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Stock Car Mafia's '78 280z LS2 Build


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Here are some more pictures of the lens and LED install from Klearz.  All it took was a good heat gun to loosen the glue and they popped off with a screw driver.  

 

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Since it was all apart I hate the chrome bezels around the taillights, so I plastidipped those and also spray painted the license plate holder flat black.

 

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Here is the end result with the new LED's.  I forgot to purchase the reverse light lenses so those are coming too.  The upper and lower lenses were smoked a little bit lighter/darker than each other so Tina will be sending me a replacement set to replace them.  

 

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Now on to the real meat and potatoes of the project....I started to pull the motor out this last weekend to clear up some room.  Disconnecting everything was pretty straight forward.   

 

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I pulled the stock exhaust too, and will use the piping for practice welds as its been MANY years since I have welded.  The F%*king manifold bolts were a pain in the ass.  The first one snapped so I said screw it and chopped it off to save time.  

 

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Tada!

 

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I ended up getting the R134a drained from the system.  I just cracked the lines at the dryer an released the pressure.  From there, disconnecting the evaporator and condensor was pretty simple.  I hope to find some copper/brass fittings to plug the lines running in to the car.  

 

The gas is drained and the fuel system will be pulled soon as well.  

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I hope to get to pulling the stock tank, pump, and all associated lines tonight or this weekend.  

 

I want to eliminate all of the L28 engine wiring from the body harness.  What has everyone done to accomplish this, or is there a forum thread where this has already been done?  

 

The engine mounts, tranny crossmember, and headers will be here sometime next week hopefully in time for the extended weekend!  I sure as hell would like to buy Texis30O's supercharger as I love me a twin screw!

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Near the driverside pick panel, is the EFI computer cover.  There are three 10mm bolts to remove to expose the computer.  

 

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Remove the three 10mm bolts that secure the computer to the bracket and unclip the harness connector.  There is another connection that runs to the ignition near the steering column.  Disconnect that too.  The computer should slide right out.

 

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The dropping resistor near the clutch master cylinder can be removed as well.  There are just two 10mm bolts that secure this to a bracket.  

 

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The thicker portion of the harness runs along the driver side of the engine bay.  My engine has been pulled so all motor connectors have been unplugged.  There are just a few grounds and harness clips that have to be removed.  The thinner set of wires runs near the top of the firewall to the passenger side of the car.  The relay box needs to be removed to disconnect one plug underneath.  One more plug on the side of the box and the whole harness can be removed.  

 

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The firewall grommet can be pushed out from the firewall and the plug can be pulled into the engine bay.  It looks like a 1 3/4" plug will be needed to block this off.  

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I pulled the gas tank and the fuel pump last night.  I may use the stock mounting location, but am worried about caviation with a Walbro pump as it may be mounted too high?  

 

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The clutch line was drained and the hard line was removed.  You have to pull the cotter pin out of the clutch pedal to remove the clevis pin.  Good christ that is hard to get to!  I kept this and also removed the push rod to be installed on a Tilton/Wilwood clutch MC.

 

The rest of the fuel lines will be removed hopefully today.  The last Cup race is on today, and I'm pulling for Kyle Busch!  I'll have this on in the garage and will be flipping to the Vikings/Packers game during commercial breaks.

 

After work Monday I will be stopping to get a step drill for removing all the unsightly stock brackets from the engine bay.  I need to borrow a truck and get some wood to make a decent work bench.  I'll be calling every junk yard in a 3 hour radius to see if there are any Z31 Turbo's around.  I need a LSD R200 and turbo axles...

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Well the stack of stock parts are starting to add up....When I can list them for sale, I'll post them up.  

 

 - Emblems

 - Gas tank

 - EFI harness and computer

 - Fuel pump

 - A/C lines and accessories.  

 

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Bruce from Hawks Third Gen said the mounts and headers would ship out next week, so I should be able to start test fitting soon.  

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Next up was swapping the GTO oil pan for the C6 LS3 baffled pan.  I found a buyer that will be taking my GTO pan, windage tray, pickup tube, dipstick, and bolts for $250.  

 

The first order of business was knocking out the plug with a punch.  This was a simple task that took a couple gentle blows.

 

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Next I set the valley cover on the motor.  This C6 windage tray is identical to the GTO one.  There is a thread about the C6 pan that explains which parts are necessary for this swap.  You have to tighten the tray nut near the pick up tube bend first.  You cannot reach this when the tube is tightened down.  I used some vaseline to lube up the O ring and it popped right in to place.  The 10mm retaining bolt can be torqued to 106 in-lb.  I installed the 13mm nuts and tightened those to 18 ft-lb.  I'm not sure if there is a specific torque pattern but I did it in a criss-crossing manner starting from the middle.  Make sure to use blue loctite on EVERYTHING.  

 

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I laid the pan down with a new gasket and used a rubber mallet to make sure the pan is at least flush with the back of the block.  I've read issues with a pan that is seated beyond the block edge.  You need to use RTV sealant on all 4 corners before setting the pan down.  Tighten these to 18 ft-lb.  The longer bolts in the back are torqued to 106 in-lb.  After that, you are set!

 

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I didn't use RTV atm, as after I get my mounts set and welded, the pan will be coming off to get painted.  

 

The only thing left for the night was pulling all the fuel lines that run down the frame underneath.  The lines were frustrating to pull near the back diff.  The brake line was in the way, so I pinched both lines with a vice, wiggling them until they got weak and broke.  This made it really easy to remove them.  

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I was finally able to get my bench finished for the garage.  I was sick of working on a damn computer desk hunched over.  In order to fit the best I only went 22.5" deep (2, 2x12 planks).  This sucker is 7 feet long and 41" high!  No more bending over for this guy.  :D

 

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Santa came early and I have a couple boxes to open up as well.

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I ordered some ARP Chromoly 6 point header bolts and a new set of iridium plugs. I know I don't need to plugs yet, but I needed something to get free shipping ;) Hawks headers will be here Friday. I am fricken pumped about them! The mounts showed up last night and my first thoughts are they are pretty damn beefy! The engine side mounts and tranny bushings are all red energy suspension components. I have a feeling the motor will be sitting fairly low in the engine bay, which will be nice. I'll edit this post sometime soon to include pics. Heading out soon for Thanksgiving.

 

Just putting the mounts in to the engine bay I found a few mods that have to be done with them. The original engine mounts that are welded to the K-member need to be cut/ground off. The passenger brake line and possibly the driver side brake line need to be rerouted as well. The mounts require a piece of angle iron, that has nuts welded on the back, to be welded to the frame. Then the chassis mount bolts to the frame plate and the k member lower control arm bolt. I do believe 4 larger holes need to be drilled to fit the plate over the frame, and then welded in place. I plan on doing a full write up on this as time permits.

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As I stated yesterday the motor mounts are really solid.  The tranny crossmember is big as well.  After fitting it under the car, it seems it is going to take a TON of cutting, grinding, fitting, etc., to get this to work.  I am going to call Bruce next week and see if he has any pointers for me.  

 

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As for the headers...they are SO sexy!

 

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I ended up taking the front fenders off to make it easier on my legs and back working on this damn thing.  I pushed the car out to throw all those parts in the loft.  

 

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