stretchnuts Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Ok, so here is where I am at right now in my l28et swap into my 82 N/A: -Got a "running" (haven't seen it run but was told it was running good) 82 turbo motor from greg (autosport) down in panama city -Turbo in great shape, no shaft play whatsoever, has possibly/most likely been rebuilt -Pulled exhaust mani/intake mani, both in good shape but broke one stud -Valve Cover (cam and valves and chain seem good to me) So after reading endlessly of people making claims of close to 300 hp (reliably?) on the stock bottom ends, I am beginning think, why rebuild it? (My initial plans were for a complete rebuild). Even Tony D pointed out in quite a few posts basically, "If it aint broke, dont fix it" type mentality, which as an engineer I can relate to. However, pulled the oil pan yesterday and found a small pile (Kennedy half dollar size?) of metal the size of which was in between "chunks and shavings". Of course this set off some alarms, and while it wasn't a significant amount, it wasn't something you could ignore either. At this point I am going to try and run a compression test tomorrow and see what I find, if it was running it should ::winces:: be good. If does indeed check out, should I bother with new rings? (I am still planning on new HG and ARP studs). Also going to pull the rod connectors and get a look at the bearings, if i can see copper, I think I am going to have to break down and do the whole rebuild. Also, can the stock rod bolts and mains be re torqued? Or are they a one time only deal, I figure I can/might as well do arp on the whole bottom end while I am at it. Some other general questions about the swap I had that I was having trouble finding the answers too with the good ole "S" button: -How much HP and torque can the N/A tranny sustain before it more or less eats itself? Considering I will not be overly rough but not driving miss daisy gentle. -If I get the l28et clutch and pressure plate for the motor, I am assuming it will work with the N/A tranny? -Will the 3.9 R200 be enojayble for at least a little while until I can drunkenly stumble upon the coveted 3.7 LSD one day? (more subjective, want some opinions) -Piggyback on that, the 3.7 is a direct bolt in to the s130 chassis, correct? So there is where I am currently at. The immediate plans now are the HG and studs and if everything else checks out put the whole motor back together and get it into the car and running. Then of course the whole shebang MS, T3/T04E, etc etc, With a HP goal of around 300 (somewhat reliably haha) at the wheels. Hopefully I can aquire Ben's (yetterben) most recent setup he is selling when he gets back into town . Will post some pictures of the car and engine being torn into like a fat kid at xmas when I can DL them off my phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stretchnuts Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 As promised: Sorry for the crappy cell phone pics, but cant find my digital camera charger... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woldson Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Post pics of the goodies you found in the pan. Tyranny will be fine, if it breaks replace it. A decent bottom end will have no problem with 300hp. You can take the hairdryer off it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woldson Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 I would not worry about the rear for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stretchnuts Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 yea, I am not terribly worried about it right now, its a ways off. I got a lot of work to do between here and there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatBlack Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 (edited) -How much HP and torque can the N/A tranny sustain before it more or less eats itself? Considering I will not be overly rough but not driving miss daisy gentle. -If I get the l28et clutch and pressure plate for the motor, I am assuming it will work with the N/A tranny? -Will the 3.9 R200 be enojayble for at least a little while until I can drunkenly stumble upon the coveted 3.7 LSD one day? (more subjective, want some opinions) -Piggyback on that, the 3.7 is a direct bolt in to the s130 chassis, correct? http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php?/topic/82371-my-notes-on-the-na-l28-to-turbo-swap/ Please don’t ask if the R200 diff will stand up to your power goals, or if the N/A transmission can handle the power. Take a read through that, it might answer some questions. I was kind of poking fun of the newbs who still ask "can my R200 handle it." Many people are still using their N/A trannys [including this guy]. I had a pile of metal on my tranny drain bolt, but it's still ticking away over a year after my turbo swap. Run the stock components until you break them! [Which will probably be awhile] The open R200 will be fine I suppose, but I'd suggest putting an LSD up higher on your list than you thought. Maybe the next mod after you get the Turbo motor running reliably. After I installed my HLSD, I couldn't believe I waited 3 years to do it. If you are into super cheap alternatives to performance parts, check out the "OBX LSD Installation" sticky by TrumpetRhapsody. Several of us are using them with great results. Mine was $500 total after shop costs [swapping carrier bearings, setting backlash, etc] and the upgrade kit. Good luck on your project, it looks like you are on the right track! Edited July 14, 2010 by FlatBlack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchetypeDatsun Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 I did the N/A to turbo swap, it's basically hands down very simple if you have everything you need to swap the motor in. My 81 280zx came stock with a R200 3.90 diff and yeah it can hold the power very well. I did the full swap meaning the L28ET, T-5 tranny, driveshaft, CV axles, & rear turbo brakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stretchnuts Posted July 24, 2010 Author Share Posted July 24, 2010 Ok, as of right now I have just the motor and the stock N/A tranny, which after some research is a more close ratio setup than the BW. Just received gasket kit, ARP rod, mains, and studs yesterday so I can finally pull the head and start putting things back together again. 280....are you running the motor stock as of right now? Plans the future? I am eventually going to run an EFI and T3/T4 and IC once I get the itch to push past 10 psi or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchetypeDatsun Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 (edited) Ok, as of right now I have just the motor and the stock N/A tranny, which after some research is a more close ratio setup than the BW. Just received gasket kit, ARP rod, mains, and studs yesterday so I can finally pull the head and start putting things back together again. 280....are you running the motor stock as of right now? Plans the future? I am eventually going to run an EFI and T3/T4 and IC once I get the itch to push past 10 psi or so. My set up is pretty much stock besides Z31 300zx ECU & MAF, T3/T04E turbo, with the L28ET, my plans are not really set but as of now i might be using a different L28ET motor from a 81 280zx turbo already rebuild. The motor I have on now was pretty much a test motor but it needs a rebuild it has around 300,000 miles head & piston rings are bad, these motors are delicate to detonation so be carefully not to run too much boost. I took my pop off valve off, it created a boost leak past 7psi, it pretty much keeps the motor from detonating but if you run it at a save boost level like 8psi you will be fine. I've ran my car at 10psi and it doesn't run good it really needs that intercooler and if your gonna keep that turbo then I suggest to run a small intercooler for less lag. Edited July 25, 2010 by 280zx@541 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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