NewZed

Who did the convertible work? You might have more body flex than a typical Z. And typically it's the rear end that sits extra high on the stock 280Z's. You said the fronts of the spring set you'll be swapping in have been cut 1" but what about the back? Lowering made my 76 feel more stable, so that won't hurt, but I cut the backs more than the fronts.

Seems more likely that you knocked some wires around when you were swapping rails, or the stock rail was damaged. The stock rail should flow plenty of fuel unless it had a bad dent or crimp in the tubes from being removed and replaced many times. Or you had a bad FPR and that was swapped along with the rail. Something's not right about your solution. (Sorry Pallnet, this post was probably worth 10 sales).

Pretty common question. Frequently asked. There's a thread for it - http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/52263-newb-project-faq-what-engine-swap-how-much-will-it-cost/ Suggestion to get more responses - get rid of the avatar.

We moved past that in to philosophy...

Stop beating around the bush and just say what you know. Are the cross member bolts 3/8-20 or not? I know something you don't know is just a kid's game.

So, you're implying that the JIS automotive standard is not based on the metric system? Are you saying that the OP's bolts could actually be 3/8-20? I'd love to learn something new, and that would be an interesting odd fact. No expert myself, but all of the threaded pieces I've looked at on my Z were based on the metric measurement system. Seems like a good, general, starting assumption that would probably help the OP in the long run. I'm still a troll...

Bernardd's post kind of illustrates the dilemma of interest vs. availability. Many might be interested in using an RB26 or M30 ECU but how many will be able to get one, within their price range. Maybe the Z32 is the way to go. You might generate some interest by spelling out the benefits, even before getting in to Nistune. Sequential injection at idle is smoother, fuel cut based on speed for low/no gas smell when coasting, MAF-based for better fuel regulation over a broader air flow range. Stuff like that. The AFM-based Z and ZX systems are so primitive that even without re-tuning the 1990's systems might run cleaner on a stock or modified L6. That's been my thinking. But that's probably what people doing the Z31 swap thought also when they started. It would nice to have an intermediate choice between the Z31 swap and Megasquirt. Interesting topic.

This may be an entirely ignorant question for the guys that know the M30 ECU work - but do you mean the M30 ECU used in the 1989-1992 Nissan Infiniti M car, or the very popular M30 ECU used by BMW? I could see both being used, with work. If it's the 89-92 Infiniti M, why not go with something lie the 90-95 Pathfinder instead, or mid-90's Maxima. There are many, many more Pathfinders out there than Infiniti M's. Just asking for clarity, for me and others. I've been looking at the Pathfinder setup for a while, partly because I have one, and the wrecking yards are packed with them.

10% better gas mileage from retarding timing seems odd. Tuning your engine with a vacuum gauge is not common, you only see what's happening at idle. Popping from the intake can be a sign of a lean mixture. You should be able to make it run smoothly within a pretty wide range of initial timing settings, like 5 to 20 degrees, so using the shop's setting and focusing on carb tuning might be your best option. Learn more about your distributor's advance characteristics - how much centrifugal advance (check the weight stamps,see if the springs have been messed with, make sure it works smoothly), and is the vacuum advance working (if it's used, some carb people don't like it). Also, are you using a stock cam or performance-modified? If the head's been swapped,who knows what's up there. If you're short on money, troll the used book stores for books on tuning Holley carburetors (they exist), and basic internal combustion engine principles. Or do the same on the internet. You're missing a lot of basic knowledge, in addition to the tools you need for tuning. Did the Holley 390 come with the Arizona Z Car package or were the two parts pieced together? Here's some text from the AZC site - maybe you're in this boat - "The recommended carb is a Holley 390CFM (model 4160 part# 8007) , normally NO rejetting is required on these. Use a brand new one (about $300) as a rebuilt one will NEVER run right, cause nothing but aggrevation, and cost you many many times the $100 you thought you were going to save in trying to trouble shoot it." Just some basic thoughts. You're starting from way down the knowledge ladder. I've been there and you can do damage if you're not careful.

If this is a Nissan 240Z or 280Z, it will most likely be metric thread. They were made in Japan. 3/8 20 is not a metric designation. Sorry, I seem to be trolling. Hard to resist.

Pardon me if this post is poorly structured, I typed the entire thing from my phone. How much did the "shop" cost, and what did you get for the money (besides an engine that doesn't run right)? Curious - what are you studying in college? Left the phone part in just because it's amusing.

I put "u-joint alignment " in the Google box and got a few good links. This one seems really well-done, nice pictures and good explanations, with some important small details, like the fact that some u-joint movement is necessary for the health of the bearings. http://jniolon.clubfte.com/drivelinephasing/drivelinephasing.html

I was joking. When I saw the cellphone comment, and the jibes at "hybridz" (the site owners and moderators) it seemed like a perspective check might help. You were deviating from asking for suggestions to pissing off the moderators. Didn't seem like a good way to go. Hybridz is still much, much easier than the other two Z forums I've posted on, classiczcars.com and yorgo.com (AKA zcar.com). You have to jump through a bunch of hoops on those sites, although they might have better linking to image hosting sites. I'm going to guess that the site operators have to choose between site security and user convenience and have chosen the safe side. SuperDan just spent a couple of weeks tracking down problems with Avast security notifications and the moderators still have to battle the Uggh boot spam poster every week or two. Good luck with it. Maybe start a separate thread specific to linking images. Since the site has evolved there might be something new out there.

You should complain to your tether holder. Seriously, we all need to be able to do more from our cell phones. Seriously. OK, not seriously. It's amazing that people are so integrated with "cell phones" that they get indignant when they can't do what they want from the phone. Apple, and their followers, have done an amazing job of creating a horde of people demanding their cell phone rights. Incredible. They've trained millions of people to believe that life with a cell phone is "normal" and anything else is weird and primitive. Step back and throw off the Apple/cell phone yoke and you'll have to agree. It really is amazing, especially for someone who's been hanging ten (old surfer term - Google it) on the technology wave, from rotary phones (those old phones with the circular dial and ten digits to choose from) to today.

I'm running a 1978 engine that sat for over 10 years, outside, in the car. It runs great, has even compression across all cylinders, and blow-by is so low that the inside of the valve cover PCV hose is as clean as when I replaced the hose. The guy I bought it from got it running again before I bought the car for parts so who knows what prep work he did before hitting the starter. Probably none. What do you mean by "open it up"? And "shaved"? A shave won't do much for you and will probably just make problems. You could just take the valve cover off and check for rust and squirt lots of oil around and in the cylinders before turning anything, if you're looking for the least expensive re-start. Rusted metal, on bearing surfaces like the cam and rocker arms, or in the cylinders, is probably your biggest concern. If you're going to take the manifolds off, you can check for rust on the valve seats and what you can see in the cylinders. A few of the valves will have been open, exposing the cylinders to moist air. Some of the seals are easy to get to and cheap, like the rear main seal, if the engine's out. Check the manifold studs for breakage or corrosion, it's easier to drill them with the engine out.

Major edit - stuck a hose in the oil sender port and blew air while blocking the filter center feed. A strong stream comes from the middle hole, but nothing from the front hole. So Tim Z's description seems right. Nissan runs oil up through the head then back down in to the block through another restrictor jet to the tensioner. So if your font jet is too open you could probably lose pressure to the tensioner. Looks to me like a finely tuned system that probably shouldn't be messed with, too many ways to go wrong.

You're right, my mistake. And I've made the same mistake before, trying to figure things out from the Engine Lubrication diagram and casting shapes on the block (I think you replied that time also). I went out and stuck a hose in the oil sender hole in a short block I have and it blows out the center hole where the filter sits. Which is also a direct shot to the oil jet at the top of the block, you can see a thin wire jammed down the jet through the oil filter center hole. There's a casting bump between the sender boss and the passage from the pump but it's not what it looks like, that 's what got me, plus the black on black diagram in the FSM.. So pumping oil in to the oil sender hole then could push oil backward through the filter toward the pump, assuming the check valve (anti-drain-back valve) in the filter can't hold 120 psi. Could be where some of the pressure was going. I don't know how much could squeeze past the pump. A rig that feeds oil through the filter center hole would mimic what the system does in use and might make things more clear, to me anyway. I don't really know much about the L6 oiling system, just giving the neophytes view, and learning a tittle bit more along the way.

Tony D brings up a good point. You're pumping the oil in before the filter. Assuming the pressure relief valve behind the filter works, it shouldn't matter much, but, who knows, maybe there's a problem at the filter area. That would starve both the head and the crank. Another thought - remove the cam and towers and see if oil is coming up through the block orifice in to the channels under the towers. It's one step back from removing the head, but should be a lot easier. If you have oil there, then the problem is probably in the towers. And, as mentioned, the other possibility is that there is plenty of flow up through the head, it's just going somewhere else before entering the camshaft and spray bars. And thanks for the puzzle. It beats Sudoku.

Another thought - since you have a way to push oil and you're thinking about pulling the threaded plug on the camshaft, you might run some oil backward from the camshaft down. Maybe there's debris blocking the jet in the top of the block and you can push it back down. You'll want to make sure you divert the oil out from the head supply channel so the debris doesn't travel down to the crank bearings. I get the impression you're avoiding removing the head so that might offer a solution. Good luck.

I have an engine on a stand (old used JY engine), with a mechanical gauge in the pressure sender hole, so went out and hooked up a battery to the starter, pulled the spark plugs and the valve cover, and gave it a spin. It spun for about 20 seconds before any oil pressure showed on the gauge. 20 seconds seems like forever watching a fairly dry cam spin with no oil supply, especially after reading threads like this one. The engine has been sitting for months since I last started it. Oil pressure finally came up to 20 psi, with the slow RPM of a gear reduction starter. Once pressure came up, oil flowed freely from the internally oiled camshaft, stock N47 head, but did not shoot out, only caused an oil bump on the cam lobe about as big as the bumps in your first video, maybe even a little bigger. Looked like more flow at 20 psi than yours. The engine wasn't even spinning fast enough to fling the oil off of the camshaft either. So, basically, at 20 psi through the oil pump, I was getting what looked like about your oil flow rate, or better. The above should give people with gear reduction starters on new engines something to think about. They don't spin fast and don't build pressure fast so the cam will be dry for a while if the engine doesn't start right up. I'd take a video but also found that the drain back holes on top of the head are pretty small and the oil would rather run over the edge, so I had to put the valve cover back on to avoid a mess. Think of it as I pumped more oil than could drain back through the small holes in the top of the head. At 20 psi. Hope that gives you more to think about. I would run your test again but at about 20 psi to see if any pressure builds in the camshaft at all. If there's not enough flow to fill the camshaft and build some pressure at idle, braking or sitting on a hill could leave one end of the shaft dry. Edit - sidenote - looking around about gear reduction starters I see that many people say that they spin the engine faster. I don't see how you can have higher torque and higher speed, that seems incorrect. Regardless, my engine was spinning slowly.

Still seems like you have too much restriction between the main head supply passage and the oil pump. Since there's a restriction at the head/block interface there should really be another measurement point in the head to show if the cam is getting proper oil pressure. Pressure is generated by restriction to flow. If you could measure there you'd probably get a low number. Did you get a pressure reading from the car's gauge, showing what it was in the main gallery, or just have 120 psi in the tank? And did you plumb in to the center port to the where the oil filter mounts to pressurize and feed the oil? Not really clear. Seems like 120 psi would blow oil all over the place, even cold, if it was the main gallery at 120.

Left side steering versus right side steering maybe? From what I've read, things seem to fit together much better on the right side cars.

If you mean the rubber sandwich mount that sits on the cross member, they're the same for the 71B type 4 and 5 speeds. I've used the same one for both, 1976 4 speed, 1978 5 speed, 1983 5 speed, 1980 5 speed. Don't know about the T5 type. The 71C 5 speed mount, like the 300ZX uses, is different. I've used O'Reilly Auto's compatibility tab on their web site, and RockAuto's alos to determine compatibility. Might help if you're still thinking.

Sorry Pb, I'm guilty of contributing to the mess in Post #37. Tried to chill things out in Post #47 and was surprised to see Tony D referring to my comments since he has me on Ignore. Maybe he is omniscient after all. Must be torture. Still, there is enough in the thread for the OP to get a little ahead of where he is. I think that he needs to learn more about what he has, for instance, what is the "unknown ECU"? Based on his comments, he might not even recognize a decent ECU if he had one. Most of the advice he's getting about EMS is way beyond his current state of knowledge, with the questions about injectors and the MSD BTM and "whats the degree of timing you have to set for around 11-12lbs of boost". Probably should have been referred directly to the Turbo FAQs for starters - http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/50208-the-ultimate-l28et-guidewhat-you-need-for-350whp/

Most axles are heat-treated after machining. So most shops would rather build a new axle than machine a used factory axle. You might be spending a lot of time and effort on something that isn't recommended and rarely done, and may be more expensive than just having a new axle built. You must have come across the threads about building new axles in your searches. On the Pathfinder axles, be aware that the aftermarket CV axle suppliers build their own in-house axles with non-factory spline counts and diameters. You may or may not have been looking at a Nissan axle.