Intorducing 'Gaijin'

gaijin

Well-Known Forum User
Calling all those interested,
Im building a zed in its final design scope.
General notes;
- Street car, Warrant Of Fitness/registration
- R34 Neo turbo engine, GT3040R, water/air intercooling etc
- Programmable ECU, traction control, ABS even?
- Complete R34 rear subframe, LSD, toe/camber adjustable, big brakes etc. Increase track 150mm+
- Large piston front struts, big brakes etc, adjustable roll centre,camber,more castor, increase track 140mm+
- Power steering
- Full cage, to front struts
- Full interior, sound deadening,music
- Plenty of custom mods
- 18x9.5" 265/35 rears etc.
- NO DODGY BODYKITs either !!
The car will not be the fastest, best looking, tidiest zed out there.
I understand that it can be considered 'butchering' to some.
But should be OK for a comment or even critique.
Progress is underway.
If the club is keen to see (about) weekly updates and pics, Im happy to oblige.
I can give some tech notes as to whats going on, why, and hassles to avoid if someone is to do something similar.
thanks
martin
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gaijin

Well-Known Forum User
Okidoki,

Gajin will begin the photo posting and tech notes from here.
I hope I can provide the longest, most technically interesting forum for the zed people

I have been reviewing the Hugo 240z (see you tube vids, great rock too)
he has something similar, with numerous differences to fabrication, especially the rear subframe install.
I will note these differences as I go along.

The certain workshop has been great, professional, fast, calm, open to discuss good and bad ideas.
I am no longer available for any wrench turning myself with current medical issues.

I see this as a great thing for the project (=PROGRESS) and a poor thing for finances (vacuum cleaner).


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Anyways, here it is after a RHD conversion, both rear quarters, outerwheel arches, floor repairs, dove tail, sills, ready for a stock L24 numbers matching, go-slow car. Completed in my garage over 18 months by author at nights, while misses was pregnant.
Time to get serious?
 

gaijin

Well-Known Forum User
Enter the incompleted
Pull out L24 powertrain
strap on the rear subframe to trailer
send the lot over to Herberts Fabrication in Auckland NZ.

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Had done more work on the fairlady over the next while, but the workshop location and work pressures made spending time difficult.
Time to enlist help.

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Is it wrong to sell the matching numbers drivetrain to anyone?
Hmmm, soul removed, check.

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thanks to salty for the trailer use. To easy
 

gaijin

Well-Known Forum User
Getting ready for the shop
lovely light cars they are.
note macpherson stut rear, and not for much longer.
Hello double wishbone


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gaijin

Well-Known Forum User
Here we have the goods being collected down South East of country.
2000 ER34 manual with 30kms on odo.
Hang on a mo, its missing parts...
- No turbo or manifold
- No clutch

Everything else is here, ECU, loom, all the brakes and subframes front and rear.

Just what can I fit into a '73 S30 chassis?

Time to find out.
Lets get this lot cleaned up, and up to Auckland.
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I most like the independant wheel speed sensors on the outer
diff axles. Hello traction control

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gaijin

Well-Known Forum User
More organs.

Gbox looks a little more beefy than the stock S30 4 spd. Plenty of external castings protruding out. Apparently handles big HP. Lucky me eh.
The ex-owner of this lot, a freindly civil contractor down in the bay, had stripped a perfectly nice er34 to turn into a show car, but perhaps the finances are better spent firing bullets at stags.....good man, and thanks again Vinny.

Being the last generation of RB25's, it is different to the R33 S1 & 2 engines, because of the use of solid lifters in the head, different injectors sizes and set-up, variable intake valve timing, and a higher CFM & more efficient turbo, with a tidy 280ps flywheel factory. Its still a cast iron block, ally head big beast mind. The classic part of the er34 r25 turbo engine updates, is that the engine (standard) is a LOW EMMISION VEHICLE : LEV. This wont be no Prius however.


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gaijin

Well-Known Forum User
A delightful, rebuilt and ready to wimper L24 stocker/4 spd.
Now sold on. Bye bye says the butcher.
Check out the giant spacers that used to be part of Motorsport Autos 17" Koenig wheel set.

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Couldve flashed up the L24 and go EFI/turbo with it. Hmmm
 

gaijin

Well-Known Forum User
Dreaming of a working zed, you better believe it.
Check out the initials carved into the doors bog.
I love old cars, you get so much more than you pay for...


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Man, these cars are small
 

gaijin

Well-Known Forum User
Lets get into it.
Breif to Mark Herbert:

- Get the rear subframe into the S30 chassis.
- Keep it low profile
- Not worried about cutting up gaurds
- Is it finished already? haha

- To fit in 18 x 9.5" wheels, standard er34 offset for size, 265/35/18.

Once the rear is in, we agreed to discuss progress, make sure client/fabricator get on OK, and see if we continue working.
Fair to me.




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- Sans tire, looks OK. Subframe located, but no welding just yet. Clearance checks seem OK.




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- Mark holding wheel at the approximate ride height, ie. includes sag. We will look at gaurd mods later, ignore the lack of room. Will be around 120mm clearnace from chassis underside to road. PLENTY (100mm is minimum legal clearance in NZ)

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- Rear profile. Subframe not modified, ie. standard width. Circa +160mm total. I like the new width/track, lets forget about shortening this beast, would be a crying shame, just think of the lat. acceleration capacity...feeeeel the 'gs. HICAS gone using peice of ebay 'crap welded' steel bar.
 

gaijin

Well-Known Forum User
So, Gaijin, how on earth are those 265's going to turn in anger with a little smokey bakerlite/ceramic hairdrier with dissapointingly frugal injectors?

Let me see..we need response to keep up with these youngsters in Evo's & rex's, yet have top end to satisfy....surely turbos dont do both?

Enter 3082R, aka GT3040R. Perhaps a little small on the turbine wheel/housing for drag, but should be spot on for club racing. This can be updated easily to a 3582R aka GT3540R, which would turn the stock internally RB25 into bent rods and the rest. Best stay small to start, go bigger later, if its too slow.


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0.82 ar exhaust, standard front.
 

gaijin

Well-Known Forum User
Big nose checking out the extra track.
Sure makes the diff seem small.

Most of the rear end stays standard for now.

Changes planned include;
-Hicas lock - installed in blue.
-Camber links - require-rewelding due to poor welding from China? Taiwan? Dunno. Xray man said go away, even before getting the test equipment out. Grind back and TIG again. This should be part of a purchase agreement - a healthy xray report.
-Freshen standard brakes
Tires are Trademe/ebay specials 265/35/18

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gaijin

Well-Known Forum User
Strut assembly not where it should be,
Original strut way too long to fit, requires an off the shelf Koni/Bilstien unit or something cheaper.

Camber link also not in

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Diff centre is the stock helical LSD. A half decent factory LSD
 

gaijin

Well-Known Forum User
Using the z31 turbo 5 stud front hub in steel,
8.5" wide wheel
stock er34 disc and calliper
- Fitment looks ok, clearance all good
- Very heavy! Reducing unsprung and rotating weight should be my target.
Going light with disc and hat, aftermarket calliper and alloy hub will make a great improvement for the money
Lets start looking...

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gaijin

Well-Known Forum User
Go Neo!

For a light weight daily driver, a turbo with response is desirable. GT3082R 0.82 AR exhaust housing, gt exit, external gate, dual cartridge ball bearing. Cant say too much about the ex manifold, apart from it costing a few hundred slides.
It might even fit into the engine bay...
Intake manifold will have to go
nice Fan cough cough


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gaijin

Well-Known Forum User
Spec is for a basic cage suitable for light track use, kept tight to lining, mild steel.
Will tie into front strut towers once car is further setup, and sitting on a flat table to check chassis is 'straight', which will be pretty unlikely.
Rear bar across luggage dept. ties the rear subframe mounts together with something more than panel steel. Pickups behind the seat area ties the front mounts for the subframe.
Looks like just a few fires have started with the welding. Keep the heart racin'


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gaijin

Well-Known Forum User
In these times of recesion, there is no better pick me up than painting everything in gold.
er, maybe not.

Drivetrain stripped of all ancillaries ready to slot into place.

Cross member has the pretty average camber adjustment from old, inner wishbone adjustable point.

Note engine mounts completed, using stock rubber. Will give movement, but will also be good for NVH reduction. Too many fillings in the mouth to rattle out. Wish they were gold...

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gaijin

Well-Known Forum User
Manifold choices are OK on the market, with short list including;
- standard across the top (works fine)
- chinese greddy copy ($, casting issues, % of rejects high)
- Greddy ($$ , no bellmouths, hard to source 2nd hand or killer deal)
- Aussie fabricated stuff ($$$, too many $ for the gain)
- JP and Thai ($$, bellmouths, quality looks OK, deals available) Decided then!

80mm TB (attempt to keep intake velocity up, better response)
SARD fuel rail (has 11mm injector holes, while manifold has 13mm. May need to open up rail diameter)

General clearance OK, TB tightish to inner wheel arch.

Anodizing is garish.

Note engine position against firewall, nice'n'tight. 15mm odd clearance there. Also the height of engine relative to bonnet catch, with the oil pan off the JDM 200zr making life easy to drop it low.

Compressor housing getting jiggy with the cam cover, will scallop out cam cover then

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gaijin

Well-Known Forum User
Exhaust is prepped.
I like the smooth 3" mandrel main.
Wastegate is Tial 38mm (maybe big enough, if the boost is set nice'n'high)
Position of wastegate pipe exiting manifold useless (lowest pipe in pic), with exhaust gas having to do a 180 deg. turn to exit. Hello boost creep. Will change this to improve flow to 'gate. One downfall of the 200 slide chinese unit.

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Arizona Z Car aluminium radiator, non cross flow, pipes not in the right place either, lucky the xchange rate is still OK then! Bolts up to stock mounts, but this is sans rubber mounts, which would ensure the ally welds would fail quickly. Time to apply mods to radiator then. People talk about the weight savings of ally radiators. Maths do not look good! ($/kg). Cheaper to ditch the passenger.

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gaijin

Well-Known Forum User
Position of wastegate pipe exiting manifold useless (lowest pipe in pic), with exhaust gas having to do a 180 deg. turn to exit. Hello boost creep. Will change this to improve flow to 'gate. One downfall of the 200 slide chinese unit.

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