I'm posting here first to see if there would be any interest... if I must move this to the classifieds, please just let me know.

I might be doing an SR20DET swap into my ’84 Maxima, in which case, I would sell my L28ET setup (280ZX Turbo Engine). It is a stock 280ZXT engine with about 100K miles. The oil gallery has been re-drilled to use the Maxima pickup and oil pan. The oil pan has been modified to allow the turbo oil to drain, and AN fittings and stainless hoses were used to run oil to and from the turbo. I have the engine, complete wiring harness (modified to use a Z31 Turbo computer, MAS sensor, and ignition coil… and to plug right into the original Maxima engine bay harness), Z31 computer, MAS sensor, ignition coil, K&N air filter, flywheel, clutch, transmission, new (2000miles) fuel injectors, modified short shifter, etc. I modified the waste gate actuator to allow boost adjustments, but I’ve only run it at stock boost thus far. I have basically everything someone would need except the fuel pump (will use that on my car for now), and the second half of the exhaust (they messed that up when they impounded my car in the spring… long story).

If anyone would be interested in this setup, please let me know. It is still in my car, and if you’re in the Chicago area, you can come try it out. If I cannot find anyone interested… I think I’ll put the SR20DET swap on hold for a little while.

Thanks – Chris



Ps – I also have an L28 block that is cleaned, honed, and has the oil gallery drilled out… I was saving it but do not think I’ll need it.

 

if only i had more money, it would solve ALL my problems.

 

Impressive setup. Good luck selling it. Nice '84 BTW.

 

Hi Chris:
So what is the advantage of the sr20det over your 280zx setup? Lighter? more power?
If you are going through the bother why not a vg30et? Or is there not enough room between the strut towers?

bob

 

TylerW - Thanks

Bob - the intention was to have the same power capability in a stock configuration (more actually: 180hp stock L28ET, 210hp stock SR20DET)... and dropping 200lbs (all in front of the front wheels) which should help the Maxima's tendancy to understeer.

however... I think what I am going to end up doing is selling the Maxima with the current setup in the next few months and picking up a 510 again and building that up.

-Chris

 

would the turbo on the 280 zx engine fit on the L24E maxima engine?

 

dennis:

Given enough money you can put the same turbo arrangement on the L24e as on the L28et. The BIG problem is getting a compatible engine management system. You'd most likely have to go standalone, custom, mucho $dinero$$.

bob

 

What would you be looking to get for the whole car?
What about just the engine?

 

You can definitely put the turbo parts directly onto the L24E engine. I've done it to two L24E engines thus far, and he is right, you would need some form of "engine management". The cheapest way I've found is a toss up between Megasquirt and using a Z31 system and programming it yourself.

-Chris

 

chris:
If you want to move the weight back of the front axles, why not mid-mount a vg30. It would mess up the interior, but ...
I was looking at the mr2mk1 club site and they've put a bunch of really large engines into the miata. There would appear to be more space in a first generation Maxima, and you would be starting with a better and larger capacity suspension.

One question about the gen1 ECU. Does it have any self diagnostics? Two boards, one apparently has a switch, but plain shaft 1/4 inch high. Nothing in Haynes manual. Does anyone have a FSM? Schematic diagram?

bob

 

Hay Bob,

The first gen ecu does not have any built in self diagnosis. The Z31 (and 2nd gen maximas) have very basic built in diagnosis.

When you say.. "Mid mount a VG30"... do you mean "Front Mid" with the engine behind the front wheels, but still in front of the passenger compartment... or behind the passengers in front of the rear wheels? The goal was to both lose weight and move weight rearward. I am actually looking at some porsche engines / trannies and subaru engines / trannies to mount in place of a back seat (in a 510 I think).

-Chris

 

Chris:

Mid-mount as behind passengers in front of rear wheels. Might be tight - consider custom trans-axle.
Another engine alternative might be a Mazda rotary, as they are absolutely tiny in comparison to everything else (poor low end torque, but adequate high rev performance)

Look at the Miata Mk1 conversion using Camry 3.0L V6 at

http://www.mr2mk1club.com/index.html

- bob

 

Sure, redesign the whole car! At that point why not just get a X/19 or MR2, maybe even the Feiro (with a V8 conversion). Really, the VG30ET would be a good swap as it could be made to sit very far back and clear all the right areas and in the normal engine bay.

 

<<Sure, redesign the whole car!>>
Chris had wanted to change the balance of the car to make it turn better. Mid-mounting makes sense because it produces the lowest polar moment of inertia. Yes it's a pile of work and renders the car at best a two seater, but who needs a kiddy seat at the track?

 

Yup... I'm (in my spare time) currently looking into a complete custom suspension and space frame design that would allow a mid engine mounted where the back seat used to be... I've been thinking about it for a while, but I finally have many of the resourses I would need to do the project... and a real job too :-).

-Chris

 

hey do you guys have RB30 or RB26tt over there???
any where a L28 was an RB will bolt straight in

 

In the US you can get front clips with RB engines... where is the oil sump located on the RB engines (front or back)?

 

The USA never got any cars with the RB-series engines. We never got cars that they were in like the 200ZR, any Skyline GTS-T, the Stagea, or GT-R. From the 60's one we got in-line 4 and 6 (A-series, L-Series, Z-series, G-series, etc.), V6 (VG and VQ), and V8 (as in the Titan truck). Really not sure why we never did, except that the in-line is harder to tune for emmissions. That, and the cars we got were really designed for in-line 4 and V6 after 1984 (300ZX).
I wonder if the GT-R had become the Z32 in the USA, how many would they have sold?

About the RB:
It looks like the sump is in the front half to make room for the front diff. The RB sounds like a drop-in, but as many Z-car owners have found out, it is not easy at all to get in. You need many other parts as I understand it (could be a reason that you don't find many Z-cars converted to RB); like some Nismo parts. But, if you are going to do another costly swap, I would go with the RB-series. A RB20DET or RB25DET is an easier fit than say the RB26DETT, as one would think it is.

If you prep an L-series with 3.1ltr overbore correctly (full prop with billet crank, uprated rods, head work, etc., etc.), then it can make around 600hp+, as I understand it, fitted with a turbo.

 

just checked and the only way you guys could get an RB30 would be to get one from here lol
i didnt know the RB30 was australian it came in our loacal GM commodore (also came with GM v8)and nissan skyline R31 and that was the last skyline we got here.
before the R31 all skylines used L24 engines.
there are a lot of Zcars over here running RB engines but i think they use RB30 bottom end with the RB26 top end (RB30 is sohc)

 

also if you converted the heads you could have a twin turbo 3 liter straight six which would be a bat outa hell to say the least.

 

Ah, not so grssshopper! You can order the most awesome engine kit ever from OS Giken's USA distributor:
http://www.enonvativforce.com/rb30.htm

here is the Japanese page:
http://www.osgiken.co.jp/pro_spec/rb30kit.html

It seems that many GT-R and MK4 are converting to single these days.

How awesome woud a 810/910 be with a 1400 BHP OS Giken RB30 be?

 

At $3/gallon I gotta admit it would more than likely drain the bank account faster than the wife!

-bob