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RB20DET into my 240Z


70 Cam Guy

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hey Preston, sorry I don't have pics of the mount brackets off the car. They really are only slotted to line up with the Volvo mounts. The lower profile mounts dropped the engine enough so it doesn't look strange, and we were concerned of the hood closing. Also, if the engine were to move further back, the original driveshaft would not work. We tried to keep it as simple as possible

 

:cheers:

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  • 2 weeks later...

A quick update. The car is back in my possession and it's a great feeling! It has some quirks to work out but it's running strong and smoothly. I'm waiting for the novelty of playing with the blow off to wear off so I can keep out of trouble :lol:

 

An Innovate wide band is now installed to help keep track of the AFR's and adjust the AFC NEO as needed. We also need to adjust the wastegate actuator, it's now an HKS actuator on the turbo and it's only boosting 9-10 psi. The actuator itself is the 12 psi unit for the S15 turbo so I just need to shorten the actuator rod. The tuner from GarageBOSO was up in the bay this week so their dyno was set up. In the evening they put my car up for a baseline, and to help set the actuator. They did two pulls before the guy in the office got worried about the law :lol:

 

The car, as is, pulled 216 hp at the wheels. I'm planning on running 14 pounds so it looks like there's plenty of room to grow. I'm really happy with this as a starting point B)

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  • 7 months later...

Hi, I'm relatively new to modifying Z-cars, and I wanted to thank you for making such an informative thread. My brother gave me his old '75 280Z, and I had big plans to revive the old L28 under the hood, that is until I found out how much it was going to cost just to get it up to speed. After playing around on the net I found the threads by you and Pat1, and that sealed the deal for me. I was able to trade a wrecked out project I had out back for an RB20DET, complete with trans, ECU, and wiring harness. I've already rebuilt the RB and installed into the car, and I plan on running it bone-stock until I get all of the bugs worked out. This car wouldn't have made it this far without both of your threads, and I would have spent more than double the money had I tried to revive the old L28. Thanks guys.

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Hey 656delta, glad this was able to help someone!

 

It's been a while since my last update. The fuel lines were redone back in September. The Bosch 044 fuel pump moved so much fuel we were seeing pressure in the return line. I bought a smaller pump for, I think, an E30 BMW. A new feed line is in and the old feed line is now my return.

 

Also dumped the Nismo thermostat for an OEM Nissan thermostat. The engine warms up normally now, and runs much smoother. Also the track day in November, the engine never heated up past half way until the afternoon. It never really got hot, ran great.

 

Also installed an R180 LSD with 4.88s. I have never heard of this gear set but the diff was pulled from a Rebello built 510 in the late 80s / early 90s. It is pretty extreme, but it seems to be a great match for the lower torque rb20. 3500-3800 rpm on the freeway, very smooth, and the boost is right there when I want it. At the same time I installed an RT style diff mount to keep that diff in place. The driveline feels great, no slop at all.

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Trust me when I tell you that you and Pat have helped a lot, but I've run into a snag and I'm sure you had to deal with it too, since I bought my intake manifold from the same guy in Thailand that you did. I didn't have a problem with the flange, but I am having a problem getting the plenum to clear the water-neck on the side of the block. I'm assuming you had to cut and weld the water-neck at more of a downward angle. Do you have any pictures of the work you had to do to get the parts to clear each other? Also was there an off-the-shelf radiator hose you were able to use? I found a guy on ebay who makes radiators for this exact swap, cooling-fans included, for roughly $300. Here's the link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aluminum-Radiator-70-78-Datsun-240Z-260Z-280Z-RB-RB20DET-RB25DET-Swap-12-FAN-/390351544618?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5ae2c3e12a&vxp=mtr

Man, I figured the aftermarket intake manifold would make all the intercooler piping and fitment easier, saving me a ton of trouble in the future, but I didn't realize it would be the cooling system that would be the pain in my butt. Do you any suggestions for me?

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656delta,

 

I wouldn't get that radiator. Spend the money on a good radiator and it will last awhile. I'm running a prc radiator part number 2111100 24x19. http://www.prcracing.com/aluminum-radiators.html I know it was less than 275.00 shipped to me. I'm also using a ford taurus cooling fan which works perfect and they can be picked up for less than 50.00 bucks shipped. It keeps my 1JZ cool even in the Georgia summers. I had a couple spal fans and those things didn't flow enough air. My temps would creep up in traffic. I junked those spal fans and modded a taurus fan with a thermostat and it works perfect.. The toyota 1JZGTE's have the same cooling problem's as the RB motors.

 

As for the coolant water neck if you were closer to me I would say come on over and I'll weld it up for you but California is a bit far. lol

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656delta,

 

I wouldn't get that radiator. Spend the money on a good radiator and it will last awhile. I'm running a prc radiator part number 2111100 24x19. http://www.prcracing.com/aluminum-radiators.html . I know it was less than 275.00 shipped to me. I'm also using a ford taurus cooling fan which works perfect and they can be picked up for less than 50.00 bucks shipped. It keeps my 1JZ cool even in the Georgia summers. I had a couple spal fans and those things didn't flow enough air. My temps would creep up in traffic. I junked those spal fans and modded a taurus fan with a thermostat and it works perfect.. The toyota 1JZGTE's have the same cooling problem's as the RB motors.

 

As for the coolant water neck if you were closer to me I would say come on over and I'll weld it up for you but California is a bit far. lol

Hi Pat. Thanks for the advice. It looks like 70 Cam Guy used the same radiator as you, and had it trimmed down a couple of inches. Did you have to do the same to make yours fit? I wish I would have known about these guys a long time ago. I have another project that needs a custom sized radiator, and I've had no luck trying to find someone out here in California who would make one for me, at least not for anything less than the remaining balance in my bank account, and a kidney. These PRC guys sound like they're pretty reasonable. I have a feeling I'll be patronizing them more than once. Also what year Taurus did you grab the fan from?

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One more thing; the pictures on the PRC web page aren't very forthcoming, and I'm curious about how the radiator is secured in the car. Did they drill and tap it specifically for your car, or did you just make brackets?

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Awesome. Ok, one more more dumb question guys; on the bottom of the Thai intake manifold there's a flat area with a hole in the center, and four tapped holes in each corner. What is this for?

Never mind. Idle Control Valve. I feel like a doofus for asking that one.

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My radiator was a direct fit, I didn't need to trim anything.The fan came from a 1990-1995 taurus or mercury sable.

 

Give PRC a call, they will build any size radiator you need.

 

I had them cut mine to 17" so it wouldn't hang below the core support. They angled the upper neck for free since it was 1 piece of tube. That radiator was $300 shipped to my door. Easily a great deal. My friend TIG'ed the mounting tabs on the radiator and bolted it in (isolated). There are a couple cradles welded in at the bottom to support the core.

 

I bought the lowest profile 16" Spal fan that I could find. It barely fits because of my engine placement. In August heat it does climb in traffic but once the fan comes on, it cools right down. This was August heat in the bay area.

 

I highly recommend the guys at PRC. They warn of a hefty lead time when you phone in but mine was shipped in 3 days and everything is made to order! If I recall, 24x19 double pass GM radiator was 220, cutting the height was $40, and total with shipping came in right at or under 300.

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Trust me when I tell you that you and Pat have helped a lot, but I've run into a snag and I'm sure you had to deal with it too, since I bought my intake manifold from the same guy in Thailand that you did. I didn't have a problem with the flange, but I am having a problem getting the plenum to clear the water-neck on the side of the block. I'm assuming you had to cut and weld the water-neck at more of a downward angle. Do you have any pictures of the work you had to do to get the parts to clear each other? Also was there an off-the-shelf radiator hose you were able to use? I found a guy on ebay who makes radiators for this exact swap, cooling-fans included, for roughly $300. Here's the link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aluminum-Radiator-70-78-Datsun-240Z-260Z-280Z-RB-RB20DET-RB25DET-Swap-12-FAN-/390351544618?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5ae2c3e12a&vxp=mtr

Man, I figured the aftermarket intake manifold would make all the intercooler piping and fitment easier, saving me a ton of trouble in the future, but I didn't realize it would be the cooling system that would be the pain in my butt. Do you any suggestions for me?

 

I basically got creative with the big water line under the intake manifold. I cut off, sectioned, and pieced it back together (TIG'ed) turned around to face the small outlet on the manifold's water neck. I wanted as little flex line as possible to maximize its reliability

 

Speaking of reliability, I've already driven to Long Beach and back for JCCS, and to Buttonwillow, flogged it on the track all day, and drove home. It still needs some fine tuning in the AFR's but I've never worried about the reliability

 

5795339353_8ec8b2808e_b.jpg

by AYates Photos, on Flickr

 

5795898870_9fd51dd17e_b.jpg

by AYates Photos, on Flickr

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One more thing; the pictures on the PRC web page aren't very forthcoming, and I'm curious about how the radiator is secured in the car. Did they drill and tap it specifically for your car, or did you just make brackets?

 

The radiator didn't have any mounting provisions so we made tabs and cradles for underneath. This photo was final placement, but not final mounting

 

5827845096_ec5355f7dd_b.jpg

by AYates Photos, on Flickr

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  • 2 months later...

Nice build. How much did Performance Options charge you for the RB install? I'm thinking of dropping a rb25det in my 71 240z. I was planning on massing all the parts together and havIng a shop do the install.

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I have a a 1972 240z, with an Rb20det with a RB25 turbo in it as well... Currently It runs but after it hits about 3000 rpm it craps out on me. It is giving me One hell of a Head ache I cant seem to track down the problem :(

 

I live in Brentwood and would love to show up at that concord thing you guys mentioned, well... once its up and running

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