Most cost effective stock build up

[jonzzer]

Okay so i have a stock 82 l28et in my 77 280z and I am wondering what i should buy to make it last the longest and what mods are going to carry over if i do swap stuff. I have about 300-400 to throw at it. I still need an exhaust run but i can get that for about 100. Is the MSA downpipe worth buying? i have the egr on the intake so i'm assuming id need to be plugged. I just need some help in deciding what i should buy first. It's going to be a dd so im looking for reliability and performance mods.

[Challenger]

Downpipe and exhaust is good for your money.

 

What do you mean what mods will carry over?

[Xnke]

In my opinion, dump the stock EFI and go Megasquirt. Yeah, it shoots your budget in one shot, but it's the most cost effective upgrade you can get, and opens the door to untold worlds.

[jonzzer]

I mean mods that if i do decide to swap turbos will still work . Megasquirt is a good bang for the buck but after doing the swap i think im a wired out lol. Is an Intercooler and a blow off worth buying or can i manage without a blow off on stock turbo?

[Tony D]

Stock turbo intake manifold incorporates pressure relief on drop throttle (blow-off) by venting into #4 intake runnner. It's not required until you start doing things which increase system volume. And even then...well, I'm not going there...

 

The drivability difference between stock and MS is worth more than anything else you are going to consider. In fact, doing the conversion with MS is FAR easier than cobbling the stock wiring harness into another car. If you could do that, MS conversion is a breeze.

 

And it's upgradeable. I wouldn't do anything else to a STOCK TURBO ENGINE other than change to MS. For me, that is #1 on the mod list to a good running turbo, it makes it even better.

[jonzzer]

What version of megasquirt would you recommend for a turbo build that will eventually see 10+ pounds of boost? Im assuming the kit is just the computer, ill have to buy all the necessary wires/ WbO2 sensor, did i miss anything? Also there are so many extra add-ons to the kits, but which ones are worth buying or needed?

[Tony D]

sigh, people think turbo and PSI....

 

Horsepower people, horsepower. Please get off the psi-fixation.

 

As for ANY MS system, they come resident with 22psig MAP sensor, so that should be good for around 650-700HP if the engine is done correctly. 10psi is only around 350-400hp, I guess your goals are pretty high, huh?

[PR280z]

sigh, people think turbo and PSI....

 

Horsepower people, horsepower. Please get off the psi-fixation.

 

As for ANY MS system, they come resident with 22psig MAP sensor, so that should be good for around 650-700HP if the engine is done correctly. 10psi is only around 350-400hp, I guess your goals are pretty high, huh?

Well said TONY D, Down here in P.R. people talk about how high they have the psi on their hondas,evos,technicas, assuming the higher the psi the more horses they get. I`ll keep mine at 12psi and still school them.

[Tony D]

You and me both, man! They come from 'The Book According to Corky' and like any archival source of data, things change and Corky ain't The Almighty.

[Pyro]

300 or 400 dollars will not go far.

 

yes, install better exhaust. small turbos like big exhaust 2-1/2 to 3 inch will do nicely. I would also use mandrel bent pipe at the back (S-turn). get a J-bend from summitracing.com for the exhaust shop to use at the back.

 

I would pass on "buying" a down pipe with that budget. FYI, making a down pipe is easy and cheap.

 

Then I would install an intercooler. bar and plate style from e-bay, not too big and not too small (around a 8 x 16 x 3 inches thick). Plumb in the ic with mandrel pipe and silicone connectors (again, summitracing.com)

 

then lastly add a manual boost controller and run 10 psi of boost.

 

that should get you to around 210hp at the wheels and stay within the budget.

 

I would think you would need better exhaust and intercooler to see noticeable gains from megasquirt.

[Tony D]

I would think you would need better exhaust and intercooler to see noticeable gains from megasquirt.

 

You think wrong... The drivability and throttle response of a bone stock 280ZXT is like night and day with even a basic MS Tune on the car. It also allows you to 'fuel safe' for the 10psi non-intercooled common boost-up.

 

It's a real toss between proper exhaust and MS though... Problem is the longer you stay with the stock EFI system, the worse it will be when you do the conversion to make real power. If you do the MS straightaway on a mild engine (stock turbo) you not only gain the experience and comfort level of tuning on a rock-solid platform you already KNOW runs right, you get a concrete apples-to-apples comparison for what kind of drivability gains you get doing a conversion.

 

Do it on a bodged-hacked ECU with 12psi and an intercooler with all the goodies that has been inaudibly detonating for the past 10K miles, and when an audible detonation happens and the engine goes 'poof' you blame it on the ECU and Tuning, instead of the silent killer you never heard but which was working at it all along.

 

Standalones are a fact of life these days, as much as changing to an aftermarket carb was in the 70's for American Iron. The longer you put off learning about it, the further behind you will be. Tuning a MS primes you for any other standalone. The concepts are the same, and so is the tuning process. Best to do it on something bone stock, and build from a base (and then get a good idea of what changes happen when you start changing other things---you can then add that downpipe and SEE the fueling change you have to make!)

 

Start with mechanical changes, and you make something that the stock ECU can't compensate for... Think about it-over 3500 on boost, how does your stock ECCS adjust your fuel? Answer: It doesn't. The stock system starts running lean at the top end...you will see the ability to add fuel up there with the MS will make a BIG difference in the way the car performs.

 

Just my thoughts...but the thought that an MS needs intercooler and other crap is just plain wrong. Put that MS on a bone stock car and you will be AMAZED how responsive the car becomes. It's like it's a different car!

[aplyedmind]

Some people may not see eye to eye on this But For 300-400 You can do a lot, Just gotta be resourceful. Craigslist and Ebay can be your best friends . If you read around there are a lot of people making good numbers on 300zx turbo ECU/MAF

 

You could buy :

 

ebay/craiglist/volvo/startion/evo/junkyard intercooler($25-100)

manual boost controller $10-20

Auto zone specter intake($30-40)

convert to a 300zx turbo ecu($100-150).

Inter cooler piping $35-100 (You could have a muffler shop make u intercooler pipe for cheap, Heavy but cheap and easy to access.

 

Total at high price: $435

Low price:200

 

That's if u do the work yourself and source the parts cheaper.If u find the stuff the cheaper route u could even get a turbo back crushed exhaust For around 200.

 

Just shop around my best advice.

 

 

Here is the ecu swap

http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/26230-z31300zx-ecumaf-to-280zxt-swap-guide/page__st__20