Shanks Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 (edited) Hey everyone, I have been a lurker here for a while but I feel I have saved up enough and planned enough to have you check my build plans as they now stand. Attached is my build list of parts. My goal is to take my current stock 240z back to like new with modern touches. I would like to be sitting comfortably above 300 WHP with an l28et. I am looking for good suspension but I am not looking to track so I am not sure if coil-overs are necessary. Please check the build list first before you comment. I have rebuilt 2 engines back to stock but this is my first true performance build so I would love some direct input from more experienced members. Big questions currently in my mind: Will I be happy with the suspension I have selected? I am afraid it will be sitting too high and/or I will be unhappy with the fact that I couldn't adjust anything should the need arise. Should I budget for forged pistons? It seems the stock bottom end would handle my build but to me forged would gaurantee it and the lighter pistons would just be good for it anyway, but I am not going to go forged if I don't need to. Are there any major parts I have forgotten? I am budgeting an extra $1000 for small things I will end up buying like tools and misc parts. I assume I will get many of the parts for cheaper than I listed but I would rather over estimate now and come out better than expected. Thanks! I already have an l28et that I pulled out of an old 280zx and it is sitting on a stand in my garage. I will be sending it in to get machined and cleaned after I decide on a few more things. 240z Project Fleshed Out Sheet1.pdf 240z Project Fleshed Out Sheet1.pdf Edited October 24, 2015 by Shanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malibud Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Your prices are about right . What's wrong with engine you have ? Clean it up and go ? Could save when you blow your first head gasket . I am in black mountain if you are ever in the area send me a pm . I am running about what you described except Jim wolf ecu , forged pistons and a Borg Warner turbo. Your price on the turbo is a little low for new . I think I sold my Garrett used for 750. Does that one have an internal waste gate ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldAndyAndTheSea Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Forged pistons wont guarantee anything without a proper tune. You'll just end up breaking MORE expensive stuff should catastrophe happen. I'd skip that step, and focus heavily on a reliable, tuneable, engine management system. Throw that on the engine you have. Tune the piss out of it. That's what I'd do. The money you save on, unnecessary in my opinion, forged pistons will help immensely on other aspects of the build. My humble .02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shanks Posted October 24, 2015 Author Share Posted October 24, 2015 (edited) Thanks for the reply guys. Your prices are about right . What's wrong with engine you have ? Clean it up and go ? Could save when you blow your first head gasket . I am in black mountain if you are ever in the area send me a pm . I am running about what you described except Jim wolf ecu , forged pistons and a Borg Warner turbo. Your price on the turbo is a little low for new . I think I sold my Garrett used for 750. Does that one have an internal waste gate ? The current l28et that I have on a stand has something in the combustion chamber from a rodent or something. The car I pulled it from was sitting for as least 7 years and I just feel like any engine you are going to boost past stock should be cleaned up properly beforehand, especially if it is going to cost only 500 to do so. I would much rather pay 500 now and have a good clean engine than have to rip it back out later. I really can't answer that turbo question as I didn't learn as much about turbos when I was rebuilding engines so I need to read up on it a little bit more to see what I should really get. What would you suggest I get for my build? Forged pistons wont guarantee anything without a proper tune. You'll just end up breaking MORE expensive stuff should catastrophe happen. I'd skip that step, and focus heavily on a reliable, tuneable, engine management system. Throw that on the engine you have. Tune the piss out of it. That's what I'd do. The money you save on, unnecessary in my opinion, forged pistons will help immensely on other aspects of the build. My humble .02 I get what you're saying completely. In the case of detonation it won't matter too much what's inside, but forged pistons do help create a more healthy engine over time by reducing stress on the internals. However, it is only worth it at a certain amount of boost. I already made sure to get a good tunable ECU system like megasquirt. Will definitely take it to get it tuned accurately by a professional before I drive it around. Would you guys agree the latest megasquirt 2 would be enough for my build? Based on what I can tell it would be more than enough. Also, are there any other components that I am missing besides the preassembled kit that I would need to get it to work? Sorry for all the questions I just want to make sure there isn't anything I have overlooked. Edited October 24, 2015 by Shanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Couple questions that I hope will be helpful. Be aware, Im a V8 guy, so I can't help with all that turbo stuff. But, Ive owned my Z for 25 years and Ive gone thru it several times. First, I don't see any budget for interior. Hopefully that means you already have a good interior. I know you say you don't know if you will track it. But honestly, the time to do some of the track mods is when you have it apart already. Specifically a cage. You can't really enjoy 300hp in a 3000# car on the street-you need to go to a track. So plan on track stuff, or you will be pulling the interior out again later and will be cussing yourself. To really enjoy a Z car fully, you gotta get it on a track. At least at a Z convention, which is a total blast. I think your wheels are too wide to not be budgeting for a coilover setup. Everybody these days is welding pre-made coilover kits onto their cars. You can actually do good coilovers on a budget the old school way by sectioning your struts. If you plan to lower the car and drive it hard, you need to be thinking coilovers. I would rather have a 150hp Z with coilovers than a 200hp Z without them. All the more with 300 hp. With stock setup, the Z is just a sloppy mess. Slap 250# springs on it with coilovers and you've got a fun, tight car. Finally, I'm not sure mandrel bends are worth the trouble. Just take it to a muffler shop and have a quickie aluminized system on it and be finished in a day. Be honest with yourself and others about which mods you are doing for performance and which mods you are doing just for looks. I will tell you that I have lots of little things on my car that are just for looks and a little warm fuzzy inside. Wide wheels and tires are one of those. There are not many cars on this forum that can keep up with a properly prepared ITS race car, and I think those are limited to tiny 14" wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evoog Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Anytime you upgrade or do work to your car, take the estimated budget, and double it. Also, try to build your vehicle in stages, do certain things, get her running, enjoy her, then onto the next stage. Much nicer to the pocket book, keeps you into the project. As I have discovered with my project, sometimes what you plan on buying isnt correct based off the vehicles setup(springs to soft for the extra weight, or the engine isnt cooling proper with the radiator size) http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/50208-the-ultimate-l28et-guidewhat-you-need-for-350whp/ Build your motor stronger then the boost you plan on running. Then, if you are like the rest of us turbo guys, one day you will start turning up the boost, and thats when you hope the engine you built is strong enough. dont forget a/f gauge boost gauge clutch and flywheel radiator and electric fans air filter fluids agree with rebekahs: go coilovers also would spend some money on tighting up the chassis vs spending money on exterior badges. my 2 cents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shanks Posted October 24, 2015 Author Share Posted October 24, 2015 Very nice numbers in your sig RebekahsZ. Very nice. Thankfully I already restored the interior which is why I didn't put it in the budget. I don't see me putting a cage in my z at any point. I am not saying I will never track the car, but I am not looking to make records with this car. I am looking to have a good build to enjoy personally, and I also want to make sure I don't turn this thing into a dedicated track car. If I track it, it will be for the sole purpose of getting to really let it go and have some fun. You are absolutely right about everything you said, but I don't think my goals line up with that level of suspension modification. However, I think coilovers do line up with what I want out of my z, so I will plan on doing that and not stop short. I hope it doesn't cost twice as much as I budgeted for. I have been lucky enough to part out the 280zx that I got the l28et out of and get almost all my money back, so that is $750 I have come out with already. Thanks for bringing up the gauges and other parts as I definitely forgot about that. Let me know if there is anything else you can think of. I am happy about the responses so far because I was afraid there was something that I seriously missed so I feel pretty good so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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