p510psi's RB25DET 240Z Project

[p510psi]

Hi all,

 

I've made some progress on my 240Z project and I thought I would begin a topic with some pictures and info on its current state.

 

I originally purchased the car from Nate late last year, and I've included a couple of pics of how it looked then.

 

 

I’ve since removed the original running gear from the car and purchased an R33 Series 2 RB25DET halfcut. I've recently got the engine and gearbox mounted in the car as pictured below (still to fabricate the gearbox mount). 

 

 

I’m hoping to have the engine running in the car soon in stock trim, then I’ll focus on completing the suspension and brakes. Luckily a set of front brakes came with the halfcut so they will make their way on to the Z as well.

 

Cheers,

Craig

 

[Zedman240®]

Hey, would like to see the conversion in person! (if possible)Thinking about  doing the same one myself but with a RB25DE instead of the turbo. Looked at Ash's (zr240) conversion but its hard to see while the body work is still in progress! With some luck I'll probably sell the L28 to help fund the conversion. Luckily still have the original L24 so the numbers match (early HS30-000121).

[sco_aus]

Good stuff, have fun mate.  Remember, plan it right the first time and make sure you only have to do it once and you will save thousands (of everything).

[p510psi]

Hey, would like to see the conversion in person! (if possible)Thinking about  doing the same one myself but with a RB25DE instead of the turbo. Looked at Ash's (zr240) conversion but its hard to see while the body work is still in progress! With some luck I'll probably sell the L28 to help fund the conversion. Luckily still have the original L24 so the numbers match (early HS30-000121).

 

No worries - I'll send you a message to organise a suitable time.

 

Good stuff, have fun mate.  Remember, plan it right the first time and make sure you only have to do it once and you will save thousands (of everything).

 

Thanks - I learnt alot during the build of my SR20 1600, so I have a very clear plan for this car as well.

 

[p510psi]

Hi all,

 

It's been a while since I updated this project thread, so I thought would include some pics of the car's current state.

 

It's not too far away from being driveable - the engine is in and running and all the drivetrain is complete.

 

You may also notice a number of parts from Dimitri's car - I purchased his suspension, front brakes and Simmons wheels.

 

The next jobs are to complete the exhaust, change to a greddy front facing plenum, replace the LHS floor panel due to rust, front and rear sway bars and then get a rollcage, seats and belts.

 

Here are some pics of it:

 

 

Craig

[Toecutter]

Ha looks nice, thats my old Z. I sold it to Nate in the condition you have it in the first pic, pretty much the factory stock look and I don't think he ever got time to touch it but he did take off overseas and sold it then from memory!? Looking really good, I was wondering where this thread got to as someone sent me a PM the other day asking about this car as they saw it in my gallery.  I could'nt find this thread at the time but I'll keep a tab on it from here in to follow the progress.

 

Thanks for the update,

 

Cheers,

Sulio

[Aaron Neubauer]

Looks like some serious gear there!  I like! 

[Zedman240®]

Ha! Those first few pics I thought I was looking at my own car! Looking real good there..

I do really miss my bits! hehehe

[GV260]

Hey Dimitri, what did you upgrade your rims, brakes and suspension too?

[Zedman240®]

Hey Dimitri, what did you upgrade your rims, brakes and suspension too?

I'm using "Performance Superlites" (@ 9.4kg's each!) 16x8's, brakes are R32 4 pot and Ford discs and standard struts with 280/300lb springs and Koni Yellows. Xcuse the thread change of topic...

[Riceburner]

Looks great Craig, love the 3 autometer gauges in the dash and those wheels really suit the car especailly in that color combo! 

[RB26DETT]

looking good Craing!!! what parts did you use for you CV joint conversion?

[gav240z]

Great work, the car looks great. Did you keep the original running gear for the "just in case" scenario?

[gav240z]

By the way those Gauges look good, almost identical to the original ones (at least the Speedo and Tacho). What are they and where did you get them?

[p510psi]

Thanks for the comments guys.

 

looking good Craing!!! what parts did you use for you CV joint conversion?

 

I ended up going with the axles from Stewart Wilkins - they use Z31 Turbo CV joints. They're not cheap - but they should hold up to the power I plan to put through them.

 

Great work, the car looks great. Did you keep the original running gear for the "just in case" scenario?

 

I thought long and hard about this...but I did end up selling the engine to Dimitri. I don't really have the space to store all the original running gear. The car was originally an auto, and I still have the transmission but that will be heading to scrap dealers soon. I did consider completing the work of Sulio and Nate and restore it to original - but I couldn't resist modifying!

 

By the way those Gauges look good, almost identical to the original ones (at least the Speedo and Tacho). What are they and where did you get them?

 

The speedo and tacho are from the R33 Skyline instrument cluster. I saw a couple of the guys in the US (on HybridZ forums) complete this conversion and thought it was a great idea. The Skyline gauge cluster can be dismantled and the gauge faces can be modified so that they fit perfectly within the 240z gauge pods. The Skyline gauges are electronically controlled stepper motor gauges and interface to all the standard speed and rpm sensors. The speedo can be calibrated via internal resistors to suit the diff ratio and wheel size. I've completely rewired the whole car and updated it to a modern electrical architecture.

 

Here are a couple more pics of the gauges:

 

[RB30X]

A GTR speedo would look good with the higher km/hr. 250 I think. Would be closer to the range of the factory speedo. Not that they used to be able to go that fast, but your car, with that engine................

[NZeder]

I am partly though my wiring. How many relays did you end up adding for the EFI/ECU?

 

I am adding a total of 7 new relays

 

1 = Ign Relay (this will be on the factory relay board on the drive side kick panel, 260z) for switch protection really

2 = Fuel pump relay

3 = Fan relay

4 = ECU relay

5 = Ign Coil relay

6 = Headlight low beam relay

7 = Headlight high beam relay

 

So only 4 relate to the ECU/EFI really. All relays are installed on the other 260z relay location under the bonnet on the fusible link bracket along with the extra fuses. This is also were I am install the dropping resistors for the injectors (were the factory Voltage reg was located as this is not required with the RB's alternator)

 

I just need to visit the local pick-a-part and get loom for extra wires and spare plugs (incase I need the plugs)

 

Anyway did you follow any of the wiring advice on Hybridz or did you just work it out your self? I have taken bits from different forums and worked out my own solution.

 

I have also replaced the factory fusible links with a VN/VP Commodore fusible link box much tidier and fuses are easy to get from REPCO/SuperCheap etc

[p510psi]

Hey - it's great to see another New Zealander on the forums! I've lived over here in Melbourne for the last 4 years.

 

I went for the Skyline fuse box for all the interior circuits - this also accommodates a number of relays for Igntion, ACC power, engine start button and some lighting. As you mentioned, going to a modern fuse box means you can use blade fuses. I've included a pic of where it's mounted in the car. The white connector beside it allows all of the circuits which go through the firewall or to the rear of the car to be disconnected when removing the instrument panel/dash.

 

 

In the engine bay I'm using a power distribution box from a S13 180sx - it provides a number of relays and fuses for the engine circuits - fuel pump, fan, headlamps, horn etc. Here's some pictures of it:

 

 

The ECU relay is mounted beside the ECU which is fitted to the passenger side kick panel. I've also got the battery mounted in the boot.

 

 

As I got the halfcut I got most of the wiring so was able to keep it all colour coded to reflect the Nissan design.

 

I did get some information from Hybridz and some schematics from the internet - but also worked through the factory harness and made my own solution. The R33/R34 models are still pretty much all hardwired so it's possible to do this relatively easily. Most vehicles (including Nissan) built after this are more challenging as you get into the issues of CAN buses and immobilisation that is distributed among a number of modules in the vehicle. This only applies if you are looking to retain the factory engine management.

 

 

[NZeder]

That is a nice install looks good - I did think about replacing the factory fuel box with a modern blade type. All the extra stuff will have new blade fuses under the bonnet.

 

I lived in Melbourne from 2001-2003 would have stayed if the wife did not want to come back to NZ.

 

Anyway I am going to hook into the loom this weekend after a quick visit to pick-a-part for some extra wire

[Hunter]

The Rb-25 conversion I bought off MRP69 Peter does not have those relays installed but works. I should look into it for protection I suppose.

[p510psi]

You don't need all the relays to make it work in the car. It depends on how it has been setup in the car - you could hardwire a number of these items  instead of having the ECU drive them. I went to the approach of having all controls (including lights, wipers, horn etc) being low current signals to switch relays as this allows the use of a power distribution box. This in turn keeps all the power supply wiring much tidier. It also makes it much easier to diagnose problems in my opinion. As I was going for a complete rewire of the whole car I wanted to integrate the everything into the one electrical system.

 

NZeder -  I'll keep an eye on your project thread to see how it all goes. Your car is looking very impressive!

[NZeder]

p510psi is correct you don't need all that to get the engine working but you should have at least the following

 

1 x Relay for the Fuel pump (don't drive it from the ECU directly )

1 x Relay for the Fan same reason - assume your ECU is driving an electric fan

1 x Main ECU relay - that can drive all other circuits

 

I started with a 260z which has more modern style electrical circuits (sort of Nissan went part the of the way) and therefore already had an ACC relay for the ACC circuits. But like the 240z full current passes through the combination switch for hi/low beam so I am rewiring the heads to include relays. I will add an IGN relay and then all the normal EFI relay, Coil, ECU, Fuel Pump and Fan. Things like the O2 power, dropping resistor power etc will come off the IGN relay.

 

Anyway sorry for the slight thread hi -jack I will post up a diagram in a new thread of the changes I make so others can see what I have done (when I do it lol)

 

Cheers

Mike

[RBZ 260]

nice install P510PSI.

 

did similar on my 260z. though i did reroute the ecu cables upwards out of  harms way from passenger feet. (N12 pulsar,exa turbo nitemares of ecu being constantly kicked and causing intermiten problems)

 

though i used skyline wiring through entire car just adapted to z controls and plugs to lights and switches. worked a treat.

 

i will do the same for the 240z once i get ot it . wiring is going out of the 260z and reusing it on the 240z.

 

 

[p510psi]

I've been pretty busy with work lately, so progress has been fairly slow. In the time since my last post I have had the car driveable and functional - I've been able to maneuver the car around within the confines of my driveway to check the basics of the clutch/gearbox and brake functionality.

 

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I was planning to change to a front facing plenum to eliminate the length (and poor aesthetics) of the current piping. I was able to source a second hand GReddy unit with minimal use. The images below have the throttle body adapter fitted - I will remove this and go for an aftermarket 80mm throttle body. This should allow for enough clearance between the resulting piping and guard. If not, I'll have to get an adapter made which shouldn't be too difficult.

 

 

I have some custom piping to finish it all off then it will be back up and running again. I'll then be moving onto the exhaust system which I'm starting to accumulate bits for.

 

I've also included a shot of the turbo I will end up using once the vehicle is on the road. Once I resolve all the small issues and get a feel for the car, I'll be changing the turbo and manifold and also changing a few other things on the engine.

 

 

There's been alot of other little bits and peices that I've been working on, including finishing off the interior, new door locks, new ignition barrel, new roof lining, short shifter kit, etc.

 

 

I still have a fairly long 'to do' list before the car will be ready and legal for the road, but I hope to have it all done during next year so I can attend some of the club events!

 

Craig

[luvemfast]

Nice work

Hope you're keeping that steering wheel, the interior looks great.