SleeperZ

No doubt about it, that is a very fine piece!

You may get different results, but I was using the factory Z31 ECU and knock sensor, and the L28 detonation sensor did not work with the ECU. Maybe the Z31 sensor is different and will work on an L28, or maybe the Z31 ECU can be retuned to accurately recognize knock on the L28. I am somewhat skilled with electronics and plan to use the L28 sensor and integrate knock detection on the MegaSquirt. But that's a little ways off, well into 2012.

That looks amazing!

Nice work!

That's what I've done too, with all the L28s I've dealt with. Those engines are built well.

Nice beer!

250hp needs hardly any aftermarket items. A standalone EMS is flexible, Megasquirt is definitely good for the money, and you can use whatever injectors you want. No need for large plumbing or throttle body, 2" (50mm) is just fine, as well as 2-1/2" exhaust, standard S130 L28ET works great. I use the Bosch 044 pump and Autometer gauges, cheap and simple. DO NOT use Iridium plugs; for whatever reason they don't work well on an L28, just use regular copper NGK, factory heat range or 1 step colder, depending on your tune. Twin turbos are cool, but difficult to plumb with no performance advantage. They will not reduce perceived lag.

I'm impressed. Can you describe which parts swapped, and how it went together? Z31 distributors are much more common in the US as well, I'm sure lots of people here are curious how it works.

That's not that much work really.

You could easily calculate how much caster you would gain from the K-macs, knowing how far back the top of the strut can move, and the length of the strut. Guessing at 24" strut, and 1" back, you would gain only 2.5 degrees. And yes, you could bind the stock control arms, you may want to consider units with inboard heim joints if you move the tower mounts back.

Pretty sure all the MAFs are the same. You need to swap the Z31 distributor wheel into the 280ZXT distributor, there is no sensor swap. When I did the swap years ago, I got all my wiring diagrams from the factory service manuals at the public library. I don't have my copies anymore, but most of these can be found on the internet.

Cheap and dirty, just use the 280ZX ECU and harness with sensors and turbo injectors. Intake and exhaust will always be custom, but you can make factory parts work. Otherwise, standalone engine management will get you going and support any upgrades you choose to do.

That swap made my '78 a "SleeperZ". I love that triple intake sound too, but the turbo is so cheap and easy; it wakes up the car like nothing else.

I imagine it will be offered from Matt Cramer's site, DIYAUTOTUNE.

I'm very interested to hear how that Web Cams grind works out for you. I'm looking at the same thing, again I don't need a top end demon, especially since I am using a BW T5 transmission and a 3.54 R200; the 280ZX original factory drivetrain. This setup worked really well on the dragstrip, I could actually use 1st gear, but the factory cam starts wheezing past 5000 rpm, and I'd like some nice torque upwards of 6500. I don't need the monster torque down low - with 16 psi on the stock cam, I made over 400ft-lbs at 2800, I think I can spare some of that for some breathing room up top, especially since my CF clutch will slip with good tire traction at the torque peak.

That's wild!

You wish it was though, huh? Very funny.

Interested.

Thanks for all the information. I think I am going to trash this cam, and source a regrind using a good factory turbo cam, along with resurfacing rockers, all from my other stock P90A head (solid lifter). Hopefully I can get a set of lash pads and run the lift of the Isky or Delta cam people like for the L28ET, which is a bit higher than 0.460". At any rate it looks like if I need a little more, I could switch to Crane retainers or the Ford stem seals... And I think I will add the external oiling as well. I want the valve train to last a few seasons, I'm too old for too much of this crap.

Is it as simple as swapping in the older style cam towers? Or are there internal oil passage mods to the older towers to allow the cam to be oiled internally? Are there orifices that need modification to adequately proportion the amount of oil to the spray bar versus the cam passages?

You definitely DO NOT WANT BRITTLE in your suspension mounts. It will crack and fail with use.

Thanks for that oil information, I should be able to put that to use. This weekend I turned the engine over with the valve cover off to check compression. It measures even across all cylinders with number 2 with the bad lobe about 5 psi lower than the rest. However, the compression numbers are uniformly low; typically I will get 110 to 115 psi, at least on a good stock L28ET with stock turbo cam. With this cam, I got 90 psi on all but number 2 at 85 psi. Oh well, I'm not tearing into the bottom end, it is what it is. While cranking the engine with the starter with the plugs removed, the oil flow on the cam seemed good, it didn't squirt but pooled out of the cam holes and number two intake did not seem lower than the rest. But the fact that the oil is quite dark (fresh change before the spring track event with no driving since) tells me the top end seriously overheated. Of course I have not yet checked the level, it's possible it's low and that would explain everything. I just wanted to confirm with those suggesting a spray bar in addition to internal cam oiling, all that is necessary is to swap the earlier cam towers and spraybar. Is there any machine work to do on the cam towers to retain the internal oiling, or are those passages already present? Thanks again, Nathan Edit: Checked the oil level, exactly one quart down on the stick. Could that, and a day on the track, cause starvation on the top end? Obviously it had something to do with it, but is it soley responsible? I'm still trying to make up my mind whether to add oil spray to the cam or to dig deeper for another issue ...

It sounds like you are on the right track. I'm afraid I can't help further except to say I used to have the same setup, '78 S30 with 280ZXT ignition and the tach worked just fine.

That is just sick!

I've got an AEM, and it's always bled down. If you can't tolerate that annoyance, the factory unit will not do that. Just get a new one, or buy a used one, they are not expensive. I've got one or two in my garage I don't need.