V8_DatZun Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 After buying parts for 2 years (yep 2 years.. kid, moving etc slowed me way down) i FINALLY get to hear my 383 fire up. After several times of spinning over.. decided to run a hot wire straight to my distributor thinking maybe i had it wired wrong.. turned it over and it fired right up.. scared the living hell out of me. lol i've got manifolds turned upside down while im waiting on my headers to come in... it was PRETTY dang loud and i wasnt expecting it. now i just have to get a radiator to break the engine in. anyone know if the stock Z rad will do just for the break in time for the engine? i know it wont keep it cool in everyday use... i just need it to break the engine in until i can get one ordered. if it'll work for that much then ill use it. i want to hear the engine run for a while and get the cam broken in w/o worrying about it overheating though. that 383 sure put a BIG smile on my face though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zV8 Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 I think it would be more important to have the bigger radiator for break in because your not getting alot of air to cool it down when it's just breaking in. Better to be sure you have enough cooling power before you do any damage to that new engine. you can always just keep a real close eye on the temp gauge though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8_DatZun Posted January 12, 2007 Author Share Posted January 12, 2007 a friend said you are suppose to let it heat through a whole cooling cycle for the rings to seat right or else they glaze over and do not seat... is this true? and yeah i get what you mean about the rad and car just sitting with no air flow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 a friend said you are suppose to let it heat through a whole cooling cycle for the rings to seat right or else they glaze over and do not seat... is this true? your friend is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bschiltz Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 What about using the Datsun rad with a shop fan blowing into it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 the coolant in the datsun radiator with a water hose turned on full,running water over the outside surface of the cooling fins will absorb and remove more than enought heat to break in the engine correctly PROVIDED the ignition timing is correct the air fuel ratio is near correct and the oil level is nearly correct. water flowing over the outside surface of the radiator fins will absorb and carry off far more heat than air from any fan flowing thru the fins as water is far more effective than air which is a poor conductor of heat compared to water, just have the radiator full, the water pump and t-stat working and a generous flow of water over the fins, I doubt you can get the coolant temp to 200F with a 180F t-stat under those conditions. if your worried have TWO hoses flow water thru the radiator fins, but be aware that the fan tends to suck a good deal of water thru the fins if your reving the engine and you need to place the car where a good deal of flowing water flowing from the radiators surface won,t have a problem running off. outside on a slightly sloped drive way vs in a garage is a good idea, but the neighbors may not like the noise and water in the street Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8_DatZun Posted January 13, 2007 Author Share Posted January 13, 2007 thanks grumpy great idea, as usual! that can definatly work in my situation. guess i have new plans for tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QWKDTSN Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Grumpy recommended that to me ages ago when I was getting ready to start my engine and it is a really smart thing to do. I live next to a big parking lot so I wheeled the car out there, got a long hose from the side of my house, fire extinguisher, extra oil, rags, tools, etc. Just kept running the hose over the surface of the radiator while it was running through Grumpy's break-in procedures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 ....while it was running through Grumpy's break-in procedures. You wouldn't happen to have a link of that handy, would you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
love-my-V8-280Z Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 I would turn your exhaust so it points down, I could see some bad luck messing you over.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QWKDTSN Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Quite handily yes I do.... http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=66724&highlight=break Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8_DatZun Posted January 14, 2007 Author Share Posted January 14, 2007 cant turn them down... they wont fit. i have them upside down while im waiting on the headers to come in... i've been waiting for JTR to send the headers since December 13th so its been over a month now... i got tired of waiting on them and had to pay 50 bucks for some manifolds off an 89 gmc truck... LoL... the engine sounds good... cuz my neighbor across the street got his Boggin' truck with the built 350 and was spinnin the road up infront of my house showing off... and trying to see my car.. lol some people are just kinda funny... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QWKDTSN Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Whats so special about JTR headers (which I didn't even know existed)? I haven't had any problems with my ceramic coated Flowtech headers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Quite handily yes I do.... http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=66724&highlight=break Thanks alot. I have a crate motor with supposedly a 50 hour break in already done, so will have to read it again more carefully to make sure what applies. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8_DatZun Posted January 16, 2007 Author Share Posted January 16, 2007 Whats so special about JTR headers (which I didn't even know existed)? I haven't had any problems with my ceramic coated Flowtech headers. you have a 280z which is not as picky about headers. i have a 280ZX with power rack and pinion steering.. has to be custom headers to work. my dad has a Z with a 350 and he randomly bought a set of headers off ebay that worked great... so that just shows you the Z is easier to buy headers for than the ZX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QWKDTSN Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Oh, I see. I didn't realize you were working with a ZX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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