Finally got one...now to make it mine: 1973 240z Refresh / Personalisation

[73str86]

Looks like I'm just going to pull the L24. With the entire driver's side of the engine disassembled, along with the starter, fuel rail, etc., I decided to go ahead and remove the three or four bolts to lift the motor right up and out. A full degreasing/painting of the engine will follow. I figure then it will be that much easier to remove dirt and grime from the engine bay.

I think I'm leaning towards leaving the A/C intact. It is a dealer installed (my impression) York unit. I just don't like how messy it seems to make that side of my engine bay look. Not to mention I imagine the system adds a solid 60-90 pounds.

[73str86]

Alright, I'm bringing this back from the dead, but I have a bunch of updates. I'm having an F54/E88 combo built by Dunnaway Race Engines in Washington, GA. The block is from a 1983 280ZX with 140,000 original miles. I also acquired the 5 speed for a total of $300. Not a bad deal I believe.

The shop is building the motor exactly how I want it. I'm hoping for 220 plus crank hp. The shop did extensive work on porting the head, 280z stainless steel valves, new hardened valve seals and guides, the whole nine yards. Everything is going to be new except crank and connecting rods. I purchased a stage III Schneider Cam Kit that includes new springs and rocker arms. It wasn't cheap--I hope it's worth it. I'm going to go with 0.5 mm overbore cast flat top pistons. The head was CCed and the shop owner said I should be at 9.5:1 compression ratio given my stroke and bore combo. Everything I've read says F54/E88 will be at 10.4:1 as a baseline. If I'm between those numbers I'll be happy. And if I have to buy a few gallons of 100 octane every tank to save myself from retarding the timing, I won't be bothered either.

I purchased a set of rebuilt JDM Triple SK Carbs with TWM intake to run on the engine. Not cheap and again, I hope it was worth the money. I also have the original set of SUs on rebuilt by me on the shelf if I change my mind.

The motor will be done in about a week and a half so I'm hurrying to prep the engine bay.

Yesterday was spent marking wires and removing the block. I decided to keep the 4 speed transmission in for now and save the trans swap for another project down the road. All in all it only took about 15 minutes to pull the engine. I intend to keep it forever if I want to go back to 100% original (maybe Rebello rebuilt) some day.

All in all it was a good day! Today I'm welding in a 2x2" patch panel for the battery tray. The frame is in impeccable condition. I can still read the sticker on the steering rack even! Making progress with Layla really brightens up my day and makes me appreciate life.

[siteunseen]

The day you crank it for the first time you'll be the happiest and the most anxious person in Georgia.

"Layla, you've got me on my knees.

Layla, I'm begging, darling please.

Layla, darling won't you ease my worried mind."

[5thhorsemann]

Go man go.

I think you are getting carried away by you're new car, perhaps a bit of OCD developing where your Z is concerned. It usually takes a year or two for someone to get this far into their car after they drive it for a few thousand miles. Looks like you went passed kiddi pool and straite to the high dive.

Lookin' good!

[72 OJ]

The addiction is in full mode,,,,,that is just fine, I have the same syndrome with my silver Z

Edited September 2, 2012 by 72 OJ

[73str86]

I did this shortly after my last post waaay back in September:

I'll post a picture later of the finished product. Again, that was a whopping four months ago. What have I done since then? Let me think. Waited FOREVER for my engine to be finished. There were some hiccups along the way. Sourcing ARP rod bolts. Choosing a cast piston. Re-ordering a few different sized lash pads for the proper cam/lobe wipe.

I'm on my way out of the Army, so that means the funds won't be flowing quite so well but I still have a little nest egg to work with. Good news--more time for Layla!

I picked up this bad boy last Friday:

Here are some details:

F54/E88 with a very intensive port job

Oversize 280zx stainless steel valves

ARP main, head, rod bolts

L28 polished/balanced crank, connecting rods

cast flat top pistons .020 overbore

full timing chain kit

Schneider Stage III cam kit (including rockers, springs, etc.)

polished water pump/timing cover

(to be installed)

new NISMO high flow oil pump (any reviews for this--part number 15010-S800A)

new 280zx gear reduction starter

new 60 amp alternator w/ plug adapter

I will be painting an area of the passenger's side frame rail today and welding in the battery tray. Then bolting on the engine accessories!

Question: the local pull-a-parts have no Mazda RX7s for the fuel pump swap (I have triple SKs). What PSI does the factory mechanical pump put out? Will it at least let me run the engine for 15-20 minutes at 2000 RPM as my engine builder suggested? Has anyone over tried to run triples with only the mechanical pump? I figure it'll just die out at the upper RPM range?

Otherwise I think (for now) I'll put my rebuilt SUs back on for a simpler, quicker way to break in the engine ... and take it for a ride!

:beer:

[73str86]

One last note: the engine builder said the compression ratio is right around 9.9:1.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

My N42/N42 L28 is running about 10.3:1 according to my builder and I run 93 octane gas with 14 DEG BTDC @900 rpm and 32 DEG BTDC @ 3100 rpm. No pinging at all at this point. I am going to try 17 deg BTDC. You should be fine. There are many pumps you can use to run your SK's. Find out what kind of pressure they need though. You will most likely need a regulator, but some pumps are self regulated. I went through 3 pumps before I found a combination of pressure and noise I liked.

Did the engine builder put the eccentric ring on the front of your cam? If so then you can probably get away with starting your car on a mechanical pump. I would also suggest you get a WIDE band O2 sensor to help you in tuning those carbs. Or esle you will be just relying on plugs to give you a good reading, and that can be misleading depending on your technique.

good luck and keep up the great updates.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

My N42/N42 L28 is running about 10.3:1 according to my builder and I run 93 octane gas with 14 DEG BTDC @900 rpm and 32 DEG BTDC @ 3100 rpm. No pinging at all at this point. I am going to try 17 deg BTDC. You should be fine. There are many pumps you can use to run your SK's. Find out what kind of pressure they need though. You will most likely need a regulator, but some pumps are self regulated. I went through 3 pumps before I found a combination of pressure and noise I liked.

Did the engine builder put the eccentric ring on the front of your cam? If so then you can probably get away with starting your car on a mechanical pump. I would also suggest you get a WIDE band O2 sensor to help you in tuning those carbs. Or esle you will be just relying on plugs to give you a good reading, and that can be misleading depending on your technique.

good luck and keep up the great updates.

[Hardway]

Great write up 73 and glad to see you are making progress. Your pics and info are great and look forward to more updates. Good luck!

[73str86]

Zedyone_kenobi,

Do you ever regret going to the L28? I don't think I will performance wise, but I'm tempted to keep my numbers matching block and ebay found 90,000 mile E31 head for the forseeable future.

Also, are you running triples? I already have a regulator, need to source a good pressure gauge as well. What pump did you end up choosing?

[73str86]

I have investigated the plating process for nuts and bolts. So far I have been using a large wire brush mounted to a bench grinding machine. Laborious holding a bolt for a while at all angles; but it does make them shiny! The cheapest fake self plating kit I saw was about $54 for a three stage zinc/cadmium kit from Eastwood with less than stellar reviews on Amazon.

It's looking like many of my nuts and bolts will either be clear coated or painted Datsun engine blue to contrast the polished aluminum parts.

I recently purchased the double barrel rock tumbler from Harbor Freight Tools. Looking back, I could have gone with the single barrel. I bought some rust removal product from the same store, as well as a 40/70 glass mixture. I filled the barrel about 2/3 of the way with the rust removal product (small glass feeling pyramids with a funky smell), put water up to that level, then threw my bolts, nuts, and washers in. I wrote down which ones they were. They were pretty greasy, and the ones that weren't greasy had some rust in the threads and on their heads.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]60756[/ATTACH]

After 24 hours of it running in my garage, I checked out the bolts and they looked pretty clean and most of the rust-removal product had turned to a dirty sludge. I decided to stop the machine and rinse all the parts off and to restart them in the 40/70 grit mixture. It says it won't harm soft materials, and I'm hoping it'll polish them a little bit. I'll check on them in another 12 hours or so.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]60757[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]60758[/ATTACH]

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Overall I'm happy with the results so far and it lets me do other stuff while the machine is running. It's not too loud.