JLarson's build thread

old guy · 07-03-2018, 06:56 AM

that's great news

On the road again

JLarson · 07-03-2018, 07:12 AM

I hate posting this because it wounds my pride, but I'll take that if it means some other guy does this right the first time! This entire process was a very valuable learning experience, but not one I'd willingly go through again. As mentioned in episode 14, our intrepid hero attempted his own clutch replacement for the first time with limited success (and hidden failure, which we shall now reveal! But do not be discouraged good viewer - in the end, our hero is triumphant!)

As previously noted, I got a decent recommendation on a local VQ guy. Turns out his day job is working for Infiniti, and he's also spent time with Ferrari, which is pretty cool. He also has a pretty neat 06 g35 with a 2jz swap putting down around 1200 whp. So it's not his first rodeo.

All of the pieces for my new clutch kit arrived by Thursday of last week, and I dropped them off at his shop Thursday evening. 10 pm, I get a message from him, complete with video - my flywheel had been loose. The awful noise I had assumed was chatter was the flywheel vibrating against the crank.

On the plus side, other than being started and reversed into my driveway, the car had not been driven in this condition. I'm pretty sure eventually the flywheel would have vibrated the bolts out with catastrophic results.

Joey (shop owner) was a pretty good teacher, and walked me through his process. His opinion was when I seated the flywheel, it actually had not slid all the way into place over the center spindle. His recommendation for seating is to 1) Loosely install the flywheel; 2) insert a couple of the bolts opposite each other and finger tighten only; 3) use a rubber mallet to tap the flywheel into place. It should cause a visible gap between the flywheel bolts and the flywheel. At that point, install all the bolts finger tight, and follow the FSM torque pattern.

Complications this caused: Thanks to my error, I stripped the ends of the flywheel bolts. This ended up being a mixed blessing. Because the bolts stripped, they only damaged the first thread in the crank (cleaned up with a tap, and new flywheel bolts held torque @ spec).
It is very possible that I could've damaged my crank to the point where I'd have had to either rig some way of entirely re-tapping oversize holes into it, using a screw thread insert, or actually rendering it unusable. So let that be a warning to you, dear reader! This is the real down side of only knowing what I'm doing through DIY's - you miss really important things like this.

Eventually my ego should stop bleeding and I'll be able to move on.

JLarson · 07-03-2018, 07:39 AM

Now that I've revealed my foolishness in the previous episode, it's time to reveal my thoughts on the new clutch setup. As you know, I'm using the RJM pedal, and right now it's set at 0% where I left it after trying to bleed my clutch.

My new setup is the SouthBend Stage 3, with CMAK, the quiet disk option, stainless steel clutch line, and the 19 lb flywheel. Stage 3 was chosen in expectation of eventually going FI.

-Pedal pressure has increased, as I expected it would. Not a big deal for me, but if the Z is your DD and you have a weak leg or constant traffic and no RJM pedal, you may not enjoy this experience.
-Clutch chatter is present but extremely minimal. The quiet disk option is a good choice.
-Car does rev faster, and an interesting side effect that I just noticed this morning is the lesser weight means when I come off the accelerator, there is less sensation of "bogging down". I lack the appropriate vocabulary to describe it. Suffice it to say, that was a pleasant and unexpected change.
-Engagement is much more abrupt, and that's not a bad thing. The stock clutch always left me guessing, and it was a rare day when I felt I really nailed my shifts smoothly. I have no such issue with the new setup.

I'll play with the settings on the RJM pedal a bit tonight after work, but I'm guessing I'll be happy with around 30%. Obviously I've changed a lot of variables, so I couldn't tell you exactly what portion was the CMAK, etc, but I can tell you the overall experience is very positive.

Rusty · 07-03-2018, 07:44 AM

Glad you found the problem.

Flywheels coming off the end of the crank is never a good thing. It could have come up through the floor board and removed your feet from your legs. Had a buddy years ago that a '65 Mustang with a 289 lose a flywheel. It come up through the floor board and hood. Him and another guy both got hurt. It did a number on the Mustang.

madwi · 07-03-2018, 08:07 AM

I have the exact same setup that will be going in late August, wanna join the party? I can feed you guys really well.

JLarson · 07-03-2018, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madwi

I have the exact same setup that will be going in late August, wanna join the party? I can feed you guys really well.

I'd love to, but I'll actually be in Iceland from the 18th-25th. Let me know when you decide to tackle it!

JARblue · 07-03-2018, 09:53 AM

Could have been much worse, that's for sure. Glad the Z is up and running again

I'm still wrestling with the decision whether or not to do my clutch replacement in my garage or not. Dropping the transmission on jack stands is not fun. Plus I'm sure I'll do something like you did

Spooler · 07-03-2018, 01:58 PM

Glad you got it up and running again. Sometimes the hard lesson are the ones you will never forget and never make again. Don't let it keep you down. I have seen worse things while working as a tech at Nissan. Some folks just don't need any tools in their hands. They are dangerous. LOL

JLarson · 07-03-2018, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spooler

Glad you got it up and running again. Sometimes the hard lesson are the ones you will never forget and never make again. Don't let it keep you down. I have seen worse things while working as a tech at Nissan. Some folks just don't need any tools in their hands. They are dangerous. LOL

Thanks Spooler. You're right, I sure learned a lot from it, and I'm not inclined to make errors like this again.

JLarson · 09-13-2018, 01:53 PM

Couple of updates - headed out to western PA in another week to visit Rusty, his wife, and install the z1 poly bushings, and z1 diff cover!

Pretty excited for the upgrades. Continuing to plan for forced induction, and trying to knock out a lot of the supporting mods first.

Total list of mods up until this point:
Z1 Intakes + Intake Upgrades
63 mm ported throttle bodies (Syno)
Z1 Ported Upper Mani
Fast Intentions Long Tube Headers
Fast Intentions CBE, 12" Resonators (Previously ran Unresonated - too loud with headers)
EcuTek tune by RT Tuning
Zspeed aluminum undershroud
Zspeed lightweight flywheel
Southbend Stage 3 clutch
Zspeed CMAK
Z1 bushing inserts
Z1 poly trans mount
Z1 20 mm spacers
Michelin P4S tires
TWM Short Shifter
Shift knob extender
Custom shift knob
RJM Clutch Pedal V3.1

Waiting to go on the car:
Z1 Diff Cover
Z1 Poly Bushings
Z1 SS Brake Lines
Catch Can System (will DIY)
Switch (to disable yaw sensor)

Needs:
Various SPL stuff
Front Sway Bar
34 Row Oil Cooler
Ducts for brake venting
CJM Fuel System
Ported lower mani

Getting closer.

Rusty · 09-13-2018, 03:09 PM

Looking forward to you come out.

One of the things I want to do when we switch diff covers is to measure your back lash on the ring and pinion. Just to see what it is. I measure EW's when he was here.

JLarson · 09-13-2018, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty

Looking forward to you come out.

One of the things I want to do when we switch diff covers is to measure your back lash on the ring and pinion. Just to see what it is. I measure EW's when he was here.

I'll be interested to see how you do that!

onzedge · 09-18-2018, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JLarson

Couple of updates - headed out to western PA in another week to visit Rusty, his wife, and install the z1 poly bushings, and z1 diff cover!

Pretty excited for the upgrades. Continuing to plan for forced induction, and trying to knock out a lot of the supporting mods first.

Total list of mods up until this point:
Z1 Intakes + Intake Upgrades
63 mm ported throttle bodies (Syno)
Z1 Ported Upper Mani
Fast Intentions Long Tube Headers
Fast Intentions CBE, 12" Resonators (Previously ran Unresonated - too loud with headers)
EcuTek tune by RT Tuning
Zspeed aluminum undershroud
Zspeed lightweight flywheel
Southbend Stage 3 clutch
Zspeed CMAK
Z1 bushing inserts
Z1 poly trans mount
Z1 20 mm spacers
Michelin P4S tires
TWM Short Shifter
Shift knob extender
Custom shift knob
RJM Clutch Pedal V3.1

Waiting to go on the car:
Z1 Diff Cover
Z1 Poly Bushings
Z1 SS Brake Lines
Catch Can System (will DIY)
Switch (to disable yaw sensor)

Needs:
Various SPL stuff
Front Sway Bar
34 Row Oil Cooler
Ducts for brake venting
CJM Fuel System
Ported lower mani

Getting closer.

JLarson · 09-19-2018, 07:54 PM

All packages opened, parts inventoried, Z is packed and ready for Friday's trip!

bunk · 07-01-2019, 07:41 AM

Nice productive weekend!

07-03-2018, 06:56 AM	#1 (permalink)
old guy A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: S.E. Michigan Age: 69 Posts: 2,711 Drives: 13 magma touring Rep Power: 2684370	that's great news On the road again JLarson likes this.

07-03-2018, 07:12 AM	#2 (permalink)
JLarson A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Media, PA Posts: 4,079 Drives: 14 Nissan 370z MR M6 Rep Power: 2684371	How not to install a flywheel I hate posting this because it wounds my pride, but I'll take that if it means some other guy does this right the first time! This entire process was a very valuable learning experience, but not one I'd willingly go through again. As mentioned in episode 14, our intrepid hero attempted his own clutch replacement for the first time with limited success (and hidden failure, which we shall now reveal! But do not be discouraged good viewer - in the end, our hero is triumphant!) As previously noted, I got a decent recommendation on a local VQ guy. Turns out his day job is working for Infiniti, and he's also spent time with Ferrari, which is pretty cool. He also has a pretty neat 06 g35 with a 2jz swap putting down around 1200 whp. So it's not his first rodeo. All of the pieces for my new clutch kit arrived by Thursday of last week, and I dropped them off at his shop Thursday evening. 10 pm, I get a message from him, complete with video - my flywheel had been loose. The awful noise I had assumed was chatter was the flywheel vibrating against the crank. On the plus side, other than being started and reversed into my driveway, the car had not been driven in this condition. I'm pretty sure eventually the flywheel would have vibrated the bolts out with catastrophic results. Joey (shop owner) was a pretty good teacher, and walked me through his process. His opinion was when I seated the flywheel, it actually had not slid all the way into place over the center spindle. His recommendation for seating is to 1) Loosely install the flywheel; 2) insert a couple of the bolts opposite each other and finger tighten only; 3) use a rubber mallet to tap the flywheel into place. It should cause a visible gap between the flywheel bolts and the flywheel. At that point, install all the bolts finger tight, and follow the FSM torque pattern. Complications this caused: Thanks to my error, I stripped the ends of the flywheel bolts. This ended up being a mixed blessing. Because the bolts stripped, they only damaged the first thread in the crank (cleaned up with a tap, and new flywheel bolts held torque @ spec). It is very possible that I could've damaged my crank to the point where I'd have had to either rig some way of entirely re-tapping oversize holes into it, using a screw thread insert, or actually rendering it unusable. So let that be a warning to you, dear reader! This is the real down side of only knowing what I'm doing through DIY's - you miss really important things like this. Eventually my ego should stop bleeding and I'll be able to move on. JARblue, Rusty, Hotrodz and 6 others like this. __________________ 2014 370z Touring Sport Magma Red MT // BP Single Turbo 6467 // 63mm TB's // Z1 Ported Upper Mani // RJM Pedal // Zspeed Stage 3 Clutch // 526 WHP, 451 WTQ 2006 350z (Sold) // 1990 300zx (Sold) // 1985 300zx 2+2 (Sold)

07-03-2018, 07:44 AM	#4 (permalink)
Rusty Ronin Samurai - Assassin Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Fayettenam,Pennsyltucky Age: 69 Posts: 35,514 Drives: 2011 Nismo GM 6M Rep Power: 2684439	Glad you found the problem. Flywheels coming off the end of the crank is never a good thing. It could have come up through the floor board and removed your feet from your legs. Had a buddy years ago that a '65 Mustang with a 289 lose a flywheel. It come up through the floor board and hood. Him and another guy both got hurt. It did a number on the Mustang. __________________ 浪人 - 殺し屋 "The Difficult Anytime, The Impossible By Appointment Only" http://www.the370z.com/members-370z-...o-journal.html

07-03-2018, 08:07 AM	#5 (permalink)
madwi A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: West Michigan Posts: 31,410 Drives: Granma red Z Rep Power: 2684429	I have the exact same setup that will be going in late August, wanna join the party? I can feed you guys really well. Rusty and JLarson like this.

07-03-2018, 09:53 AM	#7 (permalink)
JARblue A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Austin, TX Age: 44 Posts: 36,450 Drives: 11 Z34, 98 E36 M3 Rep Power: 2684441	Could have been much worse, that's for sure. Glad the Z is up and running again I'm still wrestling with the decision whether or not to do my clutch replacement in my garage or not. Dropping the transmission on jack stands is not fun. Plus I'm sure I'll do something like you did JLarson likes this. __________________ 2011 370Z 6MT Sport Gun Metallic \| ARC \| CJM \| Ecutek \| FI \| Fujimura \| R2C \| SPL \| Stillen \| TWM \| Z1 \| ZSpeed \|

07-03-2018, 01:58 PM	#8 (permalink)
Spooler A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Ga Posts: 14,125 Drives: 2013 Nismo 370z Rep Power: 2684394	Glad you got it up and running again. Sometimes the hard lesson are the ones you will never forget and never make again. Don't let it keep you down. I have seen worse things while working as a tech at Nissan. Some folks just don't need any tools in their hands. They are dangerous. LOL JARblue, Ghostvette, old guy and 2 others like this.

09-13-2018, 01:53 PM	#10 (permalink)
JLarson A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Media, PA Posts: 4,079 Drives: 14 Nissan 370z MR M6 Rep Power: 2684371	Couple of updates - headed out to western PA in another week to visit Rusty, his wife, and install the z1 poly bushings, and z1 diff cover! Pretty excited for the upgrades. Continuing to plan for forced induction, and trying to knock out a lot of the supporting mods first. Total list of mods up until this point: Z1 Intakes + Intake Upgrades 63 mm ported throttle bodies (Syno) Z1 Ported Upper Mani Fast Intentions Long Tube Headers Fast Intentions CBE, 12" Resonators (Previously ran Unresonated - too loud with headers) EcuTek tune by RT Tuning Zspeed aluminum undershroud Zspeed lightweight flywheel Southbend Stage 3 clutch Zspeed CMAK Z1 bushing inserts Z1 poly trans mount Z1 20 mm spacers Michelin P4S tires TWM Short Shifter Shift knob extender Custom shift knob RJM Clutch Pedal V3.1 Waiting to go on the car: Z1 Diff Cover Z1 Poly Bushings Z1 SS Brake Lines Catch Can System (will DIY) Switch (to disable yaw sensor) Needs: Various SPL stuff Front Sway Bar 34 Row Oil Cooler Ducts for brake venting CJM Fuel System Ported lower mani Getting closer. onzedge, JARblue, cv129 and 7 others like this. __________________ 2014 370z Touring Sport Magma Red MT // BP Single Turbo 6467 // 63mm TB's // Z1 Ported Upper Mani // RJM Pedal // Zspeed Stage 3 Clutch // 526 WHP, 451 WTQ 2006 350z (Sold) // 1990 300zx (Sold) // 1985 300zx 2+2 (Sold) Last edited by JLarson; 09-13-2018 at 05:33 PM.

09-13-2018, 03:09 PM	#11 (permalink)
Rusty Ronin Samurai - Assassin Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Fayettenam,Pennsyltucky Age: 69 Posts: 35,514 Drives: 2011 Nismo GM 6M Rep Power: 2684439	Looking forward to you come out. One of the things I want to do when we switch diff covers is to measure your back lash on the ring and pinion. Just to see what it is. I measure EW's when he was here. JLarson likes this. __________________ 浪人 - 殺し屋 "The Difficult Anytime, The Impossible By Appointment Only" http://www.the370z.com/members-370z-...o-journal.html

09-19-2018, 07:54 PM	#14 (permalink)
JLarson A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Media, PA Posts: 4,079 Drives: 14 Nissan 370z MR M6 Rep Power: 2684371	All packages opened, parts inventoried, Z is packed and ready for Friday's trip! onzedge, jwick, Rusty and 5 others like this. __________________ 2014 370z Touring Sport Magma Red MT // BP Single Turbo 6467 // 63mm TB's // Z1 Ported Upper Mani // RJM Pedal // Zspeed Stage 3 Clutch // 526 WHP, 451 WTQ 2006 350z (Sold) // 1990 300zx (Sold) // 1985 300zx 2+2 (Sold)

07-01-2019, 07:41 AM	#15 (permalink)
bunk A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: Southern California Posts: 4,077 Drives: 2010 370z Roadster Rep Power: 2684370	Nice productive weekend! __________________ -Drop in K&N Filter -Invidia Gemini CBE -Z1 Oil Cooler -Swift Springs - EcuTek -Forgestar F14 -SPL Camber Links -Akebono BBK Upgrade -Z1 Premium SS Lines -SPL Diff Bushings -SPL FUCAs - BellRaceworks Diff Brace

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