L24 with Turbo

[Edddy]

I was thinking once i get myself a Datsun. I wanted to put a turbo on it. What would I need to change to put the Turbo on the L24 so it would run with out breaking. How much horsepower can the L 24 actually take until it starts to break often?

Thanks

-Eddy

[JSM]

Buy an 81-83 280zx turbo rust bucket complete and swap drive train and electronics over. Keep you L24 in storage for ever going back to original. If it's not the original block and head do what you want with it. 

[Patcon]

What JSM said ^^^^

It's cheaper by far and easier to use the 280zx turbo engine and controls...

[Edddy]

^^^

Is it that  expensive to get power out of the L24?

 

 

[siteunseen]

Install an aluminum flywheel on your 2.4. Won't add any more power but it'll spin up faster like a turbo.

2.4 have 83mm pistons. 2.8 zx turbo has 86mm. More displacement=more power.

[Patcon]

With a turbo it most definitely is!

It is not as simple as just adding a turbo. L24's are carburated so you can't just blow into them with out modifying them. The engine compression is too high to add much boost with out blowing something up and the spark is points and not as strong or accurate as the later electronic dizzys. The more pressure you add to the cylinder the harder it is to make a spark kernel on the plug. Fuel metering is also an issue as turbo motors don't last long if they get lean. Also to make better power you will need to intercool it which will add piping and other issues.

You can probably buy a car like this $1000 or less

https://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/cto/d/1982-datsun-280zxt-top/6318762937.html

take the engine, controls, fuel pump etc and the T5 tranny and be way better off.

You can't buy a serviceable turbo for less than $300-400 new, have to build an intake manifold and exhaust manifold from scratch, another $300-400 if you can weld and do it yourself but the custom exhaust may crack if it's not made really well. Need to upgrade the ignition to work and spark hotter $150 in just used parts. Have to mod your carbs; $I have no idea of even where to start. You are already money ahead to just buy a donor car and be done with it. Plus the L28Et is almost half a litre larger and is much closer to plug and play. You would be better off to source a 280z fuel tank than try to cobble something together. .

Plus turboing a 240z is like trying to "reinvent the wheel" not really worth the effort. The factory already spent a lot of money designing an engine that would work and survive long term. The L28Et can be made to make decent power without spending too much money but the hole gets deep pretty fast if you want to make excessive power...

 

[SteveJ]

You might gain some insight from reading threads from this search: https://www.google.com/search?q=turbo+2.4+240Z+site:www.zcar.com&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjRkon4zLrXAhUr1oMKHQaTDA8QrQIIMigEMAA

Also it's good to read what you can find on hybridz: https://www.google.com/search?ei=ShEJWsKgCIWDjwSmoLSgCg&q=turbo+2.4+240Z+site%3Ahybridz.org&oq=turbo+2.4+240Z+site%3Ahybridz.org&gs_l=psy-ab.3...362464.366166.0.366323.13.13.0.0.0.0.253.1327.10j2j1.13.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0._howOQosH24

From what I saw on those threads, be prepared to do a head swap to lower compression before you consider boosting.

Also, do you have experience with working on boosted engines? What cars/engines? 

Are you thinking of keeping the SU carburetors? 

Have you done any research besides posting your question here?

One more Google search for your reading and watching pleasure: https://www.google.com/search?q=turbo+tom+datsun&oq=turbo+tom+datsun&aqs=chrome..69i57.3808j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[Edddy]

SteveJ

 I was just curious on what you guys would say about putting on  a turbo kit on the Datsun. I didn't do any research I'm just starting to get into cars and I wanted to know what you guys would say since, I don't know much .

[SteveJ]

With not knowing much about cars, the best thing you can do is start reading. Read about what a stock 240Z is and what it takes to turbocharge an engine. It is not a simple task to "slap a turbo on" an engine that was not designed by the factory to be turbocharged. Watch some of the videos that come in the last link I provided. You'll see those cars have a lot of modifications.

Also, when you start adding power, it's a good way to find out what else isn't working well. You're starting out with a car that is about 45 years old. Many parts are wearing out, and you want to introduce additional stress on those old parts. We're talking about U-joints, half shafts, bearings, differential gears, transmission gears, bushings, tie rods, ball joints, and mounting locations for suspension components, just to name a few.

If you truly want to own an old Datsun you may want to do this:

1. Start looking at parts prices. You can find many parts vendors in the links on my blog: http://fiddlingwithzcars.wordpress.com. That will start to give you an idea of what you may need to spend just to get your car in shape. Keep in mind that many parts are no longer available (NLA). Also, this will not include labor. This can help you set a budget.
2. Buy the best body car you can find. Replacing a drivetrain is a LOT easier than making lasting repairs to a rustbucket. You don't want to go too cheap here. Find someone who knows about cars to go shopping with you and have that person be ready to tell you to move on if the car isn't worth it. These cars are prone to rusting, so expect to pay a fair amount to get a solid car.
3. Read and take notes. There is a lot of good information online and in books. Ask questions to clarify issues or to get help to point you in the right direction. People will be more receptive to providing meaningful and detailed answers when you ask meaningful and detailed questions.