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Iceman

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Posts posted by Iceman

  1. Thanks. I've been trying to think of how much I want to spend, because if I save some of that then it gives me more money for stuff like wheels and paint later.

     

    I live in northern CA, so having to deal with winter starts isnt really a big concern, so EFI;-) may not be that much of a benefit. I guess what I would be looking to get from it would be running cleaner and maybe a little bit better mileage. Since my goal is around 250-300HP from a SBC 350, I think I can get that pretty much no matter what.

     

    If I pull from a junkyard, is all of the wiring one big blob, or is the engine management stuff separate? Would I have to use the entire wiring harness in place of what I have?

     

    Just a minor clarification, but most people refer to forced induction as FI and electronic fuel injection as EFI.

    For that much money, I'd be selling the motor and buying a modern LS style motor with EFI and everything included (from a junkyard) or just keeping it carbed and saving money for the next big step with the car.

  2. I don't remember where i got the kit for my SUs, but I think it had a few pieces for each carb. I think I just got it from Kragen, and pretty cheap. There's really not much to these carbs, so you are probably fine with whatever you find.

     

    One tip.. while you have them off, do some very light sanding inside so the piston(?) moves freely up and down. Mine would stick just ever so slightly, causing the car to lag and then jump when I would accelerate from a stop. Made it quite hard to leave a stop light or stop sign without a nearby cop thinking i was trying to screw around.

  3. Yep, that will work. Just make sure you let the amp do all of the work. Don't turn your volume up on your ipod or phone more than about 1/2 way. If you have an ipod, you might even want to find somewhere to stick a dock for it. I have a PSP and have a dock that I can set in a perfect spot on my dash in my other car and I can even use the remote for the dock to skip/play/pause, etc.

  4. I was originally planning to put my '88 Chevy 350 in my Z with a rochester q-jet spread-bore carb. Then I started thinking about using one of the all-inclusive TBI kits for around $1200. Then I started wondering about getting a stock TBI setup on ebay. Then I started wondering about just finding a donor car with FI and pulling everything on my own (might hit a budget limit)...

     

    So I am faced with deciding which way to go, and how much risk there is of me getting in over my head trying to do a FI swap (especially with wiring).

     

    Any opinions on wether it's worth the effort for a daily driver? (My goal is around 250-300HP)

     

    Any opinions on the TBI kits vs finding a donor or snagging a stock setup off ebay. (I see a lot of the stock setups for only a few hundred $ or less)

     

    I'll admit I'm a rookie and haven't done an engine swap before. I understand most of the principles, but even the JTR book seems a little daunting when it comes to the transmission section.:oops:

     

    What I'm currently working with:

    '70 240Z

    '83(?) L28 w/ SUs

    T5 trans (pretty sure it's a borg-warner)

    Budget: $2K to start with

  5. Might be able to fab up some spacers to run with the 3webs to increase the runner length. That will drop your torque band down some. I have SUs on my L28 and have thought about doing that. There's already about 3/4" spacer that I'm not sure if it's stock, or something the previous owner added. Are you allowed to do that kind of mod in racing..?

  6. I clicked on this hoping someone put a blower on an L24 :mrgreen:

    My condolences. I'll bet an L24 w 3web could put out some serious power. I'll bet you would be able to attain similar HP as an L28, just at a higher RPM. Get that engine balanced really good and let it sing.

  7. I bought my '70 in 2002 for $3500. :-)

     

    The other element of your equation is competition. Back in the 70's there was a lot more competition between all of the makes. Now, there is much stronger make and model recognition, resulting in cars selling what they are perceived to be worth, as opposed to what it costs to make them. Chevy, for example, tells you what the Corvette is worth and isn't about to drop it down in price to compete with the ecplises, WRXs, RSXs... oh, and not to mention the field is too big to try to price competitively with everyone.

  8. Here are a couple pics. The floorpan area isnt cleaned up yet, I just threw down some rustoleum primer to protect the bare metal for now. You can see there's still a bunch of leftover spots here and there.

     

    picture.php?albumid=174&pictureid=1405

    picture.php?albumid=174&pictureid=1404

     

    I didnt get any dry-ice since I am just doing this a little bit at a time and a little chizel I made out of a putty knife is going pretty quick. The whole right half of the hatch area took me about 20 min.

  9. Hey Grumpy.. I have an '88 350 that I am planning on dropping into my Z. My question is: Can I use the Datsun T-5 that I already have, with the 350? (My T-5 is from an '83 280ZX). Everything I have found refers to Camaro and Vette transmissions, but doesnt specifically say that a Datsun transmission cannot be used. I am planning on going for no higher than 300HP.

  10. I had almost the exact same thing happen once, except it was someone saying they were in Canada. I knew it was a scam right away, but I figured I'd play along and see how far they went. They actually went as far as to have their "Agent" call me. What was really weird was that when the "Agent" called me and was asking scripted questions about the conditions of the car, I could hear others in the background talking on the phone, asking the same questions. Bottom line is.. don't sell something of high value until you see cash, money-order, or cashier's check.

  11. Just about finished. :twothumbs"

     

    Thanks for all of the input. After grabbing a putty knife instead of the pry-bar that I was using, it started going faster. I think the pry-bar is too thick to work optimally. It's nice to see all of that bare metal, but it's even nice to see that it's almost rust free. Can't wait to roll bed-liner onto it and get some sound mat in there. I'll get a pic up later. Yet again it amazes me with the condition that it's in for being an early edition 1970.

  12. Well, since it's a 280, modifying the chassis wont be absolutely necessary unless you get up in the high HP ranges (most seem to agree on 350+). I think a roll-bar, at least, is a good idea just for safety. As you will find from searching/reading, it REALLY depends on what you plan on doing with it.

     

    Oh, and WELCOME! Love the S30s! :mrgreen:

  13. If you have a new clutch, it is possible that it isnt fully engaging. This would cause slipping when the load is heavier. This would be the only way that your RPM could be higher than it should be for a given speed. Your car wont spin a faster RPM just because it's a smaller engine. If it did, then my commuter CRX with a 1.4L would blow up before it got to 60mph, :lol::icon56:

     

    If we assume that your clutch is NOT slipping, then only one of two scenarios could be occuring..

    1: Your tach is off like folks are suggesting, or

    2: Your engine is revving according to the gear ratio.

    RPMs and gears are part of the mathematical equation that can tell you your speed that you see in the calculators from the links that have been posted. There are only 2 places that slipping can occur.. clutch, and of course tires. If nothing is slipping then your RPM is where it should be.

     

    I have really low gears in my Z. It has been off the road for a while, but if memory serves correctly, in 4th gear the RPMs were pretty high at 65mph. I know my tach wasn't very accurate, and I never paid much attention to it, but the engine at 65mph sounded like the bottom end of shifting range (probably ~3500).

     

    I just counted the drive shaft turns and it is somewhere closer to the ~3.364-3.545 range than 4. It does have a new clutch so maybe that is it.
  14. I stand by it, in either case, with either weight, and with either engine, with either car it will take approximately 19HP to propel a car down the road at 65mph.

     

    Where does this occur at on a 350 Chevrolet Engine?

    Where does this occur at on a 168CID Datsun L6?

     

    If you can leg-press 300lbs and your buddy can only leg-press 100lbs and you peddle a bicycle in the same gear at the same RPM, you go the same speed. Your comparison does hold some value in the case of an automatic transmission, or a manual transmission with a slipping clutch, however, as the engine will strain more to make the same speed. With a properly functioning clutch or a lock-up converter, the gear ratio is static so it doesnt matter how much HP the engine can make. When lack of HP becomes a factor, the car just simply wont reach a higher speed.

  15. You are getting what you should be expecting if you have 4.11 gears. If you have anything in the 3.xx range, then you may have a problem with your clutch slipping.

    As far as I know it is a stock rearend. My speedo is all out of whack though which may lead me to believe it is not stock.

     

    I used a GPS to get the speed I was going.

     

    [edit]

    Actually, putting 4.11 into the calculator makes everything close to how it is. 4k around 70mph and 2.3k around 40mph. I don't know why someone would add such a high gearing without changing the transmission though

     

    You should be taching 3501 rpm.

    I'm taching 2393 with 215-50-17 3.7 ratio but with .7 overdrive tranny.

    What does it tach at in 4th gear? In 4th, it's 1:1 just like his.

     

     

    There is nothing wrong with the cruise speed you mention. This is not a Chevy V8 we're talking about here, it's an engine HALF the size.

     

    Logically, TWICE the cruise rpms would be EXPECTED!

    Half the engine doesnt mean that it should run at twice the RPM. There is no correlation.

  16. Ok, so I finally made some decisions for my project.

     

    Currently I have a 1970 240Z with an '83(?) L28 with SUs

     

    After going back and forth between building the L28 a little more vs going with a SBC, I have finally decided to go with a SBC :burnout:

     

    I also FINALLY decided on a color:

    Subaru's "Newport Pearl Blue"

    Here's a pic of it on their Forester model. It's a very electric blue. Looks even cooler in person.

    picture.php?albumid=174&pictureid=1373

     

    Coincidentally it kinda matches my Iceman nickname since it's kinda like ice.

     

    My SBC is going to be an '88 350 that is currently in my '65 GMC. I have a nice old OLDS 455 that is going in the truck.

     

    I think the setup that I have on the 350 will be nice for the Z. It has an Edelbrock Performer intake with a spread-bore Quadrajet carb. Most of the time I will be able to motor around on the 2 barrels, improving fuel economy, but then I can mash it and open the secondaries. This has been very nice in my truck because it gives me a lot more control before WOT since there is a very noticeable resistance before popping the secondaries open. It also is a lot of fun when I am playing around because I can make a challenger think WOT on the primaries is all I got, and then open the secondaries next time :mrgreen:

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