mikedc528 Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 OK just as a background, on my 19th birthday I was given a car by my girlfriend. I had seen a red 240Z driving past me and I had mentioned how cool they look, so long story short, she went on ebay and bought me one. This car has been a huge problem for me, I love the look of the car and the way people have modified them so I was amazed when she told me that she bought me one. So off i went to pick up this car a 1978 280z ....which was 700 miles away from where I live!! On trailer rentals and fuel alone I spent much more then what she paid for the car....the sour taste is starting to come. I load up the car I was still happy, when I got home I parked it and waited for the weekend. The engine still ran pretty well just stuttered a little but still started at the first turn of the key. I started examining the car, mostly looking for rust spots and found that neither of the two fenders were conected to the car. Basicaly the rockers had rotted away and the bolts had just fallen off. Through the wheel wells you could see most of the engine, yes you can see right through my wheel wells! The front frame is somewhat non existant, and the floors look like something out of the Flintstones. But guys remember, this was a gift and I cannot just scrap it. I've been working slowly but surely and since most of the car is turning to dust when you touch it i have just been cutting it all up. So far i've replaced the floor pans, i just cut some 16 guage steel sheet and welded it to some L sheet that I welded to either side of the walls. I've replaced the rails under the floor with 16 guage aswell and used square tubing to make the front rails. So far its been a pain in the ass, and the worst part is that I am no where near complete! Putting this aside, The reason I am here is to ask about the fuel injection, I am definately running a TEC3 unit. That is a guaruntee, it was promised as my next birthday gift. What I basically need to know is what i can throw out wiring and tubing wise. If you looked at my engine bay all you would see is unplugged wires and cracked tubes. I have an EGR head and everything is stock...what can i throw out. I will try to post some diagrams of stock engines. I f you guys can just circle and list what doesnt need to be used I would greatly appreciate it. Since i've come this far, I have the intention of making it non-egr and running a better fuel rail...so keep that in mind as you help. I know its a crappy picture but if you would just circle what I could rip out and describe I would really really really appreciate it. Remember I will be using a TEC3, and am I willing to have the intake chopped up to remove the EGR, and am willing to run a better fuel rail. If any of the terms I used are wrong or dont make sense forgive me but i'm trying. Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WizardBlack Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 http://www.atlanticz.ca is a good place to get the EFI bible. I removed all the emissions stuff before I removed the factory computer. I just removed the EGR from the intake and bolted a little blockoff plate in it's place to avoid removing the intake (at the time). I also unplugged the cold start injector and basically configured it for a basic throttle stop idle to delete a lot of the vac and heat driven stuff off the intake manifold. The car's electronics are very simple and the EFI bible will explain all of it on this specific car. Grab a Haynes manual as well and learn the stuff; you'll need to know it for the standalone anyways. Not sure if you will like the TEC3 as it's not widely used (compared to others). Check my member's projects; I have a pic of the intake. I have a megasquirt now but I removed all the stuff while still operating the factory ecu and AFM setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikedc528 Posted August 29, 2008 Author Share Posted August 29, 2008 Thank You so much...i've been reading a couple of different forums and so far this has been by far the most helpful. People on this forum actually help as compared to others where they just mock. As for the intake...I can just remove those emissions parts without effecting the engine? Will it still run properly? I am definitely on my way to Barnes and Noble to track down those books after work, they probably won't have them stocked but they can definitely find them for me. Another question I had was about the TEC3... from the websites I have been reading, it seems that this system would be the easiest to use. It removes the clutter and allows you to run a completely independent system...I tried to read the Megasquirt website but keep getting lost? I read about the Hal-tech system and it too seemed reasonable. Is the Megasquirt at all similar to these systems? Does it do the same thing and is their a website that would put things more clearly then the Megasquirt website? Once again thanks for the help guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikedc528 Posted September 6, 2008 Author Share Posted September 6, 2008 Ok just to keep updated, i've read alot.....i mean alot. I weighed in my options, and i don't think i'm ready for the megasquirt, i still know to little to construct my own MAP or even get someone else's MAP working right. So i believe I will be taking what I believe is an easier approach, the SDS system. From the forum and instruction manuals that i've read it seems to be very user friendly and very easy to adjust. I probably will not get the extremely perfect tune that people get with the megasquirt but I think it will be enough for me. The plan is to just run the SDS to run the ignition and fuel, most likely with a trigger wheel and coils....just seems cleaner and simpler. Im trying to look at the best way to get a fuel rail....any help with that would be awesome...has anyone used the lonewolf intake manifolds, are they worth the money? Once again i am not trying to get to 500hp or anything like that i just want it to run right, and most of the wires, and tubing and mostly anything under the hood is rotten beyond salvage (which is surprising how the enigne still runs!!) Another reason for the standalone is to just keep the engine bay clean...fewer wires....and possibly upgrade the engine maybe a turbo manifold and a small T3 running 8 to 9 psi. I just want to drive the car to the beach in the summer and maybe to school once in a while. Thanks for the help guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woldson Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Get the sds system and maybe a wide band O2. Then get her running before adding the other goodies. It will give you time to think about what else you want to do. I personally would put my money into the turbo before anything else, after the ecu upgrade. Once you learn how to tune there will be less probability of blowing the engine with the turbo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WizardBlack Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 If you are getting something that controls fuel you may as well go up to a megasquirt, to be honest. Even the stock AFM is tunable, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikedc528 Posted September 9, 2008 Author Share Posted September 9, 2008 Hey Wizard, I just looked at your restoration post and all I can say is amazing! Your engine bay is exactly what I want from my engine bay. Clean and functional...your Z is exactly what I would want mine to look like. Jeez....i bet that took alot of work, i tried looking for the palnet fuel rail....couldnt find the site, what gives? One major question, I was reading about the Ford EDIS i believe? How does it work for you... is it a coil type setup? I'm also runninf the same block and I believe the same head...have they given you any trouble...considering maybe 10 psi the most. Once again thanks to all...and especially Wizard for the inspiration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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