cygnusx1

Sorry couldn't resist...

Yeah that definitely sounds like open downpipe to me. Was it? That was 100km/hr right?

That google search engine really works...but is it always a good thing? Remember to check the dates!!! Alot of people are no longer here...but you can ask them anything you want anyway

Very cool, maybe you can bring it to the Tri-State Z meet this Saturday. I am still driving the Z even though it's puffing a little out the side of the block.

OK I purchase a set of ARP head studs, and went gasket researching. Wow what a lot of banter on head gaskets!!! 1) HKS 1mm MLS no longer available anywhere. 2) HKS 2mm is too phat for my needs but is available at Courtesy N. 3) MSA has a head gasket for $30! Is that an el-cheapo or will it work? 4) Nismo 0.6mm is available from Courtesy for $150. 5) Import Performance Parts has something they call a "Copper Performance Gasket" as part of an L28ET engine kit. 6) There is a guy selling Copper head Gaskets on ebay. What the heck? An MLS reuseable would be great so I can keep it for the monster build. Is the NISMO reuseable? if not, I am going with an El-Cheapo to get me through next Summer.

After tons of research, it looks to me like the HKS 1mm metal head gaskets are NLA....darn. What next? I think it's nearly time for an L28 L28ET head gasket sticky...

Yeah that's my car. Thanks. I am glad you enjoyed it. I deleted the stuff after using it all for a few years with the stock EFI. Once I went with MS, I didnt feel the need to use all the appendages on the intake manifold. Basically, once all the stuff was removed, there was NO difference in the way the car ran.

Rags that thought crossed my mind. I will keep my eyes peeled for a good L28ET...P90 over the winter. Then I could sell this one to a budget swapper. As EvilC said, it still puts me back in the seat pretty hard.

Yeah I allotted 5 hours to do the intake and exhaust manifold gasket...it actually took me roughly 2.5 hours total to remove clean and reinstall. LOL Another plus for the L28's...Super easy to work on. I am figuring that I can do the head gasket in under five. I might do the ARP studs this round along with the gasket instead of wasting money on new Nissan headbolts that will need replacing next winter at the rebuild. I also need to re-wrap the turbine with a blanket. I had one on there and removed it last week. What a huge difference in underhood temps! It's like a cast iron wood stove under there, cooking the brake lines and the intake manifold.

Well here is a tidbit. Don't rip everything out and rebuild it without first identifying the problem clearly. You will be sorry if you rebuild it and end up with the same problems.

Thinking out loud again fella's so bear with me... I dont expect an answer but this is a decision I need to make for myself. When I discovered that a gasket was leaking a few weeks ago, I thought it was the ex manifold gasket because it was puffing at the frequency of the piston firing. I pulled the intake and ex manifolds which only took me a little over an hour thanks to AN fittings and O-ring fuel rails. I checked cleaned and reassembled with high temp sealant and went for a drive only to discover the puffing noise was still there. I had noticed a bit of oil from the drivers side of #5 at the head gasket. My engine is clean so it shows even a little bit of leakage. Now I suspect compression leak from the head gasket under load. My goals were to gather and setup the entire car and fuel system and then rebuild the motor into a 400-500 HP bottom and top end in 2008-2009 Winter to spread out the cash load. Well, I got the car entirely setup the way I want it with the MS-II, the large injectors, the Z32 trans, the CV shafts, suspension, big brakes, and was going to keep the car like this until the big rebuild. The motor has 120K miles on it but was running and still is running great. I know eventually with this new leak, I will be mixing fluids which is a no-no. So do I fix it or rebuild it early? If I rebuild it now, I will not be able to swing the exotic build because I just bought the MS-II and Hoke's Z32 trans. If I wait until 2008-2009 I can build the monster L28ET. So do I rebuild it mild, or just fix the gasket and wait for 08-09 to do the big build? Right now I am leaning towards a $30 simple head gasket swap in-car so I can continue to drive the car until the big build.

I have a 2.5" Str8 thru Magnaflow and it's definitely quieter than that Borla. I also added a resonated tip to clean up the sound a little. It's loud under load but quiet off the gas.

I tension my rear strut tower bar a little too. The front triangulated one is non adjustable so I mounted it loosely with the car on level and drilled the mounting holes for the firewall brace. It made a really positive difference to the feeling of the front end of the car in steering and mostly in bump absorption. It seems to allow the front suspension to do it's job and not let the unibody flex.

They look great in the car!

Im thinking of getting custom plates...any thoughts? 280Z T FORCEFED NVR DONE SPOOLIN BOOZTED BOOSTEDZ OLSKOOL 76Z T A280ZT THE Z REAL Z PSI PWR2W8 URBHIND DATZUN 100 VE UR2SLOW GOT PSI GOT Z GOTURBO Any more ideas?

You will lose nearly 75 pounds by removing 76 style bumpers and shocks. I weighed them as I removed them...if that makes you feel any better. Weight removed at the ends of the car is great for better dynamic response to lateral forces.

Sorry, I didnt patent the idea. I just linked to a patent that I found. If you need info about patenting something, I can help you with that also. I do a fair amount of patent work through my engineering job. I was playing with a black light at work and then it hit me. All the needles and the printed numbers in the stock Z gauges MIGHT be able to reflect some visible spectrums of UV (black light). If so, it would be a very nice looking dash illumination. As far as damage to your eyes from UV. I believe that comes from staring directly into a powerful black light for extended periods of time. Reflected UV is visible light which is not harmful...I think. Any physicists or eye doctors on the board? http://wolfstone.halloweenhost.com/Lighting/bltled_BlackLightLED.html#Safety "As you state, indirect usage - illuminating fluorescent materials - is the correct and safe usage. In such cases, the UV is converted to visible light and any reflected UV is diffused and greatly diminished in intensity."

Yup it's the head gasket. It's bleeding compression from the drivers side of cylinder number five. Oh well time to put the engine hoist to good use.

Arnold Schwarzenegger voice: "It is not de turbo." The turbo is bone dry, no detectable shaft play, spools really fast and sounds normal...like a 747 on taxiway. I am guessing head gasket at this point. I will keep an eye on the water and oil. So far there is no mixing of fluids.

I try to look under skirts. No malicious intent though

Mine is back together and if it's not going to rain, the Z will be my ride.

Update: I removed the intake and exhaust manifolds. I sanded the surfaces with a straight bar. The manifolds checked out pretty straight. The gasket did not show any blatant signs of leaking. I did notice a tiny bit of oil on the block about the size of two quarters located just below the head gasket at cylinder number 5. I cleaned it up, reassembled the manifolds with no gasket, using Ultra Copper High Temp Silicone. I took it for a drive and it seems pretty quiet. No chirping or phisssing. The only time I hear anything that sounds like a knocking exhaust leak is when i rev it in neutral and stand next to the engine bay. It's very faint but it's there. Maybe it's the head gasket....anyhow, it runs great so I am going to finish off the Summer as is. Then I will pull the motor and rebuild.

No not yet, I just put the intake and exhaust manifolds back on without porting anything. I was kind of in a rush. This fall/winter I plan on the big engine overhaul and will work on all the little details.

Ebay? selling black light kits for gauges? Hmm. Never saw one. Anyhow, I can't get sued for patent infringment unless I sell something. I am only going to experiment for my own use. That is perfectly legal. Update: I ordered 10 UV LED's with a 30degree light pattern. Once I figure out how to power them, I plan on mounting them at the base of each gauge pocket pointing up at the faces at about a 45-60 degree angle.

I found this. http://www.allpar.com/fix/holler/exhaust-porting.html