Pharaohabq

Any rubbing with those 235's?

I'm happy to give it a shot. just send me a picture of where you're talking. oh and what year is your car?

K, yeah that's what I was wondering about... So how about this idea, Moving the engine back another inch or so and moving the hood latch to the side? I was actually thinking of getting a 2nd latch and moving them to the upper corners by the access panels. a cable between them should still allow for unlocking, and opening. Just a thought. Other people have used manual latches (see Austin's build) You may be able to drop the back end of the tranny an inch and fix the height of the engine under the hood too, but I would just lower your engine mounts a little more. I'm still very interested in seeing what you come up with for the Steering. that AC compresor is just so in the way. I was thinking I'd have to make a plate that would bolt to the stock AC mounts on the block, then would have a bend to fit along the side of the engine, and then some holes with nuts welded in to bolt the AC pump on. You'd be able to raise that pump probably 60mm that way. You may need a bracket from the top for stability, but then rotating the rack, you shoudl be able to fit the shaft underneath, though your Turbo might still be in the way. It's a tough issue. There is still the idea of putting in a smaller AC pump from another car up near where the original PS pump was, But you're using PS so that may not work. Take a couple pictures for me. one without the AC pump in place, and another with it in place, both from the top looking down at the shaft. This way we can do some planning on "paper"

Naw that crack smoker thinks that only 19K miles is worth 19K dollars. (more actually) problem is that you'd have to be so in love with the S130 that you'd dish out 4 times the original sticker price for a 30 year old car.

Is the ground strap to the mounts connected? The internal frame of the Dash should be grounded through the bolts to the firewall, but the framework for the gauges may not be grounded. You can test this by just grounding the framework with a spare length of wire. you won't hurt anything, but make sure the battery is disconnected while hooking it up, since things like the clock are still constant power.

Okay, No happy #'s for me Now this part should probably be moved to a new thread. Cooling the Injectors, starting with Nigel's Post#57. Now this is aside from the idea that the cooler Thermo might fix the issue. Using side feed injectors needs to be looked at. as they may run cooler. Anyone else figure a solution for cooling the intake to prevent heat soak from locking your injectors. Perhaps a thick Kevlar intake manifold gasket. Something to insulate the Intake from the block. I'd imagine that should solve that problem without too much work or too much modification. it certainly makes more sense than doing something crazy like running additional cooling lines across your injectors. Though Concievably, you could make a set of heat sinks and strap them to each injector to do a similar job. If my 280 was having that issue I might try those. My trouble is on the 260Z, so we're waiting to get the 70C thermo.

Shhhh! Tony you're going to scare him off! No Really, I don't think we have to worry, he's already up to two cars, it's only a matter of time before he buys more Z's. He's already hooked. Rturbo has got it right, both look like good candidates at this point. Both need similar work. It's really your choice on these. The 280 has the bigger engine, and is fuel injected. It's arguable if that's better than the Carbs or not, but the 240 was the original S30, and a lot of people like them better for a number of reasons. One thing I didn't mention about these as not to scare you too badly. These are both NOT GOING TO BE CHEAP to fix. The rust on the rear arches should require panel replacement. assuming the inner arches are okay, on the cheap side, I've found those panels for ~100 bucks each. the inner arches are a lot more, ~150 each. then you have to get them welded in. that's free it you DIY, or upwards of $1000 to have a shop put them in. Then you have finishing, filling primer and paint. that's still just for those arches. A full paintjob could easilly run 2 grand. On top of that you've got to get an engine running, brakes, clutch. Who knows how long these have sat either. The Fuel could be all gummed up in the tank, Rust, blocked lines. There's a lot of issues which can take time to fix and $$$ to fix. As always if you do the work yourself its going to be cheaper. These cars are 35+ years old so you know parts aren't going to be cheap. Though if you don't mind used parts, all is good. So if you're still hooked on the Z cars then You're going to have a great time, just try to budget and do one project at a time. Wish I had $ and room for that 240... Phar

This is looking great. What brake brackets are those that you'd used. They look like they were modified. Don't worry too much about the lifter tapping noise. All the L28 engines aside from those with the P90A hydraulic head make some ticking noise while running. it's normal, and due to the height of the cam lobes. so unless the noise is really loud you probably don't have to change anything...

Oh my, that doesn't look fun at all. Though I see how you were able to run the steering linkage over the top of the AC pump. That looks like it would probably work, though the angles are a little tight. ~45 degrees is supposed to be the safe limit for a U joint, but it looks like this should work since it's only turning low speed. Those angles are tight, but so long as everything clears I guess it's all good. Mounting it to the shock tower with a bracket is really a great idea. that would hold it much tighter and prevent some slop in the steering. Is there any way to move the bearing closer to the fender wall and maybe move the shafts down a little to the side, rather than directly over the AC pump? It's a tight fit, and at least you'll have AC.

Not bad for 55 bucks. Maybe next time you try that carpet you could pull your seats and put in the full size. that way you won't have that seam by your console. no biggie, the OEM just tucks up under the console too anyway. though I think you have to take loose the screws. it's looking really good. I can't wait till you get to real paint. Glad to hear it was just the rust in the tank. it's kinda a pain to clean out by yourself. I'd recommend just taking it down and having it boiled. I wonder, has anyone tried having their tank Zinc plated? It shouldn't be too expensive. It'll certainly clear out the rust and prevent more. I might have to look into that myself.

Hey Looking good, you're really getting there... Wow, yeah that intake does stick up quite a bit. I wonder if the lower intake is swapable with the VQ35. if not, they could cut out a center section and drop out about 20mm. then weld it back together, poilsh and it may fit then. Remember you have to hood hump right there so it may not be an issue. it's really interresting the similarities between the VQ30 and the VQ 35, your VQ30 has webbing on the side of the block, the VQ35 has solid walls. What really looks like an issue is that AC pump. it's really looking like it's in the way of the Steering shaft. I haven't figured a way around it myself yet, though I'm thinking some 4mm steel could maybe move it up. That or another idea one of the guys had was to get the AC compressor out of a small car like a Geo metro or something that may fit up near where the PB pump originally was. Either way we're making brackets, but the AC pump doen't have to be stock to the engine. A smaller pump will take more time to cool down the car, but if that's what it takes to make it fit. I dunno. I'm going to try to move the AC pump up and run the steering below it. it's a tight fit. We may have to use additional U joints and rotate the rack. Another idea is to swap the rack mounts 180 degrees and mount the rack lower. Im not sure if that'll affect the steering geometry. Worst case we can swap in the Electric AC from a toyota Prius. it's not even mounted on the engine.

NewZed, Could you try running with your hood popped on the safety latch a couple days, without using your extra fan and let us know if you experience any heatsoak/vapor locking issues? I'd really like to know if this is a valid test. It's only a test, I want to know if it lowers the ambient underhood temperatures, and also if that in turn affects heat soak from the block. If removing heat from the compartment makes a big difference then we know there's something of a design issue. (of course, we know there is since Datsun put in the hood vents, and later the injector fans). I suppose some kevlar or ceramic insulators under the fuel rail mounts may also help, unless almost all of the soak is through the air, rather than metal to metal contact... It would be fun to put thermocouples on the intake and return fuel hoses to see exactly how much heat is transfered to the fuel at running temp.

as it should being the other woman and all...

Well here's an idea I was just thinking of when reading about cutting holes in the fenderwells. Would a good test of this be to drive around a bit with your hood popped open just locked on the safety latch? In doing so would allow excess heat to escape and you wouldn't necessarilly build as much ambient heat in the compartment. If that made your stalling issue go away, then we'd definitely know it's a heat based issue and could try using a lower temp thermostat. On the 260Z we're putting in the tropical thermo, but had to have autozone order it since they didn't have it in stock. I'll let you know what kind of difference it makes once we get it installed and get to run a while. Now I know the windshield is a HP area, but I'm hoping enough air would be pushed out to make the difference under the hood. If that sounds like a good test, it would certainly be worth trying before making additional mods on the engine, adding fans/changing thermostats/swapping in chipmunks.

Pretty Nifty project. I like the door scallops. I wonder what this would look like in Gnose clothes? I'd really like to see this painted too. How wide of tired do you think you could fit under that rear?

Great, Yeah a picture would be awesome. If you have calipers some actual measurments would allow me to start a model as well.

You think that 240Z is bad??? Wow really??? I've seen some that are WAY worse than that. Especially if you say the floor pans are still good. That 240 needs rear arches over the rear tires and some 3M hitemp glue for the headliner. otherwise it doesn't look so bad. I'm sure you could easilly get $1000 bucks for it if you filled up the tires and put in a battery. more probably if you washed and waxed it. you'd have to unbend that front bumper, but that's not hard to do. It really looks like it's pretty intact. If you take any parts off you'll immediately drop it's value by easilly half, when you go from complete roller to parts car. You could take that $1000 bucks and buy a 280ZX turbo engine and 5 speed tranny to drop in the 280Z. That 280Z needs arches too, so I think you're in the same boat with both. But the 280 looks like it needs less body work, but do either of them turn over? If I had $1000 handy I might consider driving the 600 miles to Denver Aspen to buy that 240. Interior parts you can get cheap off Ebay or through your local Zclub/dismantler/hybridZ buddies on here

You can cut and reenforce the crossmember to get that extra 1.25" of space. for my VQ swap I cut out almost 2.5" from the crossmember. It's all boxed in under the steering rack. here's a pict:

Hey BFG, there's another thread in this same forum about cooling you should read. it might help. Though I doubt that's really your issue, I'd bet that fuel filter is a lot more clogged than you think it is. Likely that back pressure is what's causing the pump to hum so loudly. You might also check the gasket at the end of the exhaust manifold if your feet are getting warm, there may be a leak. That or if yours has a cat, it could be getting clogged up. Running rich can make a cat extra hot. Your fuel tank may just need to be dropped and cleaned out, they do tend to rust, but mainly if they just sit a while.

Now 2300 for intact mostly rust free low miles car in MICHIGAN, is really not a bad price at all. I paid 600 for my 78' and 450 for my 70' here in Albuquerque, There's a lot of difference, Neither of min ran, the 78' is almost perfect so far as rust goes I have some pitting/bubbling behind the passenger rear tire, but underneath and everywhere else the paint is intact, no bubbling, no surface rust, it's great! But it is badly faded gold paint, so it's going to be repainted. No rust is because of GEOGRAPHY. The desert here averages 5% humidity, so rust takes a really really long time to get going. in Michigan you have humidity, and SALT, both are really bad for metal. so to find a car that's in good shape even with minor rust is great for your area. That same $2300 car in NY and running could easilly be worth $4K, but here in the desert SW it's probably a sub $1K car. so Geography makes a big difference. I'd show up with $2000 cash IN 20's and wave it around, he'll probably take it since cash talks. A stack of 100 $20's look like a lot more than a stack of 20 $100's. Though read on here where RUST happens on these cars, (battery, tirewell, rear deck, framerails, floorpans) and go from there, decide if this is the car for you. Then decide what you're going to do with it. (RB you said) Once you know that, take your estimates and Double them. Swaps are not cheap, Paint is not cheap, suspension is not cheap. These are 35+ year old cars, they need TLC. so be prepared to spend $5000 to $50,000 on your car, depending on what you want the end product to be. In retrospect to that, $2000 or $2300 is spare change. Also consider that you're going to need to have it re-undercoated. So I'd say $2300 is fair, of course lower is better. Offer $1800 and try to settle on $2000. Really WE WANT Pictures.. Oh! Aa bent frame rail could be worrysome if it's bent sideways, if it's bent from the bottom it's no big deal. You'll be hard pressed to find any that aren't dented from the bottom. they're only 1/8" steel. Bad Dog rails are an awesome replacement. Let us know if we can help... but you're spending the $ so it's your call.

We knew that there was no stock AC, Thus the Quotes around "Stock 240Z" as intended to refer to dealer option installations. I'm sorry I should have been more clear. Your information about the different AC pumps and about Leakage around the evaporator is certainly valuable. I would love to see some pictures of where you're talking about since I'm going to need to rebuild my 240Z AC (York) system, as well as hybridize the AC system in my 280Z-VQ swap. I want to use the 350Z compressor, but the rest of the parts would be 280Z. upgraded to modern refridgerant. I know a lot of cleaning out of the old system and new hoses, oil etc would be required. I do have the Sanden pump that was on the 280Z, I may move that to the 240Z if it's better, tho the York is much more "stock" :-b The VQ uses a different Belt or I'd have kept the Sanden connected etc. My 240 has the AC toggle right of the steering wheel screwed under the dash. Early S30 AC systems seem to be a mystery, in that there seems to be a variety of different systems for the same cars. I guess it would be hard to identify them all, but similar parts such as the common York Compressors may be good to document. I know the York compressors come in different sizes. for RockCrawling we try to find the 12" throw compressors to use in On Board Air applications since those move more air for refilling large tires. I haven't looked but I'd guess the S30 York application is either a 4" or a 6" throw compressor. I wonder if we put an oversized compressor on a S30, how well it would work? Faster cooling? maybe.. more freezing up, probably likely. That's conjecture. what matters is Identifying what components comprise the systems and detailing what could be hybridized with what other AC systems. More information on the ARA and Frigiking setups would be awesome.

Did you check with the FSM to see that you're duplicating the circuit properly?

I think we had a good discussion on this topic some time back. ahh here is is: http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/96403-make-a-240z-safer/?hl=safety Please read through that, we went pretty deep into the why and how of it.

You're probably going to have to trace wires. The "Stock 240Z" AC parts are pretty obvious.

You can understand I'm sure that I'm not really willing to crack open my 280Z thermo housing when that engine is running fine. I will certainly check the 260Z and see what temp the Thermostat is set for. I'me very curious to see that effect the "Tropical" thermo has on the car. I could hope it's the best fix for the vapor locking issue. Thanks Tony for that information. I'll start there and later if we still need, we will ask for your buddies info for the PS Cooler repurpose. That sounds fun in any case. As for the Optimum Engine Temperature, I would expect it should have to do with the temperature your oil is designed to best lubricate. From a Fuel perspective, A hotter engine sounds logical, colder air mixed in the right ratio with fuel expands a certain amount. Hotter combustion equals more expansion from ambient. Running too cold won't really hurt anything in our engines, though I'd expect lower MPG, but it's probably negligable. Too hot and we have what this thread is about. I've never studied what the optimal fuel inlet temp should be, but just like air, I'd bet it's better cooler than hotter. No but that's combustion, not the actual engine temperature. The ECU in modern cars automatically adjusts the A/F ratio based on engine temperature / air temperature to try to keep that same AFR of~13:1 all the time. So I'm sure there's arguements for hotter/colder running engines, but you'd have to look at the fuel's properties to be able to say what's ideal. For our cars, there's no O2 sensor or MAP Sensor so the ECU isn't trying to keep the engine ideally running, the S30 ECU is only timing injector pulses and reading the "percieved" airflow from the AFM (percieved since it can't tell the air density) to adjust the mixture so our cars will run in most conditions, but never most consistantly ideal due to that same disregard for air density. Upgraded to modern EFI (batch like Megasquirt, or other MPI MAP based) allows our engines not only to run as designed, but to also run efficiently at the right A/F ratio. Engine Temp affects the intake air temp and may cause a change in the ideal A/F required, but it's not the Engine temp that's most important, aside from keeping it from blowing up, it's the intake air temp and fuel ratio that needs to be ideal as adjusted by the modern ECU. So as for actual block temp, I'd say it's lubrication dependant, aside from materials limitations such as hardness of your rings etc, since the EFI system is going to run according to it's design, which Tony noted earlier can vary.