Gollum

Too true! My current DD is the only S130 I've ever owned with "fresh-ish" rubber. Simple 215/60/15 tire size, but they're decent proxies instead of "whatever I could find' rubber and MAN do they stick by comparison! What's sad is that the tires they replaced where still in good shape so I was kind of sad to let them go to waste... but they were 12+ years old...

Were truer words ever said? Not sure what it means to you Mike, if anything at all coming from some stranger on the internet, but you and your family will be in my prayers. Rest up, get better. Try not to get hit by ANOTHER semi. (oh come on, how many people do I get to say that to? )

Thanks for the input Sam, sounds like you're pretty much running the setup I plan to then as far as how you've got the injectors laid out. I couldn't care less about getting sequential on the secondaries, as I'll never be in low load, low RPM, or anywhere close to idle on them. As far as intake goes, I'll be making a custom intake from the ground up. I see no reason to invest the time modifying a stock intake, but then again I plan on having a fairly hot head too, so port work on any stock intake would also be necessary. The flange part is easy thanks to Ron Tyler who openly provides dimensions for the run they had made, and I've already made my own CAD file that's ready whenever I'm ready to go have it machined. From there it's just adding runners (which will just be straight, not getting super fancy), and welding the box together, which if course I'll be doing a bit different than anyone I've seen. And of course in all this process I'm also going to have to make my one exhaust manifold too... But that's all way down the road. First thing's first, getting the car back on the road again. I'll probably shoot for 300hp non-intercooled on pump gas first as a primer for me to make sure I've got my tuning down solid. One thing I'm curious about though sam, you've done all the work to go sequential, why not switch to LSx coils to simplify the ignition side of things? Seems like that way you've be avoiding a lot of hassle. That being said, if what you've got is working and you like it, why change right?

Sam ~ You're running staged injection but are they both running the same fuel source? Also, are you running both banks sequential? From what I understand, even though MS3X how supports sequential V12 operation, it doesn't support staged 6 cylinder sequential, since the banking happens between MS3X outputs versus V3 outputs. Overall I'm glad I found this thread and look forward to following where it goes, and maybe pick your brain down the road. I'm hoping to finally bite the bullet on MS this year and will most likely end up with a MS3X mostly to save time which I don't have a ton of these days. The complication for me is deciding how I want to configure it at first, considering where I want to go down the road. Eventually I'm going to build up a second L motor with staged injection, one bank being pump gas, the other being E85. A lot about what I want to do will be unconventional and I'm not even sure MS3X can control everything I want to do, but it'll get the job done one way or another. I'll probably just end up triggering the stock dizzy/ignitor/coil like a MS2 setup, just with sequential fuel, since I'll have it. Again, thanks for taking the time to write all this up, and please keep us updated.

You've got some good advice in this thread. If it were me, I'd be thrilled to see plugs that close together! You might be seeing differences as small as intake manifold flow inconsistencies. Generally if I run a plug for over 1k miles and I've got any amount of whitish porcelain I'm pretty happy with the way it's running.

Holy crap that's a heavy wine rack for 6 bottles! I've always been partial to the tables.

I've driven a couple with the wastegate stuck open, building no boost. Both drove fine... Maybe a "your mileage may vary" sticker is needed here.

You can remove the turbo from the system entirely, and the engine should still run FINE! It just won't make as much power. If it's hesitating, stumbling, refusing to rev snappy, etc sort that issue FIRST before throwing parts like a turbo at it. Also, beware, the 81 CAS is not a reliable part and has blown many-a-engine. They're fine when they work, but they can decide to get really out of spec. Just because you get it to time right at idle doesn't mean it's going to read correctly at 3,500 rpm or above. If you're going to push that motor you need to have something to verify spark at higher RPMs to confirm the sensor is in "okay" shape.

Still a wee bit far imo, but definitely close enough to not hurt you. Thanks for checking back in and showing that you're definitely on top of it.

Man these threads are getting painful to read, or is that just my jet lag? Fix the master cylinder, and then worry about getting the car in good mechanical shape. Fix any and all rust issues. Make it handle well. Make it stop well. Then worry about power. Even the T-Top S130 can weight as little as 2700 lbs in full trim, so 400hp is extremely overkill. If you just want to lay the smack down on most cars you'll ever come across, 300whp is MORE than enough. And remember, 300whp is around 350-360 at the crank. At 2700 lbs that's 7.5 lbs per HP. Can you tell me how many cars have that good of a power to weight ratio that are in production right now? Not the subaru STI. Not the Mustang GT Not the Comaro Not any honda ever made... (until the next nsx is out... still waiting.... and waiting....) The 2013 C6 corvette is 7.46 - the difference is more in the driver by that point In other words, you need to spend a good 50k+ to get even the CHEAPEST new car to that performance level, and it won't cost you 10k. But what you save in cash, you'll spend in time, PERIOD. And it sounds like you have a lot of learning to do, but you're at least aware of that and doing what you know to do in order to learn more. Good job. Keep at it. Like john said though, don't make a decision for a while.

I'm still confused as to why this wasn't answered? Sounds like you have an OEM setup, and OEM gasket thickness would be fine. If anything, running the 1.5mm gasket will hurt compared to the higher quench OEM setup... I'd only run a thick gasket on an open chamber setup.

Then the guy you bought it from is going to the wrong type of shops, and is probably going from honda tuner to honda tuner. Seems like 90% of shops that anyone driving a 1990+ modified vehicle recommends shops that speak the JDM language and have no real knowledge of enging physics/dynamics. These shops are EVERYWHERE. If you want a REAL tuner, go to the local drag races, find someone driving a sub 11 sec EFI car and strike up a conversation and find out what tuner they used, or if they tuned it themselves. Oh, and btw, DIYautotune is in your neck of the woods, though I'm not sure they'll tune non-megasquirt cars, but they're certainly people that know their stuff.

Rankin Performance Machinemore info‎ 800 Alhambra Avenue Martinez, CA 94553 (925) 372-8112 Tada Good people.

Then they're not a great tuner. That said, a lot of the best tuners have the few systems they like and that's what they tune, and don't waste customers time learning something new on their car unless it's a special circumstance. But finding a tuner that knows electromotive stuff shouldn't be too hard, they've been around FOREVER.

For a good machine shop that's not robello, look for the machine shop that's on main street in walnut creek. I can't remember the name, but I can look them up if you can't find them. They don't have a ton of datsun experience, but they're one of the best subie porters in the world, and ironically majority of the work is actually in the diesel field. All the guys there are absolutely awesome, and the owner REALLY knows his stuff and is fun to talk with. I have no doubt he won't just take good care of you and your head, but charge you fairly while doing a great job. I haven't found any other bay area shops I'd trust with a datsun head other than these guys. And remember, because they're heavy into the diesel stuff, they understand how to treat I6 heads which tend to warp differently than shorter V8 or I4 heads.

Is that the view of the ceiling from your barely open eyelids after way too much sanding, too much coffee, and nothing in the stomach to calm it all? The cheapster in me is looking at this glass table next to me saying "you know, we're moving again this year... I could re-purpose that as a dedicated head sanding surface..."

To be even more specific, yes. Though the 2 seater with the R200 is the GL model, which I don't see to many of running around. Ive been pm'ing with the OP about it since he had other questions to ask me. I gave him the list of R200 equipped models.

Oh and miles, the '79 only has the R200 in the 4 seater. He most likely has an R180. People tend to assume all 280ZX cars had the R200, probably because all the 280Z cars did, but that's not the case.

I didn't think about the angle fricfrac. A quick search found: 510: 280ZX: Looking at those pictures, if I was a buyers, I'd want to see them installed on a 280ZX before pulling the trigger.

Well then let me also state for the record, there's simply nothing "wrong" with the 240Z. For me, the biggest reason not to buy a 240Z is the price premium you tend to pay. I got into S30's because they're CHEAP, and I've seen them double in price on craigslist a couple of times now... Getting harder and harder to find those $500 low-ish rust deals.

The only "issue" with the rear end is that the semi-trailing arm design is prone to squat. In drag racing this isn't the biggest deal in the world but in road racing the squat combined with body roll causes the rear end to want to steer outwards, which takes quite some getting used to... There's lots of rally cars with this design that have made it work, but less examples on the tarmac. And guys make 300hp to the wheels all the time with the L28ET, and I've never seen one brake anything in the back end, especially if you have the beefier turbo half shafts (which mate to corresponding hubs if I remember correctly). And these guys are making well over 300 lbs, if not more like 350, which is the realm a 5.7 liter NA V8 should be around with 300hp. Only difference is that the torque of a turbo motor hits a little softer initially while snapping the clutch on a V8 can introduce a lot of shock, even at low RPM. But I still don't foresee any issues. Just find a LSD R200 if you can, or weld it if you don't mind the drawbacks.

It's all awesome stuff, but I think you might have a hard time selling it for 2k, and he's my take on it. Heim joints aren't expensive, just labor intensive to do well and takes welding skills. The brakes, though beefy, won't be to everyone's liking. They're huge, and I'm betting are quite heavy. The center fin design doesn't look terribly efficient and thus there's just a lot of wasted weight in the design, which every hardcore racer will care about. Anyone who's not hardcore is going to want something more blingy like 6 pot willwoods. The struts/coils will suffer the same fate I'm afraid, as hardcore racers know that struts that get used need to be rebuilt often enough, and springs are springs, and are a dime a dozen. And again, those that aren't studying strut dynos will probably want something with anodized threaded tubes. The REAL thing of value that I want more info on, is that diff arrangement. Looks like a modified perch for some other type of diff, and I'm really curious what type of diff it is that's pictured there. All in all, it MIGHT be worth $2k to the right person, and I can certainly agree to that if we're talking about the right time to the right buyer. Ebay? I'd expect it to go for $500 min $1k max.

Nope, it's impossible. Never been done. ....aww come on, I had to. Yes it can be done, but will require some grinding on the chassis to make things fit nicely, and if I recall correctly might require making some custom brackets. The main issue is that the front nose area of the chassis itself was changed, not just the bumper design and such. They added serious reinforcement to hold that heavy bumper way out there, and in the process made changes that make it difficult to just slap a 240Z bumper and lights on there. But yes, it's definitely doable. There's hundreds, if not thousands of people that have done it.

They reason I like the 260z/early 280z is that in all reality they're NOT considerably heavier than the 240Z. That's a common misconception. Yes there's differences, but the weight that's truly "unremovable", is where you want it. The BIG differences in weight ARE removable. Just converting an early 280Z over to 240Z style bumpers or even just running bumperless will get you really close in weight to the late 240Z. The 260Z has virtually the same chassis as the early 280Z, but you also get the benefit, if you have an early 260Z, of the lighter bumper arrangement and being very easy to turn into a 240Z visually. All in all, most changes were making the cars BEEFIER, which I like. My '75 weighed 2460 last I weighed it, and it's got the stock turbo manifold + turbo + stock downpipe. Those are HEAVY bits. I've seen plenty of show car early 240's tip the scales over 2300lbs... But I've got the R200 and a stiffer chassis to boot. And not to mention that the 280Z and 260Z can be found for a few less dollars because they're not as desirable to the collectors... I'm sure that right now my car is down under 2400 lbs, and I still have a steel hood. I'm curious though if I might even be under 2300 lbs already, as gutting my doors seems to have shaved a LOT of weight. For what I'm building, it really doesn't matter if I start with a 240Z or a 280Z, but I'm going to put off doing a cage as long as I can, because that will inevitable end up being a "how much do I tube the chassis" never ending trail. So until I do go that route, the extra mass of the actual chassis itself is very welcome.

The main issue with razor blades has to do with technique, not the tool itself. You need to keep the blade FLAT, and since they warp easily that means you need to keep the pressure minimal. This also means you have to avoid getting too much of the blade off the edge otherwise it will again... warp, and then gouge the corner of the edge you were running off of. I've scrapped several heads with just razor blades and I'm not sure I'd do it any other way unless I had access to machine shop type tools and could take just a .001 or less off. But even in that case you'd want to get it as clean as possible first so you can verify how clean it is. I'd be careful with ANYTHING assisted, be electric or air. Any type of grinder will have the ability to create low spots. The rule of thumb in this realm is that if it's EASY to get the crud off, then it's too EASY to take metal off. You're looking for something that's more of a "buffer" than a "sander/grinder". Wire wheels are a big no-no. I haven't tried the mentioned plastic wire wheels, but they sound promising if used right. I'd still hook it up to something variable speed like a dremel to be safe though.