My Datsun Spirit L28 Build.

[johnny haywire]

I think the horn color is great, especially with the valve cover. It gives you license for more subtle red. Calipers as well, maybe?

[tlorber]

Stephen, you might want to consider shortening your shift lever. I took mine to a machine shop and they lopped off about 1 1/4" and then rethreaded. It creates a shorter throw but does not require undue effort (though your tranny may be stiff until it breaks in). Now when I drive a stock shifter it feels a bit like shifting a school bus.

[Travel'n Man]

Stephen, you might want to consider shortening your shift lever. I took mine to a machine shop and they lopped off about 1 1/4" and then rethreaded. It creates a shorter throw but does not require undue effort (though your tranny may be stiff until it breaks in). Now when I drive a stock shifter it feels a bit like shifting a school bus.

I did the exact same thing - shifts great and the shifter does not sit as high in the console either.

[Travel'n Man]

I am questioning the color of the horns. What do you guys think?

I left in my original repainted horns and added a Hella Air Horn and mounted on the radiator support - extreme sound - very loud - it will get somebody's attention if needed (that's what a horn is all about).

[d240zx2]

Color is good. But have you awakened the baby with them yet?

[Matias]

Doldrums. Sailors use to hate them. THe long wait between wind and the much desired forward movement that keeps a project rolling. Well my friends, I find myself in the automotive doldrums. Caught in between two projects, I just do not have the parts to go forward.

On the interior, I want to get my OEM shifter in for the type B tranny. I fit the MSA short shifter in and the quality is so poor I do not like it. It adds VAST amounts of forward and rearward slop to the action of a perfectly designed factory shifter. I notched out my console to make the much taller MSA shifter fit, and while I could bolt the console up, the shifter still hit it when I put it in 1st and 3rd. Now this is not so much the consoles fault as it is the shifter lever. The MSA short shift kit moves the shifter fulcrum up almost an inch over the OEM one. It is a very crude design and I should not have been tricked by the S shaped handle. But lesson learned. For Type A to Type B tranny swaps, the MSA short shifter is not a solution. So I wait in the doldrums to finish the interior

On the engine/transmission front. I wait. Duldrums. The entire passenger side of the engine is done, completely. I have not even started the drivers side. Two things are holding me up. First, I need to get my collector pipe back from the muffler shop that is welding my O2 Bung on. I cannot even try to fit the exhaust up without that piece, since it fits to both the header AND the exhaust pipe. Since I cannot fit the exhaust, I cannot fit the intake as you fine fellows know. I am not going to mount the water intake with the thermostat until the intake and the exhaust are on so they do not get in the way. So the passenger side is on hold....So I wait.

I took the liberty to refine the fit on the studs of the CANNON manifold the webers fit on. You see, the kit they provide for you comes with nice new studs, but they do not tell you to NOT screw them in all the way. IF you do that, when you go to mount the lower locking nuts OVER the springs you do not have enough thread sticking out to start the nut! It can be a cause for much foul language. So I started to back all the studs on the bottom out about 1/8". Easy enough. Then I come to a perplexing discovery. Upon trying to reattach the throttle bar where all the throttle arms attach to and actuate all the webers, I notice the CANNON manifold is not properly aligned. Let me explain. The CANNON manifold has three holes drilled and tapped where three rod ends screw into it. These rod ends hold the throttle linkage bar. When I screw in my rod ends into my manifold, I notice that one is distinctly not lined up with the others. This is cause for my slow throttle return at times. I noticed my pedal always had more effort than it should have, and at times the weaker return spring did not quite get it back to idle as it should when you let off the gas pedal. This misalignment was causing some mild binding. I need to find a way to fix this. More pics to come.

First of all I have to thank you for a nice and informative read all the way from the start!

At this stage of you build it is kind of watching my own project through a mirror or something like that, even though we have different cars...but our engines are kind of the same. I haven't pulled my engine since it has been done recently according to the previous owner. I guess I'll find out the hard way in future if the internals are as good as they should. The engine ifself is supposed to be built by an engine builder but it has been mounted in the car "half ass, and fast".

Main thing was clearance between the brake master cylinder and triple webers, that was solved by the stupidest linkage system the world has ever seen welded to the inner fender an firewall. Lots of planning and parts ordering followed by custom machining by a good friend with a machine shop as well as making new holes and welding old ones shut to make the new brake system work. Hoping it will work as intended in the end. I decided to skip the power brakes and go for the shortest double Wilwood cylinder setup I could find coupled with the modified original brake pedel (now sporting a balance bar etc). Lots of parts waiting to be mounted but I can't proceed until I get my new header installed and that can't be done until I finally get my new exhaust system delivered from Japan. The exhaust system won't fit my header so I need to start by hanging the exhaust to be able to set up the needed header modification. After header is installed I can mount my freshly rebuilt triple webers then I can get to the brake system..... Oh, and removing the old rusted out header revealed that the new headers flange is the correct thickness in relation to my intake, which was not the case with the old header flange. Therefore the previous owner has grinded down the intake manifold flanges to be able to mount it properly. Felt kind of backwards to bring my newly rebuilt triples already mounted to the intake to my machine shop friend and have him weld on new material on the flanges and grind them smooth at the correct thickness....

Regarding the throttle linkage I had kind of the same problem. I have no idea who made my intake but I guess yours have the same basic problem; the rod ends should work kind of like bearings and they can't be adjusted/aligned in relation to each other. My friend and I solved the problem by building our own linkage from scratch out of stainless steel. The solution is to throw the existing rod ends in the bin and get normal universal uni-balls instead that can also pivot thanks to the balls. We also made the center on adjustable so that fine tuning it results in a perfectly straight rod with no binding. It can also be removed in minutes and is held in place by the center uniball and a small lock washer in front of the front uni-ball. This probably sound incredibly difficult, I meant to attach a picture of it but it seems I haven't taken one single picture of it yet and now it's in pieces....

Can't wait to see you finish you project (and get my exhaust...)

Matias

[Zedyone_kenobi]

Matias, thanks for the kind words, all my threads end up like this, very wordy and full of pictures! I am interested in this Uniball you speak of. I will do some digging around on McMasterCarr.

[Matias]

Matias, thanks for the kind words, all my threads end up like this, very wordy and full of pictures! I am interested in this Uniball you speak of. I will do some digging around on McMasterCarr.

Look for something like this:



Then they don't have to be perfectly aligned since they move "sideways" if you know what I mean. You could have the whole linkage assembled on an angle and still get no binding...

EDIT: Your "review" of the MSA short-shift kit got me a little worried, since I havent mounted mine yet, just modified it a bit regarding looks:



Hope it works out ok.....

[Zedyone_kenobi]

That is interesting. I will have to look into a set of those if for no other reason than to see that type of ball joint

Tonight after the family goes to sleep, I think I may try to get the header and intake manifold on. I first thought I would wait until I got the collector flange back form JET HOT, but now that I think about it, I can always take the rear exhaust off the hangers and have it modified to fit. I would really not want to modify or bend the header trying to force a fit, so I will get that in place and fit perfectly first, and then make the rest of the system conform to it. Well that is the plan anyway.

OH horns are staying in the way they are. I will rock the red unless it looks too much like a reject from Hot Import Nights when I get the grill and hood on.

FYI, I have also removed the front bumper vertical uprights near the lights. I wanted to see what a bare straight bar on my car looks like. I am not sure just yet if I will leave them on or off. I will have to make that decision prior to finally installing the bumper, because you cannot remove them once the bumper is on the car. At least I have not found a way. Anyway, that is something I have been up to while waiting, but tonight I plan to make some SERIOUS headway into getting that header and intake on.

Pics to follow.

[tlorber]

Those joints are called "heim joints" , in case you need to locate them.

I just finished welding up the holes in my bumper, after removing the overriders and the rubber strips. Much cleaner look, but now it's off to the chrome plater.

[cygnusx1]

I cheap-ed out and just painted my stock horns red. Why?? Because it was the nearest rattle can, since I just sprayed the swaybars. ;-) With the front plate, you can hardly even see the horns anymore anyhow. Leave them red.

http://dcer.smugmug.com/Other/Future...5_Mwo8d-XL.jpg

[johnny haywire]

I kind of like the front without the bumper guards, though I wish I had some for the rear. I just finished the initial test fit of the '72 bumpers on my '78 and I really like the look, though the car sits a bit higher now after pulling the bumper shocks out (to be cleared up once the strut inserts go in and another inch of rim is added, I'm sure).

I couldn't use the fronts anyway because they block the turn signal lenses, but here's a shot for the heck of it:



Since my car is a bit of a rat, I decided to forgo the $200 worth of rubber strips and just throw $10 worth of carriage bolts in the holes instead. When she eventually gets a repaint, the rear pan will be gone over and the bumpers rechromed, etc. Anyway, sorry for hijacking the thread! Keep up the excellent posts, can't wait to hear your Z run!!

[johnny haywire]

I cheap-ed out and just painted my stock horns red. Why?? Because it was the nearest rattle can, since I just sprayed the swaybars. ;-) With the front plate, you can hardly even see the horns anymore anyhow. Leave them red.

http://dcer.smugmug.com/Other/Future...5_Mwo8d-XL.jpg

Nice!

[Matias]

That is interesting. I will have to look into a set of those if for no other reason than to see that type of ball joint

Tonight after the family goes to sleep, I think I may try to get the header and intake manifold on. I first thought I would wait until I got the collector flange back form JET HOT, but now that I think about it, I can always take the rear exhaust off the hangers and have it modified to fit. I would really not want to modify or bend the header trying to force a fit, so I will get that in place and fit perfectly first, and then make the rest of the system conform to it. Well that is the plan anyway.

OH horns are staying in the way they are. I will rock the red unless it looks too much like a reject from Hot Import Nights when I get the grill and hood on.

FYI, I have also removed the front bumper vertical uprights near the lights. I wanted to see what a bare straight bar on my car looks like. I am not sure just yet if I will leave them on or off. I will have to make that decision prior to finally installing the bumper, because you cannot remove them once the bumper is on the car. At least I have not found a way. Anyway, that is something I have been up to while waiting, but tonight I plan to make some SERIOUS headway into getting that header and intake on.

Pics to follow.

Decided to fit my shifter tonight, since it started bugging me that it might be a bad solution...it went on quite easily although I had my doubts about the construction. Only issue was that I had to dig out my inch-sockets and wrenches... Wonder if my poor old Nissan feels violated now that it has strange foreign non-metric internals...

First impression is that I like the feel, it really shortens the throw a lot as my old shifter was longer as well...might need some getting used to as it is very tight, changing from second to third in hectic situations initially might result in second to first instead...? However it is in good relation with the geometry of my throttle pedal, the first centimeter of its travel has most of what you ordinarely use... One need to have thin driving shoes or just drive barefoot for the ultimate experience...

I also took a bad photo of my throttle linkage to continue yesterdays discussion.



As you can see it is locked in place with two c-clips on each side of the left rod end or heim joint as someone suggested. It could do without the center one but flexes a little more. My friend insisted on adding it and it sure made a difference, the rod wont budge at all when everything is installed even if you pull hard on it. The middle joint attaches to an "elbow" we made that connnects to two of the intake manifold bolts that also doubles as the mounting point for the throttle cable. With the the detachable third joint you can dial in the perfect rod alignment with its two nuts after everything else is mounted.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

Today some serious progress got made. I was able to get the manifold and intake installed and torqued up in what seemed like a instant in time. I recall the first time I ever removed my intake and it was nothing short of arm wrenching. Not sure, but if I had to guess, experience and technique must account for more than people give it credit for.

I torqued every nut to 10 ft.lbs or as close as I could get with my deflection style torque wrench. I also got my water neck installed and new thermostat. I went with a 180 deg thermostat. I previously ran a 160, but I think i should be fine. If nothing else, I will get to see who much delta there is in my temp ducer.

After I got that done, I hated to go inside as garage time is hard to come by at times. So I kept pressing, and got the carb springs and lock nuts on. But they are not tightened. I still need to get the heat shield on. But first wanted to put some insulation on it. I have meant to do that since I received the heat shield. More on that later.

Here is how the beast looked when she was in the process of the installation




And here is how she looks now:



As you can see the parts to install bench is getting very barren. What a joyful sight. The absence of things to do.



As for the heat shield, I found this adhesive reflective tape in the hot rod section of my local parts store. I decided to coat the bottom of the heat shield with it.





Tomorrow, I want to try to get the carbs torqued and the fuel system hooked up. But I am surprising my wife tomorrow by taking her to the Houston Symphony so I may just put that off until Sunday. Have to keep the ones you love happy, or else one day she may realize that she can do MUCH better than me!

[grantf]

Sweet.

[Lazeum]

I does look very nice!
I too use this kind of tape on my heat shield (more for noise/NVH than heat transfer in my particular case), it holds fine for over 600mi so far.
Attention to details seems also really good!

[Travel'n Man]

Looks great - you're going to love firing that bad boy up!

[madkaw]

Thank God your almost done, now maybe you can clean that shop .

When I see these engines dressed up with the triples, I DON'T say

"WOW, I could of had a V-8".

The L-6 screams exotica dressed up like that. Very nice work Stephen.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

Thanks very much for all the kind words, I will keep the photos coming, and I will make a video of the whole start up when I finally get the exhaust hooked up and the fuel system hooked up. But I am thinking it will take at least a week for all that.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

I just received my order from summit racing, minus the black Taylor spark plug wires, which were unfortunately back ordered

But I managed to get these tasty tidbits which I admit are a bit superfluous, but I love them. Makes doing valve adjustments so easy.





I can actually gap the plugs properly now. I was going to install the plugs and wires, but realized I some how lost my feeler gauges. I mean really, who loses feeler gauges?

I also need to decide how I am going to fabricate my new return spring. I use to hook it up to the spark plug holder on the valve cover, but that always seemed like an off nominal setup. I think I am going to drill and tap a new hole in the fuel rail, and use that. We will see how that works. Pics to follow.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

They say that patience is a virtue. They say that all good things come to those who wait. They say that Patience is the companion of wisdom. What I want to know is who the hell are these people who say all these things. Certainly they were not people waiting a small exhaust part to come back from being ceramic coating so they could start their new L28!

When John Quincy Adams wrote: Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish, he was not at the cusp of starting a brand new engine and hearing it roar its firsts breaths of power.

I am convinced I will learn a life lesson waiting for parts, but certainly all the wisdom fades with anxiousness.

In the mean time, I think will pull off the red valve cover and try to duplicate this top finish Eiji did on his car.



My plan is to use a rigid sanding block and slowly remove the red paint until I get all of it gone, and then go to a finer and finer grit until it is shiny.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

As promised, here is my attempt at polishing off the lettering on my valve cover. Problem is when I did this I inadvertently hit the bars that run the length of the valve cover, so I had to polish them... and then it goes on and on... But I am happy with the results!

[spitz17]

Looks amazing! I love the fuel line setup. No JDM Cyan blue velocity stacks like Eiji?

[Diseazd]

Zedy.....You're engine is absolutely beautiful!

[Zedyone_kenobi]

You know, it is tough to find the anodized ones that stick inside the carb body like mine. My stacks slide between the venturi and carb body about 1.5 inches.
From what I have read, you need to use those type stacks with this kind of carb. If I could find any I would certainly purchase them.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

I wish the rest of the car was as pretty Guy.

[Travel'n Man]

Have you thought about wiring up one of these: Not a bad idea for piece of mind - I wired one into the fuel pump and glad I did.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inertial_switch

[Zedyone_kenobi]

Yes, that is in the plan. Just have not done it yet. I have a place set aside for this, but have not instituted it yet.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

And the heavens brought down upon us a collector pipe laden with Jet Hot,

And Zedy saw that it was good, and clock can begin to tick again for the sound of L6 thunder

[d240zx2]

Your poetic self is emerging!

[spitz17]

I 'ed pretty hard at the music. Nice video! Now lets get one of the motor's first start

[Torby]

Stunning engine bay, love the fuel line setup. I must start looking for a similar fuel rail myself, looks waaay better than just connecting the triples with hoses and t-joints.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

Topby

go to ebay motors and search for

Universal Aluminum Fuel Rail

they sell it in different lengths, finishes, sizes, etc. You will have to buy fittings, hoses, and many drills and taps, but if you take your time, it is super easy to make one.

Plan fit and then cut.

[MKI4EVA]

As promised, here is my attempt at polishing off the lettering on my valve cover. Problem is when I did this I inadvertently hit the bars that run the length of the valve cover, so I had to polish them... and then it goes on and on... But I am happy with the results!

Money shot in so many ways......awesome job mate.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

My most sincere thanks!



Tonight was a tale of two stories.

I set out tonight and told my lovely wife to expect some noise out of the garage tonight!!

Well I finished installing the exhaust, tightened up all hangers, then wired up the dizzy, and went to wire up the O2 sensor. Well Murphy struck again.

It would see that since I refused to cut a hole in my new shifter boot, I was left stuck looking for another 'orifice' to stick the ridiculously short O2 sensor through.

You see in Innovative's eternal wisdom they decided to make the O2 sensor as big around as a quarter and the plug on the other end of the wires as big around as a shoebox (mild exaggeration). So I decided to cut all the wires and make a long jumper with bullet connectors for future removal. I also decide to run them through the old choke cable grommet on the firewall.

As my luck is consistent, I ran completely out of my last connector. So now I am not making smoke and fire because of a dumb 2 dollar electrical connector.

I only hope the O2 sensor is not calibrated for a certain length of wire. There is a calibration technique called out in the owners manual for the O2 sensor, so I may do that again.

[madkaw]

I put a hole behind the heater panel the size of the large plugs that are used for the AC holes.
It is a pain that there is no small end or disconnects for the sensor.
I would check before cutting any of the wires.

It's always something isn't it?

It's also a pain that the wires have to be twisted to put the sensor in.
Don't forget to calibrate

[Zedyone_kenobi]

Well the baby fired up today. Temp is rock solid at 180 F, oil pressure is higher than my last engine, but do not ask me what it is, as I have no idea due to the wonderful amount of information displayed on the OEM gage!

Now how did it go?

Well at first she would only spit and sputter and run off of the fuel the accelerator pump put out. Meaning, I was not getting enough gas. (Keep in mind I am running a 55F8 idle jets in the webers) So I opened up the idle mixture screws until she would start which happened at 2 turns out. But she was running very lean 15.1 AFR's. I continued to turn the idle mixture screws until I had a smooth idle and ended up with about 2.7 turns out from fully seated, running 12.5:1 at idle and 1050 rpm. So so far so good.

I let her idle as Eiji recommends and did some driving. Engine sounds FANTASTIC. I cannot really comment on performance as I have to keep it under 2500 rpm for a while per my break in instructions. But at slow rolling through the neighborhood in all gears, the AFR is about 15.8:1 just cruising around. So it will be obvious I will need to so some work on the carb tuning from my OEM L24 to my modified L28. NO big surprise there though...Looking forward to it actually.

Now on to something far more disconcerting.

My transmission shift lever is extremely stiff. I can put it in any gear, but it is hard as the ****ens trying to move it OUT OF 1st gear. From 2nd to 3rd and in and out of any other gear it is easy. But trying to move it out of 1st is extremely hard. Same thing happens for trying to move it out of Reverse. NO idea if this is normal for a newly rebuilt transmission. I will post a video of the completed engine running soon.

She starts up immediately, settles to a great idle very well. NO smoke, no issues at all. Feels very torquey, but obviously needs tuning. But the engine install part of this thread is done. Pics coming !!!!!

As for what I am going to do for the carbs, well that is going to be a new thread in the Carburetor section.

[tlorber]

Regarding the tranny, it probably IS a bit stiff since it is new. First and reverse are non synchro gears, and you may need a bit more throw from your clutch to disengage power when going into or coming out of these gears. However, before adjusting I would get the tranny nice and warm. That means you'll need to put some miles on it so the fluid can heat up. It will normally take a tranny more time than a motor to get up to operating temp.

[LeonV]

First gear definitely has a syncronizer on this transmission. Make sure the clutch is properly adjusted first, before jumping to any other conclusions.

Can't wait for the video especially after it's broken in!

[Zedyone_kenobi]

Forgive me for this Update. I posted this in my transmission VERY stiff thread, but I wanted to give closer here. The other one should be deleted.


I did something very simple. I removed the console, and both shifter boots. Then I applied some grease to the rod that the plastic cup on the end of the shift lever rests. That rod was dry. I put the transmission in first gear, and the applied grease. This way when I put it in reverse , it would twist and push the grease into the housing. The first application made a huge difference. IT felt like it was finally able to move smoothly. The gritty and sticky feeling was going and it dropped into and out of all the gears like a brand new car.

I also double checked my clutch engagement. It was a bit off. A few more turns on the adjustment screw gave me a more mid pedal clutch engagement, which feels far more normal and ensures full engagement of the clutch as well. It is raining now, so I will get the console back in tonight and give it a drive when it is over, but for the most part, it feels 100% fixed right now.

I think I was just being a bit of a hypochondriac with this one.

Leon, I had several Speilburg moments planned to video, but nothing until the rain stops, and nothing really sensational until after I get her broken in.

But for now, here is a tease!

[Gary in NJ]

But for now, here is a tease!

OK, that was just down-right mean.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

actually I have the full video, and meant to post it. HOWEVER, flickr only lets me post 1 minute and 30 seconds of video, and as luck would have it, that was right before the engine fired up. I have no idea how to post the full video to the internet. Everything cuts me off.

[Gary in NJ]

Edit the sections in Microsoft Movie Maker.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

I will make a new movie with the car moving under its own power today if I can. All my other video was showing was a choppy idle, which is not really exciting. It did sound good though.

[TexasRider260Z]

Hey Bro Z1:

Congratualtions on bringing all that planning, effort and work, and a few platelets too , together in a great Z car build for the Texas Rally. You said you would be an event this year and hey it is here.

I know it is going to be a truly big event and the Z folks here, us Texans, JSC , are all well represented by you, the Z, and your brother too. Somewhere along that run, stop and give Dad a smile, because he is smiling for you guys too !

Then after that we will get down to some track days against the P car. They are on equal terms now so I will really get beat!

Heck, I havent logged into the Classic Z in so long it gave me a Welcome Back from the Porsche World Message .

Darn good work in a lot ways Stephen !

[Zedyone_kenobi]

Thanks buddy.

I fixed the sticky transmission lever, all it needed was some lubrication on the linkage rod connecting the shift lever to the transmission.
I am still running way to lean for comfort though. I need a day off work and some jets to get her dialed in. But the idle is great and the cruise is fine. I thought I heard some pinging in 3rd and 4th gear at very low rpm with the engine bogged down, but I think that is more to do with the engine being under load at low rpm while running very lean. We will see. I placed an order for some new idle jets, and I have to wait to see what they will turn up. I am still just driving around the neighborhood testing out things while I am close to home.

Also they tore up all the roads leaving my neighborhood and they are a dusty, muddy mess, so you know I am not going to take the pristinely clean z on that and basically trash 2 months of work cleaning the engine with a drive down what is basically a gravel dirty road.

Yes I am a bit OCD when it comes to keeping my baby clean!

OH one more thing... I was able to play with the throttle a bit more and what can I say... but this.


DEAR GOD the torque and that light flywheel is just addictive!!!!!!!!! IT pulls so hard in every single gear!!!

[Matias]

Thanks buddy.

I fixed the sticky transmission lever, all it needed was some lubrication on the linkage rod connecting the shift lever to the transmission.
I am still running way to lean for comfort though. I need a day off work and some jets to get her dialed in. But the idle is great and the cruise is fine. I thought I heard some pinging in 3rd and 4th gear at very low rpm with the engine bogged down, but I think that is more to do with the engine being under load at low rpm while running very lean. We will see. I placed an order for some new idle jets, and I have to wait to see what they will turn up. I am still just driving around the neighborhood testing out things while I am close to home.

Also they tore up all the roads leaving my neighborhood and they are a dusty, muddy mess, so you know I am not going to take the pristinely clean z on that and basically trash 2 months of work cleaning the engine with a drive down what is basically a gravel dirty road.

Yes I am a bit OCD when it comes to keeping my baby clean!

OH one more thing... I was able to play with the throttle a bit more and what can I say... but this.


DEAR GOD the torque and that light flywheel is just addictive!!!!!!!!! IT pulls so hard in every single gear!!!

Good to hear that there is progress. Your carbs are calibrated for an otherwise stock 2.4 right now right?

I'm a littele bit behind, but it shouldn't be long now since I got the last piece of the puzzle today, the new double exhaust from Spirit Garage in Japan. My god it's a nice system, having mixed feelings about putting it under the car...should probably just put it in the living room and just sit and admire the craftsmanship...

[Montezuma]

Good to hear that there is progress. Your carbs are calibrated for an otherwise stock 2.4 right now right?

I'm a littele bit behind, but it shouldn't be long now since I got the last piece of the puzzle today, the new double exhaust from Spirit Garage in Japan. My god it's a nice system, having mixed feelings about putting it under the car...should probably just put it in the living room and just sit and admire the craftsmanship...

That is funny, but a little be true. I cannot imagine how much you paid for it plus shipping.

The build is coming along so awesome; I cannot wait to see the video of it running.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

I attempted to install my Unilite distributer tonight, and had ZERO luck. I am not sure how it is possible to have absolutely NO luck installing something that only has 3 wires. A red one to the ballast, the brown one to a ground somewhere, and the green one to the negative on the coil. Easy peesy.

But NO luck starting at all, I mean zero anything, zip. I pulled the coil to dizzy plug wire and laid it against some metal and turned the engine over, and it did not spark one time. When I turned off the key though, it laid out a huge spark...

Wait, now that I type that, something just occurred to me. It would not spark from the coil as it needs the rotor to make a connection with the cap to arc. So the coil was charging up, but not sending the energy anywhere! DRAT. I should have pulled the wire to a spark plug and checked for spark.

I can try again another night I suppose...

[mdec]

Interesting. Can you tell me the Unilite p/n for your distributer - 4563901 perhaps ?

[steve91tt]

Silly question...is the rotor turning? I had issues with getting my Mallory to couple to my oil pump drive when I first installed it.

[Zed Head]

I pulled the coil to dizzy plug wire and laid it against some metal and turned the engine over, and it did not spark one time. When I turned off the key though, it laid out a huge spark...

This is actually a sign that the "breaker" circuit in the Unilite was not being activated. When you turned the key off, the circuit was broken and the coil discharged like it should. You don't need the cap on to get a discharge from the coil (as you saw).

The Unilite is optical so either the "light" never shone on the sensor or it was shining on the sensor but nothing ever blocked it or there was no power to either the light or sensor. I would bet that there was no power to the light and/or sensor. When it's powered correctly I believe that you can even trigger the spark with a piece of paper, sliding it between the light and sensor.

[zKars]

Great point about the manual way to trigger a spark event with paper interrupting the light and sensor. Also don't forget that you take the whole dizzy out of the block and spin the base by hand to test and trigger spark events, you don't have to have the engine cranking or even running to turn it. Keeps things simpler, quicker to test and hopefull stress free! Good luck!

[Matias]

My most sincere thanks!



Tonight was a tale of two stories.

I set out tonight and told my lovely wife to expect some noise out of the garage tonight!!

Well I finished installing the exhaust, tightened up all hangers, then wired up the dizzy, and went to wire up the O2 sensor. Well Murphy struck again.

It would see that since I refused to cut a hole in my new shifter boot, I was left stuck looking for another 'orifice' to stick the ridiculously short O2 sensor through.

You see in Innovative's eternal wisdom they decided to make the O2 sensor as big around as a quarter and the plug on the other end of the wires as big around as a shoebox (mild exaggeration). So I decided to cut all the wires and make a long jumper with bullet connectors for future removal. I also decide to run them through the old choke cable grommet on the firewall.

As my luck is consistent, I ran completely out of my last connector. So now I am not making smoke and fire because of a dumb 2 dollar electrical connector.

I only hope the O2 sensor is not calibrated for a certain length of wire. There is a calibration technique called out in the owners manual for the O2 sensor, so I may do that again.

Question for you: how much space does the sensor require straight outwards from the bung? I already got the bungs welded in the best possible place as far as access is concerned, but I'm a little worried that space might be a problem...

[Zedyone_kenobi]

I will test the dizzy as soon as I can with your advice

I will also take a pic of the O2 sensor as soon as I can

[Zedyone_kenobi]

Mdec

Yes it is that model

I hooked it up again last night
Again zero spark is reaching the plug wires

I tried every conceivable configuration of wiring I found here and in the instructions provided by Mallory

I will begin troubleshooting the ignition module this weekend

[Lazeum]

Don't try with paper, the infra-red laser will go through. I've spend 4hrs to figure this out last July.
Use the rotor lip as a shield instead. To check the module, you don't need to make a spark; you need to make sure tension at the coil drops when the laser is shut.

Do you also have proper tension around the coil as well? Have you also checked the resistance between terminals on your coil?

[Zedyone_kenobi]

I think am running a 3 kOhm coil, but I have a 1.5kOhm coil on the shelf. I spent some time doing musical dizzys when I was chasing my popping issue a while back. So I will have to verify what is in there.

I have not run the basic ignition module test called out online yet. I have to verify the ignition module is not toast first. But after that I will try almost anything. The biggest issue I see around the web is not the voltage supplied to the ignition module (ie red wire), but the rather the power of the spark from the coil that tends to toast it.

I found nothing in the instructions that tell me to run a XX kOhm coil. I did not check to see what Mallory's coil has across it.

[Lazeum]

The coil I'm using with my dizzy is a 1.5kOhm if that could help.
I also have a voltage regulator to protect the dizzy supplied by Mallory. If you don't have one, it is a cheap insurance.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

Well I just ran my checkout...

With the ignition module getting 12 volts, and the green wire going straight to the negative side of the coil, and the brown side grounded, I hooked up a voltmeter with the black lead to the engine ground, and the red wire to the negative side of the coil. The positive side is getting 11.99 volts, and the negative side never got above 1.9 volts. According to Mallory this is a failed ignition module, as it is incorrectly charging the coil when it is not suppose to. The instant I unhooked the green Mallory wire to the coil, the voltage across the coil on both sides was basically the battery voltage.. as it should be.

So summit is going to replace it...

Funny thing is the pertronix acted the same exact way. With the pertronix hooked up I was getting the same huge voltage drop across the coil, only the car would start and run just fine. I am thinking that is just an artifact of the Pertronix as it has worked for well over 2 years in this configuration.

OH my coil was 1.5 Ohm as well.

[grannyknot]

Zedyone, I'm sure you have your hands full but there are 100's of us that are just dying to hear this engine roar.
Hope all is going well, if not the trouble shooters are waiting.
Chris

[mdec]

can you tell me what clutch you ended up going with ?

[Zedyone_kenobi]

I have been very busy lately just driving the car. I do owe everybody a video of the car roaring. IT sounds glorious.
I ended up using an OEM 240Z clutch to answer your question...

[rocketdog]

I had similar problems with the Unilite I installed after I installed the Webers. Got totally frustrated and worked with an MSA tech and we figured out it was defective. It was Summit purchase so sent it back with full refund. Have been running since on the stock 260 Dizzy with stock electronics and the vacuum disconnected.

BTW, I know you are a stickler for detail: Take some acetone and a rag and clean off those sloppy factory baby blue markings on your Webers.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

Finally got some video of me, but the quality is just aweful!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdamico/7965447110/

[madkaw]

Sounds good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[grannyknot]

Sounds great! How long before it's broken in?

[Zedyone_kenobi]

Well until I get about 400 miles or so. I am up to 200 now.
Just did another oil change of VR1 today which should last until about 1000 miles, then it will be just another engine ready to drive and enjoy.

[jonathanrussell]

I have been following your build. So, I know that it is early and you are still breaking in, but are you able to assess the build yet? Does the power feel like what you expected? Have you had any detonation issues? Are you able to run a normal timing advance for your setup?

Engine sounds good, btw.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

I can tell you I am blown away with how much mid range torque I have. It is just so usable. The ability to scoot up and around things with the flex of your toe on the accelerator is a joy. Almost no need to down shift form 4th when just driving around town. It pulls almost from 1500 rpm up. I have taken her as high as 4500 rpm so far and she is running well. Has not burned a drop of oil and seems to be extremely tight. If I get aggressive with the throttle in first gear some tire spin occurs. I have yet to really to full tilt through all the gears at WOT, so I cannot comment how fast that would be, but she feels like a rocket ship compared to my OEM L24. The webers have a whole new sound to them with the L28.

With Timing set at 14 BTDC with a max of 35 degrees was running into some pinging in 3rd and 4th gear at 1500 rpm while loading up the engine. It was barely audible, but I could hear it. If I eased off the gas it would be a non issue, even while loading up the engine in a tall gear at low rpm. However, I backed off to 10 deg BTDC and max advance of 30-31 and there is zero pining ever. Pulls strong, and idles very well. I cannot make it ping right now. I may try to advance it one degree at a time to see what I can get away with. But the car seems to like where I have it. When I get my Mallory back from summit racing (bad ignition module) I plan to run it at 10 degrees BTDC and max at 34. I may later buy an adapter kit to make it run 14 BTDC with a max of 31 ish. We will see. Without a dyno to really measure results, it is hard to tell any real improvement. To be honest, I am not sure changing out a perfectly working pertronix with a Mallory will yeild any results what so ever.

[grannyknot]

Zedyone, I guess this L28 build thread is almost finished. Before you wrap up this thread could you please post a quick
vid of what the car looks like now, maybe the engine and then you roaring off with the full sound from behind?
I haven't been with you from the start but I have read every post and followed the last few months.
Thanks,
Chris

[Zedyone_kenobi]

grannyknot, I have made an in car video that was darn near 10 minutes long. It was fun to make. I have rigged up a tripod on the deck of my car and wire tied it to the rear strut bar. it is very stable. However, when listening to the video, all you can hear is the DAMN electric fuel pump. It is so God Aweful loud in the video you can barely hear the L28 music. So annoyed I was with this, I am ordering a 81 RX7 pump as many veteran members here have. I will be giving that a shot in the week to come. I just cannot stand the constant BUZZZZZZZZZ anymore.

The carter pump has been reliable, but nothing I have done has made it less annoying!!!!

[Travel'n Man]

So - bottom line - would you go back to your SU's by choice?

[Zedyone_kenobi]

SUs are a fine setup but nothing on earth would ever make me go back to SUs

I have to be honest though
I do miss my refurbished OEM air box a little

But then I look at those gorgeous air horns and smile

Bottom line, I love my webers!!!!

[Zedyone_kenobi]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdamico...83/?likes_hd=1

Not sure I ever posted a video of her running yet... so here goes...

sorry for the TERRIBLE film quality and 'acting'

[Mikes Z car]

That link wanted me to install software.
Your post reminds me of when I first turned the key to start my 71 240 I had back in the 70s after putting new rings/ bearings in it. I also replaced the timing chain. I was afraid of monstrous backfires or other anomalies but all it did was run very slow because the timing was retarded due either to the timing chain replacement or how I put the distributor in.

[Diseazd]

Big improvement on the Panasports........much, much better!