Oddmanout84
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Posts posted by Oddmanout84
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You, my friend, are an awesome sacrificial lamb... I was wondering what would happen if I put the "15 inch and higher" bump steer spacers and tried to fit my stock 14's!
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That looks like a Turbo Tom kit... I'm not by any means an expert, but when I looked up the kit a while ago it looked very similar to that.
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Please excuse my mess it became late and I was sucked deep into it and started to neglect my work space.
I wish my garage was as clean as yours.. seriously..
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Oddmanout84,
I hate you. Let me explain.
I recently sold my s30 and bought a sweet old rwd Celica, and have been very happy with that decision ever since (the s30 required gobs of work, and the Celica is a great dd). Then you went and ruined that by having this thread. I'm going down the street to make an offer on a few Z's that haven't moved in a few months. You bastard.
Oh, and I'd have suggested a v8 if you weren't already pot-committed to a Nissan engine. They're simple, easy to diagnose, easy to tune, cheap, available everywhere, and relatively easy to install into an s30 (you'd spend about as much time installing as you've spent diagnosing here).
Also, I just wanted to follow your build thread. It looks kind of awesome. I'm excited to see it, and more excited to HEAR it (you should get video once it runs on its own steam).
Heh heh. Call me an annoying purist, I just have a set opinion on the Nissan engines. The first engine I ever considered swapping was a small block V8, but the thing that stopped me wasn't just the fact that I'd be putting an American engine into a Japanese car. Most of my reasoning is the sound and ease of working on.
Sound issues have been the reason why I'm so squeemish about swapping an SR20DET into the car, that and along with the fact that I'd thoretically be more difficult to get it to work right in the car. I'd have to get new mounts, driveshaft, etc. Sourcing one is actually the easy part! I recently found out that my cousin has a red top SR20DET (/w electronics and xmsn) sitting in his garage next to a never-been-used engine hoist. He had originally planned to buy a cheap 240sx to swap it into, but never got the time or money to do it. Its still a consideration, but I'd have to get over the fact that I'd be swapping the six for a four. Maybe that's illogical, seeing as how there's a huge market support for those things now, and the engine can take quite a bit of HP. I'll keep the thought in the back of my mind..
The V8 carries a similar disposition. For some reason I just prefer the smoother sound of a straight 6. As for the "ease of working on" quip, I'll explain. As someone who's never worked on an engine before (besides organizational maintenance on helicopter turbines), working on an inline engine is more forgiving. V8's have a lot more moving parts, and the crankshafts especially require very exact balancing in order to be reliable. In plainspeak, they scare me, at least at this point. The L28 and L28ET on the other hand have much simpler balance procedures due to the pistons traveling on one plane, and they only have one cam. And although the parts are simple and incredibly easy to source for domestic engines, after working at a shop for just a month's time after I left the service gave me a strong dislike for the US auto industry.
Edit: Also, I like turbos. With a V8 I'd already be spinning the wheels in several gears, I don't want to imagine that with a turbo. 400hp is my absolute maximum, as I'm looking for a balance between handling and speed... not all out power.
That and I like that I only have to worry about metric tools being in my garage, haha.
Call me Illogical, and maybe I'm a little bit crazy... Its just the way I am. I'm sorry that my thread has made you hate me, but you live in Cali, which is car heaven. My Z was sourced from Temecula almost 5 years ago, so you should be able to find something similar (much easier than we east coasters can) should you decide to return to the Z side.
Daeron- I've definitely considered the dropping resistors could be a problem, I've been looking for a decent source of them. I guess one of the reasons I didn't act sooner on this was because I was planning on using an aftermarket ECU (like megasquirt) much sooner and didn't know if I'd be ripping them out entirely. I've stepped back from that for the time being, as I have more pressing issues for the car than that and I shouldn't be getting in more than 10ft over my head (where I am now). Once I get the suspension reinstalled I will be dropping the car back to the floor on its wheels where it should be, and electrical troubleshooting will resume.
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You know, I was skeptical about getting the revolution gauges from speedhut BECAUSE I would lose the turn signals and other indicators. You, sir, have solved that problem eloquently and given me new hope! Let us know how the cig-lighter pod works and where you got the parts. I'd love to fab one of those for my purposes!
Oh, and how do you plan to hook up the speedo?
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Hahaha!! I was wondering what that chunk of metal was! I was seriously debating not reinstalling it because I did not see a purpose for it. My Z is a 1978 with an R200 diff, which is also curious seeing this was normally an R180 w/ automatic application. Once I get my car running, I'll have to see if I get the same vibration issues.
I can't remember off the top of my head if the VIN on the car indicates that it was once an automatic, I'll have to check. If it was, that might explain why the cover plate for the bottom half of my flywheel is missing. There's so many loose an cut wires that I've found hanging in my chassis, maybe I'll have to look and see if those automatic relays/switches are still there (or look like they once were).
Then again, it could just be a factory retrofit.
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Killing the rust on the fenders and headlight buckets wasn't all fun and games. Oh no, it had to be difficult. While removing the headlight buckets from the fenders, each side had one of the three bolts break off while trying to free the nut. The threads were corroded just enough that it caused more friction than the stud could handle, and thus sheared off. Looks like I have to cut the remainder out and install a new one. Since I don't have a welder, this may prove slightly complicated as both threaded ends were in areas that are a bit difficult to reach with a wrench.
Good news is that I was able to scrape all the rust off, most of it just surface rust. Now the inner sides of the fenders are coated with rust converter and will be ready for priming/topcoating tomorrow.
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Good thing he's ok. I can has his parts though? lol
Seriously... if he wants to part it out, I could definitely use some of the electronics, specifically the ign relay and any other relays. At least that way the Z will live on in a sense, keeping others on the road instead of the junkyard or worse.
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Yeah, Sounds like your Fuel pump is working, but maybe shutting down, Get a bucket and some tubing, pull loose the fuel line and attach the tube (caution it's under pressure when the car is off still) but then put the hose in the bucket and try to start, see if the pump continues pushing fuel, if not then it's the relay, if it does then change your fuel filters and try again. Just a thought. Could be clogged from crap in the tank, it's common.
I might try this method, but it still looks like my problem is electrical... according to the noid light I've plugged into my fuel injection harness, the injectors are not getting an electric pulse. I'm almost certain the problem is electrical. Since I now have a large quantity of new relays, one of my next steps will be to get a new battery. Even though I have what seems to be a good battery, and a charger to keep it juiced, it has seen several winters in the garage (on a block of wood, not the concrete). The possibility has dawned on me that the battery could have just enough power to provide spark and crank, but not enough to run the EFI. It might be a bit far fetched, but I'm marking it down as a possibility.
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Nice field expedient hydration system there. I've got a shot wandering around on my HD at home of me with a Boyes ATR.
Your array of 40's era technology and wardrobe are enviable. Where do you get all this stuff? lol
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Both wrong! Its one of these:
CH-46E
Capt_Furious was close though, so he gets the cookie. Those rounds aren't "ball" ammo either, they're "skittles". The colored tips show whether each round is armor piercing, explosive, incindiary, tracer, etc. Oh, I miss them...
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Just discovered this thread while searching around the dark recesses of HybridZ. These were taken two years ago, during a time of grave seriousness;
I dare say the first picture is the best one of me to date. And for everyone else who posted a gun picture...
... Mine's bigger
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Almost positive that's cygnusx1's car, in case you haven't found out yet (post is from October).
Your progress looks good BTW.
Heh, I knew it was his car. I was talking to him as I took the pictures.
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To anyone who's worried about removing the bumpers decreasing the safety, you're probably in the wrong car. If I remember correctly, the larger bumpers on my 280Z are rated only up to 5mph. Obviously it depends on the squishyness of the object you're hitting/being hit by, but even when my friend plowed into the back of an '03 impala with my Z, my radiator took most of the impact. The impala was totaled, but the actual impact was estimated to be not much more than 10mph, and it also bent the bumper at a funny angle (see my project thread for pictures). I think the only thing that made my Z come out on top was the fact that it had a higher content of steel than the chevy.
Regardless of the fact that these metal monstrosities have saved my car from bodywork due to a few coyotes and a turkey, I am in the process of removing them. I just recommend shaving it so no one whines. Conversely, if you like the look of the early thin bumpers, MSA sells some fiberglass and carbon fiber ones that are lighter than the originals, and probably keep a similar standard of crash safety.
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Saying I'm on the last legs of the suspension work is a relative term. So is saying my Z is "clean and mostly rust free"
So the fenders are off. It really killed me to take off the front lip and mess up her curves. Now she just reminds me of an anorexic supermodel. Time to begin work derusting!
It almost looks as if Nissan used some bodywork putty to cover weld seams and some other openings in the metal, close to where the tip of this wire brush is pointing.
Once I clean these seams out, I also plan to seal them with black RTV you keep out contaminants in the future. I don't know if its the best option, but I know it works for helicopters.
Some of these areas, especially under the cowl, are extremely hard to get inside to clean and paint. Looks like I'll be coating them with a good old brush.
Thankfully its just about all surface rust, nothing that a wire brush and some rust converter can't cure.
The rest of the suspension waits patiently for installation...
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Very Nice. Now that I've seen your build thread, I think I understand why it says C.F.I.T under your name, haha. Good thing the ditch only caused minor damage. With luck my Z will look as nice as yours by late spring. I'm still slogging through suspension work...
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Looks like your project is coming along nicely! Wish I could say the same for mine; it's covered in a foot of snow right now. Looks like we're both on par with the L28ET's though...mine needs a lot more work before I can put it in.
Heh... mine would be too if it wasn't taking up half the garage. That last storm a few days ago was great, and I had to take a car ride to the MV ferry in Woods Hole during it!
Work is slowly progressing, but at least now I have a kerosene heater to warm up the garage while I work. Hopefully I'm in the last legs of the suspension work. My crossmember is out and being derusted and prepped for painting, and I want to put it back in asap. That jack/jackstands combo has been holding up the engine too long, and it worries me. with luck it'll be back in place in a few days. Still a lot of cleaning and work to be done in that area though, as I'd like to kill the rust and coat the area under the fenders first.
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You know, I was thinking about getting something to dress up the rear of my Z once the bumper is gone. I think I'm going with "no" after this one...
I guess its not as simple as the urethane front I bolted on..
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Well... you could always get rid of one of your other cars...
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Well, today's the day. As I hope everyone know's already, I'm not going to half-ass the work on my car, as long as its within my budget. So in keeping with my suspension overhaul, I'm going to remove the crossmember along with my steering rack. Since my home made skateboard trolly jack is insufficient for this, I think the time has come for me to get a real one. I don't trust my little 2 ton bottles holding up my engine! opefully the process goes smoothly as I don't want to have the engine hanging on a jack for too long.
Other stuff;
More mouse nests were found!! The sneaky little jerks had homes under the rear shock tower supports, which I found when I removed the vinyl. These guys look so old they belong in a museum.
And these ball joints look pretty compromised. I'm seriously thinking of trashing them, because from the looks of it the years of wear and neglect have taken their toll. They still pivot, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
Add that to the massive list of things I want to replace
. Wherever I can I try to refurbish the old rather than buy new, but some things I just think it would be more cost/time effective to buy replacements. Once this suspension work is done, I'll almost have a rolling chassis... almost. The master brake cylinder is still off and soaking in a bucket of brake fluid. I need to find a decent way to blow the old lines out before I connect anything new. It would be pretty stupid to foul the new brakes with old contaminents still left in the system. I wish I had pictures, but when I unveiled the car a few months ago, what was left of the old fluid in the MBC had turned to green grease. Gross. Luckily The valves and seals were still good, they just needed a good cleaning. As for the proportioning valve, well, I want to get an adjustable one from Modern Motorsports anyway because of the rear discs. I can't seem to crack the old one open to clean it out anyway... -
cover on flywheel mising shouldnt cause a problem. I thought the fan was to keep fuel injectors cool I heard they had problems with them. the mystery switch being placed where it is could be a remote starter switch too,B
Heh. I doubt highly that its a remote start system. I think it was part of some rudementary car alarm. The loss of the flywheel cover still concerns me though, and I will be addressing it.
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Onion? I prefer snail.
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Oh, and I second that comment about the jackstands. Better play it safe than sorry, or you won't be around to enjoy the Z later. Just run down to the local walmart and pick up a few, that's what I did. Haven't failed me yet.... and they're cheap. Bodily injury is not.
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You're 15? Bwahahahaa! Unless that's someone else in that photo, I thought you were at least as old as me! Good thing you're starting at that age. With luck, you'll be able to have it streetworthy before you're old enough to worry about the other things in life. That, and you'll get to know your car a lot better.
Seeing those photos makes me really miss the desert too. Even if the dust gets into everything, the year 'round *mostly* dry climate is a lot better for the car than up here in the northeast. Just make sure you replace that weatherstrip for when it does rain, mine is all dryrotted from the majority of the car's life in the southwest.
Good to see you're ambitious enough to take such a project into your hands. I wish I could have started mine while I was in highschool... Just keep up the good work and don't get discouraged!
. Wherever I can I try to refurbish the old rather than buy new, but some things I just think it would be more cost/time effective to buy replacements. Once this suspension work is done, I'll almost have a rolling chassis... almost. The master brake cylinder is still off and soaking in a bucket of brake fluid. I need to find a decent way to blow the old lines out before I connect anything new. It would be pretty stupid to foul the new brakes with old contaminents still left in the system. I wish I had pictures, but when I unveiled the car a few months ago, what was left of the old fluid in the MBC had turned to green grease. Gross. Luckily The valves and seals were still good, they just needed a good cleaning. As for the proportioning valve, well, I want to get an adjustable one from Modern Motorsports anyway because of the rear discs. I can't seem to crack the old one open to clean it out anyway...
Project 240Z Turbo ITB Install
in Nissan L6 Forum
Posted
Sweet Jeebus, I hope you have some sort of rubber or padding under those tank straps or they are going to cut through your tank. Nice work on everything though, ITBs look great!