As with most projects and rebuilds, they all start in the same place, mine was no different. However, this isn’t truely the start of my forever ongoing Z project. I’ve owned this car (my second Z) since 2008 when I purchased it from a former member. For the first 5 or 6 years I did the usual mods with suspension parts and basic bolt ons. For reasons unknown, whilst running stock boost, piston 5 cracked a ring land during a track day at Castle Coombe. A forged build and a remap later all was well until a sunny October’s day 2013 at Bruntingthorpe killed that engine with what at the time was a suspected head gasket failure at 181mph..... And this is where I shall start my journal.

 

The Z was stored off the road from Oct 2013 until March 2015. I’d had a major knee operation at the beginning of 2015 which meant I was going to be off work for 6 months. I’d saved up enough to start thinking about a parts list to rebuild her and frankly, after a couple of months of staring at the same 4 walls, I was going stir crazy! I employed the help of a good friend and decided to pull the engine and see what was what.... just a head gasket my arse!

 

March 2015

Problem 1: It turns out stainless steel, exhaust wraps and condensation don’t mix well

 

Before I’d even got the engine out, a new set of downpipes was added to this list. These AMS items were only 2 years old, so I was far from impressed! I contacted the retailer and after a bit of tooing and froing I secured myself a set of replacements for free... how long they will last, only time will tell!

Whoops

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]115839[/ATTACH]

 

You big tease!

You big tease!

 

I know.... it turns out my work has messed up some of my allowances for the last 9 months, so I got a pleasant suprise this payday...

 

It’s now safe to say I have my dream engine spec

I know.... it turns out my work has messed up some of my allowances for the last 9 months, so I got a pleasant suprise this payday...

 

It’s now safe to say I have my dream engine spec

 

Excellent :rockon:

 

Be sure to post pictures when the consignment arrives :tongue_smilie:

They’re going straight to EPR, so as soon as Mitch posts a pic I’ll share it here

Been waiting for these to turn up!

 

 

This means I get rid of the Nissan optical sensor in the CAS, and it allows my Haltech to know an accurate crank position with the timing ring on the Harmonic dampener and a Hall effect sensor. This means more accurate ignition timing, and a better state of tune.

Edited January 29, 20196 yr by nickz32

Been waiting for there’s to turn up!

 

There be something in your spelling Nick! Nice gear BTW, not many folk running that kit.

There be something in your spelling Nick! Nice gear BTW, not many folk running that kit.

 

Bloody iPhone autocorrect!

This nicely demonstrates the timing wander you get with the CAS (and this is with an AEM 24-1 CAS wheel, which has less resolution that the OEM CAS disc). Both feeds are taken at circa 6200 rpm.

 

Pink line is CAS, Black is crank trigger wheel

[ATTACH=CONFIG]115965[/ATTACH]

 

Think this shows perfectly how much the ECU has to guess what the crank position actually is! With the AEM cas disc, there is s variance in timing of 7.3 DEGREES!! THATS HUGE!

 

The increased accuracy will result in a better ignition timing map and potentially gain a few degrees of ignition advance, and therefore more power and torque across the Rev range

Edited January 29, 20196 yr by nickz32

You big tease!

 

My whoopsie arrived!

 

They will go nicely with the BDE intake pulleys.

Managed a few little bits and bobs today whole packaging up some parts I’ve sold.

 

First I relocated the alarm siren out of sight by the drivers side SMIC. Had to redo the complete hash of a wiring job by the company who installed the system (I mean who wraps a single wire with black electrical tape!?!)

 

Annoyingly it means I’m left with 3 holes where the siren had been mounted under the bonnet.... will have a ponder with how to rectify this

 

Also decided to start a quick refurb of my PS reservoir as it was showing corrosion through the paint. After rubbing the factory paint off, there was a fair bit of hidden corrosion and pitting that’ll need tackling

 

I’ve also been pondering where to mount my remote oil filter head. Due to the size of the EPR baffled sump, you cannot mount and oil filter on the OE filter tree. I’ve decided that I don’t want to go to a full flow oil cooler setup as I like having the safety of a bypass valve should the filter become unexpectedly blocked (bypass valve prevents oils stavation should this happen), so rather than using the BDE kit, I’ll use an adapter on the oil tree, -10 braided line with AN10 fittings, and a remote filter head.

 

One option is to put the filter head under the nose section, but it appears that routing such a large bore line past the rad and IC pipes may be problematic. Another option is down by the bulkhead by the steering column, but again, it’s difficult to know if I’ll have the space without the engine in the bay.

Annoyingly it means I’m left with 3 holes where the siren had been mounted under the bonnet.... will have a ponder with how to rectify this

 

I’ve also been pondering where to mount my remote oil filter head.

 

Can you position the filter cartridge and head to cover the holes?

Hmmm maybe........ hadn’t thought of that

No.

The FedEx fairy dropped by today and delivered my new AC condenser and clutch fork boot

 

 

I’ll probably wait unti the engine is back in before I fit the condenser. It should make life a little easier with the auxillary belts, and I still need to finalise where I’m going to mount the remote oil filter

 

The shopping list only has a couple more parts left on it, but I should be able to sort those out prior the delivery of the engine

Edited February 11, 20196 yr by nickz32

I know this is a BNR but you can see what I was getting at earlier re oil filter location:

 

While it’s an option, I’m trying to declutter the engine bay (which is why I relocated the alarm siren), so I think having the filter in the bay would just take up a space I’ve just cleared out

Fair enough. There is also a space opposite the A/C dryer which I used for the relocated CC which could accomodate

the remote oil filter. The oil feed and return lines would have to be routed past the radiator. What does EPR have to

say on the matter as it's their sump design making this issue?

 

That’s one potential space I’m considering. I just need to work out of it can get the -10 braided lines through a gap somewhere.

 

Normally people go do a “full flow” setup which would removes the OE oil cooler lines and the -10 lines would run in their place. I’m not going for a full flow setup from a variety of reasons, so it means I can’t gain the extra space by removing the Oe oil cooler lines

Edited February 11, 20196 yr by nickz32

That’s one potential space I’m considering. I just need to work out of it can get the -10 braided lines through a gap somewhere.

 

Normally people go do a “full flow” setup which would removes the OE oil cooler lines and the -10 lines would run in their place. I’m not going for a full flow setup from a variety of reasons, so it means I can’t gain the extra space by removing the Oe oil cooler lines

 

How about using an oil filter with a built in bypass/relief valve? You could then get ride of the oil tree and existing lines and use a remote take off

fixed directly to the block (you would need to plumb in the pressure sensor in a new location). Plumbing would then go:

 

Remote take-off outlet to oil filter inlet->oil filter outlet to 'H' oil thermostat->oil cooler inlet->oil cooler->'H' oil thermostat->remote take-off inlet.

Two reasons really

 

1) I don’t entirely trust the bypass valves in the filters. I’ve got not evidence as to why, just a gut feeling thing

2) Because when you start throwing in the BDE tree replacement and a quality thermostatic box and a quality remote filter head with a built in 1/8npt pressure port, your at nearly £400 before I even buy the -10 lines and AN fittings. It starts to get very expensive for something that the OE oil tree and tree adapter and remote filter head can do.

 

If the car was going to spend a reasonable time on track, 3 or 4 track days a year, then it’d make sense to go to a thermostatic full flow system, but in reality I’ll probably only manage 1 maybe 2 track events a year, and the current setup has proven itself capable of managing oil temps sufficiently when I’ve been on track previously

True, but your with your original plan you would still be buying most of that stuff anyway using the stock tree?

Nope.

 

The remote filter head without an NPT port is around £60-80 for a Moroso part and the tree adapter is about the same, so £120-160.

 

A thermostatic filter head alone is around the £220 mark, BDE kit is £130ish.

 

As I’ve just forked out for a set of Camshafts, that extra £200 will come in handy

Edited February 12, 20196 yr by nickz32

Finished my PS pot resto today. It’s not quite a perfect match to the OR colour, but it’s really close.

 

 

It’s only a rattle can job, using Halfords “Matte Military Green” covered with a ProXL 2K clear coat. I’m pretty pleased with the result

 

A vast improvement on what it used to look like!

Edited February 16, 20196 yr by nickz32

Very Army! I see that BDE are comming out with their own crank trigger setup:

 

http://www.twinturbo.net/nissan/300zx/forums/general/view/2632565/VG-Crank-Trigger---coming-soon-from-BDE.html

 

Will be interesting to see how it compares with the Ross setup you have.