Another S30 Turbo Project

[AtlantaZ]

Just installed my projector headlights from trueprojectorheadlights.com ! They look great - big upgrade over stock!

 

[AtlantaZ]

Update:

1. VR sensor mounted, relay box connected, and confirmed solid VR sensor reading.

2. Megasquirt successfully ran my injectors, if only briefly, and rich enough to half-foul my spark plugs.

3. Ordered low impedance 440cc Supra injectors (part no. 23250-42010).

4. Purchased Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator (part no. 13101).

5. Purchased Walbro 255lph fuel pump (part no. GSL392).

6. Purchased Garrett GT3071R ball bearing turbo with TiAL wastegate and blowoff valve - sized the turbo based on the airflow maps posted elsewhere on Hybridz. Basically it's the ballbearing equivalent of the T3/TO4E 50-trim. Deal included oil and water lines - bonus!

7. Purchased 240mm lightened steel flywheel (should be more warp-resistant than its aluminum counterpart) and ACT street clutch (rated at 400ft-lbs).

8. Bored out stock L28ET intake manifold to fit the 60mm 240sx throttle body. Intake now contains about 1 metric ton of aluminum dust. Will hot tank manifold today to wash engine-destroying aluminum powder off the walls.

9. Mounted EDIS coil pack bracket and coil pack. Stare disdainfully at stock spark plug wires. Wish I could afford Magnecor shielded wires.

 

Still to purchase:

1. Intercooler with piping

2. Gauges (Speedhut Revolution)

3. Starter

4. Alternator

5. Miscellaneous fuel lines and fittings, motor mounts, and plenty of doodads that I haven't even thought of yet.

6. Engine lift - or should I just rent? Hmm....

7. Ceramic coating job for turbo exhaust side

8. Motor mounts

9. Stainless downpipe with O2 bung (MSA)

 

I now own more performance parts at once than I have collectively ever owned, and I'm itching to install them! The plan is to build up the new engine as far as I can before the swap. So I'll mount the intake, fuel rail and injectors, turbo, and I may start test-fitting intercooler piping. I also need to rebuild my 240sx throttle body from where I had it broken down for powdercoating. I'd like to replace a couple of the cheap plastic pivot bushings with brass bushings, but I haven't found a good source for these yet. Will post as soon as I find something.

 

Once the old engine comes out, I'll spend the first day cleaning up the engine bay and running new wires for the headlights, horn, and turn signals. My goal is to have the engine bay cleaned up and spray painted (rattle can satin black) by end of Day One, or by midday on Day Two at the latest.

[AtlantaZ]

Update:

1. Listed the old engine in Parts for Sale section. If I don't get any bites, I may consider parting it out.

2. Disconnected hoses & wires, nearly ready to pull old engine out.

3. Received Supra injectors and test-fitted them to my 11mm fuel rail. Injectors feel too loose - heading to Advance Auto today or tomorrow to see if they can help me find some slightly larger rings/grommets to make a better seal on the rail side of the injector.

4. Ordered CXRacing same-side intercooler and piping kit (about $200 shipped for everything)

5. Decided to reuse existing starter/alternator for now, as I'm out of parts money.

6. Received turbo, wastegate, and blowoff valve; dropped off turbocharger to be ceramic/powder coated

7. Ordered motor mounts off eBay

8. Ordered stainless downpipe from MSA

9. Ordered universal throttle cable for adapting to stock throttle linkage pivot at firewall

 

Next steps:

1. Remove old engine & set aside

2. Begin cleaning engine bay - remove old brackets, sand off paint, prep for repainting

3. Begin tracing engine bay wiring for future rewiring - label everything, compare to FSM wiring diagram to ensure consistency

4. Source & install seals on Supra injectors to better seal inside fuel rail

5. Have wastegate flange welded to exhaust manifold

6. Have intake manifold hot-tanked

7. Determine number of required vacuum ports on intake manifold; purchase new hose connectors, cap unneeded ports

8. Rebuild throttle body; need to locate brass pivot bushings to replace cracking plastic bushings on TB pivot arm

9. Repaint engine bay (satin black or charcoal gray)

10. Cover mechanical fuel pump hole in cylinder head

11. Flush coolant passages in new engine

12. Turn over engine, remove oil pan, and coat crankshaft/piston rods in motor oil

13. Mount alternator and starter to new engine

14. Mount mechanical cooling fan to new engine

15. Mount 280z 2-row pulley and timing wheel to new engine

16. Install accessory belts

17. Install motor mounts

18. Install Megasquirt coolant temp and inlet air temp sensors

19. Install new flywheel, clutch, and pressure plate on new engine

20. Drop in engine...?

 

I hope to be lowering the new engine onto the motor mounts by this weekend. Here's to hoping!

[VKLR]

Did you find an engine hoist? I got one you could use.

If you need a hand I wouldn't mind helping.

 

 

 

http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/96943-joined-the-club/

Edited March 15, 2011 by VKLR

[AtlantaZ]

Nice looking car you got there! I wish I'd spoken to you yesterday... I JUST bought a used 2-ton hoist from a guy on eBay (who's local). At least I can resell the hoist once I'm done with it...

 

But if you're offering to help, come on up! I'm hoping to spend a couple of hours on Thursday cleaning up the engine-less engine bay and prepping it for painting. You're welcome to stop by! You can eyeball my freshly rebuilt L28ET engine and offer critiques. Or you can help me find somebody to hot-tank/powerwash my intake manifold. Or weld on my wastegate flange. So many fun things to do!

[AtlantaZ]

Step 1: (Remove engine & set aside) - Complete!

 

 

Looks like I am going to need a LOT of degreaser... My transmission bellhousing looks like a swamp in a blender.

Edited March 15, 2011 by AtlantaZ

[VKLR]

PM sent

[AtlantaZ]

Working on steps 2-8 right now. Of particular interest:

 

Many of us HybridZ'ers like to put the 60mm Nissan 240SX / KA24 throttle body on our engines. If you're like me, you're not content to slap on the throttle body without making sure it's clean and in good order. Here is a good link with instructions and pictures on breaking down the throttle body:

http://zilvia.net/f/tech-talk/305836-how-throttle-body-rebuild-disassembly-assembly.html

 

I discovered that this throttle body uses plastic pivot bushings (aka flanged sleeve bearings, aka spring keepers) to hold the springs in place. My plastic bushings were cracked and disintegrating, so I decided to upgrade to metal bushings. After a surprisingly difficult search, I have located suitable replacement flanged bearings.

 

*EDIT: The bushings/bearings I ordered were a little too large, so I've deleted the previously posted dimensions. Here are the dimensions I recommend:

 

Hole inner diameter: 13/16"

Hole outer diameter: 7/8"

Flange outer diameter: 1-3/16"

Edited March 19, 2011 by AtlantaZ

[AtlantaZ]

Update:

 

1. Engine bay cleaned and painted flat black

2. Purchased a new Supra o-ring seal set from Advance Auto (actually two sets, since they only put four rings in a set!)

3. Found out my existing fuel rail is NOT drilled for a 280Z manifold!

4. Begrudgingly purchased another rail from JSK

5. Had intake manifold washed, ready to finish grinding and repaint (wrinkle black)

6. Looking for hose connectors for intake manifold...

7. Rebuilt throttle body

8. Reused fuel pump blockoff plate from old engine to cover hole on new engine

9. Mounted alternator

10. Mounted 2-row pulley and timing wheel to new engine

11. Decided to go with a T3-to-T3 spacer w/wastegate flange, instead of welding flange directly to exhaust manifold (for space reasons)

 

Next steps:

1. Trace engine bay wiring and run new leads for headlights/signal lights/horns

2. Source & install 280ZX injector seals on intake manifold side of injector

3. Finish griding intake manifold, repaint, install throttle body, mount intake

4. Purchase vacuum hose connectors for blowoff valve & fuel pressure regulator (2x connectors required)

5. Test fit turbo with spacer/elbow tubing/wastegate

6. Have wastegate spacer welded to exhaust manifold

7. Purchase T3 discharge flange, since MSA downpipe flange doesn't fit on GT30R turbo - to be welded on by muffler shop once car is running

8. Port match exhaust manifold w/spacer to turbine flange

9. Flush coolant passages in new engine

10. Mount intercooler

11. Fit breather filter to PCV crankcase hole

12. Turn over engine, remove oil pan, and coat crankshaft/piston rods in motor oil

13. Mount starter to new engine

14. Mount mechanical cooling fan to new engine

15. Mount 280z 2-row pulley and timing wheel to new engine

16. Install accessory belts

17. Install motor mounts

18. Install Megasquirt coolant temp and inlet air temp sensors

19. Install new flywheel, clutch, and pressure plate on new engine

20. Mount exhaust manifold, turbo, and wastegate

21. Plumb oil and water lines to turbo

22. Drop it in!

Edited March 22, 2011 by AtlantaZ

[AtlantaZ]

My checklist is now 80 steps, so I'm saving everyone the trouble of having to skip past it when they're reading for updates.

 

Basically, I got in the wastegate adapter (that goes between the exhaust manifold and turbo) and elbow tube to space the wastegate away from the turbo, put a coat of wrinkle paint on the intake manifold, and took care of a handful of minor tasks that needed accomplishing. Once I get the spacer bracket and turbo on, I'll start plumbing the oil and water lines. Once that's done, there's really no reason I can't go ahead and drop the block into the engine bay. Pretty much everything else will be done from the top side of the engine.

 

Oh, also ordered a fuel rail from Juan at JSK Machining - he does GREAT work! Will upload a pic as soon as it's available.

[AtlantaZ]

Got all motivated to install the engine and forgot to take a pic of the rail before I put it on. But I will... eventually! I spent the afternoon prepping the engine for installation into the engine bay. Got the flywheel and clutch/pressure plate assembly bolted on, THEN saw the flywheel dust shield lying on the ground. Took everything off, reassembled, and spent the next four hours trying to maneuver the engine into position. I'm very, very close to success. Getting the clutch threaded onto the transmission input shaft was the toughest part - or second toughest, after maneuvering around my A/C compressor. If I manage to get the engine installed without breaking anything on my air conditioning, I'll be pretty proud of myself.

 

Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator is mounted on passenger side firewall, near battery. Looks really nice! I cut the return hardline and ran it right up underneath the return side of the FPR. Used an Earl's 5/16-to-6AN adapter. I almost purchased a 3/8 adapter, as the 5/16 size was harder to find - but REALLY glad I didn't! The fuel line is one thing you want to seal nice and tight, and I'm sure there would have been a lot of slop with the 3/8 adapter on a 5/16 line!

 

Looks like I'll be installing my fuel pump and hooking up various hoses/lines this weekend. Which means progress!!! Pics forthcoming.

[UofA_ZCar]

Great progress! I'm excited because you are quite a few steps ahead of me, so I can use your build as a guide.

[AtlantaZ]

Feel free to PM or post any specific questions. I've found myself solving a thousand little puzzles, and I'd be happy to share the knowledge with someone else. For instance, I found that the Advance Auto Parts 5/8" heater hose works great for the heater core in/out lines.

 

Oh, and if you're installing a new fuel pump, you definitely want to drain your fuel tank first!! I thought I could get away with just clamping down on the existing tank-to-pump line with vise grips while I swapped out the pump, until I noticed that my dry-rotted tank-to-pump line had split and was dribbling gasoline all over the garage... On a positive note, NAPA Auto Parts carried the 7/16" fuel hose that I needed to replace the line!

[AtlantaZ]

Long-promised pics:

 

#1: Engine on the stand, awaiting exhaust manifold with turbo flange:

 

#2: Still waiting...

 

#3: Engine bay painted in flat black, waiting on shiny new motor:

 

#4: Removed gas pedal for adapting to throttle cable (note throttle cable kit lying next to pedal assembly):

 

#5: Decided to simply drill out existing ball joint pin on pedal arm:

 

#6: 30 seconds later, pin was gone, and a nice clean hole remained!

 

#7: Generic Spectre throttle cable kit fit right on:

 

#8: After muffler shop #1 sat on the manifold for a week, I gave up and took it to the guy my 280z "Big Brother" recommended, who did the job in less than an hour:

 

#9: He did a great job welding things up. Very happy with his work!

 

After seeing the way my turbo and the flange fit against the manifold, I ended up ordering a wastegate elbow tube like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/OBX-35MM-38MM-Flange-Wastegate-90-Elbow-Rrelocator-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3366839f4aQQitemZ220763234122QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

 

#10: Engine is on the hoist, ACT clutch & pressure plate bolted on (flywheel bolts are a beast to torque down without some sort of flywheel lock or other means of immobilizing the crankshaft!)

 

#11: Making her way home. About four hours AFTER this shot, I finally got it properly set on the motor mounts. It takes a lot more persuading than one would think, especially with a larger-than-normal turbocharger bolted on the side. AND with the stock A/C hardlines still in place. AND finally realizing that the engine needs to be about 20-30 degrees counterclockwise from the straight-up position to line up with the mounts:

 

#12: Almost there! Lower the tail side of the engine, gently thread the clutch onto the transmission input shaft. Leave the motor mounts and mounting brackets loose! Also, I ordered new motor mounts and discovered that I had to SLIGHTLY drill out the smaller hole on chassis motor-mounting bracket, as the locator pin on my new mount didn't quite line up with the existing hole.

 

#13: Made it! Note the powdercoated throttle body and shiny JSK fuel rail. I also decided to be un-original and do the valve cover in wrinkle black with the lettering and border in bare aluminum:

 

#14: Bought a $25 oil catch can from an eBay seller based in Hong Kong. Cheap but effective. Ran lines to both the crankcase breather hole (reused the old metal breather tube, which took quite a bit of tapping and wiggling to get loose) and the valve cover breather tube:

 

#15: Inline fuel filter. Yes, I used rubber lines for my fuel setup. I'll keep an eye on things and will switch to stainless hoses when needed. But as this is a daily driver, I couldn't justify the cost, what with my project costs already WAY over budget:

 

#16: Bought a CXRacing bar-and-plate same side intercooler. Also bought 1/8" thick bar stock from Home Depot, painted it gloss black, and cut/drilled brackets (the brackets that came with the intercooler were just too flimsy). Currently working on plumbing intercooler piping:

 

#17: On the Garrett GT3076R turbo, the coolant outlet comes pretty close to the driver side fender well (see the rubber hose coming up from the bottom right portion of the turbo). If I were using braided stainless line here, I would definitely want to use a 90 degree fitting!

 

#18: Car wiring is scary. Help! Seriously, here I am tracing down the old ignition coil, ECU, and transistor ignition unit (TIU) wires that are no longer in use. I am cutting them at the point where the engine wiring harness hits the first passenger-cabin plug, then leaving the rest of the harness wiring alone. No point disturbing the existing wiring except where necessary.

 

#19: Megasquirt relay board is temporarily mounted on passenger fender, where old fusible link bracket used to go:

 

 

Speaking of fusible links, I am upgrading to a 4-fuse AGU fuse block. I purchased mine from a car stereo store, and I believe the brand is "XScorpion." Got the fuse block with four 50-amp fuses for $28.00. The block is setup for a #4AWG input (or two #8 inputs) and four #8 outputs. As I recall, the feed to the fuse block will come from the battery via the starter, then goes out to various points. I am using this wiring diagram as my reference: http://sridout.com/datsun/76circuit_COLOR.pdf

 

Almost forgot - I also had to order an oil filter mounting stud, since my F54 block didn't have a threaded stud like those versions that don't come with an oil cooler. I tried to take the stud off my old '76 block, but it wouldn't turn, and I didn't want to risk damaging the threads. Ordered one from an eBay seller. Once it arrives, the oil system will be sealed up and ready for oil! I bought Valvoline SAE 30 weight and a bottle of Lucas zinc additive to use as my first oil fill-up. When I add the oil to the engine, I will take off the valve cover and pour the oil all over the valve train, rather than just in the filler hole.

 

I will take pics of the intercooler piping once it's done. After that, I will mount the radiator and cooling fan. Then the coolant system will be sealed up and ready for antifreeze. Then on to mounting my new Speedhut gauges in the dash center area. After that, I should be down to "just" wiring... groan...

Edited April 13, 2011 by AtlantaZ

[AtlantaZ]

After I showed my wife the pretty new engine, she saw the old alternator that I had bolted on (I was trying to save money, after all) and said "Eww, what is that old part?" So with that I decided to purchase a remanufactured 280ZX alternator with internal voltage regulator from Advance Auto. Should be here in a couple of days. And now I can blame the expense on her.

[AtlantaZ]

I should point out that I am using EFI rated fuel hose for my fuel system, as I do not want my lines exploding all over the engine. Do NOT use vacuum line, heater hose, or (as the previous owner did) transmission oil cooler line as a substitute for properly rated injection fuel hose!

 

Also, someone pointed out the silicone reduced on my turbo compressor inlet. This is because the turbo has a HUGE 4" inlet, and I can only fit 3" piping up to the cold air intake! In general, you want as little restriction in front of your compressor inlet as possible...

[AtlantaZ]

Thermostat housing SPLIT when I tried to thread in a coolant sensor - and I definitely wasn't over-tightening! Please let me know if you have a 3-bolt thermostat housing and you live near Buford, Georgia!

[AtlantaZ]

Replacement housing located nearby. Also finally got the same-side intercooler piping installed. That was a LOT tougher than I thought it would be! I ended up cutting away nearly all the metal between the driver side of the radiator support and the driver side fender support. I did all this with the stock A/C components still installed and the stock bumper in place. The A/C compressor and hardlines, and the stock '76 bumper shocks, made it rather tricky to get everything to fit. But it's done!!

 

90 degree intercooler fittings really helped me make the turn into the same-side intercooler. Forgot to mention that I used 2.5" intercooler piping, with a 3" feed to the compressor inlet. Pics tomorrow.

 

Also hope to eventually update the wiring diagram PDF that I linked to elsewhere, with my changes marked up. I'd hate to have to try and troubleshoot this thing later without having my new wires included on the drawing!

[AtlantaZ]

Pics from my intercooler install:

 

#1 - Driver's side metal removed for piping:

 

#2 - Started with the compressor outlet to intercooler inlet, as these were the lowest points in the piping setup and would eventually be buried under the other pipes. So this was the "lowest" layer in the piping. I had to carefully bend the A/C hardline away from the fender to make room for the pipe to sit down nice and low.

 

#3 - The second layer of piping consisted of the cold air intake to compressor inlet. Although the compressor inlet is physically lower than its outlet (based on the way I clocked the turbo), I knew that the 3" intake piping would have to exit the radiator support area somewhere between the intercooler inlet and outlet pipes. I also had to make a quick 45 degree upturn right out of the compressor inlet so that I could clear the A/C compressor lines. So this is the "middle" layer:

 

#4 - The third layer of piping is the intercooler outlet to throttle body. I found it useful to tighten down the connectors on the couplings that passed through the ground-out area BEFORE trying to feed the pipes through. It was almost impossible to get a screwdriver or socket/ratchet in place to tighten down the clamps otherwise! My blowoff valve is on this section of pipe, and my inlet air temp sensor is on the other side of the BOV pipe. So this is the "upper" layer:

 

#5 All done! Really happy with how everything came out. NOT happy with the scratches all over my brushed aluminum piping! Also not thrilled with the mixed colors on my couplings. If this offends any of you purists, feel free to come over with a set of matching couplers and fix it for me!

Edited April 20, 2011 by AtlantaZ

[AtlantaZ]

Minor hiccip - the driver side hood hinge collides with the silicone 90 degree coupling on the intake pipe. So I'm reworking that to try and make a tighter turn. Man.

 

I did get the Speedhut 2 1/16" gauges adapted to the stock housings. I started by opening up the stock housings and removing the gauges themselves. The clock housing's inner bezel was pretty much a perfect fit. On the stock 2-in-1 gauge housings, I used a die grinder to carefully round out the inside metal gauge face and to cut the center cross bar that divices the upper and lower stock gauge faces. I was glad to see that Datsun used metal and not plastic on the inner bezel, as it's harder to accidentally over-grind metal vs. plastic. The back half of the gauge housing needed to be drilled out just a bit so that I could bring the new gauge wiring straight out the back. So with very minor adaptation, the 2 1/16" gauges fit in nicely. The gauges do have sort of a bezel-inside-a-bezel look, so I'll try them out and see how much it bothers me.

 

I also started replacing the heavy power wires in the main engine wiring harness. These are the white-with-red-stripe wires that provide voltage to the entire car, and they all used to run through the stock fusible links. Now they'll run through a much cleaner and more modern four-fuse AGU fuse block. I thought about using Maxi fuses, but it seems that the AGU fuses are much easier to find. Either type of fuse is fine, as long as you use the correct fuse rating.