steeto_burrito

Well I am getting the project started now, still unsure on the N/A to turbo. I would love to make a ton of NA power, but you cant beat a turbo spooling up. Either way we will see what happens I have a friend who owns a shop a couple miles from my house, He will be doing most of the work, I would love to do it all myself but I have a timeline and my job is having me work like crazy. I am starting by rebuilding the engine that came with the car, and we will go from there on performance. I am also doing a full update on the brakes, and suspension. We will see how it goes. I will keep you guys updated!

Hey guys, after replacing damn near the whole brake system I have narrowed my problem down to a bad brake booster. Let me know how much you want for one shipped to 87120. Thanks.

Hey guys, I got my 75 280z rescently. I ordered a new set of wheel cylinders, one new drum, and a new set of shoes. I installed everything and all was going well until I went to put the springs on. The one with a longer straight section (the one that goes on the upper portion of the shoes) fits just fine, but the bottom ones seem like they are too long, The shoes won't clear the new drums unless the adjuster is all the way in. Any ideas?

solved this one on my own with some googling. http://forums.carcraft.com/70/6464225/automotive-brakes/testing-brake-booster/index.html Link for instructions on how to test if anyone is looking for them.

As far as I am aware of most of the vacuum hose is the same, im sure there are some different thicknesses but I think the mfg material are all the similar, but thats just my .02 As far as the radiator hose I have never been a huge fan of the flex tubing. I usually run welded pipes for hoses, as there is no chance of blowing one out. I think it looks cleaner, and of course you can have it powdercoated to whatever color you like. Again just my .02 Overall though I think the kits you are looking at are good choices, I cant find much around the net about either, but sometimes its best that way. Most of the time when someone says something about a product online its because of a negative experience, If you want to make sure they are good try and call up the companies and ask for a sample, or just get enough to do 1 hose, and see if you like it. Just go from there. As far as the wiring, dont worry too much its a daunting task when you look at the whole thing at once, but if you can break it down into sub sections its really not that bad, I started modifying my z31 wiring harness, but found a S30 I decided to focus on for the time being. Just start out with your goal, Lets say you want to do a wiring tuck/cleanup, run all your fuses and relays to the dash area, make sure that works correctly, then go on from there. Its easier to troubleshoot a section of a wiring harness instead of the whole thing. I would suggest geting a used harness from someone on here one thats complete without cuts or connectors missing, then modify it to meet your needs. +1 on blue72s comment about the breaker bar. Its a must have tool.

Hey Guys, I just picked up a 75 280z today, I was driving it home and noticed the brakes were really weak, and the noise that can only be horrible metal on metal contact on the rears. So the drums, hardware, and shoes will be replaced. The brake pedal just didn't feel right though. It was almost nothing till the last bit of the pedal. Even then there wasn't a whole lot there. The previous owner put in a master cylinder from a JY car, unfortunately i'm not sure which one it came out of. I hear a hissing noise every time I hit the brakes. Can someone tell me how to troubleshoot a bad brake booster? I did search and only found a few posts that were similar, nobody said how to troubleshoot the issue though, just ok its good and no its not. I also read through the reaction disc sticky, and I think it could be a problem, but it still doesn't explain the hissing noise.

Hey guys, I have a budget of about 5k to have fun with my 85 300zx N/A. I want to run a turbo setup, but cant seem to find a lot of the parts needed for a full "factory" swap. I have had the heads sent of and done already. 5 angle valve job, port and polish, decked, all that jazz. The block is dissasembled and ready to go to the shop to get hot tanked and checked out. I am wondering if I should run a custom turbo setup, or try and use the OEM stuff and make it a turbo. Anybody have input?

You should look into getting a factory service manual, they are 1000 times better than a chiltons. They cost a bit more, but worth every penny. I don't know what I would do without mine. I found one on e-bay here is the link. As far as tools it really depends on how much use they are going to get, sure you can go out and order 5k worth of Snap-On tools, but really are you going to get 5k worth of use out of them. I generaly use Craftsman, but thats just my personal preference. On any tools I will use 1-2 times I will usually go to Harbor Freight and pick up a cheap one. It may break after 3-4 uses, but if I only needed it once, it served its purpose and cost a lot less than the same tool from a big name tool company. I took apart my engine using 99% metric sockets with a 3/8 drive ratchet. For reassembly just follow the instructions and get a GOOD set of torque wrenches, again I use Crafstman. Its just one of those things you don't want to go cheap on. Good luck with your project!

A 5.4 WILL fit under a 99-04 stock hood, theres a company out there that makes a shorter intake, www.hiperformancesolutions.com/54.html thats the website with the product. I know this because I have one

Awesome man, glad to see you decide to go through with it. Keep us updated with lots of pics and info!

I looked at doing this swap a couple weeks ago, i'm still searching for the best motor to fit my needs. Of course the standard 302 comes to mind. Cheap to build easy to modify, HO versions have forged internals. Now comes the Modular 4.6 Good motor, makes enough power, fairly easy to modify, lots of aftermarket support. and the 5.4 not a ton of aftermarket support unless you wanna run boost. But they do run for a good while, and strong motors at that. Its all about doing what you want, its not my car, im not here to tell you what to do, just give input where its welcome. If you have your mind made up then go for it, a quick rundown of stuff you will need. Engine and Transmission (duh) wiring harness and ecu for engine radiator prefferably aluminum custom engine and transmission mounts you will need to make sure the engine/headers clear the steering linkage. Headers Full exhaust, custom Driveshaft shortened and correct yoke put on for whatever rear end youre using The list goes on and on and on These swaps will nickel and dime you to death, if you want to go the cheap route and just get it running you will probalbly regret it, take youre time and do it right. I suggest getting some measurements from someone on this forum or possibly another to aid you in your fittament quest. If its been done once it can be done again, you just have to be up to the challenge. I say go for it, do something a different.

You're making some awesome progress man.

Wow, awesome thanks for the responses guys. this should be fairly easy then.

Hey guys, Currently I am doing fabrication to fit a ford solid axle rear end into my car, fortunately I haven't got too far yet. I am moving here in a couple weeks, and the whole rear end is out of the car, I usually don't like to skimp on things especially like this but due to time constraints I don't think I will have time to put the whole thing back together. So the question is how much of the rear end needs to be put back together to roll this thing around? Not too far, just enough to get it on my trailer, and then unload it at my new shop.

That looks awesome! I really like them on the bottom. You could probably do this mod even cheaper by doing the wiring LEDs yourself.

Looks like you've got a good start to your project. Are those old phone books the guy was using by the rear wheels?

that is a sexy car. great job on the pictures, they look really really good. Gotta love the quality from those DSLRs.

I just love the thing. Its a blast to drive, once in a while she gets out on the streets. Just have to turn the boost waaaaaaaay down. Otherwise she gets a little out of hand. Anyways heres the timeslip. That one is my best.

86 Foxbody.

im running a 306 turbo in my drag car, a little tip to save some time and money. get a set of stock fox body 5.0 headers. put the left on the right and the right on the left. all the bolt holes line up and you end up with an outlet toward the front of the car. viola there is your manifold, just work your piping from there. It works great my time slip will vouch for that .