MIA engines built L28

[theremm]

Hello

The bottom end of my L24 is using a bit of oil and so I’m considering going in for a full engine rebuild with MIA engines. Have had some cylinder head work done by them before and was very happy.

I have a spare L28 at home which I was leaning towards taking out to 2.9L with one of their stroker kits. Now is probably the smart time to upgrade.

Other than my slightly worn out L24 in my 240z I’ve never driven another L series. 

Wondering If any members around Brisbane who have had an L28 or even L24 rebuilt for that matter wouldn’t mind showing me how their car drives in comparison. Wanted to get a more realistic understanding of my expectations. Also interested to see what the driving characteristics of an L28 are compared to the L24. Not quite sure which motor to work with yet.

Thanks Alex

 

[peter t]

I have  recently had a L28 built by JWR here in Brisbane and goes for its final tune at Brisbane Turbo and Tuning Thursday. Nothing special done to it. A bit of head work, Flat top pistons and tripple 45 webers. Compared to the L26 this engine pulls like a d9  I haven't been over 5k by my tacho and  as a road car this is heaps. Depends what you want to use it for. My combo is a F54 block/N42 Head. I just used the standard NISMO cam that came in this engine to my knowledge. Will have some hp figures after tune on Thursday.

 

 

[AndBir]

25 minutes ago, peter t said:

goes for its final tune at Brisbane Turbo and Tuning Thursday

Interested to know what choke & emulsion tube / jetting sizes etc. you have in your Weber45 carbs (or end up with post tuning) - if you could post this information along with the dyno info it would be great.

[theremm]

Cool thanks Peter, looking forward to see the dyno/tune results later this week then once available. Sounds like a good baseline comparison.

[peter t]

7 minutes ago, theremm said:

Cool thanks Peter, looking forward to see the dyno/tune results later this week then once available. Sounds like a good baseline comparison.

Remember this is not a race car.

 

[be-zed]

Alex need to decide how much you want to spend and how much you can do your self. Do you want a quick road car , a track day car or something that lives on a trailer. Mine is in between a quick road car and a track day car which I can drive to the shops if necessary. There are a number of owners around Brisbane and surrounding areas that have a large range power plants you could look over and go for a ride .But covid19 may be a problem at present.

You just need to ask.  .

[theremm]

9 hours ago, be-zed said:

Alex need to decide how much you want to spend and how much you can do your self. Do you want a quick road car , a track day car or something that lives on a trailer. Mine is in between a quick road car and a track day car which I can drive to the shops if necessary. There are a number of owners around Brisbane and surrounding areas that have a large range power plants you could look over and go for a ride .But covid19 may be a problem at present.

You just need to ask.  .

Budget is about 5-8k, probably prefer to keep on the leaner side if possible. Already have exhaust and intake system sorted so that's not included. Can do all the fitting/installation/carby tuning myself, but would prefer to just send a motor away on a pallet and get somebody else to do the work as I have another project which is my main focus currently. It's really just a quick road car that I'm after. The L24 is nice to drive when you're out in the countryside and at higher speeds but its frustrating around town as you just have to rev the thing out to really get any decent power. Below 3,000 it just feels so slow and hardly any torque. As mentioned the motor uses a bit of oil and probably is a little tired, I haven't had the compression checked though. Never driven another L24 or L28 though so not sure really how it compares.

[be-zed]

Your expectations are realistic. Although your budget for a motor sent away on a pallet may be on the light side. Especially if you don't know what you want done to the engine.. There is a number of combinations of heads ,pistons ,rods, cams and cranks which will give good torque and drivability from around 2,200 to 5,500. This makes for a good road car . But a Zed that is good around town all the time is a bit of a myth. Especially in Brisbane in Summer. You need to talk to someone who has experience with the L-series engines and not just one point of view. We all have our favourite combinations and one is always better than another or so it would seem.

We haven't had a get together for QLD AUSZCAR members for sometime now .If your time table is open on this project then at one of those meetings you could possibly gather the information or experience you are looking for. Christmas time can work for such a meeting.           

[peter t]

Agreed You budget is really on the light side as good quality parts will cost you most of that. You can call down and go for a drive in mine now it has had its final tune. It is putting out 152HP  @ 6122 rpm in third gear with a flat torque curve around 140nm.  Great road car engine.

[AndBir]

4 hours ago, peter t said:

now it has had its final tune

Did they have to change any of the Weber jets etc? or did they just synchronise the carbs and adjust the idle mixtures and speed settings?

[peter t]

14 hours ago, AndBir said:

Did they have to change any of the Weber jets etc? or did they just synchronise the carbs and adjust the idle mixtures and speed settings?

No changes from first tune and just as you say.

[theremm]

On 9/24/2020 at 9:22 AM, be-zed said:

Your expectations are realistic. Although your budget for a motor sent away on a pallet may be on the light side. Especially if you don't know what you want done to the engine.. There is a number of combinations of heads ,pistons ,rods, cams and cranks which will give good torque and drivability from around 2,200 to 5,500. This makes for a good road car . But a Zed that is good around town all the time is a bit of a myth. Especially in Brisbane in Summer. You need to talk to someone who has experience with the L-series engines and not just one point of view. We all have our favourite combinations and one is always better than another or so it would seem.

We haven't had a get together for QLD AUSZCAR members for sometime now .If your time table is open on this project then at one of those meetings you could possibly gather the information or experience you are looking for. Christmas time can work for such a meeting.           

Ok thanks for the honest feedback. I hadn't spoken to an engine builder yet about my specific plans or budget so wasn't entirely sure how far my money would get me. Given 5-8k might be on the lighter side then for a complete rebuild, another option I had considered was just getting the bottom end of an L28 done and pairing with my current head.  I have an E88efi head on my L24 currently which was rebuilt by MIA (including with a regrind cam) about 1.5-2years ago. Already set up with an adjustable cam sprocket too. I can assemble a short motor at home myself and dial in the cam etc so that could be an alternative more suited to my budget. The E88efi head has the 42mm intake and larger 35mm exhaust valves. Smaller intake valves than the 44mm N42 and also smaller chamber size. Not sure if it would be suitable to use this head on the L28, or if I would be better just delaying until I could afford to get the larger N42 head rebuilt instead. 

Probably worthwhile speaking to a shop about my plans but really just wanted to firm up a better idea myself of what I was hoping achieve prior to doing so.

20 hours ago, peter t said:

Agreed You budget is really on the light side as good quality parts will cost you most of that. You can call down and go for a drive in mine now it has had its final tune. It is putting out 152HP  @ 6122 rpm in third gear with a flat torque curve around 140nm.  Great road car engine.

Alright thanks Peter, appreciate the offer. That would be really good actually. I will send you a PM over the coming weeks then to see if there was a time suitable for you.

[hmd]

Talk to James @ MIA about the E88efi with L28. I know he built L24, L26 and L28 group S engines.

[theremm]

Ok thanks mate, will give them a call to discus.