kamikaZeS30
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Everything posted by kamikaZeS30
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So, I should be fine, in that case. My Stereo system has its own power circuit, I've otherwise divorced the power for the external lighting from the rest of the electrical system, everything I've added has its own circuits. I replaced the stock primary cables when I first bought the car, with some big 0 gauge. With alternators though, I've always been under the impression that their power production is based on load-demand. I.e. it's not going to produce more power than there is current draw. Otherwise you'd over-charge your battery every time you went on a long road-trip. Am I mistaken?
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I guess I should have phrased my one wire comment differently. I meant "internally regulated alternators are the way to go." The 140 amp "mini" I have will accept quite a few more wires, there's even a plug connection for a much newer OBDII GM (I'm not sure which one, these probably came from a truck). I am hooking it up with one wire, and then keeping the "shunt" for the ammeter. Also, unless I'm completely retarded, how would upping your alternator's amperage rating start fires unless you actually put that kind of load on it? Not to mention you'd have to eliminate any kind of circuit protection like fuses.
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I would recommend an alternator with an internal voltage regulator. That is the only real "opinion" I'd like to inject into the discussion. I have always been suspicious of the early 70s era Japanese automotive electrical components. It's equivalent to the stuff that was considered standard in the 1960s in the U.S. (and a lot of it out-dated by the time the Z actually made it over here). The newer alternators (both domestic and import) have much more stable, reliable voltage regulators already integrated into the unit which provide much cleaner power than the stock external one in the Z. It was the first thing I did to my Z, even before I contemplated the V8 swap, upgrade the alternator to an internally regulated 60amp from a 280zx and dump the external regulator. One wire is the way to go.
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Just to re-iterate what grumpy has posted and add a little of my own experience. I ended up using a GM one-wire "mini" 140amp (they sell them on JEGS.com), I went with a mount that positions the alternator directly in front of the passenger's side cylinder head (there's a bolt that goes from the head, through the alt. and out the front of the mount and the other side of the mount attaches to the water-pump). The only concern you might have is if you're using a short water-pump and what mounting position the motor is in. It requires that you use a "long" water-pump, to move the plane of the belt forward enough for the alternator in this position. I went with this because I couldn't find another position that wouldn't bang the alternator against my freshly-painted engine bay when the engine "torques." In truth, 140 amps is overkill, even with the 8 cylinder multi-spark ignition, 30 amp stereo and headlights I'm running, but it's nice to know that my battery is always fully charged when I park the car at the beach/park/buddy's house and want to use the stereo.
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Front mount single turbo
kamikaZeS30 replied to emeraldlion's topic in Gen I & II Chevy V8 Tech Board
I guess if you went all-out on a single turbo set-up you might be able to get it to spool pretty fast, all of the major turbine manufacturers are set to release all of their next-generation turbochargers (There was a lot of cool stuff at SEMA). Some of them have crazy ceramic ball-bearings, or oil-less setups (using a heat-resistant silicone gel for lubrication), some of them are getting away from metal "wheels" and going with composite materials in order to reduce rotating mass and thus increase RPM capability and greatly reduce the time/energy to reach positive boost. I think though you end up spending about the same amount of money, either way. You can use less-costly turbos, and have to buy two, or you could buy one large "higher-end" model turbo that will spool and deliver the same boost pressure. -
Front mount single turbo
kamikaZeS30 replied to emeraldlion's topic in Gen I & II Chevy V8 Tech Board
I would think that for purposes of avoiding boost lag, you'd want two smaller turbos so that they spool more quickly than the massive sized turbo you'd need to feed a 4.7, 5.0, 5.7 or 6.3 liter engine. You could still do big horsepower, you'd just have to use bigger turbos. Due to the nature of the application for large single turbo set-ups on larger displacement engines (3.0 liters+), most of the them I've seen have been custom. It's something you'd only want if you knew you were going to be keeping the engine in the very top-end the entire time, otherwise you'd have significant lack of power compared to a twin turbo set-up. -
I went through a shop for my build. I don't know how far you'd be willing to ship the car, but there is a shop here in San Diego that specializes in this sort of thing, it's called "Dad's Garage" owned and operated by Mark Brent. That is where mine is currently being finished. He's not your typical shop-owner from my experience. Telling him you want to swap a Buick 215 into a Porsche 914 won't make him squeamish. I have also been out at the shop while most of the work has been done on it, he doesn't mind me putting hands on it with him. That's another reason I decided to go the shop route. If it weren't for the fact that he takes no issue with me basically grinding through the project with him and doing my own work to the car while it's up on his lift, I wouldn't have paid a shop to do it. For reasons Michael mentioned above, ideally this is the kind of place you want to find to do the swap, otherwise, you may end up with a wonderfully finished, shiny, awesome finished product that you have no idea what's going on when it needs maintenance or repairs. Granted, shops like that are becoming fewer and farther between, because in this litigation happy society, their insurance probably won't cover you if something happened to you in their work-area. (Aside: Thanks money-hungry lawyers and capitalists, you've made the world a shittier place.)
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I don't know, I don't know your state's regulations. Read the information in those links, that'd probably be a good start to answering some of your questions.
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If it was part of the engine originally, yes you'd have to keep it.
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I'm 26 years old, recently discharged (honorably, I basically decided not to renew my contract) after 6 years in the Navy doing mostly electronic intelligence (SIGINT stuff). I am currently doing under the table work and trying to open a shop with my buddy in the Pacific Beach area (those of you in San Diego know). I am also back in school, transferring to SDSU as a Japanese and Applied Mathematics double-major. I don't really remember how exactly I got into Zs. My uncle had one when I was little. I've always been into cars and things of mechanical nature since I was little. I remember I wanted to be an android like Mr. Data on Star Trek when I was very young. I still think robots are the ****. I also like things that go fast. I remember the reason I picked up my first Z was due to the fact that they were very light, practically smog exempt (is a cop really going to bother when he knows that <'75 vehicles are not required to be inspected?) and had enough room in the engine bay for just about anything you wanted to stuff in there. At least that's what I had heard/read. Turned out to be true. Since then I've owned a couple 300ZXs and 240Zs. I also like the Miata for many of the same reasons I like the Z: small, light, fast and you can put V8s in them if you want. I am down to just two cars since I got out of the military and had to think about budgets again, my 1991 Miata and my Orange Z, which is almost finished with the V8 swap.
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My N/A 434 SBC Dyno - 200 Nitrous e98
kamikaZeS30 replied to sbc300's topic in Gen I & II Chevy V8 Tech Board
Bona fide sick build. Have you taken it down the strip, yet? -
It's not really "power" that determines whether or not you pass emissions. It would depend on the cleanliness of the combustion, i.e. rich/lean, are the EGR, PCV, catalytic converter, ignition advance, etc., set properly and functioning. What year 350 is it? I know in 1971 (since I am swapping a '71 350 from a Camaro into my '71 240Z) I am required to have a PCV, charcoal canister and A.I.R. pump. Unfortunately, I know absolutely nothing about Tennessee emissions regulations. I know according to California regulations (which are supposedly the most "restrictive") you can legally swap any engine from a vehicle of the same class (read: passenger car or light duty vehicle) from the same model year as the body or newer-- provided that all of the emissions equipment is accompanying the engine once the swap is complete. The vehicle is then considered the make/model/year of the engine for emissions testing. I would suggest checking with your state's DMV or BAR to find out what the procedures and regulations are regarding change of engine. In California, to make it "legal" you have to get it documented, inspected and approved by a BAR agent-- it's not costly or time consuming, just takes a little bit of finger walking through a phone book. It's also worth while, because in California, if you drive an import you WILL get pulled over at some point and your hood popped. Having that BAR sticker is like a get-out-of-impound-free card, cops won't even bother inspecting the vehicle if they see it in the door jamb. Therefore, swapping an LS1, LT1 or late-model 350 into a 280ZX is perfectly legal in California. Another thought: You may not have to smog a vehicle that old. I know that anything before 1975 in California does not have to submit to bi-annual smog inspections. Some states have rolling calendars of 20 or 30 years. After doing a quick Google search it appears that Tennessee's vehicle regulatory body falls under the department of safety. Also found this: http://www.dmv.org/tn-tennessee/smog-check.php and this: http://www.state.tn.us/environment/apc/vehicle/
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Any modifications needed for Corbeau seats in a 240z?
kamikaZeS30 replied to boyracer's topic in Interior
It doesn't really "rub" it just barely touches. -
I'm an idiot that can't seem to find the old strut thread. When you say sectioning the strut tube housing, do you mean cutting off the stock spring perch to allow for installation of coilovers w/ adjustable collars? Is there a magic length it should be when finished? P.O. of my Z already had installed some coil overs with Tokico HPs. I'm not sure what brand they are, they're not weld-in, but they're pretty stiff, I think they're 200 or 225 lbs/in. rate. I'm asking because I'm trying to figure out my suspension set-up while I'm doing the V8 swap (it's going on 6 months now, but very close to being finished). The ride-height seems "high" not like 4-wheeling or anything, but it looks close to stock. I'm also running a tire diameter of 24.9" (225/50ZR16) so that would obviously have something to do with it. I recently purchased but have not installed yet, polyurethane front & rear LCA bushings. I have already replaced the steering rack, and differential mount bushings when I mounted the V8 (steering coupler is in the mail). I also have a set of RCAs (the ones from MSA for "15 inch and larger wheels"). I guess my question is, how does one verify whether or not one is near or at stock ride-height, I mean, I've got bumpsteer like I'm lowered, but apparently that is inherent to the Z suspension? I would like to a go little bit lower with the car (maybe another .5", as it is I need to roll my rear fenders a tad). I figure that if I needed camber adjustment I could drill out maybe an additional 1/4" in the shock tower bolt holes for adjustability. Any advice would be appreciated, and if this is the wrong thread, I apologize. edit: I forgot to mention I have the Bad Dog rails and a triangulated STB in front and rear.
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I think if you take a step back and analyze your personal strengths, and make a short list of your personal goals, then use those as a sort of filter (kind of like a Boolean search algorithm) you'll find something you want to do. I picked a language and a science because 1) I would like to continue traveling abroad, possibly even living abroad after college and 2) in addition to being able to speak, read and write in another language I will need some kind of hard-skill to market. Broad spectrum degrees like Math, Business, English, Sociology will always be applicable to something. When you ask for examples of work, it's kind of difficult, because yes there are a lot of engineering jobs that are cubicle, stuffy office, shirt and tie salary man jobs. I had a friend that graduated from Columbia with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, he ended up doing basically accounting for a division of engineers at Boeing, not playing around with aircraft like he wanted to. He hated his job and ultimately quit working, ran up his credit card debt and then his rich parents deployed the financial safety net and dragged him back home to the East coast. I have another friend that has an A.S. in Information Systems with an emphasis in network security, he works for a subcontractor with SAIC doing HF engineering (RDF, Radar, etc.). My mom has her B.S. in Agricultural Animal Science (I don't know if that's even offered anywhere anymore), she ended up doing mainframe software development and support for Pacific Bell for over 30 years (well, she was only in data processing for about 28 of the 35 years she worked for the company, but whatever). What I'm saying is that your degree will not necessarily dictate your profession. Even in today's highly competitive workforce that isn't true, and I don't think it ever truly will be.
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I am 26 years old and just now about to get my AA degree. I have been attending college classes since I was 16, with a 6-year hiatus for military service. Why? Well, we're not all lucky enough to be born into upper-middle class families. (Well, I was but, when I was about 5-years-old my dad's heroine addiction [he was an aerospace engineer, by the way], the subsequent divorce and my mom raising me single-handedly on one income with no child support took care of that.) I graduated high school at 16, 6 months later, the high school I went to shut down. I was ****ed because it was a small private school and hadn't been accredited by the state board of education, yet. So, I had to take the CHSPE (it's an actual H.S. Diploma, but colleges around here look at it as a GED, especially when you don't have any transcripts). Don't get me wrong, I had a solid primary/secondary education, just no paperwork to establish that fact. So, I started at a community college fall of 2001, did very well, I made the "chancellor's list" several semesters consecutively. Eventually, in order to continue paying for college, my car, and all the expenses that come with living (I was trying not to be a burden on my mom since she let me live in her house) I was working 70+ hours a week at 3 different jobs. This eventually started impacting my grades and I knew I would never be able to afford to transfer to a four-year university, because I was considered a dependent until 24-years-of-age and my mom's income just barely disqualified me for any financial aid. So, I joined the military, did that for 6 years, all the while watching my friends graduate from college and generally attaining other life-goals while I was sent off to different corners of the world to enforce someone else's idea of right and wrong. Today, I am almost 1 year out of the military, I am still at community college, but I should be transferring to SDSU in Fall of 2011 (I'll be 27) as a Junior. I decided to double-major and I'm trying to clear my prereq's for my second major before I transfer. Where you go to school can have some impact on whether or not someone will hire you, but not usually. College degrees, especially in this day and age, are more like a sign of "Hey, I'm willing to buy into someone else's bullshit and stick with it for at least 4 years. So hire me." Professors vary like opinions, and as everyone knows, opinions are like ***holes. I know (from taking a lot of math courses), that engineering faculty are typically more hard-nosed about grades, grading scales and expectations of their pupils. Why? A number of different reasons, but a lot of them have professional experience in their field and get tired of working with idiots that don't know what they're doing. Ask any engineer, that's their general attitude: everyone else is an idiot. Your professor is right about "70%" being a respectable grade, however, that's assuming he sticks to what the scope of the course is and doesn't just throw in questions that aren't within the scope of the course on the exam just to see if he has any "super-students." The counter-point to that is, if you're meeting course objectives and the exams are designed to emphasize knowledge of class material (lecture, text, assignments and in-class exercises), and you're only scoring 70% is it really going to help you to go to the next level, where it's assumed that you know 100% of the previous course material? Engineering is not for everyone, I decided on a more strictly math degree rather than engineering. Why? Because if you look at a lot of the big firms and their requirements for filling positions, unless it's a highly specialized/specific field of engineering, they'll just as soon take someone with a Math or general science background. The question really becomes what do you want to do? I am also majoring in Japanese, that was my original goal, because that's something I enjoy, I eventually found out that I really enjoy math, as well. So, I went with that, as well. Having a specific field is nice, but getting a piece of paper is getting a piece of paper, specializing is what graduate school is for.
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Any modifications needed for Corbeau seats in a 240z?
kamikaZeS30 replied to boyracer's topic in Interior
I have the Corbeau TRS seats installed in my early '71. I am right about 6' tall, as well. I don't have head-room issues, but my buddy who is a few inches taller (also on HybridZ- Moctezuma) did say that he had some head-room issues. I did some measuring against his stock '73 seats and the TRS w/Corbeau brackets, they sit about 1.5" inches higher than stock. Not a huge difference, IMO, but definitely noticeable. I am long-legged, with a rather short torso, so I, personally, favor leg-room to head-room. My car is at the shop undergoing the V8 conversion, but I do plan on modifying the cross-piece that the brackets screw into on the floor-board. It's about 3" tall, so I think taking the height out there would be easiest. Maybe cutting that piece and then re-welding the angle back in to mount the bracket/slider assembly in the same place would work. As far as the bolsters interfering with the door panel, it touches, but it doesn't really make it difficult to shut the door or cause any kind of damaging interactions between the panel and the seat. Just my experience with the seats. They're like the most comfortable car-seats I've sat in. I don't like leather or vinyl, the cloth breathes so nicely in these. -
You need an aggressive cam to get the most out of those Webers. I had a set of Webers on my L28, they ran okay, but I don't think my cam was aggressive enough. Be careful with the auxiliary venturis when you're installing them, make sure those set screws are tight!
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Idle Air Control Valve, should be somewhere around or on your upper intake manifold or at the throttle body (I don't know where specifically on the LT1), this is a general rule-of-thumb for most fuel injected vehicles. By the way, "bitchin" ride man. Best 2+2, hands-down. I don't normally like them, but yours makes me want one, now.
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Hooker made headers specifically for the Datsun Z swap, they're discontinued now. They still make block-huggers, which will work (D-ports). They're like $230, though. http://www.sfxperformance.com/parts/HOO2100HKR.htm
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You should really get that looked at, or at least wash it out with some hydrogen peroxide. On a serious note: about a year ago, while I was on deployment, I must've had an ingrown hair from shaving and it did that, that whole side of my face swelled up and I had to drain it.
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The change in the USDM S30s was due to federal safety regulations which changed in 1973/4. The S30 remained relatively unchanged in styling in the Japanese market.
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A VLSD is still an LSD, the Torsen differentials that Toyota used didn't arrive until the JZA70 Supra. Otherwise, they're all CLSD. Also, you don't get much stronger than the R200/R230 differentials, unless you start looking at some of the crazy rally rear ends or domestic muscle. I agree that the 7M is a good motor (I would've actually considered it instead of the 2JZ, just on cost vs. performance), and the R154 would probably make a good transmission to go with it. I would look at what your gear-ratios are going to be though, I wouldn't use the Toyota diff, just because the R200 is already a bolt in swap and we know from some of the other members on this board that it will withstand repeated beatings. I still don't understand the impetus for swapping the Supra suspension into the Z. Really, a few minor, low-to-no-cost modifications (such as changing the roll-center by raising the LCA-K-bar mount point 7/8") and some stiffer bushings on the T/C rods makes a huge difference in the attitude of the Z. Except that the Mk. II/Mk. III Supras had more issues with chassis flex than even the S30s, and were 750 pounds heavier. Have you looked at http://www.baddogparts.com/ ? There are probably a half-dozen different places that sell weld-in unibody reinforcements for the early Zs, bad dog was the one I chose because it was cheap and still makes an immense difference in stiffness. The suspension in the Z isn't "weak," I can't tell you how many of them with the stock LCAs and spindles I've seen take heavy track/street abuse. I'm not knocking your project. I just think you will ultimately end up spending a lot of time, probably more time than you think (cause that's how it goes with any car project), for something that won't give you noticeable gains, but could end up taking you one step back (adding a lot of weight)-- I am talking about the suspension/subframe modification. If I were you I would definitely buy that Supra (a decent shape MA70 for $1000, where do you live?!) keep the motor and tranny for yourself (maybe the seats if they're in okay shape) and sell the shell to make back some of the money. What's wrong with the Z steering rack? Unless you plan on having power steering, but in such a light car who needs it? There are tons of awesome home-brew cheap brake upgrades for the Z (there's a thread full of them in that subforum). The Toyota Hilux 4x4 4pots both vented/non-vented are great, relatively cheap swaps, and 280zx/maxima brakes for the rear. I guess it really depends on your definition of "better," quite honestly, I think you're just looking to add a bunch of weight. The steering rack in the Z was designed for the Z, it's lightweight and will hold up to the abuse most people can dish out, the Supra steering rack was designed for the Supra, not the Z. It'll probably work best with the Supra suspension geometry, which may change when you try grafting it to the Z.
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On unibody reinforcements: I welded in the bad-dog frame-rails. Called it a day. The car feels really solid, now. I am still learning about angles/travel/caster/camber/toe (and how it effects the cars attitude) but from what I've read it seems like the stock A-Arms are actually really decent (other than they're not adjustable), they're the strongest for their weight-- at least that's what I am told. I am right around that 400HP mark you're going for, and also at about the same in torque (before 4000 RPM, yeah, baby). I run the Tokico "blues" with the ground-control coilovers, and I replaced all of the rubber bushings with either prothane or energy suspension, the rest of my suspension is otherwise stock (I did do the bump-steer modification described in the JTR manual) and it's a blast to drive. I'm with the others that the stock suspension, with the right aftermarket components (poly bushings, right struts, right coils-overs and the right spring rates will take you a helluva long way) is more than adequate. I'm unimpressed with the 7M/MkIII Supras, they're much heavier than the S30, yet surprisingly enough, they're much more "flexy." I would be wary of using suspension components from any other car, for fear of weight gains (in the places it makes the biggest impact).