hoov100 Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 i know they are different, but how can you tell the difference without tearing it apart? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rztmartini Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 I think the casting on the side. "F54" would be the turbo right guys? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoov100 Posted July 12, 2006 Author Share Posted July 12, 2006 but didnt all l28 motors after 81 have that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritech-z Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Is the head off? Turbo blocks have dished pistons, N/A blocks have flat tops assuming they are 81-83 models. Plus the turbo engines should have, you know, a turbo hanging off the exhaust manifold. In the absence of that, I'd look at the oil pan and see if it had the turbo drain back line going into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoov100 Posted July 12, 2006 Author Share Posted July 12, 2006 the thing is, its in a 78 280z, N/A exhaust, N/A intake, p90 head, turbo valve cover, havnt looked at the oil pan yet though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritech-z Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 What is the marking on the block then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naviathan Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 The markings on the block make no difference. The only way to tell if it's NA or Turbo on the block is to pull the head and check the pistons. Dished=turbo flat top=NA. It has a P90 head so chances are it's a Turbo as the NA had a P79. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNeedForZ Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 If it's F54 then it is so called "turbo block", but not all F54 were used in turbo applications. According to the "How to modify....." book, starting in Dec/1980, turbo engines began using F54 blocks; beginning in Jul/1981, NA engines use F54 as well. The most important thing to know is that F54 turbo block is not the stronger block, it cools better due to slots in the webbing between cylinders. Early N42 blocks(280Z) were said to be the best since there are no slots in the webbing and the nickel content is higher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240Zed Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 I dont think theres turbo F54 block and a non turbo F54 block. Theres just a F54 block. What makes a turbo engine is the low compression dished turbo pistons. The N42 block was used as a Turbo engine by nissan too, wasn't it. So that would be a "turbo block" too wouldn't it. A block's a block. its the rest of the engine that makes it a turbo engine. Even the P90 head isnt a Turbo head, it was used on non turbo engines by nissan too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritech-z Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 There is a difference in the castings of the turbo blocks, and if you search it on this site, you'll find some interesting information. It has to do with the webbing Nissan chose to add between the cylinders of the turbo block to promote cooling under the higher temperatures caused by the non-intercooled factory turbo. As for what this guy has, you have a late model head in a car it didn't come attatched to, and I suspect that whoever did that probably just changed the head out during a head gasket swap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rztmartini Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 i didnt know that there were N/A F54's...might explain why i thought there were so many "turbo" engines (less head) in the junk yard! lol but were there diffrent F54's made? (diffrence in webbing btwn cyl.?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naviathan Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 I'm not sure where that information came from, but I've never seen a different F54 block. It wouldn't make sense for Nissan to create two different casts for the same block just to drop one in a turbo model and one in a NA. It's not financially sound much less wise for stocking. How would they know what block on the shelf is NA and which one is turbo without cutting the block in half to see the webbing? However using the same block and changing the piston and head would make sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eec564 Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 I'm with naviathan. I see no reason why all F54 blocks would not be the same. I certainly have never heard of anything like that. The difference between turbo and N/A is the pistons, dished vs flat top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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