Wynona the wagon's resurrection!

[Taterhead]

So taters your other brother from a southern mother ?

[HRH]

You know, I'm right handed, but I do a lot of things with my left. Like frisbee, I can throw either hand easily, but my left is much better. Perhaps I was supposed to be left handed?

[Taterhead]

Hmm? My dad was one of those that was left handed and they forced him to use his right. Was pretty cool to watch him draw a ‘57 Chevy with both hands at the same time.

[DRIVEN]

My wife was born in Germany and started school there. They're big into conformity there so she's technically right handed. Aside from (illegibly) writing, does almost everything else with her left.

[HRH]

So I think this weekend I'm going to try and get the new radiator in the wagon. If that goes really smoothly I'll do the turbo too, but I think I'll need a full weekend for the turbo swap. Especially because I'll probably end up needing a gasket I don't have. I think it came with gaskets, maybe it won't be that bad. Annoyingly it's 63 today and 60 tomorrow with 30 mph winds bringing in 51 high for Saturday and 49 for Sunday. So much for nice weather.

[BLUE]

93 here today. 95 tomorrow. House stayed @ 73.

[wayno]

Todays high here was 78.

[Taterhead]

Honestly I’m glad it’s going to be cool here for one more weekend before it’s “satan’s nutsack in wool underwear” hot for the summer.

[HRH]

I don't know how you do it Tater, I don't think I could handle the humidity down there. Granted my skin would like it better. Cracked and bleeding hands are pretty much a part of winter here.

[HRH]

OoooooookkkkkkkkAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! It's night and I'm enjoying some ADHD while listening to Pyschedelic Porn Crumpets "Tally Ho", and I have a massive amount of crap to vomit up for you all! I didn't make it to the shop today, but I finally got out to my crappy cramped garage and started on the radiator project. It was a good thing because I needed a bunch of fiddly bits that I wouldn't have had at my disposal had I been at work. The downside of needing all the scrap metal and other stuff you squirrel away in the garage.

So first, the radiator project.

Second, the curiosities of boost and control of said boost.

Third, what that means for the RB and the new turbo. And now, some pictures. Hang on a minute.

[HRH]

Ok, have the radiator pretty much ready to go. This is a 280z aluminum radiator you find off ebay/amazon. Not terribly expensive, think they're about 170-250 range. Anyway, I have one in the Z car and it works great. The Maxima and Z radiators are pretty damn close. This is actually a hair narrower on the fins. I'll have to make some little straps to locate them correctly as on the Z they bolt in through the front of the core support. On the Maxima, they go in from the rear of the core support and sandwich the AC condenser.

One other problem is the height of the core support. As usual in this engine bay, it's all very little clearance. On the bottom, it will ride against the core support straps if you let it. So I'll put a 1/4 piece of wood or metal or rubber something underneath before I mount it. This one also has a drain plug that is fortunately just small enough (though rather large) and centered that it clears the core support strap.

And yet another problem is if I space it up the 1/4" cleareance I need, it may hit the hood as the factory radiator tucks right underneath/even with the core support top rail. I think it will clear, but I may have to clearance the strength ribs due to the extra height. We'll find out.

The fans are an Altima fan setup I ran on the hardbody. In fact, the hardbody has mounts so the top tabs fit right on where they're supposed to even on the D21 radiator. The bottom still needs to be secured. In this case, since I had a multi hole fit that came with the radiator, I opted for using the threaded inserts for securing the fan shroud. It does have some overlap, and if I get excited, I may put some flat sheet behind it, but for now, I think it will pull plenty enough air.

[HRH]

Ok, now that the radiator is ready to be installed aside from making some mounting adapter tabs, let's discuss the boost issue. Right now, the car has no boost controller. As far as I knew, it was manually controlled via the wastegate actuator and recirculation valve. And as far as I still know, that's the way it is. HOWEVER, the Wiring Specialties harness has a boost control solenoid connector on it. After doing much research online and going through the FSM, I found the RB20DET never had a boost control solenoid. The RB26 did. Interestingly though, pin 25 on the ECU is for the boost control solenoid. Now, if I look up the ECU diagram on the FSM for the RB20, it skips right the heck over pin 25, lol. But if you go to the pinout for the RB26, pin 25 says "boost control solenoid!" It appears Nissan equipped both with it, but never put a computer controlled boost solenoid on the 20. Possibly because the actuator for the 20 was regulated at 10 psi, whereas it's 7 with the 25 and I think 7 with the 26.

Anyway, what does this all mean? Well, I started to wonder why I had the problem of boost being at 10-11 psi at 3000, but dropping off at 5500 to 9 psi, and at 6500 to 8 psi. I thought it was a function of the turbo and I wanted to replace the factory ceramic bearing turbo anyway. However, now that I know the car isn't currently computer controlled, I have a more logical thought. I think what's happening is at lower piston speeds and the inital run to high rpm, the factory sidemount intercooler can cool the air charge, especially initially. However, as you get further into a high speed run, that intercooler will get heat soaked being tiny, and thus, the air intake charge will get hotter and it won't be able to compress as much, hence the drop from 10-8 psi.

Now, while the fleabay turbo will still be loads better than the factory 1992 turbo, I'm still screwed by the small intercooler. So the only logical option now, is to increase the capacity of the intercooler. And I think what I'm going to do is the thing I was going to do originally. That is, I'm going to change it to a charge cooler (water cooled) system. The good news is I still won't have much space, but if I put the water to air intercooler in the same place as the air-to-air is currently, all I have to do is find a spot for the extra cooling radiator. I'm thinking I should be able to relocate the battery and use that spot for a radiator and small fan, possibly. Either way, I'll need to do that, OR I need to make a better custom air to air that takes up the entire front grill space that's just plain larger.

Anyway, that's the story boys and girls! Have a nice night!!

[HRH]

So here are the space issues. Curent sidemount is under the front fender. I'm actually tempted to leave it in and run an additional water to air intercooler up top. Effectively two intercoolers to keep it cool under all conditions. Not sure if that's a good idea or not. I think it'll have the same restriction as a large front mount, with two smaller intercoolers.

[HRH]

Ok, so allegedly the water to air kit I have coming will outperform any standard FMIC out there. I would say that's probably accurate. Got to thinking about having two and it's probably just twice the needless complexity. Plus with the same side water to air unit I chose, I should be able to eliminate plumbing through the fenderwell down to the air to air. And while that annoyed me since I cut holes in the apron, I realized, removing that intercooler tubing will allow me to run air tubing out to a cool source, in place of the hot air location of the current air filter. One thing I do have to be careful is if I blast through a large puddle. Not that I'm planning on doing that in the wagon, but low mounted air filters can definitely scoop water. Pretty sure I can just modify the inlet to ramp up the air and mount the air filter a hair higher in case I do run through a big puddle. I'm thinking like street flooding during severe rainstorms. Probably won't be an issue in all reality.

Here is the link to the kit I chose: https://www.frozenboost.com/liquid-air- ... -1034.html

[HRH]

Have I mentioned there is zero space here? I had the radiator about a 1/4 above the core support and the cap clears, but the reinforcements don't. They hit the tank. On the bottom, I realized the core support strap bolts stick up another 1/4 - 3/8" above the captive nut. So I'm going to whiz wheel off those after lunch in an effort to get the radiator back down. I really don't want to cut the reinforcements for the hood. The Altima fan motor on the driver's side is a gnat's ass away from the power steering pump, not much I can do about that. The whole package is going to fit nicely, but just damn barely. And I need to make sure the bottom tank isn't rubbing against anything. I was thinking about using GM rubber pads, but I can't seem to find any. I don't know why parts stores don't have those. Fing useless! (These 80s GM things) https://www.ebay.com/itm/123285632886?c ... gJWUvD_BwE

Anyway, going to eat lunch and figure it out after. I'm getting hungry and cranky. And I need nitrile gloves.

[HRH]

That's how much the bolts stick up. This should give me a bit more leeway.

[HRH]

So I cut a piece of 5-in heater hose and split it in half and after I get the same situated on the lower bolts they're going to provide hit points for the aluminum rails, it should suck the radiator down enough after I've trimmed the aluminum rails and as long as I can pull out those pieces of rubber hose I'll know I have plenty of clearance on the bottom.

[HRH]

The fins sit on the bottom bolts and get clamped. Similar on the top. I was going to make some brackets but they're close enough where a big washer on the bolt will clamp it. The bottom has support from bolts then once its secured it's not going anywhere.

[HRH]

[HRH]

Like so. I decided I'm also going to back this out and flush it again seeing the amount of rust water in the system.