DJ's other 280ZX

Restores, Revamps and Repairs
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djz
Posts: 849
Location: Christchurch

DJ's other 280ZX

Post by djz » Tue Jan 13, 2015 6:58 pm

Thought I'd start a proper thread for this seeing as I'm making some progress on it.

So the 2+2 has moved on to James and I bought another 2 seater. It's an L28 auto and has an R180 diff.

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It's been deregistered and has a little bit of rust in the roof and also behind the left hand front guard, it shouldn't be too hard to get back on the road.

Plans for this at the moment are first of all to get it back on the road, try fitting the RB30 computer setup I've got to it and then possibly turbo it as I've been wanting to build another turbo L series for a while now, either than or possibly triple carbs haha.

It hasn't been driven in about 10 years and the fuel pump wasn't going, it probably just gummed up. Zac helped me tow it home which was uneventful, it's towed really well, nice and quiet and the suspension and brakes feel good.

We dropped the fuel tank and drained around 30 litres of 10 year old fuel out of it. I love the L series, we changed the fuel pump to the Airtex one out of the silver car and connected it up to a fuel can, after a little hiccup with the me forgetting to remove a bolt blocking the return line it fired right up, first time in 10 years as far as I know. It was only running on about 4 and the ignition leads were arcing all over the place but at least it goes!

I've started to replace all the wear items, spark plugs, leads, thermostat, radiator cap, fuel filter. Swapped out the injector that wasn't working for an RB30 one (same size/impedance) and now it's running on 6 but is idling high, will pull off the throttle body and give that and the idle controller a good clean out tomorrow.

I popped the top off the tank and it's quite rusty inside so I'm going to have to do something about that before it goes back in the car, either get it done at a radiator shop or get an Eastwoods or POR15 kit and do it myself.

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This is the roof rust

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This is the rust under the left hand front guard, the black car had rust here too, it's pretty common on 280s.

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The car itself it quite odd, it's basically the most budget model you can get (I think they would call this a Z-L in Japan) but for some reason it has vinyl interior, air con and power steer and had power mirrors at one stage? The budget features are no cruise control, no self check computer, manual windows, analogue clock, it looks like it didn't come with a double radio/tape deck either.

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Gallop Racing, I think these are pretty uncommon wheels? The one we had off yesterday felt pretty light, even with a big balloon on it.

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Bog stock L28 with 160,000ks, looked to be the original fuel filter, I changed the plugs and leads today and managed to get it going a bit better, cylinder 2 doesn't seem to be working, there is spark but the injector doesn't seem to go, it's possibly blocked. The starter seems to have an issue, it's already been fitted with a relay for the solenoid but it sounds like it doesn't throw out sometimes, the auction said it had a worn ring gear but I'm not sure if that is the case, will pull it off at some stage.

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I think that blocking plate on the left is factory. It's got this crazy Z Hour alarm thing, it doesn't seem to work but I might be missing the key fob (if it had one).

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Nissan 280ZX 2 seater RB26 powered.

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djz
Posts: 849
Location: Christchurch

Post by djz » Tue Jan 13, 2015 6:59 pm

Plans changed a bit with the new white car, I bought an engine donor C35 Laurel with an RB25DE Neo.

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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.

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Nissan 280ZX 2 seater RB26 powered.

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djz
Posts: 849
Location: Christchurch

Post by djz » Tue Jan 13, 2015 6:59 pm

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:

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Nissan 280ZX 2 seater RB26 powered.

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djz
Posts: 849
Location: Christchurch

Post by djz » Tue Jan 13, 2015 7:04 pm

Got the guys next door to machine me up a spacer today for the Wilwood brake master cylinder, I've swapped the threaded pieces at the bottom for the ones out of the original Z master cylinder so it's ready to bolt on.

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Nissan 280ZX 2 seater RB26 powered.

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djz
Posts: 849
Location: Christchurch

Post by djz » Tue Jan 13, 2015 7:04 pm

I've changed my mind about what to do with thing a couple of times, I bought the RB25/26 motor off Mike which turned out to be a bit sad on the inside, the head and crank are good so I am keeping them probably for the new motor for the black car, but the rest of the bottom end is pretty much junk so I'm going back to the original plan of using the RB25 Neo motor.

I bought another inlet manifold and cut it up, got the guys at HBI to mill it flat for me, for free too!

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Bought a piece of 12mm plate from Little Metals and marked out the three throttle bodies on it, it's not perfect but it's pretty close, I should still be able to use the original RB26 plenum if I wanted to, everything lines up well enough for that. The step is basically for matching the throttle body holes to the manifold runners, the throttle bodies are 45mm where the running inside diameter is only 36mm, but some of the runners don't line up 100% so there's going to be quite a lot of grinding.

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This is a throttle body sitting on the plate which is sitting on the runners, you can kind of see where there is excess material that needs to be removed to get everything kind of smooth flowing. I will need to cut a few bits out of the piece of plate to clear the throttle linkages.

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Last edited by djz on Tue Jan 13, 2015 7:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Nissan 280ZX 2 seater RB26 powered.

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djz
Posts: 849
Location: Christchurch

Post by djz » Tue Jan 13, 2015 7:05 pm

Took the rear end out today and took it to pieces, the trans is pretty much ready to come out if anybody wants a free L series auto.

I've got new control arm bushes and sway bar bushes which is why I took it out. One of the wheel bearings sounds suspect, I'm going to water blast, wire brush and then paint everything while it's out. If I can find an R180 clutch LSD I'll do that at the same time. I would like to do the subframe mounting bushes but nobody makes aftermarket ones for these, apparently you can spin down Z31 polyurethane bushes so I'll investigate that.

There was a whole 910 IRS rear end on Trademe the other day for $100 but the guy withdrew it while I was thinking about it, I would like to do CVs while the rear end is apart too.

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I think I ended up wrecking one of the original control arms, had it in the 50 ton press at work and I think the socket I was using was slightly smaller than the bush shell, it started to go into the shell which flared it out a bit, it was too late by then so I kept pushing it through but the flared part has oversized the hole so now the new bushes are loose. I found a spare arm behind the garage which just happened to be the correct side which was good! So I've pushed the bushes out of the 3rd arm with a more suitable socket. Will wire brush and paint them up over the weekend.
Nissan 280ZX 2 seater RB26 powered.

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djz
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Location: Christchurch

Post by djz » Tue Jan 13, 2015 7:08 pm

Have been having a nightmare of a time trying to weld the inlet manifold together, welding cast aluminium is really yuck and I think the tig is just about maxing out trying to weld the two bits together. I've bought a wate cooled torch and got the last fitting I need to be able to use it today so hopefully that'll help.
Nissan 280ZX 2 seater RB26 powered.

DKNWSZX
Posts: 173
Location: Northland

Post by DKNWSZX » Wed Jan 14, 2015 1:26 pm

djz wrote:Have been having a nightmare of a time trying to weld the inlet manifold together, welding cast aluminium is really yuck and I think the tig is just about maxing out trying to weld the two bits together. I've bought a wate cooled torch and got the last fitting I need to be able to use it today so hopefully that'll help.
Your more than likely finding welding cast aluminum hard because castings have impurities. When striking an arc do you see crap starting to boil? If so it's usually because the part or parts your attempting to weld have oil, grease etc or have become oxidised. Strinking an arc makes heat, the voids in the parent material become like hmmmmm easy way to explain like pressure cookers, sheilding gas gets traped then tries to escape usually through the molten pool when it cools and goes solid you end up with porosity.

What filler rod are you using? 5356 is goog and stronger than 4043, but tends to be far more prone to porosity when welding cast ally.

4043 is in general a good choice for cast due to the silicon content of ally cast mouldings. 4047 however is better at preventing porosity. Silicon is a deoxidizer but also lowers the melting point of aluminum alloys. Simply put lower melting point means lower amperage needed in turn creating less heat, less heat less likely to draw impurities out of the parent material you are welding.

It also depends on the thickness material you are trying to weld vs the amperage of your machine? It maybe that your machine is not 'grunty' enough to weld the material....?

Sorry if it sounds as though I'm dribbling on, just thought I'd pass on some of the useful info I've learnt from my job. Happy to answer any further questions

Regards
Deano.
Good things are worth waiting for, but great things happen at once.

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djz
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Location: Christchurch

Post by djz » Wed Jan 14, 2015 7:04 pm

Thanks man, I'll take all the help I can get.

The filler rod is 5356, the machine is a 200 amp unit, I'm trying to weld a piece of 12mm plate to a big piece of cast ali which has about a 6mm wall thickness. I've bead blasted, wire brushed and cleaned it with wax & grease remover but there is still a lot of crap coming to the surface. I had another go at it after work and the water cooler for the torch really helped, previously the torch was getting so hot I couldn't hold it even with a glove on but now it doesn't get hot at all. I also changed to a gas lense which seemed to help as well. It looks ugly but I'm pretty sure it will seal, well enough for what I'm doing anyway.

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Nissan 280ZX 2 seater RB26 powered.

DKNWSZX
Posts: 173
Location: Northland

Post by DKNWSZX » Thu Jan 15, 2015 8:44 am

The watercooled torch will help a lot and make a good difference. The material you are welding is fairly thick for 200amps and is certainly @ your machines max capability hence the non watercooled torch becoming too hot too hold and the ceramic no doubt becoming white hot. I'm guessing the machine has a pulse function too? The weld looks fairly 'tall' as in sitting on the surface, hopefully you have enough penetration into the parent material.

You will still get a lot of crap coming too the surface as mentioned cast ali in automotive likes to attract grease and all sorts like no tomorrow. Using a wax & grease cleaner also may add to the problem. 5356 is generally used in the marine industry, but 'should' do the trick. 4043 for next time will probably be better as it has excellent crack resistance and silicon content which acts as a deoxidising agent.

However good to see you have been successful in welding ali up as it's not the easiest, especially cast ali. Keep up the good work

Regards
Deano
Good things are worth waiting for, but great things happen at once.

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djz
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Location: Christchurch

Post by djz » Thu Jan 15, 2015 12:20 pm

Yup the machine has pulse, I've played with it a few times but am definitely no master, I've welded up a few intercooler pipes and things like that, but when it's new aluminium it's so much easier/nicer.

The weld is quite tall and I don't really like it but I was struggling to get it to melt at the base of the join, I think with the diffuser on there with the electrode sticking out it's better but the arc still seems to "stick" to one piece or the other. I've been experimenting with the tungsten point as well, I think I had it way too tapered and pointy before.

I'll get some of the 4043 next time I'm at the welding shop, I just asked them for some filler rod and 5356 is what they gave me.
Nissan 280ZX 2 seater RB26 powered.

DKNWSZX
Posts: 173
Location: Northland

Post by DKNWSZX » Thu Jan 15, 2015 1:01 pm

djz wrote:Yup the machine has pulse, I've played with it a few times but am definitely no master, I've welded up a few intercooler pipes and things like that, but when it's new aluminium it's so much easier/nicer.

The weld is quite tall and I don't really like it but I was struggling to get it to melt at the base of the join, I think with the diffuser on there with the electrode sticking out it's better but the arc still seems to "stick" to one piece or the other. I've been experimenting with the tungsten point as well, I think I had it way too tapered and pointy before.

I'll get some of the 4043 next time I'm at the welding shop, I just asked them for some filler rod and 5356 is what they gave me.
Yeah when your welding stainless or mild steel you can have the tungsten sticking out past the end of the ceramic/nozzle and have give it a more tapered shape. When welding Ali you want to have it fairly much flush with the ceramic/nozzle and you can simply just do a spot like weld and let it form a natural type 'ball' at the end and that always works well.

There could be several reasons that the tungsten/arc is sticking to the material. Tungsten you are using could be too small for the amount of current you need. Material could be cold then when welding it heats up fairly quickly. What size tungsten are you using 1.6 or 2.4? Perhaps even a 3.2 could be used this would the mean changing collets etc.

What welding shop did you use?
Good things are worth waiting for, but great things happen at once.

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djz
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Post by djz » Thu Jan 15, 2015 3:21 pm

I did think about trying a 3.2mm tungsten, I'm using a 2.4mm 2% lanthanated one at the moment, it seems to be working okay. The welder came from NZ Welding Supplies/PMT Motorsport so that's who I've been going back to. I didn't really know enough about the different filler rod etc to ask so I got what I got, next time I'll get some of the other stuff.
Nissan 280ZX 2 seater RB26 powered.

DKNWSZX
Posts: 173
Location: Northland

Post by DKNWSZX » Thu Jan 15, 2015 3:49 pm

Oic the tungsten could also be contributing to the issue. A lantiated tungsten is one that does either AC or DC welding. It is all right and is one that 'will' do the job, however a Zirconiated tungsten is what should have been recommended, especially for Cast Ali as it is a dedicated AC tungsten which is the current you use when welding Ali with TIG (as you already know) :)

You could always shop at your local BOC Gas & Gear (Sockburn) they are always happy to help and offer you industry knowledge as it is their field of expertise. Hint, hint, nudge, nudge. Yes I work @ a BOC Gas & Gear :)

Anymore questions I'm happy to help. BTW jealous of the 280 I've always wanted to own a 2 seater. One day, but for now I'm certainly happy with my z31

Regards
Deano.
Good things are worth waiting for, but great things happen at once.

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djz
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Location: Christchurch

Post by djz » Thu Jan 15, 2015 6:19 pm

Haha, BOC are literally 2 driveways up from us, my work is in the U of their section, we get the tig and mig gas from them.

I've got a couple of other tungstens as well, no zirconiated though, I've got thoriated and I think ceriated. I'll get a couple of zirconiated next time I'm shopping for tig stuff.
Nissan 280ZX 2 seater RB26 powered.

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