tonycharger72 Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Hey mate, Here is a pic of the clearance I have for the clutch MS to the rocker's and head of the 1UZ! The only thing is if I move the engine forward I will need to make a new sump from scratch and modify the pickup, then get the extension for the gearbox shifter, and redo the engine and trans mounts.... My rack is in front of the crossmember, not behind it like the 280zx's - moving your engine forward sounds like such a pain!!! - how much clearance do you have though? can you move the engine forward enough so you just get clearance for the clutch and the rack? Sure there was another fellow about the place who did this conversion into a 280zx - wonder how he solved it? Another alternative is going down the auto path? flog off your manual gearbox and dellow unit - auto gearbox's are literally throw-aways, pick it up for free!!! How is your car for clearance for the oil filter? I'll need to either do a remote mount setup or use a shorter filter as at the moment it the filter can't be changed with moving the engine. Oil filter clears the chassis rails and rack, but also the lines for the Subaru power-steering - that was more blind luck than anything else , even with the engine mounted towards the passenger side still have enough room to get it off - I will post some pics of how it all looks and my modified crossmember very soon to show you how it all sits mate!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc280 Posted October 28, 2008 Author Share Posted October 28, 2008 Hey mate, thanks for posting the pic. I looks like mine is mounted much closer to the firewall, from memory I think it is about 90mm from the firewall to the head (where the clutch master needs to go anyway). I've attached a pic which give a little more idea of the clearances. I can probably move it forward a couple of milimetres but anymore than that means a new sump, pickup etc. Although I think I might have found a solution I was looking on the Tilton website and found a master cylinder that is pretty short. I come to 81mm in length which means I need to get a fitting to turn on the end within about 10mm but that seems more doable than having to go underdash pedals.... Sure there was another fellow about the place who did this conversion into a 280zx - wonder how he solved it? I've seen pics of one other guy that installed a 1uz in a 280zx but he was using the auto so didn't have these problems and I'm not sure if he ever finished it. I'm pretty keen to stay with the manual so I'll find a way to make it work! Tilton Master Cylinder.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonycharger72 Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 So have you modified your sump & pickup already to gain clearance? Would be thinking like you in your situation though - would try and avoid modifying the sump at all costs and keeping the manual - I would have gone the manual route but have so many other things to do - plus didnt really have the $2k or more laying about for it !!! Awesome find for the Tilton Clutch MS - looks tiny, should do the trick mate! How bout you - how far off is the car from running? Whats next? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc280 Posted October 29, 2008 Author Share Posted October 29, 2008 I've had to modify the sump as shown in some of the earlier pics, although the pickup is untouched at the moment and hopefully it can stay that way. I didn't really want to fabricate a sump from scratch as the gearbox bolts to it and has a lot of reinforcing and looks as though it braces the bottom of the block. Yeah I can understans not wanting to outlay the extra cash for the manual.... I was able to sell a whole bunch of 280zx parts off that I had collected for a turbo build for about $1800, then the half cut only cost $1000 so I'm not too badly out of pocket at the moment. The next steps for me are custom headers (have the flanges and bends, collectors etc just need to get it together), then wiring and all fluids like heater, radiator, power steering etc... I think I've got the wiring fairly sorted so hopefully that shouldn't take too long. The most annoying thing is I'm stuck in Perth for the next couple of months and the car is in Sydney, so probably don't expect to be done till about half way through next year.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonycharger72 Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 "The next steps for me are custom headers (have the flanges and bends, collectors etc just need to get it together), then wiring and all fluids like heater, radiator, power steering etc... I think I've got the wiring fairly sorted so hopefully that shouldn't take too long. The most annoying thing is I'm stuck in Perth for the next couple of months and the car is in Sydney, so probably don't expect to be done till about half way through next year...." You doing the wiring yourself? Haven't really thought about doing the wiring myself (well not the 1UZ part) - was going to re-wire the Datsun but was probably just going to call that Sideshow fellow and see if he can come down and do it for me! Wouldn't really know where to start with the 1UZ harness ! Got any pics of the header kit? really interested to see that - thinking if you can get custom headers in the 280zx I might be able to do the same in my 260z !!! "Yeah I can understans not wanting to outlay the extra cash for the manual.... I was able to sell a whole bunch of 280zx parts off that I had collected for a turbo build for about $1800, then the half cut only cost $1000 so I'm not too badly out of pocket at the moment." See how it goes - there is a place local to me called "Rushimports" and apparently he is putting together a T56 conversion, see how that goes - but got so many other things to do, completely unassociated with the engine conversion, like bodywork that will take up a lot of time and money - so keen to get all that sort of stuff underway and at a later date deal with the possibility of a Manual conversion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc280 Posted November 7, 2008 Author Share Posted November 7, 2008 Yeam I'm planning to tackle the wiring myself, from what I've worked out it doesn't look like there are that many wires that you need from the 1uz harness to actually get it to run. If you decide to go manual I think one thing you need to do is send 12v to one of the wires (where the neutral start switch would have been in the auto) to get the computer to think that the missing auto box it is in neutral. I've got some wiring diagrams that I've marked up, which should show all the wires that are needed to get the thing to run (I'll try to email you a copy if you like). Hopefully I'll be able to test it all out early next year! Although I've heard good things about Sideshows work so if you wanted a no hassle way to do things I'm sure that would be easiest... Have you checked how well a T56 would fit? From what I've heard they are a big gearbox... Any idea what sort of price you think you'd be able to get a T56 for, I would have thought it may be cheaper to go with an R154. I'm guessing you live in Queanbeyan or Canberra then if Rushimports is nearby? I was orginally from Canberra myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonycharger72 Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 What part of Canberra were you from? not Tuggernong I hope !!! I live in Canberra, can't move out to Queanbeyan, I can spell, my brother isnt my father and I still have all my own teeth Nah, just kidding!!! I honestly don't think I will be doing anything like wiring for a bit, so if you get some diagrams together by the new year that would be sweet - my email address is tonycharger72@hotmail.com - have re-wired cars before but haven't tackled anything more complex them electronic ignition and relay's for wiper motor's (that was a fun couple of days )!!! The auto box in my tran's tunnel with the original gearbox mounts removed just fits on the passenger side, the fellow at RushImports said that the T56 is slightly fatter than the auto, so got the impression that the transmission tunnel internal support (the bit the original mounts were welded to and runs around the top of the transmission tunnel) would probably need cutting out - he did say that the shifter location of the T56 was the same as the shifter location of the auto, also said that the T56 has a slave cylinder internally mounted into the gearbox, so you just have to run a line from your Clutch Master Cylinder, made it a touch easier to mount!!! He used to sell a W58 and R154 conversion, but think it was just CRS's, but he did say there was issues with these conversions, can't remember what the issue was though - you bought from Dellow right? did you have any issues with your manual conversion? The fellow from RushImports said that you can get T56's on EBAY for $1200-$1400 - I didn't quite believe him so I had a look myself, there was one at $1k or so with lots of bids, another at $1200 with zero bids, and another sitting on $3k with no bids at all!!! I think its a bit of "luck of the draw" but he was right - it appears you can source one cheaper than an R154!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc280 Posted November 11, 2008 Author Share Posted November 11, 2008 Yeah I grew up in Tuggeranong, so I know what you mean about Queanbeyan I've still gotta do a final ckeck of the diagrams to make sure I've got everything right, but once I do I'll send them through. A T56 sould be nice if you could get it in there. I think it would take quite a bit of abuse to break on behind a 1uz. As for the W58 conversion, I've heard you have to do a little grinding with the CRS kits, but other than that they work fine. The Dellow kit seems to be quality stuff, everything bolts up easily and looks like it is all made to work together. So apart from sorting out the clutch master cylinder hopefully there won't be anything else to do there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonycharger72 Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Hey Marc280 any updates on the conversion mate? How's the wiring going/headers going? Get the clutch sorted? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc280 Posted February 6, 2009 Author Share Posted February 6, 2009 Unfortunately, I don't have anything much to report as I've only just got back to Sydney from Perth and then I'm going to be away again for the next couple of weeks.... But after that I plan to get right into it and hope to have it driveable within the next couple of months. The one thing that I have done, is found a W58 gearbox with the remote shifter and it should put the shifter in a much better position. This will also mean that if I can't get a clutch master to fit in the area I want I can just move the engine forward a little (although this will mean playin with the sump again). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonycharger72 Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Let us know how you go with your wiring - still trying to decide if I will be lazy and send mine away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc280 Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 I've finally been able to start working on the zed again after getting back from Perth. The part I'm trying to tackle at the moment is building the headers. It is proving to be a little tricky as there isn't much clearance on the drivers side as the steering shaft is right in the middle of where the runners would like to go... I'll take some pics when I get a chance to show you all what I mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc280 Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 Ok here are the pics that I promised of the headers for the drivers side. There was not much room to run all the pipes as the steering shaft gets in the way for just about everything you try... But seeing as I've never built a set before I'm pretty happy with how they are so far and should definitely be an improvement over the stock ones. For anyone wondering the primaries are 1 5/8 inch diameter, which seems to be a good size going on what other people have found with the engines. Anyway I'd love hear any comments/suggestions as I'm now about to build the other side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eec564 Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Couple of things I might suggest. While no so much specific to your build, just to save you hassle down the road. I'd take a look at the seals on the power steering pump, as those are known to leak. While not such a huge problem in itself, it leaks straight on to the alternator, and that's actually more expensive and a pain to change than the power steering pump. Also, in moving the engine around, be very careful not to bend the blades on the mechanical fan, or any part of the clutch, if you're using it. If it gets un-balanced, it will kill the bearing in the fan bracket. While not a horrid pain to change out, it's not cheap. All this of course on top of the usual timing belt/water pump seemingly-mandatory service. Other than that, you're build is looking simply beautiful. Those engines are very nice to drive, very smooth power. Going super-charged might just be the ticket with such a tight header install, and all those accessories blocking the pipes going forward then back again. For the clutch master clearance issues, you could try moving the master into the firewall an inch or so. Cut the firewall and weld a plate in a bit more into the passenger compartment. Thread the rod down a bit more and play with linkage geometry to keep things from binding. Just a crazy (and possibly impractical and impossible/bad) idea if you can't find something to bolt up and fit. Keep up the great work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonycharger72 Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Hey mate, looks really good! Where did you get the exhaust flanges and collectors from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc280 Posted March 11, 2009 Author Share Posted March 11, 2009 Hey guys thanks for the kind words. I'll keep the seals on the power steering pump in mind, I've also heard of a few others drowning their alternators which ends up getting expensive quickly.... The engine doesn't have a mechanical fan so that shouldn't be too much of a problem. The fan that the soarer uses is actually a hydraulic fan (I'm guessing to keep things smooth an quiet??). I don't plan on using that as it has its own computer and control system and looks like way to much work (not to mention the losses from driving the hydraulic pump) to get it going when I can just use an electric thermo fan. I've had thoughts of super-charging and turbos and I'd like to go the turbo route at some time in the future although it is very tight down there.... so maybe it will have to be a supercharger. For the clutch issues I've actually found an even shorter master cylinder that is made by AP Racing. It is only 80mm and has the exit on the side of the body, so I'm planning to get one of these, as based on the measurements I've taken, it should just fit. The bolt spacing on these is completely different to the stock master, so it looks like I will still have to play around a little to get that to work. I got the flanges/collectors and everything for the headers from a place called Castle Automotive Enterprises (http://www.castleauto.com.au). They don't actually advertise this kit on their website although you can buy the flanges, bunch of bends, collectors, reducers, flanges etc as a kit from them. They also have 'block hugger' headers that might suit some builds. Anyway I've started on the exhaust for the other side, so I'll take some more pics of the progress soon and post them up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eec564 Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I'd love to see pictures of the hydraulic fan mechanisms; pump, motor, etc. My '90 LS400 with a 1UZ has a PITA mechanical fan that lives on its own bracket, driven off the belt. Check http://www.lexls.com in the tutorial section for good info on the power steering pump. Isn't the alt computer controlled, making it hard to go stand-alone? What diameter is the AP racing master you're looking at compared to the stock (on the supra, I guess) one? I've never measured the throw at the clutch rod attachment point on my 280ZX, but from working under my dash on wiring it looked decently long, but with a fair amount of angle change, compared to a straight shot into the master. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc280 Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 Thanks for the link eec564, I had a look at a couple of the tutorials there and they look like they could be very useful when it comes time to get the power steering going, replace the timing belt etc. The hydraulic fan and mechanism is tucked away in the roof of my garage at the moment, but I'll try to pull it down some time and take some photos. I don't think this is really something that you'd be able to swap over very easily as it is all computer controlled and from memory looking at the wiring digrams it also connects to the main ecu.... As for the alternator being computer controlled, I didn't think it was, although I'd have to look at the wiring a little more to be sure (I plan on getting into the wiring after the headers, so we'll soon find out!). Although if I do go a standalone ems I'll probably go for the Wolf v500, it connects directly to the factory loom and has a lot of features. I haven't decided on the diameter of the master I plan to use yet. The new slave (came in the dellow conversion kit) is 3/4inch which is the same as the stock slave. So I'm thinking I should be ok to use about the same size master as stock (5/8inch according to the manual), although I really haven't compared the throw or anything else to make a definite decision. I've been putting off buying the master at the moment as it isn't required right now and the exchange rate is really bad meaning they cost about twice as much as they did 9 months ago.... I'm hoping by the time I need it the rate might be a little better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eec564 Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 I'm glad I could be of at least a little help. I was just curious about the hydraulic system for the fan, don't worry about it. My curiosity is nothing but that, I dobut I'd ever see one of those systems on my neck of the woods. Your alt might not be regulated by the ecu, I think mine is, but my engine is pretty different, I dunno. The wolf v500 system is awsome, be sure to fill us in with the details if you go for it. I may be completely off base, but I'd immagine that many clutch masters in differant cars have similar throws, the diamter making a notable difference. I suppose the best way to find out what works is to try someting and find out. Be it a relocated stock master, or a short bodied aftermarket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc280 Posted March 25, 2009 Author Share Posted March 25, 2009 Time for a little more of an update, i've got the passenger side header done now and I've also reworked the trans mount. I wasn't that happy with how it was before so I ground apart all the tacks and reworked it. It may not be the prettiest thing in the world but with a coat of paint I will have something that is strong and functional. I've also mounted the engine and the gearbox with the remote shifter in the car and everything lines up well.I'll try to get some pics up of the headers and gearbox positioning in the next couple of days to show you all what I'm talking about. But for now it is onto the wiring. I've attached the wiring diagrams that I plan to use, so if anyone else out there is planning to do this swap hopefully it might be of some use (although I don't actually know if it will all work yet.... time will tell). Now time to get out the multimeter and get going...... '92 1 of 2.pdf '92 2 of 2.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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