twoeightythreez

I can't wait to drive my swapped turbo S30. I did the swap over a few month's time despite my hectic schedule (I'm underway almost constantly, meaning not able to get to the car)and when inport we still have workdays. I did everything myself and this swap cost me so far about a grand. This was including the MS kit, all the wiring stuff I needed to tie into my EFI harness, and patience. I'm running an L28ET(with rebuilt stock turbo) I traded a $500 datsun 510 for, I paid $300 for the MSII kit and the misc. sensors, 75 for a FMIC, 50 for a 1st gen eclipse BOV, another hundred for misc. crap, and it's running right now. I have to wait till after Xmas to actually drive the car but around the parking lot I got the full 6psi at about 2100rpm. It started spooling at 700rpm. With the open exhaust it sounds like a mack truck from 20' away. So, dollar for dollar, if you do the work yourself, there is NO COMPARISON from this swap to a stroker. A stroker done right is gonna be WAY over a grand unless you happen to own your own machine shop. Btw, my IC piping is cobbled together, leaks like a sieve. Once I get some good piping built (kinda hard without a bender, a welder, or a permanant residence) I'll have even less "lag". I'll tell you what has "lag". An SR20 with a T3/T04 combo. Gutless below 3500. A buddy of mine has one, and I tell you I could OUTRUN that car to 20mph. An L28 will SMOKE an SR20DET off the line. If that's what you're comparing to when thinking of "lag" I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the L28ET. Yes the SR20 can output more HP on similar components, but SR20's are freakin gutless, and torque matters so much more than HP on a street car.

If T-5 bellhousings are hard to find you could always use the 3NW-type auto bellhousings.

bigphil, I did a write-up of my install of the MS-II (uses the same sensors) awhile back (september, I think) just look at my posts, I posted the resistance values for the stock CTS in there. You can reprogram the MS to use any CLT sensor. The IAT I used was from a 1989 Pontiac Grand Prix with a 3.1L engine. It just pushes in, and it fits the stock 280z throttle body boot perfect! (You just have to trim about 1/4" off the nipple so the IAT is in the airflow) Of course you might have a problem adapting the stock TB boot to that HY35, but GM also has the screw in type that DIY sells, you could just weld a nut to your intake pipe. I'm pretty sure you can get a silicone boot of the proper size and just push the Grand Prix sensor in, IMO. You can't see mine in my pics because the IAT and the stock 280z TB boot is mounted to the intake of the turbo. Good luck! The MS is soooooo awesome...you can tell by listening to my vid how fast that turbo spools (it's like instant) and my tuning is so pig-rich right now that it spits out black smoke like a diesel when you floor it! I took it for a quick ride in the parking lot before the hobby shop closed, and even with that tuning, my cobbled together, restricted rad hose pipes, and the duct-taped dryer duct on the other side of the FMIC, it hit 6psi at the TB at about 2300rpm. I believe it would have gone higher but I haven't programmed my Profec-a yet (I got it in exchange for my old L28E, what a deal) The TPS just get from a Q45 (G50), a 300zx (Z31), KA24E stanza (89-ish) or 240sx. It basically bolts on your TB. (I used shelf hangers to modify mine) I think the Q45's is the same spacing as the datsun TB though. I guess you could also just use the 240sx tb and the TPS is mounted already. You can do that with the stock EFI since it has the switches as well as the pot inside. (though the 240sx only has the contacts for full throttle and not off-idle enrichment) The coolest thing about the MS is that you never have to adjust the TPS again. Just like the new GM cars, you just calibrate it by getting readings at 0% and 100% throttle. THis really helped me because my throttle linkage is so worn the TB only actually opens to 80% wiht the pedal (If I open it wide under the hood my laptop will display throttle position as 124%!) I'm gonna fix that with an RC car tie rod or something to take up the slack.

Yes I plan on giving myself a early xmas present after next underway...I won't see the Z till dec. 22nd ;( Here's a vid of the car running with slighty more tuning and some more pics

me too

I have the eclipse BOV too! Anyone near San Diego interested in helping me make some REAL intercooler piping?

one q... how hard is it to adapt the holset to the stock manifold (I don't have a downpipe yet so it might be worthwhile to upgrade!) I also don't have the FMIC piping set up properly yet (I cobbled some together from junked volvos and saabs) I do have the megasquirt....I still have to tune it...here's a vid of mine starting up, tell me what YOU think )

Looks awesome! I need to get some tubing made, for now I cobbled together some volvo and saab tubing to get her to run. Here's a few pics, I think I'm running the same intercooler, my mounting is a bit different...I'll post some pics of that tomorrow! Here's some of my turbo swap, and hopefully the 40sec. video link works too (first start up) ) Video of startup

Wow, small engine bay becomes HUGE when the strut towers are gone...

That thing is SOOOOO sweet.

If you like that you gotta check out the silviaV8 forums. From what I've read a VH45 or an LS1 is just about a "bolt-in" to the S12/S13/S14. Sport Compact Car also did an article last month on the VQ35 swap into an S14. Since the SR20's are getting super expensive people are looking at other options. Just throwin' some options out there.

Btw, I've seen LOTS of awesome american cars. The only problem is....you can't get them in America. Vehicles such as the Ford Falcon, the Focus (america still has the old model),the Holden Commodore and Ute, just for starters. THese vehicles make me want to move to Australia. These vehicles are also affordable to the average consumer, unlike the C-6 (though you do get a lot for the money in the C6)and the GT. How messed up is that? Talk about American legislature messing things up!

(bjhines)American car companies are the ones responsible for giving diesels a bad rep... they never developed a diesel engine.. they just converted gasoline engines... they were idiotic designs... totally unacceptable... but I find any vehicle made in america Totally UNacceptable This means that you find that 90% of current Nissan and Toyota products unacceptable, Not to mention anything made by Jaguar, Range rover, Aston Martin, MG, and Saab. I guess that also every boeing aircraft, every Cessna, and every mack truck, etc. Maybe America would still be on top in this regard, even to people who feel this way, if we wouldn't have GIVEN our technology to just about everyone else, then let them build it for them. Yes, America did get complacent in the late 70's and tried to stick to old ways, this is what befell Bethlehem Steel, and our cities are paying the price for this, but remember that Nissan had trouble changing thier ways, too. Until 2001, when Carlos took over the company (with it's good and bad things to go with it) they hadn't made a significant profit since 1978, due to all the kickers to the upper management. And america can make a good diesel. What about the Cummins or the IH diesels? Just because the olds "diesel" wasn't....dude you're so stereotyping here. Oh well that's my rant, I'm not puttin you down, just saying "Dude, think before you post something like that!" The Germans had thier fair share of F$%Kups too.

I don't know if it's more prone to chatter, but mine hasn't. Also solve most of the noise problem, 5 gallons of Quiet car took care of that. Now it only makes noise in neutral. I'll try synthetic gear lube when I put it back together with the L28ET to see if it helps the shifting problem. (I've had the tranny rebuilt about 10,000 miles ago, it shouldn't be too bad yet)

The factory FPR works great, it's there, and it's easy to wire to work how you want it, just my .02 It supplies +12v to the fuel pump but the field coil side is always grounded (the ign. switch provides +12v while cranking, then the factory AFM provides power when the motor is running.) It's easy enough to wire the omni switch to provide power to the relay instead of directly from the ign coil source. Even if you don't use the Factory FPR I would recommend using the omni switch to turn on a Relay instead of powering the fuel pump directly, electric fuel pumps take a lot of current to run. There was a reason the alternator on the carbureted Z's was 30a and the EFI Zs had a 60A alternator.

lovemyv8280z, That's a great plan, the JTR manual suggests it, but I would also recommend wiring a cranking circuit so the FP runs while cranking (this way you'll still get fuel even if it's cold out and the oil pressure doesn't come up right away, especially in Michigan!) Otherwise you'll be cranking for awhile.

I'm sure you can still use the factory fuel pump wiring, just use the Omni/Horizon switch to turn the FPR on and off, and wire the fuel pump in using a test light. (I believe it was grounded thru the FPR and the FPR turned on with power but it's easy to rewire it the other way...as in you can still use the FPR to switch ground but use the Omni switch to ground the relay coil on the FPR) I also bought a Z car with those plans, and it ended up as a daily driver, then I scored an L28ET for cheap so that's the route I'm going for now. I had a grand time assembling and wiring up a megasquirt, look up my install and you'll see how the Fpr is wired in a Z car. I now have a Q45 for daily duties so the Z is getting as much attention as I can give it inbetween underway periods (I'm in the Navy) I get out in about 5 months, then it's a nice long trip across the country back to Allentown, PA.

I agree, I don't really care about the money either, but it does seem like an overwhelming majority of people do. I sold a '71 skylark for $300 to a guy who needed a car bad even though I paid $500 for it and had to fix it up to make it streetable (I put 4 new tires on it and a NOS GM fender I had laying around), and when he got rear-ended and got the $700 settlement he didn't even let me take the NOS GM front fender back off it because "the scrapyard would give him less money", I tried to take it off anyway until he threatened to call the cops, so the BRAND NEW fender got crushed. If anything is that's definitely one of my pet peeves. I've met so many people like that (at least I also meet some jewels that are generous so I continue to have hope for the world) and it just pisses me off so much. You know the type, the people that would rather see something get thrown away for nothing than see it help someone else. Dispicable. It recently happened again out here in Cali, a guy was junking his car when he got out of the navy, freakin junking it, and I offered to buy it from him (a 95 buick century with 40,000 miles and needed a cam and lifters) and you could hear the cash register ca-ching in his head. So, he junked it for $100 because I wouldn't give him $500 for it. Once again the old "I'll help you out but it's gonna cost you" or "if i can't have it nobody will" mentality. I hate that crap. Most people, though, are generous, and kind, otherwise we wouldn't have survived the 20th century.

I did that with a buick 350 once...but the block actually DID stop the rod's trajectory (the oil had to seep out through a crack instead) Btw if anyone asks yes the Buick 350 was totally different from a Chevy, olds, or pontiac 350. I actually like them, too bad the aftermarket didn't like them as much. (They were hampered by weak oiling systems but had angle plugs, heart-shaped combustion chambers, deep skirt blocks and were lightweight...well for all iron engine anyway) I might experiment with a buick 350 in a Z someday (my buddy is "borrowing" one I had laying around.....he pisses off chevy guys daily because it's motivating his '86 monte carlo!)

Oh yes, one more negative....shifting definitely got WAY more notchy....almost need to double clutch to get 2nd without grinding....but that goes with needing to know how to drive a stick shift now. And....the stock flywheel was a lot quieter....a lot of transmission noise gets into the cabin now. I called Fidanza and they told me it's normal, something along the lines of aluminum being a more efficient vibration transmitter than cast iron or steel?

I love my Fidanza flywheel. (13lb) I'll see what it's like on a turbo application when my ship's underway schedule allows. Driveablility is still great, you just have to actually know how to drive a stick now to drive my car. The stock flywheel allowed you to drop the clutch at IDLE and not stall it (L28E) Now you have to slip it just a little bit, but definitely not excessive, you have to slip the clutch on a stock civic more than you do my Z with a 13lb flywheel. The only other negative is when climbing hills she doesn't hold speed quite as easily (in other words I actually have to give it more gas rather than constant pedal, constant speed) but I only need to downshift if I REALLY need to pass. I still have ample torque to push old cutlass supremes across the Coronado bay bridge so it's not that bad. The positives here (1/4 mile 2 TENTHS faster, great throttle response, even better MPG) definitely override those very minor negatives. Plus the friction surface on the Fidanza F/W is replaceable! P.S.- After over 4500miles of hard street driving and at least 100 passes the centerforce clutch still looks like new! I'm going to simply reuse the disc and p/p for the turbo swap!

yes, yoap, the BOsch connectors will be great! This is what most fuel injectors use for connectors! (The exceptions are those Supra injectors and a few others) I used 437cc fuel injectors from ford 5.0 TBI engines. I was scared of leaks due to the injector tops being non-barbed but no leaks so far.

Ha, Ha, I enjoyed the assembly challenge too! Btw you don't need to be quite as schooled in electronics to build an MS as you think (I don't have a 2yr degree that's for sure) My forays into the world of electronics include a crash course at Lincoln tech (allentown,pa) in 1997 and then once again my training after Navy boot camp to be an ICman. The course was about 13 weeks for Engineering Common core training, and another 5 weeks for IC "A" school. The best part about building the thing was tracing out and figuring out all the Z wiring after I built the MS-II (The neighbor looked at me like I was building a bomb but I showed him the manual and he calmed down)...the big challenge was definitely the tracing out of the Z wiring. I had the opposite goal of most others, I wanted to retain as much of the factory wiring as possible. Search the forum and you'll see I succeeded! (Now if only I was better with computers so i could have more pictures on the install page! In fact, I have an MS-II running COMPLETELY on factory wiring, the only wire I added was the one for the O2 sensor (since a '78 has none) I did have to "reassign" certain conductors and re-engineer them but I still was able to use the factory loom, and ECU Location. I also like the added capabilities of the MS-II, the only prob I have so far is the icing up of my Jeep IAC motor (will be fixed as soon as the closed-loop idle code comes out!) Have fun!

Don't forget the weapons cache and also a big cowpusher on the front of the Z car.

Just my .02 The mustang in War of the worlds was stolen by Tom cruise's son. Oh yeah, for a good look on what EMP will do rent the movie "The day after" It was made in 1983 but what happened to all the cars was realistic. Even cars with points ignition would not run because the EMP would fry the alternator and the ignition coil. (Possibly the starter too) Basically if you want to make your Z as EMP proof as possible, install an LD28, put a turbo on it, and keep a stock of Vegetable oil around. This way even though your wiring would be fried, it wouldn't matter, just manually move the actuator on the diesel fuel pump and push start the car. It's a long shot that it would start but if you survived a nuke attack your luck is pretty good already, so it would probably start. Now you just have to get around all the lost, dazed mobs of people that would surround your running car (which would definitely be in the minority) and try to commandeer it. I doubt a Z could run too many people over before being incapacitated. It's good reading though.