My Rb swap - incase you're interested

[drunkenmaster]

my suspension was orginally from speed-technology in Melbourne.

Add a .com or .com.au to their name for a website. The suspension and brake package is really good but it doesnt come cheap at all.

[280z1979]

how much are those? in total

in AUS dollars will be fine

[drunkenmaster]

Brakes, rotors, and coilovers full assembled on shortened struts with redrilled crossmember is around the $6k I beleive from the retailer.

I bought mine 2nd hand but unused.

[280z1979]

why do struts need to be redrilled? these are not originally for 280z?

6k wow

good work man ...guess i cant afford it

was thinking something like 3k

you got your engine mounts and crossmember done yet?

[Carl Beck]

Hi Guys

Not so much a "correction" as simply some additional info.

The origins of the "RB" Series engines, would seem to be rooted in the Prince Motors Ltd. R380 Racing Engine of 1966, and the following Nissan R380-II of 1967. (Prince Motors was merged into Nissan in Aug. of 1966).

Both the "L" series and "S" then the following RB series would seem to have been in development at the same time. I think it is safe to say that Nissan MotorSports continued the advancement of the RB series well past the end of the production life of the "L" series.

The first production engine, based on the Racing engine was the Nissan S20 engine it was used in the 1969 Fairlady Z 432 & Skyline GT-R. It sported a duel overhead cam, alum. cross flow head with hemispherical combustion chambers and 4 valves per cylinder.

So it would seem that the Racing Engine of 1965/66, lead to the Production engine (S20), which in turn lead to the RB Series of Performance/Production Engines.

The RB20 DET started production in 84 and was installed in the 85 Skyline and the Fairlady ZR-1 and ZR-II (that's correct an in-line six in the 85 Fairlady in Japan).

The RB series engines as someone said earlier, are significantly stronger than the "L" series. Blocks are cast with additional webbing, thicker main bearing supports and are a higher nickle content cast iron. Crank and rods are also stronger..

As for "costs"... depends on where you are, but the cost of manufacturing the RB engines was about twice that of the "L" series according to the head of Nissan Motorsports ( I meet him at the National Z Car Convention in San Antonio). Sadly the factory that produced the RB series engines was one of the first to fall under the cost cutting axe of Carlos.. and thus ended one of the worlds best in-line sixes... Just as several manufacturers were returning to them.. (GM's new 4.2L for example).

FWIW,

Carl

Carl Beck

Clearwater, FL USA

http://ZHome.com

[RedStage]

You should be extremely happy with it once you get it in and all sorted out.

I lived in Japan for 10 years and owned cars with the following:

CA18ET

CA18DE

CA18DET

RB20DET

SR20DET

All Nissan

Of all of them the RB sounded the best. Had low end torque issues compaired to the CA and SR motors, but the top end was where it made up for it.

The RB has the most evil sound of any Nissan motor.

The previous posts were right on about hte origin of the RB. R31 Skyline and the Z31. But in 1988 Nissan also made the most awesome sedans that they had ever put out. The A31 Cefiro and the C33 Laurel.

The A31 Cefiro ran the first of the plasma RB20's and was rated at 205ps. The R32 Skyline that was released in 1989 was pumped up to 215ps.

You have to look out for that when getting an RB, most sellers won't tell you the difference.

And it is mostly porting and ECU tuning. The only way I know to spot the difference on the 1989-1994 RB20's is by the intake pipe that goes into the intake plenium. Skyline engines had stock blow off valves on them, while the Cefiro and Laurel did not.

Be careful when picking up RB's...you might get a 205ps one instead of the 215ps.

Here's my old Cefiro so you can check the RB out.

A31 Cefiro RB20DET powered FR Sedan

[drunkenmaster]

Originally posted by 280z1979

why do struts need to be redrilled? these are not originally for 280z?

6k wow

good work man ...guess i cant afford it

was thinking something like 3k

you got your engine mounts and crossmember done yet?

cross member is redrilled to reduce bump steer.

I dont think any decent brake kit would give you much change from $3k alone.

[Murph]

RedStage: Nice! I'm quite a fan of the Ceffy.....and RB20's. You have to just love the way they scream out to the 7800 rev limit (with a larger turbo that is). Mind you, the lack of torque sorta sucks when your used to driving something torque like the z car.

[RedStage]

Originally posted by Datto-Zed

RedStage: Nice! I'm quite a fan of the Ceffy.....and RB20's. You have to just love the way they scream out to the 7800 rev limit (with a larger turbo that is). Mind you, the lack of torque sorta sucks when your used to driving something torque like the z car.

She was nice...240ps at th wheels by way of ECU mapping and exhaust mods and VVC cranked to 1.0kg/cm2. All stock internals.

Sold it and the kid who bought it totalled it in broad daylight....idiot.

[Murph]

It'd have been damn good fun that thing. I'm a regular driver of a mates R32 skyline. Basically the mods are 3" exhuast turbo back, intake, RB25 turbo, 600x300x75 FMIC and a few ECU changes (removing limiters etc....no mapping changes). Not sure what sort of power it's making....but it sure is damn fun. Oh...running 16psi too.

[280z1979]

R32 is damn cool

my fren got this NA R32 running on TD04 with stock internal

running 14psi and putting out 240kw at wheels.

the internal is stronger than I expected since this car has oready been running with TD04 for 2 years now

[Murph]

There's no doubting how tough the RB20's are. For the first year my mate had his, it (unknown to us) had a shagged fuel pump. Put it in a dyno comp (still pretty much stock other than the RB25 turbo) and it was only then we saw it was running 15:1 AFR's in the top end and pinging it's head off.

Anyhow, we chucked a bosch 040 in there and it's been fine and dandy since. Mind you it is down 20psi on cyl 1, yet still runs very strongly and reliably.