Hi Guys,

been trying to update the website a little, but here are some updates to the project

Things done so far:

replaced Belts, idler and tensioner bearings, water pump

Installed R33 RB26DETT N1 Camshafts

removed Front Diff from sump, cut up to clear the 240K, and had the hole rewelded in Aluminimum

Installed Trust sump baffle (had to trim to fit)

Removed the intake plenum, Cam covers, front covers and top turbo pipe for Powdercoating

general clean up (including cleaning up the individual throttle bodies)

Bolt up RB25 5 Speed Gearbox

waiting for an ATI balancer and HKS adjustable cam gears to turn up

here are a few pics (and a hint as to the colour scheme of the engine, which i can hopefully reveal next weekend)

it's going to be a beast when finished, how many kw's are you chasing?

not really chasing anthing more than the standard output at this point ( though the thought of a set or GT-SS's have crossed my mind ).

once the car is done and registered it will be another story

not really chasing anthing more than the standard output at this point ( though the thought of a set or GT-SS's have crossed my mind ).once the car is done and registered it will be another story

As if your not chasing more than the standard output!... if you we're you wouldn't have bothered with the N1 cams and adjustable hks equipment :tapemouth

purely oportunistic

i bought the N1 camshafts with a set of N1 rods, as i was planning to build up an N1 block before i found my RB.. so with the cam covers off.. i may as well throw the camshafts in! (and who wouldn't for $200 for a set of cams ) same goes for the cam gears, since the timing belt is off, may as well throw a set in (so it can be tuned properly later on.. will be running the std ECU until the car is "complete")

Unfortunately it is taking me a lot longer than expected to get the engine covers painted

My powdercoater originally had trouble matching the colour on all the panels, then his gun broke.. hopefully next weekend i will get them back and be able to show it off

on a happier note, i successfully repaired my crushed ECU plug with one off a spare RB25DET loom (the connectors are the same)

here's a bit of a teaser

Edited September 21, 200816 yr by khughes

Well finally, it is all back together, very happy with the colour scheme (guess the theme?!)

what do you think?

I think it looks fast

here's the inspiration..

speaking of which.. does anyone know why some S20's have red cam covers as oppose to grey/

Edited October 17, 200816 yr by khughes

Nice, your going to have one awesome ride when finished.

Have you seen the video somewhere on you tube that has the C110 with the RB26 running triple carbys?

here's the inspiration..

speaking of which.. does anyone know why some S20's have red cam covers as oppose to grey/

Kent,

No S20 engine left the factory with a red cam cover. Stock colour on the C10 and C110 GT-Rs, and the 432 and 432-R model Fairlady Zs was a crackle-effect in very dark grey ( with an almost greenish tint ).

Factory 'works' race S20 engines had magnesium ( as opposed to aluminium alloy ) cam covers with the extra spark plug lead retainer rings, and were usually painted straight matt black without the crackle finish.

The only reason you will occasionally see red painted ones is because the owners, or some specialist workshops like Ishikawa's, painted them like that later on. Watch out for false data that tells you the works ones were red or green ( did I read this on Wikipedia once? ) which is a load of bollocks..........

nice, thanks for that.. i always guessed that they must have changed the colour on later engines.. and now i know

my engine was powdercoated in a wrinkle finish, but not to the dark grey level where it is greenish (it is hard to see from photo's), but i am happy with the way it turned out

of course.. it isn't an S20, now that would be something! what is the engine like? is it revvy? low end grunty? lumpy? how does it compare to a mildly worked L28?

I think flash photography of the stock S20 cam cover makes it look much lighter than it does in natural light. Your photo above of the KPGC110 engine bay is a case in point. That colour just seems to suck the light up and reflect it. In real life it looks miles darker, but I don't think I've seen two repainted ones in exactly the same shade anyway! Everybody seems to have their own version of the 'correct' colour.........

of course.. it isn't an S20, now that would be something! what is the engine like? is it revvy? low end grunty? lumpy? how does it compare to a mildly worked L28?

Funnily enough, I was talking to a journalist about the S20 engine's characteristics just yesterday. Loads of people have said that they don't find the S20 very torquey at low revs, and that should be no surprise given its stroke, but I have to say that when it is matched to the right gearing ( stock diff ratio was 4.44:1 ) it is no problem at all, and you just use the revs instead. The engine in my KPGC10 is not stock of course, so it is hard to use it as a comparison, but it certainly isn't 'lumpy' ( even on 45DCOEs with big chokes it comes off idle smoothly and is very progressive ) and it is really very well behaved.

Personally speaking, my impressions of an S20 in comparison to what we might call a "mildly worked" L28 is that the S20 feels so much more lively and free-breathing. Get the S20 wound up and it seems to become something different altogether. Back-to-back I'd be thinking of the relatively long stroke of the L28, and the fact that you're talking about an engine that really feels like it's almost half as big again in capacity. But a properly race tuned L6 with high compression and a serious cam is a different proposition; Best of both worlds. I love them.

It'd be nice to be able to give more people the full experience of getting behind the wheel of an S20-powered car. When I first drove one ( a fairly stock Fairlady Z432 ) it was a revelation to me. I wasn't really expecting it to be such a good package, and such a good driver's car. The S20 really does punch above it's weight. I love the L-gata sixes dearly, but the S20 is a joy to work on and really fun to drive.

Ultimately higher capacity will always win a horsepower race, but for me the S20 is about flavour. I believe that you will be able to capture some of the essence of that flavour with an N/A RB. Good luck!