悪魔 Akuma - the devil zed (Rspec)

hey guys and girls.

well this is my build thread, i appologise in advance for the sheer length, but why not eh.
going to update this regularly. thread starts off from the day i picked up the zed.. march last year ! and then following the journey untill as recent as today!
pictures including most mods i have already completed and attempting to etc..

so i hope you enjoy. heres the current specs :

Name:
rodney

Model:
1990 AUS spec' nissan 300zx

Colour:
DeBeer KH2 with 4 coats DeBeer black pearl.

Bodykit:
AUS spec' front bar
AUS spec' rear bar
AUS spec' smoothed nose panel

Engine Type:
3.0 litre V6 - VG30de

Engine Modifications:
Apexi power intake pod filter
UAS polished hard pipe kit
SS Braided Fuel line kit
Show Polished OEM Fuel Filter
Bored and honed upper and lower plenum
UAS 55mm throttle bodies
Hood hinge covers LH + RH
Series II PTU
Bosch quick release injector connectors
New OEM coilpack connectors
Wire tuck + blue silicon vac + fuel lines
Cusco master cylinder stopper brace
Polished upper plenum

Exhaust:
2.5" front pipes
2.5" 100cpi cats
2.25 stock H pipe
2.5" cat back pipe
2.5" to 3" out let dual falcon XR8 mufflers and tips

Gearbox:
5 speed manual
Short shifter

Diff:
Stock

Brakes:
Twin turbo callipers
EBC green stuff brake pads

Suspension:
Tein HR drift coilovers
Cusco rear strut brace
Cusco front strut brace
Trueagent adjustable front camber + castor arms
Trueagent adjustable rear camber arms + toe rods.

Wheels/Tyres:
19" G-max Defiant wheels with Nankang supersport II tyres
Fronts - 19/35/235 + 35 (running 25mm spacer)
rears - 19/30/265 + 35

Interior:
CR tripple gauge pillar
Apexi 52mm oil temp, oil pressure + water temp gauges
2k spec' gear shifter, handbrake + gear boots
Custom 300zx floor mats

Exterior:
Moulding, Roof LH+RH, 2+2
Clip, Rear Roof Moulding, 2+2
T-Top Roof Hook, 2+2
2k spec' tail lights + front lights
Nismo clear side indicators
Custom number plates (mrzedx)
Shaved ariel
Karuma Zeta fiberglass rear spoiler
Nissan OEM replacement stickers

Other Mods:
Repainted calipers
Repainted door trims and wipers

Stereo:
Clarion 7.5" touch screen DVD headunit
2x Clarion 6by9 350watt speakers with custom splitters
2x Clarion 6by4 250watt speakers with custom spiltters
2x Clarion 2.5" 50watt tweeters custom mounted
2x Clarion 15" 600watt subwoofers [sold]
Clarion 250watt 2way amp [sold]
Clarion 500watt 4 way amp [sold]
Clarion monoblock 1500watt amp [sold]
o gauge wiring kit

Build Period:
12 months

Future mods:
TT swap [have already]
bride brix II leather seats with custom interior
work professor +25 wheels.
magnaflow 14862 exhaust

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the day i picked her up :






putting the new shoes + brakes on :











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project progression - pre-respray :







first prime, dents removed and panels aligned and prepped for paint :



















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masking for painting :













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so after the respray, i never actually got some pics as 2 days after it was done, a failed drifting attempt meant that i wrapped it around a pole in the city.
some pics of the after math :





























so here are the pics from the full undercarriage replacement, guard fix, bonnet + nose repair all in the shed :


^ lacking suspension lol.




^out with the old, in with the new.




^old exhaustarino before new piping.

----------

well fixed her up again, new respray again haha. 2 resprays in one month = 0 dollars in the bank, can still see the damage on the light :






^ 4 wheel drive spec anyone?













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decided i would love some bass. so i got to work with dad to build a custom subby box :



covered it in leather :







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at this stage, i was into the brake upgrade section of the car. so grabbed a fresh set of TT callipers and got to work installing them and painting :








well got to this point and decided 4 wheel drive spec just doesnt cut it.
so out with a new set of HR coilovers and all suspension mods to suit, and dumped her on her guts :





while she was dumped i got some new 2k spec' tailights for her :







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so then as always, once you progress you take 2 steps backwards.
a little old lady reversed into me and left me a nice present :









for the 3rd time i got her repaired, all paint finally as it should be
installed nismo indictors and 2k j-spec front lights :

















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so for now, the looks side of things were set. i was happy with the exterior of the car, handling was at its prime and now it was time to get to work on engine before interior. so here comes the plenum pull and engine work. started with this :



then pulled everything for the performance parts etc to be installed :





some of the engine goodies installed. all electrical here with new gaskets and hosing :



upgraded 50 to 55mm TB :



show polished power steering reservoir installed :



the plenum and all performance parts being installed :
me and dad with kirill, (drft300) andrew, (mike300) fat mike, and martin going nuts at 10pm.


early next morning, shes up and running with old intake etc. :


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ok so after the plenum pull, brought some new intake piping, less restrictive and got them chrome dipped, got the fire extinguisher installed and bolted in, the gauges + gauge pillar installed :































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got the paint detailed and cut along with low mounting the number plates and decided to slightly raise the zed. final vac lines and braces were installed :









----------

decided some HDR shots were in order for the zed, so after more fiddling with the engine and my tune/suspension settings i had her right where i wanted her, so got a good mate of mine to get some nice pictures :













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so decided i was at a milestone with the zed, so i got a good mate clarence to take some pictures for me. so happy with the results but will soon change!








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ok update time..
most of this happened a while back but will update the process.

anyways, so a while back i installed my CZP short shifter.



and as always, the stock rubber surround that holds the shifter up (the mount) broke. so while driving it was almost hit the drive shalft under and was almost impossible to use.







so going by billies thread i made a metal bracket and supported the rubber that had broken.. although unlike billies pic, mine goes accross the top of the rubber mount.




^ similar to this.

next on the list was my tripple gauge pillar i brought off caz so long ago. was as simple as removing the pillar and putting in the replacement.




^the guages. whilst they are white when off, when lit (sadly no pics as yet) the number light up blue and the needle red. looks fantastic.


^ the pre install wiring. sorry no complete pics, maybe later or on request

so the time was ripe to do an oil change. (after my injector got stuck open, ive used more than 4L in 2 days. so i gather the oil is full of fuel)



so with the help of a mate + dad we set out to finish the wiring and do the oil change.





struggled getting the oil filter off, but the tool below was perfect !




^hard to see, but there was NO fuel in the oil.. great :bash:
new engine time. made my mind up on the spot.

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so in typical fashion, fix one thing, stuff another, i had the bonnet off the car to make it easier to work on. ++ i recently have found a intermittant water leak :S

so here's the results of a WRX vs. 300zx bonnet .. *face palm*




^hmmm. have a full OEM carbon fibre bonnet coming soon anways. so not to worry.

so next i tried to find the water leak (to no avial) and remove my AIV's + install the spacers.




^looks alot more like oil than water to me.. AHH!



so AIV in vs out.




also against the adive, i removed my guard liners and cleaned up the guard to run the more aggressive wheel offset. (so far, ive noticed no difference to engine condition with no extra mud or dirt thrown in, and the guard remains clean)



albeit, -4 camber is killing the black straps they call tyres i have on atm.





so car down, spacers on and looking tough!








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interior time ! so i brought a metre and a half of carbon fibre wrap of "charles" so i decided to put it to use (later on will be on my roof T bar and the painted parts) - also has a 3 year weather rating. quite happy with that.

heres the process of a few parts to the completed products.








^wasnt to worried about the inner parts as the radio would cover. i cut these wrong, but will redo later on.





next part..






^quality tools. hair dryer and scapel haha.



completed ash tray.




completed passenger window switch.


interior in and ready to roll.






over the moon with the results. would recommend to all.

kindest regards.
rod.

 

so big update !!

ENGINE TIME !
basically the thread will continue from here, up to date now!
so i FINALLY got my hand's on a twin turbo engine..

the old aus spec N/A engine is reading around 295,XXX.
using more oil than fuel and getting worse rapidly. so time is ripe to pull her and get the new engine in..

so i sourced an engine from brisbane that had just been pulled. has 51,XXX on the clock of the car it came out of (like you can belive anything from J-land, however as you will see, this engine really looks like it has done that many k's)
compression results came back at a healthy :
175, 170, 175, 175, 165, 170

so my starting project list will consist of standard upgrades, routine maintenance and system deletions to the basically brand new engine.

Upgrades:
Fuel Rail.
New style Injectors. thinking (555's)
Z1 Intercoolers or FMIC.
Boost Controller.
ECU Chip upgrade for the Injectors. (thinking nistune)
Better Split Downpipes.
Paint Valve Covers, ornament covers, fan shroud, PS Reservoir, etc. (in car color)
chrome dip my already polished Plenum and throttle bodies.
Relocate PTU and upgrade to series II.
koyo 56mm radiator.
twin 3" custom exhaust.
braided fuel lines (using fuel line re-route from the N/A).

System Deletions:
AIV [done]
EGR
Throttle Body Water Bypass

Maintenance:
100K
Replace every Vacuum Hose still existing (blue silicone).
Replace Water Hoses.
Replace Oil hoses.
Replace Clutch Booster hoses (blue silicone)
Replace every Gasket I can get my hands on. plenum, TB's, IAA, main and rear seals).
Clean the Engine bay/
Replace the high pressure Power Steering hose.
New engine mounts [done]

so here she is :




anyways, got to work today. pulled the balance tube, coil-pack connectors and injector connectors ready to remove the loom..


so loom off, and its basically BRAND NEW ! score.. saves me $$ and looks fantastic.


coil-packs on and then off.






so every hose removed and ready to be replaced.. plenum came off and looking forward to fixing up the rest of sloppy hoses.





engine looks brand new! happy as when the plenum came off !





so basically will get the coolant hard pipes off tomorrow and the timing belt covers to check the condition.
then will be getting the new injectors on while the rail gets a clean.
sending the plenum for chroming and then the major parts needed to get the engine running again.

once completed i will pull the N/A from the zed and drop this baby in, would rather build it outside the car then drop and go.

so add on or correct me if you have better suggestions on parts, but so far this is my list of parts for the new engine / zed. also if you know good places you would liek to recommend getting these from please let me know!!

Z1 Side Mount Intercooler Kit - or Ebay Front Mount Intercooler Kit.
Custom 3" HKS full exhaust with custom flange for easy removal past cats and twin flutes either side for track only days.
(6) sard 555 injectors.
Greddy Profec B SPEC2 Boost Controller.
koyo or ASI Aluminum TT Racing Radiator.
100k Nissan Timing belt kit.
OEM Fuel Filter- polished (have already).
7 feet of High Pressure Fuel Hose.
4 feet blue Silicone Coolant Bypass Hose.
Silicone Idle Hose Kit (AAC\IACV).
Silicone Clutch Booster Hose.
Silicone Brake Booster Hose kit.
Silicone Heater Core Hoses.
EGR Block off plates and gaskets.
Oil Filter Housing to Block O-Ring seal.
Oil Filter Housing to Block Gasket.
Front + Rear Oil Pan Gaskets.
Intake Manifold (Plenum) Gasket. (have already)
Rocker Cover Gaskets (Left + Right).
IACV Valve Gasket.
Throttle Body Gaskets.
Balance Tube O-Ring Set.
2k spec front
kamanari side skirts
OEM carbon fibre bonnet

 

.... **** me....

Rod... you've come a long way so far man... i CANT WAIT!!! for the TT swap man you are gonna love it!!

And the CF interior trim looks surprisingly great!

Well done bloke...


BTW.... reply to my PM mother ****er you're online!!

 

He's got a point Rob, reply to his god damn PM!
Must say though, incredible work mate
You're gonna have to take me for a burn when I'm in Melbourne next
(I'm in Melb in May, get your sh!t in gear!!)

 

dude... love the CF interior... looks mint

 

awesome build thread, well done! Will be keeping an eye on your TT swap.

 

I like your dedication.

 

Good write up , I have hardly read a single word as the multitude of pics does the talking

 

is there any harm in upgrading fuel system while running relatively low boost ie.12psi on stock turbos though? I understand its an uneccasary expense, but it cant hurt, right?
maybe because you might be planning future upgrades, and thats just one thing you wont need later?

reason for my question is because Im getting detonation at lower boost and an fuel upgrade is something im considering in the future.

cheers, jordan.

PS awesome zed, mr zed x heaps of effort, and it looks like your reaping the rewards :thumbup:

 

Stock injectors max out at approx 15psi boost...

Stock turb's capable of 18psi semi-safely... I've heard up to 25psi!

Well not exactly optimal but hey! They can get there!

 

thanks so much rob, greatly appreciated.

i was upgrading injectors as when the engine is complete (and i get used to the power) i will eventually upgrade the turbos !

these nismo series 1, is there a link for them?
im keen on getting them..

again thanks everyone.. will update later tonight, little more project progression.

 

so rod whats the plan with the old engine, when ya finally get it out i would love to take some parts off your hand, ive been meaning to do a plenum pull for ages..
anyway great to see the progress.. look forward for a ride when its done

 

umm not to sure matt.
most likely will sell off the polished plenum or trade for one plus $$ my way to help fund the next installment. planning on rebuilding the N/A and making it virtually unbreakable. forged top + bottom end but may as well do this engine first haha.

PM me if you need parts and i'll see what i can put aside.

thanks again man, for sure!

haha, sorry if theres to many! may as well get them all down while i still can.

 

haha man im after you upper and lower plenum . for when i eventually attempt to pull mine.. i know i will break something:bash:
dont save anyhting mate if you get good offers take them, you know how money is when ur a poor student, now you have it now ya dont.

 

Jeez man looking good, that carbon fibre trim looks great!

Looking forward to the rest of the build


As for myself, now im off my P's im in the same boat of goin TT...well sort of, im not sure if I want to or not yet, so keep us all posted and let me know how it goes :Zlove:

-Mikey

 

There were some pics linked for your new turbos, PS 2000 etc. What happened to the link? What turbos you are putting on?

 

ahh no worries matt.
when it come time to sell, i'll give youu first dibs !
but true, hate being a student, no time for the zed anymore..

cheers mikey !
i wish i was off my P's. another 8 or so months, but i have the daily, so this wont be a quick drop as much as i would love it to be.

there were?
atm kibir, im still undecided as to turbos. this will be my first turbo car. while i used to drive a wrx etc, a TT zed isnt really comparable.

not sure if all the added work / power is really worth it?
then, some gt28's on the side would be nice. if i could find a set..

stupid question, but how much work would be involved in removing and installing new turbos?

 

Sorry I mixed up your thread with another one. It was clivex's thread I was looking for.

A whole day job if everything bolts without any drama if the engine is on the stand.