Triple Blowthrough Turbo

[Dat73z]

Haven't posted in a while as I've been busy blowing the car apart to a bare metal shell along with welding and rebuilding a bunch of stuff in preparation for the spring bodyshop dropoff date. 

 

For the turbo build I started prepping the tank for the in-tank FPG surge tank with integral Pierburg lift pump. I'll be running a single walbro 450 to start, with the option to run twins (3 pumps total including the lift pump) within the surge tank feeding through -8 and returning -10 directly back into the surge tank. Every fuel system I've ever ran in a s30 has been a compromise, so hopefully this will be the last fuel system I ever put together (for this car at least). 

Edited March 2 by Dat73z

[calZ]

The FPG units look nice. Do you have a link to what you bought? For some reason I m can only find vehicle-specific kits that mount like the stock pumps rather than with the universal ring like you have. 

[Dat73z]

@calZ if you are referring to the adapter ring there are no links as it is a custom one-off piece in design. 

 

What you see in the pics are the developmental 3d prints before machining and finishing. There are a couple of minor things to sort out I didn't show such as an integrated fuel sender with roughly the same ohms sweep as the s30 gauge. 

 

If you're interested in getting an assembly let me know and I'll get some pricing for you when the time gets closer to production. Lots of irons in the fire right now, but I'll dedicate a post to the updated fuel system later like the custom cnc intake manifold. 

[Zetsaz]

Out of curiosity how much baffling does that tank have? When I first saw them I was excited, but it almost looked like it was just that formed wall in the middle for baffling just like the metal piece that's in the center of the original one.

Edited March 2 by Zetsaz

[Dat73z]

@Zetsaz there is no baffling inside the VTS tank other than the formed center area. However, the formed center area fully blocks off the fuel towards the rear of the tank which perhaps has some benefit under acceleration/cornering but overall I'd say it's comparable to the OE tank. The main benefit (other than being poly) is the formed recessed component mounting area. I think earlier in the thread I showed some pictures of the modifications on my OE steel tank which required quite a bit of cutting/welding/waterjet custom tank ring for the fuel cell plate. I also sealed off the stamped center baffle and added one way valves. 

 

Either way nowadays there are a lot of options for fuel slosh control such as Holley Hydramat, Aeromotive Stealth System, in-tank passive/active surge tanks, fuel pump trays, etc. Each has their pros and cons but that's a separate topic 😅

[calZ]

It always depends on pricing, but I'd be interested. I like the fitting arrangement and the bulkhead electrical connectors, but not in love with having a separate lift pump. Holley, Aeromotive, and Tanks Inc all have pigtails or studs rather than the bulkheads, so it's a compromise no matter which way I go. 

[A to Z]

4 hours ago, Zetsaz said:

Out of curiosity how much baffling does that tank have? When I first saw them I was excited, but it almost looked like it was just that formed wall in the middle for baffling just like the metal piece that's in the center of the original one.

Doesn't the factory baffling wall work sufficiently?  I am asking as I thought it was sufficient as is.

[Dat73z]

@calZ sounds good I'll send you a DM when the time gets closer. I agree it's typically about finding the compromises you're willing to live with 😅

 

I've been continuing the prep process for the bodyshop and realize I need to check some clearances/brackets on the rear end. A few years ago I imported a NOS Reinhard full 60mm twin exhaust for this build. I figure the twin 60mm should be as good for single or twin turbos.

 

My Q45 r200 is getting rebuilt with a OSG LSD and for the rear end I was thinking of upgrading to all Escort Japan pieces including their extended rear diff cover. The problem which may present is how the r200 (and so far as I can tell the vintage Nissan Comp systems) wrap around the rear of the diff. I only have one grainy picture of a full Reinhard exhaust installed so later this week I'll test fit it up with a spare diff to see. 

[calZ]

Do you have a T3 kit that uses the Q45/Z32TT wheel bearings as well? I recently found and ordered some new OEM rear bearings for mine. You maybe know this already, but they were out of production for like a decade and the only ones available were NOS for $450+ each. They must have done another production run, because plenty of places are selling them now, but still for the insane prices. I ordered from a UK vendor that cost for 2 what most places want for just 1. It was also the only place that actually listed the bore diameters, verifying they weren't just making the same mistake every major retailer in the US had made for the last 10 years of selling non-TT bearings as TT bearings.

https://zcentre.co.uk/product/300zx-rear-nissan-oem-wheel-bearing-twin-turbo/

[Dat73z]

That's good to know on the Q45/Z32TT wheel bearings. No I am running 280z stubs with the Q45 CVs and custom Moser cut shafts. I looked at the t3 Q45/Z32TT option a couple years ago when swapping out my t3 Konis/GCs and wilwoods and parts availability was definitely a concern. I ended up locking in on the KW and Stoptech setup for the long-term, so my weakest link is still the stubs 😅

[madkaw]

On 3/3/2025 at 10:31 AM, Dat73z said:

@calZ sounds good I'll send you a DM when the time gets closer. I agree it's typically about finding the compromises you're willing to live with 😅

 

I've been continuing the prep process for the bodyshop and realize I need to check some clearances/brackets on the rear end. A few years ago I imported a NOS Reinhard full 60mm twin exhaust for this build. I figure the twin 60mm should be as good for single or twin turbos.

 

My Q45 r200 is getting rebuilt with a OSG LSD and for the rear end I was thinking of upgrading to all Escort Japan pieces including their extended rear diff cover. The problem which may present is how the r200 (and so far as I can tell the vintage Nissan Comp systems) wrap around the rear of the diff. I only have one grainy picture of a full Reinhard exhaust installed so later this week I'll test fit it up with a spare diff to see. 

You’ll probably have to remove any “ear” casting at the bottom of the case to help fit between LCA and diff . I don’t have to cross behind so I can’t help you there 

[Dat73z]

Thanks @madkaw, I'm checking that out now so I'll see how things look. 

 

Quick update on the turbo build I unboxed a heatshield from Datsun Spirit and test fit it up last night with the restored SK50s and Surge Tank. I think it'll work well with some slight modification and perhaps add a secondary layer with an air gap. I'll also need to drop the engine in one last time to double check the turbo cartridge clocking and hot side clearances before welding out the elbow. 

 

I have about 2 months left to go before the bodyshop so I'm minimizing the time spent diving into specific aspects of the turbo build unless I need to. Mostly I'm test fitting things to ensure I'm not missing any packaging considerations on the chassis. Any other fabrication work can wait until the shell is at the bodyshop. 

[Dat73z]

Another crazy week but I've been making some progress on the Z in the evenings. Last week I threw the spare rear end setup back on to mockup the NOS Reinhard twin 60mm exhaust and see if the Escort Japan rear end setup will work. 

 

My rear end setup is far from stock as everything is structurally reinforced, boxed in/plated and welded out but the geometry to the LCAs/caps is the same. What I found is:

 

1. There is about 4.75" (4.5" to be safe) from the r200 case rear cover flange to the rear pipe.

2. There is something like 0.5"-1" to the rear caps if I account for adjusting the system fit.

3. I will also need to trim the r200SN front mount a bit to pull the exhaust into the early s30 twin pipe rear crossmember cutouts.

4. I also had to trim the front exhaust mount to clear the r200SN but like my last custom exhaust I'll tig in a new bracket which will turn the mount 90 degrees for clearance. I also left some of the original mount there to triangulate the new mount when I tig it in. 

 

Fitting up the system it's pretty evident it is exceptionally high quality, a work of art. It was near impossible for me to actually find any pictures online and I think most people who have posted just purchased the muffler or back boxes with custom piping so I'll photodump a bunch of reference pictures. Maybe in another 10 or 20yrs someone will also be doing the same off these grainy pictures 😂

 

I'll check the center section as well and upload pics of that later but am most concerned about getting parts on order for the diff rebuild.