. It sways like a boat on the freeway haha. Upholstery needs to be done. Pros: 25mpg! not bad, I was surprised. Starts up quick. Plans: Sell my G35. Upgrade to P90 head, valve job, any other ideas? Build the block, not sure exactly what but maybe bearings and a light bore. Ideas? Fix suspension.