280zx 2by2 Posted September 24, 2010 Share Posted September 24, 2010 and id ditch those stock bumpers if i were you, itll make it quicker by saving you alot of weight. and look better, best part is....its free =) And hella legal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davey G Posted September 28, 2010 Author Share Posted September 28, 2010 A header won't necessarily increase engine noise by itself. An exhaust system will. (By engine noise I assuming you mean exhaust dB? Because as far as engine bay and passenger compartment there was virtually no difference except for a change in tone when I installed mine.) What type and brand header did you use? Are there good ones and ones I should try to avoid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sticky280zx Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 ive got an extra one if you want one...there are different brands but a run of the mill header is just that, 90% are close enough there isnt much difference. But some like Stahl and others are custom made, piping size, runner length, etc....but you dont need that cause youre not trying to strangle every last piece of hp/tq...especially out of a stock unmodified motor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280zx 2by2 Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 (edited) What type and brand header did you use? Are there good ones and ones I should try to avoid? I used the MSA header with aerospace TBC coating. I decided to go ahead and get it because my stock exhaust manifold was warped and eaten away by exhaust fumes. But after this header I have told myself I will never order a part like this again from MSA. The header didn't fit well AT ALL when it came to connecting to my stock exhaust (as far as a general location it was almost 3 inches too long and the same length to the side.) The Y-pipe did not slide onto the header the way it should. Then I had to go though a hole bunch of crap where they not only wouldn't pay for express shipping to send it back they wanted me to pay for the return shipping and, then I said I could try to get it to fit by expanding the pipes but they said no (which to me seems link of corrupt because the header or y-pipe I return should be destroyed so it shouldn't matter)I just got horrible customer service from them. Only good customer service I received was after I ordered a set of stud bolts that were the incorrect lengths I received half off of the like $20 purchase haha. Here's the link http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/CTGY/PEC03 MSA themselves I believe do not construct the headers but like most of their other rarer products they are produced by Z car enthusiasts and sold to MSA for retail. And I love that MSA exists as some products would be impossible to find w/o them but as they nearly hold a monopoly (besides black dragon) on Z car racing and restoration parts I could see where customer service could be put behind profit. Edited September 28, 2010 by 280zx 2by2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davey G Posted September 29, 2010 Author Share Posted September 29, 2010 ive got an extra one if you want one...there are different brands but a run of the mill header is just that, 90% are close enough there isnt much difference. But some like Stahl and others are custom made, piping size, runner length, etc....but you dont need that cause youre not trying to strangle every last piece of hp/tq...especially out of a stock unmodified motor. Round port or square? Coated or non-coated? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palauoriginal Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 (edited) The used $50 header I have installed on my car is not a thick as the stock cast header. The stock header (imo) muffles some of the valvetrain?/engine noise. so that's what I meant by "increase in engine noise." maybe I'm just being a little picky. The header barely did anything for performance on my stock l28. That is why I suggested to skip it unless further modifications are added to compliment the headers. It's still a decent mod. My car did sound a lot faster. Edited September 29, 2010 by palauoriginal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 A well designed header should add about 5hp as shown by dyno results and combined with a 2.5/3 inch exhaust should make for a nice bump in performance. A lightweight flywheel is also a great upgrade to make since it decreases reciprocating weight/inertia of the drivetrain which improves acceleration and throttle response. It's good bang for the buck. Take a look at Braap's post on EFI, it won't take much upgrading to have to require a standalone ECU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davey G Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 (edited) Long time coming, but an update is in order. I upgraded the calipers to 4-piston. I also lowered the car by 1.5", and put 15" Koenig Rewinds on it. I've rebuilt (but not installed) the engine with flattop pistons using a N42 head that has had light gasket matching porting done. Also upgraded the cam (comes in today) to a .480 lift/.270 duration, of course with new rocker arms, lash pads and springs. Polished crank with new bearings. New timing chain and tensioner. New oil pump and water pump. It'll get the ceramic coated Pacesetter 3-2 headers and a 2.5" exhaust with high-flow muffler. I also sourced an N42 intake with the open runners so one can see the headers underneath. While the engine was out we removed all engine bay parts, did some welding under the battery tray, and painted black. New motor mounts. Crossmember, valve cover, fuel rail, and oil pan powder-coated. Front bumper comes off too. All comes together in next 2 - 3 weeks. Can't wait. Edited July 10, 2013 by Davey G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Great! nice to see an Update... Sounds like you've got a much better feel for your car in the past couple years. It'll be nice when you get your engine back in. I expect you'll feel a nice difference. Are you keeping the stock EMS? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davey G Posted July 12, 2013 Author Share Posted July 12, 2013 Great! nice to see an Update...Are you keeping the stock EMS? For now, but we'll see how she'll run. Maybe 2 weeks out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavin Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 (edited) Edit- I hadn't read ahead. Good to see youre so far along! My engine is stage 2 but my suspension is stage 100, and the car is quite well balanced. Thinking about it in stages is only so useful. Heres where I'd focus: - On the engine I'd swap to any version of MegaSquirt to control the fuel injectors. This is really easy to do while leaving the mechanical ignition in place. This lets you remove all the emissions stuff and the AFM. You can upgrade the spark system later which is a great upgrade but a bit more difficult. An unrestricted intake makes the car sound better than any known to man. Keep the exhaust quiet so you can hear the intake! - For brakes, rear disks and upgraded pads are plenty until you do track days, and then you're still fine if youre willing to swap in race pads for the event. I use the modern motorsport rear conversion. Replace the old lines with stainless. I use Hawk HP+ for autocross. I find the modulation excellent you just have to push. - For suspension, If the car isn't for competition, Tokico shocks and eibach sport springs are OK, but really these are less than adequate. I wouldn't recommend bothering with anything less than short stroked struts with ground control or koni shocks and 350+ lb springs. You'll need at least a couple ways of adjusting alignment (camber and toe), especially in the rear, no matter what you do. - Ron Tyler differential mount - Bushings Video from Sunday: 280z Autocross with Porsche Club 7/14/13 - YouTube Edited July 19, 2013 by Gavin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLATA Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 All the above are valid, but STANCE is key on a Z , here is mine just for an illustration >>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davey G Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 All the above are valid, but STANCE is key on a Z , here is mine just for an illustration >>> 6269300044_large.jpg Yes, I've lowered mine 1.5" with spacers so as to not mess up the bump steer. I viewed the engine today with intake and header temporarily installed. The custom grind cam came back at .485/.270; should be good with the higher compression from the flattops with the header. I will powdercoat a few parts like the engine mounts and timing cover plate, etc. this week, so when they are back in a few days we'll be ready to put the engine into the car. May be starting the engine next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davey G Posted July 30, 2013 Author Share Posted July 30, 2013 Engine is in the engine bay. I'm waiting on a distributor vacuum advance to arrive. I want to start the car with it installed before any tuning happens. Soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cockerstar Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 It'll be interesting to see how the cam plays with the stock EFI. From what I've read, it typically isn't well, but I haven't had any personal experience with it. Sounds like an excuse to go megasquirt to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Mega Squirt may help quite a bit for this, since it's much more easilly tunable. The Bosch system isn't going to care about the cam, it's the low idle that it's not going to like if you like the drag racer sound. The Bosch system only measures airflow to know how long to keep injectors open for the proper mixture. So opening the valves more or for longer/shorter isn't going to matter so far as the Bosch system is concerned. The sizing of the intake tubing could limit you more than anything. This is assuming you only change the cam. Now if you went to MegaSquirt, You'd get smoother running since the computer would be tracking a lot more points to keep the mixture right. I'm not sure that megasquirt has any settings specifically for different cams. I think it only measures Temp, CPS, CAS, TPS, MAP and O2. As you know a cam only changes the valve properties, and though it can make big changes in how the engine runs, there is no sensor for it. The EFI system is mainly concerned with having the ideal ~13:1 air/fuel at the valve when it opens, that's all it does. +Spark of course adjusts timing, but still doesn't care what cam is in there. The EFI system tries to detect how well fuel is burnt and makes adjustments in the duration that the injectors are open. if a big cam lets a lot of air fuel in and it doesn't burn well, then the Megasquirt, and MAP based modern EFI systems, will lean the mixture based on the O2 reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metro Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Mega Squirt may help quite a bit for this, since it's much more easilly tunable. The Bosch system isn't going to care about the cam, it's the low idle that it's not going to like if you like the drag racer sound. The Bosch system only measures airflow to know how long to keep injectors open for the proper mixture. So opening the valves more or for longer/shorter isn't going to matter so far as the Bosch system is concerned. The sizing of the intake tubing could limit you more than anything. This is assuming you only change the cam. Now if you went to MegaSquirt, You'd get smoother running since the computer would be tracking a lot more points to keep the mixture right. I'm not sure that megasquirt has any settings specifically for different cams. I think it only measures Temp, CPS, CAS, TPS, MAP and O2. As you know a cam only changes the valve properties, and though it can make big changes in how the engine runs, there is no sensor for it. The EFI system is mainly concerned with having the ideal ~13:1 air/fuel at the valve when it opens, that's all it does. +Spark of course adjusts timing, but still doesn't care what cam is in there. The EFI system tries to detect how well fuel is burnt and makes adjustments in the duration that the injectors are open. if a big cam lets a lot of air fuel in and it doesn't burn well, then the Megasquirt, and MAP based modern EFI systems, will lean the mixture based on the O2 reading. Braap talks about the stock efi and cams here. The short version: the stock efi does not play nicely with them. Megasquirt is the solution to all the problems with the stock EFI system, but I'm not really sure what you're going on about having a sensor for detecting the cam, it makes no sense. A larger cam will affect the VE and you fix that by altering your fuel VE table. MS will only care about your AFR if you tell it to. It will run in open or closed loop depending on your settings. If you allow it to run in closed loop you can set your target AFRs based on rpm/load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Braap talks about the stock efi and cams here. The short version: the stock efi does not play nicely with them. Megasquirt is the solution to all the problems with the stock EFI system, but I'm not really sure what you're going on about having a sensor for detecting the cam, it makes no sense. A larger cam will affect the VE and you fix that by altering your fuel VE table. MS will only care about your AFR if you tell it to. It will run in open or closed loop depending on your settings. If you allow it to run in closed loop you can set your target AFRs based on rpm/load. Frankly, Pharaoh's post is mostly incoherent rambling... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bens1088 Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 How about some upgraded headlights Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh280z Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 How about some upgraded headlights Yes! + 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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