240Z L28ET by MazterDizazter

25 minute(s) of a 54 minute read

240Z L28ET - 1973 240Z

Compliments of MazterDizazter @ www.hybridz.org

3/4/08

Oh boy, something to waste more time on the internet with!

Hey guys, my name's Corey. I've wanted a Z car for about 3 years now, but I think the obsession started many years ago when I first saw a 300ZX Shiro model as a small child... but that's not the point. The point is, I have searched long and hard and finally found myself a nice 1973 240Z, rust free and pristine enough for me. Since I never could decide which I'd rather have, a 240Z or 280ZX turbo, I decided to make the best of both worlds, with the now somewhat obligatory L28ET swap. Thus begins my swap thread and project blogging and whatever. I'll post progress as often as I have batteries for my camera. Since I'm pretty much a n00b when it comes to Z cars, I'm also going to use this thread to ask a lot of questions, so I hope that all you L28ET owners can help me out!

Here's a list of parts I need for the swap:

L28ET (no, really?)...got one for $900 shipped w/ ecu, harness, accessories

Z32 5 speed transmission

bellhousing adapter

custom driveshaft (carbon fiber if budget permits...not likely though)

Fidanza aluminum flywheel, ARP flywheel bolts

Clutch Masters Stage 4 clutch

eBay short throw shifter

Arizona Z Car aluminum radiator

Arizona Z Car cast aluminum oil pan

NPR or eBay intercooler and piping

blow-off valve (still undecided on which type)

'75-76 EFI fuel tank or modded 240Z tank, larger lines, Walbro fuel pump

GReddy Profec B boost controller

non-EGR intake manifold

custom downpipe and 3" stainless steel exhaust

engine gaskets/seals: valve cover, oil pan, front/rear main seal, possibly HG

Let me know if I'm missing anything painfully obvious...

Anyhow, here's pics of the car:

You get a cookie if you can guess what that shell is in the background!

And here's my engine, already started tearing off the unnecessary stuff: 

And a couple other parts I bought: Fairlady mirrors, Datsun fender emblems (thinking of getting the Fairlady emblems instead), OEM battery hold-down, and MSA flares.... One of them was sacrificed to a botched project on an MR2, so anyone wanna sell me one fender flare? These won't be going on for a while because I need to focus on the engine swap and I also don't have wheels/tires wide enough to fit the flares, nor need for any until the engine swap is done.

I paid $5,500. Unfortunately had to sell my super-rare '94 MR2 Turbo to afford it... (*wipes tears from eyes). I got it in Burlington, VT. It was restored in 2000ish if I recall; originally silver and I may choose to go back to that color eventually but for now, British Racing Green suits it quite well. It currently has an L26 with triple Weber 40mm carbs, but the carbs needed to be rebuilt and rather than spending silly amounts of money doing that, I decided to go turbo. I am sure gonna miss the sound of those Webers, though. They sound truly out of this world!!!

3/5/08

So I took the turbo off last night, and the (according to the guy I bought it from) "rebuilt 0 miles turbo" looked like this:

Something's wrong with this picture...and the compressor wheel barely moved at all; I had to practically muscle it to move it, but that might be because it needs to be oiled.

Also, my engine was leaking pretty bad for a (also according to the seller) "rebuilt with 6,000 miles engine":

So I guess I'll have to replace some gaskets at least.

Lastly, why didn't Nissan cover over this hole with the new fuel injected blocks? Now I gotta spend like $30 to get a block-off plate since I don't need power steering.

3/7/08

Today was a day filled with good news! 240hoke is selling bellhousing adapters for the Z32 transmission to the L-series, and also has a lot of Z32 transmissions for sale so I can just buy a trans. from him and not worry about sourcing one myself and mailing the bellhousing back and forth! Also, I secured myself a '76 EFI fuel tank (from AZ so there's no RUST...holy crap!) and N42 non-EGR intake manifold. Bought a Fidanza lightweight flywheel today, too! I'm really pumped because thus far the biggest worry of mine was the fuel tank, because I've been searching and I didn't think I could find the right year tank so I figured I'd have to pay big bucks to get mine modified, but that has been lifted from my shoulders. Now my biggest worries are making sure my turbo is alright, taking care of the wiring (luckily I have a brother who's an electronics engineer), and getting the new fuel lines in.

3/9/08

Today I removed the intake manifold, fuel rail, and a/c compressor and bracket. I'd like to get the engine all cleaned up before the week is over, since my Z is coming home this friday. Here's some progress pics, and a pic of the fuel tank I bought:

3/10/08

I started degreasing the engine today. Look at the difference!

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

The valve cover came out nicely; I was gonna replace it but I think I'll keep it at least for now:

The front is going to need a LOT more work:

3/26/08

I got some parts in from MSA today: BRE rear spoiler, clear headlight covers, Cusco oil catch can, and two polished block-off plates. I also got my Fidanza flywheel and Supra 295cc injectors in, and should be getting my downpipe and ported intake manifold in soon. Here's some pics:

I also got some more cleaning done on the engine tonight. 26 years of grime is a PITA to remove! I'm not looking for car show-winning cleanliness, just clean enough to work with. It will get a major cleaning when I get it rebuilt, probably next year.

My shiny new polished block-off plates...if only the rest of the engine could be so shiny.

When I get a full gasket kit in, I'm going to take all the accessories off the front and give them a proper cleaning. It's just not working with everything assembled.

3/29/08

Just a small update: I got my downpipe in and bought an engine stand at Autozone so I could get the engine off the pallet and work with it more easily. Cost me just under $75, with a trip to Lowes to get bolts and washers to mount the engine. Now I'll be able to turn it upside down when I need to replace the oil pan. I'll be ordering a gasket kit shortly, and once I replace the major gaskets I can start putting everything together. The transmission should hopefully be ready in a week or two if everything's on time. 

Also, I may be purchasing a Megasquirt kit which will further delay the time it'll take me to get the car finished, since I'll have to research and buy a new turbo and injectors, at the very least. I may choose to wait however since my budget is very limited to what I already listed, plus possibly new struts and springs, new Autometer gauges, and an aftermarket bucket seat. We'll see how that ends up.

4/14/08

OK, so I've been convinced to get a 20gal. fuel cell. There goes another $500 and weekend into the project... and I'll be shaving the fuel filler door (and while I'm at it the antenna) as a result. Which means the whole car's getting repainted, woohoo! I am definitely bitten by the "while I'm at it" bug. 

4/22/08

Just a small update: I ordered the AZC aluminum radiator, high-cap oil pan, 240SX TB adapter, new turbo oil pump, Pallnet fuel rail, and engine gasket kit. Another two weeks left on the transmission.

5/4/08

Another awesome update! I'm going to be picking up a Z32 transmission with bellhousing adapter, custom driveshaft, Fidanza shifter, and Nismo black satin shift knob for cheeeap! I should hopefully be getting that next week, and that'll totally jumpstart my build! I have finals this week, and after that I can get started on my engine, and ordering the Painless harness and Megasquirt II and other odds and ends.

5/11/08

Took a few pics; felt like I haven't in a while. Here's a mockup of the engine so far:

And the T3/T4 Turbo:

The AZC Aluminum oil pan (and if you squint, the AZC radiator underneath):

5/20/08

Decided to do it right (well, hopefully) and tear down and clean the engine internals, and spec out everything. It's getting there. Not much else is new; I'm still waiting on the transmission and I ordered a large core Treadstone intercooler.

Yeah, I um, wedged a socket extension in there to try and get the crank pulley bolt free. Didn't know I could just use an impact gun.... Oh well, I wanted to replace the timing set anyways.

5/21/08

Actually, it's running out quickly. (I guess it's a good thing I'm single right now!) I need my tax returns to come in ASAP. I'm also selling parts from my defunct RX-7 project to buy parts for the Z.

I just dropped $725 on a full host of Autometer Phantom gauges, OUCH! Got the 200mph speedo, 10k rpm tach, and fuel level, oil pressure, water temp, and voltage gauges. They had better be perfect at that price.

6/1/08

I removed the old engine this week:

And started to remove all the oil-based coating crap from the engine bay.

It still needs a ton of work but it's getting there:

Here's a pic of the Treadstone intercooler:

And got some more minor work done on the block, like scraping off the old gasket material:

7/31/08

Wow, that's nuts!. So, can you give me a ballpark on how much power I could be making? 

-Stock rebuilt block, MLS head gasket and ARP hardware, adjustable cam gear, possibly mild head porting but not likely to happen

-T3/T4 .60 trim turbo, internal wastegate (I think) 

-550cc injectors, 255lph fuel pump

-FMIC w/ 3" piping

-diapragm-style BOV, vented to atmosphere

-ported N42 intake manifold, 60mm TB

-custom 3" turbo-back exhaust

-MSII w/ 4 bar map sensor and wideband 02

-DLI w/ LS1 coil packs and....EDIS electronics?

boost set at....I dunno really, some help here would be appreciated.

At that point I have to balance the suspension, brakes, and safety equipment to match, or rather hopefully exceed the power output. Then I can worry about making more power.

10/6/08

Well, I have nothing to report as far as updates. My MR2 crapped the bed so I had to order a new engine for it... At least now I'll have ~170whp instead of ~98whp Next thing for the Z is finding storage for winter and paying for shipping on the Z32 tranny, then re-wiring the chassis.

12/15/08

Not much to report. I read all I ever want to read about sequential fuel injection, and how to make my coil-on-plug setup actually work (shoulda done that before just blindly buying it, but it's OK). I desperately need to find a garage to store and work on the car, because I'm moving soon. I'm also looking up options for standalone; I was hoping to trade someone for a Microtech LT-8, but that fell through, so I'm leaning back towards megasquirt.

I finally took a (crappy) pic of the engine bay, and today I removed the fuel tank and replaced my broken tail light.

This is what I have to work with.....$12,000 restoration my ass! It's gonna be a long road to restoring all this crap... Not to mention the welds (or rather the metal around them) broke on the left part of the hatch, so that needs to be repaired.

Luckily the spare tire well is getting cut out and a fuel cell going in its place:

5/26/09

Well it looks like my project will be delayed even longer now because Justin Hodges (280ZForce) scammed me out of $1,395. He was supposed to send me a Z32 transmission, bellhousing adapter, custom driveshaft, short shifter, and shift knob, but instead decided to take the money and, well, not run? Glad to see they're not allowing him to sell anything here anymore...

7/22/09

Got the transmission last month. Forgot to post. It looks good! 

Unfortunately, the engine swap in my MR2 decided to have rod knock, so I now have to bust my ass to get that out, rebuilt, and put back in before summer's end. In the meantime, I'm putting the L26 back in the Z and getting the Weber carbs rebuilt so I can just drive the damn thing. I got the head off the L28 (it was a real pain since one of the head bolts broke off in the head) and it was looking pretty messy so I don't think I want to chance running high boost pressure off it. The cost of a rebuild on two motors is gonna cost me a lot of money and time, so I dont know how long it'll be before I get this thing done! 

I'm considering at this point selling all the L28ET stuff and using the money to get the car itself cleaned up, then buying and swapping in an RB26DETT when I dig myself out of debt. We'll see

12/09/09

Haven't posted in a while; I've been hard at work on boring stuff, but the project may be picking up steam thanks to a great find (more on that shortly). 

I got the L26 refreshed with new gaskets and oil pump, repainted the block, got the Weber carbs rebuilt, reinstalled it and was installing my Autometer Phantom gauges when I realized the wiring harness was a total hack job. I took the dash and harness completely out of the car, and while I was at it completely removed the interior to clean everything and hopefully get the old car smell out!

Now more on that great find! I was hunting through Craigslist for a beater car and came upon a "1983 Datsun for sale, $500" No other info listed. I emailed them, they told me it was a "280Z" (obviously a ZX), and I set up a time to go look at it. It just happened to be only 12 miles from my house. I went after work when it was dark and started to look at it as the owner was talking to me. At some point in conversation he mentioned "the turbo bla bla bla" and I stepped back to realize that it was indeed an '83 Turbo ZX! I immediately opened the hood and confirmed this, then checked the odo which read 114k. He then said it came off the road because the brakes seized and the rust/rot was becoming a concern, but the engine ran perfectly. SOLD!

Sadly the rot on the floors and frame rails makes the car itself un-salvageable. I'm picking up the car this friday, moving my car outta the garage and the ZX in. I should have it completely parted out the same day and towed out the next day. 

Hopefully I can have the engine refreshed, turbo rebuilt, injectors cleaned, and get a new clutch and R230 LSD (found out the custom driveshaft I bought with the Z32 tranny is designed for the R230, works for me). Since I planned on rebuilding the harness it should be easy to swap in the L28ET harness while I'm at it. I'll post pics of the part-out if I get time!

12/20/09

Took some pics of this week's mayhem. Wow this car was a rotbox! I definitely plan on thoroughly going through the engine now. Hopefully it won't need a full rebuild, just new gaskets and seals and a lot of cleaning. On to pics:

Had to grease the flatbed truck to shimmy the car off because 3 of the 4 calipers were seized. Removed them and pulled the car in the garage.

Tow hooks ripped clean off!

Shoved my hand right through the license plate section there, lol

Found these in the car. Not gonna be enough to fix this puppy!

At least it had a mad tyte JDM y0 exhaust!

Front body work off

Progress

Engine out!

This is all rust and dust that fell out of/off the car. Every night I left the garage I had to shower thoroughly, lol

1/7/10

Got the engine up on the stand and started taking it apart. I also picked up an R200 CLSD out of a Z31 turbo with 100k on it for a good price. I'm piecing together the other necessary parts to install the differential. So far I've spent more money on drivetrain parts than anything else! Never knew just how expensive it would be...

600bhp with a fully built engine and supporting turbo, cooling, fuel, induction and ignition systems. This is a long-term goal; I have no delusions that this will be done any time soon. For right now I am hoping for about 200whp with the stock turbo and fuel system.

3/2/10

Right now I'm just waiting to get some money together to buy ARP head studs, Cometic head gasket, ACT clutch, AZC billet differential mount, and some other odds and ends. Then I need to take care of the wiring conversion, permanently mount the Autometer gauges, reinstall the heater box and dashboard, and get the new drivetrain installed. Last step once that is done is to take care of the fuel system, which I've decided to go with a fuel cell so I'll need to cut out the spare tire well and fab up a cradle. Slowly but surely! 

Progress pics:

Drivetrain components: Z32 tranny with Mazworks billet adapter plate, Fidanza short shifter, Fidanza flywheel, Modern Motorsport billet axle adapters, rebuilt and modified Z31 cv axles, Z31 clutch-type LSD, custom-length driveshaft.

Turbo being taken apart to get rebuilt

Engine cleaned up and painted, test fitted AZC aluminum oil pan. 

3/26/10

This week I took advantage of the media blaster at the shop I'm "intern" at, and bead-blasted a whole bunch of exterior engine parts:

And since I don't have the budget to powdercoat them all right now (if only I had a crappy oven that I could dedicate!), I dug through my stock of engine paint:

These should come out looking nice!

I also picked up the speedometer pinion gear I need to convert the Z32 transmission from electronic to mechanical speedo:

10/28/11

I really want to keep it but it's tough because haven't had time or money to put towards it. I'm very close to having all the parts for the swap (I only need a clutch, clutch hydraulics, differential mount and mustache bar, 280Z stub axles and some other odds and ends like I/C piping and fuel system stuff), but the rest of the car needs a decent amount of work, too.

Initially I put it up for sale because I saw an all-original, one-owner '73 Z with low original miles on it that I thought I wanted, but the more I think of it, do I really want a car that I can't modify, that takes 10 seconds to do 0-60 instead of 0-100? This is a difficult decision. Clive, I left you my # but I think I'm going to keep everything unless I get an offer I can't refuse. It's not doing any harm sitting in my garage so I guess I can wait. 

10/15/12

Well guys, I'm sorry to say it but I sold the Z yesterday. After 2 years of the project stagnating I decided that enough was enough. A lot happened since then; I worked as a sales rep for Audi and got to lease a 2012 S4 for 6 months... Having a brand new car absolutely spoiled it for me, and I decided that it was time to have just one project and one new car. Then the Subaru BRZ was released earlier this year and it's the first new car I've ever really wanted to own! I see it as the closest spiritual successor to the original Z car, much moreso than the overweight 370Z. I figured I had the choice to either spend $30k on the BRZ over 5 years and get the car right away, or spend that same $30k over 5 years restoring the Datsun. No doubt the end result of the Z would be nicer, but I'd have to wait 'til I'm in my 30's, and that's just not cool; I want something I can enjoy now!

I know I haven't been too active on the forums, but I just wanted to thank those who helped me along the way, bid you all farewell and who knows, maybe someday I'll get another one or if Nissan gets off their arses and builds a purer Z, you might see me on here again! If anyone here is on FT86club.com (BRZ/FR-S forum), give me a shout - I'm "Turbowned" over there. 

Cheers,

Corey