chris frizzell
Club Member
Hi all can anyone reccomend a after market billet fuel rail for a 280z so i can get rid of the metal spaghetti . if poss with a inline fuel regulator mant thanks chris .
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billet fuel rail 280z
- Thread starter chris frizzell
- Start date
Hi, iv'e been looking into this as well when my car refused to start as i thought it was an injector problem but never got round to getting any further however i have the following info if it helps.
For the FPR I have decided to try an 'Aeromotive 13129' and either mount it at the end of the fuel rail or on the bulkhead but need to get the right connections for the unit to hook it up. Again i have seen this unit mentioned on a few Z forums and the spec seems to fit the standard fuel pressure and flow requirements. Some of the other FPR's i have been looking at seem to have bad reviews due to leaks and it seems you certainly get what you pay for on these (I get the impression you should not buy an FPR from ebay).
If you do go away from the stock injectors you may also need to find and change the electrical connectors to work with the existing wiring loom. Again i found quite a lot of random information on the US forums and the connectors seem to be readily available through Rock Auto once you find the part number. I'm not sure if the 11mm injectors mentioned above would need new cables.
Please note i am not an expert in fuel systems and injectors (i'm sure others on here can offer more advice and correct me if I have certain things wrong), but I understand unless you are running a more advanced management system you should not use higher CC injectors as the car will just run rich. I'll be interested to find out what you are thinking of doing as i have not pulled the trigger on this yet but think i will probably end up going the 11mm o-ring route assuming I can get the Pallnet fuel rail.
- A user by the name of Pallnet offers a fuel rail and can make these to suit 11mm, 14mm or stock injectors. I believe he is contactable on facebook or if you search one of the US Z forums he has a contact email. I think he may also be selling through 'Godzilla Raceworks' but i would check this is the same item before ordering.
- ZCar Depot also do one for stock or 14mm connectors. They have matching 14mm o-ring injectors but i believe the conversion would need to make use of their EFI system which is quite a significant investment.
For the FPR I have decided to try an 'Aeromotive 13129' and either mount it at the end of the fuel rail or on the bulkhead but need to get the right connections for the unit to hook it up. Again i have seen this unit mentioned on a few Z forums and the spec seems to fit the standard fuel pressure and flow requirements. Some of the other FPR's i have been looking at seem to have bad reviews due to leaks and it seems you certainly get what you pay for on these (I get the impression you should not buy an FPR from ebay).
If you do go away from the stock injectors you may also need to find and change the electrical connectors to work with the existing wiring loom. Again i found quite a lot of random information on the US forums and the connectors seem to be readily available through Rock Auto once you find the part number. I'm not sure if the 11mm injectors mentioned above would need new cables.
Please note i am not an expert in fuel systems and injectors (i'm sure others on here can offer more advice and correct me if I have certain things wrong), but I understand unless you are running a more advanced management system you should not use higher CC injectors as the car will just run rich. I'll be interested to find out what you are thinking of doing as i have not pulled the trigger on this yet but think i will probably end up going the 11mm o-ring route assuming I can get the Pallnet fuel rail.
chris frizzell
Club Member
hello thanks for the post . done about the same amount of research my car is stock with standard injectors and the new /refurbed . look at the ones from zcardepot and they look very good with lots of options . do you have to fit the ez efi ? if so may as well go for carbs . the pallet rail costs more as there FPR is $200 but you can fit a pressure gauge . theres guy on here that i have posted as her got a cool rail . contacted zcar depot about the postage and its $45 but i will email then about the rail and ez efi many thanks for the post Chris
Makesy
Club Member
Hi guys, Mark N has the Z Car Depot rail which comes in brushed aluminium. He had his sprayed red.
They sell this to support both stock and aftermarket o ring injectors, though I believe the stock setup costs a little more as it requires them to supply barb fittings. It comes with an aftermarket FPR, though not sure what brand or if it's any good.
I use a Datsun Europe rail. Finish is beautiful but I'm not sure if they stock them in this style anymore. Mine is set up for o ring injectors (I use Corrado VR6 injectors). I purchased a Sytec FPR to work with this system.
You don't "need" to move away from the stock ECU setup to use either rail, though for everything to work as it should with an o ring setup, you'd need an aftermarket injector that matched the flow rate of the stock injectors, and to adjust the FPR to match as necessary.
If you stuck with a barb setup and stock injectors, there'd again be no need to change ECU just match the fuel pressure with stock (36psi from memory?)
In any case, it should be noted that maintaining the stock ECU with this mod won't provide you any performance gain. The main benefits I found from this modification were:
A tidier, better looking engine bay
A move to more modern equipment (cheaper more widely available injectors available etc) Vs tired old equipment (stock fprs etc) which weren't guaranteed to work
It's now MUCH easier to work on this area of the car! (No more fiddly old screws and brittle plastic injector seats!)
Before making the switch, I would really try and pin down the main reason for undertaking this mod. I understand vapor lock was cited as a concern, but I'm led to believe this is more of a challenge in the places like the Southern US states where it's much hotter a lot more of the time, and less of an issue in the UK.
They sell this to support both stock and aftermarket o ring injectors, though I believe the stock setup costs a little more as it requires them to supply barb fittings. It comes with an aftermarket FPR, though not sure what brand or if it's any good.
I use a Datsun Europe rail. Finish is beautiful but I'm not sure if they stock them in this style anymore. Mine is set up for o ring injectors (I use Corrado VR6 injectors). I purchased a Sytec FPR to work with this system.
You don't "need" to move away from the stock ECU setup to use either rail, though for everything to work as it should with an o ring setup, you'd need an aftermarket injector that matched the flow rate of the stock injectors, and to adjust the FPR to match as necessary.
If you stuck with a barb setup and stock injectors, there'd again be no need to change ECU just match the fuel pressure with stock (36psi from memory?)
In any case, it should be noted that maintaining the stock ECU with this mod won't provide you any performance gain. The main benefits I found from this modification were:
A tidier, better looking engine bay
A move to more modern equipment (cheaper more widely available injectors available etc) Vs tired old equipment (stock fprs etc) which weren't guaranteed to work
It's now MUCH easier to work on this area of the car! (No more fiddly old screws and brittle plastic injector seats!)
Before making the switch, I would really try and pin down the main reason for undertaking this mod. I understand vapor lock was cited as a concern, but I'm led to believe this is more of a challenge in the places like the Southern US states where it's much hotter a lot more of the time, and less of an issue in the UK.
Makesy
Club Member
Also Chris, don't forget you will likely get stung with a duty invoice from FedEx when your imported parts arrive. Z car depot sometimes offer a discount which may help offset this somewhat, but duty won't be included in their quote.
Mark N
Club Member
Although it doesn't say it now, I'm almost positive that Z Car Depot used to say that their 19lb/hr 'O' ring injectors were a direct replacement.
That equates to almost 200cc/min at 44-45psi (3 bar).
Trying to find the flow value of the original injectors is not that easy with anything from 188cc/min to 210cc/min being quoted.
Having a good quality FPR with a vacuum reference is essential as is having an accurate gauge to calibrate base line fuel pressure.
As mentioned above, eBay is full of poor quality FPRs especially Sard copies, which can be identified using the link below.
https://www.sard.co.jp/after_eng/products/engine/regulator/regulator_pirated/regulator_pireted.html
That equates to almost 200cc/min at 44-45psi (3 bar).
Trying to find the flow value of the original injectors is not that easy with anything from 188cc/min to 210cc/min being quoted.
Having a good quality FPR with a vacuum reference is essential as is having an accurate gauge to calibrate base line fuel pressure.
As mentioned above, eBay is full of poor quality FPRs especially Sard copies, which can be identified using the link below.
https://www.sard.co.jp/after_eng/products/engine/regulator/regulator_pirated/regulator_pireted.html
Makesy
Club Member
I recall that statement too. I seem to remember they were the same injectors as some of the older Mustang models
chris frizzell
Club Member
zcardepot will send it as a gift if you say its your birthday and thats handy as i have 2 like the queen . the only down side with there rail looks to be the regulator as i have seen a few reviews on the net and it can leak . i think a close look at the pallnett may be in order as they have a bettter regulator if more expensive
Mark N
Club Member
They sell the fuel rails without the FPR too it you want to source your own.
https://zcardepot.com/products/billet-fuel-rail-efi-280z-280zx-1?variant=19282385010801
You then have the choice of mounting the FPR on the rail or remotely elsewhere in the engine bay.
Do you know where the FPRs leaked?
I found one post on a forum talking about a blanking plug on one of the FPR ports leaking.
The FPRs probably leave the factory with nothing on the threads to seal them so that you can configure the ports how you want.
Even if they do have sealed threads, would you trust someone else's work when assembling fuel supply components above the exhaust manifold of your pride and joy?
Mr.G
Club Member
I second Pallnet. I don't know the other guys i am sure they can do you a good fuel rail but Pallnet has been making them for over 20 years, he has made 3 for me over the years all perfectly made. He is easy to talk to and you can tell him exactly what you want and also get advice from him, he is a certified mechanic in the US. I would not go anywhere else for fuel rails and on top of that he is a great guy to deal with.
Mr.G
Club Member
I just spoke to Pallnet, his rails are now available through his distrubutor here: www.godzillaraceworks.com
chris frizzell
Club Member
looking at one on the web from a company called protunerz . they look very good and are a great price $120 plus post but not in full production yet . lots of colour to chose also .pallnet have the better fpr and demon tweeks sell then £179 . iam looking on fitting one over winter may get a deal on postage if some one else is interested ? Chris
chris frizzell
Club Member
Hello Datsun fans just orded one of these from protunes
Hello all any one runing stock injection rail may like one of these just come into production from protunes lots of option . just orded one for £138 including postage . a great birthday ,xmas , weddding anniverary or happy unlock down prezzy . Must go got to start back to work on Monday thats if anyone needs denture anymore . i have liked the time off but not the minium cash from Boris , being LTD sometimes has down sides but its only money . still here many are not god bless . Chris
Hello all any one runing stock injection rail may like one of these just come into production from protunes lots of option . just orded one for £138 including postage . a great birthday ,xmas , weddding anniverary or happy unlock down prezzy . Must go got to start back to work on Monday thats if anyone needs denture anymore . i have liked the time off but not the minium cash from Boris , being LTD sometimes has down sides but its only money . still here many are not god bless . Chris
Turn & Burn
Club Member
I’ve only just seen this post, I would have shared post etc if I’d seen earlier. Will check their website now, I’m after a rail for throttle bodies and would prefer to go 1 piece like these if possible