Pharaohabq

kickin' butt n take'n names. those are great times, W/ some slicks I''m sure you'd beat 12 sec, if not 11. You lose an aweful lot by spinning the tires. I bet it felt awesome to do it though.

Awesome! Rockon! I was really wondering about that. I've been stalled on my HR project, kinda afraid of the fitament under the hood, but you've shown renewed hope that it'll fit w/o my having to cut down and reglue my plenum. Your project is so much cooler than mine. I need to get a hoist and get back to work on my car. I let it get cold outside, which is going to make things soo much more fun I really apprieciate the pictures, you're doing an amazing job. Eric

Why Am I the only one thinking OMG! a XJ12??? and he only got the GAUGES?? Why didn't you get the V12??? save yourself the headache of modifying the gauges and PUT THE V12 IN!!! they fit, trust me Phar

best thing I can tell you is to call up a lot of the classic repair shops and see if they give estimates on a car that old. It's up to you , but the law says you can take your car whereever you like to have it fixed. Though they only have to pay fair repair prices. if you were here in NM I could recommend a couple good shops, but in Dallas, I'm clueless. You might also check with Hagarty insurance, Classic Car insurance, they do Appraisals, they might know who to talk to in the least... Good luck Phar

Looking nice, mark, Can you take a pict of the clearance you've got under that hood w/ the engine? Phar

Nice, okay, I'll try this on my D21-Hardbody, it's got a nasty lifter tick, and is due for an oil change in about 500 miles, so I'll drop in 1/2 a quart and see what happens. it's certainly easier than my pulling the engine and rebuilding... definitely worth trying anyway.. worst case I have to still pull the engine..

Hey there, Yeah, If you're going to do this swap, do yourself a favor and READ all you can about it before you start looking for parts. The FSM is also a good start too as it details a lot of the systems required for the engine to run. This includes the Cruise control system. because of the modular design of the engine systems, I'm sure you could bring the cruise system in, though it would require the Speedo system from a Z or G35 to be functioning, that is the 4 wheel speed sensors would need to be working.. don't let that discourage you though. I'm working on a design to put a notched wheel on my driveshaft that will provide pulses that the wheel sensor can read. I then extend and position the sensors to read the wheel, and the BCM and AC amp should show an approximately correct vehicle speed. With that, the cruise system should be cake, as from what I understand it's built into the ECU, since the throttles are drive by wire, it's just a matter of getting the systems the proper inputs and it should just work, tho likely you'll need a few more sensors. Anyway, moving the engine and sensors from as complete a donor car as you can find is going to be best. As for my project, I'm stalled looking for a engine hoist I can borrow, Wife says I don't get to buy one least not till I get some of my other projects done. Phar Oh n Smoothz, sure, next time you're in ABQ, send me a PM.

Nice! Yeah I didn't know you were going the twin turbo route. That's going to be amazing. Very impressive. I can't wait to see what you come up with. I need to get an aluminum welding setup so I can build some manifolds. I liked Monzter's ideas in his turbo plenum. but you're right, under pressure, now much difference will the flow make in terms of power anyway. I'm thinking Balance might be the bigger issue. That's neither here nor there tho until you get to that point. Keep up the build and putting up these sexy pictures. Phar

Have you checked out that Monzter Turbo Plenum thread, http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=127863 It's pretty cool, though I'm not sure how you could adapt a similar design for ITB, or for our Dual throttle bodies. I guess I am I reading you correctly in that you're not going to use the stock throttle bodies and thus do away with the Drive By Wire, and need to research the changes in the ECU etc to make them work. Would those work with the Haltec system then? I was thinking curved intake tubes similar to the Kenetix 03-06 intake, but much shorter with 3 oval shaped tubes feeding together to a round intake on each side that my stock TB's would mount to. Oval shape should keep a good flow, but still be flat enough that the clearance should work with the S30 hood. I was playing with the ideal of building something like Monzter's plenum attached to matched length oval runners. Flow may be an issue since it would cut down on the volume from stock. not to mention the added turns leading to the heads. I can draw some pictures if you're interested. Phar

Wow, you guys get pulled over a lot... Last time I got pulled over it was for going 95 in a 65, on my way . I told the trooper I was passing a big rig before the road goes down to 1 lane. The cop accepted that, and asked if he could look in the back, I poped the hatch and yelled back, " hey there's some crackers in that bag back ther, could you toss those forward" he did, then he came up and was asking if my car was a porsche... Didn't get a ticket tho so it's good. Best thing I can tell you if you get pulled over tho, is to turn on your dome light. Cops don't like not being able to see in the car. you can roll your window down too, cuz cops hate knocking... but when they come up, make sure your hands are on the wheel. Phar

Wow, those flares look huge, but I guess w/ a little trimming and glasswork they'll be pretty darn nice. You got the front flares too I hope... I always look at those and wish they blended into the door better, though they probably look better in person.

again, looks pretty good. I'm curious about the aftermarket intake plenums you had mentioned. how much clearance do you think you'll gain with them. Have you selected a radiator to use for it yet? I might have to make the trip to that austin Zcon just to see this beast. I need to get a move on on my VQ35HR swap, but I've been letting my life get in the way. Phar

nice Z, Original paint? black pearl?

Yeah, I agree, It would be justification for not fitting it under the hood. "Look ma! these are my balls!"

Well any way you look at it, the shell and rims you've got on that red one is worth the $1000 price tag. A NA swap is pretty much drop in since it's the same engine. What Jeh said about the fron clip is about the best advice I've heard. since the TT swap need not only the intake and exhaust but there's a lot of little oil and vaccuum lines that will need to be swapped too. Really I've been saying look for the swap vids on youtube, there's a couple really good ones. I couldn't find the one I realy wanted you to see, but here's the first of a set you should watch. good ol boys tho. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9Sto0ke3AY

Don't forget all the wiring, ECU's and Emissions crap too. on the otherhand you can use upgraded turbos.. right geoff? This is pretty much what Jeh is doing on Big red, Look for his rebuild on the Abqz site. He's been down a couple months so far, and I don't want to know how much $ he's spent so far rebuilding it. it might be cheaper to find a TT that's not dead... tho anymore most of them are beat to heck.. I have had my 92' 300zx NA for 9 years as my DD, and it's been pretty good so far, tho it's $600 min to fix anything on it. I've experienced the gambit too. Phar

I'm not sure where the best dealers are, but there's a lot of them on Ebay. Be sure you know what you're getting into. Look at those swap vids on Youtube, seriously... I know a lot of guys on here buy JDM RB's Phar

Sorry to thread jack, just this is related. What struts besides the Tokico's are good on the S30 (I know the 240z's are a little different, but I'm wondering about ride quality etc. Anyone have experience with Sach's, Gabriel, Monroe, KYB, Bilstien, Koni, and Eibach. I'm not sure all these Mfg's still support the S30, but if you've tried these, please let Me know how well they'd held up over time and how the ride was. I might too go with the Tokico's only for the adjustible feature, but that still leaves me wondering what kind are actually the best, and what was most similar to stock. (I think mine now are old busted Gabriels.) Thanks Phar

Wow, I just read this whole thread. If I go FI, I'll definitely consider something like this. Though mine would be much more crude. I know this is built already, but I just found the thread. I'm anxious to see it all hooked up and running, I mean You've shown us the proto and the new head now, but so far as it compares to stock numbers would be very interesting to hear. Some thoughts on the design. The "slot" the air enters from the intake could be used to control pressure by varying the width from the fron to the back, though the problem is sorted by your internal fins. Another thought was that these fins could be shaped into "wing" airfoil shapes to vary your airflow for fine tuning. lastly one furthor suggestion would have been to include some sideways "C" shaped portrubances above the intake ports in the upper plenum to direct flow down the intake throats. How are you planning the intake from the output on the Turbo (which Turbo were you planning on using too?) It looks like your turbo is mounted low which could induce turbulance into the plenum itself. I liked the idea of blowing up a junkyard L28ET with it, but that's fun w/o a fancy plenum. Phar

Wow this is a painful thread. That first Z, I would jump the fence and get some info on it. It doesn't look too bad, and from the look of how buried it is I would guess it's been there 10+ years. It's such a shame. But anyway, you might get lucky going to talk to the guy with say $500 cash in hand (get it in 10's and 20's so it looks like a lot more.) Maybe he'd go for it unless it's got some sentimental attachment, like it's where he first got laid. (hard but not impossible in a S30 ) anyway like I said you might get lucky too. The S130 disappearing means he's looking at cleaning things up. Beyond that, if he says no, you can play dirty, and leave the $500 up as a standing offer, then call the county anonymously and report too many non-running vehicles then he'll have to move them... ];-> Phar

Hey Z8Dad, i'm one of the Z32 drivers in the AlbuquerqueZ club that he mentioned.. If that engine has damage to the valves then you might not want to mess with it. A dealer would charge 3 grand just to pull it out. I'm sure you've looked in there and seen how little space there is around that engine. The car itself doesn't look too bad, and don't worry about the seats, you can get the recovering leather kits from MSA for about $250. It's an automatic, like mine, I like it, though I've always wanted to have it be a standard, but hey for $1000 it's not bad. The engines are interferance engines, so if the timing is off then it's likely got a bunch of bent valves. not a good situation. Now you can rebuild it. or replace it. a JDM engine is about $1000 for a VG30DE or $1500 or so for a DETT. tho the TT would require a lot of extra finagling. Look up TT swap on youtube. there's a couple really good videos on how to do it. get the whole front clip, you'll need it. It's cool you're getting into the Z32's but I hope you'll keep working on your 240z's I haven't heard much updates on where you are with those. The V8 in the Z32 has been done, as has the Vq35, but it's a tight tight fit on both sides, so I don't know how worth it it is. It's your time and $. It would be cool if you and your boy can make it to ABQ some time for a wrench session or maybe the meeting, but I know it's a LONG drive to/from portales. Phar

Yay! mine just showed up! they look awesome, I'm taking them to my Z club meeting tonight Phar

This would be my guess too. Phar

just waiting on mine to show up... oh it's just a rough life, ordering $100 parts for something that's in pieces right now hehe and my wife thinks I'm crazy... Phar

Looks nice, I would mallet out some of those dents in your floorpans. It all looks great otherwise.