MikeyM Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 I've gotten a lot out of HybridZ so I figure you guys might be able to get some more info out of my transplant... I've got a 240z and have already put coilovers and camber plates in with ZG flares and Watanabes. Now it's time for the engine. (I have just realised I'm pretty much copying everything Austin does..... ha ha) I bought this: Stink things: Crack in sump. Bent vacuum spigot. Broken starter motor mount on engine. It's all pretty mucky/corroded/surface rusty. Unknown unknowns. Good things: None of the stink things are too hard to fix. Turns over, has compression. Reportedly has 33k on the dial. Everything's there. So the L24 has gone. I drove it to work the other day, I couldn't help but feel said. I mean, the engine runs pretty good, sounds super and has old world charm (by old-world-charm I mean it shakes the car to peices). But omelettes require broken eggs.... I got some other pieces the puzzle; driveshaft, fly-by-wire pedal, clutch master. I also bought these! (They're in better condition than my photography shows; just a bit tarnished) This is what I've cad'd up for the mounting senario. The red bits are getting laser cut as you read. Clearance with the steering shaft & zorst were the complicating factors. That pipe that sticks out the bottom wont go that low and will have a couple of bends in it before it connects with it's mirror image on the other frame rail. Also, the flat bit that sticks out the bottom of the red mount will actually be bent to follow the contour of the uprights. Clever cookies will realise they're similar in looks to the Mckinney mounts but I've not taken any measurements from their mounts, it's all been designed by me. So not a lot of actual work. But that's gonna change this weekend surely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Hey I've worked on custom mounts, you might realy consider the Mckinney kit, since it is known to work,and has clearance for the steering shaft. Those headers are nice, Same as mine for an HR engine, though it's a shame since if they fit your De, you'll still have to cut them and put in a 90 deg bend to clear the firewall. Check out my thread in this forum, you'll see a lot of my experience. Austin's build is really good to follow, but it's good that you're also working on your own. If you have questions, let me know since Austin is hardly ever on anymore. (think he sold his car) But either way, keep up the good work. I'm looking forward to seeing your progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyM Posted May 20, 2012 Author Share Posted May 20, 2012 Hey I've worked on custom mounts, you might realy consider the Mckinney kit, since it is known to work,and has clearance for the steering shaft. Those headers are nice, Same as mine for an HR engine, though it's a shame since if they fit your De, you'll still have to cut them and put in a 90 deg bend to clear the firewall. Check out my thread in this forum, you'll see a lot of my experience. Austin's build is really good to follow, but it's good that you're also working on your own. If you have questions, let me know since Austin is hardly ever on anymore. (think he sold his car) But either way, keep up the good work. I'm looking forward to seeing your progress. Thanks mate! I've read a lot of your posts and love your work! If it wasn't for you and Austin I don't know if I'd be doing this at all. I wish I had the HR engine too, I hope I dont live to regret that move. Yeah I'm prepared for cutting up the headers, I knew that'd be on the cards which is why I bought them; I didn't want to do all that work just to have the stock manifolds. And they were a really good price. I think the Mckinney kit makes sense but I've already started down this path and like the challenge and learning something new so I'm gonna stick with it. But yeah, they've done all the R&D and their design/dimensions work so it would save some stuffing about if I'd just bought them. However, they're $600 + shipping and taxes which is just crazy! If mine work they'll cost me less than $100 and I learn some new skills. Anyway, good to have touched base. Really love you car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyM Posted May 20, 2012 Author Share Posted May 20, 2012 I've half-done some things: Chopped some out of my cross member to make room for the sump. Wont shut it up until I've finalised engine placement. I stitch-welded around the strut towers: Started making the new cross member. Couldn't finish it be cause the pipe bender I was gonna get wasn't up to task. Will have to get one this week. Also my welder isn't powerful enough so I've just tacked them, the steel is 5mm. Everyone who comes and looks at the new lump says "cripes, how're you gonna clean it?" So I made a "soda blaster" It took a bit of stuffing about but it mostly worked. The plenum is the worstly corroded bit and the "soda blasting" didn't really help. But no matter, I'm gonna wrinkle paint that anyhow. The rest came up pretty good! Yay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMWHYR0HEN Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I think the Mckinny mount set is a bit overpriced. You made the right move making your own especially since you know how to weld. However, I think you can get a stronger structure out of the mounts if you boxed the lateral parts, even with thinner material. Nice work so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyM Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 I think the Mckinny mount set is a bit overpriced. You made the right move making your own especially since you know how to weld. However, I think you can get a stronger structure out of the mounts if you boxed the lateral parts, even with thinner material. Nice work so far Thanks, I really like your build by the way! Very inspirational. I've been thinking the same thing about boxing the end sections and I think I'll do it. Will talk to my certifier first to make sure he's happy with it. I've got a question for you thou; what did you do for the rest of your fuel setup? I know you welded AN-6 fittings on both ends of your fuel rails. Did you then run a regulator with return line from the engine? Also how did you join up the front ends of the fuel rails? Just braided hose or hard-line? Also I've had trouble with pin holes when MIG welding fuel around fuel systems, did you TIG? Also did you baffle the tank or run a surge tank? I'm gonna do the fuel system on Thursday since I'm waiting for my mounts to get laser cut. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMWHYR0HEN Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I'm running a return style with an aeromotive regulator. I joined the rails using AN to barb fittings then standard rubber fuel line to a "Y" fitting. The fuel rail diameter is small so TIG weld it for sure. I guess you could do it with a MIG, but it wouldn't be as tight and precise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disepyon Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 I stitch-welded around the strut towers: A question about your camber plates you welded in for your coilovers. Why did you use the stock mounting plate with the four bolts? was it to lower the adjustment damper knob so the hood clears it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Nice to see Myron posting. I haven't done my fuel system yet since my engine is still out of the car (again) But I have it planned. I'm going to run a surge tank, external pump and regulator back by the fuel tank, then I'm running the stock fuel line in dead head style to the engine. I'm using the HR stock fuel rail and lines, allowing the engine to regulate itself with it's own stock regulators. the fuel line size between the two is basically the same, but if I have trouble I'll run the 280z return line as a parallel fuel line which should provide more than enough volume. I don't think it'll be an issue. I don't think you're really going to need to change the fuel rails unless you're planning on putting in larger injectors. I mean, Why would Nissan Gimp the fuel rails. Myron probably has input on this, I just haven't seen reason. I'm planning on running 55-60PSI to the rail. I fully understand not wanting the cost of going with McKinney's kit. I sure didn't. Mine may not be as pretty, but it'll do basically the same job, and when I started, Mckinney hadn't released their kit. Your Steering crossmember cutout looks good, but I'm thinking you're going to have to cut out a little more. You'll see when you get the engine in place how much you'll have to cut. My HR, I had to cut so much, that I had to bolster it with square tubing on the front side. But the engines will fit differently between the models. To get your aluminum clean on your engine, Try some aluminum wheel cleaner from autozone et al, with a mild brush you should be able to clean up all the corrosion no problem. You're working so fast. I'm really getting impressed. Which Welder do you have? Mine's a Lincoln 135, biggest 110v welder I could find. it barely manages 1/4" plate if I take my time. Thickest I'm using right now is 3/16" sheet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyM Posted May 28, 2012 Author Share Posted May 28, 2012 A question about your camber plates you welded in for your coilovers. Why did you use the stock mounting plate with the four bolts? was it to lower the adjustment damper knob so the hood clears it? I'm not completely sure what you mean. I'm using Ground Control camber plates which are bolted to the factory strut towers using 4 bolts, not welded. The factory strut tops only have three bolts. I realise some people run these camber plats _on top_ of the strut tower, but I interpreted the installation instructions a little differently from them. I'm running Koni adjustable shocks which required some mods to the bonnet to clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyM Posted May 28, 2012 Author Share Posted May 28, 2012 Nice to see Myron posting. I haven't done my fuel system yet since my engine is still out of the car (again) But I have it planned. I'm going to run a surge tank, external pump and regulator back by the fuel tank, then I'm running the stock fuel line in dead head style to the engine. I'm using the HR stock fuel rail and lines, allowing the engine to regulate itself with it's own stock regulators. the fuel line size between the two is basically the same, but if I have trouble I'll run the 280z return line as a parallel fuel line which should provide more than enough volume. I don't think it'll be an issue. I don't think you're really going to need to change the fuel rails unless you're planning on putting in larger injectors. I mean, Why would Nissan Gimp the fuel rails. Myron probably has input on this, I just haven't seen reason. I'm planning on running 55-60PSI to the rail. I fully understand not wanting the cost of going with McKinney's kit. I sure didn't. Mine may not be as pretty, but it'll do basically the same job, and when I started, Mckinney hadn't released their kit. Your Steering crossmember cutout looks good, but I'm thinking you're going to have to cut out a little more. You'll see when you get the engine in place how much you'll have to cut. My HR, I had to cut so much, that I had to bolster it with square tubing on the front side. But the engines will fit differently between the models. To get your aluminum clean on your engine, Try some aluminum wheel cleaner from autozone et al, with a mild brush you should be able to clean up all the corrosion no problem. You're working so fast. I'm really getting impressed. Which Welder do you have? Mine's a Lincoln 135, biggest 110v welder I could find. it barely manages 1/4" plate if I take my time. Thickest I'm using right now is 3/16" sheet. Thanks for the tips! I agree about the cross member cut-out. I figure more will have to come out once I've got the mounting finalised (hopefully in a week or so). I thought I'd just start small! My welder is a 160 Amp cheap no-name MIG. It's nothing special but has served me well as my first little welder. I wish I could afford something better but it's fine for most the welding jobs I come across. It'll do up to around 3mm comfortably, but definitely not 6mm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyM Posted May 28, 2012 Author Share Posted May 28, 2012 I got some stuff back from laser-cutting. These bits make up one mount. Only cost 60 bucks for two sets! They're being welded up by someone more skills than I. So in the meantime I've been working on the fuel system. Got a Pulsar tank from pick-a-part for $50 and transferred over the access panel. It comes with nice electrical connectors and stuff. The tank's getting all the pin holes soldered up at a radiator shop. I'm gonna use the baffle tank in lovely pink from the same tank. Happily it accepts my fuel pump with open arms. One thing that confuses me a little about the baffle is it seems quite tricky for fuel to get inside. There's only one wee hole on the top and the sides are quite tall. There are little seams around the place that'll let fuel in though. I'm sure they know what they're doing... This is the caddy it clips on to. Drilled out the spot welds and welded it to the bottom of my tank. It's surprisingly tricky to weld blind inside a tank through an access hole not much bigger than your arm. Thankfully no one will see those welds. Then I bent up some 3/8's fuel line. More p-clips to come but this is the setup. I'm now starting to turn my attention to the driveline. Anyone have a R200 moustache bar lying around? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fast-datsun Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 (edited) I've gotten a lot out of HybridZ so I figure you guys might be able to get some more info out of my transplant... I've got a 240z and have already put coilovers and camber plates in with ZG flares and Watanabes. Now it's time for the engine. (I have just realised I'm pretty much copying everything Austin does..... ha ha) I bought this: Stink things: Crack in sump. Bent vacuum spigot. Broken starter motor mount on engine. It's all pretty mucky/corroded/surface rusty. Unknown unknowns. Good things: None of the stink things are too hard to fix. Turns over, has compression. Reportedly has 33k on the dial. Everything's there. So the L24 has gone. I drove it to work the other day, I couldn't help but feel said. I mean, the engine runs pretty good, sounds super and has old world charm (by old-world-charm I mean it shakes the car to peices). But omelettes require broken eggs.... I got some other pieces the puzzle; driveshaft, fly-by-wire pedal, clutch master. I also bought these! (They're in better condition than my photography shows; just a bit tarnished) This is what I've cad'd up for the mounting senario. The red bits are getting laser cut as you read. Clearance with the steering shaft & zorst were the complicating factors. That pipe that sticks out the bottom wont go that low and will have a couple of bends in it before it connects with it's mirror image on the other frame rail. Also, the flat bit that sticks out the bottom of the red mount will actually be bent to follow the contour of the uprights. Clever cookies will realise they're similar in looks to the Mckinney mounts but I've not taken any measurements from their mounts, it's all been designed by me. So not a lot of actual work. But that's gonna change this weekend surely What everyone forgets that BUSINESS people have overhead to cover We need almost 30 k a month to cover it before I make a dallor. if you build it in your garage you need ZERO dallor to make a buck. Just our Insurance on parts cost over 5k a month. So yes you can make them cheaper.[/quote/ a design or process paient can cost up-works of 10K and the cost thousand to enforce. Edited May 28, 2012 by fast-datsun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Mikey, Looking good. but you might need to take loose those fuel lines. The stock bolster in the tranny tunnel, may need to be trimmed for the tranny to fit. You can try to fit it, and it may fit, but depending on how far back the tranny sits, it may hit that bolster. with the DE it may not be an issue, but with the HR the JK tranny has a wide back end which I had a lot of trouble fitting. so you may want to setup a test fit soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyM Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 What everyone forgets is that BUSINESS people have overheads to cover. We need almost 30K a month to cover it before I make a dollar. if you build it in your garage you need ZERO dollars to make a buck. Just our insurance on parts costs over 5k a month. So yes you can make them cheaper. A design or process patent can cost upwards of 10K, and then cost thousands to enforce. I totally appreciate that you have to cover your costs. But if I can do it myself, for cheaper, then I will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyM Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 Mikey, Looking good. but you might need to take loose those fuel lines. The stock bolster in the tranny tunnel, may need to be trimmed for the tranny to fit. You can try to fit it, and it may fit, but depending on how far back the tranny sits, it may hit that bolster. with the DE it may not be an issue, but with the HR the JK tranny has a wide back end which I had a lot of trouble fitting. so you may want to setup a test fit soon. I'll do a test fit in the next week or so, I'm waiting on my mounts to come back from the welder. I fully expect to cut the bolster off. I really hope I don't have to re-do my fiel lines thou... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 How are things looking? Do you have any more pictures of your projects...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyM Posted July 1, 2012 Author Share Posted July 1, 2012 How are things looking? Do you have any more pictures of your projects...? Yes! I've made a bit more progress. And you're right, the fuel lines will have to be moved to clear the g-box, bit of a bummer but not that difficult. A mate made me this sweet bend and tacked up my mounts. Everything came out minty. The isolators are 35mm x 70mm from a Ford something. I had to notch the back of the pipe to clear the TC mounts. And this is how everything sits. Shed loads of room up front! This morning I whittled up the g-box mount. All inspiration from Austin's mount. The two cut-outs are for twin 2.5" exhausts. The hole in the middle is for the one bolt which goes through the stock isolator. Some baboon (not me!) broke off some casing around the starter so I'll get this cut to fill the void. That's about it. I'll be stoked once the mounts are permanently in the car! But that feels a way off. I've got some clearance issues with the headers which I've started to cut up so I can put them back together again but with more clearance. I'm also gonna have to add another uni and hanger bearing to my steering shaft so I can clear everything more comfortably. I don't know what's available for this so I guess I'll have a poke around Pick-A-Part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 That's looking good. Your mounts came out really nice. You wouldn't feel like sharing the design files would you? PM about that. I'd also like to know what insulators you're using, Those Ford ones look much nicer than my cludged together parts. As for the Steering Uni, I'm using a spare steering uni joint from the junkyard, and will be mounting it in a bearing on a triangular plate by the Driverside strut tower. I'm hoping to be able to fit the stock AC unit. It gets REALLY hot in NM. Can you show some picts of your exhaust wotk on the headers...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyM Posted July 4, 2012 Author Share Posted July 4, 2012 (edited) I've always planned to share the drawings with anyone who wants them, so PM me and I'll pass them on. The isolators I used are from a '70s Ford Cortina I think. They're 70mm x 35mm. I've lost the part number but this one is similar. Edited July 4, 2012 by MikeyM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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