Whitley_280z_2+2

When’s the next update? This is one of my favorite threads on Hybridz!

It totally depends... i just looked at a wiring diagram and kept everything I needed that wasan’t a part of the new engine harness. Think main power circuits, lights, dash gauge things, wipers, etc. Also, think about upgrading fuse links if you haven’t yet. Let me know if you have any questions.

That’s awesome powdercoating results! How much $’s would you say you have in the total setup?

Alright, I want to close out this build thread and I got some pics this morning so here goes. Going on 6K miles and the car is still fun! It spins 1st and 2nd easily and goes around corners effortlessly. Overall it was a great project . . . thanks for the help! Also to anyone reading this in the future and thinking about attempting a similar project, don't think you have to know the right people or know a lot about cars to start. You can learn as you go and take it system by system and still complete the project within a reasonable timeline. Most advanced thing I'd done before this project was clean a lawnmower carburetor, replace brake pads, or something along those lines. A lot of people will say to start with an easy project if you aren't used to working on cars . . . I'm not sure what level I'd put this build at but I think it was a great intro to building cars. Some engine bay shots: I really like these shots: This one is probably my favorite: Time to RB swap a K5 Blazer ; )

Yeah it definitely appears that there was a short somewhere but if you have all the correct fuses it should have prevented the wire from melting. I would first double check the fusible links like you said (and maybe the main fuse panel inside) and then try and find the short using a multimeter in continuity mode. I’ve had problems with the original plastic wiring connectors falling apart which can lead to a short.

Yikes! I’m curious to see if you can figure out what caused that. Is the wiring all original? The fuses are not bypassed right? I’ve found the colored wiring diagrams you can find online are really helpful for working with Z car wiring and identifying specific circuits.

Nice! You’re making great progress. Bold move putting the engine in before wrapping the engine bay wiring ; ) what headers are those?

Got it 👍 I wish I could take better night pics...

Got tired of the door seals making terrible door gaps... gunna leave it like this for a while and see if that helps

Been doing lots of little stuff to the car recently so I thought I would give an update. The clunk I thought was in the rear end was just loose driveshaft bolts. I don’t know if I ever mentioned this in this thread but I built this car with my dad mainly during high school and then finished it over breaks during college. When we had it driving I was away at college and then an engineering internship so I never actually drove it. So over Christmas break I’ve been learning to drive stick on this thing and it has been a lot of fun! It’s especially fun racing civics, mustangs, and maximas ; ) just recently fixed an AC leak under the dash and while we had the system discharged we put in a low pressure service port in the engine bay instead of only having one under the dash (was a real pain to work with). We also cleaned up the interior a little by putting in some of the plastic interior pieces. Also, the Tach has never worked so we put in this obd2 gauge called an Ultragauge. I researched these for a while and this was the only one I thought would be any good for under $100 because it’s made in America and they have a lot of information on their website. I’m really satisfied with it and it’s the perfect size. Definitely would recommend for anyone else LS swapping their Z. Also check out them MPG’s! Also this weekend I took it to a cars and coffee and saw another guy, forgot to get his name, with a VQ swapped Z that was really nicely done! Also saw this Miata that is goals for the LS swap club: Someone posted this on the cars and coffee page: Overall it’s been really fun to drive and learn stick on and it’s pretty reliable!!

Ok I gotta ask... what’s your day job to have a 150k budget???

General rule is thumb: if you can’t find it on engineswapdepot.com than it’s either really creative or stupid hard. Also @Neverdone that’s depressing why would anyone get into cars ever only thing similar I could find: https://engineswapdepot.com/?p=53173

I used the vintage air defrost vents and just made some simple metal brackets to mount them up. It doesn’t really line up with the metal piece that goes at the back of the dash so just drilled a bunch of holes. If you don’t care to retain the stock look it doesn’t look half bad.

Ok correct me if I’m wrong but you are going to be installing the JCI sender down by the oil filter right? If that’s the case can you just leave the stock oil pressure sensor and then wire the JCI one to the gauge. That way the ECU will still know the oil pressure. I got rid of the original oil pressure sensor and installed an auto meter one in its place. Then I just had to have my ecu programmer “disable” that function.

Why don’t you want to drift it? That thing would look cool sideways

Best engine swap - Saab B204 turbo Pair that with a BMW E46 320d 5 speed and you basically have the perfect car ; )

Thanks that helps! So what I’m hearing is Mfactory is the cheapest unit that isn’t a rip off.

Ok thanks everyone for the input! In wrapping up, are there any options in between (price wise) Mfactor and this I should look at? I really like the feel of the stock suspension rear end for the 280Z because it's just kinda neat so I don't think we're ready to go 8.8. I was looking at other S13 LS center sections but couldn't find anything for better value than the Mfactory.

I have a Ron Tyler mount and the one rubber mount on the bottom. It shouldn’t make a noise even if the bottom one is shot right? I have a new driveshaft and the half shafts look good so I’m thinking it’s gotta be in the diff.

I broke mine during assembly and searched for a while to try and find one. I couldn't find any sources for a stock switch like that. I tried to retrofit an existing switch from a different car or just any random switch off the internet but I couldn't find anything the right size that had the correct switch routing. So I ended up getting a push button switch that had a double throw with a common pin and mounting it on the dash. Had to do some magic with the wiring but it worked out in the end and I don't think it looks half bad. Obviously not gunna work if you want the stock look but hey thought I would share what I did. I'm sure you could get a custom switch made or even 3D print something if you want to get real creative and retain the stock feel.

Got some diff clunk Pretty common thing to hear from a modified Z apparently. It is probably a combination of axles and the differential internals so I started researching some options and would love some advice / opinions. There seems to be some great options on the market right now for a LSD and CV's in an S30 like the 8.8, TTT, and Apex stuff. However, some of these options are way expensive for this build and they all require a good deal of modification. With that in mind, I wanted to get some thoughts on this sub $1000 setup while avoiding modifying rear suspension, brakes, mounts, etc. It seems the normal route would be to use a Quaife/OBX/KAAZ/87-89 300zxT LSD center section and then the 300zxT axles. With these becoming more and more rare, I thought it would be neat to see what else is available. CV Axles - I've been looking at the Datsun Restomods axles and they look great for the 300hp/350 ft/lbs range. Limited Slip Differential - I found this company (Racingdiffs) that says they make an LSD that will fit in the S30 series R200 longnose for $325: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Progressive-LSD-conversion-set-Fits-Nissan-S13-S14-S15-R200-Differential/264258301302?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20200520130149%26meid%3Dc57b60f5e04541b6983b2090218b41b3%26pid%3D100012%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D184427075331%26itm%3D264258301302%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLCvipPairwiseWebWithBBEV2bDemotion&_trksid=p2047675.c100012.m1985 I contacted the manufacturer and they confirmed it will fit in a longnose R200 but it still seems a little sketchy because it says it will fit in a S13, S14, and S15. Worst case it would not fit in the housing or have 30 splines. I think best case would be needing to shim the ring gear bolt holes. Has anybody tried one of these LSD center sections? Does anybody have any thoughts before I try one out? What are the chances of the LSD not physically fitting inside the longnose R200? Would it be worth trying out this unit over the $900 or so MFactory? Thanks for any input!

Hey that's neat! I'm in the process of trying to find a cheap LSD (kinda impossible) because I think my carrier pin is going bad but I'm not sure I want to take on a lot of machining work like you did with the OBX. Thinking about using an S13 29 spline unit and shimming the bolt holes down to 10mm.

Those are some great pics! I’m a big fan of the s30 without fender flares and stock body lines plus that’s a great color.

I haven’t actually measured anything aside from jacking up the control arm and making sure the strut didn’t hit the stops right away. I just say that because I’ve never felt any harsh change in the suspension movement. The roads around me in NC are pretty good thankfully. I’ve got KYB shocks and I think that 2+2 Eibachs are actually a little stronger.

I’ll try! I would love to hit a real track. The goal would be to take a jump, hit the bump stops, and crack the oil pan