wheelman

Based on the pictures the Toyota calipers you've got are the larger ones. The smaller ones that work with the original Z solid rotor don't have the cooling ribs. Wheelman

Brandon, First off don't confuse the pressure reading you get from a compression test with the compression ratio. The compression test is a measurement of the cylinder pressure generated when the engine is turned over 3-5 times and is a simple check that the rings, valves, gaskets, etc.. are in decent shape. The compression ratio is the total volume of a cylinder when the piston is at BDC (bottom dead center) / total volume at TDC (top dead center). Personally I think he was BSing you. As far as I know there is no accurate way to calculate the static compression ratio of an engine using numbers generated from a compression test, especially an engine with a few miles on it and unknown modifications. The only way to say what the real ratio is is to pull the head and measure the bore, stroke, deck height, combustion chamber, etc... You can guess like you have based on the assumption that you have B22 pistons and a B23 head but it's still a guess. The tech saw that the compression test numbers were higher than expected and guessed at the compression ratio. If he was very familiar with Honda engine build-up combinations he might get close. Wheelman

I have to agree, the 102K heads on my LT1 were way way cleaner than that. In fact that looks like my sons old 305 did when we pulled it apart after ~250K and many years on a delayed maintenance program. Much burned and jellied oil in that engine. I'd pass on it unless you can get it for next to nothing. BTW: What is that squirrel cage fan for? Was that the turbo? Wheelman

BrandonEngineer, Which guy told you it was 11.9:1 based on static numbers? The guy who you bought it from or the emissions tech? If you based the 11.9:1 on the numbers from the compression test then they probably aren't correct. A compression test gives you dynamic numbers because the valve timing (duration, overlap and lift) and intake track will affect the amount of air pulled into the cylinder and actually compressed. The compression number may be higher than stock but that doesn't indicate an 11.9:1 ratio. As for V8s not doing 11.9:1? Very few if any street cars running on pump gas will sustain a comp-ratio that high and I very much doubt your Honda is even close to that. But a stock LT1 (350 small block chevy V8) with the aluminum heads runs 10.5:1 all day on pump gas. My LT1 with the iron heads will run 10:1 without a problem. It's not V8s that run low compression it's the combustion chamber design. Wheelman

Seems to me that's a pretty high price for a motor you can't really verify. Is this a local purchase? At a minimum I'd pull the head, measure and inspect the cylinder bores, drop the oil pan and check out the main and rod bearings and also see if you can remove the valves to look at the seats and the angles of the grind. If it's truly rebuilt with less than 10K it should be obvious after looking at these items. If the inspection verifies a recent rebuild it might be a good deal but without the turbo you've got yourself a low compression N/A motor. If it were me I'd offer him $250.00 and if he says no then let him sit for a while and think about it. But only after verifying it's been rebuilt. If the rebuild status is unknown I'd pass on it. But that's just me, to many unknowns and parts to track down that are expensive to make it worth much. Do you know how long he's been trying to sell it and if anyone else has looked? Wheelman

Pop, He probably just did the initial preload after installing the rockers. You know, tighten the rocker down until the pushrod won't move up/down then tighten another 1/4 or 1/2 turn. This preloads the lifters but should not be the final adjustment. They should really be adjusted with the engine running and fully warmed up, but lots of guys never do that, makes a big mess if you don't use the little plugs for the oil holes in the rockers or a cut up valve cover. Wheelman

Where are you getting the boost gauge signal? Before the IC or after? If you get it before the IC then the pressure reading will be higher than the intake actually sees due to the pressure drop across the IC which would be a false reading when you get the MBC signal from the manifold. Maybe thats why you "see" a spike on the boost gauge with the system configured to control boost from the manifold pressure rather than the turbo outlet pressure. Just a thought but that spkie might not be real when pressure readings are taken from the manifold after the IC. Anyway these ideas are all irrelevant if you get the boost guage reading after the IC. Wheelman

If it were my decision to make I'd run it with the signal from the manifold. Seeing as I don't have a turbo car and it's not my decision you should do it the way you feel most comfortable. I do think you're over thinking the situation though. I guess as a side note for the sake of safety I'd drop the max boost 1 or 2 PSI just to play it safe. Although my Z won't be a daily driver so I wouldn't be playing it safe. Wheelman

Does anybody know where I can get the rubber seals for the firewall holes that the wiring harness and heater hoses pass through? Mine are shot and desperatly need to be replaced. Thanks Wheelman

As far as the rearend goes I'd stick with the stock R200 you have in your 280Z. The differential is strong enough to handle the power of your engine unless you plan on getting really wild with it. The weak points are the universal joints in the half-shafts. You can replace the half-shafts with CV joint axles from a 300ZX Turbo or a 280ZX Turbo using adapters made by Modern Motorsports. How much power are you planning on making and what are you planning on doing with the car, drag, autox, road racing, street? If you plan on getting really wild with HP and want to drag race then you might consider a solid axle rearend like a Ford 9 inch or Chevy 12-bolt. A better answer to your LT1 question earlier would be that the JTR engine and tranny mounts work perfectly with the LT1 but the electronics are dfferent so that part of the manual is not much help. The LT1 is basically a small block chevy with improved cooling, Multi-point EFI and a questionable advanced ignition system. Hope this helps. Wheelman

Bastaad525, Think "balance" man!! Onephatz, So you think detonation busted the piston skirt like that? I guess I never would have considered that a skirt would bust due to detonation. Wheelman

Hey Grumpy, You need to revise your formula to read like this: 48000/(stroke X 2) = piston speed Wheelman

Hey brandonengineer how did you measure that 11.9:1 compression? Did you pull the head, measure the bore, stroke and combustion chamber volume? Wheelman

Does the 84 and 85 300ZX turbo have an LSD? If so which one is it, clutch or Viscous? BTW: Jon, Which differential do they sell that fits an R200? Wheelman

If you do go with the manual look real hard at the T56. It's a 6-speed and will easily handle the power your engine is producing. Another option is to find a GM version of a World Class T5. The T5 is a 5-speed but is only rated to 300 ft/lbs of torque. You could get a modified T5 from G-Force Transmissions or have one modified by them to handle your power level but it would cost you about the same as a T56. The advantage a T5 has is they are much lighter and it's easier to put a clutch setup together. I went the T5 route with my LT1 but I haven't had it modified yet. My engine will be basically stock and in the light 240Z the tranny should be able to handle my power output. I had a heck of a time finding a GM WC T5. Finally found one on eBay that I got real cheap because the seller didn't know what he had. If you are planning on drag racing you might reconsider an auto and use either a 700R4 or a 200-4R. The auto will shift faster than a manual and doesn't require putting togther the clutch setup. I plan on doing AutoX with mine otherwise I would have used the auto that was in the donor car I got my LT1 from. Wheelman

Tx1021, Welcome to the board. JTR and Motorsport Automotive (MSA) are the 2 major suppliers of conversion "kits". The kits basically consist of engine mount adapters and transmission crossmembers. I would start by getting the JTR manual and then decide whether to go with their parts or get the MSA stuff. I personally went the JTR route as the parts are easy to make and if you do buy them are cheaper than the MSA stuff. As for the TH350. If you plan on little street/highway with it then you should be OK. If you do spend much time on the highway the RPMs will drive you crazy after a while. Not sure what stall to use, that depends on the power/torque band of your engine. The 240 is a very light car so a stall lower than you would use in a Camaro will work well. The R200 can easily handle the 400HP. The weak points of the rearend are the u-joints in the halfshafts. If you replace the halfshafts with CV joint axles from either a 280ZX or a 300ZX Turbo then you should be fine. The R200 install is relatively easy but you must replace the mustache bar with an R200 bar. I had a hard time finding one in my area and ended up getting one off eBay. Fortunately for me nobody else bid on it so I got it real cheap. The time required for the swap really depends on how much "while I'm at it" you fall victim to and how much rust you are forced to repair. One thing to keep in mind is that the 240 was not designed to handle the torque of a modified SBC so you will want to reinforce the chassis. Most guys extend the frame rails to connect to the rear sub-frame and also install strut-tower braces in the front and rear. Tire fitment of large tires generally means installing fender flares. Other options are available but you can only go so far with them before body mods are required. BTW: All of the questions you've asked have been asked many times before so be sure to use the search function. Wheelman

Guy, The lines at the rail are 3/8" and 5/16" outer diameter. I measured them with my calipers. If you do buy the -6AN fittings you have to make sure the hard adapter converts to those sizes or they won't work. If you do decide to go with the compression fittings be sure to clean the coating off the line before installing them just to be sure it won't leak. Wheelman

Magnum, The 4.3L engine is capable of producing lots of power. I've got one in a Safari Mini-Van, it's rated at 200HP stock and with a few mods can make a lot more. It's also lighter than the stock Datsun motor so it's not such a bad install. It also uses the same motor mounts as the SBC so a JTR style setup can work. 4.3L 280z, Did you pull the cam or replace the timing gears and/or chain? If the cam is not timed correctly it could cause the low compression and backfiring through the intake. I would start there and once you've verified that then work on the distributor timing. If the timing is off you also run the risk of contact between the valves and pistons so don't try to run it to much before checking. If the timing is right then make sure the plug wires are on the correct plugs. Wrong plug wiring won't affect compresson but might cause the backfiring. Have the cap, rotor and plugs been replaced. These engines are sensitive to flakey ignition parts so make sure thet are in good shape. Keep us informed of what you find. Do you have any pictures of your install? I thought real hard about doing the same thing but went with an LT1 instead. Wheelman

I agree with Mike, it's time to put all the political stuff behind us and get back to what we all really enjoy. I for one am gald it's over and it turned out the way it did and I fully intend on boycotting the news for a month so I don't have to expose myself to any more of it. Hale to the Z car, long may she live!!! Wheelman

I just went through this myself. The line size that will work is SAE 3/16". I got mine at Schucks for next to nothing. Ask for 3/16" line with metric fittings on each end. They work just fine. Be sure to use a tubing bender and if you need to cut them they are a standard double flare not the bubble flare. Who ever told you that was wrong. I was also able to pickup a double flare tool from Harbor Freight. Yeah I know "Cheap Chinese Crap" but we'll find out if it works or not. BTW: Jon thanks for the tip of chamfering the tube before doing the flare. Wheelman

Go for it dude, although I think you'll find it hard to beat the estimated $1700 for the L28 rebuild. If you decide to do the 2.3L swap look into using a mega-squirt setup instead of the Ford computer. I've heard the Ford computer is not very good so a mega-squirt might make for a better setup. There is an 86 SVO in the town I live that's for sale. I test drove it and have been arguing with myself about buying it ever since. The one thing I really didn't like was the rough idle, which after doing some research I've found is very common. Apparently it's due to the marginal control computer. Anyway the only other aspect of the car I had problems with was the Jekyl and Hyde personality. Off boost it was a typical low compression 4-banger, on boost it felt more like a strong V8 from that era. Lots of fun to drive and handled very well. Anyway the guy has tried to sell it 3 times now and got little to no interest. I test drove it back in August and it's still at the guy's house. He was asking $2,000 for it. It has 114,000 miles, is straight with the typical fading paint from the 80s, the tires are at the end of their life and the interior was in fair shape. So what do you guys think, should I snag it or pass?? Problem is it would mean a slow down on the Z project due to re-directed funds. Wheelman

80LT1, Sorry for the dealy man, I kept getting timed out on my login and didn't see your post. I didn't buy the whole kit just the connectors that attach to the stock feed and return lines on the rail. The whole kit is like $99.00 but the parts I got were $34.95. I'm in the process of installing totally new lines right now so I don't have pictures. I'm putting in 3/8" hard steel lines from just behind the diff to the firewall and then will use steel braided teflon flex from the tank to the filter and pump then to the hard line and from the hard line to the rail connectors. The hardline I'm using is actually from NAPA Auto and they sell it as brake line with double flare ends already in place. I'm using ~80 inches both directions I think, which will give a little extra at the firewall end. This stuff is much cheaper than steel braid and just as tough. It's a bit of a pain to work with but not to many bends are required. Pure Choice Motorsport sells adapters that I'm using to convert to and from AN and double flare pipe. Makes for a very easy job. Unfortunately it's going to be a while before I'll have pictures. The Pure Choice part # for the connectors is: 5800. Select the New Products link from their main page and scroll down about half way. They are listed for 39.95 on the site but I got them for $34.95. Wheelman

Bill, May your father rest in peace and his memories never leave your heart. I lost my father in 1992 when I was 28 so I can understand what you're going through. My dad was a similar mentor to me as yours was to you, always made me fix my own car and encouraged me to learn all I could about it. I miss him still today. There really isn't much that can be said so I'll just say that you are part of a family here and we're all here for you if you need to talk. Wheelman

Welcome to the board. Definitely get the manual from Stealth conversions if you don't already have it. As for the parts, you can fab them on your own if you want to as measured drawings for everything are included in the book. Have you considered an LT1? They are much cheaper than the LS1 but have the Multi-Port injection and modern design. They are also compatible with the kit from JTR (Stealth Conversions) and pretty well documented on here and in other places. Just a thought. Wheelman

NO WAY! I much prefer the rumble of a well built V8 to the sound of that engine at RPM. I liked how it sounded when idling but spooled up it sounded like a hair-dryer not a high performance car. I have to say though that I don't like the sound of cherry-bombs or glass packs. Reminds me to much of the cars owned by the A$$holes in my high school when I was a kid many years ago. Wheelman