GTRNUR

Yes that would be pretty easy but I won't be having a go at that till Im done playing with RB30 and RD28 cranks. The inital idea was to make a cheaper stroker engine, and a hi-deck is more of a high horsepower class engine. While this project isnt cheap anymore but it certainly is fun. I just ran the numbers on your high deck too. SR20 rods on a 77.7mm crank makes a 1.75:1 rod ratio with a 16.6mm spacer and 30mm comp height pistons. That would be how i'd do it. The spacer needs to be thick so it can support a 1/8th BSP external oil feed.

Yes its a larger crank but not the one from this first engine re-ground again. Ive made 5 cranks so far while experimenting with the crank re-grinding machine and different rod and piston combinations. The latest crank is a hair under 88mm which is the largest an RB30 crank can be offset ground too with SR20 rod journels. I had a go making a crank with honda sized rod journels too, but when I saw how small the honda rod journels are next to the rb30 mains journels after the machining... well I had second thoughts about using it in the first engine. With the 88mm stroke, the conrod shaft gets very close to the bottom of the sleeves/cylinders at 90 and 270 degrees. Because the cylinders are sleeved, the cylinder cant be shaved to provide more rod clearance without compromising the sleeve strength and and seal to the block. Its only possible to fit this stroke because of the shape of the pauter rods. If I were using H-beams like carillos or eagles the stroke wouldnt clear the block. Max capacity would be 3220cc if I had used Dartron's "Super Ductile Iron" sleeves as they allow bores up to 88mm. 87.5 is the max for the block I am using, so 3180cc.

Yes it has been a while... Ive been sucked into some other projects but the RB31 has not come to a complete stand still. Things have been on hold for about a month while getting a little more machining done on a new spacer plate that I have had to make. I had sent the engine south to have it run up and tested on an engine dyno and only got it back 3 weeks ago. Testing revealed an issue with how my spacer plate sealed against the nitto head gasket. After a few dyno runs and I had another oil test done and a little water in the oil. The leak turned out to be from the coolant chamber (around the sleeves), and went in between the layers of the multi-layer gasket and into an oil return hole. It was a small leak as only trace amounts of water were found. It didnt present as an issue until the engine was heat cycled under load a few times with the cooling system pressuised to a high pressure. Metal shim gaskets can only tolerate about 2-3 thou of surface variation, and the temperature differences is what caused the gasket to begin to leak. It was caught in time though and before damage was done. Ironically it would have worked perfectly if I had used a factory head gasket (or a copper one), as they will tolerate much more surface variation and being a solid gasket they wouldnt have leaked. The updated spacer plate fixes the issue though. I hope to have the remaining parts that I need to put it back together again in about 6-8 weeks. Realistically though this also means 3-4 months till it is installed in my car. Testing did reveal some interesting results which have promoted me to have the head clearanced for bigger cams. I will still be starting in car testing with standard cams but the engine will greatly benefit from the flow increase of some large lift 264 degree procams. I still want it to idle and run like a stock engine though, so the larger cams will only go in if I decide to go chasing more power than 450kw. Power isnt the goal of the project though... and I have to keep reminding myself about that... I am planing to use a slightly larger crank as wellto bring the displacement up to fraction short of 3.2lt. This will max out the potential for this block/sleeve setup and is the largest rotational setup that will fit the block. The main reason for this is that I want maximum turbo response. My plan back when I had started on this project had been to use 2860-5's on the 3.1lt, but the HKS GTRS's that I ended up with were sourced for a price I couldnt pass up. Thats about all for now.

Hi Guys, Im putting the finishing touches on detailing my R34 gtr and want to polish the paint behind the oval Skyline and GTR badges on the boot. The badges seem to be glued on though so removing them will probably damage the paint and the badge. Does anyone have a good trick for polishing the paint that is visible through the badges, or removing them safely so the boot can be evenly polished and the badges then re-mounted? Also, does anyone have some recommendations for polishing the glass, particularly in removing water scale marks from the corners of the glass? Cheers, Ian

Welding affects the metal at a molecular level in more ways that you can imagine. Firstly you are introducing a metal alloy (filler wire) that is of a different grade than the crank material. As it is a different type of metal it behaves differently at different temperatures. Tig welding focuses way too much heat in one area at a time and mig would not be a pure enough weld, nor would it be hard enough material to bother doing. The metal around the finished weld would potentialy be softer than the crank material, as well as there is the potential for introduced crystalisation of the material. The only method of welding that is worth considering is submerged arc welding, where the crank is machine welded in a rotating lathe. This then introduces the issues associated with heat warping and material grain disruption. This method is sometimes used to repair crankshafts in industrial engines, and also for building up camshaft lobes prior to re-grinding. The material the nissan cranks are made out of is extremely good quality. The factory forged cranks combined with the nitriding is the reason the majority of cranks only need a linish before being re-used after 150-200,000K's. This combined of course with multiple heat cycles and work hardening of the crank journels that happens from years and years of running in a low reving R31 skyline, with mineral based oils. Instead of welding the crank, consider machining back the snout as you would to fit any other colar, and then have an oversize custom colar machined up from 8640 chromoly (gear grade chromoly). Have it interference(shrink fit) to the crank colar with a 0.0011 interference, then grub screw it to the crank. Finally have the new oversize colar machined down to fit your pump perfectly. This way you arent messing with the metalurgy of the crank, AND you have a much harder grade steel driving the oil pump that a built up weld drive would be. After its all said and done, its a lot of work to do to a crank that is well proven to 9000 rpm with just a JUN extension and a good quality pump (tomei, nitto, etc).

I'm chasing some center caps to suit my 18" Volk TE37's. Ive only found them on Ebay in the US so far. Is there anyone locally in Australia I can buy them from? The style I have found is a carbon insert with a VR logo in the center. They have a coloured ring around the logo as well. I'd prefer a silver or gold ring as the rims are titanium silver, and my R34 is also silver. Im also chasing a Tomei oil pump. CJ motor has them for $1600 on ebay so im after a better deal than that. Must be new though. Im not interested in 2nd hand parts. Cheers, Ian.

Sorry for the confusion posting in forced induction... I figured it would be the right place because it was using a "VL turbo" pump. Yes it was a VW engine but not mine. The thing with the tune of the engine was that it wasnt even close to running near max duty cycle, so there was no need to run the fuel pressure high. It would have been better for everything (fuel temps, electrical system current drain etc) if it had been 43psi. Whats left of the engine now really is just carnage. There isnt much left to try and diagnose the cause of the failure. $10k worth of engine destroyed.

The engine in question was naturally aspirated and the base pressure with the regulator vacuum hose was set to 60psi at idle. With the hose disconected/WOT the pressure went to ~72-75psi. The engine was only running 4 x 300cc injectors which was adequite for the engines power requirements, but if the pressure was too high (into the area that flow takes a dive), pump flow might have not been enough to keep fuel up to the engine. The engine in queston had the piston detach from the rod. Then the rod went about making holes in the case, breaking the camshaft and then everything else was damaged or destroyed due to valve train interference and loss of oil pressure. It all goes bad very quickly above 7000 rpm.

Yep saw that one. Good graphs at the bottom of that page too, but no 070 data. Thanks for searching though.

Its not for any particular project that I need the data. I am investigating someone's engine blow up, and have found out their base pressure was peaking around 75psi. At this pressure, the flow rates potentially drop off significantly. If I know what the pump flow rates were I can calculate the flow at the injector and work out if the problem was actually the pump or if it was something else.

Im chasing data for the old VL turbo 070 fuel pump to find out what it can flow at 70-75 PSI. As I understand it, most of these bosh pumps really take a flow dive after about 68-70psi but I need actual flow data. The picture below is the sort of thing I am after. Flow vs PSI. Still searching but no 070/vl data yet other than... 0 580 464 070........... 130............ (3 Bar) (43psi) Cheers, Ian

You need to know what the static timing at idle the ECU is set to deliver. Your tuner might have set it at something out of the ordinary, so it needs to be set at that. Now... if you know the static idle is 10,15 or 20 degrees and still can't get the correct timing, then the problem is the configuration of the CAS trigger angle, and that trigger will need to be altered. If you told us what type of ECU it would help. Also, keep in mind that if you do correct the Trigger settings for the ECU, and get the correct ignition at idle again (15-20BTDC optimal)... then chances are you will have to have your ignition maps fixed too, as altering the main trigger detection angle alters the base calculations for all your ignition maps. In other words... drive it and potentially have an expensive BANG! Use caution and seek expert advice if your not sure.

The biggest giveaway that it wasnt detonation, and that it was a foreign partical is on page two where the pics of the piston crown are right next to the damaged squish pads on the head. 1. Part of the squish pad near the intake valve 3rd picture down (look for the clean intake ports in the first of the combustion chamber pics), has a dent right next to the edge of the valve seat. The distrtion of the aluminium would requre more force than detonation alone could do, AND detonation would not cause damage right on the edge of a combustion chamber. Combustion of the air-fuel mix would expand into the larger area within the combustion chamber. It would not localise all of its energy on a spot next to the combustion chamber and create a dent in the aluminium that has forcefully distorted the edge of the combustion chamber. Also, if it were detonation, there should also be signs of damage to the combustion chamber itself (inbetween the squish pads), and also to the tops of the pistons between where the squish pad area. But there is barely any kid of mark at all on the piston crowns between the squish pad area, and the head combustion chamber has no signs of damage at all. The reason there was no damage in this area is that there is sufficent space inside the combustion chamber between the squish pads for particles to fit without causing piston/head damage. 2. The purpose of squish pads is to force the fuel air mix into the center of the combustion chamber so it is right next to the spark plug. The shape of the combustin chamber compression area (between the squish pads) is optimised to provide a complete and fast burn of the air-fuel mix, alowing the flame front from the spark plug ignition point to burn efficently to the other side of the combustion chamber. The most inefficent area of the combustion chamber, and the are that has the worst/most incomplete burn is right at the outer edge of the squish pad. The reason this area is inefficent is because as the flame front tries to move outward across the top of the squish area between the piston and the crown, the energy produced from the burn and expansion of gasses push the flame front back into the combustion chamber. So very little/to nearly no combustion at all will occur out near the edges of the squish pads. The further in you go, the less energy produced from combuston in the squish area. At the outer edges where combustion is at its worst, the energy produced is so low it could not cause any damage to the surfaces as is pictured. Consider a 5lt petrol container with fuel/air vapor in it. If you were to ignite the contents you would blow your self up nicely. Now if you had two BIG sheets of glass that were set apart a few mm from each other so that the volume of that same area was 5 litres and you were to ignite that, you could watch the burn slowly move from one end of the sheets of glass to the other. The energy released from the burn would happen a lot slower and would not explode, and at no point during the burn woud combustion in one are be particularily more intense than in any other area. A squish pad (deck height clearance) in a well setup engine will only be 0.035" - 0.060" from the head to the top of the piston squish area at TDC. I believe Bernie said the engine was running a 1.2mm head gasket, so 0.060". Given this information, combustion or detonation (at least at a level that could cause sufficent structual damage as pictured) can not have occurred out at the very edge of the piston and combustion chamber. 3. The patterns of the impact events on the head seem to fairly closely match those on the piston. Pictures 2+3 on page two. There are 4 main dents in the combustion chamber that sort of look like a face and to the right of it is three marks in a line. A similar impact patern is on the piston above that picture. 4 big dents, with a row of 3 next to them. Then there is the piston damage at the bottom right of picture 2, and that matches the damage to the combustion chamber where right next to the intake valve in picture 3. The 1st and 4th pictures are harder to match, as the first picture is a little blury. The main thing that stands out though is that there is only one BIG pit in the crown that seems to match the approximate location of the damage in picture 4. Well thats my opinion.... Hope it makes sense.

Most if not all scramblers/jammers are a complete waste of time in australia, unless your in WA where detectors are legal. The highway patrol cars all have spectre 3 RDD equipment now, and if your jammer is operating you will make their RDD go balistic. You might as well be driving down the road waving flares and sparklers out the windows.

The cats were getting into the lockup under the house, and all of them were feral and completely wild. If you were to corner one of them in the garage they would go completely mental and attack. The paint on 2 of my cars is litteraly like glass. Sanded with 2000 grit paper and polished to a mirror finish. Wiping it with a tissue will scratch it, so imagine how i feel about some feral cat scratching the hell out of it. None of the 12 the council took away had collars. They were all feral. If people were responsible pet owners and didnt let their pets out at night to breed with other strays and kill the native wild life, cages, pounds and disposal of animals wouldn't be necessary.

Call the council and they will drop off a cat trap for you. You then buy small tins of tuna and bait the trap and start catching the neighbourhood stray cats. When you catch one, you call the council come and get it. If it is a registered cat the owners are notified and informed. If its a stray/feral then its destroyed. I had the same problem about 5 years ago with some old fat neighbour that was feeding stray and feral cats. They were breeding like rabits in the car bodies abandoned in his back yard. We got rid of 12 cats in 2 weeks and solved our problem. Nothing is as angry as big feral cat in a small cage too. Feral cats are freeking psycho!

I would think that $90K... not a chance. 650kw requires that virtually every part of the drive line and supporting components be upgraded in some form or another if you want it to last more than 5 minutes (not just the engine). Anyone spending the $200+k it requires to build a car of this level isnt going to just give it away for $90k. As a general rule the money would have been spent on a car that was in very good condition to begin with. Though running that power level tends to break everything around your "strong" parts as well so you would really want to know what your looking at before buying. You might get a track spec'd RB26 powered R34 GTR for $90K at the moment, which i'd prefer any day over something setup for drag or top speed...

Yeah about that if pauter rods are used. So not much different to the price of a strong RB30 based bottom end. I'd rather not speculate too much on pricing yet though. I've yet to thouraghly prove the first engine, install it in a car and produce some numbers with it (km's and kw's etc).

Its taken nearly 12 months or R&D to get the engine designed and built to this stage. While I'm not an engineer I have had engineering support from one of the most skilled firms in the country. They have done it all from aerospace R&D to medical/surgery equipment design and manufacture. I have been very fortunate to have been able to use their knowledge to make this project happen. The engines if and when they go into production arent going to be as expensive as you might well imagine. 2.9-3lt can be made very easily and reasonably cheaply from mostly common available components(which is the key point of the design). The expense in the 3.1 and 3.2lt versions is due to the need for pauter I-beam rods(which are also longer), because at 90 degrees BTDC and ATDC the side of the rod gets very close to the bottom of the sleeve. H-beams just will not clear. The 3.1 bottom end should be about 1/2 the price of an OS giken engine though and support about 1000HP should you configure a head/turbo in drag tune. Thanks! It measures about 20mm including the alloy spacer plate gasket.

Thanks for the offer but the spacer is only 20mm a stock RB26. I think RB30's are nearly 40mm taller. I like your style too. Nothing will solve flow issues like a 4" front pipe!

I think -5's or -9's. Its torque and response out of the corners that make for a quick track car. Its the reason why the EVO's still kick many the GTR ass at track days. Lighter weight cars, plus also more respnse out of the corners. If your racing a fast track though and are achiving 250Km/h+ on the straights then GTRS's and more power is worth considering so you can make up some time on the straights and sacrifice some out of the corner response (and stability). Its been my limited experience that most of the time less powerful cars are easier to drive smoother around a track, and as a result produce lower lap times.

Thats exactly what Racepace told me when I asked them about building me a mines style front pipe with a 450awkw goal with my new engine. Bummer was that they couldnt make the pipe for me without me sending the car down to them though, seeing as all systems are custom made to fit.

Thanks for the kinds words guys. It means a lot to me that I've captured the attention of guys like you too Paul considering your expertise and some of the cars that you build and work on. Roy, I don't know about varying the combustion chamber size, but I have a few idea's on how to implement a constantly variable intake and exhaust cam system. Somthing I might toy with on the next engine I think. Update! I received the lab results back from Hastings Deering today. The oil sample results came back with a water content result of less than 0.1 PPM(parts per million), which means my sleeves and spacer plate are sealing perfectly. Pressure testing was performed at room temperature up to 100 degrees coolant temperature with 35PSI in the cooling system. The next step which is installing the engine in the car will hopefully happen in 3-4 weeks. I still have to source a couple of rare parts in order to complete the engine, and I want to replace the cheapie silicon hose kit that Ive used temporarily under the intake plenum with something better. Thats all for now. Ian

Thats a series 1 diagram, not a series 2 like your coil packs are. You have the power and ground reversed. Try this diagram instead. IB - Pink - Trigger from ECU G - Black - Ground + - White - Connect to +12V via the ECCS relay. These markings are on the coil pack under the plug (remove the plug to see them). Also, if using an after market ecu use max 1.8ms charge time, 0.4ms discharge time or you will burn out the coil packs.

With the engine cold take off the radiator cap and check the coolant level. Check around the radiator cap for signs of oily residue. There can be fuel that has made it into the cooling system if you have a gasket issue. Top up if necessary and start the car with the cap off. If there is no combustion to coolant gallery leaks you should only see the coolant pulsate a little. If the coolant level in the radiator is bouncing around and its blowing bubbles or overflowing you have done a head gasket for sure. Another test is to pull put the spark plugs and check the colour. If they are burining fuel with coolant in the cylinder the plugs will be steam cleaned. They should be all equally carboned up. Then there is they hydrocarbon contamination test that most radiator places can do on the cooling system as well. As for the turbo... well if its making noises thats a dead give away. Possibly the bearings have died as a result of being lubricated with super heated oil and not having any coolant when the engine was fried.