jamo240

Hey guys...here's my perspective... Carburettors or fuel injection are just mixing devices for adding a quantity of fuel to the air going into the engine, which gets lit by the spark plug, burns up ~20% of the volume in the cylinder (oxygen), while heating up the rest of the volume in the cylinder which doesn't burn (mostly nitrogen), to apply pressure to the top of the piston. The ability to get the right amount of fuel mixed with the air going into the cylinder, and then lighting it at the right moment is the aim of the game. Where the operating range of the engine is limited, the task is relatively easy (NASCAR stock car engines make stacks of power using a single 4 barrel, but operate in a fairly specific rev range). Thru years of development, they have been made to put the right amount of fuel in all 8 cylinders from a single carb. Multiple choke carburettors (Webers, Mikunis) are mostly intended to reduce the vagaries of manifold distribution and all that stuff and allow improved performance over a broader operating range than a single carb (=better driveability). Fuel injection/ignition takes that to the next level, and allows a greater level of control over the entire operating range, and can take into account a great many variables. Fuel injection does not per se produce more power though...that is a function of how much air goes into the engine. Electronic control of the engine provides accuracy in fueling/ignition timing, and therefore may be able to address issues that a carburetted engine cant, thereby giving the impression of more power. So...if it's a race car, you can stay with carbs, tune it for the rev range you need most, make good power, but may need to warm the engine up on hot plugs before putting some cold ones in to race and put up with a few flat spots and that's a pretty cheap way out of it. But....if you want it to start up and drive nice whether it is a hot or cold day and whether you're at sea level or altitude etc etc blah blah, then inject it including ECU controlled ignition, and step into the world of almost infinite tuneability. So...are carbs better than EFI? It all depends what you are trying to achieve. To use the Nascar parallel, injection would do diddly squat for you at Daytona. But if you ran that Nascar at Bathurst, EFI would make it easier to drive and it would use less fuel, and if you wanted to drive that Nascar to work from time to time, then EFI would be the only way to go!!!!

Thanks for the supportive comments gents! Aidann...replied to your PM. If budget is an issue, suggest you go a normally exasperated engine. While I love my injected turbo's, they are a lot more money to build than their non-turbo carby cousins, and a good L28 with triple webers is a delight to listen to and makes stacks of power to have a lot of fun with. That way you can spend more money on the interior and paint job etc so the car looks great and is nice inside, with more than adequate performance. Super-dooper-double-overhead-hump-dollar guzzling turbo engines are not a priority alongside getting the car working as a whole, and at the age they are, restored to be a nice thing rather than a rusty shyt box. Cheers Jamo

Welcome! There are a few of us here who have done RB conversions, so give us a shout if you want any ideas on how to do it. Cheers Jamo

Thanks Kato Aidann, if you're in any doubt, here's about what it takes to build up what I'm selling: Donor L28 engine: $500 Machining: $1000 Turbo: $1000 Exhaust manifold: $500 Fuel pressure regulator/fuel rail: $250 Camshaft/Valve gear: $250 Gasket set: $150 Cylinder head porting: $500 Wastegate: $500 Injectors: $700 Motec ECU: $2000 Harness: $250 Clutch: $500 Water pump: $100 Alternator 55A: $200 Ignition parts: $100 Intercooler plumbing and BOV: $300 Pistons/RIngs: $600 Gearbox/USA import: $1000+ Assembly labor: $ Tuning: $600 And a bunch of other stuff I can't think of right now...as you can see, it's not hard to spend $10k plus. Up to you. Cheers

Hi Dallas In my 240, I pulled out the carpets, neutralised any rust, and then sprayed on some body deadner to ensure no more rust develops. From there, I stuck the cheap and cheerful equivalent of dynomat (available from any body shop suppliers) in (you apply it using a heat gun to give it form). This is a great way to reduce air-borne noise coming into the cabin and reduce heat conduction into the cabin off the road and exhaust heat wash. From your pics, it looks like your Z is garaged, which is a great step forward in preserving it...sitting in the weather is never good for any car. Otherwise, just make sure all your seals are working properly, and the car's are not problem leakers. Cheers Jamo

Hi Aidann Sorry things didn't work out with the L28ET you were buying. Try not to let it put you off the car, as they're well worth persevering with...although sometimes the nuts behind the wheel let us down! I have an L28ET sitting on my garage floor that i recently pulled out of my 240Z. It has a North American 280ZX gearbox behind it (which has the better 5th gear ratio for cruising....0.745:1 instead of 0.864:1 for Aussie delivered cars). I imported the gearbox some years ago, and with a 3.7 diff it does 2,500RPM at 100km/h. The engine is Motec M48Pro controlled, and I would sell it complete with everything except intercooler, radiator and big fuel pumps...all else included from fan to propeller shaft, wiring harness, ECU and all that stuff that costs a lot of money to make/buy. The engine makes around 400FWHP, and makes for a very quick 240. Until I put Yokohama AO32R tyres on it, it would smoke 245/40R17's in the first 3 gears. The Yokies spin thru 2nd and hook up in 3rd. Although I have a mate who's interested in it, I just can't see him getting organised anytime soon, so I need it gone to clear up the garage. Let me know if you're interested, and if so, I'll ask him how keen he actually is. For the whole lot it would be around $5,800. Cheers Jamo

I have a set...I'll have a look at em and see if they're good to go. They were retired from service in 1988, so you can think of em as only having 15 years life on them, not 35!! Jamo

Hey Benny AN refers to the American standard 'Ármy Navy'...hence ÁN'. AN6 refers to 6/16 outside diameter (OD) of the tube. Hence the tube would have an OD of 3/8". The inside diameter (ID) of the tube is not specified under this system, hence the ID can vary depending on the application and material...there is a way of determining this too, depending on material etc. In the case of hose, it can generally be assumed AN6 corresponds to 6/16 (3/8) ID. Obviously the ID of hose is generally set up to match the OD of (metal) tube. AN8 relates to 8/16 or 1/2"diameter, and so on. For fuel, AN6 is plenty. Cheers

Hey Simon....I will take some pics of the sump when I take the engine back out. Cheers

Thanks for the comments guys! Scott: It's not the size of your cross member that counts....it's the stiffness!!! Mine was adapted from the standard R33 skyline mount...it was a bit of fiddling to shorten it, and then I added a closing plate to the bottom to reinforce the weld points. It's very stiff, and will allow plenty of rigidity for the rubber isolator to work against. Kato: Thanks for the comments....I am happy with how it's going, and when all the plating is finished, the engine bay should look sweet! Power wise...I am after about 500 engine HP....so we'll see how we go in achieving that....it's not all that important in truth...it will have heaps of power for what it is....bring it on! Jamo

Thanks guys.. Simon: ETA is another couple of months I reckon...I am away so much with work ATM (and deer hunting half the weekends!), that the progress has slowed a bit, but it's still getting there. Peter: Yah...I agree...I worked at Gibsons during the Skyline era, and have a lot of respect for the RB26, but it is a race engine, and mine is a road car, so I want driveability over peak power. The RB30 combo is nice, but I just didn't think I needed that kind of torque, and it also was going to present a lot of packaging problems for the inlet manifold with the extra height, not to mention additional weight, so I decided the 25 is the right medicine for me. Here is where the gearbox lever came out...the fact that this fore/aft location allowed the use of the standard R33 prop shaft was pure @rse! Exhaust pipe is 3.5"stainless all the way, and sump is custom made, a direct copy of what I used to make for the RB20's in the old Gibson R31 'Peter Jackson' Skylines. About as much fun as making a set of headers!

And here are some of the saddle as it was being modified. The shot of the floor underside shows where the saddle was removed from the original position, and then moved back about 80mm. The area where the deadener is scraped away is about where the rearmost flange was re-welded to. I only had to remove about 12mm from the top of the saddle and reweld to get the width right. The shape of the body matched exactly, so you can weld the saddle back in without having to massage it.

And here are some of the underside...sorry they are not complete with comments...I can't figure out how to insert them without actually posting the message....anyone able to tell me?!

Here are some more pics....

Hey guys After seeing the great work done on GAS RB26 installation, I thought I'd give you a few pics and insight into my lil mule. It's a 73 240Z that had a turbo L series, now being replaced with an RB25DET. I went with the 25 as I like them for the variable cam timing and inlet manifold. Many view the 26 as the one to have, and that's cool....it certainly looks the goods; but for driveability, I prefer long inlet runners and VVT along with ball bearing turbos to maximise response. My engine is basically stock internals, but with a GT35/40 turbo (internally gated), Nismo 740cc injectors, APexi FC controller and the R33 twin synchro gearbox. I was a bit luck with the tail shaft as the front piece off the standard skyline fitted without modification (except for replacement of the diff flange with the skyline unit...they go straight on, altho I added an external slinger to stop dirt getting at the seal. I removed the gearbox saddle from the body, and sectioned it as well as reconfiguring to suit the modified gearbox cross member from the skyline. The car has also got power steering from a Subaru, so I retained the R33 P/S pump to serve the Subie rack. Here are some pics

Gav: What is better about the 260 chassis?

Hey Kato Thanks very much. When will it be free? I reckon I would be ready to use it in about 2 weeks time, so if it is free by then, I will give you a shout to arrange pickup. Cheers Jamo

Sorry Dingo...my Zeds are only ever well done!

Hey guys I have now got the RB25 installation sorted, and as I have pulled the whole driveline out now to do the build up before final reinstallation, I've decided to flick the car up on its side and redo the underside. Now, I can go out and buy a rotisserie for the job, but as I won't be using it again any time soon, I'm interested to know if anyone has one in the Melbourne region that they aren't using and want to rent out for a few weeks?? Cheers, Jamo

Re Diff breather pig tail....you take the little cap off the breather first, and those goes straight onto the breather stem. Cheers

Hey Ben...my Z always leaked oil from the diff breather...I just made up a pig tail of rubber hose (5/8 from memory) that tucks up beside the wheel well, and that takes care of it. You could do a catch can if you want, but the hose works fine. Cheers Jamo

Hi Sirpent.. That's a great piece you've written on panel prep...we all appreciate the work you put into the words and taking all the pics etc. I was wondering if you're thinking of doing one on dent removal/lead filling etc? These are areas almost all Z's need work on, and a few tips on how to do this kind of work could be handy. Cheers mate, and thanks for the great write up. Jamo

Thanks Scoota...look forward to hearing from you soon. Cheers Jamo

Hey guys Slight change of plan...while the 'Bad dog' parts will do the job, they are not quite a repro of the original part, so if possible, I will try to find the original parts. Soooo...does anyone have a body that's being scrapped that the seat mounts could be removed from?? Cheers Jamo

Hey thanks Roberto! I had no idea...they will do the job just fine...exactly what I''m after. Cheers Jamo