FricFrac

Are you going with the Z32 tranny?

Pretty much done with the head now. Lapped the valves in and hot tanked the head. There's one seat that has a nick in it we'll try to polish out then a quick clean and install the valves and cam. Had the old piston wrist pins pressed out and the new pistons and wrist pins installed. Sent that to the machinist which is the only machine work so far for a total of $62. Pistons are installed and started painting the block. One coat of primer over the old paint and a coat of semi gloss black engine enamel.

Yes I've done all the head and manifold work myself. I've been reading on HybridZ here for three years before I dove into my first engine build. I like learning how stuff works then adapting that knowledge to my own applications. I can't find anyone that's Mega Squirted and turboed a Z22 yet (although I'm sure they are out there). Most guys turf the NAPS Z head but I think it will work well for a boosted application. We'll see I can only be better than a stock L16.... I hope....

Square head ports meet round manifold ports

Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner! Well it looks like with some fairly aggressive but doable porting the KA24E manifold will work with the NAPS Z heads - woohoo! There is lots of material on the head on the sides of the port - just have to be careful on the bottom as it looks like that's where the water passages for the head reside. The log manifold is cast so there is lots of material to work with. I must say this manifold looks very nice and I suspect it will flow well. It's not optimal but with the large runners but smaller volume than a tubular manifold it should spool quickly (which means more power under the curve). The only place on the manifold that isn't smooth is the entry into the turbo flange which I'll clean up with the die grinder. I made templates for both sides and marked off where the material needs to be removed to match everything up. Looks like it was made for the Z22! I'm hoping the offset top mount will clear the strut towers. I looks like it should be fine but I won't know until we get there.

440cc injectors!

Best budget install is take the rear bins out and remove the whole sheet metal bracket that the speakers mount into. Use a foam tape where the sheet metal mounts to isolate any vibrations. Put foam tape around the lip of the storage bins for vibration as well. Once you have everything reinstalled you can use expanding foam to "seal the box". A 6 1/2" speaker will mount in the stock holes without trimming. You might need drill new mounting holes for the screws but that's about it. The speakers actually sound remarkably well behind the seats. I agree this isn't the optimal setup but it's much improved over stock!

If you are doing a mandrel bent exhaust it's silly not to run a 3". As little restiction as possible is what you want for a turbo system even if you are running a stock turbo. You'll find it's a challenge to run the exhaust over the rear crossmember. You know you'll need to get a custom bent exhaust as there are no mandrel 3" exhaust for the 280ZX. I like the Walker Ultraflows as they have some of the best flow numbers out there. Get an oval can if you want it quieter and a round can if you want it louder.

Those with power locks only have a solenoid on the passenger side so if you are hooking up an alarm you'll need a second solenoid hooked up to the driver side to lock the doors with the alarm.

I run 17x9.5 -19mm on all four corners with rolled fenders no problem - I'm sure you can get 10" to fit...

The fuel pump control module controls the fuel pump. The '81 didn't use one but the '82-83 did. What harness and year ECU are you running? I bypassed the fuel pump control module on my car simply by grounding the output to the fuel pump but I'm running Mega Squirt.

After spending a few days researching I think I might have a solution to my turbo manifold question - as in what am I going to run for a turbo manifold. Someone mentioned that the KA24E exhaust layout was the same as the NAPS Z head. From what I can tell it looks like it will work but there isn't any way to tell without seeing it up against the head. I don't have access to a manifold and I hate to order parts without knowing for sure but I found one for a good price and if it doesn't work there are a ton of S13 guys around who would probably buy it. The exhaust outlet on the Z22 is oval(ish) whereas the manifold for the KA is round so I'll have to do some port matching one way or another which I would have done anyhow. The other question since I had the option was log or tubular manifold. After much deliberation I went with the log manifold as it will spool faster because of the lower total volume inside the log manifold. There is also less thermal loss in the log manifold compared to the tubular which also helps spool more quickly. While spooling doesn't give you more power it does give you more power under the curve. The log manifold is top mount and it's offset towards the front of the car which should keep out of the way of the strut towers.

Some of the 280ZXs have an idle air bypass that has a bimetal valve in it. It uses both coolant and electronically heated control. I just used the electronic hookup as I found the hot water doesn't regulate as well.

Sounds like grounding and noise issues - possibly ground loops. What is your grounding setup?

Yuck don't use a 30 year old connector to fix a 30 year old harness if you don't need to! I have complete repair kits and the proceeds for the next one are going to charity. I'll send you a PM.

Parts back from powder coating L16b oil pan for the conversion. Valve cover is bright red - for some reason it's bright orange in these pictures

Woohoo! Parts! ITM hypereutectic pistons, bearings, gasket set, Melling M111 high volume oil pump, chain guides, ARP head and rod bolts, etc

You might think the wheels suck but it's a nice fitment - more info please!

Cool - thanks for the pointer. Definately worth researching. I heard the same thing about the Z24 block and one of the water passages getting it pinned if they crack.

Z24i optical dizzy with a modified L28ET oil pump spindle - voila!

It's an interferace fit - they aren't going anywhere. Just like the gear pressed onto the shaft from the factory.

Didn't get a spindle with my Z24i dizzy so I had one "made up" from an L28ET (which is too long) with the optical dizzy (eg not an '81 with the CAS). Sleaved for a nice compression fit. The original stock dizzy spindle beside the modified one.

For my flat black '69 2dr 510. Now to sacrifice a 240Z Hotwheel for the 240Z keychain

Just had this problem with my 280ZX. Completely rebuilt the climate control system last year. Just started using the car and no heat. Long story short turns out the vac lines going to the vacuum pump were split - vacuum leak. Cut half an inch off both lines and it works great!

Why do people think running thicker oil which raises the oil pressure is a good idea? It's not the pressure that's important it's the flow - getting the oil to where it needs to be then getting rid of it and replacing it with new incoming oil. Grease will give you REALLY high oil pressure but I don't think it will do your engine much good.