Z32 Harts TT restomod build thread

Discussion in 'Member's Garage' started by Harts, Oct 7, 2020.

  1. Harts

    Harts Active Member

    @Dreilide Oh, really? Melbourne st? Awesome man, we will have to go for a cruise. Are there many more in Adelaide? I have seen maybe 2.

    Yeah, I have been chasing the potential faulty sender/gauge/actual oil pressure issue for a while... had it tested with a mechanical gauge and it was apparently sweet. The recent advent of the complete lack of pressure at any time (with the laboured running) tells me now something has let go. I am actually really just looking forward to identifying/fixing the issue so that I can focus on the next parts of the build.
     
  2. Harts

    Harts Active Member

    I'm having fun back in the Japanese car scene, I haven't been here for a while. I actually said I wouldn't again, after spending lots of time and resources as a kid. But I'm older now, and I really wanted a vintage car, something that kids will look at in 5 or 10 years and go "what is that!?", something raw and something that smells and sounds like a car should.

    There are many elements that I like about the Z32. The Targa top is awesome, I will use it opened up a lot, my last driving car was a convertible [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]
    The Abarth was an excellent driving car, you absolutely couldn't get in trouble with it though with the modern control systems on... a big difference to the 300ZX!

    I put TE37s on the 124, it was this that actually gave me the itch to get back into a Japanese car!
     
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  3. Harts

    Harts Active Member

    Before the Abarth, I swore black and blue that I would never modify a car again, so I drove this for a bit... my wife loved it (I actually bought it for her):D I thought I would hate the DSG, but it was a lot of fun, like playing Grand Turismo![​IMG]

    I actually bought it for my wife so that she would get her licence (she has never had one). She didn't get it, so I sold it o_O
     
  4. Harts

    Harts Active Member

    But I have always had an affinity for Nissans. Imports only really became a reality in Australia when I turned 17, and I had to have one. I grew up playing the original Grand Turismo in PS1, starting off with an S13 and ending up with a 1000hp R33GT-R that blew everything in the game out of the water. The first car I ever bought, way back in 2000, was an S13... But more on that later (I will actually have to find some real photos of that to show it haha).

    So after I finished uni, I decided to do a trade and I needed a daily that I could lug gear around with, so I ended up with a Stagea. I actually had the Stag for 8 years, it was typical of my experience with JDM Nissans from that era (awesome). I built this thing bottom to top and it was a beast. Redline was 10000RPM running e85 and a GT3071R. My friends described it as being on a roller coaster :D

    This was in my rice days, during my 20s, everything that could be modded was done... for better or for worse![​IMG][​IMG]

    This thing was bottom to top Tomei (sump, oil pump, pistons, rods and cams), not a bad tool bag carter :D
     
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  5. Harts

    Harts Active Member

    I have only found one photo of the 180sx so far, not the best, but I'll find more! It was that Gunmetal Grey/Purple mix, a more rarely seen colour, and had a Red Top to boot! I was the king of the world (or so I felt at the time) when I drove that thing!

    I imported the car through prestige motorsport (Geoff) in early 2000. It was an excellent platform indeed.
    [​IMG]
     
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  6. Harts

    Harts Active Member

    Whilst I hunt up a better photo of the 180SX and whilst I am still waiting to hear news on the car from the workshop I am collecting a few items over in Japan with Import Monster to be shipped out with the Veilside Cat back.

    So far I have got some Targa Bags (mine were missing), some new mint speaker grills (mine were badly dented) and a full set of factory floor mats. The mats need a tizzy up, but I will give them a good going over before they get into the car. I'm looking forward to some OEM mats and getting rid of the average aftermarket (yellow trimmed) mats I currently have.

    The colours of these will be the subtlest match with the black carpet in my car... is everyone's carpet black?

    [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
  7. Dreilide

    Dreilide New Member

    Yea Melbourne St, yours is only one I've seen on the road. From the various z32 facebook groups I know there is a dark green and a red one floating around plus a few in junkyards.
     
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  8. Harts

    Harts Active Member

    Doesn't seem to be too many on the road that I can see, they must be hiding.

    I got some preliminary positive news on the car, I'll update once it is officially confirmed... hopefully by Friday!
     
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  9. MintZ32

    MintZ32 Active Member

    Sounds promising!
     
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  10. Harts

    Harts Active Member

    So, the issue seems to be with the brand new coil loom work I had performed soon after I bought the car. Apparently they had the looms resting on the intake plenum, and so they have experienced insulation failure and subsequently arc'ed out to the plenum. Obviously that has effected my oil pressure gauge somehow as it is dead (short circuit? Not sure yet). So the new workshop will fix the loom and I'll chase up the last auto elec in the meantime. Mechanical gauge check of the oil pressure still says it is good.

    Once the loom is fixed I will have a warm compression test performed, if it is all good then I am leaning towards manual conversion, intercooler and exhaust install with an ECU install and flex fuel. Still waiting on the exhaust to ship and the workshop is flat out, so I think it is a while off... a few weeks at least I'd imagine.

    I just dropped of the Veilside Andrews for test fitting whilst the car is off the road, all very exciting!

    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
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  11. MintZ32

    MintZ32 Active Member

    Good one Harts. Who is your exhaust coming through? Mines been sitting in Japan for quote a while now too until the next container is ready...
     
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  12. Harts

    Harts Active Member

    Import Monster, you?

    Mine is doing the same thing, waiting patiently with the rest of the bits and bobs I have. Haven't searched IM for a while, might have to have a peak tonight!
     
  13. MintZ32

    MintZ32 Active Member

    Ahh import monster too on this one they'll probably come over on the same container I suspect!

    Haha hold onto your wallet when you start searching IM :D
     
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  14. Harts

    Harts Active Member

    Classic! I know, right? It's dangerous, so much cool stuff over there... every now and then I'll see something and have to think long and hard about it hahaha!
     
  15. MintZ32

    MintZ32 Active Member

    Lol yep.... Good prices for stuff is not getting any easier I do have to say.

    Then there's freight on-top of that which in itself seems to be dearer than I remember...

    Maybe that's a good thing though.. a self imposed safe guard stopping me from filling up the shed with Japanese boxes and newspapers with JDM parts smuggled inside :D
     
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  16. Harts

    Harts Active Member

    Veilside exhaust is on a boat! @MintZ32 yours must be too?

    Coil loom arcing is fixed, warm compression check to make sure all is good next and then major service and defi link install.

    Got the full OEM gasket kit from Z1 to make sure the guys have everything they need and prep for the next failure :) Fuel rail/plenum seals and upper and lower idler pulley bolts in the same box.
    [​IMG]
    It will be good to get this out of the way so I can move on to more exciting stuff!
     
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  17. MintZ32

    MintZ32 Active Member

    @Harts yes! received notification that my exhaust is on the boat earlier in the week too :)

    What's the thought process behind getting the whole Gasket kit? just so you have one of everything at hand in the event that something fails. Plus the option to swap a few things now for preventative maintenance?
     
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  18. Harts

    Harts Active Member

    Thought so, another friend of mine had some gear that missed the boat and they let him know that it would be a while due to the industrial action, so we may have been lucky.

    I was pricing a bunch of gaskets up, I have need of a few more (main seal, oil pan, aac, balance tube along with the major service gaskets) and the price was approaching that of the full kit, so I bought the whole thing. I figured it would hurt having the rest on hand :)
     
  19. MintZ32

    MintZ32 Active Member

    Wow, on-top of covid there's industrial action... Not ideal...

    Ahh yes, I have rear main seal sitting here as well... Every time I get under the car I look at the turbo dump pipes and wonder how much of a nightmare they're going to be to remove just to drop the gearbox... :confused:
     
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  20. Harts

    Harts Active Member

    Warm compression test came back 150-160psi across all 6, not too bad. Waiting for a final costing on the works we have planned pending the compression results, so hopefully some forward movement soon!

    Looking forward to sharing the plan!
     
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