What are the best power upgrades for a 1982 280zx Turbo??

24592 Views 15 Replies 7 Participants Last post by John Coffey, Apr 24, 2011

KGI Redline

Discussion Starter · Apr 21, 2011

I have purchased a cool 1982 280ZX Turbo. It is the automatic (sadly) and i want to convert it to 5speed. But i will post another topic on that. I wanted to know what are the best turbo/fuel/engine upgrades etc. I would like to get a 350-400 hp dd.

To start the car has....3 inch exhaust from downpipe back, Starion intercooler front mounted, Manual boost controller set to 10 lbs,and stock airbox removed and k&n cone filter behind intercooler.

I am not expecting to do this cheap and from ebay lol.
I wanted to know a good turbo that will bolt up with little modification, fuel injector and ecu upgrades, and what mods to do to engine to get 350-400hp.And
what kind of blow off valve will make a nice sound lol

I have parts that came with car too.....A hussey copper headgasket,arp head studs,a new melling timing assembly with tensioner and guide, and a full engine gasket set with every seal......

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1 - 16 of 16 Posts

John Coffey

· #2 · Apr 21, 2011

Pull the L6 and swap in a LS3 Chevy.

skittle

· #3 · Apr 21, 2011

^^^ naaa the LS9 from the ZR1!!!

Do you want to keep the stock engine or thinking of something different?

KGI Redline

Discussion Starter · #4 · Apr 21, 2011

I would love to do a chevy v8 but i'm in California so i was wanting to do something to the original engine in forms of bigger turbo and fuel and computer controls im not looking to build a monster out of it i just want a quick street setup that can be changed back around smog time..... being an auto tech i have all the tools to do so i just wanted advice on a good setup for the original engine even if it involves getting a spare cylinder head to modify for the bigger setup. Matter of fact one came extra with the car the guy i got it from was gonna do a big build but ran out of funds for it. I just want to know what is a moderately easy 350-400 crank horse power setup on the inline 6

skittle

· #5 · Apr 22, 2011

Well I know people like to use the Holset turbos or a nice t3/t4. The power in these cars come from the head so if you get the head all done up that will help imensley.

As far as the ECU, there are a few different ones you can go with. The most popular with our cars is Megasquirt standalone EFM. (check my sig for that one). You can also go with SDS, Haltech, Nistune (requires Z31 wiring and Z32 Ecu), and wolf.

Add in a nice FMIC and boost controler and you should be good to go. HybridZ.org is a good place to read up on adding bigger turbos.

KGI Redline

Discussion Starter · #6 · Apr 22, 2011

Awesome

Thank you for all the input i just needed a general direction to go in to start my research. My friend owns a machine shop and i have worked on all sorts of cars this is my first z adventure with the inline 6. I have had 2 of the 300zx's that immediately followed the 280's but they were non-turbo. I've always had a thing for z-car's along with honda's and chevy's.
The minute i drove this car and the boost kicked in around a corner and i hit a nice drift i was in love lol

Plus not to mention the car is a sexy car in general. I am going to post results/power gains as i do my build to share with everyone here for helping me along. I really appreciate all the input and being a tech i may figure out some nifty tricks along the way. I am also gonna do the 5 speed conversion which i will take pics and share as well. Thanks guys and have an awesome day!!!

Tony D

· #7 · Apr 22, 2011

Consult Jeff Priddy's "Extreme 280ZXT" homepage on Anglefire.
The blueprint is there...

Tony D

· #8 · Apr 22, 2011

Spooning of the day:

http://www.angelfire.com/extreme/280zxt/

Bernard

· #9 · Apr 22, 2011

Nistune requires z31 ecu/cas/maf and a bit of rewiring of the stock wiring. If you want to use the z32 ecu/maf/ecu you'll have to use the z32 ecu plug and change the L28 cas out for the z32 cas.

skittle

· #10 · Apr 22, 2011

In other words more hassle than its worth.

heroe

· #11 · Apr 22, 2011

What kind of money you got? I know a guy selling a built L28et Drivetrain back to a r200 lsd. that he says is 500+ hp. He has videos and it was built by a race shop in florida, world wide racing I think, with a former sunbelt guy was also involved. I watched a burnout at a carwash. I have to admit I would want a helmet and suit just to do a burnout in that car. It was a black zx, lil too rusty for that kind of abuse. 1000cc injectors. I think he wants 9k for the set up? Not sure. I talked to him on the phone, he seems ready to sell, he has a trans too, well he did a few months ago. If thats cool i can get you in touch.

heroe

· #12 · Apr 22, 2011

If you add it all up its a good deal, piece by piece could double that easy. Bolt that into a prepped body, and set a record somewhere. It would be fun. Im too old for that **** now. But maybe you arent.

FricFrac

· #13 · Apr 23, 2011

If you're serious about it you're going to need to get serious and do some reading. There is a ton of info out there and the L28 is a very capable and potent engine. You can get 300 RWHP from the stock bottom end if you build it properly. Using modern technology will get you a lot out of the engine. The stock P90 head is a very good flowing head but the input and output can be easily enhanced by porting the stock intake which is only a fraction of the size of the intake valve. That's a cheap upgrade to start rather than building a custom intake. JeffP had his extrude honed IIRC and I think he's over 500HP with his engine. I've got zero experience doing this but I'm doing http://zdriver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32430"]my own[/URL] Port match the stock log manifold - again easy to do with a die grinder. You'll need bigger injectors and a new fuel pump and regulator. Personally I wouldn't go with a Z31 ECU - that's an old upgrade and ancient technology. Go with the Mega Squirt. That will give you huge flexibility. It will also function as an electronic boost controller - that in itself covers the cost of the MS. You can retard the timing based on the boost (eg retard one degree per lb boost, etc). There is a lot of safety you can add as well with rev limiting, boost limit, etc. There is a lot you can do with MS - more than what I could list here - another item to research. The turbo is key as well. T3/4 use to be the upgrade of choice but I'd lean towards the GT35R which is what JeffP and Big Phil are running. The GTX from Garrett and the Borg Warner EFR are two new promising turbos to check out. You're going to want to focus on efficiency - keep the heat going in down, flow up, etc rather than how many lbs of boost you can run.

You've already got the cheaper easy stockish upgrades. You could start with porting your manifolds and maybe start with the Mega Squirt and get comfortable with that then look at upgrading your turbo after that.

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John Coffey

· #14 · Apr 23, 2011

KGI said:
I would love to do a chevy v8 but i'm in California so i was wanting to do something to the original engine in forms of bigger turbo and fuel and computer controls im not looking to build a monster out of it i just want a quick street setup that can be changed back around smog time..... being an auto tech i have all the tools to do so i just wanted advice on a good setup for the original engine even if it involves getting a spare cylinder head to modify for the bigger setup. Matter of fact one came extra with the car the guy i got it from was gonna do a big build but ran out of funds for it. I just want to know what is a moderately easy 350-400 crank horse power setup on the inline 6

Doing a smog legal LSx swap is a lot easier then doing a EMS/Turbo R&R every two years. Do it once, get it certified by a ref, and you're done.

KGI Redline

Discussion Starter · #15 · Apr 24, 2011

The extreme 280 link is a very informitive page if i want to go wild with the inline 6

Also if i was to do a lt or ls chevy v8 what all would be involved to get it reffed?? Does the state actually ref a chevy v8 in these cars?? That is odd if they do because the chevrolet camaro came with lt1 but you cannot put one into a v6 body and ref it. I had a beater v6 i wanted to v8 swap and my local ref said no way would they do it..... I am just curious because if i can swap it they also make an e.o. coded supercharger that can be added after its reffed for forced induction fun of a way more hp and torque rating

Sorry for all the questions guys i am just very curious about what route i can take with this zx....

John Coffey

· #16 · Apr 24, 2011

http://www.hybridz.org

I'm about to do a smog legal LS1 swap into a Datsun 260Z for a customer. I've already done a smog legal KA24DE swap into a 510 for a different customer. Do a lot of research before you even talk with a ref. Once you've got all that information then talk with the ref you'll eventually run the swapped car through. An OBD1 engine is sometimes easier to get through the ref process then an OBD2 engine. Again, do the research first.

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