doah, I saw that wide head and immediately thought fj20, and yes I do believe the S20 was the prince 6 cylinder, it was supposed to be a rip off of some eaurpean motor, Iand I rthought the 432 had the L20 with the twin cam head, I'll have to contact the guy I knwo that has one, he promised me ic's of the engine and the stock 4 wheel disk brakes

evildky wrote:I thought the 432 had the L20 with the twin cams head

Hard to say, all I know is that the L-series do not have the cooling channel on the side of the block. But the RB and L series have the same head bolt pattern. I still need a Torque plate for my RB build and I am betting I have better chances to find someone who does the L blocks to have one.

the S was a short lived, the L stopped production in 83 and the RB came out in 85, coincidence? the L6 does have a tendancy to get hot around #5 and 6, that cooling channel could be a solution pulled form the past

the rb is unique in the coolnt passage that crosses the front of the engine behind the tiing cover, the s goes across the timing cover, the s and l both mount their waterpumps to the timing cover

but year if you have any shops near you that specialize in L6's the same torque plate should work, but L6 buuilders are getting fewer, the biggies would be sunbelt and robello

Even the RB have the tendency to get hot in the rear two cylinders. There are many great debates on ways to get the engine to evenly cool all over the internet for it.. ie.. GT-cooling Mod, swirl pot, rear-Welch plug hose, individual cylinder trimming/CR's... etc etc.. I think it's just one of those fated issues with any I-6.

Suppose, if a L head can bolt on a S-block. Then they all derive from the same design.

The other concern would be the costs of shipping engine might outweigh just having the torque plate manufactured myself.

btw Gord, sorry for the thread jack.

maybe I should split this thread, some fo the mod function are tweaky wiht this forum format

you can buy an L head and have it milled into a plate, or just buy a chunk of aluminum na dhave that milled, a used head might be cheaper than a big enough piece fo stock to make the plate but it wil require teardown and more milling

S20 looks amazing.

OK. Lets get back on track here.
I had to do a ton of honey-do-list type stuff this past weekend. I also had an end of the year meeting for the Z-rock club too. Did not get much done on Betzy, except...

I now have an 8 ball shift knob!





Feels great, and I like it. From American Shifter Company knob. I had to drill and tap the top of the inside of the adapter to get it to sit down lower.

That's about it for now. Still working on the paint.

Also... glacier985. If you PM me and want a reply, enable your PM's.

Gord

gmac708 wrote:
Also... glacier985. If you PM me and want a reply, enable your PM's.

Gord

Wow, guess who feels stupid now....

...nice car btw

will the Gen 1 cig lighter panel fit the 72z?

Gord did you use a relay or something for your high beam indicator on the speedhuts? mine high beam indicator lights up when the low beams are on...

Simply beautiful.

boostedh23a1 wrote:will the Gen 1 cig lighter panel fit the 72z?

I don't know

boostedh23a1 wrote:Gord did you use a relay or something for your high beam indicator on the speedhuts? mine high beam indicator lights up when the low beams are on...

I still use my old Hi beam indicator. If my memory serves me correctly. Both wires have power going to them when low beams are on. One gets less power when High beams are on. That would be your potential to pull a relay. That is the way I plan on hooking up mine. The problem is that all the indicators in the speed hut gages share the one common ground wire. I suppose I could open it up and isolate the high beam lamp ground wire. That would work too.



Update!

A review would be as follows.

Car enters garage Feb-2009
Car is modified and ready for paint Nov-2011








I did manage to put 3500 miles on it this summer as well.

I went over to the painters shop yesterday and we have a plan. I am going to deliver the car around the second week in December. I need to gut the car down to basics. So... I started on that today. Everything is coming back out. Windows, wiring, engine, interior etc...This is easy stuff. I have had it apart so many times already. The wiring is going to be a bit of a chore but it should not take long.

I need to order a hood. I'm thinking of getting a carbon fiber hood. It should save a little weight up front. I am not really interested in the carbon fiber look, probably get the primed one w/inner frame. Thinking Beta motorsports. $$$$ http://www.betamotorsports.com/products/products.php

Random thoughts...Also need to order a windshield and rubber molding. I need to decide on fender mirrors or not. That would need to be done before paint. I can get the oil cooler stuff done along the way. Need to order head gasket for engine.

This is going to be fun.

Gord

Little under two years in the making. It was a fun ride.

Thanks for sharing.

I can't wait to finish up here with my degree and start working to fund my hobbies.. ie.. get cranking on my dusty RB project.

Right there with ya bud.... One year Nov 19th for me...

raremotive wrote:
I can't wait to finish up here with my degree and get cranking on my dusty RB project.

raremotive wrote:
I can't wait to finish up here with my degree and get cranking on my dusty RB project.

Sorry Gord, but rare's project should also be a lot of fun to watch!

Update

Removed rear hatch glass and seals, interior, door glass and cranks, dash, engine harness/electrical...



Removed water and oil, intercooler piping, radiator, almost ready to pull engine. I'm using the wheel ramps on the front of the car as it makes it easier to get the engine hoist under the car (more room).



Made good progress this weekend. Most of the stuff let to do is under the car. Exhaust, fuel tank, drive shaft...
This shouldn't take too much more work.

Gord

This may be one of the best build threads i have ever seen

Every time I look at this thread, it makes me wish it was spring so I could come check out the car in person. Even without a paint job I look the look of the car.

Update



engine and trany out.



Everything looked pretty normal. Separated the transmission and engine.



I removed the clutch. It looked almost brand new.



I did find out my LH engine mount had come apart. I'm have to give Mac a call and see about getting a new one.



Taped and plugged all the open holes and covered the RB for the winter.



I also got the diff, axles, fuel tank out. The brake lines have been sucked dry and the front brake calipers are removed. Just a few lines left to go.

Gord

CF Hood is completed and ready to ship. Beta motorsports

Ordered with inner frame for extra support. Total weight 7lbs 8oz.





Gord

I've heard nothing but good things about bete, I hope ot use them in the future

have you weighed your car yet?

Love it!

evildky wrote:I've heard nothing but good things about bete, I hope ot use them in the future

have you weighed your car yet?

Not yet
It will be interresting to see how she comes out.

Update

I finished up with the last few items this morning. All the fuel and brake lines are out. The windshield was the last thing to go.
The seal was really crispy/crusty and hard to get out. I did manage to get the windshield out in one piece.

Here is cutting the seal away.



Working around the outside.



Out it comes.



The body metal around the windshield looks good as new, no rust.




That should do it for a while



I rolled her outside for a few "before" pictures.







I have to go to St. Louis this week. I also have to get a few things done before the X-mas break. I talked to Jim (the painter) and he is ready to start the paint process next week. I'm thinking of starting another thread for just the painting. I will keep it updated as we go along. I will be assisting him and hope to learn a bunch and maybe pass along some pointers.This build thread is getting pretty long but I will keep it updated with changes as well. I have a bunch of things to do while the Z is gone. I hope to upgrade the wiper motor, a few more gaskets need replaced on the RB, clean up harnesses...etc.


gord

Did you decide on a color? I can't remember if you said that or not..

Eikon wrote:Did you decide on a color? I can't remember if you said that or not..

Still undecided

I love updates.

^^^+1, can't wait to see what color you chose!

300ZXttZMAN wrote:

I love updates.

Me too!

Hood arrived today from Beta Motorsports. This thing is soooooo light. High Quality, almost ready to paint. I need to fab up some hinge brackets.





Car is loaded on trailer.



Off to paint tomorrow.



I ordered a bunch of parts for the RB. Should be a fun weekend.

Gord

I love this thread. OK, so it's going to paint. Any clue what that color is gonna be or are you gonna let the painter pick it?

*I can't wait until you get a weight on yours. I want to get mine weighed as well so we can compare at the end.*

Also, next time you come to AZ, stop by. Bella is done. We can take her for a spin.