olie05

Mine weighs in at 2580lb. definitely not the lightest, but aparently pretty light for a 280. I have removed the bumpers and only the front bumper brackets, all the a/c stuff and went to a lighter filter and pipe setup. I also have a N/A l28 (no turbos to weigh me down! haha) -Oliver

well, maybe not hackjob, exactly, but you get the idea...

I went with the pallnet kit and had absolutely no problems. I believe it was 35 dollars, and something like 5 for shipping BTW I had a hell of a time getting the original studs off the old engine. If you read more about the z's, particularly the exhaust manifold, you will read somewhere that the exhaust manifold tends to bow over time because of the heat. The bowing pulls the first and last bolt on the exhaust manifold and that is why you get everyone complaining about not being able to get 'em off or breaking off a stud in there. -Oliver

I used an NOS bap geon timing kit and the quality was awesome. I have had no experience with a Nissan timing kit, but this kit was way higher than my standards. It had the different colored links and everthing. In fact, the cam gear and chain still have a blueish tint on it that it had from when i got it, and its been in the engine for a good 10,000 miles. Just look for a quality aftermarket kit, I'd say Beck arnely... or bap geon if you can find it. -Oliver

please excuse my lack of knowledge, but what head is this? an RB head, or a hackjob like what turbobluestreak was doing? please tell!! thanks -Oliver

you can spray carb cleaner around the intake manifold while the engine is on and where there is a leak you will notice a difference in idle speed. That will help you pin down a vacuum leak. I'm leaning toward something with the egr. -Oliver

I like daleMX's idea, but there should be tiny springs on threaded sleeves for adjustability... Seriously though, its very innovative. -Oliver

Someone post a link!!! my car is starting to creak more than it usualy does...

I bet there's some guy out there that will buy one of these and literaly bolt it on as advertised and expect his engine to fire up... -Oliver

http://zhome.com/rnt/3.1Cobb/3.1engine.htm This is a good website to read if you're interested in building a stroker L-series engine.

This is true, and that is exactly what has been going on with me for the last (almost) 2 years. If you do plan on getting a Z, I would not rely on the insurance company to fix it if you get into an accident, and would actualy suggest that you just get minnimum coverage (cheapest, maybe just liability) and hone your driving skills to make sure you are not at fault if you are invovled in any accidents. Attend autocross events and maybe take a performance driving class. Autocrossing will show you the limits of your car such as traction and braking and will give you a VERY good idea of what the car will do in an emergency situation. I know it has helped me out on the street several times. And of course you should take drivers-ed if you haven't taken that already, even if it's just for the insurance discount. If theres a concern about safety, stick a rollabar in and get some harnesses, but your ability to avoid an accident in the first place will definitely pay off. BTW my Z is my first car, and I was in the same boat as you when i was 15, bit by the Z bug. Good luck with whatever you decide to do! -Oliver

Ok, apparently I didn't make myself clear... 2126 - I already answered your question, and seeing as how this is the miscelaneous tech forum, why not have a miscelaneous technical topic? What a thought! There really is no purpose other than to examine the technical side of something that happens in road racing and autocrossing (and sometimes daily driving). and no... I'm not on any *substances* lol... Pop N Wood - It sounds like what you're saying is that the larger the engine, the more resistance to rotating it will have... correct? -Oliver

well... If you REALLY want to know, this is the kind of stuff I think of when I stare up at the ceiling here at school... I thought of getting a rough calculation... Since the weight of the car can be found easily, I could do a run from a measured distance and note my speed on the speedometer at the beginning and at the end of the run, and the run would be something like me starting off at 6,000 rpm in 3rd or 2nd gear, and just lifting off the throttle. Notice that I said Rough, since the speedometer (especially mine) is extremely inaccurate... Then I would find out how much force is exerted to reduce the speed of a mass... Then I could do the same thing for acceleration and compare the two... -Oliver

I did a heel toe downshift through a corner the other day and the back tires chirped a little as I was letting out the clutch. Needless to say, I need to work on my heel toe-ing but this got me thinking... IF the engine has the ability to slow the car down when you lift off the throttle, there has to be some kind of force. Then I thought, what if I had a bigger engine in my car? would the force be less, or would it be more? Is there any way of putting the amount of braking force the engine can exert into a number? -Oliver

I got 21 seconds, but still couldn't believe how fast it was... That car is FAST. lol Your setup is similar to a supercharger kit offered for the z (not sure what company though) just out of curiousity, how is it on the street? Can you use pump gas? -Oliver

Your car looks great chris!! We need to have a houston z gathering when everyone's cars run... (*cough* mike *cough* ed) btw, this is Oliver, the guy that bought the zx wheels from ya! good to hear about progress on your Z! -Oliver

Great info, Since I have the two speed fan I will be looking for this switch! No more flipping on the fan manually when I stop moving! -Oliver

Is that first pic of the 1/4 panel dammaged cus of the bumper too? My whole exhaust system fell off on my b-day last year. well, from the head pipe back. I was lazy and just stuck it in the trunk and drove home without a muffler. Luckily there was no body dammage... like datsunlover said, just fab up some kind of roll pan. There are too many dents in the 280z rear panel anyways! -Oliver

I don't know how your motor blew up this time, but if it's just a HG, I say replace that and install your microtech, cus 77 ecu was what was holding you back. Thats the cheap and easy way out, assuming theres not much more to fix on the engine other than the HG. If you want some more downtime on your Z, (that seems to be the case with your z's... ) then go for the LS1 swap... P.S. - either way your car is still gonna be kicking my cars butt. -Oliver

I've seen pictures of 914 type IV engines and some of the fuel injection ones look like they have pvc runners from the heads to the throttle body, sooo... it can't be that bad right? -Oliver

Cool info, 75turbo! I think I'll try that first before I do aluminum and sheetmetal. What did you use for the plenum? When you started talking about the pvc runners and plenum it sounds like you used a 4" diameter pvc pipe as the plenum... is that correct?! It would be very cool if you could post the dimensions of your project. Maybe pictures too! -Oliver

My friend took a picture of this car over here in houston at Otto's. Just wondering if anyone here owns it. -Oliver

I want in! lol...

1 fast z, when you talk about porting the linered head, do you remove the liners? I heard somewhere this was bad... I may be wrong though. -Oliver