dpuma8 Posted December 22, 2010 Share Posted December 22, 2010 I have a 1975 with a L28ET in my car that I am planning on rebuilding. I have a $7,200 0% on purchases credit card until next December. Here is what needs to be done~ -P90A head rebuilt by shop -Brakes work awesome but they don't catch until the pedal is nearly to the floor -Lose wires everywhere -Stock springs were cut too much and car rubs when going over smaller bumps. -Transmission grinds in 3rd and 4th -When pushing the car hard, the cabin fills with exhaust -Gas gauge and spedometer don't work I would like the ability to have 200 HP but can be adjusted to much higher than that. So with the limited information I have posted, how should I spend my money and in what order? I want to upgrade the turbo, get Megasquirt, and Ford EDIS but I can't figure out which is best for my street car. I also am wondering about the P90A. Is the P90 THAT much better than the P90A? My engine does not have a turbo oil pan. Do I really need one? Disclaimer**** - I am a super nerdy tight ass accountant who will not be getting into any financial trouble over this credit card and it will be paid off months before December********* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z2go Posted December 22, 2010 Share Posted December 22, 2010 For your exhaust leak issue, the classic Z problem... I would say invest in rubber replacement, namely the hatch seals, the two rubber plugs in the hatch door, all the taillight and side marker gaskets, and any rubber plugs throughout the cabin... how are your door seals? They might need some help too. You might also have an actual exhaust leak somewhere in your exhaust, so I would inspect that. How old is your brake booster? You might need a rebuilt one for that braking issue. To fix the spring issue, invest in some nice Eibach or other aftermarket springs, research on here to see what other people did for their specific setup to try to find what works best for you. If it were me, I would tackle all of the problems before working on the upgrades, which will make it easier to diagnose other things that might creep up as you go along. For that grinding transmission issue, you might want to look at swapping the transmission for a rebuilt one, or have it rebuilt yourself, depending on the cost in your area (which by the way, you should update your profile to say your location in order to be in compliance with the site rules ). In the end, this thread might end up just getting canned to the tool shed because really, those questions are matters of personal opinion, and only you can decide what is best for you. Also with some research you can find a lot of the answers to your questions pretty easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpuma8 Posted December 22, 2010 Author Share Posted December 22, 2010 (edited) I am looking for prices because I don't know what is an appropriate price for a lot of this and I don't want to over pay. So I was hoping you could break down the order and cost I should go with. For example, which MS should I get and how much will it cost? I am in Yuba City so if you have any recommendations for tranny work or block prep in the area then that would be great! Edited December 22, 2010 by dpuma8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted December 23, 2010 Share Posted December 23, 2010 (edited) -P90A head rebuilt by shop ($300-500. Might be more) -Brakes work awesome but they don't catch until the pedal is nearly to the floor ($100-$300) -Lose wires everywhere ($10-500. Kinda vauge so labor can become expensive.) -Stock springs were cut too much and car rubs when going over smaller bumps. ($300-700) -Transmission grinds in 3rd and 4th ($700-1500. If it is a 4 speed, why not upgrade to a 5 speed? You would probably save money buying a good used one.) -When pushing the car hard, the cabin fills with exhaust ($200-500. Really depends on what seals are bad and investigation.) -Gas gauge and spedometer don't work ($200-500) I'm guestimating too. I read this as your not doing the work yourself. If I'm wrong on the labor, prices would be much less. Just my .02. Paypal me $20.00! Edited December 23, 2010 by JSM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpuma8 Posted December 23, 2010 Author Share Posted December 23, 2010 (edited) -P90A head rebuilt by shop ($300-500. Might be more) -Brakes work awesome but they don't catch until the pedal is nearly to the floor ($100-$300) -Lose wires everywhere ($10-500. Kinda vauge so labor can become expensive.) -Stock springs were cut too much and car rubs when going over smaller bumps. ($300-700) -Transmission grinds in 3rd and 4th ($700-1500. If it is a 4 speed, why not upgrade to a 5 speed? You would probably save money buying a good used one.) -When pushing the car hard, the cabin fills with exhaust ($200-500. Really depends on what seals are bad and investigation.) -Gas gauge and spedometer don't work ($200-500) I'm guestimating too. I read this as your not doing the work yourself. If I'm wrong on the labor, prices would be much less. Just my .02. Paypal me $20.00! AWESOME! Perfect answer. Anymore about Megasquirt or anything else? I would like to do most of it except the wiring looks a little scary. The car ran fine but there were wires that weren't connected which worried me..... Edited December 23, 2010 by dpuma8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted December 23, 2010 Share Posted December 23, 2010 Safe estimate. $900-1000 for all the parts purchased form http://www.diyautotune.com/ Dyno tuning $400 and up depending on how well you want it tuned, another $300 to 500 to install it all. Again just estimates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zman21 Posted December 23, 2010 Share Posted December 23, 2010 As far as the oil pan goes, I had my oil pan modified to accept a turbo oil drain line instead of trying to locate a stock turbo oil pan. I bought a steel weld-in bung and a 45 degree 10AN fitting and had a friend tig weld the bung in the side of the oil pan and screwed in the anodized fitting angled upwards. Looks and works awesome. The bung was about $5 and the AN fitting was about $8, and the tig welding cost $20. If you plan on going that route I can find out the exact location of where the hole needs to be drilled for the bung. (Plus it looks a lot cooler than the stock oil pan, if that means anything to you.) Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpuma8 Posted December 23, 2010 Author Share Posted December 23, 2010 As far as the oil pan goes, I had my oil pan modified to accept a turbo oil drain line instead of trying to locate a stock turbo oil pan. I bought a steel weld-in bung and a 45 degree 10AN fitting and had a friend tig weld the bung in the side of the oil pan and screwed in the anodized fitting angled upwards. Looks and works awesome. The bung was about $5 and the AN fitting was about $8, and the tig welding cost $20. If you plan on going that route I can find out the exact location of where the hole needs to be drilled for the bung. (Plus it looks a lot cooler than the stock oil pan, if that means anything to you.) Good luck. Yes! That sounds like a great idea. Can you tell me the location? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted December 23, 2010 Share Posted December 23, 2010 I'm confident if you put an ad up in the "Parts Wanted" section someone will likely come through for you. Figure 25-50 for the pan plus shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zman21 Posted December 23, 2010 Share Posted December 23, 2010 Yes! That sounds like a great idea. Can you tell me the location? The measurements for oil drain hole: 9 3/4" from back of engine and 1 3/4" down from bottom of engine. I got these measurements from one of the hybridz forumns and it worked great for my oil pan. You may want to just double check after you mark for the hole to be drilled and make sure it will clear the baffle panel on the inside. The measurement is to the center of the hole. I'll try to get you a picture later so you can see if the oil pan matches with yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z2go Posted December 23, 2010 Share Posted December 23, 2010 Since you are local, I recommend Clay and Paquette for your engine work. They specialize in race applications, but will do just about anything you want them to, and they are great guys. Chris Paquette is the owner, he built the motor that I have in my Z, and really went all out for a great price. They have been in town forever, so I would go in and ask them for their recommendation on what you should do, they will not take you for a ride, and they will give you what you need. They don't do transmissions though, so I don't have a recommendation for that. Clay and Paquette is on garden highway close to the fairgrounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Next person to comment on whether the O.P. is making the "right" decision with his credit is getting a big boot in the ass. Answer the question he's asked or don't post. Don't say I didn't warn you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 I would like the ability to have 200 HP but can be adjusted to much higher than that. I've got a potential 400hp solution for you... Buy my car (for sale in classifieds) for $8700 and have $20,000 in parts to play with and install as you see fit in your car? Drax's 240z Turbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stravi757 Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 If your planning on l28et, I would start here first. http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/39435-help-what-brake-options-are-available-for-s30-z-cars/ http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/38499-brake-upgrade-faq/ Could be your brake problem: http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/69706-reaction-disk-pictures-and-walkthrough/ The Here: http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/49037-help-what-suspension-modifications-should-i-do/ Then Here: http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/19918-the-ultimate-turbo-faqbeginners-guide/ http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/34469-a-quick-fi-and-ignition-280zxt-to-s30-turbo-swap-guide/ http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/82371-my-notes-on-the-na-l28-to-turbo-swap/ You can do some damage with 7,200. Just keep reading until You have figured out exactly what you want to do. Dont spend a dime until then. I have wasted a lot of money buying stuff I didnt need, and breaking things because I didn't know what I was doing(Blew my first l28et). Just keep reading through the stickies and you will surprised how much you will learn. And dont be discouraged by the people trying to give you financial advice. I dont know why they are concerned with how you spend your money, maybe have nothing better to do... I dont know. But I say go for it. Just make sure to READ! READ! READ! before you commit to buy. Just throwing these in as well: http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/38615-bumpsteer-faq/ http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/38591-brake-fluid-faq/ http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/38590-coil-over-faq/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjandriesen Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 (edited) What do you want the car to do? Street only? Autocross or HPDE? I agree with the comment about fixing things first before looking at enhancements. The question then is what to do with the left over funds. If you are going to do anything competitive with the car I'd invest in brakes and suspension first. Most drivers have more HP than they need in a stock car to drive a good handling well braked car. Getting a solid base car allow you plenty of room to up power later as your driving skills improve. Edited January 1, 2011 by tjandriesen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpuma8 Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 This car would just be a street car. I have read most of the stickies but I don't necessarily understand WHAT I should be spending my money on first. I have tried to read about Megasquirt which sounds impressive but I don't know what is enough for my street set up and what is overkill. It would be nice if a "pro" can give me a list of what I should get done and buy first, second, third, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.