Hey guys, thought I might share my ZX build with you guys, I have had this car for approximately 7-8 months, some of you may remember it being for sale in Melbourne. It was advertised as being 'the perfect 500hp Japanese supercar' with in excess of 100k spent on it LOL. Sadly, as I found out within 2 months of owning, it was not even close to being perfect nor was it close to 500hp...... :bash: The 60k+ worth of invoices I was supplied with turned out to be merely quotes for work, not actual work carried out. :bash: She had 400hp, and some of the poorest quality work done to it, the 'match porting' looked like it had been carried out by a 2 year old as did the 'custom manifolds and dump pipes' for the td04 turbos she had been fitted with........ I love Nissans, I love Z's and despite being ripped so hard that my ass was almost bleeding, I decided to take it on the chin and work all of its issues out..... [TIS] So, the build started with me upgrading the side mounts to Z1 BA's, throwing on Z1 2.5" ic piping and taking her to the dyno to check the tune and adjust if necessary for the extra air flow and iron out a stalling issue she had, Unfortunately the Dyno came back with a crappy 240rwkw due to fueling issues caused by leaking injectors(also causing stalling) and failing VTC gears. :lame: So, I jumped on Z1's website and ordered there 740cc nismo injector+300 degree fuel rail kit, some BDE vtc gears and then went onto the wiring specialtys website and ordered a brand new engine bay harness and gearbox harness...... The time came to change it all over, after removing the plenum and installing the injectors, fuel rail and VTC gears, I realised I was in over my head with the harness, so I found a nice young Z enthusiast by the name of Deano Lakis on the facebook forums and he offered to help, so I had the old girl towed to his workshop and the games began........ Deano is 1 of those guys who wont bullshit you, each problem he found he would take a photo of and/or show me if I was present when he found the problem, and OH MY GOD did he find a shit ton of problems, By this stage, the love affair was in full flight, I had already lost in excess of 25k to this girl so I figured (17.5k purchase price plus 7.7k in parts/labour), whats another 5 to 10k to get her perfect? As with almost all builds, things got out of hand really fast, initially I was buying replacement high end parts to replace worn or broken items, soon I found myself replacing perfectly good items just because.....well shit, it looks old and all that stuff looks new :zlove: Approximately 75k later I/we are close to being done...... Ive thrown in some pics of how she looked at point of sale, some of you may remember her.
Still at home...... New tail lights..... 2.5" ic piping and Z1 BA smic's. Howe Racing Radiator and Spal Thermo fan. Few dress up items.....
At Westside Auto House So, she got towed to Westside Auto House where Deano Lakis started taking care of her...... At this point, everything was still pretty chilled, had a nice easy plan and some basic mods like, injectors, 300 degree rail, dual pop intakes, smic's, BDE vtc gears, setrab oil cooler, hks ssqv black bov's, new harness and some engine bay bling.....
Parts list. So, figure its time to show the parts list, this list comprises of 90% of the value of all the parts, and probably 80-85% of all the parts, many little items, nuts, bolts, sensors, hoses, clamps etc etc etc that are not listed here, but it gives you a good idea of how comprehensive the build is........ Some important notes about this list are, firstly I guess, this list was made for myself and Deano, a running tally if you will, for parts purchased and costs so far, some parts ive purchased twice, like the z1 radiator hose kit, because I wrecked a hose by accident. The first item, Z1 sidemounts, I purchased but didn't realise they were the small SMIC's that Z1 makes, so I resold them to another Z owner and purchased the BA version. The Selin dual intake kit, I didn't actually need, dual intakes.....yes, not the selin translator or the extra MAF, I didn't realise my ECU had been changed to a Link G4+ n300 and was using a MAP sensor, until I had already made the purchase..... Z1 Motorsports. ---------------- 1 x Z1 Sidemount Intercoolers SMIC set (Sold Them) 1 x AMS Polished Large Fuse Cover 1 x AMS Polished Throttle Cable Cover 1 x ZSPEC Stainless Steel Fuel Filter Bracket 1 x '99 JDM Tail lights (3 piece) 1 x ZSPEC Ultimate Engine Bay Fastener Kit 2 x ZSPEC Polished Coil Bracket Kit With Z Cut-Out 1 x AMS Polished Small Fuse Cover 1 x Z1 B.A. Sidemount Intercooler SMIC Set 1 x Z1 2.5" Intercooler Piping Kit 1 x Z1 High Flow Intake 1 x 300ZX Selin Dual Intake Package - Eprom Upgrade: No - Coupler Color: Black - Additional Filter: No - Mass Air Flow Sensor: New 1 x 300zx Twin Turbo Ultimate Cooling Package (Howe radiator, Spal Fan) - Options: Standard Sealed Fan - Include: Thermo Switch and Adapter 2 x Z1 Silicone Radiator Hose Set - Color: Black - Include: Z1 Silicone Overflow Hose 1 x Mega Z Air Guides - Select Type: Full 3 piece kit - Application: Twin Turbo W/ Z1 Howe or AMS Rad 1 x ZSPEC 300ZX Battery Cable Bracket 1 x ZSPEC Battery Hold Down Kit 1 x Z1 Stainless Steel Intake Hardpipe Kit (TT) - Color: Black - Clamp Style: 16 T-bolt Clamps 1 x 740cc fuel injector Kit & 300 Degree Rails - AN Fittings and lines: Yes 1 x B&B Cat Back Exhaust - Model: 4 seater (2+2) - Resonated mid section: Yes - Size: 3" Piping - Muffler Tip Style: Quad Oval Tips 1 x EGR Elimination Kit 1 x BDE Performance VTC Gears 1990-93 (Wrecked them) 1 x New 300ZX PTU Sub Harness 1 x 5mm Silicone Vacuum Hose - Feet of Hose: 20 - Color: Black 1 x 4mm Silicone Vacuum Hose - Feet of Hose: 20 - Color: Black 1 x Boost leak tester - Options: With pressure gauge 1 x Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) 1 x Nissan Valve Cover Gasket Kit 1 x Balance Tube O-ring Set 1 x Z1 Silicone Coolant Bypass Hoses 1 x BDE Performance VTC Gears 1990-93 1 x Clear or Smoked Timing Covers - Color: Smoked 1 x Throttle body gaskets (pair) 1 x 300ZX Complete Idle Air Control Package New - Model: Twin Turbo (TT) - Color: Black 1 x 300ZX Fuel Line Kit - 8 Hoses - Hose Clamps: Dual Layer Spring Clamps 1 x 300ZX OEM Crank Angle Sensor (CAS) - Year: 1991 1 x Z1 Silicone BOV Inlet Hose - Color: Black - Quantity: 1 Pair 1 x Z1 Silicone Recirc Return Hoses - Color: Black 1 x Z1 Silicone Brake Booster Hose Set - Color: Black - Options: TT Silicone Clutch Booster Hose 1 x Z32 Dual Intake System 1 x Z1 Silicone PCV Hose Kit - Twin Turbo - Options: 2 New PCV Valves 1 x Z1 300ZX TT Oil Cooler Upgrade (Setrab) 1 x HKS SSQV4 Blow Off Valve Kit (BOV) - Recirculation fittings: Yes - Upgrades: Black HKS SSQV4 Blow Off Valves 1 x Heater Core Water Pipes - Options: None - Engine: Twin Turbo (TT) - Heater Core Pipe: Both 1 x Z1 Silicone Heater Core Hoses - Color: Black 1 x OEM Detonation (Knock) Sensor & Upgraded Sub-Harness 1 x Coolant Temperature Sensor (Gauge) 1 x OEM Coolant Temperature Sensor (ECU) 1 x OEM Intake Valve Cover Washer - Options: Set of 16 Washers 1 x OEM Z32 Valve Timing Control (VTC) Solenoid - Side: Both 1 x 300zx Nissan OEM Engine Gasket Kit - Model: TT (twinturbo) - Year: 1991 - Head Gasket: Stock 1 x OEM Rubber "Half Moon" seal - Quantity: 1 Pair 1 x Oil Filter Bracket O-Ring Seal 1 x Z1 HICAS elimination kit 2 x JWT Pop Charger Intake 1 x Z1 Custom VG30DE(TT) Head Bolt / Stud Washer Set ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ConceptZ Performance(CZP). --------------------------- JWT Sport 700 Ball Bearing Turbos Nissan 300ZX 90-96 Z32 CZP Stainless Steel Turbo Oil Line Kit w/ 0.035" Restrictors, Ball Bearing Turbos - Nissan 300ZX 90-96 Z32 Mike Smith MSP 300ZX Upgraded Twin Turbo Exhaust Manifolds Z32 AMS Full 3" Stainless Steel Test Pipes 90-96 Z32 AMS 3" Stainless Steel 5-Bolt Expansion Downpipes BDE Lower Profile Motor Mounts Nissan 300ZX 90-96 Z32 BDE Lightweight Aluminum Alternator Mount - Nissan 300ZX 90-96 Z32 BDE 300ZX Exhaust Valve Cover Half Moon Billet Aluminum Plugs Z32 Unorthodox Racing Pulley Set w/ Belts Twin Turbo 90-93 Z32 Greddy Oil Drain Plug Nissan 12x1.25 AMS 49720-40P00 Kevlar High Pressure Power Steering Hose, Right Hand Drive RHD - Nissan 300ZX Z32 JWT Pop Charger Dummy MAFS Nissan 300ZX 90-96 Z32 Southbend 300ZX Clutch Stage 3 Endurance Plus Twin Turbo 600 TQ Cap Z32 Fidanza Aluminum Flywheel, Twin Turbo TT - Nissan 300ZX 90-96 Z32 Rob'Z Billet 62mm Throttle Bodies w/ Shims & Spacers 90-96 Nissan 300ZX Z32 - Black Finish Centric Premium Clutch Slave Cylinder Z32 CZP Stainless Full Length Clutch Line Z32 Long 81.50 CZP Heavy Duty Clutch Fork & Springs Base Kit CZP Upgraded Chomoly Clutch Pivot Ball 04-06 Z33 / 04-07 G35 Nissan OEM 350Z Dust Fork Boot 04-06 Z33 Nissan OEM 300ZX 350Z Throw Out Bearing Z32 Z33 Nismo Crankshaft Pilot Bushing - Needle Bearing Gates Belt - Alternator TT/NA w/ UR pulley Z32 Gates Blue Racing Belt - A/C TT/NA w/ UR, Power Steering 90-93 TT OEM, V2, or UR 4-Rib 90-96NA/94-96TT Z32 Gates Racing Kevlar Timing Belt - Nissan 300ZX 90-96 Z32 Gates Belt - A/C Stock TT / NA and Alternator Overdrive Water Pump Pulley Z32 JWT Cam set 90-95 300ZX TT Race #400+ 264/.375" JWT Heavy Duty Valve Springs for Billet Cams, 24 Pack - Nissan 300ZX 90-96 Z32 JWT Sprocket Adapter 90-93 300ZX Z32 Kuruma/OEM Complete Molding Kit 2+2 Z32 Nissan OEM 300ZX T-Top Center Hook Finisher 2+2 Z32 Nissan OEM 300ZX Complete Cowl Grill Kit RHD (Right Hand Drive) - Z32 Nissan OEM 300ZX T-Top Interior Garnish Finisher 2+2 RH Black RHD Z32 Nissan OEM 300ZX T-Top Interior Garnish Finisher 2+2 LH Black RHD Z32 Nissan OEM JDM Front Wiper Arm LH RHD Z32 Nissan OEM JDM Front Wiper Arm RH RHD Z32 Nissan OEM JDM Rear Wiper Arm RHD Z32 Nissan OEM 300ZX Windshield Wiper Blade LH 90-94 Z32 Nissan OEM 300ZX Windshield Wiper Blade RH 90-94 Z32 Nissan OEM 300ZX Rear Wiper Blade 90-93 Z32 Dewla Dezign 300ZX Twin Turbo Throttle Cable Cover Emblem Mirror Finish - Z32 ZSpec Design Nissan Z Polished & Engraved Radiator Cap Cover - Nissan 300ZX 90-96 Z32 Twin Turbo Nismo Metal Head Gaskets 88mm x 1.2mm Nissan 300ZX 90-96 Z32 ARP VG30 L19 Head Stud Kit - VG30DE(TT) Z32 Nissan OEM 300ZX Timing Crank Sprocket Gear Z32 Nissan OEM 300ZX Oil Dip Stick Gauge Twin Turbo Z32 Nissan OEM 300ZX Dip Stick Oil Gauge Guide Tube Twin Turbo TT Z32 Nissan OEM Plate Crankshaft Front Spacer - Nissan 300ZX 90-96 TT / 90-93 NA Z32 Nissan OEM Plate Crankshaft Rear Spacer 90-96 NA & TT / Front 94-96 NA - Nissan 300ZX Z32 CZP Throttle Body Gasket, 62mm for RobZ Throttle Bodies - Nissan 300ZX 90-96 Z32 Walbro 485 Universal High Pressure Fuel Pump - Ethanol E85 450 LPH w/ Install Kit Ashspec Planar 2.5" pipe kit -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interior Inovations. --------------------- Nissan 300Zx/Z32 Carbon Fiber Radiator Fan Shroud 300ZX/Z32 Carbon Fiber Timing Belt Covers 300ZX/Z32 Carbon Fiber Throttle Cable Cover --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wiring Specialtys. ------------------- VG30DE(TT) Wiring Harness COMBO - OEM SERIES (Injector Harness Type: New Style Injectors, Induction Type: Turbocharged (VG30DETT) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Miscellaneous items Various Companys. ----------------- Morimoto HID plug and play kit. Passenger side window switch. Side mount intercooler Air Ducts(Godspeed). Z32 300ZX VG30DETT Twin Turbo Genuine HKS Turbo Timer Type 0 Z32 AFM Air Flow Meter MAF Mass 80mm 300ZX s13 s14 s15 with plug NISMO RACING RADIATOR CAP - SKYLINE GTR SILVIA 200SX 180SX 350Z 300ZX GTiR NISMO OIL FILLER CAP - SKYLINE GTR SILVIA 200SX 180SX 350Z 300ZX GTiR - BLACK? Hydraulic Lifters Cam Followers for 90-96 Nissan 3.0L DOHC V6 VG30DETT 24V TURBO Nissan 300ZX 1990, Interior Dash Kit by B&I?. HKS Turbo Timer Harness for 1990-1996 NISSAN 300ZX Optima Yellow Top - D34/78 Deep Cycle / Starting Battery New Rear tail Garnish(3rd brake light) Greddy Profec B Boost Controller Tomei Fuel pressure regulator ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Engine Action/James Race Engines. --------------- Forged Motor build. Carrillo rods. CP pistons. King Race bearings. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current status. So, there you have it, it has taken about 6 months, but she is almost ready to go, power output should be somewhere around 550 to 600rwhp..... She also has a 2k spec 5 speed, 1 piece tail shaft and short throw shifter all of which I didn't put in the initial list....... With luck, it should be ready to be tuned at the start of next week. I know there are many things I could have done differently, I also know I have spent way to much on parts, payed a premium on pretty much everything as I wanted it all to be top quality and bolt on items that didn't require massive modification to anything. She will be my daily for a while once finished, im also looking into upgrading the brakes and an interior retrim once its back on the road....... Exterior wise, I want to keep it looking the way it does, the Devil Yellow paint job is loud enough without throwing bodykits and shit at it LOL. I will keep you all posted on its progress, im sure many of you will be as keen as I am to see the final power figure.
My other ride Ive always been a Nissan/Datsun enthusiast, this is my other ride :br: Had her about 10 years, my first love :zlove:
Great build Luke, sorry to hear that you were ripped off to begin with, but glad to know you stuck with it and have an amazing Z to show for it! Do you mind covering some of the issues with the build of the engine for those looking at buying some of the parts you've listed. Things like the BDE engine mounts needing other work to be fitted etc. Really useful information for us fellow Z lovers!
Curious to know how much clearance you have with the AMS dump pipes with steering column? Also FYI that's a Zspeed front bar. 959 style bumper they made in Japan back in the early 90s.
To be perfectly honest, our 1 and only fitment issue thus far has been the BDE mounts interfering with the oil pressure sender unit that RHD cars have bolted to the block, we tried to mount it off the oil tree like USDM models have but it was fouling on the bottom steering knuckle. Our solution, which we have yet to try but im sure will work is to use a braided hose with a banjo joint off the oil tree and mount the pressure switch elsewhere. The MSP manifolds had perfect fitment, JWT 700 turbos required a little bit of meat to be shave off the back of the block on 1 side, barely anything though, having the BDE mounts helped in that regard as standard mounts need modification with the JWT 700's. AMS expansion dumps are extremely close to the steering column, it may present an issue down the track, hopefully not though.... AMS 3" test pipes, perfect fitment aswell. BDE half moons, perfect fitment. 300 degree rail and nismo injectors are straight bolt on items, no issues there. Interior Innovations Carbon Fibre Timing covers were poorly, scratch that......very poorly, nope, lets try.....absolutely shithouse moulds, don't line up correctly, nor do they sit straight, bolt holes don't all line up and the insides of them were hard up against the VTC and exhaust cam gears, especially the left hand (CAS) side, in my attempts to fix them I destroyed 1, so I have gone with the AMS smoked see through covers instead, they scratch easily but perfect fitment. JWT cams required that the Valve stem heights be adjusted as the cams have there journals machined off centre in order to change there lift for each cam spec, rather then starting with a new blank camshaft, no big deal really, but worth noting for anyone wanting to use JWT cams. So yea, everything so far has been straight forward with the exception of the items I listed having issues. But, we are not done yet, if any other issues arise ill be sure to update you guys on this post
In my case the AMS dumps were touching the shaft. Had to change to low profile stud and bash it down slightly. Not ideal for a JDM car.
The only reason he clears is the MSP manifolds I run ams also and has the same issue Driver 3" split flange contacted the steering rod, again had to heat and notch it for some clearance.
$75K You've either just won lotto or you're ****ing nuts lol! Going to be a sweet build when it's finished though :zlove:
No lotto sadly Im tempted to try the Labree ultimate split pipes to see if that gives me more clearance on the steering shaft....