Chickenman

Preparation is always important. No question there. But you do need quality parts to start off with. The problem is, with todays " Global Manufacturing " the average consumer has no idea what is in the box. You used to be able to trust names such as TRW and Moog. Now it's all a crap shoot. Best you can do is research before you buy. Unfortunately, there is just SO much " cloned " crap out there it's unbelievable...

PS: On the Trigger Angle setup it looks like he has the distributor rotor 180 degrees out. Normally the Tooth #1 angle will come out to approximately 360 degrees BTDC with the DIY Trigger Wheel. The fact that his table shows 180 degrees BTDC leads me to believe that he juts got the dizzy installed 180 degrees and didn't bother to fix it properly. So he effectively did the old wire switch aroo with the TS software.

From one Old school gent to another. Ummm... yeah. That table leaves a lot to be desired. It can be improved upon quite a bit. 1: First off. Scaling under boost is all wrong It goes from no boost ( 100 KPA = zero lbs boost ) to full boost ( 400 KPA = 43.5 lbs ) in two steps!!. Those are just huge jumps. No good at all. 2: At higher RPM's but under no boost you can carry the maximum timing all the way from 3,500 to Redline. No need to reduce it at Load values under/equal to 100KPA. 3: Cruise values are actually too low. At cruise, because of reduced mixture density and leaned out AFR's, the flame front ignites and combusts much slower. Thus additional advance is required. It is quite common to see Cruise Spark Values in the 42 to 45 BTDC range. People often don't understand this, but that is why old Dizzy's had a vacuum advance. To provide additional advance under light load at cruise RPM's ( typically 2,000 to 3,500 RPM ) 4: He's using a lot of advance ( 25 BTDC ) at idle, but the reasoning on that is sound. Larger cammed engines require a LOT of ignition advance at idle. That is because the valve overlap causes a Natural EGR that dilutes and contaminates the incoming Air Fuel mix. This requires a lot more advance at and just off idle. It usually clears up by 1,500 to 1,700 rpm . You will often see that big cammed engines will pull more Vacuum at cruise than they will at idle. This is just the Nature of the Beast. Now Turbo cars with low compression also sometimes require a lot of idle and low RPM ignition advance. But the reason is a bit different. the 280ZX Turbo has an abysmally low CR. 7.4 to 1. The result of that is that they are a dog off the line. Stock ignition on a 280 ZX Turbo ( depending on year ) is 20 BTDC. So the guy has raised it to 25 ( Not an issue at all ) in an effort to get the fat slug off it's perch and get the Turbo spooling faster. A common strtegy with Turbo cars. The thing is, every car is different. The tune really has to be developed for each individual car. One slight difference in specs can make all the difference in the world. That's why it can be dangerous to grab other peoples tunes off the Internet. IE: " I used XYZ's tune and my engine went boom. Oh wait... That tune was with Water/Meth injection??. I don't have that ... " For that reason I will not post any Tunes on forums and I ask that anyone that I help out does not post up my Tunes or Tables. I can help you out and will PM you with some contact info. I'll need ALL of the information on your engine specifications, expected boost levels and usage. The more info the better I'm old school as well and have been Racing since I was 18. I'm 63 now. Been tuning Mikuni's , Webers, Su's Holley's and Quadrajets all that time. Getting into EFI more and more since about 2006 ( Vw/Audi ) EFI is just a different tool. Instead of changing jets with a screwdriver, you'r just changing values with keystrokes.

Turbo or Normally aspirated? Either way those pistons should be fine at that power level. Have your machinist check the Big end sizing and re-size if necessary. Install new ARP rod bolts and that engine should last forever. Having the engine properly balanced will go a long way in ensuring it's durability in Enduro's. Secondary vibrations can get very strong with Inline 6's. Using a good aftermarket vibration dampner will help with reducing any unwanted Vibrations. .

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That whale tail may work a bit too good. You'll likely a big arse splitter up front to balance the downforce for Road Racing. Edit: Deleted extraneous thread material that I'd already posted up in #6.

Put some silicone RTV over the connections.That will protect them from water and corrosion. The rubberized material was likely the remains of original rubber caps that isolated the terminals.

Most OEM engine parts for any car are very good. Including Nissan.

Found It. DNJ . Major supplier for OEM Japanese parts. http://www.enginecomponents.com/en/home

You get what you pay for. Why not E-Mail both companies and ask for more details. Datsun Spirit list them as OEM Nissan quality. I know for a fact that there are still some manufacturers producing the original Japanese rings and bearings. Nippon Piston Ring and RIK for example. Both are OEM suppliers to Nissan, Toyota and other Japanese and Korean engine manufacturers. I wish I could remember the manufacturers name, but when I had a fresh engine built in 2014 we got a supplier that had the original Japanese rings and bearings by the original product manufacturers. Being a Nissan Partsman for over 17 years from the mid 70's through 80's I was amazed when I saw the packaging ( with correct labelling in broken English and Japanese and correct coloring of individual cellophane ring wrappings ), instructions and product markings. These were no Chinese clones, but the real deal. I'll dig through my receipts and try and find the name of the company. They specialise in Japanese OEM parts replacement. It was a weird name that I had never heard of before. Edit: Personally I think I'd lean to towards the Datsun Spirit parts. $200 is a fair price for good quality Main and Rod bearings. $100 is just a bit too cheap for my comfort level. An E-Mail is what I's do. I'll take Japanese OEM manufacturer ( Nissan did not make there own rings and bearings ) over an unknown manufacturer any day.

You may be interested in the following thread. For Audi/VW LS-2 coils conversion, but tons of info on Dwell settings etc. http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5563383-LS2-Yukon-coil-conversion

Hanging the coils away from the engine is actually a good strategy. Wiyh any electronics device, the cooler thye run the better. Yes, thye probably will stand the heat located on the engine. But there is no doubt that thye will last longer running cooler. Aurora Electronics in Langley Canada make custom spiral core wires in any configuration you want . Any plug ends and any coil ends. Lifetime warranty as well. http://www.auroraelectronics.com/ I used Honda H series plug boots on my Audi 1.8T and they fit like a glove. This was when I was experimenting with an LS-2 CNP system. That didn't pan out due to ECU compatability issues with my AEB ECU ( long story, but dwell not easily changed on AEB ECU . Later models are dead simple to change Dwell ) ) but the setup worked very well. Lots of guys using LS2 coils ( D514 and D585 ) on Big Turbo Audi/VW 1.8T engines. Here's a picture of what my setup looked like during the test phase:

Not to sure about those threaded spacers. What we used on our heavy Pony cars, and what I have seen Circle Track racers use, is a Custom made spacer that fits Tight and precisely over the spindle. The main purpose is to reduced flexing of the spindle. Bearing adjustment is done with very thin shims.

For wheel grease use a Top Line Synthetic. Amsoil, Mobile 1, Pennzoil Synthetic, Motul... are all good. I've raced big Pony cars where we've seen 1,000 F rotor temps and believe me, Synthetics are the only thing that will stand up to the heat produced by Track Days. Don't worry about the thickness. It has little " bearing " on the friction. ( Pun intended ). You don't want a thin grease because it is meant to stay in place... inside the cages.

The Taurus or Volvo fan will do the trick. interestingly I am thinking of switching to a Taurus Fan from my stock 280Z 8 blade fan. But not for the reasons you may think. The problem is my car runs at a perfect 180 F most of the time. The 3 core copper Rad is very efficient and the Thermal clutch fan seldom engages. That becomes a problem with the factory AC system. The Factory AC system has an evaporator that is undersized . As a result you need good airflow through the condenser . But on my car, the cooling system is so danged good that it seldom switches on the Thermal fan at stop lights. When you stop moving you get no airflow from the condenser and the AC goes luke warm. Start driving ( over 30 MPH ) and it gets freezy cold again . But stop and go downtown traffic becomes a sweat box in short order. One of the reasons that OEM's use dual Electric fans is to reduce engine temps when the AC comes on. But the secondary function is to pull air through the condenser when the car is not moving or crawling in stop and go traffic. I'm thinking of switching to a Taurus electric fan, just so I can get some airflow through the condenser in Stop and Go traffic.

Yeah, I knew it was 10 to 15 HP . It's more than a couple. Problem with the engine Masters test is they don't test the CFM capacity of the fans. Thta is extremely important.as well> They completely ignore the differences at cruise RPM, 3,500 RPM and below. That's where most street cars spend their time. If you look at the charts, the Cruise RPM variance on the first fan was very slight from 3,500 RPM and below. Dyno doesn't even start til 3,000 RPM. 2: They did the same generalization as I did in saying that Electric fans only put a one or two HP load on the alternator. A good OEM fan such as a Taurus probably pulls a lot more load than that. They should have tested electric fan power draws and CFM values as well to make their test truly accurate. 3: They made no mention of the fact that so called flex fans are absolutely useless at High RPM's. They flatten and draw less HP. But they also effectively become a flat 18" Pizza pan placed behind the radiator. Very effective at blocking air flow through the Radiator but not very good for cooling. Drag Racers love them because thye only run for 10 to 12 seconds flat out. Any one who Road Races or Hillclimbs knows what a POS Flex fans are are because they block airflow. Run a Flex fan down the Freeway on a hot day and their poor performance becomes apparent very rapidly. Particularly if you have AC or a marginal cooling system. They do make Killer Ninja Stars though. Look out!! It's Odd Job!!. 4: Personally, on my Race cars ( Road Racing ) . I never run a fan. No need to with proper ducting and airflow planning. But on my street cars I will run the stock fan setup 90% of the time. The 280Z 7 and 8 blade fans work very well and are hard to beat for cooling efficiency. Rotational mass and Inertia also comes into play when running a Ramp up RPM style Dyno run. Thta was not mentioned in the video. It takes HP to accelerate rotational mass. The Thermal clutch fan they tested was an old heavy steel fan blade design. Profile was fairly inefficient as well. Compare that to the much lighter Japanese and European thermal fans with Plastic compound curve blades. Much lighter and much more efficient. Less rotational mass to accelerate = less HP draw shown on a Ramp-Up RPM Dyno run. I'd like to see some tests on those as well. I'm willing to bet that the HP drop should be less that the heavy domestic fan tested. And if they did a steady RPM test instead of an acceleration test, the HP loss of the heavy steel thermal clutch fan should have dropped as well. juts some food for thought...

We have the same situation on 1st, 2nd and 3rd Gen Camaro's. Fortunately there are some aftermarket companies making spacers for these. As you mention, they help stiffen the spindle. Effective with big sticky race tires, but the S30 spindle is just as Large as the 3 rd Gen Camaro spindles. And the Camaro's are a much heavier car. I think you're in the Custom fabrication situation. Not sure if you really need it on an S30. Z31 is a heavier beasty though...

BTW, nothing wrong with the factory Thermo-Clutch fan. In fact, most mechanical fans ( on any car ) will pull more CFM than even the most expensive Electric fan. Look at the pitch and width of mechanical fan blades. That tells you something. Yes, you do lose a couple of HP. over an electric fan. Important for manufactures trying to meet CAFE numbers. But not as important for street use. The 280Z air condition fan is 8 blades and with the factory shroud cools very, very well. My 1976 280Z has a three core copper Rad and the factory 8 blade fan and shroud. It has factory AC. I've been in 95 F weather, AC on and in stop and go traffic. Engine Temps never go above 190F ( 180F Stat ). Soon as I start rolling, temps drop to 180F. That's with a brand new Nissan Atsugi w/pump as well. Some cheap aftermarket w/pumps have inefficient stamped flat steel blades. The factory cast iron blade style flows a lot more water.

Yes, your two puller fans are basically too small. Adding on the pusher fan didn't help that much because: 1: Pusher fans are not as efficient as puller fans. and they tend to block airflow more than Puller fans. 2: You have the two puller fans still in place and their shrouds now blocking the airflow from the pusher fan. If you really want a good and cheap solution, go OEM. Take a trip to the junk yard and find a mid-90's Taurus fan. These are a single large fan with very efficient S-Blades. they flow about 3,000CFM and cool 2,000 HP Big Block Chevies with ease. The S-Blades are far more efficient and quieter than straight blades. About $25. You'll need a relay of course but that's no big deal. Some are dual speed with a high and a low speed circuit. Those will need two relays. The Taurus fans are also very thin for their size. They use a flat " Pancake " electric motor. Ford Taurus fan: Another really good fan is a mid 90's Volvo V70 fan. Very similar to the Taurus and comes with a two speed controller and Relay pack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-954_wpRWsQ

And as you're a smart man, I'm willing to bet that you would put considerable thought and research into what you bought. And not just buy the first " Synthetic " you see on sale at AutoZone or Walmart

Never said 10w-30 was too thin for an L-series. I was responding to your statement: I was responding to that particular statement, which is a pretty wide generalization and could get people in trouble. Particularly given that this post started out as a discussion about Road Racing engines in Enduro's with no oil coolers. You can get 5w-30 Synthetic Motor oils that are perfectly adequate for High Performance engines. Never said you couldn't And just about every one will be a special formulation with extra ZDDP and you'd be wise to choose a full Ester oil. It's just that MOST 5w-30 weight oils, especially the big store brands are all Energy Star ( SM and SN ) rated and those are the ones you have to be careful of with increased Valve pressures. . The SM and SN ratings go hand in hand with reduced ZDDP levels. It's not as simple anymore as choosing between what brand you preferred back in the 70's through 90's .( I was a Pennzoil man ) I thought I made that clear with this sentence in Post #8 . Any how, interesting but we're both have our opinions and we're just flogging a dead horse. Carry on...

Tune has nothing to do with who made the made the MS box or wiring Loom. It's more likely that you have a communication error between your Laptop and your MS ECU and simply have some settings wrong. Are you using a USB to serial port adapter and what brand is it? . Do you have the correct drivers loaded for the USB adapter if you are using one? . Do you have the communication protocols are set correctly in BOTH Tuner Studio and Device Manager ?( They have to match ) These issues are all covered in the MS manuals. BTW, What OS is your Laptop running on?

One of the really handy items that some stand alone ECU's use is a Trim Pot. A simple 10K Ohm Linear pot that can change Fueling or Timing temporarily with a quick twist of the knob. A percentage shows up in a box to tell you how much you are adding or subtracting in Real Time. Makes dialing in WOT AFR's much faster. Also Start-up enrichment's, WUE and even idle values. Would be nice is MS incorporated that feature.

Where did I get that idea? From decades of reading Race engine building articles by David Vizard, Race Car engineering, and Race Engine Tech, SAE white papers and following OEM engine design changes and understanding the trends. Engines have been running tighter and tighter tolerances for the last 20 years or more in an effort to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy by using thinner and thinner oils. 0w-20 oils are now quite common in modern engines. But don't think for an instant that you could use that thin of a weight in a 40 or 50 year old design. BTW, Well aware of that guys ramblings. The guy contradicts himself many times over. There is no ZDDP " myth ". It's a fact and well documented. High performance engine builders who work with Flat Tappet engines have known about the issue for well over 10 - 15 years. You can not compare stock valve trains to high performance valve trains. Apples to oranges. Maximum allowable main clearance of .0028" on L-series is almost double that of S2000 at .0016. How can you say that is almost the same? Journal size and bearing width also play a big part. As does crank finish and crank stiffness. An L-6 is hardly a stiff crankshaft, even with 7 main bearing. And a Honda S2000 is built a little looser compared to some other Honda engines, because it is built to run very high RPM's. ( 9,500 ) Here is just one example of a more pedestrian engine built by Honda. And this was a mid-1990's Vintage. Honda D15B7 clearances: main bearing clearance No. 1,5 journals: 0.018-0.036mm (0.0007-0.0014in) No. 2,3,4 journals: 0.024-0.042mm (0.0009-0.0017in) service limit 0.05mm (0.002in) connecting rod bearing clearance 0.020-0.038mm (0.0008-0.0015in) service limit 0.05mm (0.002in) Here's some data from a real Engine Building site on bearing clearances. It's a very good read. http://www.enginebuildermag.com/2017/06/dissecting-duramax-getting-inside-six-generations-gms-6-6l-diesel-dominator/ And the biggest differences in modern engines is the machining Tolerances they are built to these days. Modern Robotics, CNC machining and Laser measuring ensures that modern production tolerances are dead nuts on. Every time. Something that could not be achieved as accurately or repeatably on the assembly lines back in the 60's and 70's. The tooling just did not exist.

Just another thought. Have you considered a defective plug on Cylinder #5? Rare but it happens. You may have a carbon trace on the outside of the plug. Check it carefully. A plug can fire at atmospheric pressure, but fail when put under combustion pressures. Throw a fresh plug in or switch from another cylinder.