Cross-country prep

[Jesse OBrien]

Nope. I had no option but to forfeit it to the impound lot and it was bought by someone else for $300 who parted it out.

 

 

I wish every single day that I had it. Or at least another 1st gen Celica.

 

I'm just saying- Be careful, and expect the unexpected. I hope you make your trip in one piece- and you probably will. This was the exception, not the rule, let it be a lesson though.

 

I'll get my Celica again someday, somehow.

 

I just sold my RA29 fastback, which was a GREAT car. Check out my website, I've got a fair amount of info on it there.

 

I have a little update on the project now...

 

Engine's in, waiting for some wiring, intercooler, ductwork, and a turbocharger to be received.

 

I relocated my ignition to a nice under-dash area where my keys won't dangle and slap me in the legs:

 

I did some light fab work and made a switch panel:

(test fit final location)

(drilling holes for switches: fan, fuel pump, undecided)

 

I also finished fabricating a small block-off plate for the old power steering pump, which I won't be using. I just finished painting it (flat black, go figure!), and need to pick up some RTV sealant to make a gasket for it.

 

My new brake lines came in:

 

I tossed in a new steering wheel for $40 as well:

 

I cleaned up one of the four-speeds, but it looks like I won't be using it after all. I'm going to pick up a 5spd off a fellow Ratsun trucker who's going with an sr20, I should be able to make it up there this weekend! That means the 4speed is up for grabs.

[Jesse OBrien]

I got lucky last night, and scheduled a DMV appointment for this morning at 9:30am. I was also lucky enough to get some time out of work to go down there. I showed up with a license plate and bill of sale on a car that hadn't been registered in 15 years, and crossed my fingers as I walked in the door.

 

20 minutes later, I had temp plates and legal permission to drive my car. I'm somewhat stunned. No title, nothing crazy. All I have to do is drive it to the DMV at some point in the next few months and let them verify the VINs (which are legitimate!). Not too shabby, a big two thumbs up for the sweet little lady behind the counter at the DMV.

[Pharaohabq]

awesome! hope the DMV lady didn't ream you too bad. I've had good luck and bad luck at the DMV as I'm sure we all have. Hopefully you won't have any trouble registering it out East, when the plates expire. I'm glad you found the 5X tranny, that'll make it a much more enjoyable trip. I hope the rest of your parts show up soon, you're getting close to the wire.

[Stationwagonguy]

Yeah, I had something similar at the DMV myself in Cali. They didn't want any information from me, just a few bucks and I had a temp plate. Weird.

[Oddmanout84]

Better than the CT DMV. When I took my Cali license in to change over to a CT license, they REMOVED my motorcycle certification, and gave some BS excuse why. Apparently even though I have an M license, have all the cert paperwork, and its PRINTED ON THE LICENSE WITH A CAPITAL "M", I have to contact the cali dmv for paperwork proof and/or take the test again.

[Jesse OBrien]

I've been doing a bit of research on where to go, and the time has come to start mapping out where I'm going and figure out where I'll be staying along the way.

 

The most basic layout of the trip is BEJ:

 

1st Leg: CA to WA

Since I'm headed from San Francisco to Massachusetts and there shouldn't be too much snow on the roads in Aug/Sept, I'm going to take the Northern route. I'm stopping by to visit a friend in Seattle, so the plan is to take the Pacific Coast Highway up there. It's a long drive, around 16 hours of actual drive time, but since it's the very first leg of the trip I'll be excited and well-rested (one would hope). I should be able to do this in a 24-hour stretch, napping at one of the rest stops on the way.

 

I really love the PCH, and am looking forward to this part of the trip quite a lot. I want to have my webcam set up with a shock mount so I can record it (I'll be mounting it to the roll bar, between the seats; you should be able to see inside the cabin and the road). I'd like to stop by Portland briefly, just to see what it's like.

 

Assuming I get all the way to Seattle without any mechanical issues, I'll go over the car once more to tighten down any bolts that may have loosened and check any leaks that have uncovered themselves.

 

Here are some awesome notes I found:

http://www.drivecrosscountry.net/RouteB1.html

 

2nd Leg: WA to NY

This is the long one. 48 hours of driving (or so). I don't know where I'll be stopping along the way, but I'll most likely check into some hostels. They're cheap and offer opportunities to meet interesting people along the way. If I have time, I want to see Mt St Helens. I'll be driving through the Rockies as well, a first for me. I think I'll really enjoy it though, I love mountain driving, and really miss proper lush forests.

 

It looks like taking i-94 is my best bet across, it looks more interesting and less grassland-ish than i-80. I'll probably stop by to visit a few friends in Michigan, but the space between is all brand new country to me.

 

A bit more info on this leg:

http://www.drivecrosscountry.net/RouteE1.html

 

3rd Leg: NY to MA

I'm back in my home country again for this leg. I haven't seen Niagra Falls though, so I'll probably take some time to go check it out. It's pretty straightforward to get to MA, but I'll probably stop by and visit my folks in NH for a few days. 90 is pretty much a straight shot, but there's normally a lot of traffic to deal with.

 

Running the numbers

I just signed up for premium AAA service ($109 for 4x200mile tows isn't a bad deal), so I'm allowed to have a few mechanical issues along the way. I have $1k squared away in a bank account, and by my estimations (assuming 15mpg) gas should end up around $700 (assuming I pay highway rates around $3.50/gallon, right now the US average is floating around $2.75). That leaves me with $300 to spend on food and lodging, and I'd ideally like to have another $1k put away for any parts/fluids/etc that I find myself in need of along the way.

 

Pit Stops

I've been considering what to do if the car does break down, and haven't come up with too much. If some hybridz'ers and ratsuner's are willing to be 'pit stop' locations, I'd be much appreciative and will do everything in my power to keep everyone up-to-date on what's happening with the trip. I'd hate to have to take my car in to a garage to be able to do something silly like adjust my clutch (or whatever comes up along the way).

 

Master List

I also started a master list of cross-country stuff to have in my car during the drive. I'll ship some of my parts, but I'll obviously need things like snacks, water, cellphone, spare cellphone, gps, maps, spare belts/gaskets/water-pump/etc, basic tool kit, AAA card, insurance, registration... the list goes on and on. I'm going to put it into a digital format and post it up for your review.

 

Aero

I've also put some thought into aero. I have a front air dam coming in, and I've been trying to come up with the best ways to reduce drag without generating lift. I'd like mileage, but if I wanted to fly back, I'd take a plane. I think I'm going to fab up an engine bay lower cover, add some vortex generators, and add a rear spoiler (BRE style, not a wing) to it. I've done a bunch of reading on vortex generators, but I'm still a bit confused as to their effect on mileage. It seems like they really help downforce if you have a rear wing, but what are the results with a spoiler, or without? When combined with a spoiler, do they generate excessive drag in addition to some downforce, or just kind of flop air around behind me?

 

As far as the aero thing goes, I'm decidedly a noob: I've done a bunch of reading but have no practical experience. If anybody has any suggestions, diagrams, or blueprints for anything I should make, please let me know! Since I'm driving 4k miles in one go, an extra 5mpg will make a big difference. Going from 15mpg to 20mpg will save me 66 gallons, so it'd be worth ~$200 cash. I have a few good sources for sheet metal (alu and steel) and would love to get into some useful fabrication (not just block-off plates) so throw some ideas at me!

 

Ductwork

I'm also looking at cooling as a possible issue. I have an LS1 electronic fan, and may add a second one, and i have a 280zx radiator that I'll be installing before I take this thing out, but it seems like some ductwork would go a long way to improving cooling and keeping me from overheating in the desert we call California. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, radiator-related or otherwise.

 

 

Thanks for ALL the input so far, you guys have been absolutely awesome. I'm really excited to make this drive, and would love to meet some of you along the way.

[Jesse OBrien]

I've started the gear list here:

http://docs.google.com/View?id=dhchmjdr_753k29tfc8

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[vegasnative]

duct tape

[at-jefft]

Lug nut or two?

multimeter

gas can/ coolant can

JB Weld!

Assorted rubber hoses and hose clamps

[Daeron]

Fire extinguisher. Tire repair kit and a ten dollar air pump form wal-mart. If you are super spunky, some wire, an inline fuse, a relay and a switch. (never know when the ol' fuel pump power supply might go out. We all know it happens on these FI cars occasionally.) Rope? (I always at least consider rope when making a list like this, it comes from the books I've read.) a 12 volt spotlight might be helpful as well. These are all suggestions, really, I know you are limited on space and can't bring the whole world.

 

PB Blaster/WD-40/Sea Foam Deep Creep.. but its your car, you might not NEED that, you know best.

 

A gallon of gas in a can might not be a bad idea either... but like I said, if something occurs to me I'm not shooting it down, I'm just giving you suggestions.

[Pharaohabq]

Well, if you were taking I 40, I'd say I'd had a spare bedroom you could crash on for a night in albuquerque. Our Z club might even have been able to offer more assistance. But your'e taking the northern route, which is smart, we have killer vicious heat down here in the SW, you'd be much happier up north, esp w/ no AC.

 

Going through portland is cool, but since you'll be close by you should stop off outside portland and see the Spruce Goose, it's at the evergreen museum, it's definitely something to see before you leave the west coast.

 

It looks like you've got a plan, hopefully your 15MPG is a conservative estimate, I used to get 25 on the highway in my stock 280. If you go with the electric fans, you'll save a bit on gas since your engine won't be directly driving them. so yeah, go with the fans. the T5 would also help your mileage a lot, and make for a more comfortable drive, on the noise side. aside from that I 95 is a little less curvy than the PCH, but the view sucks... Oh, bring some hose clamps and screw drivers. a good pocket knife is always good. Spare alt/fan belt.

[Jesse OBrien]

Well, if you were taking I 40, I'd say I'd had a spare bedroom you could crash on for a night in albuquerque. Our Z club might even have been able to offer more assistance. But your'e taking the northern route, which is smart, we have killer vicious heat down here in the SW, you'd be much happier up north, esp w/ no AC.

 

Going through portland is cool, but since you'll be close by you should stop off outside portland and see the Spruce Goose, it's at the evergreen museum, it's definitely something to see before you leave the west coast.

 

It looks like you've got a plan, hopefully your 15MPG is a conservative estimate, I used to get 25 on the highway in my stock 280. If you go with the electric fans, you'll save a bit on gas since your engine won't be directly driving them. so yeah, go with the fans. the T5 would also help your mileage a lot, and make for a more comfortable drive, on the noise side. aside from that I 95 is a little less curvy than the PCH, but the view sucks... Oh, bring some hose clamps and screw drivers. a good pocket knife is always good. Spare alt/fan belt.

 

I really hope I get better than 15mpg, and I think it's a reasonable estimate since I'm going EFI and the car is pretty well lightened. The transmission isn't a t5, the t5 requires a custom driveshaft and really isn't all that much stronger than the Nissan 5spd. Also, I should be able to find a Nissan 5spd for about 1/2 the price, assuming both are in good condition.

 

I already have the electric fan I'll be running, off an LS1. I think I posted a picture here somewhere (maybe).

 

I recently found myself in a position to have some aluminum pieces CNC'd, and may end up installing this R200 rear end, but that means I'll lose the very long ~3.3 rear end for a ~3.9 rear end. Higher highway RPM = lower gas mileage, so the ~3.3 is about as good as I'm going to get. I might just make the mounts for an R230 and find a Q45 in a junkyard on the East Coast so I can basically toss it in with some new CV axles.

 

I've started on aero, and have the front air dam ready to be mounted (just zip ties holding it on for right now). I'm also planning to bend up some steel to hold it steady in the middle. I don't want that thing flopping around while I'm on the freeway. I want to make a belly pan to keep the bottom flat and sealed 'till the back of the transmission, and I'm planning to block off most of the front end. Anybody have measurements for theirs pre-made? I'm not sure I have a piece of cardboard big enough to be able to make a template.

 

Lastly, I wasn't planning on using the front bumper, but I decided that it'd look pretty mean if I bend it back to shape and paint it flat black, so that's just what I'll do. I may even allow the rear bumper to remain on there as well. Here's what the air dam/bumper look like presently. Some bending still required.

Edited July 20, 2009 by drummingpariah
bumper info

[Jesse OBrien]

Well, the turbo I had been waiting on still hasn't arrived. I've been tearing apart the 280zx donor car in my car-time, and have been sick for the past week, so I don't have a very worthwhile update. I did slap a new air dam on the front though, and have started making the template for the engine bay belly pan.

 

It looks like I'm going to make a 3-piece pan similar to the 2-piece zr8ed made here:

ZR8ED Two Piece Belly pan project - HybridZ

It might end up being a 2-piece, for simplicity of manufacturing. Hopefully, it'll be act as a support for the air dam as well, but I may add a bracket to attach it to the grille mount bracket. Primary concerns are making sure I can attach/detach it from under the car, cutting an access hole for the oil pan bolt, and making sure I have complete clearance for the wheels. Ideally, I'd like to integrate a brake venting system to pull air from under the car, but I'm not sure my physics skills are quite up to that task.

 

I believe I'm going to keep the front bumper and straighten it a bit using c-clamps and 2x6's. The air dam looks pretty sweet if I do say so myself, I just need to drill some holes to mount the directionals under the bumper.

 

I finally have my compressor up and working now, and plan to make FULL use of it throughout the next week or so. I have a die grinder hooked up and ready to go to replace the piece of crap tool called a roto-zip that the Home Depot 'tool guy' talked me into buying. If you ever intend to do ANYTHING with ANY metal, a roto-zip is a terrible idea. Don't buy one. Even if you can't get a compressor and air tools, get an angle grinder instead.

 

Currently awaiting delivery:

5speed tranny (unknown gearing)

t3/t4 hybrid turbo

another t3/t4 hybrid turbo (just in case... they sell pretty well if I don't need the spare)

intake mani w/ a 60mm throttle body (hopefully the throttle linkage works nicely

20lb media blaster

manual bearing-style boost controller

8 450cc DSM injectors (I have yet to see if I can make a way to fit them in, but I doubt it'll be any worse than the stock configuration)

 

Once the 280zx donor is out of the garage, I'll be able to get my s30 up on jackstands and get it running, complete with brakes and everything. Woohoo!

 

Anybody have any experience running the 450cc blue-top DSM injectors on an l28et? I'd prefer to avoid having to dive into megasquirt just yet, that's the kind of thing I'd rather save as a winter project.

[hoov100]

If your starting to do stuff like that, why not just dive into the z31 EFI swap?

[Jesse OBrien]

I'd have to find a z31 being parted out that's in reasonable condition at a reasonable price.

 

... I think I could buy a whole megasquirt kit for the same price, and I'd REALLY rather have megasquirt.

[hoov100]

I'd have to find a z31 being parted out that's in reasonable condition at a reasonable price.

 

... I think I could buy a whole megasquirt kit for the same price, and I'd REALLY rather have megasquirt.

 

 

all you need from the z31 is the CAS and the ECU and an 83ZXT distributor to put it in, if you want to go the REALLY easy route, you can use the z31 engine harness or move a couple pins on the ECU socket.

[Jesse OBrien]

all you need from the z31 is the CAS and the ECU and an 83ZXT distributor to put it in, if you want to go the REALLY easy route, you can use the z31 engine harness or move a couple pins on the ECU socket.

 

... and I'd need to have someone do the wiring for me, since I'm colorblind. Also, it's a little more than a day's project on an engine that I'm not even sure runs nicely yet. I've been keeping my eyes open for turbo z31's, and haven't seen any that I could snag just the ECU/CAS/MAF from. Since my plan is to have it running by this weekend (yeah, it's coming up quickly) I really can't afford any new wrenches to be thrown into the works.

 

As far as updates go... I received most of a turbo today but it doesn't look good at all. I don't think it's going back together, and I'm not sure it's worth putting back together since it's a mere t3. 'Some Assembly Required' was an understatement.

 

I've ordered a set of 4 450cc DSM injectors, and own another set of 4 for a total of 8 bluetops. I think I can make new mounts and a fuel rail for them, and have a bit more fuel at my disposal (but we'll see how that 280zxt pump actually flows in practice).

 

I also got a 5spd from a Datsun truck that I'm really hoping fits. Anybody know a good way to check the gear ratios or model numbers on them?

 

I have a pair of t3/t4 hybrids en route to me, I just haven't decided if I want to keep one as a spare or sell one to cover some of my build costs. I'll be putting up a big pile of s30 parts for sale pretty soon as I clean out my garage from parts leftover after gutting and making decisions as to what to keep.

 

Now I'm off to play around with Autodesk Inventor - it looks promising, and I THINK I can make something to mount up those 450cc injectors.

[hoov100]

good points. man they wherent kidding about some assembly required, looks more like complete rebuild required.

[Two80z4me]

Drove my 1978 280z from Bozeman Mt, left at 4am, made it to the ferry in Edmonds( past seattle ) in about 11hours and 30 minutes, 700Miles. You do the math, about average 85/90 usually, takes about 13hours. Drove like a champ, Finally passed 100,000miles on the body. But, The engine/tranny is only at 45,000 so, its all good, Im a JDM hoe at heart, so its gotta be an L28ET Rebuilt baybe, fresh and noisy.

[Jesse OBrien]

The broad strokes of my fuel rail are finished, except for the channels to be cut for the injectors, since I don't have their exact dimensions. I'm pretty sure they're supposed to be 11mm, but I want to be pretty darn sure before I send out the design. I'm pretty sure I'll have to get one of my intake manifolds drilled out a bit as well, so I think I'll just head to the machine shop in person with a flash drive with a .dwf on it and the manifold.

 

I got a couple more parts in last night, things are looking pretty darn good at this point. More pics:

 

I'm a little overstocked on transmissions right now.

 

The exhaust flange from the stock turbo doesn't fit the turbonetics turbo. Shame. There may be one in the box, I'll check tonight.

Here's the stock flange that doesn't look usable:

 

It'd be really nice to have the option to stay internally wastegated, for simplicity and space, but I might just have to do some welding and adapt this wastegate somewhere. I need a spacer from the exhaust manifold anyway, since the compressor side of the turbonetics turbo is too big. It actually hits the exhaust manifold, no matter which way I clock it.

 

No, this isn't an optical illusion. It really is that big.

 

I need to decide where to mount this boost controller. I'm thinking I'll put it in the center console, in the switch panel. That way I'll have 3 switches: Fuel, Spark, Fan, then the boost control knob. Thoughts?

 

Finally, it's decided. The l28et is going in this thing. I sold the roundtop SU's and the intake manifold from the l24, and I'm trying to find someone to take the e31 head off my hands along with the block (and some transmissions, perhaps). The plan for tomorrow is to hack up the firewall a bit and get the transmission bolted to the engine.