hls30.com

Interesting info-I will look into the piston particulars-somewhere there was a reason for using dished pistons-not just to change the CR-as I recall. There are enough suppliers that sell or can fab cast pistons that getting a set(assuming NA pistons are not cast) would not be too dificult. I will do some checking and get back with you.

At sedate power levels, money and time can equate the NA and the Turbo output, but it is all about getting air and fuel in and out, There is no way an engine with 2800ccs an no turbo can get as much air through it as a similar engine with a pressureized intake. Personaly, I would rather save all of the money and time, and still have all of the performance with room for more! I respect the all of work, money, and time that goes into making a powerful NA L series engine, I just don't think it is necessary to spend that much for power. I do think there is value in keeping the stock appearance and having a "wolf in sheeps clothing!" But diferent carbs, velocity stacks and the like(though beautiful) are still deviations from the stock appearance, and the stretch from that to a turbo isn't too great of a distance. A V8 swap is generally a cheeper way to 300hp-a running Junkyard engine can put you there with all of the pieces for close to $1,500 plus the car(engine and Tranny$800, Conversion parts $350, Radiator $200, $100 or so for other supplies . I bought a running, complete low mileage rust bucket 280ZX Turbo for $361, and upgraded turbo for $450, and a complete Engine management system for $700. I sold the left overs from the 280Zx turbo for $675(whaletale, louvers, body trim, interior trim, injectors, and stock engine management, etc) So my cost to setup the turbo engine is (361+450+700-675) $836, and everyhting is genuine Nissan and bolts up! Will

I don't think you can quite peg the guage with a stock setup. I had a '76 2+2 at about 130 in my young, stupid and bullet-proof days!! Gearing will put the stock engine there, but the rest of the car isn't really up for much time at that speed.

You must be thefastestz, you beat me to the link! Will

Thanks for the link! It was nice to see it being done!

Ain't that a game in a red box with a lot of drawring!

I Agree with you, there are only a few differences, the head assembly, the oil pump, the pistons-I have never seen anything that said the NA version was cast-though I have never seen anything saying that they weren't. The compression ratio was made to be lower to fight detonation, and true, modern engine management has more control than the rudimentary efi that came standard on 280z(x)s. Here in South Georgia the relative humidity and temperature during the summer mean that I need all of the help I can get to fight detonation. I also want to have some extra room to encroach on as I add modifications to the car. Everyhting I have found (CR) for turbo is 7.4 to 8.9 also with dished pistons-but I have not looked in a while. I would look at current 6cyl applications for comparison. I am doing something a little different to-though not with the non-turbo pieces. Will

BTW I have the factory service manuals for a S10 with the addendums for the Syclone/Typhoon, and they all used a 4.3L V.6. Will

I just received my lock set. What a buy! All of the locks are brand spanking new, in Nissan labeled packaging, with numbered keys that were cut, not ground! My reincarnation will be properly detailed! Thanks Chris!

A 4.3L or a V8, I know of only one gentleman who put a 4.3 in a Z, and many hundreds who have put in a V8! I suppose it comes down to how much fabrication and engineering you want to get involved in. The V8 swap is well documented-I even considered it and bought both books about it from Jags That Run. You can even buy the parts already made up-Hunt the standard pieces, I found a new and reccomended camero radiator on line for $78 shipped. I have chosen to add current programmable engine management to an L28ET and"super-tune" it. I want the engine bay to look stock-or atleast like it could be-all Nissan pieces(the ecm will be out of sight) I am going to try to keep all of the rest of my changes down to genuine Nissan parts only more current. Will

I used a putty knife, a heat gun, and a big tub of elbow grease. To get the "fur" off I used laquer thinner.

"Im using Adobe Photoshop 7.... maybe I should do a tutorial using a Z as an example." In a word, Yes! I have 7, but I 'm not that good with it yet! The rear quarter you used was very nicely done. I prefer the stock lines, but it was very interesting and well thought out.

Anybody ever heard of a GMC Syclone-early 90s GMC truck-payload capacity 350 lbs or so, but with 4wd and faster than a scalded dog-this is another version of that! Pobably the same payload. On the Dodge 1500, I bought a Quadcab last April, not the Hemi, but the SLT with everything but leather and the pricetag! (I barganed down to 23K) It is not a Z, but it will haul two of them at a time. The only problem I have had was a squeek coming from the rear suspension. The truck is there to be a truck, trips to the dump, moving, towing my Zs and roadsters, and hopefully moving a rotiserie to the shop! It is a nice truck. I enjoy it when it is necessary to have a truck, or take more than me and my wife to dinner, and I do not think it is for "men with little wankers." I bought the truck to replace a 1985 Toyota. Owen, take one for a testdrive, don't campare it to a Z, it is not even close, but it is a couch on wheels that will tow nearly 8000lbs, seats 6 adults comfortably, and with a spray-in bedliner will cary things I would never want in my Z!

I 'm not really sure what you are after by turning a non turbo into a turbo instead of using turbo pieces. the only improved technology you mention is EFI, If I was going to ad new technology to older pieces, and I am, I would want the best of the older pieces, and that would mean the pieces designed for use with a turbo. Bumping up the compression sounds good, but look at the history of turbocharged L series engines. I think you might find that more often than not the engines built with NA parts and subjected to turbo charging do not last nearly as long(Mileage-wise) as as those built with pieces engineered for turbo use. I am guessing you are going to mate a current model EFI system to the L series engine. I have just finished the "collecting stage", and after I move across town, will be beginning the "put it all together stage". I have the tools and the pieces, now to work on the time! Will

Congratulations! You Passed, Now start that Z up and take a victory lap! Will

History does repeat itself, but the parents get smarter-wait, now that's us!

Hey Guys haven't you figured it out, the only performance MODs that truely do anything are bolted to the outside of the car or are chrome plated, made of carbon fiber, or flamed! These are the three food groups for cars. ! Look at all of the money you have wasted on stuff nobody will see! Forged pistons, Porting and polishing, Ignition, Urethane! What were you thinking? ...I can't believe you guys are this back_sswards! Everyon knows it is better to look cool than to be cool! Speed is relative, if it looks fast, it must be. What the hell is a wolf in sheeps clothing? Whoever said that there is no substitute for cubic inches had never been introduced to body kits and Forgers can exhausts! No wonder you guys have such slow cars! It is pretty bad when my Honda civic (NOT EVEN A SPORTS CAR)can beat your Z(A TRUE SPORTS CAR) as long as they are both parked and I'm in front. Damn!

Even one out of a dreaded 280ZX will fit. I used one to replace the T handle in my 76 280Z when it dried up form the South Georgia sun and broke for the third time. The handle from the ZX is chrome plated metal with a pad and button of one color-they did come in black. If you would like pictures, let me know and I make it happen! Will Hey TomoHawk, I luv that custom console! Be careful, you may start a trend!

Good point, I would much rather get hit by an idiot in an aluminum coffee can with big wheels and fiberglass doing 50 than a 3 ton solid steel Studebaker!

How are the Front turn signal and taillight housings-the lenses are not important. I am working on a LED conversion, and I need some housings to start with.

I'm up for it! I need a weatherstrip set, door hinges, inside door trim, emblems, and climate control tim-all parts I am going to buy new and hold for the next reincarnation!

$1200 could be a great price, or a terrible price. The rust you talk about is typical. but normally there is at least some rust in the areas I mentioned-especially if there is rust anywhere else. Tap in those areas with a metal rod, the noises should be metalic, and not a dull thud. The "thud" could come from tapping on a seam, but if it is in the middle of a smooth area, it could be body filler. which could mean the area was repaired cosmeticly and not necessarily structurally. I drove 4 hours to look at a Z that was said to be in great shape and to be rust free. When I looked at the car, the doors were sagging out of alignment because the frame rails were almost gone. When I sat in the drivers seat, and looked in the rear view mirror, I could see cardboard inside of the car all the way at the back. I popped the hatch and found that the owner had taken a piece of cardboard and held it inplace to smear bondo over to fill in a gapeing hole in the rear. He had sanded the ouside, and painted it. The car did no have any rust, he had removed it, and filled the holes with bondo. This car had been a rustbucket, and was repaired to look right form the outside. It was not structurally sound. I told the man he needed to strip the car and sell it for parts-he laughed, I opened the door, and steped on the sill, it gave. He quit laughing, and demanded I pay for the car. If you aren't sure that you know what to look for, I would take the car to a mechanic and have it looked at just to be safe. No, I did not pay for the car.

She looks just like a Burmese I had named "Nelly Gray", both beautiful cats!

All this time I thought having a Folgers can for an exhaust pipe was a "performance Upgrade" Wow, I must be way behind with my 31 year old Z. It just goes to show, P.T. Barnum was right! Who in their right mind would think that noise is the equivalent of engine performance? I guess all of those kids with bigger dreams than brains have to have something to spend their parents money on! Hey Rusty1, Maybe the parents have something-make Junior think his car has been made into a race car he thinks he could drive, by hanging all of this junk on it that actually makes it slower, keeps him from speeding, makes the car break down-and easily identifiable, and insures if he does get a girl in it, everybody will see what they are doing because of all those lights!! Lower worries, insurance rates, and Mom and Dad are still Cool for helping! Mom wins again!

Or two!