RB Zed aka Gaijin

[gaijin]

Hi there,

 

I have a 72 240z that Ive had for some years, and now that Im over thinking about this car and what it should be, Ive decided to finish it, and as quickly as possible.

 

It is in its final design scope, ie. no more changing ideas about its direction/engine type/etc etc.

 

Some details;

 

- Street legal daily driver

- ER34 RB25 Neo engine, turbo

- GT3082R Garrett roller bearing

- Water/air intercooling

- Complete ER34 rear subframe to install (similar to Hugos), increase track 160mm. Toe and camber adjust

- Big front brakes/hubs/wheels, increase track 120mm, toe, camber, castor, roll centre adjustable.

- Full cage

- Sound deadening, full interior, music.

 

The car will not be the fastest, cleanest zed out there, but should be OK for a comment. Please do!

 

Progress underway, completion due 1st Feb '09.

 

thanks,

Gaijin

[gaijin]

Calling all those interested,

Im building a Kiwi (New Zealand) zed in its final design scope.

It is my take on a fast modern 240zed, Gaijin style.

General notes;

- Street car, Warrant Of Fitness/registration (NZ road MOT etc)

- R34 Neo turbo engine, GT3040R, water/air intercooling, 550cc inj, ext gate etc.

- Programmable ECU, traction control, ABS even?

- Complete R34 rear subframe, LSD, toe/camber adjustable, big brakes etc. Increase track 150mm+

- Large piston front struts, big brakes etc, adjustable roll centre,camber,more castor, increase track 140mm+

- Power steering

- Full cage, to front struts

- Full interior, sound deadening,music

- Plenty of custom mods

- 18x9.5" 265/35 rears etc.

- NO DODGY BODYKITs either !!

The car will not be the fastest, best looking, tidiest zed out there.

I understand that it can be considered 'butchering' to some.

But should be OK for a comment or even critique.

Progress is well underway.

If the club is keen to see (about) weekly updates and pics, Im happy to oblige.

I can give some tech notes as to whats going on, why, and hassles to avoid if someone is to do something similar.

I have slammed the whole lot of postings all at once, no drip feeding here.

thanks

martin

 

 

In its original orangeboom left hooker

 

[gaijin]

Okidoki,

Gajin will begin the tech notes from here.

I hope I can provide a long and technically interesting forum for the zed people

I have been reviewing the Hugo 240z (see you tube vids, great rock too)

he has something similar, with numerous differences to fabrication, especially the rear subframe install.

I will note these differences as I go along.

The current workshop has been great, professional, fast, calm, open to discuss good and bad ideas.

I am no longer available for any wrench turning myself with current medical issues.

I will be invovlved with some wrench turning, and every design aspect.

I see this as a great thing for the project (=PROGRESS) and a poor thing for finances (=vacuum cleaner).

 

 

 

Anyways, here it is after a RHD conversion, both rear quarters, outerwheel arches, floor repairs, dove tail, sills, ready for a stock L24 numbers matching, go-slow car. Completed in my garage over 18 months by author. Time to get serious?

[gaijin]

Enter the incompleted

Pull out L24 powertrain

strap on the rear subframe to trailer

send the lot over to Herberts Fabrication in Auckland NZ.

 

 

 

Had done more work on the fairlady over the next while, but the workshop location and work pressures made spending time difficult.

 

Time to enlist help.

 

 

 

Is it wrong to sell the matching numbers drivetrain to anyone?

Hmmm, soul removed, check.

 

 

 

thanks to Salty for the trailer use. Too easy

[gaijin]

Getting ready for the shop

lovely light cars they are.

note macpherson stut rear, and not for much longer.

Hello double wishbone

 

 

 

[gaijin]

Here we have the goods being collected down South East of country.

2000 ER34 manual with 30kms on odo.

Hang on a mo, its missing parts...

- No turbo or manifold

- No clutch

Everything else is here, ECU, loom, all the brakes and subframes front and rear.

Just what can I fit into a '73 S30 chassis?

Time to find out.

Lets get this lot cleaned up, and up to Auckland.

 

 

 

I most like the independant wheel speed sensors on the outer

diff axles. Hello traction control

 

 

[gaijin]

A delightful, rebuilt and ready to wimper L24 stocker/4 spd.

Now sold on. Bye bye says the butcher.

Check out the giant spacers that used to be part of Motorsport Autos 17" Koenig wheel set.

 

 

 

 

Couldve flashed up the L24 and go EFI/turbo with it. Hmmm no.

[gaijin]

Dreaming of a working zed, you better believe it.

Check out the initials carved into the doors bog.

I love old cars, you get so much more than you pay for...

 

 

 

 

Man, these cars are small

[gaijin]

Lets get into it.

Breif to Mark Herbert:

- Get the rear subframe into the S30 chassis.

- Keep it low profile

- Not worried about cutting up gaurds

- Is it finished already? haha

- To fit in 18 x 9.5" wheels, standard er34 offset for size, 265/35/18.

Once the rear is in, we agreed to discuss progress, make sure client/fabricator get on OK, and see if we continue working.

Fair to me.

 

 

 

- Sans tire, looks OK. Subframe located, but no welding just yet. Clearance checks seem OK.

 

 

 

- Mark holding wheel at the approximate ride height, ie. includes sag. We will look at gaurd mods later, ignore the lack of room. Will be around 120mm clearnace from chassis underside to road. PLENTY (100mm is minimum legal clearance in NZ)

 

 

 

- Rear profile. Subframe not modified, ie. standard width. Circa +160mm total. I like the new width/track, lets forget about shortening this beast, would be a crying shame, just think of the lat. acceleration capacity...feeeeel the 'gs. HICAS gone using peice of ebay 'crap welded' steel bar.

[gaijin]

So, Gaijin, how on earth are those 265's going to turn in anger with a little smokey bakerlite/ceramic hairdrier with dissapointingly frugal injectors?

Let me see..we need response to keep up with these youngsters in Evo's & rex's, yet have top end to satisfy....surely turbos dont do both?

Enter 3082R, aka GT3040R. Perhaps a little small on the turbine wheel/housing for drag, but should be spot on for club racing. This can be updated easily to a 3582R aka GT3540R, which would turn the stock internally RB25 into bent rods and the rest. Best stay small to start, go bigger later, if its too slow.

 

0.82 ar exhaust, standard front.

[gaijin]

Big nose checking out the extra track.

Sure makes the diff seem small.

Most of the rear end stays standard for now.

Changes planned include;

-Hicas lock - installed in blue.

-Camber links - require-rewelding due to poor welding from China? Taiwan? Dunno. Xray man said go away, even before getting the test equipment out. Grind back and TIG again. This should be part of a purchase agreement - a healthy xray report.

-Freshen standard brakes

Tires are Trademe/ebay specials 265/35/18

Hard as nails, perfect dyno treads.

 

[gaijin]

Strut assembly not where it should be,

Original strut way too long to fit, requires an off the shelf Koni/Bilstien unit or something cheaper.

Camber link also not in

 

 

 

Diff centre is the stock helical LSD. A half decent factory LSD

[gaijin]

Using the z31 turbo 5 stud front hub in steel,

8.5" wide wheel

stock er34 disc and calliper

- Fitment looks ok, clearance all good

- Very heavy! Reducing unsprung and rotating weight should be my target.

Going light with disc and hat, aftermarket calliper and alloy hub will make a great improvement for the money

Lets start looking...

 

[gaijin]

Go Neo!

For a light weight daily driver, a turbo with response is desirable. GT3082R 0.82 AR exhaust housing, gt exit, external gate, dual cartridge ball bearing. Cant say too much about the ex manifold, apart from it costing a few hundred slides.

It might even fit into the engine bay...

Intake manifold will have to go

nice Fan cough cough

 

[gaijin]

Spec is for a basic cage suitable for light track use, kept tight to lining, mild steel.

Will tie into front strut towers once car is further setup, and sitting on a flat table to check chassis is 'straight', which will be pretty unlikely.

Rear bar across luggage dept. ties the rear subframe mounts together with something more than panel steel. Pickups behind the seat area ties the front mounts for the subframe.

Looks like just a few fires have started with the welding. Keep the heart racin'

[gaijin]

In these times of recesion, there is no better pick me up than painting everything in gold.

er, maybe not.

Drivetrain stripped of all ancillaries ready to slot into place.

Cross member has the pretty average camber adjustment from old, inner wishbone adjustable point.

Note engine mounts completed, using stock rubber. Will give movement, but will also be good for NVH reduction. Too many fillings in the mouth to rattle out. Wish they were gold...

 

 

[gaijin]

Manifold choices are OK on the market, with short list including;

- standard across the top (works fine)

- chinese greddy copy ($, casting issues, % of rejects high)

- Greddy ($$ , no bellmouths, hard to source 2nd hand or killer deal)

- Aussie fabricated stuff ($$$, too many $ for the gain)

- JP and Thai ($$, bellmouths, quality looks OK, deals available) Decided then!

80mm TB (attempt to keep intake velocity up, better response)

SARD fuel rail (has 11mm injector holes, while manifold has 13mm. May need to open up rail diameter)

General clearance OK, TB tightish to inner wheel arch.

Anodizing is garish.

Note engine position against firewall, nice'n'tight. 15mm odd clearance there. Also the height of engine relative to bonnet catch, with the oil pan off the JDM 200zr making life easy to drop it low.

Compressor housing getting jiggy with the cam cover, will scallop out cam cover then

 

[gaijin]

Exhaust is prepped.

I like the smooth 3" mandrel main.

Wastegate is Tial 38mm (maybe big enough, if the boost is set nice'n'high)

Position of wastegate pipe exiting manifold useless (lowest pipe in pic), with exhaust gas having to do a 180 deg. turn to exit. Hello boost creep. Will change this to improve flow to 'gate. One downfall of the 200 slide chinese unit.

Arizona Z Car aluminium radiator, non cross flow, pipes not in the right place either, lucky the xchange rate is still OK then! Bolts up to stock mounts, but this is sans rubber mounts, which would ensure the ally welds would fail quickly. Time to apply mods to radiator then. People talk about the weight savings of ally radiators. Maths do not look good! ($/kg). Cheaper to ditch the passenger.

 

[gaijin]

Well, about time to tease those of you running carbs. (I will regret saying this)

- Turbo, exhaust,gate,water intercooler,radiator into position.

Pipework has more work to clear tight spots here and there.

Modified TB location on intake manifold, to clear inner gaurd. TB running 80 degree to usual install method.

 

 

 

Heat exchanger out front of radiator, pumped by bosch intercooler water pump (controlled by ECU)

My deadline for road going widow maker is late Jan, for a family wedding, and of course in Feb, for a (NZ) Z club Taupo track day, to gently roll around the track whilst smoking a cigar (probably not legal now).

 

 

 

 

Front end slowly coming together.

Arizona z car struts, camber tops, 70mm longer bottoms arms, lengthened and adjustable tension rods, 5 stud ally hubs, ally disc hat, heavy duty rotors (more cooling vanes, thicker meat) of around 12.4" ish rotors, 4 pot wilwoods, ally mount.

Roll bar and steering linkage needs sorting.

Power steering now in and done, MR2 rack. This is a toyo-ta type.

Found some ZG flares that will fit, extra wide front and rear. Thanks for the pics.

 

 

 

Secret fuel system hidden in back, bosch 700hp efi pump, lift pump, filters, tank increased in size (modified original to increase fuel vol, and house a surge tank), and it all looks completly stock. Beauty.

[gaijin]

rb26 water pump.

 

Should have gone and bought a Davies electric pump instead. Focus....

I will end up changing my mind here....

 

Anyways,

checking out the exisiting front brake options, it started with the stock er34 (same as s14/15 r32/33/34 sumitomo 4 piston)

 

 

But Herberts had a neat looking disc and hat available cheap, which would mount to 4 stud s30 stock hub, using stock sumitomo's. Solid mounted hat to rotor.

 

 

But Id wanted a bigger disc, with an ally 5 stud hub, which was not gonna work as a combo, without breaking out the mill again

The disc was light for sure though. Club member may be keen?

 

 

 

But the Arizona Z car stuff, was the ticket. Bolts together, US/NZ rate at $0.87US, it would be very hard to beat it for the $ outlay. Probably too easy now.

Hat-rotor still solid mount, not floating. I Overspeced the rotor to HD, increasing the rotor thickness and number of internal cooling vanes. Increase heat soak potential.