Leon Posted September 29, 2013 Author Share Posted September 29, 2013 (edited) Fantastic! Great job. Thanks Jim, it was awesome finally meeting you yesterday! Your 240 looks gorgeous, you guys really did a fantastic job and the amount of hours and energy you put into it really shows. Your son is a lucky kid. The Car looks so good Leon! Hows she running? Thanks Alex! I had to break in the engine during the trip, so it was a bit stressful. She runs strong and feels very torquey, at least from the butt-dyno. I have the timing set pretty conservatively right now (10 idle, 27 max) so I'm not at full power yet. I can't wait to finish breaking it in and putting it on the dyno! I wlil say that I LOVE the 10lb flywheel and the stock 225mm clutch is holding up, for now. Unfortunately, looks like one of the valves had its wipe pattern set a little too aggressively, and I wiped a cam lobe. I'll do a full inspection tomorrow and send another core to Isky in the meantime. The wipe patterns were set very aggressively, and unfortunately one of them was just off enough. This is a case of learn by doing! I'll bump up the lash pad size a bit to make sure it doesn't happen again. Here's a shot of the carnage: Edited September 29, 2013 by Leon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted September 29, 2013 Author Share Posted September 29, 2013 Ewww... your car likes shell gas? Almost every car I've ever had didn't like shell. It either ping, made noticeably less power, or got significantly less MPG. My brother's '93 Cobra would hardly run on it. My B16A1 would feel terrible on it. The wife's Accord loses at least 2 MPG on it. And on and on. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I've resorted to only buying their gas if absolutely necessary. The only reason I know the Accord doesn't like it is because on a road trip someone else was buying the gas and sure enough, consistent MPG before that thank, and the tanks after, but THAT tank was noticeably down... Never had an issue. It all comes from the same place, you know! I buy from Shell and Chevron because it's convenient. We use their gas cards which give us small discounts, their prices tend to be competitive, plus Shell and Chevron are everywhere. Differences in performance between different brands of (top tier) gas is usually in people's imaginations... There's a very good chance that your local Shell gets its fuel from the same place as your local Chevron, 76, Mobil, Arco, Valero, ad nauseum. The only differences are the detergent additives, the effects of which are seen more in the long term and not discernible tank-to-tank. http://www.energy.ca.gov/2008publications/CEC-180-2008-008/CEC-180-2008-008.PDF http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamo3 Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 Congrats, Leon! Your Z looks so sharp! Spent many hours over the last few days getting the car ready to go to JCCS... We're now resting in SLO and will be in Long Beach Friday night! I realized that I hadn't taken any photos of the "completed" car yet, so I snapped a quick one at a Shell alongside 101 this afternoon... DSCN2706.JPG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted September 29, 2013 Author Share Posted September 29, 2013 Thanks Takashi! Here's a shot I took at the end of the show. I had a chance to take a few pictures. Here are some favorites: This was probably the highlight of the show for me, and I had to make a huge double-take when I saw it. A '67 Prince Skyline in race trim! Woody Cressida! A sweet Honda N600 with an awesome motor-swap that I don't even remember what it was... Subaru 360 Mirco, had no idea these awesome things existed! And a very nicely done engine compartment... Toyota Corona Coupe The Lemans-winning Mazda 787B Very clean TE27 Corolla race-car R32 and KGC10 Cool "vintage"-looking Roadster Restored Datsun 1000 C110 Skyline with L28 C110 Skyline with RB26 Beautiful Skyline Coupe with intact surf-line! Very mean-looking Toyota Crown Spoon Civic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 Never had an issue. It all comes from the same place, you know! I buy from Shell and Chevron because it's convenient. We use their gas cards which give us small discounts, their prices tend to be competitive, plus Shell and Chevron are everywhere. Differences in performance between different brands of (top tier) gas is usually in people's imaginations... There's a very good chance that your local Shell gets its fuel from the same place as your local Chevron, 76, Mobil, Arco, Valero, ad nauseum. The only differences are the detergent additives, the effects of which are seen more in the long term and not discernible tank-to-tank. http://www.energy.ca.gov/2008publications/CEC-180-2008-008/CEC-180-2008-008.PDF http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html Oh I know it all comes from the same place, for the most part. But I also grew up surrounded by refineries. Down in Richmond is the Chevron refinery. In Martinez is Shell. In Benicia is the Valero refinery, Conoco Phillips was just about in my backyard in Rodeo. I still drive by the Tesoro refinery in Concord almost weekly. Yes, 90% of what all those refineries put out is identical. But they also all have to pass their own octane rating tests, and they all use slightly different approaches when it comes to their octane additives, as well as detergents. I've often felt that the reason I don't like Shell gas must be the detergents they use, since they sell to many other lower tier stations that I've never seen issues with. I've also considered that it could be their winter blend that I have issues with, as I've never paid close enough attention to see what time of the year I've seen issues. Who knows, maybe it is all in my head. But when your paranoia gets validated enough times you really start to believe it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted September 30, 2013 Author Share Posted September 30, 2013 Oh I know it all comes from the same place, for the most part. But I also grew up surrounded by refineries. Down in Richmond is the Chevron refinery. In Martinez is Shell. In Benicia is the Valero refinery, Conoco Phillips was just about in my backyard in Rodeo. I still drive by the Tesoro refinery in Concord almost weekly. Yes, 90% of what all those refineries put out is identical. But they also all have to pass their own octane rating tests, and they all use slightly different approaches when it comes to their octane additives, as well as detergents. I've often felt that the reason I don't like Shell gas must be the detergents they use, since they sell to many other lower tier stations that I've never seen issues with. I've also considered that it could be their winter blend that I have issues with, as I've never paid close enough attention to see what time of the year I've seen issues. Who knows, maybe it is all in my head. But when your paranoia gets validated enough times you really start to believe it. No worries, we all have our preferences! Hope the BBQ went well, I'd like to make the next one. Way easier than JCCS, not to mention a lot less stressful... We got home about an hour ago, made good time coming from SLO. I've got a checklist of things to go through and need to send Isky a cam core so I can get this thing back on the road quickly and finally drive it like I stole it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 Hmm, after further investigation my wipe patterns look to be dead on. Maybe it was an oiling issue, but seeing only one lobe/rocker destroyed is strange. The next plan is to pop off the valve cover and crank the engine over to make sure oil comes out of each lobe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 (edited) In looking at the picture the rocker arm wear surface was worn completely off of the edge, As the lobe wears down the wear surface will move to the middle, away from the edge. How can that one be dead-on if the edge of the rocker arm surface is degraded? Something was rubbing on it. Foreign object, mouse trap spring or something? Just saying... Edited October 1, 2013 by NewZed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazeum Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 (edited) if you haven't touched your engine yet, how is the valve clearance for this lobe? What about the others? On my build, they have moved quite a lot on the first 500 mi. Now, it is steady. I have destroyed a cam & an engine because of that. If you had heat enough (lack of oil film) to destroy cam lobe heat treatment, rocker might show some heat evidence, it could look black. Edited October 1, 2013 by Lazeum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SleeperZ Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Hmm, after further investigation my wipe patterns look to be dead on. Maybe it was an oiling issue, but seeing only one lobe/rocker destroyed is strange. The next plan is to pop off the valve cover and crank the engine over to make sure oil comes out of each lobe. That looks exactly like my single lobe failure on my old Schneider turbo cam. I never did figure out what caused it, my oiling seems good, though the sump level was slightly low after the track day when it wiped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 In looking at the picture the rocker arm wear surface was worn completely off of the edge, As the lobe wears down the wear surface will move to the middle, away from the edge. How can that one be dead-on if the edge of the rocker arm surface is degraded? Something was rubbing on it. Foreign object, mouse trap spring or something? Just saying... The wipe pattern is correct, judging by looking at the other side of the rocker arm and comparing it to the rest of the good lobes/rockers. The only thing I can think of that can cause this damage is a foreign object getting in there. if you haven't touched your engine yet, how is the valve clearance for this lobe? What about the others? On my build, they have moved quite a lot on the first 500 mi. Now, it is steady. I have destroyed a cam & an engine because of that. If you had heat enough (lack of oil film) to destroy cam lobe heat treatment, rocker might show some heat evidence, it could look black. I did a valve adjustment after about 60-70 miles on the engine and they were all tight, although I didn't notice any lobe damage. I noticed the damage on the second adjustment, at about 300 miles on the engine. The lobe in question was loose (couple thou) when I checked clearances, so that could've contributed to the problem. Good point on the heat aspect of lack of oil. I haven't noticed any blackening, just worn metal. The engine now has approximately 1000 miles so I can take some more photos next time I take the cover off. That looks exactly like my single lobe failure on my old Schneider turbo cam. I never did figure out what caused it, my oiling seems good, though the sump level was slightly low after the track day when it wiped. Weird... I made sure my oil level was full so that shouldn't be an issue. Leaning towards foreign object, I'll post photos after pulling the cam and rockers. I'll have to play around a bit to get the cam out with the engine still in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted October 6, 2013 Author Share Posted October 6, 2013 Another issue I ran into is that the car has some sort of old-school coilovers with custom strut mounts. Somehow, my rear camber is +0.5 degrees. Front is -0.5 degrees so OK but not great. I talked to Don of DP Racing about his bolt-in camber plates which I really like, but from what he told me the shank of the Tokico HPs needs to be turned down to match the 5/8" spherical bearing. Not sure if I want to deal with that or not... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted October 15, 2013 Author Share Posted October 15, 2013 Started on my fuel rail, more progress to follow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Started on my fuel rail, more progress to follow. DSCN2913.JPG Oh I hate you! That's my kind of sexy. Keep a tab on the cost and keep people like me informed. I LOVE LOVE LOVE how much that screams "Yes, I'm DIY, and yes, I'm awesome". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perfect240z Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 So thats all custom Leon or did you just piece together everything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted October 16, 2013 Author Share Posted October 16, 2013 Oh I hate you! That's my kind of sexy. Keep a tab on the cost and keep people like me informed. I LOVE LOVE LOVE how much that screams "Yes, I'm DIY, and yes, I'm awesome". Ha, thanks Nate, that's what I was going for! I wanted a fuel rail solution for my triples that looked factory-ish and I saw nothing out there that I liked. I contemplated the Magna Fuel log as others have used, as well as using the generic EFI fuel rails, but none tickled my fancy. I gave it some thought and came up with a design that I liked and fit the car! As for cost, let's just say "high", LOL! If I were to do it again, I'd change a few things, maybe use aluminum instead of stainless. I'm tracking the cost in my spreadsheet, and everything included has run me ~$600. Not using stainless fittings and tubing would've probably saved ~$100. So thats all custom Leon or did you just piece together everything? I bought the fittings and bulk stainless tubing, which I cut to length. I'll say that this took A LOT of planning as I wanted something that fits the feel of the car and something that was unique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamo3 Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Started on my fuel rail, more progress to follow. DSCN2913.JPG I like your craftsmanship! Nicely done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Swagelock makes those same fittings in Brass.... With Rigid Copper Line it could be period vintage looking... Wade makes fittings that braze on to copper rigid piping, look like compression fittings, but actually have viton o-rings on the sealing faces, very low makeup torque. Great for water, oil, and fuel! More brass-and-copper.... too bad I'm not into Austins or something like that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted October 16, 2013 Author Share Posted October 16, 2013 I like your craftsmanship! Nicely done! Thank you, Takashi! Swagelock makes those same fittings in Brass.... With Rigid Copper Line it could be period vintage looking... Wade makes fittings that braze on to copper rigid piping, look like compression fittings, but actually have viton o-rings on the sealing faces, very low makeup torque. Great for water, oil, and fuel! More brass-and-copper.... too bad I'm not into Austins or something like that... Yeah, by the time I saw that they make everything in brass, I had already committed to stainless. That's exactly what I'd go for if the goal was to do it cheaper but keeping the vintage look. You know, during my initial design stage, after looking over the design of the stock rail I really wanted to braze on the fittings. I ultimately went with compression fittings because they're easier to work with, and soldering stainless seemed like a pain. Brazing fittings is definitely something I'd like to try to make a smoother-looking rail though! My next one may just be brass/copper... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted July 10, 2014 Author Share Posted July 10, 2014 Ouch, I haven't made any updates since I started a new job last October! I've managed to do some little things here and there, mostly related to the fuel system. The regulator is mounted, the old feed/return lines cut and ready to adapt the AN fittings, but the $30 OSH tubing bender was not cutting (bending?) it. It would either kink or flatten the lines. I decided I wanted to do it right so I bought a 5/16" bender made by Rigid and it works worlds better! I'm hoping to finish this project up by this weekend and pressure test all my connections. The cam has yet to be pulled, so that will be the next project in line. I've got a replacement cam ready to send out but Isky wanted to look at the wiped one as well. After some thinking, my best hypothesis is that one of the rockers was poorly prepped before installation, leaving a micro-ridge on the closing ramp of that lobe which eventually eroded the cam. We'll see what they say. I bought all-new rockers and will be installing them with the reground cam, and re-checking wipe to be sure. Finally, I also wanted to cure my rear suspension camber issue as well as get new inserts. I placed an order for a set of new Bilstein P30-0032 yesterday and will be figuring out how to adapt them to my setup after I get them. I'm hoping the DP bolt-in camber plates will work but that remains to be seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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