Kevin Shasteen

I was combing the archives of LS1tech.com when I came upon a thread asking for information on the BMW LS1 Swap. The reply was to check out the obvious...Vorshlag.com but also gave another site where the BMW LS1 swap has been completed...and the guy gives excellant tech info. The site is http://www.Nash8503.com For those of you who are interested, this link also has other BMW SBC conversions listed on the "Cool Conversions" link on the left - simply scroll downward till you find the link and click away. I must confess...this swap has caught my attention. If/when I ever do decide to commit on the LS1 swap I may have to flip a coin between the Z and a Bimmer (?). BTW: I did email Mike Collins..the owner of the Nash8503 site - and he advised me that he will be putting together a kit for the engine install. Hopefully he will complete his kit a lot quicker than the Vorshlag.com folks. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

Let us also not forget the fact that Saddam made the decision to only sell oil in exchange for Euro Dollars and was attempting to align the other Arag Nations into doing the same thing. IMHO, this was the last straw that broke the camels back. Anyone heard anything lately on the UN's "Oil For Food" embezzlement? Funny how that has kind've just dropped off the media screen? Just how many military comprimizes resulted from this fiasco? It appears there are many factions at work: personal vendettas, politics, economics, power controlling zealots...it is a twisted web being weaved and innocent people are constantly caught in the middle. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

If the Democrats could only blah blah blah then the Republicans would blah blah blah....See My Point? While we all know the Republicans are blah blah blah blah. But they only do this because the Democrats are blah blah blah blah blah...See My Point? We all know the Democrats are for blah blah blah blah blah. That is why I feel the Republicans are on the right blah blah blah blah blah...SEE MY POINT? If we can only get a Democrat in the White House blah blah blah blah then America would be so much blah blah blah blah. Or should we have a Republican in the White House because it woull allow a better blah blah blah blah...SEE MY POINT? As for Health Care, Retirement, and Gun Controll - we really need a blah blah blah blah Democrat so the the blah blah blah Republicans can blah blah blah blah blah blah, furthermore, blah blah blah blah blah...DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED! Blah blah blah - I heard that! SEE MY POINT! If we dont learn our history...the real history, then we are doomed to repeat it! The Democrats are not going to save you, the Republicans are not going to save you. The Democrats are not real and the Republicans are not real. Only People are real. It is the individual that makes the difference: How many Dem's and Rep's voted for NAFTA?...this handed us over to Globalism. The League of Nations (UN) is not going to save you either. I agree with Mike in that NO ONE Represents me except my Maker. Politics is the Spirit of Compromise. If there truly is a right and a wrong - then there can be no compromise: otherwise you have chaos. So what is the answer? I see the answer as take care of your family and your neighbor and dont allow anyone to tresspass against you, your family, or your neighbor and hopefully your neighbor will do the same for you and your family. The Pepsi-Generation of Me-Myself-I along with I want it and I want it NOW isnt the answer either. Policits only works (sometimes) at the grass roots level. An interesting tid bit about politics for us Americans is that we have the RIGHT to tell gov't NO. Just because they say something is so doesnt mean you have to jump through their hoops...unfortunately due to the DUMBING DOWN of the Public Fool System (School) this is no longer being taught. Learn your history or you are doomed to repeat it, again! Our struggle is no longer the Common Man -vs the King/Queen/Religious Zealot, but now one of Nationalism -vs- Internationalism. Internationalsim is Globalsim. Follow the money. Once the Gold and Silver Standard was removed: enter Paper Notes and the removal of godly Standards. This brought about the break up of the family, break of propriety - and loss of morals and ethics which paved the road for easy debt creation and the National Debt, easy buy offs of any greedy politician/corporation/judicial rep/public rep...and this subjected America to the same ole dynamic England/France/Germany were struggling against for so many years WHICH OUR FOUNDING FORE-FATHERS FOUGHT SO HARD AGAINST.., .., Those who control the creation of money (paper notes) controls the politics..., The creation of paper money is the beginning of our struggles. Gold and Silver wasnt a perfect system but it kept the Zealots at bay. The removal of Gold-Silver with the advent of Paper Notes was the end run around the Constitution. Everything we do in economics and politics is relgious in nature as it effects the ethics and morals of the individual which effects the ethics and morals of that nation. Just my .02c's worth. Yea, I know....blah blah blah blah blah: which is exactly my point! We are on a slippery slope and we arent going to get off it for some time now. Things will get much worse prior to them getting better (DOH!) The politicians have been OPENLY selling out Amecrians and their jobs since the 1970's. This selling off will not stop until Amercia is no longer an economical leader. Our greedy politicians are our own worst enemys. I'm not looking forward to Globalism...but it is here and there can be no top dogs (like America) for globalsim to exist. Your fight is not a Democrat -vs- Repbulican fight...it is against the representive that embraces Globalsim. Dont go chasing rabbits. Stay on point and rebuke any representative that ebraces Globalsim, WTO, NAFTA or whatever they want to call it. Globalism by any other name is still Globalsim and it wont work for Americans if Americans wish to remain prosperous. Everything we do is spiritual in nature (and I know the majority of folks wont understand this - so spare me the emails, ect). Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

Still Waiting! Kevin, (Yea, Still an Inliner)

Well the saga continued for a little while longer. After thinking I fixed the problem, which resulted in my initial post on this thread, I drove the car later that week into town only to realize my problem was still there. Luckily I was able to push start the car to get it home. This was puzzling to me. Why would it start up perfect on a cold start yet refuse to start on a heat soak start up. As the previous post implies the engine was getting plenty of fuel so I knew the fuel pump and injectors were working. I had a hunch it might be the transistor ignition module or an ignition relay (again). So I consulted the Factory (Life-saver) 1978 Datsun 280z Service Manuel for testing the transistor module. There are about 5 tests you can perform on the module with 4 of the tests being conducted with a multi-meter and 1 of the test being done with an Oscilliscope (sp?). The fourth test indicated my distributor's pick-up coil was defective. So I removed the cap-rotor to check the air gap....which is only suppose to be between .008" to .016". Mine measured right at .065"; it was a wonder my engine even started at all. I adjusted the pick-up coil's air gap to .010" and the car fired up immediately. That Factory Service Manual has saved my wallet more money than I can shake a stick at. Anyway-just wanted to relate the final (hopefully) chapter to this saga incase someone else finds themselves in the same spot. Its been a crazy saga that began about a year ago with a fuel relay. This then transitioned into the dead battery-bad alternator game, then some inline fuses, an ignition relay, some bus fuses, an ignition coil along with a non-factory blue wal-mart plastic bag being sucked up into my air filter housing. All this over the span of a year. I beleive I finally have the ole gremlins whooped: Yee-Haw! I guess the moral to this thread is to never give up on these old cars that most of the previous owners neglectedl....AND to be sure and find yourself a Factory Sevice Manual for your year/model Z. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

Mike, For starters Mike you need to understand that IT IS OKAY to feel sad about a loved one passing on. I'm not sure that what I have to say will help, yet it is something I happened upon when I chose to research this phenomenon we humans call "Feelings". I chose to read up on this subject because I have always been one who hates to be mentally manipulated. This is what I found. I came upon an interesting subject. The subject was NLP. Neuro-Linguistic Programming. This involves the identifying, defining, and utilizing what we commonly refer to as feelings. It is also what salesmen, marketing, and advertising uses against us and also gets used against us by people in general who are "Predators". Predators are masters at manipulating an individuals emotions. We often refer to a part of our body when we speak of a specific feeling. We might say my heart is broken because of .., I've got butterflies in my stomach because of .., anyway you get the idea. The point is that feelings are not tangible. They are mental. Each individual is affected physically when an emotion is triggered. What I've read on NLP is that we all have a common process for dealing with the Faculties of our mind. Our mind will categorize all input into 5 faculties (according to those that like to write these kind of books). When one of these 5 faculties are triggered, then a response is mandatory. The response is going to be an Emotional Choice. the 7 Emotional Choices are: 1) Anger 2) Sadness 3) Fear 4) Guilt 5) Hurt 6) Disappointment 7) Anxiety Of these emotional choices they all can be further sub-categorized into: 1) High Energy 2) Low Energy Theres nothing wrong with finding yourself in a High Energy or Low Energy moment. The problem arises when we get stuck in a High Energy moment for too long or we get stuck in a Low Energy moment for too long. The trick is to dicipline our minds to remain in center/neutral for most of the time and to not remain to the left or right for extended periouds of time. Anger: High Energy-compells us to take action and respond. Gets us over hurdles that are difficult to surpass. Often associated with situations we dont like and provides the energy to take action. Sadness: Low Energy-encourages deep reflection necessary to cope and deals with difficult emotional moments Fear:-Heightens the senses which intensifies our awareness. This alerts us to Potential problems and gives us the energy to respond quickly for a possible escape to an environment that may harm us. Guilt: can be Low or High Energy depending on what is triggering the feeling. Guilt is tied to evaluating between Right or Wrong. It limits our actions to values which are questioned or have been compromised. Once additional information is obtained then our minds can move on to a more suitable emotion. Hurt: Low Energy and similar to Sadness. Hurt encourages deep reflection regarding an event we are currently experiencing. This is a constant reminder that what we experienced is not okay with us. Disappointment: Low Energy. Helps us focus on an event whose results concern us. It keeps our awareness hight and may lead to excitement. It prepares us for a future event. Anxiety: High Energy: can be debilitating because it gives us energy to respond to an event that hasnt happened and may not even happen. It also intensifies our awareness to a potential event that may not be acceptable. What is interesting about "feelings" is that we have the ability to control our own feelings. The feelings we feel are based upon our mental perception. The important issue to remember is that it is okay to experience sadness. Just be aware of what you are feeling and while you are experiencing this feeling dont entertain anything that will harm yourself (like not eating), and in time, your mind will allow you to move from a low energy back to center. Right now, talk to family members or friends, like you have done here at Hybridz. Talk to other family memebers about your uncle and recall the good times. It wont bring back your uncle but it will help you cope the loss of someone who was important to you. Sometimes only time can heal. Mourning a loss takes time and wont happen overnight, so dont think that you are wrong or bad because you think you are not dealing with this as well as what you believe you should. Take as much time as you need to cope - just dont let it harm you or those around you. Sorry for your loss Mike - as hard as it is to believe time will heal this wound. In the meantime consult with other family members that knew your uncle and relive the good times: or simply express your feelings to them. It is okay to miss someone that has passed away to whom you were close. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

I dont remember the name of the movie nor its actors accept OJ Simpson's name. OJ and two other actors of that time were Astronauts about to be launched to the Moon. Just prior to the launch their supervisor wisks them off the rocket ship under the guise that the rocket ship was built to less than standard tolerances, and if they stayed on the ship they would die prior to reaching the moon. These three almost astronauts were taken to a ghost town where they were told to remain. NASA had build an entire Studio in this ghost town so that the three anstronauts could stage the moon landing. The three would be astronauts attempt to escape. The ship was launched without its astronauts. Anyway: OJ and one other astronaut get caught while the third one, with the help of a reporter break the story to the public. This reporter uses his girlfriends car....A Brand New 280Z (the movie was late 70's circa). The Z doesnt come into the picture until the last 30-45 minutes of the movie and is shown about a half dozen times. It appeared to me the movie's angle of approach was founded in the conspiratorialist's idea that NASA never went to the moon. It was an interesting movie - typical late 70's B-movie. It had Hollywood's full backing and I dont believe it was suppost to be a B-movie: but that is what it looked like to me. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

One more Bump-ola before I let this post go into oblivion. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

thanks guys Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

I remember someone posting this thread once before and I've seen these plastic engines in a few performance magazines but I cant remember who made them. Anyone out there know who makes these engines and if so a website address? Thanks. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

It sounds to me like your starter is fine, perhaps it is your wiring that has gone bad. While your starter is out - go ahead and take it to a parts house where they can give it a proper testing. This will either prove the starter is bad or it will rule out the starter all together. Have you tried installing a flat ground strap from the back of the cylinder head to the firewall? The biggest problem everyone has in trying to diagnose your problem is we dont know what changes you have made to the wiring of the engine, car, accessories. Many years ago my friend had rebuild a Bandit T/A for a friend of his. I was with him when he was ready to start the new engine. Everytime he turned the key switch, the starter solenoid would click once and then nothing. He put a multi-meter on the solenoid and prior to turning the key switch the meter read 12+ volts. After turning the key switch the meter showed a voltage drop at the starter to about 3-4volts. After we all scratched our heads for awhile he noticed his negative battery cable at the battery was not tightened. Upon checking other grounds we also noticed the flat ground strap from the back of the driver's side cylinder head to the firewall was not attached. After connecting the flat ground strap and the tightening the negative ground cable the engine fired right up. 1) Check your ground cables not only for tightness but for corrosion at their ends and the surface where they mount. 2) Its possible your solenoid is bad Get your starter to a parts supply store where they can test it properly. Then you can move on to the next phase of diagnosis. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

Have you checked with the Airplane Industry? I'm sure they have some neat little gizmo's for taking such measurements. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

I dont know how much of the donor car you are utilizing, but the newer Z's 1975 up have a Fuel Pump Relay and a Fuel Pump Controller Relay. FYI: Once the key switch is turned to the run position - the fuel pump relay kicks the fuel pump on. If the engine doesnt start running within 6-8 seconds the Fuel Pump Controller Realy will cut the +12 Volts off going to the Fuel Pump Relay. Just thought I would throw that out FWIW. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

I was gonna say too much fuel or a Catylitic Converter...but your engine is turbo charged, so all bets are off. Since this is the "General" Engine Forum you might try posing your question in the Turbo-Supercharger Forum for a better response. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

Congrats on solving your problem. I HATE them ole ignition problems with a passion. I would have also said to replace the coil first. When you combine people, cars, and electronics - ANYTHING can happen, regardless of what their engineers tell you. My folks had the same problem with their brand new 1972 Caddy (yea, I'm dating myself). I was just a kid then but that was my first automotive lesson I learned. Dad was about to pull his hair out. The Cad kept dieing at the most inopportune times. Some guy pulled over to help out and told us it was the coil, described the way the coil worked, and instructed us to replace the coil. Dad replaced the coil and never had that problem again. The same symptom that happend to you happened to Dad's Cad in that it would die, but only after the engine reached operating temp's. Then once the engine (coil) cooled down the car would start right up. Glad to hear you figured it out. Now go take your frustration out on some poor suspecting F-Body! Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah....you make me sick! Just kidding. My factory A/C blower speed is so weak it makes me sick (better weak A/C blower speed than no A/C at all). BTW: what did you do to your A/C blower to make it so strong that you can get away with turning the fan speed down? I'm really gonna have to get me one of those LS1 thingy-ma-jiggies! Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

Congrat's on the progress! That's gotta be exciting 8) Have you tried the adjustment at the clutch pedal? Is the clutch pedal adjustment adjusted all the way out? Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

Way to keep at it. When you are trying to check for voltage be sure and put your negative lead on different grounds. Electrcial components whose metal body acts as its own ground will cause voltage to return throught the body to the battery. So one ground that looks like a ground to you may actuall carry voltage. In other words, one ground will carry -negative voltage when your negative lead touches it whereas another ground will carry zero voltage...just something I noticed on my z. I know every time my Z has an electrical problem, as frustrating as it can be at times, I always end up learning something I didnt previously know before the problem. One thing I know, and that is I would never get anywhere if I didnt have a factory service manual. The electrical diagram is priceless. Luckily for me I haven't had to go into the dash wiring yet. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

In the last few months my 1978 280Z 2+2 became slower and slower to start: on a cold start or a hot soak start. Last week I went out to drive the Z and the engine just turned over and over and over without ever starting. I could smell the fuel coming from the intake so I knew I was getting fuel. I pulled a few spark plugs just to make sure and confirmed the plugs were getting plenty of fuel. Keep in mind this whole time my Z has about 200,000 miles on it and is bascially bone stock: it still has 4 original injectors on it. Anyway, I began checking if I was getting spark to the usuall suspects: 1) Fusible Links...checked out good 2) Fuse Box....checked out good 3) Coil was getting +12 to the coil but no spark out of the coil 4) Pulled a coil from my International 4x4 and swapped it on to my Z; and my Z still would not fire. (I was so sure I would have to buy an ignition module or ignition relay ) 5) Decided to pull the coil off the Z again 6) This time I scraped the Coil Bracket mating surface clean with a wire brush 7) I also scraped the maiting surface on the fender apron where the coil bracket mounts. 8) Remounted the coil on the Z Upon cranking the Z this time it cranked for about 10 seconds and then fired up. Woo-Hoo! Killed it and re-fired it three more times just to make sure it wasnt a fluke. Each time thereafter the engine fired up in about 2-3 seconds the way its suppose to start. Just wanted to relay to everyone who has engine prob's: sometimes the best thing is not to replace a part - instead, sometimes the best thing you can do is to remove and scrape the ground's mounting surface to all the wiring connections. My Z may be original...but she's get'n old. I'm almost afraid to start her up these days, just knowing how hard some parts are to find. I guess when she finally gives up the ghost it will be V8 time. I cetainly didnt want to replace an ignition module or ignition relay...as expensive as those parts can be from Nissan or some other parts house. I believe I got lucky this time...just thought I would share my story just in case someone else ever experiences what I experienced. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

one bump

bumpola

The AFR's are very nice heads, you just have to understand what it will do to the power band's peak rpm's. It will push the peak hp rpm's into the 5500-6000 rpm range. The point Tim expressed in his initial post was that he would rarely rev this engine past 4000 rpms. This is where Cyl. Head selection must match the intended purpose of the engine-car combo. This requires understanding what the intended purpose of the engine-car combo is PRIOR to picking any engine components. In Tim's case, the AFR's would not benefit his desired lower peak rpm range. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

I agree about not giving up on the engine. At least try to find the problem prior to buying another engine. Since you dont know the true history of this engine I would suggest looking at the "Oil Galley Plugs" in the front of the block surrounding the Cam opening.., and the "LITTLE KNOWN" oil galley plug just under the rear main cap inside one of the two larger holes: specifically the larger hole on the oil filter housing side of the block. Remove the oil pump and rear main cap to gain access to the two larger holes under the rear main cap. Yet if the rear galley plug in the rear main oil filter supply line was replaced in the past ... AND DRIVEN IN TO DEEP..., then oil flow from the filter will be restricted. If this plug remains removed your oil will bypass oil filter. This rear plug doesnt have to be removed in order for a machine shop to prep the block, however, if your engine was rebuilt by a methodical machine shop the plug could have been removed and replaced. It is supose to be dropped down about an inch freely where the passage gets smaller...from here it is suppose to be tapped down 3/8 of an inch. If someone before you has driven this plug down say an 1/2 inch, then your oil supply will be restricted. You will have a better understanding of what I am talking about if you go to the lower left of page 38 and upper right of page 107 in the book: "How To Build The Small Block Chevrolet" by Larry Atherton & Larry Schreib Publisher: SA Design Copyright: 1993 It is a light sky blue book with chromed out SBC engine on an engine stand painted racing red: you'll see a snap-on tool chest behind the engine. This is a very good book as it proclaims to be a "Step by Step" book on how to build the SBC and is chock full of pictures. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

Hey turbo freaks, whats up? This is just an FYI notice. Just in case there are some in this forum that dont usually hang out in the other forums I thought I would throw this out at you. I have recently completed a CD-Book about "Understanding the Dynamic Compression Ratio". On that CD I also included multiple Performance Calculators. One of which is a Turbo-Intercooler Calculator that includes the same formulas you would find in any Turbocharger book. If you are interested in the CD-Book I describe it in further detail in the "Non-Tech Forum". The book doesnt address a Nitrous, Turbo, or Supercharger engine specifically but does address how to approach the engine pre-boost and pre-Nitrous. In the chapter on Cylinder Heads I do offer an approach that addresses Port Sizing based on different levels of performance and this process does include engines with power adders. AND, for each CD-Book purchase I will be sending $3 back to SuperDan for HybridZ website support. Check out the "Non-Tech Forum" if you are interested. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

Thank you Phailure for reminding me about S&H. $5 S&H will catch the majority of the Continental USA. Regular mail was like $3.95 shipping and a CD Mailer is like $1 from Wal-Mart....yet I prefer to make my own package as the CD-Mailer doesnt alot for any bubble-wrap as cushion against abusive shipping handlers. My packaging will have plenty of bubble-wrap protecting the CD Jewel Case from being cracked or the corners chipped during shipping. I'm sure we've all received a CD in the mail that had a corner broken due to inefficient packaging. It's safe for me to assume $5 S&H will catch the Continental US for regular mail. If it doesnt then I will eat the extra expense under a "Live and Learn-My Mistake" approach and make the adjustment afterward. If someone wants USPS, UPS, or FedEX special delivery then obviously the Shipping cost goes up. PAYMENT: A Money Order or Cashier's Check will be fine. I dont have Pay-Pal as of yet. If there is enough demand for this CD-Book then that will likely change. Until then I dont want to get in the habit of chasing people down for a bad check nor would I enjoy charging them an additional fee for the bad check because the bank will charge me for that bad check...not that anyone would do that. I just dont have time for the tale chasing in the event it were to happen. Another issue on personal checks is that I have to wait a day or two for the check to clear...so time is wasted for both of us. With a Money Order or Cashier's Check there is time delay and your CD-Book will go out that same day. For the time being a Money Order or Cashier's Check seems like the quickers way to go for all of us. Sorry if this is an inconvenience. Maybe in time, if there is enough demand for the CD-Book then things might change. Kevin Shasteen (Yea,Still an Inliner)