Shortly thereafter.......Engine started to lose power and drive like crap. Pulled off the intake to find a large amount of exhaust air coming back out through the carb! Not good! So, not knowing what the hell I was going to do I decided to pull the engine and go from there. I had a spare 4me shortblack sitting at home anyway so I figured I could make something work.
Pulled engine, and started dis-assembly. Found blown headgasket (feeling awesome), and figured I'd do a quick rebuild. Well that was shortly lived as I disovered the head was cracked in between the exhaust and intake valves in every cylinder! Damn! Now whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?
Car sat for a bout a month or so until I could decide what I wanted to do with it. I really wanted to keep the engine old school and of the same generation. Something about a 2jz swap just didn't seem like the right thing to do.......
A buddy of mine had been sitting on this old l28et engine for 5 years and I finally talked him into getting rid of it. So, we have a winner! L28et it is! I realize the thing is dirty as all hell, but that is what im going for! I'm going back to the old days of making things with what i got and keeping the cost down! There is so much more character and story to an old dirty car......
Picked up the engine and started messing around with getting it in the car.......Quickly realized oil pan was a no go so I flipped it (temporarily) with two bolts holding it up and started making mounts. Made a cross bar support for engine bay since my POS cherry picker hydraulic cylinder leaks and continues to drop the engine.
Motor mounts made out of some flat stock I had laying around. Ended extending stock motor mount pad on crossmember forward a few inches, using the stock 4me rubber mounts and making the engine side angled pieces. Turned out pretty good and sits pretty damn solid.
From below...
Reworked stock trans mount. Cut in two places, tweaked a bit, and rewelded......
Once all of the mounts were finished, I decided to yank the engine back out to finish all the other issues....
First plan with oil pan was to just simply cut the sump out and rework it to the front. However, after doing some digging I found out the 82 Maxima's with L24 engine used a front sump pan. I was pretty pumped and ended up finding one at a local junkyard for $30! SCORE!
Started messing with oil pickup options and pan fitment.....
Ended up using stock oil pickup ends, and added some tubing to angle it toward to the front.
Next issue was obvsiously all the other oil pan items............turbo drain, oil temp sensor, baffles, dipstick, etc......
Modified oil baffle to fit around new oil pickup
Random pipe fitting I had laying around for turbo oil drain
Raped stock oil pan for oil temp sensor fitting and welded it in. This was a well insertion type fitting and I could not find one anywhere...
I didn't want to drill into the block since I dont plan to rebuild it right away, so the next best option was to use a generic dipstick kit and do work.
Made a quick EGR blockoff plate while engine was out.....
Remounted all the other BS. Had to modify alternator mount a bit since I chose to use 3 mounting holes for moter mounts instead of 2. Also running a L24 fan since it's offset and closer to engine. This was necessary to utilize stock radiator and shroud. All ready for the permanent home!
just a note the diesel maxima pans have an oil return already... i have one laying around for an l28et build i gave up on.
