Zen and the Art of reverse automotive engineering

350ci exploration

July 29th, 2008 the Mad Scientist

As I tore off the smog equipment from the new 350, I did a little research and exploration.  I continued the teardown, got lots of cuts, and had a good time, overall.  I’m going to end up with a combination of the two motors, since somebody obviously knew what they were doing with the 283 when they put it together.

It has some definitively fun parts to it that are worth keeping around and moving over to the new engine.  It should make a great donor, and as I tear it down I’m learning more and more about why this engine failed on me in the first place.  Read on for more info! Read the rest of this entry »

Anger Project upgrades to a 570z

July 15th, 2008 the Mad Scientist

I’ve relocated to the new house in San Leandro, and finally got the 240z in my garage.  I’ve gutted it, removed the gas tank, rear light panel, and am in the process of removing the engine and wiring to replace both.  I’m trying to decide what brake lights to end up using, or just fabricate a new light panel for the Z, but I’ve been strongly considering the Mach 1 Mustang style tail lights, similar to those pictured.

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Making the world a faster place, one car at a time

June 24th, 2008 the Mad Scientist

dusty laptopI’ve been busy with a whole slew of things this month, but my computer’s keyboard is getting pretty dusty. These are just my excuses for not updating the page this month, but I feel the need to let everyone know what’s been going on.  Many of you aren’t interested in this particular post, so feel free to just cruise on past and skip it.  Good articles are coming up soon.

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If only engines could speak

June 4th, 2008 the Mad Scientist

327ci engineI picked up a 327ci small block chevy this weekend. I planned to pay $300 for it, but when it wouldn’t turn over, the previous owner decided he just wanted it out of his garage so he could finish up his project. If it turns out to be fixable and worth keeping, I’ll go back and throw him some money, but we’ll see how it turns out.

I have big plans for this motor, and with the right assembly of parts and machinework, I should end up in the vicinity of 400hp in my little Datsun. Read the rest of this entry »

Integra -> CRX brake swap

May 30th, 2008 the Mad Scientist

CRX Si stock brakesIf you’re still asking yourself why to upgrade your brakes, you can roll right on past this article. I upgraded mine simply because I had the brakes lying around and needed to change out my rotors. The upgrade cost me less than fixing the stock brakes. The rear CRX Si disk brakes from 90-91 are the exact same as the Integra brakes, so you can leave them be unless you’re doing a rear-disk conversion anyway. That’s beyond the scope of this article, so we’ll get down to the nitty-gritty on swapping the front brake system. This article is pretty long, though, so sit back with some tea, coffee, or vodka and enjoy the ride.

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Rattling Engine, part III

May 27th, 2008 the Mad Scientist

The saga continues. What began as a rattling exhaust manifold is now turning out to be a complete engine seizure. This is a continuation of my project 240z with a small block chevy v8, trying to track down a rattling noise that’s plagued the car since I bought it.

I can’t know what’s wrong just yet, but with a new motor coming in tomorrow (assuming all things go according to plan) I should be able to get this one up on a motor stand and torn down in the near future. Here’s what happened when I decided to show what it sounded like:

YouTube

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