HB's l28et swap

General discussion forum about the 240sx, and a great place to introduce yourself to the board!
hbpignosePA
Posts: 3481
Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2006 6:07 pm
Car: 90 240sx hatch (Jackstand Queen)
78 Datsun 280Z (RIP)
89 Toyota Cressida (Sold)
86 Nissan 200SX hatch (sold)
83 Nissan 280ZX turbo (parts car)
90 Volvo 240 (sold)
80 Toyota Cressida MX32 (new daily)
Location: Amish Country Pa

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soo i got the car back from mike, and i missed what i thought for surface rust for yet another hole..... grrrr

it cleaned it up for now, and he will weld in a plate shortly when i get the car off jackstands.

so i decided to paint the bay black it helps conceal the patches better, and im not too concerned with making it show quality its a s13.....


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i also cleaned up some of wiring, removing the AC, cruise control, warning lamps and automatic belt wires. i will do a mild tuck, but nothing too crazy. ill probably mount the fuse box on the battery tray and etiher use a slim battery or move it to the back.

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interior is soon ready to go back together... i see a end to it being apart :yesnod
so that brings it back to what is going to go into the bay?

i just picked up a 83 turbo zx.... and im going back and forth with just parting it out and using the motor in my s13 since its already running, and this z needs some love (got a great price on it, and i could fix the little rust it has, but im not sure i want to.

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i guess i can decide for sure once i get the front suspension back on :chuckle:


hbpignosePA
Posts: 3481
Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2006 6:07 pm
Car: 90 240sx hatch (Jackstand Queen)
78 Datsun 280Z (RIP)
89 Toyota Cressida (Sold)
86 Nissan 200SX hatch (sold)
83 Nissan 280ZX turbo (parts car)
90 Volvo 240 (sold)
80 Toyota Cressida MX32 (new daily)
Location: Amish Country Pa

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wow has it been almost two years since i made any real progress on this?

finally sold my cressida; and my fleet is down to a managable two cars.... started working mornings so i have most afternoons to start working on this again. After i organize my shop i will be updating with progress/and what i am working on

:)

knifedag007
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 3:29 pm
Car: '91 240sx Hatch

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cool build

hbpignosePA
Posts: 3481
Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2006 6:07 pm
Car: 90 240sx hatch (Jackstand Queen)
78 Datsun 280Z (RIP)
89 Toyota Cressida (Sold)
86 Nissan 200SX hatch (sold)
83 Nissan 280ZX turbo (parts car)
90 Volvo 240 (sold)
80 Toyota Cressida MX32 (new daily)
Location: Amish Country Pa

Post

alright so time to raise this from the dead....

probably close to two years ago; i was looking for s30s and turbo zs because; frankly there is nothing sweeter in my mind than a classic z with a l28et for an affordable sports car.

then i stumbled across a video on youtube titled l28et s13... and i thought that would be so awesome and unique in its own way.

so ok im not the first but i plan to have a quality build so others on nico dont have to do so much guess work.

My research and the write ups from pallnet on various forums stated that it is basically bolt in; with an r32 crossmember and a front stump l28et oil pan.

i searched for two years for some of these hard to find parts... not kidding, all the forums, junkyards and I finally found an r32 crossmember a few weeks ago. I almost gave up on this idea so many times; but after i sold my zxt shell, i had a true l28et turbo block and basically everything else to do the swap.


So the gameplan: drop my current l28et into my s13; after i get it running and the bugs worked out, I will do a full rebuild on my spare 78k mile l28 non turbo block; with turbo pistons and p90 head.


The engine out of my zxt ran alright at best; but upon looking at the valvetrain im thinking it was lack of proper maintainece and the s*** stock electronics. So i am ordering a gasket set to replace all the external gaskets before i drop it in.... main seals etc.


OK so parts list:

l28et

front stump oil pan off a diesel maxima ( this has a pickup for the oil return for the turbo; and has a lower profile than a gasoline pan and should clear the sway bar which was a problem on pallnet's swap)

95 KA transmission w 95k

l28e bellhousing off my 78 z

stock t3 turbo for now

r32 crossmember

90 s13 (duh)

NEED:

custom downpipe

driveshaft

intercooler piping/etc

300zx turbo electronics (z31 stuff is a bolt on improvment in fuel management)

n42 intake (NON egr intake; had one but sold when i was gonna give up on this project)


Unsure:

Powersteering- not sure how i wanna do this yet; i know i need SOHC lines and ill probably fit a s13 ps pump to a custom bracket unless i find another nissan vehicle that i can make this work

radiator: im thinking of getting a custom radiator or finding one that would fit under the rad support to give me some clearence (z31?)

i know this isnt a common swap, sure there are better choices, but im dead set on this and i think it will be a refreshing change from srs and kas.... and pay homage to the nostalgic fan ive become :)


OK a few pics i just got done cleaning up the garage, so things should start rolling soon

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hbpignosePA
Posts: 3481
Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2006 6:07 pm
Car: 90 240sx hatch (Jackstand Queen)
78 Datsun 280Z (RIP)
89 Toyota Cressida (Sold)
86 Nissan 200SX hatch (sold)
83 Nissan 280ZX turbo (parts car)
90 Volvo 240 (sold)
80 Toyota Cressida MX32 (new daily)
Location: Amish Country Pa

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ok update time

today i swapped out the r32 crossmember. this was easy as heck with no engine and alot of the suspension goodies not torqued down.

i dont think i mentioned but my front suspension is almost refreshed.

still need a pair of tein pillow ball mounts for my RSR/koni combo (no coils for me sorry ya'll)

the specs:
tein inner and outer tie rods
new OEM FLCAs
poly bushings in the tension rods (not installed yet)
new boots
aluminum bushing in the steering rack as well (this was a pain in the a** to put in)

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r32 crossmember goin in. note crappy old phone on the floor, i guess old school is how i roll

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this will make mounting the l28 much easier :)

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also i had extended ARP lugs that i was always too lazy to install.

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tommorow im going to the yard in search of SOHC PS lines and pump, a few goodies for the interior, and a BMC so i can re install my q45 brake cailpers

interior is mostly back together, lots of little pieces i need to install; but that will come after i finalize the rest of the wiring and install the bmc

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OutToWinPAHC
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Joined: Thu May 31, 2007 12:19 pm
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cool blast from the past :)

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Dizel01
Posts: 399
Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2004 1:15 pm
Car: 89 Silvia
Location: York, PA

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YES!! Your doing something with your s13 finally!! I got $15 riding on a finished product by summers end. :gapteeth:
Hit me up when its vacation time cause I wanna wrench on this thing.

hbpignosePA
Posts: 3481
Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2006 6:07 pm
Car: 90 240sx hatch (Jackstand Queen)
78 Datsun 280Z (RIP)
89 Toyota Cressida (Sold)
86 Nissan 200SX hatch (sold)
83 Nissan 280ZX turbo (parts car)
90 Volvo 240 (sold)
80 Toyota Cressida MX32 (new daily)
Location: Amish Country Pa

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hahha well "finished" isnt going to happen.... i know i will need to wait till fall to get a custom driveshaft and prob an aftermarket radiator

but my goal is engine in the car and almost everything bolted on the block :)

hbpignosePA
Posts: 3481
Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2006 6:07 pm
Car: 90 240sx hatch (Jackstand Queen)
78 Datsun 280Z (RIP)
89 Toyota Cressida (Sold)
86 Nissan 200SX hatch (sold)
83 Nissan 280ZX turbo (parts car)
90 Volvo 240 (sold)
80 Toyota Cressida MX32 (new daily)
Location: Amish Country Pa

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alrighty.... update time

got my gasket set in; and i currently have the block up on the stand and most of the pieces torn off and ready to put back together.

currently sent an email to a member on another forum who did the swap; i need some clarification of the sump conversion.

i have a few pics but i will definitely get better ones when i work on it on wednesday

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so the F54 block has a pre-forged spot for the oil pick-up. the bolt holes are there but not tapped; so i need to tap these to install the pickup if i understand this correctly.

The one piece i don't understand is the oil dipstick. obviously i need to remove the old dipstick and tap the hole to seal it up. There is a pre-pressed spot that is where the front stump l24e maxima's dipstick goes; but there is an oil passage that passed through it. I will grab better pictures but i think if i seal the spot at the rear dipstick that's all this passage goes to.

BUT i have a diesel pan; which has extended capacity with fins on each side of the pan.... so couldn't i just put the dipstick right into the top of this?


i did alot of junkyarding on my two weeks off; and scored some sweet pieces:

240sx throttle body, SOHC PS lines, Temp sensor

my prize; a 76 non egr intake manifold. This makes cleaning up all the vacuum nonsense alot easier. cost from the yard? 27 bucks.

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stock pos manifold

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my goal for the next two weeks is to get the gaskets done; the oil pickup question answered and the manifolds mocked up so it will be ready to drop in the car by the end of august.

trans is next

stay tuned :)

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Razi
Posts: 28373
Joined: Sun Dec 31, 2006 9:52 am
Car: Moo

Post

Very interesting swap!
I'll keep an eye on this!

hbpignosePA
Posts: 3481
Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2006 6:07 pm
Car: 90 240sx hatch (Jackstand Queen)
78 Datsun 280Z (RIP)
89 Toyota Cressida (Sold)
86 Nissan 200SX hatch (sold)
83 Nissan 280ZX turbo (parts car)
90 Volvo 240 (sold)
80 Toyota Cressida MX32 (new daily)
Location: Amish Country Pa

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after read-reading some of that i sound like i am babbling.... i had a few drinks last night so ill explain it a bit better with pics next update lol

thanks..... its a lot of research but it will be pretty unique

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Didderson
Posts: 2567
Joined: Sat Mar 18, 2006 4:05 pm
Car: 1990 Nissan 240SX FB
'88 Nissan Hardbody pickup
'74 Datsun Z
Location: Nor-Phillerdelph
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Very nice reserach man. That manifold looks great! I remember you talking about them but I never saw one until now.
Looks like a very clean motor to build onnn

S13_love
Posts: 2364
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2008 7:00 am
Location: PNW

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Razi wrote:Very interesting swap!
I'll keep an eye on this!
:werd:

hbpignosePA
Posts: 3481
Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2006 6:07 pm
Car: 90 240sx hatch (Jackstand Queen)
78 Datsun 280Z (RIP)
89 Toyota Cressida (Sold)
86 Nissan 200SX hatch (sold)
83 Nissan 280ZX turbo (parts car)
90 Volvo 240 (sold)
80 Toyota Cressida MX32 (new daily)
Location: Amish Country Pa

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Car is listed for sale.... PM me for details

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Razi
Posts: 28373
Joined: Sun Dec 31, 2006 9:52 am
Car: Moo

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Awww :(

hbpignosePA
Posts: 3481
Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2006 6:07 pm
Car: 90 240sx hatch (Jackstand Queen)
78 Datsun 280Z (RIP)
89 Toyota Cressida (Sold)
86 Nissan 200SX hatch (sold)
83 Nissan 280ZX turbo (parts car)
90 Volvo 240 (sold)
80 Toyota Cressida MX32 (new daily)
Location: Amish Country Pa

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just testing waters...... i am not set on selling, but i just dont have the time to work on her anymore :(

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Didderson
Posts: 2567
Joined: Sat Mar 18, 2006 4:05 pm
Car: 1990 Nissan 240SX FB
'88 Nissan Hardbody pickup
'74 Datsun Z
Location: Nor-Phillerdelph
Contact:

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After looking through this to answer a question on zilvia with a picture, you put too much work into the project and sourced all the hard to find parts just to quit man.

Lmk a day u wanna build a car. I'll show up.

hbpignosePA
Posts: 3481
Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2006 6:07 pm
Car: 90 240sx hatch (Jackstand Queen)
78 Datsun 280Z (RIP)
89 Toyota Cressida (Sold)
86 Nissan 200SX hatch (sold)
83 Nissan 280ZX turbo (parts car)
90 Volvo 240 (sold)
80 Toyota Cressida MX32 (new daily)
Location: Amish Country Pa

Post

haha i know.

i had a few calls about it and i didnt even call the ppl back.

i found a great deal on a spec stage two clutch, and ordered a few mounts to at least get her in the car by winter.

ill prob drop in by the first week of november if i get a few days to work on it (looks like i have a few in the next two weeks w my schedule) :)


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