Xnke

As far as I can find, the 1997-1998 trucks with the VG30E or VG33ER have the same transmission, but the -ER has a different third gear ratio.

Mine is from a 1997 Frontier pickup with the VG33ER engine, 3.3L M62- supercharged SOHC.

Got the head back on the car, took a little vacation and hoping this saturday/sunday I'll have enough time between painting a motorcycle and racking some homemade wine to get the oil and filter changed, and get the new head/cam run in and the lash settled out. After about a month, I'll get the super back on and we'll go see how the cool September air treats this dogged out transmission before I swap in the beefed up FS5W71E still sitting in my garage floor.

I have a 308* cam with opening/closing numbers close to yours, duration at fifty is slightly less at 242*, lift is 0.588" The cam was cut on a Japan hex-lug core a long time back, and I don't have a manufacturer, nor any kind of marking on the cam at all. it shows very little wear on it, but I don't have the brass ones to chuck it in the Z and drive it in traffic. I've REALLY thought about it, though, but for now it's greased and wrapped up in the box my Isky custom cut came in, till I figure out what to do with it. I have thought about sending it in and getting it profiled just in case, but haven't done it yet.

The '71A gearbox can not handle much more than stock power levels and synchronizer assemblies have been harder to find for a while now. It's essentially a modified and strengthened roadster gearbox. I would set it aside for someone who needs it for vintage racing, and go for a later model gearbox from a ZX or a ZX turbo. There are plenty of ZX turbo models out that part of the world, and they'll work well with the rear gears in your Z. He's got an early 3-piece 5 speed, gentlemen, with the 3.90 ratio R180 rear end, gentlemen, it's not a common box in the US, and we don't see many of them here. You all might see more of them in the Southlands; but that's the extent of my knowledge on them.

I see. Being as 5th is trapped between the steel centerplate and the tailshaft/countershaft rear bearings, I see no reason for it to fail once we have the actual gear strength up high enough to prevent the gear splitting. There is a local shop that can cut me a helical gearset (stronger, quieter) and I will be calling them up to see what they'd have to have to do the job.

AH, so now I understand. I thought you were breaking the 18mm gears! So what makes the FJ box so desirable over any of the other standard, probably more common FS5W71C/E/G transmissions? Is it just the gear ratios plus the undrilled 18mm 5th?

Yes, you'll smash 5th gear in ANY of those transmissions, including the FJ turbo box, at the power levels you're looking at. They're only 16mm wide in most of the boxes and 18mm wide in any of the rest I've ever seen...Just get a pair of 5th gears machined to fit the later box, if you can work around the ratios. I don't drive 7500RPM in 5th gear, because I know the C-box stock 5th gears won't handle it. They just don't look very strong compared to the rest of the gears. I have a metal shaper setup for cutting gears and internal splines on, but it's not working just yet and I haven't had time to futz about with it. I'd like to machine a 22mm wide 5th gear set for these boxes from 4140-prehard or 9130 and deep-case them. I bet that'd fix 5th at PI, Peter! The 1995+ transmissions run a strong roller bearing on the rear countershaft plus the tailshaft ball bearing up top, and the later boxes have much stronger-looking support in the case for both of those rear bearings. If I hadn't just sealed up the one in the shop floor I'd take some comparison shots for you. I am still trying to find a 24mm wide countershaft gear instead of the 22mm wide one I have, to match the input shaft gear in the box I've got built for my car; but so far, no luck. That would leave me with a 24mm input set, 1st gear set, 22mm 2nd gear, 3rd gear, and an 18mm fine-mesh 5th gear. There is plenty of room to machine a 22mm wide 5th gear set in any ratio you want, and not have to buy the whole countershaft assembly. Gear damage on 1-4 is almost always bearing failure first, and I've heard of shift-fork breakage causing it to get locked into two gears at once, too, but haven't seen it. Usually broken forks just lock up the trans in one gear, but if you try hard enough... Might want to look into just machining a replacement the 5th gear set, might be a more accessable option. Not sure if you can deal with the ratios you all got in the Southlands compared to what came here; most of the heavy-duty 95+ -C and -E type boxes here are from heavier box trucks and SUV's, and have close-ish ratio sets and 4.08 and 4.375 rear end gears, with a VG30e or KA24DE in front of them. The VG33ER-equipped SUV's and pickups had 3.321, 1.912, 1.517, 1.00, and 0.745 gearing, the VG30E boxes have 3.321, 1.902, 1.308, 1.00, 0.745 gearing. Those SUV's aren't real common with those drivelines though, they usually have the FS5R30A and a VG30DE or VQ series engines nowadays. The box in my floor actually came from a 1998 2WD Frontier SE, VG33ER engine and a 4.08 C233 solid rear axle. I'm hoping the odd ratio for 3rd gear was chosen for supercharger service, since that's what I'll be using it for. EDIT: You guys are hitting 165++ on PI? (7000RPM, 0.833 5th gear, 245-45-17's on a 3.90 rear end)

Look for a later C-box...little more work to get together, but much stronger. 1995+ FS5W71C gearboxes are much improved strengthwise versus the older FS5W71B units. They are still just a front case swap away...and don't use the small countershaft bearing if you are concerned with strength. Of the fifteen damaged boxes I've had apart in my shop in the last two years, I have never found a box with severe gear tooth damage, without finding either the front countershaft bearing failed, or the pilot shaft bearing failed. The later boxes have a bigger pilot shaft bearing, as well as the 62mm countershaft bearing, 20+mm wide gears (the box in my garage is 22mm wide, except the input shaft and the 1st gear set being 24mm wide.)

That's a finished intake port, The flow at 37mm was good enough that I blended the roof and sides into the 38mm intake manifold and called it done. The head goes to the machine shop for a proper valve job, S3S, and a second pressure test to make sure this one isn't cracked or ported badly...It happens.

And that level of performance vs durability is a good thing for me. I have a largeish cooler installed in a low point on the car...it will need to be a little more durable. It's not exactly going in a damage prone area but it's not shielded much either. Going to be ducting it in behind the brake-cooling-duct on the air dam, exhausting air to the wheel well. Will be mounted below the right-side headlight bucket.

Had a bit of mixed luck this afternoon! I missed a buy of a 1976 Toyota RA22 Celica by fifteen minutes...the car sold for scrap metal to a dealer. I have called said dealer trying to throw money at him to get it before he crushes it. BUT! I found a local flowbench and slapped the currently-37mm-ish ports on it, and did a little flow work! This is with what's left of the old valve job, on used, but clean, stock-sized valves. I lapped the valves in to get them to seal up closed, but that's about it. The top angle of the 3 angle job is still there, but a lot of the bottom angle isn't or is modified from the die grinder. Lift - Intake Flow .1 - 62.4 .2 - 117.1 .3 - 157.8 .4 - 199.1 (FIGJAM!) .5 - 214.1 Lift - Exhaust flow .1 -- 51.4 .2 -- 80.3 .3 -- 102.1 .4 -- 128.8 .5 -- 134.1 Not too bad! I have no idea how this compares to a stock port; as I don't have any heads with stock ports except a Maxima N47. I also have no idea if this bench is padded/accurate/garbage...it's an old garge-built unit that seemed pretty consistant, though. I was getting very close to the limits of the bench, I had the air valve wide open to get the full 28"WC for the upper end of the intake flow. A guy in the back of the neighborhood has it, but he's moving out this week. I saw it in his garage and asked if I could borrow it for a few minutes. An hour later, I was done and helped him load it into his moving truck. I asked...he didn't want to sell. I have a very good idea of how to copy it though...

Valves that are bent just enough to say they're bent, may "pull closed" against the force of the valve spring...but this will fatigue the valve stem and eventually break off the head! Doesn't take too long to happen, either. Only had one case where that might have happened that I've seen, but it was hard to tell after the carnage.

Check the cam timing is close...you should be able to get it started. Double check your ignition timing, you may need to advance it some to get the car started, or you may be 180* out. If the car is carburated, it sounds like you are flooding out...the cam can't handle that much fuel on cranking. Check the chokes to be sure they're shut. Rule this out by pumping the throttle...if it gets better and starts, it was too lean. If it gets worse and floods, it was already too rich and the problem got worse.

Yep...that's why the FAA requires such strict cleaning procedures every 300 hours of running the engine. It's almost two days on four different flushing machines...and they DO get clean inside. Nothing bigger than 10 microns is allowed to be found at ALL after a flushing, when they inspect the filter. That's any particle 1/3 the size of the smallest particle most normal oil filters will filter out...so that's three times cleaner than it will be after 3000 miles of use in the car. If the engine has a blowup...the cooler is automatically dead. No amount of flushing will make it airworthy again. I inspect every cooler I pull for any kind of metal in the oil, and then they go to the FAA approved reman center to get cleaned and checked out. It's a good idea to pull your oil cooler every few years or once a season anyway and have it cleaned by one of these places, you'd be amazed at the crap that comes out of one on a good running engine! If it's good enough to fly, it's good enough for my car...That said, the Earls coolers are the same as what ford installs on the trucks OEM, but the ford coolers usually are set up for 5/16" lines instead of the larger lines that the Earls units are. The big stacked plate cooler is rated by Long (the manufacturer) at being able to dissapate 30,000BTU's of heat...that should be plenty. I am still trying to figure out how to mount the bar-and-plate core...those things are dead simple to get clean inside once you cut the tanks off the ends. It's just a little too long to mount the way I want, but I can't cut the endplates off, have to keep those so I have something to weld tanks on.

Yeah, good luck finding one of those in the yards. I can't even find a Z31 turbo that hasn't been stripped in hours, it's next to impossible to find a Z32 at all in any shape in the yards. Ford trucks and vans almost all have them...and any of the higher-revving or higher-power cars. RX-7 cooler would be great...but they're rare as hens teeth around here too. Almost all of my go-fast parts are stock parts from other vehicles...Radiator, A/C condenser, Intercooler core, fuel injectors, oil pump, fuel pressure regulator, complete brake system, wheels, electric fans, A/C compressor, dash gauges, ect....all stripped out of pull-a-part yards for pennies on the dollar. All took a little cleanup work, inspection, and thought...but all work just fine.

Automatic transmissions regularly see 100PSI of line pressure, and all the above have been tested in excess of 150PSI by me. Not sure about the pressure *drop* though...although the bar-and-plate unit seems to have the lowest drop of all the three above. The first option has the 5/16" inverted flare inlets, but the last option has 3/8" hose barbs. I can modify the last option to have -8AN fittings, as well.

Hah, got a laugh there. My name's Jake too.

It is my intention to fit an oil cooler to my Z in the near future. I have three coolers on the shelf. Two are Long Manufacturing stacked-plate coolers, one is OEM fitment to the 1991 Ford E150 Van Transmission cooler, and the other is OEM fitment to the 1989 Ford E150 Van. Both are 10.5" wide and 1.375 inches thick. The guy I use to clean coolers like this works down at the airfield, and has a big flushing machine for doing aircraft oil coolers...If the FAA lets it fly, it's good enough for my engine too! Those guys have to do some serious maintenance on really short intervals. The 1991 cooler is slightly larger, and has 5/16" inverted flare fittings. This cooler has been professionally flushed, and when I removed it from service the ATF in the transmission was clean and metal-free. I removed it from a running, driving, perfectly fine truck that was being scrapped out at my employer due to rust. The cooler was about two years old, having been replaced when I replaced the transmission in that truck. The 1989 cooler is smaller, and has integral 5/16" hose barb fittings. This cooler has also been cleaned by the same professional service, and when removed from the junkyard van it had very clean engine oil in it...not transmission fluid. It is possible this was fitted by someone other than the factory...although it was a factory fitted part for that year and model. Who knows? This cooler is the same width, but about two inches shorter top to bottom than the above model. The third cooler is also a transmission cooler...this time built by Niagra Fabrication, with a Ford part number on it. This was removed from a Taurus SHO. This cooler has 3/8" hose barbs on each end, and is a bar-and-plate type cooler. It is 4.5" tall, and 18" wide, not counting the end tanks. This cooler has integrated mounting points with clip nuts in it, and I can modify it for any size fitting I want on each end without as much risk of rendering it useless. It is currently filled with lacquer thinner, as I haven't had it flushed yet. It will have to go in the front of the car; but I am running out of room. Not sure if I can use it yet, I'll have to look and see in the daylight. The two stacked-plate cores I could mount in the fenderwell below the headlight, and duct cool air to them via the brake duct holes in the air dam. The long, thin one I am not sure I could do that with; I could mount it to the front of the core support and blow air down through it, but that seems like a less desirable way to go. I would prefer to mount it in the normal manner, but I don't think I have enough room unless I mount it below the core support and duct in air from the brake ducts on each side. Thoughts, ideas, Advice? Where was the stock ZXT oil cooler mounted, and how was airflow directed through it?

Mind sharing the ratios there? I just built a box in my floor, that had gear ratios I couldn't find in any Nissan box...Not sure if I scored a rare core or something. Nothing in Nissan USA got the below ratios, nor can I find a listing for any box with the gear widths in this one...2, 3, 4 are all 22mm wide, 1st gear is 24mm wide, input gear set is 22mm wide. 5th gear is still 18mm wide, with a high tooth-count pair...still the 240SX 0.754 ratio but with a third more teeth. Uses a 1997 Pathfinder 4WD synchro kit, but a 2WD bearing kit and case. The 2WD synchros would fit, but didn't allow the gearset to fit into the case...too long. The ratios in my box are 3.321, 1.915, 1.517, 1:1, 0.754 The third gear...should be 1.308 to make it match with the gearset I was expecting. Second gear should have been 2.088, too...but I checked more times than I care to recall the tooth counts and kept getting the same numbers.

Yep. That's why I'm trying to find a flowbench to balance them out! I'm not THAT good...I don't get to do this every day. Every couple months I do a few single-cylinder and two cylinder engines, sometimes a set of VW heads. I have done datto heads a LOT, but it's a cut-and-try thing. As it is, I use templates to match the ports up as close as I can get them, but even then I have a long way to go before I can really skip a flow-check. The exhaust ports I have pretty damn tightly matched, volume and shape wise. Each port matches the templates within 0.040", and that's just one port that is out that much...the rest are half that out. One of the combustion chambers has a small casting error, the exhaust valve seat is a little closer to the chamber wall than the others, and the intake is a little further away. Can't move them as much as I need to...the port wall would get into the valve seat area. I'd need to go to a slightly larger valve to get the seat pushed out enough. If this was a race car...I'd already have fixed the issue. It's not a race car...it's my daily driver, that I've been without for nearly a month now. I'm getting impatient and it's getting harder to convince myself that close enough is not close enough.

It's a known good template set that I am working from, the flowbench is just to equalize the ports. Even though the ports are worked to match a template, it's possible to have them off as much as 30CFM from each other.

Porting updates: Exhaust ports are finished, will get a final 120 grit finish before the flowbench and will get polished after. I have one intake port roughed in at 37mm, finished port will be 38mm. Progression of an exhaust port: Good shot of a finished port: I swear this port isn't as wonky as it looks...the port floor is level with the deck surface. I went and checked twice after taking this photo.

Done a bit more work on the exhausts in the last few days; got tomarrow off work, then work two days, then off two, weekend, off one, work four...going to be hectic. All the valves are machined, need to clean up the backs of the valves and oil them till I'm ready for them. Tomarrow is a trip to the shooting range, get to blow off some steam and relax. I shoot 400 and 600 yard target matches about three times a year; so the highly structured practice helps with relaxation.

This engine destined for Greg Ira? He's a VERY competent driver and chassis guy too...runs very near, if not on the top, of his class in SCCA ITS. Will be a GREAT day when it's in the car and making laps!