Gollum

The 1UZ has major limits that need serious attention. The heads are small and thus don't flow massive amounts. The stock internals although very strong need attention. The pistons need to be changed for sure, stock ones are only good for 500hp or so. (some have seen 600 on stock internals from what I gather). The heads are pretty much gonna cap out around 400NA hp and will keep up with the stock bottom end for turbo usage. Major head work would need to be done to get one over 1000hp The 1UZ is up to the challange, but no offence it sounds like it's not the route for you. It would involve lots of work with various machine shops to have GOOD headwork done, custom grind cams made, custom (or modified) intake, ect. The list goes on. There isn't much aftermarket support for these motors, they have potential, but the market hasn't caught yet. The newer VVi motors have different heads with MUCH better port designs that are similar in design the 2jz ports. I don't know why you're so concerned about stock bottom figures. Even supra guys rebuild with stronger parts if they push over 800 reliably (unless they're the insane type going for bragging rights). The ONLY motor that i've seen dig well into the 1000hp range on a stock bottom end was a 03 cobra DOHC motor. And i've seen people destroy motors at 500hp because of mildly off tunes. It IS that imperrative that things be built RIGHT. The guy i'm reffering to with over 1000hp had ported heads, wild cams, completely aftermarket (kenny bell) supercharger, fully aftermarket EFI, ect. This was no mild build. You can't just start upgrading the force induction system until you reach the HP you want, you have to build everything for the hp range you want. The only other motor that i've ever even seen into 1000hp is the 2jz, and i've seen those blow at lower HP numbers as well... So I say stop even considering the "stock internal" limit numbers beucase it's irrelevant to you. Just beucase one motor maxes out soon on a stock bottom end doesn't mean it's not a good option. Maybe that car had crappy stock pistons and will actually reach your goals easier and cheeper. My advice to you is look for the people with the HP range you want with the motors you're looking into, then find out how much they spent. THEN you can figure out what you want to go with. (also look into how often they're performing maintainence on thier car)

It's kinda hard to see in the pics, but did you have to remove the power steering or was it left in? I'm considering the VG30ET swap as opposed to a 1uzfe swap since it's smaller, more likely to fit, and around the same price (if not a bit cheeper). Makes slightly less power than a 1uz and prolby isn't as reliable, but it's dimensions make it a much better cadidate. Keep us updated on the project please.

Good point, this theory could explain why it's so sparatic. If it's dependant on vehicle speed, wind speed, wind direction and engine load then there are too many variables to cause it to overheat at the same rate all the time.

Hmm, makes sence. Although it doesn't answer ONE question I have that I think is odd. Usually temps will go down to normal once i'm driving a good speed (once air is flowing obviously), but sometimes even at freeway speeds it's not enough too cool the car down. I was under the assumption that at freeway speeds a fan is basically useless since it won't create airflow moving faster than the 60+ mph wind being generated. Am I wrong? (don't be afaid to say i'm wrong, admitting your wrong is the first step to learning something, and I really am seeking to lear something here)

Point taken for sure needforz, but it just seems odd to me that I can go from 1/4 temp on my guage to 3/4 temp in less than 20 seconds... doesn't that seem odd? Many times it overheats seemingly far too quickly to be fan related. I don't think a fan will magically cause the cooling system to work 1,000% better. But hey, I'll admit to the maniac part As stated before i'll order one monday. today and tomarrow the schedules too tight to put it back on and I wouldn't want to put it back on just to take it odd again teusday.

Ok, more details. 1. The water pump gasket blew a couple months ago so I replaced the pump and gasket then. The overheating problems started after this. 2. I'm 99% positive it's not the head gasket. I've dealt with head leaks in the past. The coolant as been 100% clean when drained and same with the oil (changed 350 miles ago). 3. When I finished the water pump I decided to not put the fan back on, I'd planned to buy an electric but money has been tight. In theory if it WAS the fact that i'm not running a fan then it should overheat gradually, not quickly wich is the ONLY reason I've come here for help. If the problem had ever seemed like a gradual overheat issue I'd just buy a fan and go from there. I'm having a friend of mine (who owns a shop) order me a universal 10" electrical fan monday (i'm going to do some more research here on HZ and see what other people are running). So i'll be able to pick that up teusday and install it. Hopefull if I'm really luck that will be the only issue. I might also pickup a new radiator cap while I'm out since they're not very expensive. Now, in the 3 times i've flushed the fluid I havn't jacked the car up to release air from the system. My driveway however is at about a 40-45 degree angle. Would this be sufficiant? I don't remember ever running it with the cap off while it was in the driveway so that's a possability. On a final note there is the standard white exhaust in the morning while the car is cold (doesn't smell of coolant at ALL) then once the car is warm there is no visible smoke. I just need to avoid all this drama and find me a L28et

Thanks for the help guys. I just changed the thermostat about a month ago (after overheating problems started) and the area seemed very clean and i'm 90% sure I put it in the same direction as the old one (someone else I know suggested maybe I put it in backwards). I'll do the fluid movement check that iaconsultants mentioned to see if it's showing different states. Is it possible that the only water I'm loosing is from boiling the water and loosing coolant in steam form? Or would that not be able to burn off a quart a week? Becuase I've checked for leaks and can't seem to find any. My only idea is maybe i'm loosing coolant under load, wich I can't simulate with the car sitting wich means I can't look for coolant leaking. Again, thanks for the help. I'm gonna work on it some today and see how it goes.

then why is the thermostat on the top? All the cars i've worked on previously (not a huge variety I should add) draw coolant from the direction that the valve is located to let it in from that location.. Hmm, time to take it out and make sure it's functioning and installed correctly then.

Ok, i've been overheating on and off for a while now and I think i'm on the brink of finding the culprit. Symptoms: Start car, everything is fine. I can drive about 5 miles or so with no problems. Temp guage stays bellow half way. Once car starts to get warm the car starts to overheat RAPIDLY. IF I open the hood in a hurry and open the rad cap (with towels ontop of it of course) much air comes out, then maybe a small amount of coolant. Once I put the cap back on the temp goes back down to normal and is stable. The pump pulls from the top right? It seems to me I'm getting air into the system somehow wich means the coolant level is too low to reach the intake hose correct? Could this simply be a bad rad cap? I've never changed it and i've been driving it now for about 1 1/2 years. On a final note I love you hybridz and you guys always seem to be able to make up for my huge ignorance.

Let me be the first one to say I don't have a ton of racing experience behind me, and most people on this site can out fab me so it's not like i'm some great mastermind here. But it seems you could save more weight by going VERY insane with hole cutting and then reinforcing the remaining sheet metal with CF (formed over the metal then rivited to the sheet seems like the most logical way to do it to me). CF isn't TOO hard to make from what I've seen (compared to what you're already doing) and we all know about it's strengths. Sure it'd be adding weight, but you could remove more weight and it should definately add some serious rigidity. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't weight only most of the battle? Isn't it also partially about weight/rigidity ratio? Shouldn't two cars with the same weight and power be identical in cornering speeds unless rigidity is vastly different? In the end though this might get horribly expensive. But it's a thought. Overall I love what you've done and I think it's a great idea for the extreme track minded.

Holy crap... you guys have it worse than I though in australia. Sounds almost as bad as california. But it sounds like you're still allowed to do a lot, and they're just strict about making sure every thing's done right, correct? Here in CA nearly ALL parts are illegal unless there CARB certified, and for companies to put their parts through the certifications process for CARB is counter productive because it costs them so much and they can't guarantee enough sales in JUST california. So a large majority of parts aren't ever certified leave our poor state out of the loop of performance parts. This is actually the main reason I'm gonna HAVE to do a motor swap in my ZX. Any mods would be illegal since not many modern parts made for the L28 are CARB certified. I'd have much better luck with something like a 1UZ that I can easily mod to get 300HP out of without noticeable mods. In light of all the issues you might have good luck with the inspections 280ZX racer.

The SC is the "rear sump" the LS is front sump and the GS is mid sump. Those are just the US names though, I know they wear different names in other parts of the world. It's either 97' or 98' they changed the motor to a VVI motor with different heads. It's still a IUZFE though, but there isn't as much done with these in the way of motor swaps beucase they're harder to find and more expensive, and most people aren't looking for the potential that they offer. Yea, there's a company that makes trans adapter plates for all sorts of trannys for the 1UZ, but they're in australia, so shipping for me and other people outside of that country can be a pretty penny. When I do the swap (if I do the swap) i'll go with a auto and change out for a manual later.

Only downside to the f20 is that it's the most expensive 4 cylinder honda motor to build. Simply becuase of it's popularity and it's age among honda motors. But it is an awsome motor, I just wish I could find one that isn't insanely market up.

But my point is that the W16 makes 1000hp and passes regulations, a record to my knowledge for any production vehicle. They could have just made a V8 of the same displacement (488 ci) and got the same power with two turbos, but as most people know smaller chambers tend to be more efficiant and the W16 setup is a good use of space. The concept seems great to me, make the block a little bit bigger and get much better diplacement CI to block cast CI.

But it's still a much smaller weight package though. I wouldn't be suprised if the new 24v VR6 is heavier than the L28, but it has more displacement and could sit quite a bit farther back. The B series peaks my interests........ I can get B series motors for really cheep and I know several people that drag them on a serious basis so I've got the connection to make a powerful one... Hmm, something for me to keep in mind I guess.

Ok, there's lots of FWD cars out there with VR6 motors.. but anyone consider them for a Z car. I really like thier idea, it's practically a inline 6 motor and VW was just smart enough to figure out how to make it more compact. The idea is SO solid that they used it for thier bugatti brainchild the veyron with a W16 (dual inline 8's based of the same VR6 concept). It should fit nicely, and sit WAY far back, making a midship almost possible without major modification. It has tons of power potential and there's lots of aftermarket support for it. I mainly post this becuase I know there's lots of people here that have been around VR6 motors and you guys will know how good of an idea this is right off the bat. Note: Yes i've searched and i'm still searching to see if this has come up in the past, but all the the search results I've come up with so far are for FWD application.

I've seen it in person... And yes it does looks that silly. I'm not saying it's not cool, but it's just odd. Doesn't suprise me he's a jerk though, seems like people with projects of high calibur like this are either super cool or super rude. Kinda wierd the way that works.

A house for 120k?! Not here... dumps start at 300k here I've fallen in love with the new W16 that bugatti made. Dual inline 8.... drooooool. But they're probly even MORE than 120k for a motor...

I'm pretty sure he used the rear sump version. Or at least I think that's what he told me. I'm gonna try to get some dimensions on the pan on the 1uz from the SC400 (rear sump car) so I can be sure of where it's placed.

See, I told ya people would be interested FWI For HZ memebers I'm 90% sure I'm going 1uz for my motor swap. I've got some location planning to do before I invest in parts but it looks like the best option for me. So I started surfing the lextreme forums again and found 280zx racer's project and told him he should post his project here So again, thanks for letting people know 280zx racer. People out there really want to see his. The ZX cars are a fast growing market as good S30s get harder to find, and cheep S130 cars easier to find. For reference. His 2+2 is right hand drive so the brake booster is in a totally different location. The USDM cars will have a much larger hurdle to overcome if you want to get the motor that close. but if you move it too far forward the stock headers "might" hit the power steering. There might be room, but it'll be tight. Like I said, i'm still trying to figure it all out. The sump seems to be another source of headache as even the "rear" sump motors are semi center sump. I might try to find a 1uz that's not running for like $200-300 or something so I have something to measure with. Wrose case senario you do what 280ZX racer did, custom cross member. (correct me if I'm wrong 280zx racer). You'll have to move the brake booster if it's left hand drive or just set the motor a little farther forward. Mounts don't seem too difficult since the stock mounts should adapt nicely, just not in the stock ZX location. One of the big reasons I want to do this swap is I want to do something that hasn't really been done before. 280ZX racer is the only person I've found on the net with a 1uzfe in a 280ZX. And I still only know of one other 1uz in a S30 Z car, but there's more likely to be more of those around that are unknown. If I do go through with this it will all the documented very well. Lots of pictures and journals. But I'll be starting this winter at the earliest and possible not till last next summer, as I kinda want to start on other areas as well, such as brakes, suspension, rims, fender flares, paint, ect. We'll see what order things happen.

yes i'd seen that michelin tweel a while back and hadn't heard anything about it in a long time. But in my previous post I was just saying a high performance race rim would yeild much greater gains.

Well the origonal idea is that you're not only saving unsprung weight, but you're also saving rotating mass. Looking back at this thred though I think a much more worth investment of time and money would be to find some rims that are 100% structual ONLY that might look dumb but use every ounce for strength, not looks. That should save you alot more weight and would be just as useful as removing tire weight. Although, this whole idea wouldn't even matter unless you were running an ultra light flywheel, carbon or aluminium driveshaft, ect. Basically, this would be one of those extreme "what else can I do" type things. But the pressure consistancy is what pushes me away from it more than the time limit issue.

don't feel TOO bad. I wreacked two cars in a 6 month period. One was a stupid, I rearended some who was turning beucase the person I was behind (big suv) changed lanes last second and almost clipped the bumper of the turning car. I was then forced to slow down from 45 mph in less than 40 feet. The car slide and that's all she wrote. The cops didn't hold be liable for the accident, thus it's not on my record. The second I was stopped at a 4 way stop and had a driver hit me HARD. Trunk was demolished and his radiator was leaking everywhere. He decided to run, me and some other viligantes (witnesses) fallow him and the cops get him. Turns out he was DUI. This was over a year ago and I just signed papers confirming my story. I don't have to go to court but he'll be in court for the incident soon and who knows what the outcome of that will be. My point? Sure, in theory I could have avoided both, but my luck was just nasty either way. The worst part is that nobody wanted to let me drive thier car the next several months.

From an article I read in popular science there's well over 50 designs out for tide/wave power plants. Any they're not all based on the same idea. It's amazing how many different ways engineers are arroching this. The problem in the past hasn't been getting it to work, but getting it to last. Most of these plants were designed to be efficient and once a huge storm came by it would serious damage things. In a storm the engery of the ocean rises dramatically, can you imagine a windmill in 300MPH winds, because that's not outside the question for water. The energy differences between a normall day and a storm is insane. So modern engineers are starting to think outside the box to come up with bright ideas on building a plant for strength and durability first, energy creation second.

yea, it's amazing how east it is to get up to 500hp with those motors. And how little it actually effects drivability. I think alot of it has to do with the weight of the car. Cars are generally alot heavier nowdays. I'm sure there are many factors though. I also just noticed you're in the bay area, wich means I bet i've seen the car around. Sorry for the thred hijack. Thred salvage: I also go the baseball games every now and then. I really do enjoy it even though I usually spend 80% of my time there conversing with others about my many other hobbies. So does that count?