Pharaohabq

I'd have to check the heads I have in the shed, I might have one, though I don't know what that piece is called. I have a good idea what it is though. Alternatively there's a few guys on here that have parts yards. I'd suggest you write 1nonlyz on here (NLAckerman1@aol.com) I know he's for at least 10 S30's in his boneyard. Phar

I'd love to see pictures of this flange swap. I think it'll work great. if anything a little plastic modification and bending of the float arm should sort it out. Please post some pictures along the way.

I'd bet the original color was Silver you're seeing in the Engine Compartment. From the factory the S30's were painted inside and out, then all the trim was installed. under the underbody spray or under the tar soundproofing in the interior you'll see it's still the same silver. You'll find that same silver all over the car. Usually you can look up behind the dash and see the original color too. But really it doesn't matter since you don't have the original paint color sticker. Any full respray of a factory color could be deemed correct since Datsun/nissan didn't track anything like that with Vin or anything until the mid 80's with the 300zx. One reason to go back with the datsun silver is that you won't need to repaint the enginebay or underside of the car. You'll save a lot of work pulling it all down to the body too. but if you were going to go that far, then have it media blasted just to be certain you're starting with a good clean canvas.

IF you can get the key from the guy, it'll save you a LOT of work later, getting the NATS to function. the ECU and KEY are matched together.

if you bypass the NATS then you're going to have to go aftermarket. There's tons of threads on vehicle security. If I were you I'd still go with the NATS system so at least the engine won't start w/o the key. A combination of aftermarket alarm and NATS would be a great idea. NATS isn't that hard, you need the dash harness, any BCU, and a key (preferably the key that came with the ECU. but Nissan can fix that for you with Consult III/IV. All NATS does is keep the car from starting. You'll need a lot more of the 350z components to make the OEM alarm work too. Thus the sugestion for the aftermarket alarm. When you get on it, Check back here and we will help you however we can. Read through these threads on the VQ swaps for lots of info. and DL the manual from Xenonz33. Phar

Good pump on the Cheap. Well sure there's a ton of them on Ebay, but you get what you pay for. A better idea would be to go to the Junkyard and pull a pump from any v6 or V8 EFI engine'd vehicle. the volume shoudl be there and since it's an OEM it should be pretty bulletproof. If you gut the whole assy, you can cut open the top of your S30 tank, put in the whole assy from the top and seal it with rubber and bolts. Assuming it'll fit. If you get it from a Nissan with the VQ (Quest, Pathfinder, 350/370z, 3.5 maxima/altima) it's likely that the plugs will line up, and it'll already have the right pressure set. you can tack in some baffles while you're at it. (just make sure the tank is empty and cleaned of fuel before you start weling in there) Good luck, and let us know what you figure out. Phar

yeah, Maybe a model sat on it, did you get the Vin #?? hehe The only times I've seen "Wavy" on a roof is when it's been flexed. may have been pushed in then popped back out again. not sure it's that big a deal if it's not easilly noticed.

Rather than the VG30DETT, you'd be better of going with a more modern VQ. The price is about the same for roughtly the same HP. I have a Z32, and I've got to tell you, that's a pain in the ass to work on. Yes it can be done, but not going to be cheap. If you're just looking for Turbo, then the L28ET swap is a easy bolt in swap. Any V6, is going to require some Welding and other mods.

Well, you're fairly certain the Pump is doing it's job. But it's hard to say. Maybe try this: Take the return line off and connect a hose to it to a gas can and start the pump. There should be a steady flow into the can without a lot of bubbles. The regulator should be still showing the full pressure. If that's the case, then put back together the lines, pull loose the line BEFORE the regulator, before the engine, and into the gas can you should have a pretty high velocity flow, if not, go back and temporarily remove the fuel filter, bridging the line with a tube, hosebarbs etc. You should have a good flow then. If none of these do you have a good flow as you'd expect, replace the pump. If w/o the filter you have a good constant flow, Replace the filter. What it sounds like to me is that the Pump builds the needed pressure, but soon as the engine drops that pressure, the pump can't replace it. Sounding like a weak pump to me. If the filter is clogged, then it could be that the pump is able to draw enough to build the pressure, but the pump can't pull enough through the Filter fast enough to replenish. Try these tests and see what you come up with. Basically We're just pulling parts out of the system to see what's not working well. You said you saw the inside of the tank, Was it shiney new , or coated? if they cleaned and painted, you could be sucking paint chips in, which is a nightmare.

Awesome, Cool Deal, another VQ swap... I can answer a lot of the questions you might come up with. But I'd still recommend you get the FSM for the year 350Z your engine is from and familiarize yourself with the Aspects of the engine and what each plug on the harness does. You may still need the Dash (Body harness #1) for the same year car. Since you have the Key and ECU you can use NATS and won't have to worry about harness service. it's really not that hard. As for the secondary O2 sensors. We had a discussion about them, Apparently they're not needed for the car to run. I've heard it will evenually throw a code, but that's not really a big deal. You'll have lots of codes initally. I thought it would kick into Limp mode, but apparently that's not the case according to the Nissan techs. I haven't finished my VQ build so I dcan't tell you first person. Fuel pump, I'm planning on just running a Walbrough 255L in place of the stock pump with a reserviour by the engine, regulator and return line to the stock pump. I expect this should be fine. Read through my VQ35HR thread. you'll see a lot of my experience. I believe the cad files are in the end of the RedZed Build thread in this same forum.

I like quieter sleepers... so for me, Yes a resonator is planned. It won't really hurt your HP noticably. That and a decent muffler, I'm hoping to still be able to hold conversations in that car while on the freeway. if it hurts my wife's ears she won't ride in it. so I have some constraints.

Sounds pretty good. I'm in NM and I bought my Z (one of them) for $600 bones too... Mines the opposite, brakes no workee.. I'm going to replace the lines and the MC with the ZX 7/8" version and then go for the silvermine vented S8w toyota calipers and Mustang calipers in the rear. hopefully that won't be too difficult to get brakes functioning. Anyway, Looking forward to your build. Uhm.. Where's the pictures?

Nice Job on the fabrication. I'm not sure I'm that brave to make my own, but I'm going to try welding in some replacement panels I bought from Tabco. It's inspiring to see what you've done. Makes me know I need to put on the adjustible tower caps before I get the car painted. I didn't consider that before now. So many details.

It's great to see all the progress you've made. I understand the cutting of the headknockers. If you're still going to do SCCA, your cage will have to be recertified.

My Guess is the water pump... But Without pictures it's hard to say. It could also be the heater hoses, they come out just below the alt and run back to the firewall. Really if you're going to take any of them off it would be best to replace them, if they're at all old. They're not that expensive for the whole set of hoses. If one's leaking, it may not be that far from bursting. Losing a hose out in the misddle of nowhere really sucks. (Believe me, I know, fortunately my walk to the autoparts store was only 5 miles in the SNOW). Check the hoses all before you pull apart the water pump. the new pump comes with a gasket too, but use gasket sealer, and let it dry a bit before starting the car. If it's the head gasket, then I'd recommend renting a car to drive down. it's not that expensive, and much cheaper than killing your Z's engine. remember overheating = BAD, The rings and cylinder walls lose hardness, the bearings take a beating, all the seals get weaker. it's just bad, don't overheat your engine.

Hey, your G35 may be a good candidate for a VQ swap to your 240Z... Sucks you wreaked it. sucks ins isn't cooperating. What did they say about the coverage? If you part it, let me know. Phar

Good thing we understand these engines so much better now... Wow this was an old thread you dug up. I'm not sure a carb'd VQ would even be feasible considering coilpacks and all. Much easier to use the stock electronics.

You might have air in your master cylinder. The Master cylinder needs to be primed if they've been run out of fluid. It makes bleeding a pain. When you open the valve on the caliper connect a clear hose to it and put the other end into a jar. pump and add pump and add I bet you'll start seeing bubbles, once it's just clear fluid, close the valve and repeat. once it's done on all four wheels, you should have brakes. (its possible you blew a MC or brake seal forcing the caliper. )

What? No Smoke? I thought we were getting a wheelsmoke video! Yeah okay, Puffs of black smoke do qualify, But those weren't the droids I was looking for. I can't wait to see you driving it. Your vids are awesome. I'm glad you're bringing back the vents. the car sounds amazing. I'm actually really digging on those headers too, I'm liking how you've pushed them through the fender. Are you concerned about heat at that point wit the custom fender? I expect quite some temperature right at that point. (that's why Nissan has the shields on the stock headers to help contain that heat.) Can't wait to see the next vid!

That Heater, If you want a really warm well working one, you could swap in one of the Jeep wrangler heaters, they're made for rag tops and definitely get warm. I don't know the fit though, so sticking with stock might be best. you should have a Rad shop check it out, the old cores have been known to get pinholes. New cores are availible from multiple sources.

Could be the clutch fork. Either the fork is the wrong one, or the pivot isn't adjusted far enough to allow the fork to fully depress the clutch splines. get under the car and see if you can wiggle the fork, if it's got a lot of play, then that's the issue. you might be able to just adjust the pivot and go... Oh, You said you replaced the clutch master. The linkage on the master may also be the issue. Between some years the linkage was longer, so compare the old parts. a 1/4" may be all the difference.

Hey JGug1, Well I'm a big fan of the VQ engines. They were highly rated for the past 10 years. Look up the Wiki on VQ engines, you'll learn a lot about them. As for other V6 engines, I think you'd be hard pressed to find another V6 that matches the specs. If you want to go with an American engine, Consider the V6 out of the Jeep liberty, it's a modern engine, but has about 80 hp less than the VQ according to the wiki on it, even though it's .3 L larger. My point is that before you decide on an engine, make sure you know what you're putting in. I don't know too much about the Ford V6 engine, but from what I've read, the Ecoboost V6 w/ twin turbo looks pretty stout. An engine like that in a Z might be pretty nice. The big thing you should consider is to get as complete a donor as possible. Getting just the engine poses a huge number of sensor issues. on a newer engine like the Ecoboost, you won't know exactly what's required when you just get the engine only. Even with the ECU, you won't know what else is required unless you can find a guide which is rare on a newer engine. That's why the complete donor, you'll have matched parts that worked before, so it shouldn't be hard to move it over. Other big consideration, is will it fit? in an S30, the engine compartment was designed for a V8, so a lot fits in it. The Z31 was designed around the VG30, so you've got a lot fewer options as to what will fit. you may have a lot more modification to do to fit a ford V6. That being said, I would LOVE to see an ecoBoost v6 engine in a Z...

Karotta, Great work man, I'm amazed at the progress you've made. though I guess you decided to remove the fender vents from your current rendition. Was there a reason for that? I don't think it would have been much of a weight savings. The car looks amazing though, I can't wait to see the videos of the massive amounts of smoke it will produce. You didn't try calling me last weekend right? I was turning down calls from hungary, You're the only one I know out there, but I doubt you'd ever call me. How'd you end up running the electronics? Did you do the BCU Delete, or did you keep it for added security? Phar

You may be able to rebuild your existing hazard switch. If I remember correctly, Inside there's a series of metal tabs that get bent over time. you can take it apart and make sure nothing is shorting improperly. You can then use a meter to test continuity of each switch.

Interresting... So what is your goal here? The Z31 stock intake is pretty short on the block. Are you looking for more volume? a Turbo intake? What is your motive for all this work? I'm certain you've looked at a few plenum designs and the science behind them. It's a pretty cool project.