Chewievette

About the only other option to offset grinding the crank is having a new one turned from billit. From the research that I have done this is the only practical way to have a one-of crank made, casting and forging are better for full or limited production. Just remember that you can do anything you want as long as your pockets are deep enough! Personally I think a bit of boost on the stock engine would do wonders. But thats just me.

Is anyone here familiar with casting engine blocks? I have been developing my own engine for quite some time now and I need to know a bit more about casting a block. I either need to learn how to do it myself (preferred) or have someone do it for me. Either way I need to know how its done so that I can design the block. I know a lot of them are done using sand casting but how are sand molds made? Any help would be appreciated, Thanks!

Yes! The hoops would be tall enough to be functional! Even though this car wont be raced It will be going down the highway at considerable speed and the more protection the better! VinhZXT- Are you talking about the first pic when you talk about the rear being too short because that first drawing I did is the Only one that is 100% freehand the rest I traced the outline of a real car and then drew in my mods. So all of them except the first should be fairly accurate. I dont think I put my newest drawings up on my cardomain yet, I'll do that in a minute. If I do end up chopping the top off I will be doing some Major reinforcement work before I cut anything! Those hoops are built into the structure which consists of a spaceframe style backbone running down the center of the car and beefier frame rails. the backbone would tie into the rear structure at the roll hoops and extend further into the back end of the car. The front of the backbone will tie into a reinforced firewall and the front suspension. Basically It'll be like a roll cage only less visable. I have some drawings completed of this but I havn't had the time to scan and post them yet. Edit - I just updated my Cardomain for anyone who whats to check it out there.

Is it this one or does another car have it too? This pic is where I got the idea from. (and the center stripes too) The scheme with the large ZXR would get other "racing stickers" applied as the parts are installed on the car. but now that you mention it, it does look a bit ricer to me as well.

Fresh off the drawing board! I just finished the next round of pics this time my mind was on graphics, I didn't do too many body mods to the car but I did try to represent the fender flares with shading, I think it ended in miserable failure but that's just me. As you can probably tell, I took the ZXR theme and started running with it. I still have some more images swirling around in my head and a few different colors combos not revolving around blue, white, or silver. Let me know what you think. (sorry for the bmp file type, the conversion to jpg really killed the color) First one is Silver with Black, Red, and Orange stripes (the orange didn't show up very well) I lightened the area around the logos so it would be easier to see, the real car would be solid black. Also the center stripe on all of these cars would be painted to match the side stripes. The second one is White with Black, Lime green, and Medium Green stripes. Third is Medium Blue with Black and Light Blue stripes. This last one is more racing inspired with the Huge ZXR script, I wanted something that stood out a bit more. Colors are the same as the stock ZXR paint scheme.

My car is a 280ZX and I want Twin turbo, it would be unique.

My main reason for doing this is because I want to run something that no one has done before. I just want my car to be unique, I'm sure some of you can understand that. I started this line of questions to see if this was possible and if it was something that I'd like to do. I'm always hearing about huge horsepower gains from diesel and when I found out that you can bolt one into the Zcars I said to myself Why not? But now that I know the truth I'm not so enthusiastic anymore. Like I said before I may just run gas because from what I've heard so far, its easier. and probably cheaper too.

That's why I'm asking these questions! I cant learn if I dont ask. I've got the basics but apparently I need to learn the middle stuff before I can go onto the specifics. All this arguing and bringing up what seem to be odd points has really got me starting to think about going back into my little gasoline powered corner. I just want to be different, If this wont work with my current skill set and I cant figure out what I need to know then I may just give up, but not quite yet. I have to finish this train of thought before I push it aside and move to something else. I still have a lot of bodywork to do before I get to my engine so I have a bit of time to learn. Perhaps you could provide some links to websites that can help me understand the principals and theory of diesel engines? Especially those that relate to turbocharged diesels.

If my guess is correct using the HKS 2mm will drop the compression into the 18.5:1 area which is apparently right where I want it. Now the question is if the HKS gasket can take it? My impression was that this is a racing gasket which would lead me to lean twards yes, however I dont know of any other solution so I guess I'm stuck with it. That is unless one of you have a different solution.

Exactly as I suspected, unfortunately. So what can I do to the engine to reduce the compression ratio?

Well, I've been playing with the numbers and talking with the guys on a couple of diesel forums and here's where I'm at. The stock LD28 engine has a comp ratio of 22:1 and this is normal for a N/A diesel but to turbo charge it I need to reduce the ratio. I think that I can do that by changing out the pistons, The L24 and L26 pistons with a .060 overbore are the correct size for a drop in replacement. Problem is that I need to find the pin height and the rod length of the LD28 before I can set the rest of the specs. I also dont know what type of piston pin the LD28 has. I'm starting to think that going out and getting a Diesel Maxima manual would be very helpful. I'm not giving up on the sequential setup yet, I just need to do more research. I take it the Cat style turbo setup is totally out of the question due to the fact that I'd rather not overboost the engine, correct? and if SS-Z31 is correct then this might be totally out of the question because if the cat style setup is out of the question, then some sort of custom manifold will have to be made.

So basically what this is coming down to is either go single turbo, independant twin turbo, or leave to turbo out of the picture all together (at least until more R&D can be done) Personally I REALLY like the idea of twin turbos on a diesel, aka totally unique, even if it has to be independant. The whole reason I wanted to do the sequential twin turbo was so I could use the bolt on exhaust manfold but if it's going to be a major pain and I have to use a custom manifold anyways then I might as well run independant for simplicity. On a side note, would it be wise to run an intercooler on a turbocharged diesel? I always thought that the added heat would help combustion, but now that I think about it, too much heat is also bad.

Similar but no where near the same. Check it out, bottom of the page: http://www.showcars-bodyparts.com/280zx.html

Well maybe I'm getting the name wrong of something. but THIS is what I'm talking about... This is a Caterpillar C15, I know my engine is no where near the same in size or volume, but this is the turbo setup I'd like to run. Air comes into turbo 1, then is ported directly into turbo 2 then into the intake manifold. Exhaust comes out of the manifold and goes into turbo 2, then the exhaust is directed into turbo 1 and out the downpipe. I cant really tell if one is bigger than the other from this pic or any of the other ones on Cat's website but I know this is a fairly common setup on Big Rigs. I havn't a clue if this setup is practical for my little 2.8L but just so we're all on the same page, This is what I'M thinking of.

Acctually it didn't answer any more questions than any of the other 2.8L' date=' 3.0L, or 3.1L buildup articles that I've read. Problem I'm finding is that no one addresses building up and installing a diesel engine. I'm going to keep looking for most of today but I still havn't found anything useful. Fuel economy is one of the big reasons why I want to use the diesel. I travel a lot and in the summer it stands a pretty good chance that the ZX will come with me, the better the economy the better my wallet feels! I also think it'll be cool seeing the reactions on people's faces when I start it up!

I think its funny how racecars evolve like that. Every race they are a little different. so I'm not totally surprised that this one has some drastic changes. Some more pics: I Love the paint scheme on this one! Definately ZXR inspired. Notice the "ZX" on the rear quarter panel? (could use a bit of color though)

I've been tinkering with a couple of ideas over the last few days. I had planned on swapping a BMW V12 into my 280ZX but recent events have got me looking more seriously into upgrading the motor that I already have, or swapping in something similar. I want to do something not entirely custom, like the v12 would be, but still something not many have seen before. Since this car will mostly be a showcar and weekend cruiser, Power isn't at the top of my list. Something around 300-400hp would be great. The other day while looking at stroker motors I got to thinking why not just swap in the diesel LD28? I've been searching the forums because someone said the diesel swap has been done before but I havn't been able to find anyone that has done it. I am confident that I can make the mechanical aspect of the project work seeing how it is mostly bolt up. but I cant seem to find any info about the differences between Gas and Diesel fuel systems. What kind of mods would I have to do to the car's fuel system? I expect that I'll have to replace all the seals but what else? Will the pump be up to the job? How about the filter? Do I need a different one or would simply replacing with a new one be okay? I also heard that the same people that have been putting diesels in also Turbo them. While the stock single turbo is great, I would really like to try a sequential twin turbo (one small turbo and one large turbo), mostly because I haven't done it before and it has always facinated me. But trying something like this has left me stumbling around in the dark. What will determine the size of the turbos, in relation to each other? One is obviously smaller but by how much? I have some more specific questions but I'll save those for when I start to refine the idea. My other questions concern the engine. I've always heard that Turbo engines need lower compression but diesels require a rather high compression. On a turbo diesel does the high compression have priority or does the boost from the turbo make up for it blancing for more N/A range numbers? I'm also trying to decide if I should just swap in the LD28 and go from there or should I build up an L28 turbo block with LD28 parts? I hear the F54 turbo block is the strongest but would going to the hassle of all the parts matching be worth it in the long run for a medium power show car? I'm also concerned about the car's ignition system and how it should be modified for diesel, I imagine I'll be replacing most of it with the system from the Maxima. Also the electronic controls for the engine might be a problem, should I plan on taking the whole harness out of the maxima? What else I'm I missing? I'd appreciate any help you can provide. Thanks

The first picture I posted shows the body I'm trying to find out more about, so far I know it was raced by Newman Sharp racing in 1983, probably longer, in IMSA GTU and Trans Am. It was later rebuilt with a Twin Turbo Nissan V8 as seen in the last 2 pictures that frank280zx posted. The number 83 Electromotive car ran IMSA GTO the same year the car in question was running GTU. The electromotve cars have a distictly different body that flares at the body line about 4-6" down from the fender tops. The #33 car, that I'm looking into, has flares that continue all the way up to the tops of the fenders. The electromotive cars also have various vents and scoops built into the fender flares while the #33 car has a smoothly blended body. I posted the pic of the #83 car for comparison. I'm not acctually researching it at this time. The second picture that frank280zx posted has thrown me, while it is the same car it looks to have the similar rear flares to the electromotive cars. I'm confused.

Nope, totally different body kit...

I found this picture while searching the net today and instantly fell in love! Have any of you ever seen this car before? Is it a one-off or was it produced for racecars or something? It looks similar to some of the first gen kits out there but the car is obviously a ZX. The website I found it on was for Trans Am racing and said the car was raced in 1983 by P.L. Newman. I'd greatly appreciate any info, especially more pics. Thanks.

Depending on what your making, You can cover the foam part with a layer of packaging tape. I've only ever used this on small parts, but it works great. Gasoline also works well for dissolving the foam. Just be sure to protect yourself from the now toxic foam!

It does blend with the look of the car, It perfectly matches the one on the back! I Love the bumpers on this body, it definately looks like a Muscle Car!

KEEP IT!!! It is FAR better than mine! follow the link in my sig for pics of my project (pg5), compared to mine yours would be considered Rust Free!! Keep With it. With the shear number of experienced z guys around here you are sure to have success!