L28 carbed to injected swap

[GerryO]

Yeah I recently discovered that its even possible to swap to fuel injection on the older carbed l series motors... maybe I'll look for a l28et...

Can you share more details about equipping a carbed series motor with fuel injection from an L28?

Thanks!

[GerryO]

the L28ET is the best bang for the buck, and a pretty simple swap, everything just bolts in you drill 1 hole to run the harness through and hook up a half dozen wires and you're done, the LS certainly has it's advantages but it comes at a price

Is there a good write-up that covers the L28ET install into a '72 and if you don't swap rear ends, does the original drive shaft match up?

Thanks!

[evildky]

the l28et bolts to the stock trans so yeah you keep the same drive shaft and rear end, it's basically the same motor you have with a turbo and fuel injection

and a custom driveshaft isn't a big deal with a radical swap, the most Ive spent having a new shaft made form scratch was $400 and that included overnite shipping of a few parts, I've also had stock shaft modified and that starts around $100, of course shops in your area might vary a bit

[GerryO]

the l28et bolts to the stock trans so yeah you keep the same drive shaft and rear end, it's basically the same motor you have with a turbo and fuel injection

and a custom driveshaft isn't a big deal with a radical swap, the most Ive spent having a new shaft made form scratch was $400 and that included overnite shipping of a few parts, I've also had stock shaft modified and that starts around $100, of course shops in your area might vary a bit

My '72 (purchased used in '74) has been garaged since '86. Acquired what I believe is a 5-speed transmission several years ago, and figure fuel injection with an electronic ignition system on the original engine would be a good way to go. What do you think?

[evildky]

I'm not a fan of the stock injection system found on the L28's, the L28ET system is marginally better but still not worth the drama, if I were you I'd find a set of round top SU's and convert to electronic ignition and forget fuel injection

[GerryO]

I'm not a fan of the stock injection system found on the L28's, the L28ET system is marginally better but still not worth the drama, if I were you I'd find a set of round top SU's and convert to electronic ignition and forget fuel injection

Sounds too easy. Don't I already have round top SUs?

1. Late '69 production date up to the '71 models had a "bottle" or "bell" top piston chamber that was secured to the main body unit with 4 screws. Both front and rear carbs used identical rebuild parts. These carbs did not have water warm-up circulation chambers in the rear base and hence, used a square, 4 hole carb to manifold spacer/vibration dampener. There have been some reports of modest external visual differences in the carbs of these years, mostly in the lower hardware, but essentially they are all the same. These units are most often used to replace the troublesome '73 240Z & '74 260Z "flat top" Hitachi SU's when they go bad.

2. '72 carbs were almost identical in looks, but differed in several refined areas. The "bell" tops were secured with 3 screws rather than 4 and the rebuild parts differ between the front and rear carbs, primarily in the inlet jet assemblies. The '72 units also had their base casting altered to accommodate 2 warm water re-circulation inlet passages to facilitate quicker warm ups from cold starts and for other subtle technical improvements. These 2 inlet passages match up to a unique intake manifold designed with matching water holes that must be bolted up to each other using a proper manifold spacer/vibration dampener part with corresponding holes in order for the warm-up feature to function.

Converted to EI in '76 or '77. The manual choke is a pain and I don't want to break another handle. How about a set of triple Webers? Once installed a single Weber on a '76 Datsun PU and it made a HUGE difference.

Part of me hates to put a non-smogged car back on the road.

Thanks!

[AZhitman]

Sounds too easy. Don't I already have round top SUs?

It is simple. All of my Datsuns have been converted to EI, and the roundtop SU's are by far the easiest to deal with. Have fun tuning those triple Webers. A single 4-bbl makes even more sense on an L28, but even then, it could be argued that the SU's are superior.

What's the big concern with putting a non-smogged car on the road? That statement confused me.

[GerryO]

Sounds too easy. Don't I already have round top SUs?

What's the big concern with putting a non-smogged car on the road? That statement confused me.

Still vividly recall CA "air" of the late 60s, 70s and 80s, and once in a while end up sitting in traffic near or following a "classic" (smog exempt) car.

Propane powered buses and methanol fueled sprint cars are another story though!

[AZhitman]

All of my "exempt" cars run as clean as my modern car. I'm not your typical classic owner, though.

However, I won't get into the debate of the OVERALL impact of taking an old-well-maintained car off the road and disposing of it and replacing it with a new, supposedly "cleaner" vehicle. It's a fallacy and a false sense of "cleanliness".

There's no reason your '72 can't be made to run clean. Frankly, if that's your goal, a carb'ed L28 would be preferable - add an AFR and tune it for stoichiometric combustion (something you'll have a serious challenge with on an injected L28, unless you're adept at ECU tuning).

[evildky]

I have no idea how stock your car is, you said it has a 5 speed so who knows whats been changed

and Zcars first got fuel injection ont he late 260Z in 74, all Z's since have been fuel injected

the su's are the easiest to tune as there are only a couple of adjustments that can be made, tripple webbers are fun, but tuning them can be a real pita, the only way I'd add fuel injection is a stand alone like megasquirt, and then you have a man sized project on your hands, it can be rewarding but when you build from scratch and have so many choices it's a lot to deal with, I've megasquirted 2 zcars and I am happy with my choice

[GerryO]

I have no idea how stock your car is, you said it has a 5 speed so who knows whats been changed

As far as I know I'm the second owner (since '74). What I believe is a 5 speed transmission is on the floor, next to the car. A late 70s Pioneer AM/FM cassette radio, dents in the passenger side front fender and the rear bumper/panel, new seat covers, American Racing Libre wheels (black spokes), a cracked dash and an after market electronic ignition are the only mods.



It just needs a bit of work. Megasquirt is the way to go then.

[AZhitman]

As someone who's swapped several cars, I can tell you that if you're gonna go to all that trouble, there'd better be a rebuild of the L28 in your future. Doesn't do much good to go all "green" with the engine management if it still burns oil, leaks, or isn't otherwise as efficient as a modern engine. I'll assume a catalytic converter and AFR meter will be joining the standalone? If so, you're gonna want to figure out how to "light off" that cat - otherwise, it's just a heavy, expensive tube.

For the money you're talking about spending, you could do a late-model VG swap and meet modern Federal emissions standards.

Again, a properly-tuned carbureted car can be made to run just as clean as an injected one, even if that injected car has a standalone fuel management system.

[evildky]

the vg30 e converion is a good option, 160 hp stock, it moves the weight back and down in the chassis, the ecu can be tuned with a romulator or left stock

and all the L28's came with a cat in stock form so he might well have one

and libras are always cool, just sixe limited bti then smaller lighter wheels should yeild better fuel economy