300zx's ELX work log

[FE3-323]

got a line where i can find said compounds?
also what is the traditional grit compound?

[KAinjection]

I got mine off ebay from this seller: damotorshop

It was almost impossible to find this stuff till I found this guy on ebay. Its normally available in large cans if you can even find them.

From my digging around on the internet, it seems normal "valve lapping compound" is 120-150- for "coarse" and 220-280 grit for "fine"

The abrasive metal polish was somewhat hard to find as well since most of the metal polishes are the chemical type.

[FE3-323]

saved the seller!
thanks for the info

[KAinjection]

Ok I just wanted to update you guys with a comparison picture and revise the procedure of the valve lapping since I finally finished the intake valves.


To start with, as you can see from the picture this method really does a great job at making a perfect seal.

I found a few points along the way that should be pointed out as compared to the original post I made about this.

1. This method is tedious and needs patience. This is not something you can hurry through to get the results above. It takes much longer to get the seal correct since your using finer grades then the standard stuff.
2. Use a black permanent marker on the valve seat before you do the first cut with the 400 grit. It will give you an idea on how much more cutting needs to be done to get the valve to pass the flashlight test after the first cut.
3. There is no need to do the 400/600/Test method. Using the marker trick and the flashlight, you can see the low spots that didnt get cut. The parts that are cut will be grey in color and the black marker will be gone. The parts that are low and not cut will be kind of shiny or still have black marker left on them.
4.Dont bother trying to get every little pit out of the valve seat, because if you do it will be removing too much material. The point is to get a perfect seal with the minimum amount of material removed and a pit or low spot that does not go all the way from the top to the bottom of the grey band will still seal and pass the flashlight test.
5. You can use the 400 multiple times in a row without going to the next grit. The scratches will not get any worse with multiple cuttings of the same grit. I found my best results came when I did the other grits the same number of times as I did the 400. I.E....400 twice=600 twice=1200 twice etc......
6. If you get the valve seal really close with 400 and it will be perfect with 1 more cut of 400...STOP! dont make the extra 400 cut, thats the point you go to the 600 using it the same number of times as the 400.
7. After you finish the 600 cuts, make the area your working in as dark as you can and use a good flashlight or other high powered light, make sure both valves are in what ever port your working with, and look in the port while moving your flashlight to different edges of the valve to check for light leaking through. If there are no leaks, then finish up with the 1200 and polishing compound
8. No matter how many times you use the other grits, I needed to use the polishing compound a minimum of 3 times in a row to get the pictured results, and sometimes more.
9. You will notice that the seal on the valve will not have anything/very minimal spots in the fresh cut that will catch your finger nail. The smoother the better. If you lift the valve part way out with your finger and then close it abruptly, you will notice the more solid thud it makes vs the uncut valves which make a higher pitched tone I suspect due to the lesser amount of surface area making contact.

[KAinjection]

New bar all painted and installed: Should have used smaller rivets for the tag, but they were all I had and I didnt feel like buying different ones since I use them just about never.

[Mazda_Powered]

looks great! how's that catch can working for you?

[KAinjection]

Its doing its job, but apparently my car doesnt have much oil mist in the PCV system since its been on there for a while now and it hasnt even made it to the sight glass yet. I looked inside and there is oil in it so I know its working.

[KAinjection]

So I need a solution to one of my final suspension problems which is in this picture:


I am thinking an MX3 sway bar may be the answer, but is an MX3 bar any wider then a BG one? or is it the bar ends that are the only difference

[Mazda_Powered]

oh that looks nice and happy in there lol, I wish I had a suggestion for you man! Looks like the bottom mounting point has to move outwards a bit more to level it out.

[KAinjection]

The angle is not the problem, the swaybar is touching the subframe on normal roads and minor bumps.

[crazycanadian]

Is it doing it on both sides or just the 1?

[KAinjection]

Both sides. I cut the poly bushings in half to lower the bar and get more clearance, but it really didnt help much.

Do you have this problem?

This is with one wheel up on a ramp BTW, but at a resting position, I have about 1/2" of clearance and I can hear it bumping while I am driving, plus the nice shiny marks on the bar and subframe where they touch.

[FE3-323]

that endlink is your critical problem....... period. the swaybar in these cars was never designed to be that far up from the control arm.
Im utterly surprised you haven't broken the swaybar yet. visually i can see the bar doesn't even look correctly anymore

you have 2 options really:
go back to the normal endlink design
change over to the later BJ design where its connected to the strut. (note this increases the swaybar ratio)

take my advice & ditch that system

[crazycanadian]

I don't have any problems... My whole front sway bar/control arms and sub frame are all stock mx3 gs stuff..

[concealer404]

I don't remember the stock endlinks placing the sway bar much closer to the arm. An inch at most closer.


I don't think he CAN go back to the stock endlink design. The only real option here without going BJ chassis style is finding a shorter body'd rodend.