twoeightythreez

I need to find a driver's headlight and the corners, plus put an exhaust on it, and it should be good to go! Hmm...wonder what I should do to that Q45....maybe a future "450sx" in the making... I once again have too many cars.... oh yes here's a pretty boring youtube vid of my driving my suburban (which is struggling, man those Uhaul trailers are friggin heavy) with teh 240 on the back.

Flame away all you want guys, but the Datsun/Nissan L6 is not an economical engine. __________________ Scottie, not flaming, agreeing, but with a MS and some really scary tuning (My L28ET runs 17.5 AFR's on the highway cruise) I can get an honest 30mpg out of it. I know that's nothing compared to today but it can be done. I just dont' want to drive it everyday. slownrusty, I gave up on it, did you see the auction? It's up to over 4k and the reserve is still not met! You could get an S13 'vert for that price! (with it's much better-sealing top and much more rigid body) But I found mine, stroke of luck . I got a 95 S14 for a grand. It was at a dealer in N. Plainsfield, Jersey and I saw it on autotrader and had to rush to get there, the only reason I got it was cuz the other dude was coming from Delaware. (ha ha!) It runs and drives, and the body is straight and not rusty, so it's worth a grand. I have to trailer it home tomorrow since it has no exhaust e:oa I'll post some pics of it tomorrow.

I drove it today....it drives as good as it looks. Yes it has a few problems, like it needing a new top, but that top is decent enough to keep out (most) rain. That Z22 is indeed peppy. I used to have a 720 with a Z24 but that was years ago, those little Z series motors obviously were designed for forklifts or tractors. The powerband on it is like a friggin diesel. Drop the clutch at idle, yes it will buck a bit but won't stall. Floor it and you might get 4200rpm under load. (which is OK the Z22 apparently thinks it's a tractor motor..powerband is like from 500 to 4800rpm...I looked it up peak torque on this engine is at 1800 Rpm!) - Z22 - Years - 1981 - 1983 Horsepower - 98 @ 4800 RPM Lb/ft Torque - 117 @ 1800 RPM Can you say 'boat anchor'? 1/4 pedal will get you to 70 slowly, but effortlessly (like a diesel engine, not fast but with relentless strength) full throttle will also get you to 70 slowly, but effortlessly... Rev it in neutral? Vr r r r r oo oo m. Release the clutch too hard at 900rpm? Tire chirp and no bucking. I really like it. The only aspect of the S110 coupe I didn't like was the roof and the ragtop takes care of that nicely. I hope the bidding doesn't go much higher because it's approaching 240sx vert territory. Yes, the chassis is flexy to the point of being comical, but it's a cruiser. (despite the thick reinforcement that almost makes it look like a full-frame car it's still flexy as a rope and board bridge) Where else are you gonna find an 80's car with LAP BELTS?

Welp went to york to look at the 200sx ragtop. Didn't see top speed on the Z but hit 120 a couple times on 222. The interesting thing is now, that the tuning is closer, I now REALLY have to upgrade the brakes. Talk about scary man, the brakes are no longer strong enough to hold the car in first (and possibly second) gear. I was leaning the VE out little by little, then pulled out in first on a little 2-lane road. I hit the brake and floored it, which was fine, then the boost hit. I'm only running 9psi (it won't go more than 10 with the DSM BOV..it leaks) and suddenly I'm wondering if those old consumer reports on the Audi 5000's were true, because, suddenly I'm accelerating, (rather quickly i might add)front wheels locked, my left foot stomping the brake pedal, and the car just DOES NOT CARE....it's accelerating. The only other car I've ever owned that could do that was my '69 buick sportwagon with a 430 big buick in it. The car is literally incapable of a line-lock (the tires for some reason GRIP really well!) The transmission is complaining more every day, I must be making some serious torque. Needless to say I won't be doing any speed runs till I upgrade those brakes. I'll post a vid on it tomorrow when I install my 72 wooden wheel. (The 200sx was a godsend, if it wasn't for me checking it out I would have never found a datsun junkyard!!!)

It's pretty bad when some of the "ugly" datsuns of yore start looking good in light of these new bodystyles...what are they thinking?

Wow....it's not so much "ugly" as it is "anonymous"...damn shame. Bright side is....current wrx owners will enjoy even greater resale value!

With gas going back up to 3 bucks a gallon, I'm thinking of getting a small economical car. My only requirements was that it be RWD and a datsun of some sort. (something I might want to hybridize someday) Well I found this on Ebay, what do you guys think? Should I go for it> (I instantly had dreams of putting my L28ET in that thing and a V-8 into the Z..look at all the hoodspace!) EIther that or a KA swap....or maybe a V-8 would look good in there? It's a 1983 200sx convertible. It's amazing the coupe which was so fugly actually looks OK as a convertible.... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1983-Nissan-Datsun-200-SX-Convertible_W0QQitemZ320101487195QQihZ011QQcategoryZ6395QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Oh yes, if you think I should get it please by all means chime in with ideas of what to do with it if I win it!

My Q45: indicated 135mph, half pedal, still slightly pulling. (stock everything!) My Suburban: lucky to hit 85mph...3spd no O/D stock 350 and 3.70 gears My Z: (old L28E, 3.54 gears, stock 4spd, custom exhaust, "tweaked" AFM, indicated 125mph, calculated to be 121mph. Rpm limited.) Old L28E with above mods, additionally lightweight flywheel and 1981 ZX transmission: indicated 135mph, calculated to be 130mph (.75fifth) Horsepower limited. Same as above, 4.11 gears: indicated 140mph, calculated 133mph. (yes i changed speedo gears when I changed rears but I only had the gear for 3.90 instead of 4.11 so speedo now reads 3.5mph fast, before it was dead nutz at 60 and 120)(calculations were in my head based on tach rpm and quick scribbling so figures could be off by 3-4mph) Horsepower limited. Same car, same tranny, but with MSII, FMIC, and L28ET, driving in texas, got on it, pulled UPHILL like a freight train to 110 and OH GOSH...wind gust, Ok now I'm scared and didn't go more than 100 for the rest of the trip. (yup..no ballz) Now I'm in the super-built-up northeast (with commensurate crappy PA roads) and I no longer have enough road to do more than 100. (but man does it ever have the endless torque...you V-8 z guys must be so spoiled ) Here's a link to my 7psi accel run

"Erh Did i miss something who are you talking to twoeightythreez" __________________ It was the voices in my head....they're quiet now.....

That storm just missed us here in Allentown. We just got the high winds and low temperatures. Winter is holding on tight! (As he should since it took him so long to wake up in the 1st place)

I drove mine from San Diego to Allentown,PA. 3,050 miles. (I had just put an unknown condition L28ET motor in before the drive..literally was putting the turbo in the day before I left!!) ON top of that I spend 14 hours sitting on Interstate 78 50 miles from home, with the engine idling the whole time, because there was 6" of ice on the roads and the rigs were stuck. Definitely drive it, but if you're only budgeting 200 bucks for gas you're in for a serious surprise. I averaged 30mpg (seriously!) and still spent over 600 bucks for gas, I mean your average fill-up is still gonna be 50-60 bucks with today's gas prices. It's still a very fun trip! I would buy a CASE of oil, though...I used 13qts for the trip, due to the valve guides, and the fact that the turbo was still breaking in, which is common thing to wear on a Z, but it made it.

If you're worried about input size...get a tank from the EFI 280z. Pump inlet line is 1/2"!! (not to mention it holds about 1.5gal more gas...you won't believe what a lifesaver that little bit more gas is)

About to start working on a 1985 300zx turbo... Be glad it's not a Z32...you could spill a quart of oil on top of the motor and smoke a cigarette to the filter before the first drops started hitting the ground...Z31's are way friendlier....

In addition, "tuner shops" almost always lowball the price to get people in the door (in my experience), then once the car is apart they try to sell you stuff you really don't need, (such as upgraded BOV's and turbos, huge FMIC's when all you need is some boost leaks fixed..and unfortunately most people get all starry eyed dreaming of thier "beast" and sign the papers....) and you simply have to pay them. In the tuner shop's defense it is what pays the bills...performance parts!(While in san diego I helped 4 people put thier cars back together because a tuner shop kept raising the prices by selling parts, and when they said enough is enough, they got a car back in pieces because most of the additonal cost was labor...the upgraded parts ate the initial deposit right up) I guess it's a consequence that most people in the tuner scene really don't know that much, (they tend to be young and gullible and trendy, sorry if I offended any tuners but it's 90% true) the ones that do know what they're doing own the tuner shops! (or work there) Also, this site is super helpful, if you have any mechanical aptitude at all you will be able to do this work yourself, with help from the people on this site, because they really are the most helpful people I've ever seen on any forum anywhere. This is why you should be patient, and learn from these fellas. Because of HybridZ I was able to learn about my Z and never had to go to those shops unless it was for something I couldn't do, like exhaust.) Thanks again HybridZ!

I bought my Z from a junkyard, running and driving. First day I had it the clutch slave went out. Old cars are like couples, man. Why do you think most women get so mad when we spend so much time on our rides? Your love will grow as you get used to the little eccentricities of the relationship, but getting to know her is always gonna be a trial. There's a good reason good cars are always girls. Btw, I drove my Z daily for 3yrs. They are damn reliable cars, but they do nickle and dime you to death. It never, ever broke down though. I blew the tranny at carlsbad dragway.....I was still able to drive 40 miles back to base until I could pull the trans and get it rebuilt. I had to replace all the rubber parts. I had to re do the axles and the brakes. I had to rebuild the entire interior, and went 2 years without a heater (but the A/C worked great, lol) But I still drove that car to San Jose and back several times (when I was in Cali) and then drove it across the country when I got out of the navy, and it never ,EVER let me sit. (in fact I lent it to people who's fancy new cars broke down and my "POS", the car they didn't want to be seen in because it was 7 different colors, got them to work....I still get a kick razzin them about it) Z cars are probably some of the best sports cars you can own, you just have to be patient, just as you would be to a woman you're trying to be with for awhile. Z cars are never one night stands. If you have that mentality a Z car will be the worst car you've ever owned. Z cars are very commitment oriented. Sorry for the book. Enjoy your Z! Learn her every nuance and curve and be patient with her and she will rock your world. Scorn her...and she will be like any other scorned woman.

Nice. If you're gonna use speaker carpeting you might want to consider using herculiner on the floor surfaces that will see traffic....wears like iron and will seal the metal to boot! Also, it's not that heavy and looks good, and it will help deaden sound by raising the resonant freq. of the floorboards. I'm using QuietCar (which looks a LOT like bedliner to me) in my 280 and it's as quiet as a new sentra or cobalt inside. (this is with a 3" exhaust...roll down a window and it'll shout at ya though )

Mine is where the factory ECU went, so If I left the factory trim cover off it would show off nice, but no way I'm paying $800 for some bling. I guess DIY has to go after the "tuner" crowd though...big market I do like the connector, but if you really wanted it you could probably adapt the stock Datsun case for the job (the stock datsun ECU connector has more the same amount of pins....) I think the next MS install I do I'm gonna get a GM case and connector out of the yard and shoehorn the MS inside it (watertight!)

I believe the ones that go to the taillight wiring are for a bulb-check circuit that 80's nissans were cursed with. (A bulb in the dash would light up if a taillight or brake light was out.)

BEFORE AFTER __________________ 1976 280z-deceased 5/20/03 In retrospect that Z did really well for a car it's size. I've already seen much newer cars wrap COMPLETELY (as in the front and back ends are touching) around telephone poles. I don't think any car from that era would have done much better. (bigger heavier car would just have hit that much harder) A telephone pole impact is as different from a traditional side impact as an offset frontal collision is from the standard DOT 30mph crash. The impact area is much smaller on a phone pole, not to mention...it does not move. (If you're hit by a car most of the energy transfers to motion) speaking of...I have to find my pics of "before", scan them onto a computer (I got my Z before I had a digital) and then I can post them here, too. I also have one for the "wrecked Z" post. (1971 240 that lost to a foot-high curb)

One thing I see in common between all of us is the use of NGK plugs. They really are the best plug you can buy.

Here's the recommended plug for 1981 L28E and L28ET: NGK BPR6ES-11 gap .039-.042 in. BPR5 for hot and BPR7 for cold. This is per the Factory Service Manual. I'm sure once the boost goes up you gotta close that gap but that's the factory specs. Just for the hell of it here's the gap for the 1978 L28E. NGK B6ES for normal, B5ES for hot, B7ES for cold, gap is .025-.029 unless it's a ES-11 where it's .039-.043 also. (I have FSM for 77, 78, and 81 z cars) Mightymax, Even if they had iridium plugs in the 70's (i doubt it) there is no way an economy minded company like Datsun (thier slogan was "datsun saves") would have recommended such expensive plugs. I don't either, NGK copper core plugs are fine, it's not like it's hard to change 'em out on an L28..if it takes you 10 minutes on an L28 you're taking your time, so why bother with plugs that last 60-100K miles, when with a turbo you're gonna be changing them often anyway. Iridium sure seems like a waste of money to me. To answer phil's Q I'm running the BPR6ES-11's with a .039 gap. So far I've only been running 7psi of boost.

Ok I'm not flaming here, I'm just asking WHY? being Different for the sake of being different is gay, not the corolla. I mean if you're gonna be different be different for your views, not because it's trendy. Sounds like you want to piss some purists off. Well, I say the best way to do that, is to sell your corolla, get a civic, put the SR20 into that. It certainly would be different, it certainly would make absolutely no sense, it would certainly piss a lot of people off, and the kicker is, at least you would have a good FWD platform to work with, and it would at least look different. (IMHO an SR20 swap into a corolla is so stupid simply becuase it WOULD NOT be much different, the corolla looks almost identical to a sentra, how different is that?) I mean, most people would not know the difference. This makes as much sense as some guy putting a flathead ford motor into a 1985 buick regal "just to be different". Why? I mean if you're actually serious about this (I don't think you are, but just in case) get a B13 SE-R powertrain, I mean struts, axles, subframe, EVERYTHING, and adapt it to your corolla. It's probably easier than you think (but still way more work than it's worth) since the cars are of similar dimensions, track widths and weights. I still don't understand the premise of doing so much work just to be different, though. Motor swaps are done to allow more power, or more reliability, or more common parts than the motor that originally came with the vehicle, when there are no common upgrades. SR20 into a corolla accomplishes none of these things. I mean if you're gonna do it, do it and post it up here, but I still don't understand why.

I'm so glad that's a southern thing...though those wheels wouldn't stand a chance on the roads of the NorthEast anyway.

This is my understanding of ghetto cool anyway. Perhaps one of our more cultured members can enlighten me if my understanding hath gone astray. I hope I got it right! Anyone know the year of the car in question? 1986 Buick Regal on 24's....not 30's. I wonder if his upper control arm started tearing out of the frame yet... What a stupid trend. If you're gonna do it, do it right. Put that regal up on a K-blazer frame (4x4) and call it a day. Then when you pull the 24's off to clean 'em you can put the 35's back on and do some mudding too.

Allentown, PA....Z's love frost heaves!! Really! no I'm not famous but my brother might soon be and then this guy will have to update his song! (which is a pretty funny song if you ask me)