My 300ZX N/A -> TT Swap (Long w/ Lots of Pics & A Vid)
I have a nice build thread over on PBF.com, so I figured I'd share it with you guys as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jinjiro on PBF
January 29th, 2007
As some of you know, I've toyed with the idea of a TT swap for my '92 300ZX 2+2. Well, I think I'm going to actually do it. Due to a timing belt change gone horribly wrong back in the fall, I am almost certain that my valves are messed up. I'm still going to have it checked out and confirmed, as well as price out how much it'd be to have them fixed, but assuming it's what I think it'll cost, I'm going to swap in a TT instead.
I've got about ~$4,000 in college loan money that I took out just for automobile repairs (kind of had the TT swap in mind), and I'm going to be working an insane amount until probably the end of summer, so I am planning on a budget of ~$5,000, but I've got a feeling it will wind up being much more.
I'm going to use this thread to share my progress. It's a long-term project, especially as there is about 1 foot of snow outside at the moment, but I'm determined to do this. I've wanted it for a while, and I never really do anything for myself, so this is what I've decided.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jinjiro on PBF
February 6th, 2007
TT Front Clip: $3150 (shipped)
Z1 Clutch & Flywheel: 700.91 (shipped)
New oil pan: $65 (shipped) ($175 new)
New motor mounts: $50 (Ford F150 mounts)
Timing Belt Kit: $240 ($70 w/out water pump)
Underdrive pulley: $190
LaBree Exhaust: $750
New oil pump: $170
Silicone tubing to replace all rubber tubing: $Not sure
Total Cost: $5,315.91
(Does not include money made from selling old parts)
This plan went out the window very quickly, as you will see below.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jinjiro on PBF
February 15th, 2007
So I got the oil pan. $63 shipped ($45 + $18). Not bad considering they are about $175 new, and the condition is perfect except for scrapes and dings (who cares?).
Z1 clutch & flywheel will be ordered this week hopefully, if not next.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jinjiro on PBF
February 20th, 2007
PCV Valves - $7.51
Rear Main Seal - $18.53
Z1 Clutch & Flywheel - $647.00
Z1 Clutch
Z1 Flywheel
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jinjiro on PBF
February 22nd, 2007
ASP Underdrive Pulley - $150 shipped (belts included)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jinjiro on PBF
March 23rd, 2007
This baby is coming to live with me. It's in Maryland, and I'm buying it for $2,500. Shipping is going to be $490. So I get a running parts car for $2,990. If you remember correctly I had been planning on buying a front clip for $3,150 shipped. I'm actually saving money.
Plus, I'm saving even more money due to the fact that it's the same color as my car. So I can use the front fascia off of it, which should save me ~$500. I'll also be taking the rear wheels, because Twin Turbo rear wheels are wider than the N/As. Plus I can sell the rest of the stuff I don't use, hopefully making back a decent amount.
EFI Harness - $350
I also got my EFI harness in a few weeks ago. This should eliminate any worries about corroding wires and that sort of thing. Good thing I picked it up when I did too, because the price on them has shot up to about $400-$450, due to Nissan discontinuing them.
Finally, I placed what I believe is the last parts order today, with the exception of new motor mounts. So once these parts come in, I should have everything I need!
Timing Belt - $43
Timing Belt Tensioner - $140
Cam & Crank Seals (4) - $30
Oil Pump - $170
I'll be keeping the parts car in my grandma's old garage that my aunt now owns. I don't think it has electricity, so we'll see how it works out. I've got to get a hoist still, but I'm hoping to rent that. The car should be coming in about 2 or 3 weeks, depending on how soon I send the money and that sort of thing.
Here's my plan of attack:
1.)Take LOTS of pictures of EVERYTHING!
2.)Compression check on the new engine.
3.)Clear away junk. Remove broken windshield, clean out the interior the best I can, cut off any destroyed panels or pieces. Basically make it cleaner and easier for me to work on.
4.)Remove hood, front fascia, front nose panel, and probably most of the other good body parts.
5.)Jack the car up and get it very stable. I'll probably get it set and just leave it jacked up, so I might just rest it on some blocks with jack stands underneath or something. I'll be working on it for a while, so I want to make sure it's safe.
6.)Take more engine pictures.
7.)Drain fluids.
8.)Start to disassemble things in the engine bay, taking more pictures as I go. Even though I'm familiar with these engines, I don't want to screw ANYTHING up.
9.)Remove drive shaft.
10.)Take off the exhaust, see if it's good enough to use on mine. If it didn't get ruined in the accident, it should be perfect for my car.
11.)Drop the tranny.
12.)Remove engine, intercoolers, intercooler tubing, etc.
13.)Take more...oh, you know.
14.)Perform maintenance on the engine:
a.)Replace PCV valves
b.)Replace all vacuum lines, tubes, etc. with silicone ones.
c.)Replace all crappy/stripped screw bolts with new, good hex bolts.
d.)Replace all boost clamps
e.)Possibly replace boost hoses
f.)Replace timing belt & timing belt tensioner & cam seals + rear seal
g.)Replace oil pump
h.)Delete EGR
i.)Check condition of turbos
j.)Wrap turbos in heat tape (maybe)
k.)Bypass the throttle body water tube
l.)Degrease and clean. (Probably not this far down the list...)
m.)Anything else that needs to be done.
15.)Take more pictures of my current Z engine
16.)Remove my hood, front fascia, front nose panel.
16.)Drain fluids, disconnect stuff, etc.
17.)Remove drive shaft.
18.)Remove exhaust.
19.)Drop my tranny
20.)Remove my engine.
21.)Clean my engine bay. Thoroughly. I mean really clean. It needs it.
22.)Remove old EFI, install new EFI.
23.)Install intercooler piping.
24.)Install intercoolers and swap over anything else I might want (oil cooler?).
25.)Drop Twin Turbo engine in. Yay!
26.)Hook everything back up...refer to all the pics I took for help.
27.)Install underdrive pulley, new belts, Twin Turbo radiator, etc.
28.)Install new flywheel, clutch, pivot ball, etc.
29.)Install transmission.
30.)Install exhaust.
31.)Install drive shaft.
32.)Install Twin Turbo ECU.
33.)Install JWT Pop Charger (comes with wrecked car)
34.)Replace all fluids.
35.)Swap over bigger TT rear wheels.
36.)Replace front fascia.
37.)Replace front nose panel.
38.)Replace hood.
39.)Pray.
40.)Turn key.
That should just about cover it. Sounds easy, doesn't it?
Easy? Hah...If only I had known what was in store for me.
The Wrecked Car:
Well the wrecked Z was supposed to arrive today. Apparently the driver who was supposed to pick it up could not get a hold of the person I bought it from, so he skipped over it and moved on, which he's not supposed to do. I called the transport company to get an explanation, and they rescheduled the pick up, so it should hopefully get picked up tomorrow and probably arrive Wednesday, but we'll see.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jinjiro on PBF
April 17th, 2007
So I started...These pictures are all of my car, not the Twin Turbo. That should arrive tomorrow or Thursday.
The other day:
1.)Got the car jacked up to see if I could remove part of the exhaust.
2.)Well, I got part of the exhaust removed...As you can see, I got both mufflers but only the passenger side pipe. The driver side has one nut that is rounded off and will have to be torched. Guess which muffler I polished a few weeks ago?
3.)The pipe that won't come off is on the left. Taking the rest of the exhaust off is going to be a huge pain. Good thing we have torches. Bad thing I want to salvage all of it that I can.
Today:
1.)Remove the driver side kick panel and disconnect the fuel pump relay. It's bright green in this picture. Then unscrew the gas cap, and start the car until it dies. Turn it over a few more times to be sure the pressure is relieved.
2.)Radiator has been removed! Obviously I drained the coolant (I did that a few days ago). I also drained the oil.
3.)Up on the jack! As you can tell I removed the center nose panel so I could remove the stock air box (which won't be replaced. ) and so I could remove the front fascia. Some guy bought it for $100, so I figured I better get it off.
4.)Inside shot of the engine bay. Radiator has been removed, and the fan & belts are next!
5.)Stock air box is gone. I can see my feet!
6.)Another shot of it up on the jacks. Turn signals have been removed, as well as most of the fascia bolts.
7.)Success! The fascia is off! That was the first time I had ever taken one off, and I had to figure out where all the bolts were. Fun stuff.
8.)Removed the front bumper & fog lights. You can see the oil cooler & fan here. I'm going to have to do something about that, as the bar that the oil cooler sits on (forgot the name) is bent upwards, so the oil cooler fan can't really spin. Needs to be fixed before it all goes back together. The whole front end is so jam packed with wiring, tubes, etc. I'm really dreading having to hook up the intercoolers & piping - it's going to suck.
9.)All done for the day. I put a plastic cover over everything, just to be sure. Fascia is waiting for a huge box and a good carrier, and then it will have a new home.
Some stuff that I don't have pictures for:
1.)Unplugged most of the injectors, coil packs, sensors, etc.
2.)Removed all accessory belts.
3.)Unbolted the power steering pump, but have not removed it yet.
4.)Attempted to unbolt & remove the alternator, but I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I think I may have missed a bolt?
5.)Intake tubing is all removed.
Here's what's in store for this weekend before I can pull the engine:
1.)Actually remove PS pump, alternator, and AC compressor
2.)Unplug the rest of the sensors
3.)Remove oil cooler lines from oil pan
4.)Remove the rest of the exhaust
5.)Remove driveshaft
6.)Remove starter
7.)Remove transmission (NOT looking forward to this)
8.)Rent/buy/borrow/steal/obtain engine hoist.
9.)Pull engine.
Then the real fun starts. I get to do everything you see above AGAIN for the Twin Turbo. Plus things like cleaning the engine bay, replacing damaged things I've found, replacing all of the vacuum lines on the TT engine, replacing crappy bolts on the TT engine, installing the new EFI harness on my car, installing all of the fun goodies and getting the timing belt replaced....A lot of stuff.
I'm shooting to be done with it all by June 8th at the latest.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jinjiro on PBF
April 17th, 2007
Just got an e-mail from the guy I bought it off of:
"The car was picked up today about 1-2PM. The driver was not happy at all, but it's on it's way to you. He said he was told it could steer and roll, but it actually couldn't. So it was one hell of a time getting the car up onto the truck, it wasn't a rollback, so we even had my grandfathers 4 wheel drive truck stuck, helping the shipping guy. No worries though, the guy said they should of sent a rollback, and not him. Anyways, the car is on it's way to you, hope it does you good! Goodluck, let me know how things go, and when you get it. Thanks!"
Should arrive either tomorrow or Thursday, I'm still trying to find out an estimated delivery date.
April 18th, 2007
The car arrived today. Long story about that. You'd think I'd be happy, and I am...but not as happy as I could be.
So I'm in Marketing around 9AM, and it just so happens that we're taking a ~5 min break, and my phone rings. I answer it and walk outside - it's the truck driver calling about my car. He went on and on about how he shouldn't have picked it up, and it's way too messed up, and he doesn't have the right equipment, and it took forever, and it's going to cost more money ( ) and he won't be able to deliver it to where I want.
Great. He tells me he's going to call back around 10:30 or so and let me know when he's leaving from Fairport (~20 min away from me) and is heading towards the local Insurance Auto Auctions. I get out of class at 10AM, and decide I have to skip my 10 o'clock class to meet up with this guy and get my car.
Went home, stopped at the bank, took out a lot more money (just in case), and waited. Got the call, went to the IAA, and waited. I watched the GIANT fork lifts move cars around. About 20 minutes go by and he arrives.
Well he was annoyed but pleasant, and I kind of sympathized with him. It wasn't his fault, and he went out of his way to help me and get the car delivered. I paid him $100 more than I was originally supposed to (he said it'd be $100 more, I wasn't just being nice), got the car unloaded by a fork lift (I think they crushed part of the exhaust - jerks!), and said farewell to the truck driver.
As of now the car is sitting in the IAA parking lot. Tomorrow I have to call up a flatbed service to get it moved from there to the garage I'll be working on it at about ~15 minutes away - another $75 + tax.
On to pics...
On the carrier...a bit crushed.
Nice passenger side damage.
Close up of the passenger side damage.
Another shot of the damage. The glass will all need to be removed, as will all the bend roof and stuff. Did someone say Sawzall?
I still can't believe this kid is alive. That is such a terrible wreck. It's absolutely amazing.
A shot from the back/other side. Driver side door does not close - what a coincidence, the passenger side door won't open! Back hatch glass is all gone, but the two rear-quarter windows are fine. I don't think there is a single body panel that is not damaged save the front fascia & nose panel.
Engine bay shot. Nice and intact, just the way I like it. A few of the intake hoses are a bit bent, but they'll either be fixed or replaced. The radiator fan is hitting a bit on the radiator, but that's not a big deal.
As you can see, I've got my work cut out for me. It should be fun, and as always, I'll take lots of pics. Tomorrow it gets moved to the garage and I start to tear into it. This weekend is going to be nice and SUNNY, so I'll hopefully make a lot of progress. I'm a bit worried about the tranny having shifted during the wreck, I'm hoping it did not damage the engine at all. Also I'm wondering how the intercooler piping made out, and the back of the engine in general. Whatever, I'll make it work or at least sell what I can. It's a gamble, but so is buying a front JDM clip - I've heard my fair share of horror stories with them, and they cost more than this thing did.
On to the other car...
It might be a bit hard to tell here, but I did a lot more. Removed the balance tube, removed the last of the injector & coil pack connectors, removed all the sensors (a TON of them), removed the fuel lines, removed the vacuum lines, etc. I got the whole EFI off except for what is around back of the engine. The rest of it will be removed after the engine is out. I took pictures of EVERYTHING - every tube, every line, every sensor. Hopefully it all goes back together correctly.
I still need an engine hoist. I've gotta pull the accessory pumps/alternator, remove the exhaust, and drop the tranny, and I should be good to pull this baby. Maybe a few more minor things. Hopefully it'll be ready to pull by either tomorrow night or Friday. I'll probably be too excited to start tearing the TT apart, but I need to focus and get the NA engine out first. Did I mention I still need an engine hoist?
I've been meaning to update, just haven't had a chance to, between the car, school, work, etc. The project is definitely progressing, and I'm running out of the easy things to do, so the big steps will be coming up soon. First, the pictures...
I got the front fascia off. Here you can see part of the JWT Pop Charger filter.
Overall, the parts car is coming along slowly but surely. I had a set back with the oil pan, but decided to stop wasting more time trying to fix that and to just go ahead and pull the engine. It'll be easy to replace the pan with the engine out. Plus I figure either the engine is good or it isn't, and starting it in the wrecked car won't change that. So it is what it is.
I bought an engine hoist the other day from Harbor Freight. It was on sale for $149.99 - it's a 2 ton hoist, foldable. I figure when I'm done I can rent it out, or at least sell it and make my money back. It's very nice though, and should come in handy.
That's my friend Dave who's been helping me out. He's been gutting a lot of the interior, stripping anything we can use and getting rid of the stuff we can't. He got the back hatch off the other day. The parts car looks a lot cleaner (if you can call it that) than when it arrived.
Another shot of the front. As you can see we've got it up on jacks, with big oak blocks of wood under the tires for safety. I think in this shot we were draining the oil perhaps? I think this picture is from a few days ago...
Back at home, work on the good Z continues....
The front end is even further torn apart. The AC condenser fan is off, as is the intake piping. I can now mount the intercoolers if I really wanted to, but as I said I'll wait until both engines are out. The intercooler piping will all be put in before the engine is dropped in. It might require welding some brackets, so we'll see how that goes. Thankfully I have a friend with a MIG welder who is pretty good.
Here's a shot of the good Z up on some jacks after an afternoon of working. Extra safety precautions have been taken since the driveway is on a hill.
Here's a shot of the mess I made in the driveway. A few things to point out...Top right: both fascias, the TT for my car and the NA to sell. Below that is the tool chest with a bunch of scattered tools laying about. To the right of that you can see some of the short intake piping off of the Twin Turbo. The bottom right (it's hard to make out) is the intake piping from the NA. To the left of that is both front bumpers with fog light housings, as well as the two fans for the radiator. One is the NA, one is the TT - the TT will go in my car. Also there are a few interior panels from the wrecked TT laying about, as well as a pan with some power steering fluid in it that I drained.
Now, as far as progress and what's next...
I can't get the exhaust off of either car, so that will need to be torched. Thankfully my dad has torches and is pretty good at cutting only the bolts. Next, the transmissions will need to be unbolted, which should be easy on my good Z, because I had the clutch redone 2 years ago. The TT will be more difficult...lots more. The problem I'm having with the TT is that the wreck has shifted so much that it's just plain hard to get stuff off. But anyways, the starters need to be removed, clutch slave, driveshaft, etc. Then the trannies can be lowered. Once they are out, the engines are free to be hoisted. The NA engine will be hoisted first, because if I happen to somehow mess something up, it's not the good engine that gets ruined.
Once both engines are out, the TT will be taken to a shop to have the timing belt changed, as well as the oil pump, cam seals, timing belt tensioner, etc. I'm not doing this because I messed it up somehow last time. Then I will be doing a few maintenance repairs on the TT before it gets dropped in, such as PCV valves, rerouting some wires, replacing vacuum lines, etc. Next the good Z will have it's engine bay cleaned up, and the intercooler piping will be installed. I may also eliminate a few emissions devices while I'm at it - not sure. Then the EFI harness will be replaced with the new one, and the engine will be dropped in, and everything will get hooked up. From there I'll replace the clutch and flywheel, install the transmission and all the other stuff, and then hopefully I'll be done.
As far as when this will all be happening...I'm not sure. As I type this out I'm reminded of just how much work this involves, and how much I have to do. Between work and school I'm quite swamped, but I'm doing as much as I can each day. Weather plays a big part as well. I'm still shooting for being done by early June, hopefully sooner. It just depends on a lot.
May 1st, 2007
Well it's been a little while since the last update, so I'm taking some time now to do it. I've been really busy with a ton of stuff between work and school (projects, tests, essays, homework). Anyways, I've been slowly hacking away at the swap, and I must say it's going good. Progressing well I'd say. On to the pics...
As you can see I got the intercoolers off. They're side mount, so there's two of them. Stock ones are a bit small,
but they flow decently enough (about 160 CFM) and I just don't have any cash for bigger ones. Maybe some time in the future, especially if I upgrade to bigger turbos. The nice thing about this swap is that all of the holes for the intercooler bolts already exist, so I don't have to do any fabrication or tapping. It's exciting just to see how they will look on my Z!
Hey, check it out! You can see the whole front of the engine. Actually these pictures are a few days old - I now have the alternator & AC compressor completely removed, as well as the carbon canister (black can on right), so it's even more open.
A nice side shot. Engine almost looks clean, doesn't it? You can see all of the wires, fuel lines, throttle, etc. pushed to the back/side. And you can see the millions of rags stuffed throughout the engine.
A closer shot of the semi-clean engine. I still can NOT get that passenger side pipe off. It will not budge. I've tried everything, so I think I'm just going to pull the engine with it on - not a big deal. Hopefully I can get it off once the engine is out. I think it might be pinched against something, because it just won't come off. Again, this picture is old, as the two intercooler pipes on the driver side are now out (both have rags in this pic).
Ah, that's what I like to see....
The good Z at home, waiting patiently for the engine to be removed. I took out the headlights today. You can see that the front end was obviously replaced. It had been totaled at some point down in New Jersey, and then rebuilt and sent up here to Rochester. The more I've torn the car apart the more I've realized how badly I got ripped off on it. It's just not complete by any means. So much is wrong with it - all little stuff, but still. I'm doing my best to replace things and make it right, however. I may have gotten ripped off a few years ago when I bought it, but now that I know what I'm doing with it, I'm determined to make it the best it can be. I'm going to spend a bunch of time cleaning off all of the orangey-looking stuff in the engine bay. That's from when the radiator hose blew off (before I bought the car) - the engine block is obviously a bit rusty.
So where am I right now...
Well I've basically got everything ready to go on both engines. I'm waiting for my dad to fill the torches so that we can cut the exhaust bolts on both cars - they're rusted/rounded (yes, I tried an impact wrench). After that I've just got to drop the trannies and pull the engines. The TT engine will be sent off for the timing belt, and plenty of time will be spent on replacing lines and cleaning the whole thing. The engine bay will also be thoroughly cleaned and detailed. I've still got some work left, but it's coming along.
Unfortunately I've come up with some parts I'm going to need:
1.)New down pipes. Between rust and the accident, I don't think I'll be able to salvage these. The set I want come with a pair of straight-through test pipes, both in stainless steel, for about $190 shipped.
2.)New motor mounts. I figured I would need these, but now that I can actually see them on the cars I know I'll need a set. Around $85 shipped.
3.)Boost gauge. Been watching eBay for a good deal, but I better plan on $35. I'm looking at the Autometer Phantom series.
4.)Boost controller. Again, been watching eBay, but have come up short. I'm figuring around $200-$225 for a Greddy Profec B Spec 2.
5.)New ECU. I'm not sure if I'll be able to use or even FIND the ECU in this wrecked Twin Turbo. It's buried somewhere between the smashed in door and the firewall. Even if I do find it, I may wind up upgrading to an AshSpec ECU, which will be $250.
Total: $535, but I have a feeling it's going to be higher.
The good news is a lot of the parts I've been pulling off of the car can be sold for a decent price, so I can make back a good chunk of change...Of course it will go right back to the car, but whatever.
.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jinjiro on PBF
May 19th, 2007
I haven't posted anything in a while. I've been pretty busy with school and work, so the progress has been somewhat slow, but that's also because of the problems I ran into. In short, I hate exhaust bolts.
We went to where the TT Z is being stored in order to try and torch off the exhaust. Here's a picture of my dad trying to cut the bolts. That didn't work (not enough room), and he wasn't able to just cut through the exhaust either. We also thought that since the car is so bashed in, getting the transmission unbolted and off would be insane. So we came up with a better plan...
Cut the whole front end off! My dad torched right through the front end, so this way the engine & tranny can come straight out together. We still have to cut through the exhaust at some point, but this will be a lot easier than trying to finesse everything and get all those hard to reach bolts. Trust me, it's a pain...
There are 6 bolts that connect the headers on the NA to the pre-cats, and I think I was able to get 1 (the other was missing) of them off normally. Two were cut off with a torch thanks to my dad, and the other two were ground off with an angle grinder. It took a few days for my dad to get the torches filled and have time to cut the bolts. I finally got the exhaust off the other day - I have never been so satisfied. I hate exhaust work. I am replacing ALL of the bolts & nuts on the exhaust with stainless steel or something else that won't rust as easily.
Here's a picture of the passenger side header. You can see what remains of the 3 bolts I was telling you about. The bottom right one actually did not have a nut on it to begin with, and the other two were ground off with the angle grinder.
I finally got the transmission bolts off - what a pain in the ***. There's 10 bolts holding it on, and I got 8 of them relatively easily. I went and bought 2 10" x 1/2" extensions and 1 1/2" universal swivel joint ($26 total). According to my guide, you could get to all the transmission bolts by using a 3' long extension with the swivel joint on an impact wrench and shoot at them from the back - yeah, didn't work. The bell housing flares out too much to actually get to the top bolts. So the top two bolts were a PAIN. I finally got it, very satisfying. Went to Home Depot and got 4' of chain and two bolts for the side of the plenum. It works great, and with a little effort...
...the engine came out! Man, I know I've used the word 2 times already in this post, but it was so satisfying to pull the engine. This has taken so much time, effort, and money, it's awesome to finally see real progress.
Here you can see the transmission resting on the ground.
And the engine is completely out!
So now what? Well, I'll have to start by cleaning the whole engine bay with a ton of degreaser. Then I'll remove the EFI harness and install the new one. At some point we'll finish torching the exhaust on the TT and pull that engine. Then that gets sent off for a bit of maintenance work. After it gets back, I'll install the underdrive pulley, the new clutch & flywheel, the new PCV valves, the new silicone tubing, clean it, check everything over, and start to put it back in. I've gotta install all the intercooler piping, as well as the oil cooler lines and a few other misc. things.
It's definitely getting there. It's taking a bit longer than I had hoped, but I knew I'd run into snags. Hopefully it'll be a bit less painful & frustrating putting everything back in.
I'll definitely keep you all updating.
I've got a math final at 8AM tomorrow - I'm going to study & go to sleep. Peace.
June 28th, 2007
I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted on this thread. I've been working two jobs that for the past week have added up to about 16 hours a day. Yeah, pretty busy.
So the updates...Well first off, no pictures this time because I'm lazy.
But let's see...Turns out the driver side turbo has a crack the whole way through the flange where it bolts up to the exhaust. So I needed a new turbo for that side, but wound up buying two turbos instead. It was $200 for two great shape turbos out of an automatic, which means they have a slightly smaller A/R, which means more acceleration and less lag. Problem fixed.
Then my dad dropped the motor off at the shop to get the timing belt, oil pump, etc changed out. Ran into some problems there, as the crank sprocket need to be torched off, so I had to order a new one, as well as a gasket for the pump. That got taken care of. Then they did a leak down test...
Some came out decent, like 5%-10% leak down. A few others though (either 2 or 3, I forget) were worse. I think 1 or 2 were about 20% leak down, which the guy said was most likely the rings. One of them was 40% though, which he said is probably the valves or perhaps the piston/cylinder. Not what I wanted to hear. I had not planned on this at all, and it frustrates me because between this and the bad turbo, the car was practically a waste. However, I am already this far in, so there is no going back.
I told him to go ahead and keep the engine and tear off the heads and see what the problem is. He is going to try and get it done by tomorrow so I know what is going on, and then from there it looks like it may be all new valves, and probably new rings as well (to play it safe). If the pistons or cylinders look bad, then it may have to go to a machine shop, where it would probably get bored out and have new, slightly bigger pistons put in (probably 88mm instead of 87mm). It's not really so much a power increase as it would simply be necessity (warped/chipped cylinder).
Overall, this thing is going to be sucking more money than I had thought. Good thing I've been working so much, right? I'm toying with (but most likely won't) the idea of new cams. They're expensive, and I don't think the power gain is all too much, but there is no better time than now. I really can't see myself doing it, though. I think if anything I would get new injectors while I was at it (555cc instead of 370cc). That's a much more worthwhile investment, though it's also about $300 more. Anyways, I'm getting ahead of myself.
I finally got a boost gauge, and ordered new motor mounts but they sent the wrong ones, so I have to get that taken care of. I'm still keeping my eyes open for a boost gauge, but with the recent developments it's not as important and I might just go with something cheap until I have enough for something a bit better.
That's how it stands as of now. My target completion date is long gone due to set backs and work, but I'm not in too much of a hurry now. I'd like to have it for August 4th, but if that doesn't happen then so be it. I'm taking my time with this car and getting it done right.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jinjiro on PBF
June 29th, 2007
Well I got some good news just now. I called the shop and the guy said that he tore down one side and was about to tear the other down. The cylinders and pistons all look good. He said I should get new rings, but that's not a big deal. He said there's one or two valves that aren't sealing properly, and they just need to be reground (haven't heard of that before, but I know he knows what he's talking about). He was going to call his machine shop to find out how much it would be, but as of now the price for labor is only ~$200, which is awesome. That's for the whole timing belt/oil pump change and tearing the heads off. Sure it will be more once it's all done, but I don't think it will be as much as I had feared...
...Which is good because I might be buying bigger turbos. I was cleaning up the $200 turbos I bought, and they don't look quite as good as I initially thought. One is leaking a bit of oil (not good), and the other has a stud that is bent. The stud isn't a big deal, but the oil worries me. I guess we'll see.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jinjiro on PBF
July 14th, 2007
Well I finally got the parts ordered for my engine. I was waiting to find out what grade rod bearings I needed, which I found out on Friday. So I ordered 6 new rod bearings, a full set of piston rings, and two new head gaskets. They should arrive at the shop sometime next week, and then hopefully the engine will be back to me within a week or two. It only set me back $126, but we'll see how much labor comes to.
I'm starting to sell some of the extra parts I've got, which will hopefully bring in some more money for the finishing pieces I need.
I don't have a projected completion date anymore, since work, the girlfriend, and vacation (August 4th - 18th) will take up a lot of my time. I'd like to get it done before I have to put it away for the winter, but if I need more time to do it right then I'm going to take it.
I'm thinking I'm going to remove the whole carbon canister and all the vacuum lines associated with it. It'll clear some space in the front (which is desperately needed) and also eliminate some sources for potential vacuum leaks. From what I've read it doesn't affect emissions, though it is illegal.
I'm trying to find cheap aftermarket downpipes. I think what I might do for the rest of the exhaust is simply take it to an exhaust shop and have them fab one up. I've heard it's cheaper and produces better (or equivalent) results to pre-made exhausts.
I'm still looking for a cheap but effective boost controller to throw in. I'd like the Profec B Spec II, but it's a lot of money, so I'm looking for a Spec I.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jinjiro on PBF
September 3rd, 2007
Long story...
So the engine took forever, mainly due to the heads. They needed a bunch of work, and the head shop took their time (overloaded with work). I finally got the engine back a week or so ago, as well as a nice big bill. I'm not even going to mention how much it was, but the good news is it's practically a brand new engine.
When I got the engine back I decided I better ohm check the injectors - good thing too, since it turned out that 3 of the 6 are bad. I ordered a set of 650cc injectors, which are already installed. Very nice kit if I do say so. They are good up to ~625HP.
Put the engine all back together after ordering a few more odds & ends (oil pan end gaskets, exhaust manifold gaskets, etc. Got the turbos fitted with all new tubing & seals and installed - I hope I did everything right! It makes me nervous, but I followed spec, so it should be all set. I eliminated a BUNCH of stuff from the engine: EGR system, plenum water lines, stock boost solenoids, rerouted a bunch of vacuum lines. It's a lot simpler and clean looking. I put the new pilot bushing, flywheel, and clutch on last night.
Dropped the engine in this morning with my dad's help. It's so tight with all the intercooler piping. It's going to be a huge pain to work on, especially compared to working on it out of the car on an engine stand, or compared to a NA.
I've got to install the tranny, driveshaft, and exhaust, as well as hook up all the connections on the engine, finish some vacuum tubing, change over the fuel pump, finish installing the boost gauge & boost controller (wound up buying the Profec B Spec II), install the accessories (AC (maybe?), PS, alternator) & belts, install the radiator, change fluids, etc. I'm also waiting on a new ECU.
THEN once that's all done I can start to break it in.
I've removed the carbon canister, the EGR, and the AIVs. I've also removed the cats, but they might have to go back on so I can pass emissions...Depending on where I go for my "inspection".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jinjiro on PBF
September 4th, 2007
Front bumper is off in the last pic because I don't like how it lines up (especially driver side), so I may modify my old one and put that back on. Also, I had to fix a problem with the intercooler pipes on the passenger side.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jinjiro on PBF
September 5th, 2007
You have NO IDEA what tight spaces are until you've done what I've just done. It was so ridiculous that I just went and took pictures of my amazing accomplishment.
I forgot to put the transmission brackets back on, which is not a problem for the driver side. On the passenger side however, the oil filter tree is in the way. So you have to remove it. However, to get the oil filter tree off, you need to remove the turbo...Which means you need to pull the whole engine. Screw that!
What I did was grind down two bolts a TON so that they would fit. There was NO clearance, and it was nearly impossible to even get the bolts started. It took me a good 2 hours, in the dark. Did I mentioned it started to rain towards the end?
Pics:
The bolt JUST fit, but it was very hard to even turn it and get the threads started. Once it started it was fine, but there was just no clearance at all. It sucked.
Next I had a lot of frustrations and problems getting the transmission back in, stabbing the pilot bushing, getting everything lined up, getting bolts on, tightening bolts, etc. It sucked. I hate transmissions - a lot.
Video link is below:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jinjiro on PBF
September 18th, 2007
As most of you know now, the car runs. If you missed that, click here for the video
Yesterday when I filled the radiator I noticed a small leak coming from the front of the engine that varied from a small drip to a slight stream. Reluctantly I decided I better take care of the issue. I tried tightening the water inlet and outlet pipes to see if this was the problem, but of course it wasn't - it was the water pump. It must not have sealed well when I installed it the last time. So that means I had the joy of draining all the water I just filled it with, removing the radiator, removing the hoses, removing the fan & fan clutch, removing the accessory belts, removing the crank pulley (which required a trip to Advance Auto to rent their puller...again), etc. etc. I finally got everything removed, cleaned off the old RTV, put on brand new RTV I had just bought, and put the whole thing back together. Needless to say, my back hurts.
I took it for a spin around the block last night - no hood, no front bumper, no turn signals, no cat back exhaust, etc. I didn't step on the gas that hard, due to it not being broken in at all. From what I could tell though it ran nice. It smoked when I parked it, but I am almost positive it's due to the fact that it has ~1/2 a mile on the engine.
I fixed a few vacuum leaks that were causing rough idle, but my gauge still shows -20 boost (or 20 vacuum). I think it's supposed to be around 14-15, but I'll have to check. I'm getting a Code 12, which is a problem with the MAF sensor. I tried swapping out MAFs, but it didn't fix it, so I'll have to see what's wrong. I doubt I have 2 bad MAFs, as one of them worked fine before I did the swap.
Today when I get home (skipping my 4 o'clock class) I'm going to install the rest of the exhaust, and then try to get the hood and front fascia on. This will allow me to get the turn signals in and make the car much more driveable. Then I'd like to break it in by running it at varying RPMs for ~30 minutes. I might take it for a short (long?) drive, depending on how it sounds and feels. I also need to get the boost controller and gauge wired in permanently.
Turns out it was actually a Code 11, for the CAS, and not a Code 12. My bad...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jinjiro on PBF
September 26th, 2007
I've got about 325-350 miles on her now. She's running good, but I'm waiting on the new detonation sensor subharness that I ordered. Once I get that I should be able to up the boost...a lot. From 7psi to about 14psi for starters. I should be good to 17-18psi on the stock turbos. It runs strong right now, so I can't imagine twice the boost.
A friend of mine will be calling me sometime tomorrow to let me know when his connection can "inspect" the Z.
I got the boost gauge and boost controller permanent wired in now. It's sweet to see them light up when you turn the key. Except I must have jiggled something loose when wiring the boost controller, because now the CD player doesn't work. Gotta check that out.
I've got a few small, cheap/free mods to do still. I want to relocate my PTU, as right now it's zipped tied to the top of the intake. I also needs to modify the front bumper so the intercoolers actually get some air flowing through them. The thought of cutting my front bumper scares me though, so we'll see when I actually do that.
Future Plans (no order):
-New cat back exhaust, with somewhat stock looking tips (I hate the big cans I have)
-Suspension upgrades, perhaps including a drop. The wheel gap looks bad at times
-New tires when I wear these out. Rears will be mounted on the 9.5's I have.
-Interior cosmetic upgrades, such as shift knob/boot, e-brake boot, perhaps SS pedals, etc.
Pics:
Just a few pics I took after a wash.
So now you're all up to date, and if you ever want to swap a TT engine into a 300ZX you should all be able to.
I'm getting the Z "inspected" tomorrow, thanks to a friend. I've got some wiring issues with the boost controller that needs to be taken care of, but other than that it's running good. The wiring harness for the detonation sensor is arriving tomorrow as well, so I'll be able to up the boost.
Man thats pretty sweet. I heard that swap is a real pain in the ***.. and judging from what I just saw I would say its not the easiest. Not much room in that engine bay at all. Very nice work.. things looking good!
Good thing there wasn't a passenger in that car.....
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Good luck with it, it looks like you put a lot of time and effort into the swap.
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Nice swap. I love the z's owning one in the past myself. The engine bays are rediculously hard to work on but i still love the cars. There is another black one for sale by me that im tempted to buy.
