Gollum

So for the first time in my life I'm working a 40 hour a week, full time job. Fun fun fun. Welcome to life right? Well it's not that bad I guess. Could be worse. But only in the bay area can I make a STARTING wage of $12/h and be making squat. My 280ZX wasn't running yet by the time I started, so I spent a week living with a friend who works for the same company, and we commuted together so I could save some money up to buy a car. This is what I got: Paid $1500 Has: B16A LS tranny Tein Coilovers w/1way adjustable struts 4 point bolt in bar Momo competition steering wheel Nice aftermarket rims Rear disc conversion It was a friends of mine, and he hopes to buy it back once I get my Z running, but he's still not sure if he'll want it back (he loves the car, just doesn't know if he'll be able to afford two cars). Things I needed to do to get the car running right. Install AEM intake that was loose in the bay Buy filter to fit the AEM since he sold the AEM filter Buy a battery (had been out of state for over 6 months and the battery wouldn't hold a charge) Replace Cap + rotor (would run on 3 cylinders and I'd need to pull off the cap and clean it and it'd run fine for about a day or so) Replaces Plugs and wires (since it'd been running on 3 cylinders) Adjust suspension (it's still too low, but it was insanely harsh) "Replace headlight" (ended up being a missing fuse) Pretty soon this car will be running pretty good. Still haven't set the timing since the new cap and rotor, but i'll do that this weekend. Once I get the height raised up, and the suspension set it should REALLY handle. It already gets pretty impressive G in the corner, but I think it's got another 10% in it because it likes to hop on rough pavement it's so hard. Anyways... I've still got a + that's grounding on my ZX somewhere that's blowing fusible links. I'm just now starting to get into pace for my new life, so I might be able to put some hours into finding it soon. Anyone who wants to help is welcome to. I'm seriously debating getting rid of the 280ZX and getting something pre 75' so I can do any swap I want. I really like the idea of doing a 100% budget KA25 swap in a 240Z. Or maybe a KA celica. Not sure. At any rate if he doesn't want this car back I've got one of the best daily drivers I can imagine. Hope someone cares enough to at least pop in to notice this thread. I've been off these forums for a while now and it's been killing me. I'm in the precast concrete industry now, and with the rain starting I should have lots of free time come december. We'll see. Hopefully by then I can start spending time here again.

My gawd, my pc has been OFF for 1 whole week and now he's gonna be on TV?!?! I picked a bad week to start a new job! Congrats. And these guys calling the project ghetto don't know what in the world they're talking about. Apparently anything they don't think will work is deemed ghetto it seems. I bet they would have called the moon landing ghetto...

You know, the 280Zx had a recirculating ball type steering setup (79'-81' power steering I believe). Might make the swap a bit easier for a S130 car.

I've got it on my PC. I thought someone relisted it. Oh well. If you want I can try to send it to you via aim or msn. I can also setup a torrent for it. I can also just make you a hard copy... you're not very far away. (i'm in richmond)

I trust you... how long has this been now, or should I not even ask? I've love to be there to see it running too, though I understand if limited drooling space is reserved for those you know personally. I've been following this swap since before I became a member I believe. Long time in the making, lots of anticipation.

Ok, so can someone tell me what the strange round thing is that's connected to the alternator? It has a black wire lead on it, and a ring connector on the end of the lead. Well that was on the BAT terminal with the white wire, so I moved that. So I've got a black cable on E, a plug that I can't screw up for the sensing, and a white cable on the BAT post. I'm 90% sure that's correct. When I went to see if I could still get the fusible link to smoke, to avoid wasting my last one, it wasn't smoking. But my dash still wasn't lighting up at all. Oh well I though, and plugged in the last fusible link. Turn ignition, POP!!! There goes my last one. I think I can use another wire from the other connectors, just a pita to get the spades out of the connector. There's also a white wire that splices off of the white cable running the that BAT terminal on the alternator, anyone know what that's for?

Oh snaps! Sorry warren. Sometimes things like that just slip my mind. I've got a million other threads in which it's mentioned but that doesn't means I don't need to include it here. Car is a 81' 280ZX 2 seater NA Engine, tranny, wirining for the ENTIRE car is from a 83' 280ZX Turbo 2+2

Ok, one more clue I was wrong about WHEN it happens. It's when the ignition gets to ON, one last click before start. NOT the in between when the fuel pump turns on. And I unhooked the other fusible links and the one that blew stopped smoking. Plugged in the Black wire that leads to white, and then it smoked again when I turned on the ignition, so the prioblem probably lies in that direction. So the solid white wire goes to the fuse block, alternator, ignition relay, and the accessories relay. So I'll hunt down more info on alternator wiring...

Well if I took pics would that help ya? When I went to wire up the starter and alternator I wasn't 100% sure on the wiring, so I made a trip to the junkyard and took pics and based my wiring on that. So I 'thought' it was wired correctly, but maybe not.

Ok, I'm SO close to getting my car started, and I seared here all last night and couldn't find and direct answers, so I need to start my own help thread. I really hate having to do this so much. So I've blown two fusible links now and I'm not sure why yet. I thought maybe I wired the links wrong, but I can't seem to find an error. And one of the things that make me curious is that in the FSM it shows a red and a white wire together and I'm not sure if they mean physically or not. If so then I might have mixed the white and the white w/black wire. And here you can see the one that's blown. It's going to the W/b wire in the previous pic. Another thing I find odd is that the first link I blew the dash lights came on just fine then when off when I turned the ignition off. This time no lights came on, and the link still blew after I went to the in between click before starting it, right when the fuel pump should be turning on. I guess it should be that circuit, but I can't find anything wrong with it, and just don't know where to go from here.

i know, SO CLOSE. Yesterday I put a battery in, and blew some fusable links. So I need to find out if I hooked them up wrong, if it something else is wired wrong. Other than that I just need some more gas for the tank and she should start. Talked to a tranny shop I was recommended to for driveshaft work and it should be less than $130 with balancing and such. So I'll be taking measurements tomorrow and bringing it down to them.

Can I BE any slower? Man... Well past a year now and it's still not fired up since it came out of the donor. Ok, here's the current progress. Wiring is 95% done and I could probably run it if I just plugged the injectors in. Still need a battery and a driveshaft. I've been praying and praying to find one locally, since half the expense of getting one from a state away would be shipping. I got a job that I need to commute to now, I start in about 2 weeks, so I NEED to have this on the road by then. I think I can make it, as long as things go at least semi-smoothly. The REALLY sad thing, is that I'm thinking I might not have her long before I get rid of her. I'm starting this new job and I'll be making some decent money. I'm thinking that once I've got some money saved up I'm gonna get a nice new car for a daily driver so that I can build up some credit (20 years old and I've got ZERO credit, ouch). I'm thinking about a WRX, or maybe a new STI wagon IF they ever release a wagon version of the sti here in the usa. Anyways, sad to say it, but once I've got a daily driver I'm just not sure if I want this car around for a fun car or not. Maybe for a while, but in the long run I know I'm gonna eventually build a FFR GTM. I hope to have a 240Z as well, but who knows.

Ahh... so he HAD been advertising it on the boards. I talked to him last night, it's still for sale.

Not sure if he still has it, but a guy I know on here (met him on here, now we go to junkyards together) bought a LSD 4.38 R200. He was trying to sell it, not sure if he ever did. I'm not sure if he ever even posted about it here so I'll PM you his name/email if you PM me. Maybe I should give him a call tomorrow... wish I had the money to take it off his hands.

You guys know I'm not the smartest guy in the world, and I don't have years of physics or machine shop experience to really know what I'm talking about... but I do have something else... ...I'm smart enough to tell who's smart. Nissan spends millions in R&D, toyota spends more, and mercedes makes them all look poor in the amount of money they spend. If you look at ALL of their designs over the years, their high HP and more sporty engines have LESS mass where it's NOT needed. When mass isn't needed in a piston, rod, or crank it's TAKEN OUT. Now, WHY they do it we can argue till the cows come home, but the fact of the matter is, is that companies are going through many pains to make it happen, and it's NOT for cost. The new 350Z and G35 engine pistons are A symmetrical and have LESS wall contact on the low load side of the skirt so that they can save that precious weight since it's not needed, they just need to make sure they NEVER install a piston backwards now. I'd bet the new GTR will feature similar pistons. And if the supercars are doing it, I bet there's a reason. 1fastZ has been pushing himself to learn more for a long time, about as long as I can remember on this board and have looked up old threads. He knows more about engines than I'll probably ever learn, and I don't call myself an idiot (just dumb in the light of the minds that roam this place). But I'm smart enough to know that companies don't waste millions of dollors every year on nothing.

boost isn't directly related to RPM, it's about load and throttle. You need air entering to create air exiting, you need air exiting in order to create boost. Most turbo cars don't create anywhere near full boost at cruising speeds unless they're running mild boost through most of the rpm range (like 3-7psi depending on displacement and head flow). From what I've seen even super HIGH boost cars can still get similar MPG than the same engine running less boost, so the main factor seems to be foot position, not boost quantity reached.

Sounds like the bay area... I just totally ignore drivers these days. I just assume their car must be driven by a robot because no human could possibly be so stupid. Meanwhile my brother is ready to hunt for blood every time he gets in the car, and he's not even an agressive driver, and rarely goes 80 on the freeway (which is pretty much what the fast lane does 24/7 here when there's no raffic) Enjoy the rolling rock, sounds like you've earned it.

My story isn't nearly as impressive as many of the stories listed here, but I'll share it anyway. I think it was summer of 01' and I'd just turned 14 and was starting to go to the street races in the area with friends. But maybe I should back up a bit. back when I was about 9 or so in 96' I think it was my neighbor caught the car bug. My brother had been into cars since he was in a car seat and could name cars off by make and model even though he couldn't read at all yet. This passion was passed on to me since I'm the younger brother, and so when this neighbor of ours started going from car to car to modify we took notice and turned quite a few wrenches. Well this neighbor bought his dream honda, a del sol. Before this he had a few other cars, the most memorable of which was a bright yellow rabbit that he got into the 13s and he wasn't happy with it, so out it went. So by now it's about 98' and he's got his del sol running low 13's, and he's loving it. Well, not loving it enough seeing as he bought a turbo for it and we spent a few weeks putting all the pieces together (it wasn't a kit.. haha, wasn't really a market for a full kit back then, so it was a bunch of parts he ordered that 'might' fit together). Now he's into the low 12's, and he was happy, for a short while. A friend of his had a brand new, off the showroom floor integra type r. Well, he wrapped it around a pole, like we all knew he would. So my neighbor being the guy he was, swaps the heads under the insurances nose. Well that made the car rev way nicer and was all around a better head setup and it was obvious, but still not enough. So he buys a nitrous bottle for it. Then we spend a week trying to figure out how to install this damn stuff. No instructions, no such thing as online help, and we just knew how it was 'supposed' to work. Got that car into 10's finally... And then he melted a piston... That was my major car experience as a child, that del sol. It was a fun little car, though not really my idea of a perfect car. So fast forward and I'm now 14, going to street races with a different friend who's into hondas as well, though this is getting to the point in time where everyone seems to be into hondas. Well at one street race a 350 powered Z shows up. I don't even know what year/series it was, but who cars. It was loud, obnoxious, and fast despite the bald tires that made the car look like it was on ice. Well when the fast and furious craze hit I'd had enough, and left that scene entirely. I didn't want to be around a bunch of idiots that would get me killed, so I stayed home from the races since. Once I was 15 and getting around to getting my permit and such, I needed to figure out what I wanted to buy. Well my parents aren't made of money, and I didn't have much in the way of work, so I knew it had to be cheap. And that night at the races came rushing back. "what else could you fit in that engine bay if a 350 fits in it?" I thought to myself. And I started looking around for Z info, and came across this website. One of the first cars I saw was a jav V12 Z and my jaw hit the floor. "Holy mother of all crap, good god how can you fit that beast in there" I thought as it occurred to me that this might very well be one of the best budget race cars you could buy, since it seemed limitless in potential, and just limited to you wallet. Well, I was young, and stupid. I looked around a lot and found several S30 cars I wanted to buy, but all out of my price range. Ended up driving up to redding to buy a 80' 280ZX for $2000 (about $800 too much, maybe more). I was 16 at this point, and it was my second car. First one was a hand me down old integra, blaa... Well, this ZX was in great shape it's just that the e-brake cable would stick, so I just left it in gear everywhere I went. Well, one night while I was away from the car, it popped out of gear. There wasn't any curbs, just rounded excuses for curbs. So it rolled about 50 feet down the hill and across the street into a tree. It'd made a full 90 degree turn so the wheels were turned well enough. By some miracle no windows broke, and I just had to bang the wheel well out to make it drivable again. I drove it like that till I found a 81' 280ZX for $500 that didn't run. But mine ran so I didn't care, I'd make it work. Well that car had head issues, and my other car is long gone (sold it for $250 to a junkyard). So now I find myself looking for a turbo donor for my car. And I found one from a HZ member. I overpaid, and I knew it, but he needed to pay for college bills, so I was willing to spend the $500 more than it was worth on it. It was a fully running car, so maybe I didn't overpay THAT much, but this engine is over 200k so it's not like it's in mint condition. So for the last year I've been doing this swap, and it's almost done. If I spent more time working on it and less time on this website maybe it'd be done by now. Pictures of the three: First one Second one when I got it home Second one at a show after it was on the road And the new donor car with my turbo baby Without this site I don't think I would have owned a single one of these cars. Well, maybe I would have, but I definitely wouldn't have learned so much, that's for sure.

I never said that. What I'm saying is that just because it doesn't have to be inspected doesn't mean you can legally change things. If you ever get pulled over and you have a cop that knows what he's looking for (which is VERY common here in the bay area) you get a fix it ticket that's really hard to get around, unless you can swap your motor back in a matter of days, and the cop also has the right to take your vehicle away without question, send it to the impound with no hope of you getting it back before they crush it.

That's a nice manifold, top notch to say the least. Love how the pressure equalization tubing makes a stock dizzy kinda impossible to use. Who cares if you're running edis right? Looking better and better. Really excited to see/hear this thing run, even if it's only video. I can't even imagine the words to describe how eager I am to see dyno numbers once it's running and any/all kinks are worked out.

If you really want to know about it, go read the smog related threads, there's truckloads of information. But the short answer is that NO car is SMOG exempt, just TEST exempt. Pre test cars still need to be 100% legal, there's just no testing to make sure of it. CA smog isn't as much about test numbers as it is inspection. Most of their work revolves around looking for all of the smog equipment on the ENGINE THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE IN THAT CAR. And the side pipes thing... It's not legal if they're over a certain dB limit, regardless of year.

He's in CA and trying to stay legit, that's really really hard honestly.

The peak torque isn't much better, but it's got a much broader torque band giving you more usable power. Imho, if you're gonna be on mountain roads just having fun then you want as large of a torque range as you can get. Sure high RPMs are fun and all, but having a huge torque range means less shifting and more enjoyment of the drive. Turbo 4 cylinders have loads of torque, just gonna stay out of the low RPM in wich you encounter lag. Shouldn't be a problem unless your gearing is too high.

No offense, because I like the cars too, but they probably thought it was a pos car. It was probably donated by some old lady.

Actually the VQ35HR DOES come in the USA. I think it is in the G35, but I know for sure it's in the 07 350Z. I'd imagine the F22C and F20C are identical when it comes to tranny compatibility. The two motors are only mildly different because honda wanted more torque out of the motor, so they increased the displacement slightly. The blocks are identical to my knowledge.