Pharaohabq

if it was sold through this site (PM's or whatnot) you should really pony up the $20 bucks. It's totally worth it for the knowledge that's here, not to mention the good Karma.

Moved to new thread: Perhaps Tony you can expand on the tuning required to prevent detonation in NA L-28's. I've only seen them blow up when boosted too much. I will admit my turbo experience is limited. I understand Detonation is VERY bad. I understand contributing factors to it. 1100HP on an L28 seems incredible.

Wow, Sucks... Hope they files a ins claim on it. Your regular insurance will normally cover a newly aquired car for 30 days. I wonder if it was ever recovered.

Ditto on the RX7 stuff. Usually people use the 84 300zx rotors and the Early 4runner calipers. They're a bolt on deal and well tested and availible. I'd like to see your Brake setup. The rears sound similar to the rear swap of 79-83 ZX rotors and S14 calipers. you'll need at least a 7/8" MC if not 1". For what you got I'd say 3500 is a pretty fair price. though if you think it was painted in a garage, I'd go over it with a magnet to see if it's got much bondo anywhere. I'd like to see your picts for returning it to original too.

Well maybe You're just really lucky Tony-D. Yes Detonation is particularly bad for the engines. For most people just bolting a turbo onto an NA engine and trying to run it on pump gas at 15#+ are asking for damage due to the high comprettion ratio. I don't know the thickness of your head gasket, but adding the thicker gasket can lower compression making detonation less likely. Yes a good tune can limit that too, but the stock NA was not designed for that much pressure and compression. So yes, borrowed time on a stock NA. Not all blocks are equal either, HP aside, if you put 15# in a L24 block it would be more dangerous to the engine than if you put 15# into an F54 L28 block. Can it be turbo'd? sure. Is it risky? sure. Do people do it? sure. Too much pressure causes detonation. An NA engine is not designed to handle excess pressure. To manage it you have to lean the A:F since you can't change the compression ratio. At some point you'll either blow it up or run out of power. The Turbo ET engines have lower compression which allow more air pressure at intake with the same A:F before detonating. So yes, Detonation kills engines, but Pressure and A:F are big contributing factors. Stock NA can't handle what a stock ET can.

Nice, that Rad looks awesome. I'm going to do the same deal, move the top pipe to the right. Let us know how well that fan works. It looks a little small to me, but it's probably fine.

That's an interresting idea with the Dash... I was thinking about trying to integrate some of the 370z pods into the stock dash. I'm not sure how hard that would be, but the 370Z dash is pretty sweet. Awesome to see you're getting to the wiring. That means you're getting close. Oh than that exhaust just plain excites me...

There's a sticky on the VG install in the V6 section. Take a look and see what you think. Megasquirt will make things a bit easier or harder depending on how much you know. I'm a fan of keeping stock electronics. But to turbo, MS2 is probably easier. The VG is a good engine. Upgrading to MAP based modern EFI makes a huge difference. Not to mention sequential injection. On the L28, if you didn't start with the ET then you were on borrowed time unless you upgraded your own internals. Upgrading things to Turbo spec is the key. A thicker head gasket will help to lower compression. Sure turbo on an NA engine CAN work, but for how long is the unknown. @15Lbs it could have lasted just as long as it did before you melted it, or it might have lasted years. The point is that you're pushing the engine beyond it's design. That it holds up is just because it's well built, and a bit of luck. I'm not certain if you'd had Turbo internals for your old engine. 15 Lbs is a lot for an NA L28 engine.

If you want a more substantial garage.... Room to put in a lift... http://www.tuffshed.com/products_prices.cfm?ModelID=GB&TabID=Prices What's wrong with the orange body that you'd need to keep around a stripped rust free body, in light of a pristine green S30? maybe you could hang the body on the wall too? I think it's a too many toys situation.

Well between those two engines I'd turbo the Vg30 but you'll need to know that you can't run much boost at all without having some serious issues. The VQ30, like the L28 were designed for NA operation. When you just bolt on a turbo, you're pushing the internal stresses far beyond the original design. Failure is highly likely. That's not saying you can't do it. But really you'd be better off getting an "ET" version of either engine. The Turbo versions are already setup with stronger components and lower compression to allow for the higher turbo pressures without major failure. It's your engines, so you do what you want, but just try to keep in mind what the engines were originally designed for. Now the main reason I recommend the VG30 over the L28: Aside from the .2L size increase, the VG is more modern on the EFI standpoint. You set it up with a MAP for better fuel management. I assume you'll be running stock harnesses/ECU or megasquirt. The VG also moves the center of gravity back slightly, inproving handing. Both I'd setup with electric rad fan. The Steering shaft can be trouble, but it's easy to reroute like we do to get around the VQ exhaust. It is a buttload of fab work to retrofit it into the car though, so that's a downside. McKinney Motorsport sells a mount kit for it so you might consider that, or at lease build something like it.

I'm planning on buying one of these radiator in the future when funds become availible for that. It would be nice to know which Ebay rads actually fit. I realize that's a tall order since they're made by so many chinese outlets and marketed differently. If that "speed daddy" rad was distinguishable from the others I'd be interrested. Really All I want is fit and function. Thanks Rayaapp2 for posting your experience. I'd take the $50 back, then change your feedback, but leave your comment. You told us the seller's name and that his product sucks, so that's much better feedback than seeing a negative in his record. Getting a partial refund means a lot too, especially since you said you need the $. Phar

So long as the Temp gauge is still functioning you probably don't need that sensor. I'm not certain, but I think it was the temp sensor that controlled the cold start. I'd have to see a pict to know which you were talking about. But since you're using AEM, it's kind of a moot point. Cold start is probably never needed in TX anyway.

Hehe I was going to say nice horn!, Behind my grille right now is nothing since the engine is out. But when I first pulled it I found a bird the car had eaten some years past. It'd been stuck in it's teeth for quite a while, nasty. Funny how I'm wishing now that I took a picture of it. My Z32 has also eaten a few birds. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's had to pull avian remains from in front of the radiator.

Oh I realized I never answered this part. If I had to do it all over again, Aside from getting the entire donor car, I would have gone with the VQ37 rather than the VQ35HR, only for the fact that I keep drooling over the newer engine (both use 6 speed trans, the VQ37 has synchro match tranny, and 350HP vs 305HP) But it was barely available when I started my swap though.

AzGhost, Okay Sure, Select your engine. There are kits to install most engines. It just depends on what you decide to drop in. Like I was saying above, research the source for whatever you choose. You may be able to get the same engine type from a different vehicle, cheaper. As for kits, once you decide the engine, then look as shops like McKinney Motorsports for the install kits. You'll see you're going to pay $ for a kit. (I think their VQ kit is $600 for just the brackets/isolators) It's your Money, if the ease it worth it to you then go ahead. Remember you'll save a lot by getting a whole donor, rather than just the engine. Too bad you didn't get to drive the car before putting $money and work into it. There's nothing like seeing what effect all your work has when you're done. When tearing it down, be careful with the panels/brackets etc. A lot of parts are getting to where they're plain unavailable, so keep that in mind when you're pulling it apart. NOS stuff is expensive. most of the other parts won't be in any better shape than you have already. The Classified on here, or Ebay are a couple great sources though. _Donovan_ makes a really good point. Somethings will really NEED to be fixed/upgraded just from the safety aspect: Brakes for instance, Your stock brakes may be functioning, but you don't know the history, and they are 35+ years old. So though the seals may still function they may be only a few stops from failing. Maintinance on a classic vehicle includes addressing what could be getting old. Many of us on these websites have been around Z's since we were just kids. We freely give our advice based on our experience in hopes we can help people with their cars and keep more of these cars on the road. While at the same time helping people save money. If you decide not to take our advice, then that's fine, it's your car and your money. we're just trying to help. There's tons of info on here, read read read, see what people have done. use the search box. download the FSM. Have fun with your project. Oh and most importantly, Post us some pictures! Phar

looks like it's in great shape. It'd be a shame to hurt it, but hey it's your car right? I'm curious too what you spent for it. Those low of miles I'd be suspect, but if it was somebody's baby then great deal, looks like you scored.

Nice Post _Donovan_... I too would recommend you work on the body more than anything. Get it running on the L28 if possible and get a real feel for the car. Then you'll have a better idea of what NEEDS to be fixed first and that you WANT to upgrade. If there's rust on the door, I would hazard that there's other rust hiding. Your frame rails and floor pans are good things to check out. Of course if you posted PICTURES, we could see what you're looking at. The L28 you say is frozen, may not be. it might just be stuck because it hasn't moved in a while. I would pull all the plugs and heavilly spray down the cylinders with WD40 then let it sit a while. From there you can try the starter, but likely you'll need a breaker bar on the crank and wiggle it a bit. I bet it'll break loose. The fuel systen might be gummed up, but if you can get it going you'll be ahead. In his threads above, Donovan noted a lot of the costs involved in your swap. All things being equal, it doesn't really matter which engine you choose. It's not so much the engine choice that's the main cost(unless you go Viper V10 or a VR38dett), so long as you stick with a production engine. It's the Fab work, and little things that add up to a lot. I'm on a shoestring budget on my VQ35HR swap, but I'm already up to near $3000 and I haven't hit paint yet. Most of my cost is in restoration parts. These cars are 35+ years old and though they're awesome, there's not than many around that are in that great a shape, not original anyway. So getting your car running will give you a good idea of what it'll need, and where you want to go with it before you start buying parts. It will also give you some enjoyment right away before you enter swap hell. It's great you have a shop availible to help out, and people to work with you. that will go a long way. But make sure they're still okay with the idea of the car being around a while. Parts are not always locally availible. Oh speaking of parts... That's another trap you REALLY need to watch out for. It's easy to buy a ton of parts for the "while I'm at it" idea. I know so many guys with boxes and boxes of parts waiting to be put on their car. I'm guilty of that too, but you need to keep your eye on the prize and not get distracted from your build. If you spend a lot of parts, you might later decide to go a different direction and then you'll have wasted the $ on the parts. That all leads to planning. Planning will help you more than anything to keep your costs down. When you Plan your build, You'll make a list of what you NEED to do, and what you WANT to do. The needs, of course, are things like Brakes, suspension and restraints to make the car Safe, and to make it run. Then your get to the Wants. Wants are what you want to do, engine swap, interior, 24kt gold paint, fuzzy dice, whatever. the point is that's the area you can spend and spend on. When you're working on the Needs, when you're looking to fix something necessary, think of it as an upgrade opportunity. So brakes, for example, you may find your cylinders are shot. Well, might be an idea to look into the Toyota swap. But don't get that mixed up with the WANTS, if you WANT 5 lug huge monster 4 or 6 cylinder wilwoods or brembos, you can do it, but that's a major project. Going with the toyota swap will fix the NEED for brakes at roughly the same cost as repairing with OEM rebuilts. Where the system your WANT is possible, but will easilly eat 1/4 or more of your entire budget. Now as to your original question of what swap is best. that's up to you to decide. The S30 has space for even a V12. It's what you like and what you can afford. If you don't want to be cliche' as you said with the SBC, then don't go that direction. Read read read, dozens of engines have been swapped, all have their merits.It's what sounds awesome to YOU that matters. The only other pieces of advice I can give you is on the donor. First, decide on what you want to swap, then find out what cars that engine came in. (eg. the VQ35 is in the 350z and G35, but it's cheaper out of a pathfinder, 3.5 altima, maxima or a quest minivan) Then get as complete a donor as possible, You'll save so much buying it all at once, than buying just and engine and tranny and then finding all the parts, accessories harnesses, sensors, ecu/bcu and brackets afterwards. You give yourself so much more flexibilty when you have the entire donor. So what you swap is up to you, but start with a known good base, then one project at a time, keeping track of what your NEED to do , and what you WANT to do. That'll be the easiest way to keep your budget from exploding whatever swap you decide. Phar

I'd guess because there's newer engines available. The VQ's are getting a lot more popular.

hehe, nice "Real Doll" tag on the box back there... Your care is looking pretty awesome. I can't wait to get to the reassymbly stage. (Neither can my wife) I'm still stripping paint. I'm probably going to switch to the aircraft stripper. My daughter is still taking the bulk of my spare time lately though.

Wow That's a great find, I can't wait to see you put it back together. it looks like it's in awesome shape. A bit of surface rust. Hopefully it's not too bad. Hope the Fuel system isn't too bad off. if it still flows then seafoaming it out can do wonders. RHD stuff is pretty rare. What clock is that, Mine's got a Yellow second hand.. I love the euro tailights.

Very cool, I had one some years ago in a box of parts that came with my 3rd S30. thought it was cool, but didn't work.(didn't know it needed an oscillator) I had no clue it was worth anything. Sucks now because I junked it a long time ago.

yeah, That's a pretty cool idea. I don't think we're going to have much trouble finding old S30 seats. there's still a few out there. I want to use 2010 eclipse seats, they're shaped almost exactly the same as S30 seats.

Nice looking Exhaust. I know I'm out of my league when I look at the exhaust work I've done, and I look at yours. Did you bend em yourself, or buy a bunch of curves and straights?

Hey Slo, I thought you sold that Z. I hadnt seen it for a long time. Always locked away I guess. I would love to help if you need it. I have the body work on my 280 to do...

Nice, this sounds so much easier than the Subaru hydraulic steering swap. I still wonder how responsive it is. I mean if you jerk the wheel side to side, is there any lag in the motor?