Six_Shooter Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 I've heard if this website before and today I stopped in, I liked what I saw so I joined. I bought my 1973 240Z from a guy in Richland Washington that had bought it with the intent of installing a SBC, but decided it was too small for him. So after a couple months of flying out to see the car, finailing the deal, and getting the car shipped I had my 240Z home, and in need of some TLC to get road worthy. It was a less than typical 240Z, brown (eww), Butterscotch interior (double Eww), and Automatic (tripple eww)! But it was solid underneath, and I got a good deal on it. The first thing I did was swap out the brakes, since they were in desperate need of repair. I decided on going 4 wheel disc, using Toyota 4 piston front calipers, and 280ZX rear disc set-up. I also had some electrical repair work to do, to get everything working right. The only pictures I seem to have of the exterior are after a couple months of driving it, so there are some changes that I had already made. I had already added the Spook by this point. Here is a picture of the rear, that I believe I took on the day I got it on the road, due to the old tires being on it, the mudflaps and a box of spare parts in the back, that came with the car when I purchased it. Tranny Well after driving the Datsun for a month in auto tranny form, I got sick of not using my left foot, and just resting my hand on the shifter, though I had been shifting it manually... I had also been able to locate the rest of the parts I needed, to complete the swap. I started the swap about 2 PM on a Saturday, and had most of it done by about 8 PM, just a few details I couldn't finish in the dark. Sunday came and didn't have much time and spent most of it trying to find a nut to install my solid front diff mount, which I could find and re-surfacing the exhaust flange to eliminate the exhaust leak I had there. Then family obligations meant no more time to work on the Z. Monday I re-installed the exhaust, checked everything over, and then took it out for a drive. A manual Z is one billleeeeon times better than an auto Z. :D I'm using a Centerforce Dual Friction, and it grabs HARD!! The tires screaming for traction going into 3rd made that apparent. I was actually enjoying the L28 that's in this car, the auto just made that car a real dog, a real slow dog. This tranny was a 4 speed, since I couldn't locate a 5-speed at that time. On to the pics: Not enough pedals: Ahhh, that's better: This shifter only moves forward and back: This one also moves side to side. :D CFDF: This is where/how it was done: More pictures: http://domestic.3400z24.com/sixshooter/My%20vehicles/Datsun/Tranny%20swap/ Now I have a manual Z, just like it should have been. :D EFI and Turbocharging When I first got my 240, it had Weber down draft carbs that had seen better days. Here is the engine in the form that I recieved it: Well since I'm a fan of EFI and turbocharging I decided to play with the engine that was already in the car, which turned out to be an L28, F54 block, with a P90 head, N/A version from a 1981 or 1982 280ZX, is as far as I can narrow it down. I started with an N47 intake, which I cut off excess parts and smoothed out, it was also modified to accept "O-ring" injectors, which are more common than the stock "barbed" injectors, and many more sizes available. I also had a throttle body adaptor made to use a GM 3400 throttle body. This is a 56mm TB and would also serve to house a compatible IAC motor and proper range TPS. Onto the turbo and exhaust: I used a stock L28T exhaust manifold, and mated it to a Borg Warner turbo, pirated from a 6.5L diesel. This required the use of a small spacer between the manifold and turbine inlet. The wastegate actuator started as an actuator from a Pontiac Sunbird turbo, combined with some custom brackets and arms, it now controls the internal wastegate of the BW turbo. I chose that actuator, because I had one and it also opens at about 2 PSIG, giving me a large range of control over the pressures I am able to set. the exhaust is 3" from downpipe to tip. All fitted and TIG welded by yours truely. :D Muffler, a Moroso Spiro-flow and tip: Turning attention to the ECM and wiring: I first had to chose a place to come thorugh the firewall with the wiring. I used a stock firewall feed through ("grommet" ), from a 1988 Chevy Cavalier, since it was part of the harness I already had, prviously installed in my 1985 GMC Jimmy, that had a turbo 3.2L V6. Here is the ECM, which is in it's "easy to access" location. You can also see the grey "EMU cable" that attaches to my EPROM emulator to allow real time tuning. I use a custom code called "Code59", which is a modified version of a stock GM code called "$58", which was originally used in the Syclones, Typhoons and Turbo Sunbirds. This allows for Wide Band O2 fuel control, extended VE and spark tables (up to 30 PSIG!) and many other refinements that the developers have done and they plan even more! (http://www.code59.org for more information.) Working on the wiring: (Mostly) Complete harness: Fast forward to a running installation, which didn't have an intercooler, since I ran out of time, seeing as I got running the day before 2008 ZFest, and had a few other details to iron out. I had to turn the TB upside down due to the dizzy cap interfering with the TB linkage. I didn't really mind this since I was already planning on a DIS swap later on. (more on that later.) I've skipped over a lot of details, like modifying a 280Z speedo to accept a GM optical Vehicle Speed Sensor, oil supply and return for the turbo, modification of the throttle pedal to use a GM throttle cable from a Buick Century (IIRC), using a GM ignition control module between the 280Z dizzy and the ECM, E-fan install, electric fuel pump and larger fuel pick up from the tank, along with many little brackets and adaptors to make it all work together. I also swapped in a 5-speed from a 1981 280ZX that I bought for parts in this time. I was able to get it tuned and work well up to 10 PSIG, but the weather was turning cold and time to park it for the winter. Quote Link to comment
Six_Shooter Posted October 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 I decided to take the 240Z apart to do some up grades and other planned changes, but since my garage wasn't insulated (working on that), I didn't get a whole lot done when it was cold out, and then everyone wanted to me work on their vehicles (along with house hold chores), put the 240 on the back burner. I had been able to get the DIS conversion almost done, just some wiring to the ECM and power are all that was left at that point. I already had some parts that could be used for this conversion, due to needing to make an external crank position trigger system for my aformentioned GMC Jimmy. I retained the reluctor wheel and part of the CPS bracket, along with the ICM and coils. I started by having my grandfather (A retired machinist) redrill the reluctor wheel to fit the Datsun harmonic balancer. I then went ahead and made a new base for the CPS mount, with some adjustablility built into it. ;) Some of the parts: The only glitch I've had was getting the stock (280Z) tach working with the DIS. The tach, which I installed last year, worked with the dizzy set-up connected to the negitive side of the coil. It seems that the output of the DIS module is too weak to trigger the 280Z tach (works fine with an Auto Meter tach), so a resistor needed to be bypassed inside the tach, now worked fine, until I hit about 5000 RPM, at which point the tach would either peg, or drop to zero. After doing some reading, I think this was due to the dwell of the tach signal getting too short at upper RPM for the tach to read correctly. I got tired of the ECM sitting on the floor, so I found a place to mount the ECM, so that I could take passengers, and not worry about them kicking the ECM or cables. The Brackets, which are made from textured ABS sheet: Attached to the ECM: I cut the MEMCAL cover to allow for the EMU cable to come out of the ECM without being pinched: Details of the ECM mounted: And finally, the view the passenger will have of the ECM: Interior In the time I've had the 240Z, I've had a few gauges set-ups in. Obviously I started with the original gauges, then I swapped the Amp gauge to a 280Z Volt meter. Swapped the 240 tach for a 280Z tach. I then wanted more information on my dash I swapped to this: I modified a quad gauge from a Turbo Sunbird GT gauge cluster, to fit into an original tach housing, this gave me, Oil pressure, Volts, Water Temp and Fuel Level. I then installed my boost gauge, a 2" tach and my AFR gauge into the trio location. I found that I really didn't like the small tach, part of that might have been due to the poor illumination of it, good thing it was a cheap tach to test the theory. The LEDs that I installed in the small tach (as seen here: shift light test ) were too far out of my peripheral vision to be useful, at least during the day. More pictures of the above gauge install HERE I decided to pull the rest of my Auto Meter gauges out of retirement, I Left the boost gauge where it was previously, I then installed the Oil Pressure and Water Temp gauges where the other trio gauges were. I gear clamped the volts and AFR gauges to my steering column and sat my fuel level gauge in the pocket left by leaving the fuse panel cover out of the car. I got sick of this ratty look, and decided to remove the radio, to install the 3 "loose" gauges into. I had other audio plans at the time. I retained the 280Z tach for a while, then decided that I needed something that will keep reading above 5000 RPM, so I borrowed a Pro-Comp 5" "tattle-tale" tach from my Grandfather, that isn't being used in any other project. I installed this where the original tach would have been, and it fits snug, without any retaining hardware. I also installed an Auto Meter Shift (which is now triggered by the ECM), on a custom arm above the tach, on top of the dash. Unfortunatly I don't have any pictures of this right now. I am now looking for a new gauge set-up for a few reasons. According to my datalogging program, and my known thermostat temp, the water temp gauge reads about 10 degrees low, this is an annoying quirk to me. The Boost gauge might read about 2 PSIG low, but there is some question to the accuracy of the datalogging definition file in this specific data output, so I will need to do some other testing before I condemn my boost gauge. I also want a gauge set-up that illuminates the font, graduations and needle directly, instead of the "flood lighting" that the early Sport Comp gauges I have now uses. I also want a radio again, the iPod and computer speakers just aren't cutting it, and as a Car Audio/Electronic Accessory Installation Technician, I should have something better for sound in my car. ;) I may go back to the Quad gauge where the tach was, and install a digital tach/shift light above the dash or in one of the trio gauge locations. I also have a couple other ideas. Suspension I have made some suspension changes, which include Tokico strut inserts, a solid front diff mount and aluminium torque arm bushings. I have mostly suspension changes planned for this winter, along with getting to finishing off making the FMIC, relocating the air filter outside of the engine compartment and a few other changes. Misc Here is a picture from the track, before I turbo charged it. This is a picture of my girlfriend, and I at her brother's wedding, with the Datsun. Here you can see the 280ZX wheels I have on it currently. Video I have a few videos of the car. Please right click and save as, to save my bandwidth. Short Video of the old gauges installed Short video of the last time the car ran when it was naturally aspirated Short video of the car running just after getting the DIS swap done Some people said that it couldn't be done. ;) LOL Video of the 240Z running down the track naturally asprirated Thanks for looking and reading through, let me know what you think. :D Quote Link to comment
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