inline6

Well the 115 hit the lowest it has been since October 2007... Come on Daddy needs some new shiny Kameari parts!

Looks like the Yen is at a low compared to the dollar as of late: http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/JPYUSD:CUR Makes those http://www.rhdjapan.com/ prices look a little better. How about a set of Kameari big valves for $400? Of course you'll need the full set of big valve seats to go with them for $215. Don't know if it works, but RetailMeNot has a 10% off coupon code for them too. G

LOL, I saw the same ones a day or so ago and sent a note to my friend who is always telling me to "sell that piece of shit" and get something else like a Jag XKE. Well, I sent him a link to those examples and joked that it looked like my piece of shit Z car is starting to command XKE prices (not convertibles of course).

Interesting... and wow, more info than I expected you to be able to retrieve. Couple of things to share: Yes, my paperwork said pretty much everything you have in the top half of your post including "use 1W901 one outer spring only". I am, in fact, running one spring only. However, this part of what you shared was not in my documentation: **Note: The exhaust valve spring installed height was 1.650" on race cam #1 and it is now 1.680" on race cam #2. It needs to be installed at 1.680" so that there is .035" clearance between full lift and coil bind. Well... Basically, the 1.680" dimension is the distance from the head surface (where the bottom of the valve spring sits) to the underside of the spring retainer surface. Typically, when you install a valve in the head, put a spring retainer on with the little keepers to hold it in place, and then measure the distance from the valve spring seat to the underside of the retainer, you will see a dimension of greater than the 1.680" - say something around 1.730", for example. To get the 1.680" specified, you place suitable thickness shims on the spring seat. You do this so that when you install the spring, the distance from the bottom of the spring to the top of the spring with the valve closed is 1.680" inches. And at that height, the pressure the valve exerts on the valve seat is supposed to be 54 lbf. And again, per the specs, when the cam lobe is in the position of max valve lift off of the seat, the "open pressure", or the amount of force the spring is "pushing back" is 193 lbf. And here is the issue in a nutshell... If I were to set up my springs (those Sunbelt sent me) at the previously mentioned 1.680" installed height, then with my (and your) cam which has .550" lift, as the cam rotates around, and it actuates the rocker, and it compresses the valve spring assembly by .550", then at that max lift (which is the same as max spring compression), the spring compresses from 1.680"... minus the .550"... which results in a fully compressed height of 1.130". The big problem here is that by my engine builder's physical measurement, my springs stack solid at 1.132". They cannot compress any further than that - they cannot compress to 1.130". So... to buy a small amount of room, he installed my springs at 1.710" installed height. At that distance... minus the .550", I get 1.160", or .028" before stacking solid. My engine builder also measured 56 lbf at that installed height and 190 lbf at .550" lift (which is pretty close to the specs Integral Cams provided). This part of your response was also very interesting: When I had Integral grind my cam, they couldn't source the springs and referred me to Jim Wolf Technology at (619) 442-0680. After some digging, they called me back claiming to have what I needed. My receipt (dated 12/13/10) says: Item number: AVG3E-L6SPR Spring/shim set VG30E & L28 Outer spr. only, I/H 1.600" 68lb. on seat .490" lift max. Notice that .490" lift max number? That is .060" less than our cam has. This max lift number is usually a number which is related to the point where the springs stack solid. As a general rule, you need to stay about 050" to .060" away from the stack solid dimension. So, one could (but probably shouldn't) assume that this spring may stack solid (or coil bind, whichever you prefer!) at 1.600" minus .490" minus "spare" room of say... .050" thou. That results in an assumed coil bind at 1.050", for example. If this spring truly stacks solid at something like 1.050" instead of 1.132" like mine, then this info could be greatly helpful to me. Because... In theory, running the AVG3E-L6SPR at 1.680" installed height will buy another .080" thousandths of clearance before stacking solid - (i.e. instead of I/H 1.600", the new installed height is that dimension plus .080"). Then, putting in the .550" cam, we get 1.680" minus .550" minus .050".... which results in a distance of 1.080". And this is still 30 thou away from where the "coils bind"! We hope! By the way, running a taller installed height than that specified (i.e. the 1.680" instead of 1.600") will also lower the amount of lbf force... to something less than the specified 68 lb. After all, when you relax a compressed spring a bit, the amount of force it exerts lessens... Perhaps, it might even be something like the 54 lbf that Integral specified. Again, we hope... So, long story short, based on the info you have provided, the AVG3E-L6SPR spring could be different than those that Kinetic sent me. I sure hope so at this point, as those that I have don't have enough room to spare before "bottoming out". Thanks very much for the info!

Hi Mark, I've enjoyed reading your posts here in the forums. It seems you were kind of taking time off from Z cars when I was ramping up my efforts to build a new motor. I've had some issues which have delayed me a bit, but I wanted to pass along some info to you in case you need it at some point. Your cam is not unobtanium. Kinetic/Sunbelt is not doing Datsun as far as I can tell, and Jim is no longer there... yes... true. As you commented in a post a while back, Integral Cams was making the cams for Sunbelt. The owner of Integral Cams shut down his business, but I was lucky enough to track down down the company that bought his "masters" including the Z-Car L-Series E30 Race Cam #2. I bought one originally from Jim, but that one got trashed and I have bought one from this company now also. If you need one in the future, they are Megacycle Cams in CA. By the way, I paid $800 for the first cam from Jim. And close to that for the one from Megacycle... so you got a good deal! That or I got crappy deals. Separately, I wonder if you can help me out. The valve springs that Jim sent me to use with the cam... they are a problem. I was wondering if you could dig up the paperwork you got and find a part number for the valve spring set? I am showing that I got a set with the number 1W901. Problem with them is the specs I was provided are as follows: Integral specs: Installed at 1.680" with 54 lbf. Open height = 1.130" or .550" lift with 193 lbf But when installed at the spec height, they coil bind at just under the .550 lift. The ones I got will coil bind at 1.132". So, the springs they shipped me will not accommodate .550" lift! Now, my engine builder actually set the springs up at 1.710" because he saw what was going on, and at 1.710" installed height, the spring loads on the seat and at max lift are close to the desired specs listed above (actuals at 1.710 are 56 lbs. and 190 lbs. - installed and open, respectively). But, he flagged that as a problem... saying I really should have at least 40 to 50 thou before coil bind. And since I am wiping lobes within minutes of start up... repeatedly, this known issue (only .028" room until coil bind) is resurfacing as a potential cause. Any info you can provide about the springs (part number, specs) you got would be helpful. Thanks. Garrett

Yeah, I'd like to have contact info for anyone in the area who is really knowledgeable with L-series cylinder heads, cams, and tuning Mikuni's - if they are looking for that kind of business.

Last I heard, all the Datsun people that used to work there were gone. I bought the cam and the valve springs from Sunbelt in about 2008 from Jim Thompson who is no longer there. I've tried a bit to track the Datsun people from there, as I saw mention in these forums that some of them opened their own shops in GA. If I recall correctly, it looked to me like they closed up those shops too. From what I was able to tell, a company called Integral Cams was a big part of the SunBelt/Kinetic development picture. Steve Gruenwald, the owner of Integral Cams, was one of the few in the country to have invested in a very expensive cam machine (I can't remember what it is called). I think it makes development of cams much easier. I think my engine builder knows what it is called and that it is a six figure dollar item. Anyway, they shut down the business and sold their cam "masters" to Megacycle. So, Megacycle was able to make a replacement for me.

Hi Xnke, I'm going to be sending weights of the valves, spring retainers, valve keepers, and rockers to the Jim at MegacycleCams. He is going to do some valve motion math with my cam profile and see if the valve springs I am running are a problem with my cam. I've been wiping cam lobes repeatedly, and I have to track down the problem. Also, it would be nice to compare the weights of stainless valves to titanium ones - not sure that info exists in the forums. At least we'd have the stainless steel part done. I was under the impression that these valves were gone forever, but it looks like these are the same based on some forum searching: http://www.sivalves.com/ocforeign_valves.html Don't know if you or others need a source, so I thought I'd make a reference in this post. Thanks again for giving me some help here.

Great! Thanks.

Anyone have a 44 mm Manley L series valve laying around? Also, SI brand part number is 8001SG or Nissan Comp 99996-N1100. I need to know what this stainless steel valve weighs. G

The assembled short block is back home and I started final engine assembly yesterday. This was something I wasn't expecting: This head gasket is a nissan comp multi layered steel (MLS) one. The oil supply hole to the head (the one mid way front to back on the block) is what we are looking at. Interestingly, the hole, which is now almost twice the diameter of what it was when the engine was run last, is not lined up with the opening in the gasket. This is the case on the block, but not on the head, meaning there is misalignment of this opening between the 280z block and the 240z head (E88 casting). Now, the "restrictor" in the block is recessed maybe a half to one millimeter below the deck surface, so the partial "blocking" of the hole is not the same as if the restrictor was flush with the top surface of the block. Not ideal however. So, I took the gasket off and carefully opened up the hole in the gasket a bit. The goal at this point is to get it fired up again this weekend.

Sounds like the latest version of these seals is better, I guess then. When I restored my Z in 1994, I bought my door weatherstrips from MSA. They were Precision... I fought with them for more than two years... even went so far as to bend the spot welded lip around the door circumference inward to make more room between the door and the seal. That helped, but I still had to slam my doors crazy hard. Also, the seals put a crazy amount of stress against the stainless window/door frame part... so much so that the lower most bolt that attaches that frame to the rear side of the door developed stress cracks... I cut a cross section of the Precision seal and a factory one to show the difference on my z website that I was going to create someday to show others all the things I found out the hard way... The Precision seal is (was?) both much thicker and also much denser than the factory seal. Sure, it compresses a bit after you put it on, but it never compresses nearly enough. While we are on the subject, I found out something else during one of the many times I revisited the poor door shutting behavior of my z. The latches and strikers have to be working properly. Both the latches and the strikers do wear. The rounded groove the latch interlocks with widens over time... causing a bit of looseness. I solved my issues by scrounging some OEM seals off of ebay. Here is a short video (not very entertaining, I must say) of how well my doors shut. I have also sprayed sound deader on the inside surface of the outer door skin, and I have applied dynamat to the metal inner door panel... thus the sound difference you might perceive from other z doors. http://youtu.be/QYgN1KnnAQw

Didn't know your expertise level with the carbs... Looks like what I said may help someone else which is good. You said earlier that you have no definite evidence for taking the head off... And swapping carbs, you fouled number 2 cylinder instead of 4. And you fixed that issue. Have you driven it on the road at all after fixing that issue? Fouled plugs can sometimes be hard to "un-foul". Just idling in the driveway may very well not do it. Do you have a glass bead cabinet to clean the plugs with, or some known good plugs laying around to swap with?

You found that your linkage is messed up - potentially worn ball sockets... That can definitely cause driveability issues. Do you have throttle plate return springs on each carb? If not, then the issue might be exasperated because you may think that the throttle plates across carbs are in sync when they are not. Out of sync carbs will definitely cause poor running. If there is slop in the ball joints and especially if you don't have return springs on each carb, then at "off" throttle, each carb's throttle plates may be at different positions. If twisted shafts, then even the plates within each carb body can be out of sync and at different positions. If that is the case, setting pilots is going to futile. And, what you have done with them so far could be contributing to poor running problem. I think I'd start by removing the throttle linkage rods from each carb and checking them out closely. Perhaps you need new ball joints... You need to verify that all the throttle plates on the carbs are closing completely, especially those within each carb body. Back off all idle/throttle screws that open the throttle plates for idle. With the throttle linkage arms (those with the ball joints) removed... close the throttle shafts and listen for the plates to snap shut in the bores. If carbs are off the car, you can shine a light on the back of the throttle plates and verify the plates are closing completely. Address twisted shaft problem if it exists. After verifying that the shafts are not twisted (or correcting), put the carbs back on the manifold - carefully so that they are level as possible and as close to the same horizontal plane as possible. The bolts/studs probably have a bit of play in them, and the slight misalignment on the manifold causes minor syncing issues with the linkage - not a big deal, but while you are there... take a minute or two. Install throttle return springs for each carb. Set initial setting of idle/throttle screws. I cut a strip of paper... and put it between the screw and where the screw hits the arm of the throttle shaft. I turn the throttle screw in until when I pull on the paper I can just feel the paper drag. I do this for each carb. This way I know that the idle screws the same distance from contacting. When all three are set that way, turn each of the 3 screws the number of initial turns called for in the manual - to set initial idle setting. For my Mikunis, I think it is one turn or maybe one and a half. Adjust/set all three throttle arms (ones with the ball joints) to the same length. I used calipers to set mine to within a few thousandths. Having them the same length is important. Loosen linkage for pivot balls on the main throttle linkage rod. Install adjustable throttle rods. Be sure that the throttle plates for all three carbs are shut and re-tighten the linkage for the pivot balls being sure to keep carb throttle linkages undisturbed. This will ensure that each linkage works in unison as the main throttle linkage rod operated. Set all of your pilot screws at the manual spec. as well. For my Mikunis - it is 1.5. At this point, the car should start without issue. You should then put the sync tool on at idle and adjust the throttle screws (hopefully the same amount) until desired idle speed is achieved. You can deviate in throttle screw setting across carbs if necessary to get the flow through the carb bores from one body to the next to be the same - however they shouldn't require substantially different settings. After the flow is the same across the three and the idle speed is where you want it, check to see how the flow across the three is with rpm's held at like 2500 or so. It should be equal across all three. Now you can take a look at AFR between the two banks to see where you are... There really should be no need to run the pilot screws at different amounts out... at least not substantially different. Hopefully getting everything synced up like this will solve your problem.

Me three. I did that before I ever used it. Evidently, that is a requirement when you use this Nissan competition washer. With .015" interference fit, installer and puller are absolute requirements. This thing is TIGHT!

What RPM's are you running?

Ok, noted. I realize that some space there is necessary to keep the washer from bottoming - so proper torque can be achieved on damper installation. My engine builder and I discussed the washer I am using a bit. I am using the Nissan Comp bolt and washer. That washer has a step in it which puts some of the washer inside the hole in the damper hub. I was under the impression that the part of the washer that goes inside the front of the hub ID performed the same function as sliding the damper onto the crank a touch (.060"?) more, but he says absolutely not - that the part of the washer that goes inside the hole of the damper hub is 100% useless - and it doesn't index the front of the hub at all. By the way, this is why we are considering the mod - this was done to the front of the crank with about 700 light "tuning" miles where I only crossed over 7k a few times. You can also see the "step" on the washer here and the amount of "extra" on the oil drive gear: The damper only had about .0005" interference fit. The rebuilt BHJ unit now has ".0015" which is the right spec. per BHJ.

My engine builder has made an observation about the grip length of the hub of my engine damper. I don't have exact measurements on me, but when the damper is installed on the front of an L6 crank, the hub portion over hangs the front of the crank snout by a good bit... like more than an 1/8 of an inch, I think. I have removed (and chucked) the stamped steel oil slinger, by the way. And the amount of "grip length" is not all that much in comparison to other engines with which he is also familiar. Because vibration can become an issue on these L series engines at engine RPM's I plan to be going through, I'm wondering if anyone has done some investigating to see if the damper could be installed onto the crank snout a bit "more" with "modifications". My engine builder is going to be taking a look into this. The oil pump drive gear has a lot of "wasted" area on the front side of it. However, he is going to look to see about where the oil seal is in relation to the damper. Assuming that the damper won't bottom out on the front of the seal, and there is room on the OD of the damper hub/shaft for the oil seal to still ride on the portion that is not radiused, he will look at what would need to be done to the alternator/pulley, and water pump/pully also. As with anything on these engines, I don't want to go off into uncharted waters... If this is ground that has already been covered, I'd appreciate hearing about it. Thanks in advance, Garrett

Is the value of a "base model" Fairlady in the US... ummm... significant? I mean, what might they be worth in average running condition? I only ask (somewhat hesitantly) because I took possession of one briefly back in 93 or 94... long enough for a Z parts collector guy I knew and I to split the cost of buying it and then stripping it for parts. I let him bring a pick up truck with a hoist and spend the entire day taking everything he could get off of it in exchange for paying most of the price of the car ($500 I think). I kept the the diff and the gas tank, (and wanted the transmission because I assumed it was a 5 speed, but it wasn't) as those were the only parts of interest for me at the time - I was in full restoration and full debt load with my 240z at the time. The next day, I carted it's pretty well stripped body off on a trailer to the salvage yard. I felt bad because I knew it was somewhat rare, and it was "too nice" to throw away (no visible accident damage and not much rust either) but didn't have the time, nor the money to take it on. It had an L20A engine and 4 speed transmission with a 3.7 diff. I believe it was a 73, but interestingly, it had the later style tail lights like the US model 260z, except for amber/red vs. all red. Also, it had these weird floor mats... they were like really thick rubber in front and behind the seats. .

Thought it was about time for a small update on this saga. I pulled the head off of the engine a while back so I could drill out the oil supply restrictor in the block to .125". With the head off, I found some odd wear on the bores. So, I sent the short block back to my engine builder to be disassembled, checked, and specifically for some touch up honing. We suspect the wear possibly came from running too rich during attempts to tune the carbs... and possibly bits of the metal from the cam problems causing some havoc. According to my engine builder, all crank journals, rod journals, respective bearings etc. were fine. The cylinder walls weren't perfect. So, we went ahead and honed it as planned. Short block is being reassembled now and will be on the way to me soon. I'll be pulling the oil galley plugs on the head and checking to be sure there is no debris or obstruction. Plan for restart includes: Red Line full synthetic oil - high zinc content Red line assembly lube on cam lobes Block heater to heat oil north of 100 degrees for startup Pressure oiling kit to blast oil through all oil galleys just before startup Rebello camshaft spray bar - replacing the factory oil spray bar Same induction set up - everything adjusted as prior, when engine last ran - assures quick initial start up With the oil restrictor now .125" instead of ~ .078" and no chance of any restriction (everything will be tripple checked), along with the list above, I think I will not have another repeat of this problem.

I like the Jags that Run option. There is a nice write up showing what makes the radiator special here: http://www.jagsthatrun.com/V8-chapters/V8-DatsunZ-Cooling-System.pdf I think you would need the Rad ($185), the mounting kit ($80), and the DAT-128 kit which is for running hoses from the new rad to the L series engine instead of a V8. They would be able to confirm. http://www.jagsthatrun.com/Datsun_Order.html#anchor When I bought it years ago, the mounting brackets were galvanized steel. Now, it looks like they are aluminum, and come with electric fan straps too. I just happen to be looking at electric fans now, so maybe I'll upgrade to the aluminum kit. Also, just saw the Koyo radiator at the Koyo site: http://www.koyoradracing.com/news.asp?id=61 Looks nice and I like that it mounts to the stock location, but that thing is thick - and in the example car shown, there is no engine fan installed, stock or electric. Doesn't look like there is much room for a fan there to me. G

BHJ is making me a new hub that is sized for my crank, which is a tad undersize. $300 and we'll be back in action.

Yep. Learned that the hard way when I used the bolt and washer with a Euro damper many, many years ago. Never want to hear that death rattle coming from an L series again. G

With my recent engine build, I used a Rebello BHJ crankshaft damper (a used one). The engine has about 600 miles on it and is apart for other reasons. At the time of build, the damper had some visible wear/markings on the ID of the hub, but we decided it was good enough still to use. Given the photos of the "damage" that happened within only about 600 miles of engine tuning, and what my engine builder said after removing it from the crankshaft: "Your harmonic damper now has only .0002 interference fit to the crank snout. .0005 is the accepted minimum on non "problematic", internally balanced engines. .0007-.0012 is preferred for most engines and .0015 is the maximum which requires careful chamfering of components and the use of E.P. grease for installation. I weighed your damper and it was about seven pounds total weight (bathroom scale). It might be of benefit to obtain a damper with an inertia ring with a higher weight (moment of inertia)." I am faced with making a decision. Either pursue getting a new hub for this damper, which I do not know is even possible at the moment. Or, buy a new one of the same part number from Rebello (It is the BHJ street version) Or, go with another brand, such as ATI. My engine is basically the same as a Rebello 3.0 L engine (but with an 88mm bore instead of 89mm which puts it at about 2.9 L instead) with a lightened and balanced crankshaft (only about 3-5 lbs lighter than a stock L28 crankshaft), and a 7800 max RPM Kinetic Sunbelt cam. I've read various posts in the forums regarding "tuning" of dampers. I'd like to understand this tuning better so I can make as informed of a purchase decision as possible for my specific application. I would appreciate any guidance. G

I thought about that when I was posting. My car is also predominantly a track car, but I still drive it on the street every now and then. As with my other cars, I enjoy pulling to redline in first, shifting to second, then letting off. It's annoying when I can't enjoy that because of gear crunch. It won't be an issue at the track. Yeah, I am so like that.