Another S30 Turbo Project

[AtlantaZ]

My project: turn a 1976 280z into a 280z turbo, powered by Megasquirt, 440cc injectors, and an intercooled T3/T04E turbo. Target horsepower is 300hp to the rear wheels. Nothing too wild, but enough to make me go zoom when I want/need to. I'll also complete a T5 tranny swap to match.

 

About six months ago, my wife let me buy my first ever project car: a well cared for 1976 Datsun 280Z. This was a California car that migrated to Charlotte, North Carolina in 1999, and its previous owner sold it to me in April of this year. The interior was pristine, the engine was rock solid, but I felt like it didn't ... move ... like it looked like it should. Here it is, the car that my kids affectionately call "dad's cool red car":

 

 

The stock engine is in good shape and will make a great addition to some future owner's NA engine collection:

 

Step 1: Acquire a 1983 L28ET engine

I found my base longblock in a local Craigslist ad. Got a nearly complete engine (minus distributor) plus a new engine stand for $300.

 

Step 2: Send block + head in for machine work

I had the block shot-peened (sandblasted with BB's) and honed, the head got a 3-angle valve job, and all surfaces were milled. New valve stem seals were installed. Bad news was, I found out that the shop wanted an extra $500 to reassemble the engine. So I picked it up as-is, which meant that the valve train was still partially disassembled:

 

Better yet, none of the rocker arms/lash pads were marked or organized, and he failed to give me back the "mousetrap" springs and their clips (hold the rocker arms to the pivots when the rockers are not under load from the cam). Ordered a new set from Capitol City Nissan for $38.

 

 

Step 3: Reassemble shortblock

Block is clean and on the stand. Installed new Hastings ductile iron rings (high quality replacement rings for turbo application) and new Sealed Power main/rod bearings. ARP rod bolts hold the piston rods in place, but I reused the stock crank cap bolts. So far so good:

 

UNTIL I decide to double-check the main bearings for cleanliness and found some grit on the cap-side main bearing, along the centerline groove:

 

So now I have to pull the crank back off and doublecheck all the other bearings, just to make sure that dirt isn't sneaking in somewhere. Not sure how this happened, my garage is clean and I keep the block covered!

 

I have a new Melling (M152) oil pump, a Beck-Arnley timing kit (from Japan!), and a water pump waiting to be bolted on, as well as ARP main studs. The plastic bag in the top of the photo is full of stainless steel bolts from MMS & Accessories:

But obviously I can't move forward until the cylinder head is ready. Still waiting on those springs...

 

In the meantime, I'm starting to strip down the valve cover and clean up some of the brackets and pulleys that I'll be reusing. Some of these parts will also get powdercoated (intake manifold, valve cover). I've discovered a great non-corrosive, non-toxic rust remover that doesn't damage "healthy" metal. It's called Evapo-Rust:

 

I've already put some small parts and bolts through this stuff, and it works great! To demonstrate its effectiveness for the reader, I have taken a "before" picture of the main crank pulley:

 

I'll take another "after" picture when it's done (24 hours later). Here's my high-tech parts soaker:

 

I hope to finish this by May of 2011. As I work, I am slowly researching and acquiring the miscellaneous parts I'll eventually need:

 

- Garrett T3/T04E 50-trim stage III, .63AR housing turbo (or Turbonetics, if I can find a 5-bolt downpipe that will fit; was hoping to use the MSA downpipe)

- cxRacing same-side intercooler

- O-ring billet "Pallnet" style fuel rail (bought it off eBay today!)

- Recirculating blowoff valve (BOV) and external wastegate - recommendations appreciated here! Hoping to eventually use an electronic boost controller

- MSD 2225, Walboro 255, or Bosch 044 fuel pump - want one good to 400hp - any recommendations on the best bang for buck here?

- Gear reduction starter and upgraded alternator

- 440cc injectors

- Rising rate fuel pressure regulator (not sure if I really need one for my application?)

- Clutch kit and short throw shifter for the T5 tranny

- Aluminum driveshaft with Spicer u-joints, custom length for the swap of course...

- Megasquirt kit from DIYAutotune

- AFR, exhaust gas, and manifold (boost) pressure gauges/sensors

 

If any reader has any of the above parts in new or gently used condition, please feel free to PM me. And please weigh in with your (informed) .02 on my build plans!

 

Finally, I will also be having my downpipe, (stock) exhaust manifold, and turbine housing ceramic coated. Looking for that clean, subtle look in the engine bay, like KTM's beautiful 240z:

 

http://album.hybridz.org/data/500/EngineMSA2.jpg

 

Thanks for reading!

Edited October 27, 2010 by AtlantaZ

[crazyoctopus]

fyi you cant embed in this forum use the BBCode, good luck on your build!

[UofA_ZCar]

Your HP goal and engine choice is along the same plan as my build. I'm still stuck in the suspension rebuilding stage though. I look forward to seeing how your build progresses.

[AtlantaZ]

Your HP goal and engine choice is along the same plan as my build. I'm still stuck in the suspension rebuilding stage though. I look forward to seeing how your build progresses.

 

Thanks, looking forward to sharing. What are you doing suspension-wise? I was planning on doing a brake upgrade, Tokico HP shocks and lowering springs, and a rear sway bar.

[AtlantaZ]

Ok, I got the retaining springs (the "mousetrap springs" from above) and clips from Capitol City Nissan ($38.00, free shipping). I got the clips on after some effort, but the retaining springs are very, very loose. Is it possible that I got the wrong springs, or did the P90A head not use retaining springs on the rocker arms? Anyone?

[ktm]

If it is a 1983 L28ET, then it is a very good chance that the lifters are hydraulic and do not use the retainer springs.

[UofA_ZCar]

Thanks, looking forward to sharing. What are you doing suspension-wise? I was planning on doing a brake upgrade, Tokico HP shocks and lowering springs, and a rear sway bar.

 

Polyurethane bushings, Tokico illimuna struts, and Tokico 280z springs (I may clip a coil to lower it a bit). In the future I will probably do a coil over set up but that is once I have the engine done. Haven't decided on sway bars or strut tower bars yet.

[AtlantaZ]

Yep, it is a 1983 L28ET. I found a blurb about no springs on my hydraulic lifters. Anyone need a set of p90 clips and springs?? :-/

 

PM me on your total cost on your suspension setup. Those are exactly the mods that I want to install!

[AtlantaZ]

Head gasket and cylinder head are now in place!! I hung the timing chain on the new cam and crank sprockets, and I'm almost ready to install my new timing chain guides and tensioner. Trouble is... I don't know what length the guide/tensioner bolts are. Anybody know? I can find torque values in the FSM, but not bolt sizes...

[AtlantaZ]

Timing chain guides are in place! Found some bolts that seem to match the pitch and length for the chain tensioner, except they're about 2-3mm too long. So I'm taking these to the hardware store tomorrow to pick up replacements. Thank you Ace Hardware! I also ordered and received my brass freeze plug set from Napa Auto - Sealed Power brand, $18.50 with shipping. These are slowly making their way onto the block as I get time. I fear that I may be running out of things to do without a massive influx of cash... Donations are always appreciated. Or you could buy my R200 differential with turbo driveshaft and half shafts!

[AtlantaZ]

Making progress on my build! Here's what I've done recently:

 

1. Installed timing cover w/ new turbo oil pump and GMB water pump

2. Installed A/C bracket w/ pulley and lower alternator bracket

3. Installed cylinder head (w/ARP studs, of course) and valve cover. Using standard Fel-Pro head gasket for the time being, as I'd much rather blow the gasket than crack something more expensive if something goes wrong.

4. Installed oil pan w/ MMS stainless bolts

5. Had exhaust manifold ceramic coated and installed it

6. Installed turbo oil filter bracket with new dealer o-rings (thanks to John Williams for explaining where that little o-ring goes. Man!)

7. Installed freeze plugs with a touch of RTV around the edges

 

I'm still shopping for a good condition non-EGR intake manifold - here's my thread: http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/97116-non-egr-non-webbed-efi-intake/page__p__912087__fromsearch__1#entry912087

 

Also, I started to engineer my own distributor blockoff plate (for those of us deleting distributors & going EDIS), then heard that our good friend Derek is engineering a much nicer solution at a good price: http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/97084-l6-distributor-cover-in-development/page__p__911752__fromsearch__1#entry911752

 

The good news is that it's finally starting to look like a usable engine! The bad news is that I'm about to hit the EXPENSIVE part of the project. I think it would be wise to start installing as much as I can on the current N/A engine, then switch everything over to the new engine when ready. This way I can debug as much as possible before dropping in the new engine.

 

Next steps in order (if you know of a good source for anything I need to purchase, please contact me!):

1. Source intake manifold, powdercoat, and install

2. Source 240sx throttle body, powdercoat, and install

3. Begin researching throttle cable conversion

4. Source and install upgraded fuel system components on my current engine:

a. Bosch 044 inline fuel pump

b. Pallnet AN-14 fuel rail

c. 11mm injectors sized for my N/A engine (so I can run the new rail - will mean buying a set of injectors that I won't need for that long, but I think it's worth it). I think Pallnet may have located a good part # that will work.

d. Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator with pressure gauge (this means I can sell my BEGI N/A regulator - any takers?)

5. Purchase Megasquirt II V3.0 setup and begin assembling (or give to my father to assemble!)

6. Purchase Derek's 36-1 trigger wheel and VR sensor setup

7. Purchase EDIS-6 coil pack components

8. Install Megasquirt and EDIS setup in my N/A engine

 

Once the new fuel system and Megasquirt setup w/EDIS is in place, that'll be about as far as I can go on my current N/A engine. Somewhere in here I'll also be looking for good deals on a Garrett/Turbonetics T3/T04E turbocharger, wastegate, blowoff valve, and the other induction goodies.

 

Will post a pic of the engine today or tomorrow!

 

-Nathan

[AtlantaZ]

Update:

 

1. Source intake manifold, powdercoat, and install - Shaving & fabbing blockff plates for my 280ZX manifold - ready for powdercoater!

2. Source 240sx throttle body, powdercoat, and install 240sx throttle body located, ready for powdercoater

3. Begin researching throttle cable conversion Ongoing

 

I came across a great deal on a Megasquirt II V3.0 setup from a local 240sx owner, so I've decided to jump ahead and begin experimenting with MS. I have the ECU, stim board, relay board, relay cable, AND an LC-1 with gauge. Should keep me plenty busy over the winter months! I bought an eBay EDIS-6 package from "atomicjawbreaker," and once I have that + Derek's 36-1 trigger wheel setup + my Megasquirt, I'll begin converting my current N/A car to Megasquirt & spark.

 

Pictures coming!

[AtlantaZ]

As promised, here are a few pictures:

 

First up, we have my ugly old 280ZXT intake manifold. I removed all the superfluous doohickies and created a couple of aluminum blockoff plates, sealed in place with RTV. It's not much to look at now, but I'll be powdercoating it in cast iron gray - which ought to improve its appearance significantly.

 

 

 

Next up is the Megasquirt II V3.0 setup that I bought from a local 240sx enthusaist. He says everything works great, and I look forward to plugging it in and going to work! I'm considering a two-stage approach: fuel injection control first, followed by full fuel-and-spark control using the EDIS setup pictured below. In this picture (roughly left-to-right):

1. 240sx throttle body w/TPS (part of the Megasquirt package deal I negotiated)

2. Megasquirt relay board

3. Relay-to-ECU interface cable (DB37)

4. Megastim simulator/test board

5. Megasquirt II V3.0 in silver case (on top is 120V adapter for Megastim board)

6. Random CD-ROM disc

7. Innovate LC-1 package with O2 sensor, controller, and digital AFR gauge

8. Serial interface cable

 

 

 

Finally, I have my pile-o-parts from Derek. This is what I'll use to mount my EDIS-6 setup! He also fabricated a really nice distributor blockoff plate with a stylized 'Z':

Edited January 2, 2011 by AtlantaZ

[AtlantaZ]

Megasquirt Phase I complete!

 

Phase I: Connect Megasquirt to my stock L28 N/A engine in a non-invasive way, just to see if it can correctly read the necessary signals: coolant temp (CLT), inlet air temp (IAT), tachometer/RPMs (TACH), and manifold absolute pressure (MAP). This weekend my father came by and graciously helped me wire up the Megasquirt relay board, and I'm pleased to report that all the above signals look good! Here's what we did:

 

Megasquirt mounting location

First of all, I decided to mount both the Megasquirt ECU and the relay board in the glove box for now. When I get around to swapping the engine out, I'll clean up the engine bay and find a good mounting spot for the relay board. For now, it's nice having everything inside the passenger cabin!

 

Next, I fed the sensor wires and power wire for the relay board through the existing EFI wiring hole in the firewall. This hole is in the center of the passenger side footwell, and the large rubber skirt around the stock wiring harness has plenty of room left to cut a hole and feed through the Megasquirt wires.

 

Power sources

For the 12V+ (batt) source on the relay board, I spliced a #12 AWG wire into the main accessory wire that lands on the battery (+) terminal.

For the 12V (switched) source on the relay board, I ran a #18 wire to the ignition coil (+) terminal.

For the ground wire on the relay board, I ran a #12 wire to an existing ground point on the firewall - this is the same ground that my battery (-) terminal lands on

 

Sensor locations

IAT: On the stock engine, I decided to remove the valve cover PCV-to-AFM hose and use the hole in the AFM boot. The GM IAT sensor can be persuaded to fit snugly into the existing hole and makes a nice, tight seal. The valve cover is now venting to air.

 

CLT: I thought about removing one of the existing coolant sensors (there appear to be four on my 1976 L28) from the thermostat housing, but here again the goal is non-invasive. So I decided to drill a hole in the top of the thermostat housing, JB weld on a threaded bung, and install the CLT sensor there (obviously I removed the housing before drilling!!!). I was concerned that there wouldn't be enough coolant flowing through the top of the housing for a good reading, or that hot gas would rise and overheat the sensor, but the readings are right in line with my stock analog gauge. So far, so good!

 

MAP: This one was easy. I have a Cartech fuel pressure regulator in the car already, so I just cut the vacuum reference hose, installed a tee connector, and ran another vacuum hose through the firewall and to my Megasquirt box. For reference: I believe 5/32" is the correct diameter hose here.

 

TACH: Like most folks, I ran this to the ignition coil (-) terminal. I haven't grounded the shield yet - still trying to find an article on where to best ground the shield.

 

Having done the above, I connected the wires, connected my laptop, and tried to crank it. No luck! I smelled heavy fumes and immediately suspected that something wasn't connected right at the ignition coil. So I tightened the connections and - success! The engine fired up as normal, and TunerStudio showed "almost" every gauge reading as normal. Except for the RPMs, which were bouncing all over the place! Since I was running the wire right next to the ignition coil, I suspected RF noise and turned on the noise filtering in TunerStudio. The RPM readings smoothed right out.

 

Success!!

 

Now I'm almost ready to bolt on Derek's 36-1 trigger wheel and my Ford EDIS VR sensor. If I can get Megasquirt to read a solid timing signal from the VR sensor, then I will make the first "invasive" mod: cut the injector wires and connect them to Megasquirt. The injector "firing" light on Megasquirt is blinking normally, so I'm optimistic that I can get Megasquirt to reliably run the fuel injection. After that, I'll either install a new fuel pump and upgrade fuel delivery to the 440cc injectors, or I'll get really crazy and try wiring up the EDIS-6 coil pack for fuel and spark control! But I'm waiting on a long weekend, just in case something goes "other than planned." Not that it would, of course...

[AtlantaZ]

So my tach reading in Megasquirt is rock solid up to 2500RPM, then it goes nuts. I may just go ahead and drop in the toothed wheel/VR sensor and see if I can get that to feed a signal to Megasquirt, since that's what I'll be using in the final setup anyway. May try to pull out the radiator and install the trigger wheel this weekend...

[AtlantaZ]

It turns out my Megasquirt board was built for a Hall/optical trigger input, but it is NOT configured to read coil trigger inputs. So I'm going to go ahead and wire up the EDIS module, mount/wire the VR sensor, and use the EDIS square-wave PIP signal as my tach input. Hope to have an update in a week or so!

 

In the meantime, I'm getting sick of having to repair old vacuum lines in order to run my climate control - especially the defog, which I really need on rainy nights!!! Anyone have success retrofitting in an electric/manual-control AC system? Say from a 1993-95 Maxima maybe?

[AtlantaZ]

After a scary night of driving in the rain, I snapped and ordered a set of 7" projector headlights from trueprojectorheadlights.com. And I cannot seem to get the blasted crankshaft pulley bolt off, which is absolutely necessary in order to get my trigger wheel on!!! Fishing for ideas, please let me know if you have any suggestions!

Edited February 8, 2011 by AtlantaZ

[AtlantaZ]

Got the bolt! The key was to put the car in 4th gear, put a brick behind the tire, and beat on the breaker bar with a 3-pound sledge hammer. Then, of course, my last big pull on the breaker bar, the bolt lets go and my hand smashes into the radiator fins, bounces off the water pump pulley studs, and ends up lodged next to the clutch master cylinder...

 

Tomorrow morning I mount the trigger wheel! As soon as my father finishes my relay board wiring box, I hope to wire up the VR sensor and try feeding a tach signal to Megasquirt. Progress!

 

A sore, but very earnest thumbs up!

 

Edited February 8, 2011 by AtlantaZ

[VKLR]

No pain no gain.

 

I'd like to see your set-up sometime as I plan on doing about the same thing in the near future.

[AtlantaZ]

Happy to show it off anytime!

 

Right now my father and I are fabricating a junction box to hold the Megasquirt relay board and to help organize the wiring in the engine bay. I hope to centrally locate the other miscellaneous relays in the car (headlights, A/C, ignition, etc.) in/near this box that we're building, so that all the electrical systems are centrally located and easier to troubleshoot. This will also make it easier for me to tap switched/constant 12V sources, as opposed to having random splices all over the place. Finally, the central/"star" ground will help ensure clean grounding and should reduce voltage problems. The box itself will mount on the passenger side fender, directly adjacent to the battery.

 

I sketched up a couple of diagrams using Powerpoint. Please note that I re-used the Idle Air Control (IAC) wires out of the DIYAutotune.com wiring bundle for the injector (+) wires (see the top side of the relay board in the picture), as I'm not planning on installing IAC at this time. Although not illustrated, I am leaving the IDM (ignition diagnostic module) in place on the wire coming out of pin #3 on the EDIS wiring harness. This is a small gray box with a 2-pin connector plug, and I believe the Megamanual recommends tapping this 2-pin inline plug for feeding a tach signal. I will be using Speedhut gauges, so I think this will be a good place to locate the RPM signal.

 

 

Here's the box-in-progress:

 

Although not obvious from the picture, there is a rectangular slot cut in the side of the box in which I can plug the 37-pin cable that runs from the Megasquirt ECU to the relay board. The Megasquirt ECU will probably end up in my glove box or on the passenger kick panel.

 

 

Here's a picture I took of the 12-pin Ford EDIS-6 wiring harness:

 

This plugs into the EDIS module, and this is where I got the wire colors in the wiring diagram below.

 

 

Here's my wiring diagram:

 

I have depicted the relay board, the EDIS ignition module, and three terminal blocks:

1. One for 12V constant (this goes directly to the battery)

2. One for 12V switched (this will go to the primary ignition relay, or possibly a secondary relay that I branch off of the primary ignition relay)

3. One for ground connection to either the battery (-) terminal, or the firewall. Need to research and see which is best.

Also note that I used the wire colors from the DIYAutotune wiring bundle. I highly recommend this bundle, as the wires are appropriately sized and color coded!

 

Here's a side shot of the box:

 

Note that the power and ground wires will terminate directly on their destinations, but the other wires have built-in quick disconnect connectors. If I had an existing pigtal (connector + wires) for a device, like the coil pack, I chose to simply solder in some additional wire to give me enough slack, but not to build in yet another connector. The fewer connectors in a wire, the fewer opportunities for intermittent contact - and less chance of stuff not working!