L28 Stroker project

[Hoss]

Hey guys,

I have a 76 280z that ive been working on with my dad for about 2 years now, we havent really gotten that serious about it until now. The only problem is neither of us are very mechanically inclined, nor is anyone in our family. But i've done some research and figured out some things but the reason im posting this is i still have a few questions im hoping you guys and gals can shed some light on.

I plan on stroking my L28 to 3.1 or 3.2 liters, i havent decided which yet. I also have the N42 heads, just purchased a borg warner t5 transmission, stock fuel injection stuff, and have a monza/pacesetter exhaust system.

1. heads- what does it mean to get them ported and polished? What purpose does this serve? since im basically rebuilding the motor by stroking it, would it make sense to port and polish my heads?

2. fuel injection- i really dont know much about this, should i be looking at new injectors or any of that stuff? or a programmer like megasquirt or something?

3. exhaust- i think the system i have is 2", is that gonna be too small for all the power i hope to be making once this is all said and done?

4. transmssion- the bellhousing from the transmission, which came out of a 84 camaro i believe, wont fit my l28 correct? Anyone know where i can pick up a bellhousing for this tranny and my engine?

i just got home from work so im a little tired, but i think thats all the questions i can think of. so thank you everyone for taking a look at this and giving me your opinions, information, anything really.

also if you guys that have done this before, if you have any pointers, i would appreciate anything you guys have to say.

Thanks,

Josh

Edited September 15, 2008 by Hoss

[Phred]

The first thing you need to do is get informed. And you've started by asking questions. A lot of your questions can be answered, and you can gain a lot of Z info, by buying "How to Modify Your Nissan & Datsun OHC engine" by Frank Honsowetz. You can have this book shipped to you by Motorsport Auto, or order it from your nearest bookstore - ISBN 1-55561-237-7.

Phred

[Curtis240Z]

After reading the book you probably won't want to use stock fuel injection on a project like this.

[ozconnection]

The problem with Honsowetz book is that there is very little on fuel injection at all. That's a shame really because it's a good read.

Maybe you could also read "How to rebuild Nissan/Datsun OHC engine" by Tom Monroe. An excellent starting point for those whom haven't built a lot of engines, especially the L series.

A stroker engine can be fairly involved in terms of what to do and not do, and cost!. Maybe a little adventurous for a noob. :surprised Just my opinion.

A proper freshen up of your current engine with a touch more compression, maybe a bigger cam, free flowing exhaust and a good tune with megasquirt or something will reap dividends. Keep reading around here and Hybridz for solid info. What you're trying to do isn't impossible man, you just need to arm yourself with plenty of knowledge. Good luck.

[gogriz91]

Try hybridz.org too, if you aren't there already.

[Mr Camouflage]

Whats your budget? Building an L31 stroker is very expensive. Would be more cost effective to do an engine swap for a more powerful engine. If your budget doesn't stretch to engine swaps you wont be able to afford to build an L31 stroker. Maybe converting to an L28ET would be easier to get the sort of power you want, but you never said what power you are aiming for.

OzConnections advice is good advice. Forget the Stroker and refresh the L28. Carbies are a good way to keep it simple if you aren't good with electrics and EFI.

[Hoss]

my budget is probably around 4-6 grand. i was thinking about swapping in a small block 350, that would probably be the most bang for my buck because they are so abundant and easy to work with.

i dont have a lot of experience with turbos, and my local performance shop said they would prefer to keep me naturally aspirated unless i REALLY wanted a turbo for suer.

my brother and i are leasing a 2008 VW GTI while we are both at the same college and i'm not too pleased with the performance of it. there is quite a bit of lag when you floor it, its a mix between the turbo lag and the stupid electronic throttle thingy. when you floor it, it gives you 25%, 50%, then 100% of the power, so its not an instant neck snapping throttle responce which is what i want.

and yes i have already posted on hybridz.org but seem to have gotten alot more responses on here.

[Hoss]

o yeah im aiming for around 300 ish hp. although if i go with a 350 small block id like to get more than that.

[240ZX]

o yeah im aiming for around 300 ish hp. although if i go with a 350 small block id like to get more than that.

You may consider calling Dave Rebello @ REBELLO RACING, northern California!

For about $6k he can provide you with a naturally aspirated L6 w/285 HP. Check out his website!

Tom

[m4xwellmurd3r]

but if you're aiming for 300ish horsepower, you're pushing the bleeding edge of what a stroker can do. From what I understand, because of the sohc, our engines can only produce 100hp per liter in N/A form. It would be much more cost effective to build an L28ET to pull those kinds of numbers. BUT if you really do want a 3.1l call up rebello. those guys kick butt

[Mr Camouflage]

Spotted a L31 stroker for sale over at JNC

http://www.japanesenostalgiccar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2679

[Force Fed]

i dont have a lot of experience with turbos, and my local performance shop said they would prefer to keep me naturally aspirated unless i REALLY wanted a turbo for suer.

my brother and i are leasing a 2008 VW GTI while we are both at the same college and i'm not too pleased with the performance of it. there is quite a bit of lag when you floor it, its a mix between the turbo lag and the stupid electronic throttle thingy. when you floor it, it gives you 25%, 50%, then 100% of the power, so its not an instant neck snapping throttle responce which is what i want.

Turbo lag is relative to turbo sizing and setup. A properly setup performance turbo engine will be nothing like the VW turbo turd you are talking about. For 300 hp, you can run a relatively small turbo to get quick spool time and still make the power. Definitely do some phoning around to the specialist shop that build these cars regularly and find out what they think the hot setup would be. The cam, turbo, head flow, exhaust etc all need to match each other to get the right results. I'd say a 300hp turbo L28 or L30 is doable w/ $6k.