Slowly unfortunately, didn't hear back about my tyres yesterday. Got the idle control 95% sorted, might have to put a check valve in line with it depending on whether it seals up under boost.
After modifiying the intercooler 3 times to fit around the radiator I need to get a few more bits to finish the intercooler piping off, then I need to make a new downpipe.
DJ's 280ZX
Made some reasonably good progress today.
Got the intercooler piping 99% sorted, it's pretty ugly and I'll be changing it again but I'm trying to get everything sorted before the cruise next weekend, I still need to drill and tap a hole for the air temp sensor. The PCV system is also plumbed up as well, I need to find another RB rocker cover with a right angle fitting to tidy it up, haven't been able to bring myself to spend the $40 - $80 they are going for on Trademe.
Tomorrow I need to:
Cut some new lengths of tube to mount the intercooler properly
Drill and rivnut a new mount for the power steering line - it used to bolt to the radiator but this new radiator doesn't have the lower fan mounting holes
Swap the blow off valve back off the DR and hopefully it fits - it's going to be pretty close to the power steering pump and air filter
Figure out what spring I should be running in the wastegate and fit that all up properly
Make a downpipe
Put the bonnet back on
Got the intercooler piping 99% sorted, it's pretty ugly and I'll be changing it again but I'm trying to get everything sorted before the cruise next weekend, I still need to drill and tap a hole for the air temp sensor. The PCV system is also plumbed up as well, I need to find another RB rocker cover with a right angle fitting to tidy it up, haven't been able to bring myself to spend the $40 - $80 they are going for on Trademe.
Tomorrow I need to:
Cut some new lengths of tube to mount the intercooler properly
Drill and rivnut a new mount for the power steering line - it used to bolt to the radiator but this new radiator doesn't have the lower fan mounting holes
Swap the blow off valve back off the DR and hopefully it fits - it's going to be pretty close to the power steering pump and air filter
Figure out what spring I should be running in the wastegate and fit that all up properly
Make a downpipe
Put the bonnet back on
Nissan 280ZX 2 seater RB26 powered.
I've ordered some black silicone radiator hoses from Aliexpress which should get here next week. I also took the plenum off, removed the three barbs underneath and drilled, tapped and plugged the holes as I don't need them.
Mount intercooler properly - check
Swap BOVs with the DR and hope it fits - check
Mount power steering line - check (2nd time around as I stripped the rivnut the first time)
Make downpipe - just about to go down to work to finish welding it and hope I can get the bolt that I dropped out of the exhaust without taking it off completely
Smash little finger and break finger nail in half so that nurse Gwendy had to cut it off - check
Got the tyres sorted today, 235/45/17 Nitto NT555s thanks to the guys at Tyre General Blenheim Road. Swapped the front wheels over this evening, the LMs have a removable insert in the centre to suit different hub sizes so I have to swap those over too.
Gwendy helped me put the bonnet back on and I roughly lined it up, put the old front skirt on as it was the easiest option at this point.
Took it for a couple of laps around the block, it's still as loud and uncomfortable to drive as I remember. Got into boost a little bit, wastegate seemed to be opening pretty early but I don't have the boost controller hooked up, just relying on spring pressure at the moment.
Feels like it might need the brakes bled. It has a slight noise at idle which I think is coming from the cam belt, I possibly put it on just slightly over tight even though I backed the tensioner off from the factory spring pressure, the RB20 did this as well. It may stretch a little bit and the noise might stop but I think I'll pull the covers off and back it off a little bit more.
Mount intercooler properly - check
Swap BOVs with the DR and hope it fits - check
Mount power steering line - check (2nd time around as I stripped the rivnut the first time)
Make downpipe - just about to go down to work to finish welding it and hope I can get the bolt that I dropped out of the exhaust without taking it off completely
Smash little finger and break finger nail in half so that nurse Gwendy had to cut it off - check
Got the tyres sorted today, 235/45/17 Nitto NT555s thanks to the guys at Tyre General Blenheim Road. Swapped the front wheels over this evening, the LMs have a removable insert in the centre to suit different hub sizes so I have to swap those over too.
Gwendy helped me put the bonnet back on and I roughly lined it up, put the old front skirt on as it was the easiest option at this point.
Took it for a couple of laps around the block, it's still as loud and uncomfortable to drive as I remember. Got into boost a little bit, wastegate seemed to be opening pretty early but I don't have the boost controller hooked up, just relying on spring pressure at the moment.
Feels like it might need the brakes bled. It has a slight noise at idle which I think is coming from the cam belt, I possibly put it on just slightly over tight even though I backed the tensioner off from the factory spring pressure, the RB20 did this as well. It may stretch a little bit and the noise might stop but I think I'll pull the covers off and back it off a little bit more.
Nissan 280ZX 2 seater RB26 powered.
-
martysauce
- Posts: 166
- Location: christchurch
We were doing some downhill runs and were like wow look at that 280 then relised it was your one
Plans changed a bit with the new white car, I bought an engine donor C35 Laurel with an RB25DE Neo.
I also bought another set of RB26 throttle bodies with adaptors to take DCOE style trumpets, this is them mocked up on an RB26 but the plan is to chop the RB25 runners in half then weld on a flange for the RB26 throttle bodies, this means I won't have to make an adaptor to use the rest of the RB26 inlet manifold which needs modification to clear the variable cam timing solenoid, that means I can use the standard RB25 injectors etc etc. If the spacing works out properly I can put an RB26 plenum on it instead of the trumpets and run it on the standard computer.
I also bought another set of RB26 throttle bodies with adaptors to take DCOE style trumpets, this is them mocked up on an RB26 but the plan is to chop the RB25 runners in half then weld on a flange for the RB26 throttle bodies, this means I won't have to make an adaptor to use the rest of the RB26 inlet manifold which needs modification to clear the variable cam timing solenoid, that means I can use the standard RB25 injectors etc etc. If the spacing works out properly I can put an RB26 plenum on it instead of the trumpets and run it on the standard computer.
Nissan 280ZX 2 seater RB26 powered.
I've been doing a couple of other little bits and pieces, changed the centre gauges in the black car, long story but I think I damaged the original voltage gauge at the track day that I broke the motor at. I had to bend the needle of the new voltage gauge out as it was sticking on the gauge face and not going over what it shows in the picture.
I think this is a reasonably rare gauge set with the analogue clock and oil pressure gauge without the oil temperature gauge built into it, it's probably out of a base model Fairlady Z.
I also bought a couple of badges off a Fairlady Z turbo including this sweet centre console badge.
And for the white car I got a new unused EVA rear wing, I did consider putting it on the black car but I've had the aerial removed so it would either have to be modified or look a bit silly. It looks like this one:
I think this is a reasonably rare gauge set with the analogue clock and oil pressure gauge without the oil temperature gauge built into it, it's probably out of a base model Fairlady Z.
I also bought a couple of badges off a Fairlady Z turbo including this sweet centre console badge.
And for the white car I got a new unused EVA rear wing, I did consider putting it on the black car but I've had the aerial removed so it would either have to be modified or look a bit silly. It looks like this one:
Nissan 280ZX 2 seater RB26 powered.
Looking good!djz wrote:Swapped the 200ZR red top rocker covers over today for some polished RB26 ones, they do look a lot better but now everything else in the engine bay looks sad. Need to finish off the breather
Hopefully we will see it in the flesh on the Z Club Canterbury Spring Cruise, which of course still has to be organised. Any ideas anyone?
35th Anniversary Ultra Yellow 350Z
Bought a decent clutch finally, got a 2nd hand Quartermaster twin plate for a reasonably good price, it's done around 3000Ks including one trip from Auckland to Wellington in an R32 GTR, came with the flywheel and what they call the "rally" plates which are thicker than the standard ones and can handle a bit more slippage. Not sure when I'll get around to actually putting it in the car but it's the final piece of the puzzle before I can get it on the dyno again.
I couldn't think of a way to plumb up the breathers with rubber hose without it looking dumb so I've ordered a set of these push in fittings for -10 AN line, the plan will be to make up a catch can to sit in the back left corner of the engine bay combined with a compartment for the windscreen washer fluid. It'll sit kind of similar to the motor shown below. I really want to have some positive suction on it so will have to figure out of a way of replicating the way I have it set up now and of course I'll be running black braided line
I couldn't think of a way to plumb up the breathers with rubber hose without it looking dumb so I've ordered a set of these push in fittings for -10 AN line, the plan will be to make up a catch can to sit in the back left corner of the engine bay combined with a compartment for the windscreen washer fluid. It'll sit kind of similar to the motor shown below. I really want to have some positive suction on it so will have to figure out of a way of replicating the way I have it set up now and of course I'll be running black braided line
Nissan 280ZX 2 seater RB26 powered.
Thought I'd adjust the cam gears on this and swap to the new under drive water pump and alternator pulleys that I got. Apparently the best place to start for a reasonably standard RB26 is +4 inlet and -2 exhaust, the inlet cam was set to 2 degrees advanced so I adjusted that to +4, the exhaust cam was already at -2. It seems to have made the idle slightly lumpier but it sounds pretty good.
I cut the lock stoppers off the control arms the other day, it's much nicer to drive now, I can actually do a u turn in a 2 lane street and get into car parks in one go. I've left it just stopping inside the rack at the moment, I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not but I don't hit the stops very often, I'll sort it out one day.
Swapped the front bumper today back to an original one with the Central 20 lower skirt I've had hanging around for ages. It's a bit funny having a stock front bumper back on it, putting the skirt on was one of the first modifications that I did to this car after I bought it.
I still need to get a bit of rubber for the bottom edge, it's supposed to have one I think. I had to cut a strip off each side in the wheel well, I don't think it's made for cars with big wheels. I rolled the front guards at the same time as after cutting the lock stoppers off it's been slicing up the front tyres a bit. I still need to swap the indicators to the half orange/half clear ones and put the number plate on.
This is one of the sample cars on the RS Watanabe website that has the same front skirt but it's a facelift car with the later model bumpers. The ribbed part down the bottom is a rubber strip.
I cut the lock stoppers off the control arms the other day, it's much nicer to drive now, I can actually do a u turn in a 2 lane street and get into car parks in one go. I've left it just stopping inside the rack at the moment, I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not but I don't hit the stops very often, I'll sort it out one day.
Swapped the front bumper today back to an original one with the Central 20 lower skirt I've had hanging around for ages. It's a bit funny having a stock front bumper back on it, putting the skirt on was one of the first modifications that I did to this car after I bought it.
I still need to get a bit of rubber for the bottom edge, it's supposed to have one I think. I had to cut a strip off each side in the wheel well, I don't think it's made for cars with big wheels. I rolled the front guards at the same time as after cutting the lock stoppers off it's been slicing up the front tyres a bit. I still need to swap the indicators to the half orange/half clear ones and put the number plate on.
This is one of the sample cars on the RS Watanabe website that has the same front skirt but it's a facelift car with the later model bumpers. The ribbed part down the bottom is a rubber strip.
Nissan 280ZX 2 seater RB26 powered.