I thought i'd drop you a link to a slideshow of all the progress on the car so far plus a few new photos to show you where it's at at the moment.

 

Just having a mass ebay then ordering new parts in the next couple of weeks.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/600zx/

 

 

 

 

 

 

that's a big shame, I was hoping to see an update from the drag challenge.

 

I think do what you have to do, these things will always be a black hole financially. Take it off the road till you can afford to do more or break it, a lot of that decision will come down to finances and also where you get the enjoyment, the building, or the end product.

Edited May 9, 201114 yr by jaffa

Aw man its so dam close! Just out of interest, this is not a ground breaking engine is it? Surely this issue with the rockers must have been come accross by others using this engine in its natural habitat?

 

There must be some fix for it as its a fairly major issue as you've said and someone must have found the reason for it!

 

I'm sure you'll find a new house mate (young student bird, around 19? Laughing - get a student and still get your discount on council tax for single occupnecy!) to spread the bills, as you hve sunk so much into it and its so so so close surely the old saying of "don't spoil the ship for a hapeth of tar" springs to mind - besides you've plenty of time before the next drag challange!.

 

Change your sig to drag winner 2012 and stop being silly! :)

Edited May 9, 201114 yr by Quavey

I've read a few threads about these poly locks. I can't see how i can get it right on one side but not another. once i get my missing poly lock off my dad (who's taken it upon himself to try and find longer grub screws to give more clamping force) i'll try a technique i've found to lock them on.

 

They keep going on about this "chirrup" sound you're supposed to hear when using them but i've never heard it. Must be a youtube video of it somewhere when i have a look tonight.

 

You know me, i hate being beaten on this project and i will do everything i can to save it guys

The rocker arm issue is not unusual for rebuilt heads on a fresh motor Nick. Google Summit Racing and get yourself a set of "jamb" or the new pinch type nuts.

 

This is from a forum I frequent:

http://www.thirdgen.org/techboard/tech-general-engine/573572-rocker-arms-keep-coming.html

 

Read all the way thru it before you scrap the Z. No way in hell I would give up on this project. I know I wont when I start my Bowtie swap.

 

Your started after all the months of starting and starting could just be finally going out.

 

Read thru that post and see if it gives you some ideas.

 

Cheers Mate

nick, it might sound a bit odd but i have two suggestions for you on the rockers wrking loose,

 

1st) double nut and lock each against each other if there is room, use loctite as well

 

2) if there is not room to double nut, then single lock nut , but drill and tap a hole in the side of the nut, then when the nut is torqued down, insert a grubscrew into the side with a liberal dose of loctite, nip it up, then no chance the nut will ever work loose on the stud.

 

if you want mate ill come down and give you a lift with fettling the charriot

thoughts

 

Neil

The rocker arm issue is not unusual for rebuilt heads on a fresh motor Nick. Google Summit Racing and get yourself a set of "jamb" or the new pinch type nuts.

 

This is from a forum I frequent:

http://www.thirdgen.org/techboard/tech-general-engine/573572-rocker-arms-keep-coming.html

 

Read all the way thru it before you scrap the Z. No way in hell I would give up on this project. I know I wont when I start my Bowtie swap.

 

Your started after all the months of starting and starting could just be finally going out.

 

Read thru that post and see if it gives you some ideas.

 

Cheers Mate

 

nick, it might sound a bit odd but i have two suggestions for you on the rockers wrking loose,

 

1st) double nut and lock each against each other if there is room, use loctite as well

 

2) if there is not room to double nut, then single lock nut , but drill and tap a hole in the side of the nut, then when the nut is torqued down, insert a grubscrew into the side with a liberal dose of loctite, nip it up, then no chance the nut will ever work loose on the stud.

 

if you want mate ill come down and give you a lift with fettling the charriot

thoughts

 

Neil

 

Cheers guys, i did think about using jamb nuts but the shape of the rockers stops you from using anything but a poly locking nut.

 

I did have a thought today i'm going to check out tonight in a minute which is pushrod length affecting rocker geometry.

 

I measured and bought the correct pushrods for the old block but if one side of the new block has been skimmed more than the other you could end up with the rocker rolling too far and loosening off.

 

I'm going to coat the end of the valve tip with marker pen and give it a couple of turns on the known offenders and see what happens then compare it with the other side.

Cheers guys, i did think about using jamb nuts but the shape of the rockers stops you from using anything but a poly locking nut.

 

I did have a thought today i'm going to check out tonight in a minute which is pushrod length affecting rocker geometry.

 

I measured and bought the correct pushrods for the old block but if one side of the new block has been skimmed more than the other you could end up with the rocker rolling too far and loosening off.

 

I'm going to coat the end of the valve tip with marker pen and give it a couple of turns on the known offenders and see what happens then compare it with the other side.

 

Toys back in pram, thats the spirit! :D

as you've sunk so much into it and its so so so close surely the old saying of "don't spoil the ship for a hapeth of tar" springs to mind

 

 

Jesus Christ Quavey, what century were you born in? I've worked with many knarly, old sea dogs and I've never heard that one before!! :chris:

Toys back in pram, thats the spirit! :D

 

lol, it's not over yet. As i say if it's not sorted by Sunday and i still feel the way i do then i'll start breaking it.

 

There's no way i can afford to anything more to it this month now so that's another 3 weeks gone and i miss tomorrow's show and japfest then :(

 

And as of next month i have £0 (ZERO) spare every month apart from petrol money for it so i have to choose between putting petrol in it or fixing major issues so it means months of saving to do even the tiniest thing and it's not worth that.

 

The option of taking on factory work on top of a £30k+ a year for a stupid car is not an option :(

Jesus Christ Quavey, what century were you born in? I've worked with many knarly, old sea dogs and I've never heard that one before!! :chris:

 

Haha 80's.... 86 to be precise (as in 1986, I'm not 86!) Its a good saying! One my dad uses, who works in electronics and I work in IT so not something you might expect lol

A little info on the poly nuts for you Nick.

 

http://www.pontiacstreetperformance.com/psp/rockers.html

 

http://www.pontiaction.com/tech-talk/engine/how-to-adjust-rocker-arms.html

 

http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/vintage-mustang-forum/348301-there-any-tricks-poly-lock-rocker-stud-nuts.html

 

Do not want to see you give up , hope this helps you. The Poly Nuts can be a PITA , did not know you were using that type.

Any good news Nick?

Hello buddy, had some time to think, investigate and reflect and come across a few things:

 

The oil pressure on the old engine was 39 on idle when hot and 55-65 under load in the old videos and there's only two things that could be causing loss of oil pressure on the new block, the plug under the rear cap could be missing or missplaced, or the push rods could be leaking oil

 

The cam is too far retarded to give any power so i'm going to bring it back to 0 and maybe advance it slightly by 2 degrees, had a chat to a couple of people in the know and they say it's not revving like a solid roller should and it need to come forward again

 

To sort the handling out i need to raise the engine and subframe up again so i'll take the spacers out and bring the air intake through the bonnet which should lower the temp of the intake and engine bay at the same time.

 

The push rods are too long, the 2nd cylinder exhaust on compression is sitting on the outside of the valve stem which isn't right so i need to dig out my pushrod length checker and correct it with a new set. I'll also invest in a stud girdle. Top end was 5200RPM before it dropped out when i've been told this should be 6-6500RPM which is also cam timing based.

 

When i'm going to do this i don't know because i'm off today somewhere then back to work again and building driveways so i'll have to fit it in when i can.

Hello buddy, had some time to think, investigate and reflect and come across a few things:

 

The oil pressure on the old engine was 39 on idle when hot and 55-65 under load in the old videos and there's only two things that could be causing loss of oil pressure on the new block, the plug under the rear cap could be missing or missplaced, or the push rods could be leaking oil

 

The cam is too far retarded to give any power so i'm going to bring it back to 0 and maybe advance it slightly by 2 degrees, had a chat to a couple of people in the know and they say it's not revving like a solid roller should and it need to come forward again

 

To sort the handling out i need to raise the engine and subframe up again so i'll take the spacers out and bring the air intake through the bonnet which should lower the temp of the intake and engine bay at the same time.

 

The push rods are too long, the 2nd cylinder exhaust on compression is sitting on the outside of the valve stem which isn't right so i need to dig out my pushrod length checker and correct it with a new set. I'll also invest in a stud girdle. Top end was 5200RPM before it dropped out when i've been told this should be 6-6500RPM which is also cam timing based.

 

When i'm going to do this i don't know because i'm off today somewhere then back to work again and building driveways so i'll have to fit it in when i can.

 

 

Phew!! :punk::clap::thumbup1::ninja::thumbup::rockon:

Great news mate! :) Glad you've got a plan, you'll find the time even if it has to wait a bit!

It's annoying missing out on 3 more meets and paying out another £60 insurance and losing a month's tax though.

 

To say i'm frustrated at the moment is an understatement :(

Know the feeling mate, think mine spun a bearing yesterday :( Annoying when it's the stuff you pay other people to do that goes wrong. To say I'm angry would be an understatement.

That's crap news mate :( I still haven't got to see yours on the road yet but I can see how you spent what you did now from the cash this projects draining out of me!

 

Hoping you get yours sorted out soon buddy, and truly sympathise :(

Any news mate? Hope all is going well.

 

Sad to hear about yours as well John, I hope you've managed to make inroads into getting it sorted!

Hello buddy,

 

Ah where do i start. Okay as you probably know from previous posts i had a couple of ideas of what could be wrong but had to investigate.

 

I got the rockers off and checked the push rod length and unfortunately that seemed to be absolutely perfect :( If they'd been too long i would have said that would have been the problem with the rockers.

 

In terms of oil pressure the only thing that's changed is the block. The connection is set exactly the same, the same oil filter etc and now the same oil yet it still overheats (145 degrees C oil temp on the motorway!) and pressure drops through the floor to 1-4psi on idle.

 

Currently if i break it I get back about £9k in parts and everything is virtually brand new. If i keep running it and try and fix this problem i might end up snapping a rocker/valve/burn bearings out etc.

 

I've been flat out building the drive the last few weeks and every other jobs on the house i need to do and all the while i'm losing £60 a month on insurance and £16 on the tax and all the shows/drag racing inbetween.

 

It's sad to say but it's looking very likely i won't finish it now and if i keep going i'm only going to lose more money on it.

 

I just want a nice car to go to the shows in and enjoy actually owning a jap car/300zx again and it wasn't till i went out for a run in my bro's new mg tf that i realised i don't really care that much about finishing the project any more.

 

The biggest problem now is money, our lodger is moving out next weekend and i'm picking up half of his rent myself now and my brother the other half so i've got no money to throw into the car any more.

 

I'll keep you posted when i finally get back onto it but realistically i think it's reached the end of the road :cry:

That really seems a shame, this project was quite inspiring to be honest, both for engineering and financial reasons really. The fact that someone else was willing to put so much time and effort and money into a Z was part of the reason my Z lived instead of getting scrapped a few months ago.

 

I understand where you're coming from though, your life personal circumstances have changed dramatically in the last 6 months from what I gather from this thread, and the car just will not settle down and work properly, no matter how hard you go at it.

 

I genuinely hope that you decide to keep at it, because even if it isn't until next year, I'd love to see this car at shows/meets. Mine won't be back on the road for a few weeks yet, and when it does it'll look like a patchwork quilt with all the de-rusting and sill welding etc, so I'm just praying mine makes it to JAE and Trax this year.

Nick , my useless two pennenth worth , but the oil overheating issue , could this not be caused by the bypass system being open either fully or partially ( ive seen it before) , thus circumventing the intercooler etc and causing the excessively high temp, and crap pressure , i would def look to check that before bailing on the project , and it will cost nowt to check it out.

That really seems a shame, this project was quite inspiring to be honest, both for engineering and financial reasons really. The fact that someone else was willing to put so much time and effort and money into a Z was part of the reason my Z lived instead of getting scrapped a few months ago.

 

I understand where you're coming from though, your life personal circumstances have changed dramatically in the last 6 months from what I gather from this thread, and the car just will not settle down and work properly, no matter how hard you go at it.

 

I genuinely hope that you decide to keep at it, because even if it isn't until next year, I'd love to see this car at shows/meets. Mine won't be back on the road for a few weeks yet, and when it does it'll look like a patchwork quilt with all the de-rusting and sill welding etc, so I'm just praying mine makes it to JAE and Trax this year.

 

It is a shame and if i view it as a failure i'll be broken hearted but i've taken it on the chin, i've built a unique car that to some degree works but to get it running 100% i'll need another grand at least to get it rebuilt by someone who knows how to set it up properly.

 

I view it as a huge learning exercise and 99% of it i think i've done alright at but with the rising cost of petrol, the fact i'd have to trailer it everywhere and all the other negatives for the amount of driving pleasure i'd get out of it I don't see the point in investing more money into something that i'll literally trailer to and from a track for a quick burn around and probably end up having to rebuild every year.

 

I enjoyed the social interaction the club gave me when i was an active member. I miss being on the road in a zed and going to the shows and i just can't afford to do that with this car.

 

If it were to have been a full on racing car to be trailered to and from an event I would have built it to spec but I wanted 90% road and 10% race and ended up with something i could have had with a standard twin turbo.

 

I feel a little i've let the club down after 3 years but I can't afford to do any more, i've racked up more debt than i can afford to increase and maxed out everything pushing to get it finished and sometimes you just have to know when to walk away from something.

 

It's been 3 years since I went to a show with my own car and i miss it. Time to move on and start again with something i can enjoy.

 

Nick , my useless two pennenth worth , but the oil overheating issue , could this not be caused by the bypass system being open either fully or partially ( ive seen it before) , thus circumventing the intercooler etc and causing the excessively high temp, and crap pressure , i would def look to check that before bailing on the project , and it will cost nowt to check it out.

 

There's a plug that sits under the rear bearing cap which i have a feeling is either blocked or missing completely and that would be the only explanation i can think of. I measured the tollerances on the bearings and they were within spec so i can only assume it's the plug. To get to that involved ripping the subframe off and emptying the engine before removing the sump which i just don't have the time to do right now.

 

Part of me wants to solve that problem and see what happens with the rockers whether it's heat related but realistically i think i've lost my love for the car now. There's only so many times you can take a punch in the face from something before you have to walk away.

Mate, ill help you do it tomorrow . say the word and ill be your spanner bitch for the day.

I can't mate, i've got to get this driveway finished first. We've got 3 cars sitting on the road outside and no way of moving the v8 until it's done.

 

When it's done then i'll get back on it and get it done but till then i've got too much to do buddy.

 

Thanks for your offer though, it is appreciated :)