Dramier

I broke down and bought an RB25 instrument cluster to end the woes of trying to convert the Z31 digital dash for use with the RB25DET engine. Now all I have to do is plug everything in and fabricate some mounting tabs for the 'new' cluster. Got a couple of questions for you guys.. First off, where's the best place to get an RB20 speedo cable? (Also, are the RB25/RB20 tranny speedo cable pinion gears the same or different?) Second, just curious if anybody already has a guage template for MPH to print out and overlay or knows where I could find one.. I can do it myself with time, but figured I'd ask first. By guage template, I mean a circular pattern with the speed in MPH on it you print out on clear overlay sticky sheet and cut and paste onto the cluster.. I've seen this done on many other KM/H only guage clusters, so maybe somebody here has done this already.

LOL! Damn it Randy, why didn't you just call me? By the way, there's a 240Z for $75 here in town. Yeah, $75. Clean, no rust, no motor no tranny no interior.. Just a clean body. Perfect for a swap. Dude, just call Jessica's cell phone if you want to talk about it. Get the number from Trevor or I can PM it to you on the CSRA boards.

I registered and posted.. See you guys on there as well.

I accidently discovered the Z31 digital dash setup includes a 2.2K ohm resistor from the factory for the tachometer to function. Low and behold, this same resistor also allows my aftermarket tach to work with my RB25DET ECU. Just thought some of you might find this bit of information useful.

It was NOT an easy swap. The 200ZR mounts don't work, and you have to make all the mounts from scratch for the motor, tranny, etc. Alot of shuffling, cutting, hammering and squeezing to get things to fit.

Is it EVER a tight fit... The front clears about 1.5"... that's all. The hood -barely- closes. The tranny area had to be hammered out to squeeze it in.. The radiator was relocated almost 2" down and forward, and the center brace in the lower front was cut out completely. Thanks for the compliments guys.

Just thought I'd post and share the pictures I've already posted on several boards.. These were taken today. She's running like a champ, and now I've got a ton of non-engine work to get started on, as you can tell by the pictures.

I've been trying to find out if the fuel sender signal is processed or altered in any way by the ECU. Basically if the ECU does not effect it, then I should be able to just reconnect the wires directly bypassing the ECU and have a working guage again. Does anybody know if the RB25DET ECU or Z31 ECU has any altering or effect on the fuel sender signal? Digital dash if it matters.

This may not help, but I have a Z31 with an RB25DET swap... if ya need to know..

Everything's fine.. she's running absolutely amazing.. I'm gonna work on some pictures and video today. Oh man, I can't stress enough how much better I like the RB25's performance over the VG30... oh man... no lag, no bogging..... and unbelievable powerband pool... Yeah, I'm addicted to the RB now.

We're pretty sure the turbo was busted by slag from the welding job on the aftermarket BOV. Apparently the fools didn't clean the piping out or do it cleanly and got slag inside the piping. -sigh- What can ya do?

Didn't run any boost at all. Block came over that way apparently.

Took the intake pipe off the turbo and found pieces of ceramic impeller all busted up... So waiting for Monday for the shop to get a turbo back on it..

Just got my Z31 into my hands ready for me to get dirty.. I know very little about the engine so far, so this is a crash course for me. Here's the first two pieces of information I'm going to need... 1. Tachometer installation. I"ve got an autometer tachometer, and according to what I understand, you have to run it to Pin #7 with a 1watt 10k resistor in order to get it to read.. I also need to know the stock idle RPM and rev limit if anybody knows.. 2. I've also got a mechanical boost guage I need to tap into the manifold somewhere. I've noticed two brass nipples on the manifold already, and was wondering if those are good or there is a better place to install. I also need to know how much boost they run stock, and what lean is on stock injectors. This is just the beginning of some work, so please take it easy on me. Thanks.

Ohhhhh ho ho ho.. That's an awesome Z bro. I can't hardly wait to drive mine now.. Nice video, thanks for taking the time to share it with us.

Congrats! Got a thread on that SDS setup you're using? I'm in the market for stand-alone management and Halltech's E11V2 $1600 price tag has my wallet hiding in the dresser wimpering.

I wish I could sandwich an oil cooler and tranny cooler in with mine, but with the back to back S14 FMIC and new radiator V-mounted in the stock location, plus electric fans, there's only about an inch and a quarter of clearance to the engine pulleys. Dang you 24/26/280Z guys and your extended engine bay! hehehe.. I have thought about maybe locating it in the left or right sides of the bottom front of the car, sort of like a Talon's intercooler or the Z32 setup. but other than that, I have no idea how the heck I would fit one in on my project.

Just curious how many if any of you swapped to an RB engine and kept A/C. If so, I'd like to hear about your setup. Along with adapting the RB25's power steering setup to my Z31, I'd like to take a stab at A/C as well, but I have no idea if it's even feasible. Just figured I'd find out if anybody on here has worked with it at all.

I don't know if you're going to be able to get the RB26 to fit. I have an RB25DET in my 85 Z31 right now, and we're getting ready to crank it for the first time this weekend. That's as close as anybody in the US has gotten with this swap as far as I have been able to find. With the correct mounts, you can use any of the trannies with the car, but as far as the 26 goes, I have no idea what is different. I was able to retain the stock digital cluster, but as far as how well it works goes, we won't know until we crank the car and start running it. It seemed to work fine, but like I said, we won't know until we try it this weekend. You should have no problems getting the shift matched to the hole if you make your mounts correctly. You will have to do a little expansive convincing in the tranny area of the body. You can see pics of where my Z31 had an RB20 in it, here at: http://shenclub.org/images/Bones Don't ask why we put an RB20 in it, only to take it out.. it's a long story. I will take new pics of the running car this weekend, with the RB25DET in it, and shoot some video as well. There is one other guy claiming to have an RB25 Z31, but he doesn't have any finished pictures and flat out refuses to provide any proof that his is running/driving or finished. You will also need a driveshaft, by the way.

Definitely cleaning up the cuts. There's still some other front rust to treat and remove as well, mainly below the headlights behind the nose piece. The whole car got mostly sanded down over the weekend, and we re-dyed the entire interior, with only the dash left to do.

200ZR mounts will not work with the RB25. You have to make custom mounts. Hood clearance issues aren't a problem. Carbon Fiber 3" cowl induction hood to take care of that. Runs, but haven't put a driveshaft in to see how it really runs.. heh.

Some new updated pictures showing various parts of the work. How do you like the interior? hehehe... Notice the -lack- of hood clearance. 3" CF hood to fix that problem. I'm not going to post the individual pics here since there are 10 of them, but here is the directory. Just browse at will, but be warned the images are 1290x960 or some huge size like that. Sorry about the quality, but they are the best I could get with my PDA right now. My buddies EOS Rebel is being fixed.. bent pins.. Feel free to comment/question/advice/complain/opinion, but I may not be able to answer very quickly since I have -alot- of work left to do on the car as you can tell, in the interior section mainly. Peace. http://shenclub.org/images/Bones/ These are the same pics as on Zcar.com and Z31.com, so if you viewed them there, no need to look again.

I'm glad you mentioned that electronic cutout. I've been trying to remember the name of the company that makes them, but haven't been successful searching. Anybody have a link to those or a manufacturer?

I've got some time on my hands to figure out what I want do.. so I'll pose this question to folks on here and see what your input is... First off, if you don't know what I'm doing, here's pictures.. go look and come back: http://hybridz.org/nuke/modules.php?op=modload&name=coppermine&file=thumbnails&album=116 Now.. I'm kind of at a loss with turbo selection. Obviously I'm going to want to upgrade that stock ceramic RB25DET turbo.. But I don't know how big of a turbo I want to go, or even if I will need to. What kind of turbo and sizes have you folks ran on your RB engines, how did you feel about their performance, and what advice might you have on coupling turbo sizes with the RB's? Please let me clarify, I'm not asking how to pick a turbo, I'm asking for other people's personal experiences with RB's and upgraded turbo's. What worked for them and what didn't, etc. I have time like I said to figure out what I want to go with, so I am digging up info now. Thanks in advance. Dramier

Probably a Koyo aluminum radiator more than likely. I guess it just depends on how tight a fit the FMIC is.. Thanks for the compliments!