Matthew Abate

A couple of updates: Painted one of the oil pans Looks pretty great for rattle can in a garage. We're going to use the turbo pan because the non-turbo one we have is way to rusted and I am not dropping $500 plus shipping on an Arizona Z Car cast aluminum oil pan, no matter how rad it might be. We'll plug the tube with a nice looking plug until I think of a use for it (catch can return?). --- I also decided it's time to sign the DNR on my L24. I feel a teensy bit uneasy about this. I had intended to keep it intact until after the cars was driving under it's own power and then figure out what to do with it, but we need to scavenge parts because both my furnace and water heater failed in December, and I have house insurance and property taxes and federal taxes all hitting at the same time, so time to say goodbye. Bummer. --- However! In the process of disassembling the manifolds and such in order to get the various parts we need to make the L28 work, I realized I needed to get educated on some details about the carburetor systems for each year Zs didn't have FI. As many of you probably already know, the 260Z intake manifold we have in Arizona has square attachment points and does not route water into the carbs, the same as the early, 4-screw SU round tops. The manifold on my E88 head above has 6-sided attachment points with water routed through the 3-screw SU round tops I have. I can't speak to the 73 manifold or the flat tops since I don't have any. Luckily, I picked up a set of early 240Z SU round tops at the Imports show in Pennsylvania last year for $60. At least I think they are for a Z because the dude who sold them to me said they were and threw in a voltage regulator identical to the one in my car, but who knows. They could be off something British. So it's all going in the mail to AZ, along with various heater tubes and the stuff that started this whole process in the first place, and we will work it out later.

I made this table back when we were thinking about using a diesel crank in my 280z block and thought I would throw it up on the forum in case anyone wanted the information. It doesn't tell you anything that you can't find through reading all of the threads on which rods are best for which combinations of parts, but it was helpful in understanding what the overall options are when it comes to finding rods from different Nissan engines to make funky changes. The color coding was to help me figure out what clustered together. Given that you can get whatever piston dimensions you want these days, you can do a lot with this. We went with the non-standard-but-common L28 block + crank paired with L24 Rods and custom pistons. Part Description Cyl C-C BE SE W Dia. W Dia. W OA BE NIS-218-430-1430F NISSAN SPL 4 143 43 18.97 21.79 21.79 NIS-180-430-1206F NISSAN CG13DE 4 120.65 43.01 19.76 17.98 19.76 410 299 NIS-190-430-1405F NISSAN GA16DE 4 140.49 43.01 21.74 19 21.74 454 319 NIS-190-430-1374F NISSAN E15 4 137.41 43.01 21.84 19.01 21.84 NIS-200-470-1390F NISSAN MR20 4 139.07 47 20.45 20.02 20.45 531 375 NIS-190-480-1330F NISSAN A15 4 132.99 48.01 24.18 19 24.18 NIS-190-480-1364F DATSUN 1200 4 136.4 48.01 24.18 19 22.86 NIS-200-480-1370F NISSAN A13 4 137.01 48.01 24.31 19.99 22.86 NIS-200-480-1330F NISSAN CA18DET 4 132.99 48.01 24.21 20.01 20.83 568 407 NIS-200-480-1430F NISSAN QR25 4 143 48.01 22.76 20.01 22.76 580 407 NIS-200-480-1490F NISSAN CA20 4 149.2 48.01 24.18 20.02 23.37 NIS-220-480-1475F NISSAN VQ30DET 6 147.52 48.01 20.75 22.01 20.75 560 397 NIS-210-510-1215F NISSAN RB26DETT 6 121.49 51 21.74 21.01 21.74 535 371 NIS-220-510-1450F NISSAN SR16 4 144.98 51.01 22.73 22 22.73 NIS-220-510-1361F NISSAN SR20DE 4 136.14 51.01 22.73 22.01 22.73 565 390 NIS-210-530-1330F NISSAN L24 6 132.97 53 26.72 21.01 25.4 550 407 NIS-210-530-1330FL NISSAN L24 LIGHTWEIGHT 6 132.97 53 26.72 21.01 25.4 NIS-220-530-1399F SKYLINE DR30, FJ20 4 139.95 53 27 22 27 667 468 NIS-210-530-1302F4 NISSAN L18/L28 4 130.2 53.01 26.77 21 25.4 538 396 NIS-210-530-1302F6 NISSAN L28 280Z+L26 260Z 6 130.2 53.01 26.77 21.01 25.4 542 399 NIS-210-530-1460F DATSUN L-20B 4 146 53.01 26.72 21.02 23.88 569 418 NIS-210-530-1524F NISSAN RB30 6 152.43 53.01 21.79 21.02 21.79 651 443 NIS-210-530-1650F NISSAN KA24DE 4 164.97 53.01 24.77 21.02 22.86 703 480 NIS-220-530-1540F NISSAN VG30 6 154 53.01 20.75 22 21.79 642 438 NIS-220-530-1540FL NISSAN VG30DETT LWT 6 154 53.01 20.75 22.01 21.59 531 379 NIS-220-550-1470F INFINITI 4.5L VK45DE 8 146.99 55 21.97 22.01 22.86 649 455 NIS-220-550-1440F4 NISSAN U20 4 144.02 55.01 28.6 22 28.6 613 429 NIS-220-550-1440F6 NISSAN VQ35DE 6 144.02 55.01 28.6 22 28.6 631 434 NIS-220-570-1658F NISSAN VQ40DE 6 165.86 57.01 20.78 22 25.4 710 475 NIS-230-590-1650F SKYLINE GT-R VR38DETT 6 165.05 59.01 22.71 23.01 25.4 689 473 NIS-230-600-1635F NISSAN TB48 PATROL 6 163.5 59.99 32.77 23.01 26.16 859 615 One thing I just noticed is I din't include the LD28 info, so maybe someone can add that to the thread.

I have been thinking of doing my sound control with lizard skin. I didn't realize doing the hood would make an impact. Sent from my iPhone using Classic Zcar Club mobile

Thanks. I'll check it out. If I decide I want a stock balancer, I'll go that route, but right now I'm leaning toward the Powerforce ines, once I verify that they have fixed the supply chain issue that was leaving people with the ones that didn't fit. This should cost less than the rebuild. Too bad the BHJ ones cost so much! They are easily my favorite as far as looks go. Oh well. Hmmm this is an interesting option when you combine it with the rebuild option mentioned above...

Thanks! An important side note on that screen topic: I may have mentioned before that I picked up a brand new screen from Courtesy Parts. Well it turns out that the guy I talked to was incorrect when he told me that the L24 in a 1984 Maxima has the same screen as a 1983 280ZX Turbo. The Maxima screen is smaller and trapezoidal whereas the ZX screen is rectangular. So we restored the ZX screen, which was not easy given the 34 years worth of baked in sludge. Maxima ZX

I mentioned earlier that I have considered painting my car with the black hood from the Nissan rally cars from the '70s over the original orange and made this mockup: I found these shots on Instagram where someone has done just that (although they missed the point and made it glossy instead of matte like everyone else):

More progress: Vent screen installation --- Test fit

Alright, so I hear you guys on the powder coat, but we went with epoxy top coat. Check it out: Prep Primer Aluminum Finish

Isn't powder coat kinda susceptible to scratching? We were starting to lean toward mixing up an epoxy coat that mimics aluminum. I was planning on epoxy coating my suspension instead of powder coating for this exact reason. Your paint is looking killer, by the way.

If anyone can comment on the ease of install and the performance of any of these it would be helpful for anyone coming along later to solve this problem. In particular, I think I've read that some of these are really hard to install because of tolerances, although I'm not certain they were certain they had the right version of the part. Sent from my iPhone using Classic Zcar Club mobile

So I'm taking that to mean that, in normal street driving conditions, the factory balancers are not crap as people have said.

I feel like maybe there's an in-between way to use one's car, no? Sent from my iPhone using Classic Zcar Club mobile

To add some clarity to the discussion and perhaps help some other people with this, here are the options for a street application I have identified so far: OEM by price '82-83 280ZX Turbo Factory Crankshaft Pulley ($259.87 @ Motorsport!) '75-83 280Z/ZX Factory Crankshaft Pulley (Double Pulley, $219.00 @ Z Car Depot) '73-74 240Z Factory Harmonic Balancer, US-Spec ($274.95 @ Motorsport!) 240Z Factory Harmonic Balancer, Rest-of-World (NLA) Nismo L-Series Harmonic Damper (NLA) Street Aftermarket by price Professional Products PowerForce Harmonic Dampers, 70-83 Z/ZX (Single Pulley, $105.95 @ Motorsport!) PowerBond Premium OEM Replacement Harmonic Balancers (Double Pulley, $183.97 @ Summit Racing) Powerforce SFI-Spec Racing Damper, 70-83 Z/ZX (Single Pulley, $199.95 @ Motorsport!) - Note that I have read threads about these being too small and not fitting, but this is 10-12 year old information and may have been rectified by now. Pioneer Balancers DA-41(Double Pulley, $249.97 @ Summit Racing) ATI Super Damper Sport Compact Harmonic Balancers ($359.97 @ Summit Racing) BHJ Dynamics Street Performance Special L-Series Datsun Harmonic Damper ($497.00 @ BHJ) Racing Aftermarket by price (for posterity) Kameari L-Type Super Racing Damper Pulley ($382.40 @ RHD) BHJ Dynamics Race Special L-Series Datsun Harmonic Damper ($497.00 @ BHJ) Kameari L-Type Super Racing Damper Pulley Full Kit ($637... @ RHD) I have also read that the Nissan Quest, Maxima, Laurel, and Cendric pulleys/ballancers will work, but I don't know if they require modification, nor if the timing marks are the same. Another wrinkle is the 280ZXs that came with factory installed AC had the timing indicator on the passenger side (light) rather than the driver side (left). I'm not sure if that means the balancer is different, or if it means timing was maintained by aligning gear teeth differently.

Hey guys, You may know that I am building a ZX motor for my 240z with a euro SU carburetor configuration, but I am stumbling over the harmonic balancer I should use here. I've read about thirty threads on this topic, from the 5 or 6 forums that I follow, and none of them is actually comparing the options against each other. I only need one pulley, so I had initially intended to go with a standard 240z balancer, and if I could find one from Europe with just one pulley, even better. However, I've read in a lot of places that the factory balancers are prone to failure. I don't plan to hang out in the high revs all day long, but I'll definitely be getting into them periodically and I don't want my balancer flying apart. I also read somewhere that the timing marks from my '83 ZXT engine aren't in the same location as 240z timing marks, so I have to use something meant to go on a ZX. So now to my actual question: has anyone done a comparison of the various option for balancers? Snooping around the internet yields three basic options: a factory balancer, the Powerforce balancer on MSA, or the $350-$500 options like ATI, BHJ, and Kameari. I can't imagine that a street car should be running a $500 balancer, so I guess what I want to know first is are the two Powerforce balancers high quality (like Motorsport claims they are) or do they fly apart all the time like people on Hybridz are claiming? Right now I'm leaning toward one of these, but if they are crap, or if there's a brand out there with something sub-$150, I'd love to know before I buy something.

It turns out that the stains from forty years of grease and road grit on the various aluminum parts aren't coming out. I'm looking into different solutions like oven cleaner, Never Dull, Aluma-Brite, and such, but if nothing works we are going to be forced to go with paint because I don't want to polish it.

Yes, it does. Primarily because now I know there is no way to plug the rail into the balance tube, which is what I originally thought before I got confused. Thanks. One last question: is it possible to disassemble these in a way that I can save or replace the plastic bushings or are they pretty much fused together? Sent from my iPhone using Classic Zcar Club mobile

So here's are two questions that spin out of that: 1. If one end goes to the charcoal canister, what does the other end of that third tube plug into? 2. If the charcoal canister helps with vapor lock and the gas smell, can this work with what I'm trying to do, or did I negate that by choosing the euro balance tube? I am assuming that it all plugs into the balance tube with this question because I can't find diagrams that I can decipher and I understand this mod less than I thought I did. Edit: the charcoal system needs a '74 gas tank for the vapor line, doesn't it?

Progress: We went with Rustoleum Ceramic Enamel on the interior. This did very well in a '63 'Vette, so we're confident. Cleaned it out: Finished with the plugs: Painted the inside: And took a look at the parts for the intake setup: Not sure what to do about accidentally buying a three-tube fuel pipe / rail...

Okay, I have searched a ton of places and can't find the answer to this nor a diagram to help me from the FSM, Chilton, or Haynes manuals: 1. If I want to go with a euro balance tube on my SU setup, which rails can I make work? 2. What is the third tube for on the 73 and 74 fuel rails / pipes? Where does it go? I had assumed I would need a 70-72 fuel rail / pipe to work on the euro balance tube, but I'm not certain. I have a three tube one that is either from a 73 or a 74 (not sure) and had assumed that third tube was part of the emissions system. I've seen people talk about cutting it off, but nothing clearing up what it is for. I'd love some help (and directions to some comprehensive diagrams and illustrations).

We are still researching the right direction for the interior, but have had good results with other solutions, such as Rustoleum Ceramic Enamel, which doesn't need to be baked on. --- In other news... Freeze plugs: And luscious Nissan blue paint on the block: More angles:

Update on the engine: Finished the crankcase grinding, cleaning, and painting Got the front oil gallery plug out and tapped the hole The paint looks very nice. Sprayed the cleaned block with prep-sol to remove oil residue, blew it dry with compressed air, then did the same with 99.9% alcohol Gave it two very light coats and one medium coat of light-grey ceramic engine primer paint Waited 20 minutes and used same method with the blue. Used less than 2/3 of the can.

This is my rear main cap and the pieces that fell off while cleaning it up: Cleaning all these parts up by chamfering the threaded holes on the block and head - so that torquing the parts dosen't "pull" the threads: And some other shots of the various threaded holes (note the cleaned block): Casting flash on the crank case will be ground away: Tape being applied to all of the journal surfaces before any work is done:

Well, I screwed up. I bought a three-tube fuel rail instead of a two-tube one because I didn't stop and think about the fact that I might need to match it to the setup I am putting together. I'm not sure if it's for a '73 or a '74. Gotta investigate. Either way, I need to decide if I want to modify this one or buy another one with two tubes. Bummer. Sent from my iPhone using Classic Zcar Club mobile

eBay win! NOS Nikki MFP for $50 shipped. Huzza. Yeah, I know it's not original to a '73, but neither is my engine. The guy who has the Denki one I was watching wouldn't come down under $90 and I couldn't find an Ampco. I figured that since both of them have the same chance of being shot and needing a rebuild, and the replacement parts for both will be at least $50, why not get the one everyone covets for about half the price? 🤣 Sent from my iPhone using Classic Zcar Club mobile

Right, I just meant that I haven't put any effort into figuring out how to set them up yet. I fully expect that they will need an overhaul. Besides, they're filthy.