Hi All, New member, first time poster. A friend and I are doing the shitbox rally next year raising funds for the cancer council! the criteria is pretty simple, you have to do it in a shitbox & it cannot cost you more than 1,000 to buy! Well, being JDM guys (I have a R32 GTR & my team mate has a SURF) we are very stoked to have found this 300zx! its NA auto that looks like it use to be a sex spec show car back in the day. The engine is going back in on Thursday & control arm as well for rear. We will be dressing it up in some sort of theme for the rally (maybe mad max, or smokey & the bandit - not sure yet but open to suggestions!) You can find info on the event in this link: https://2019spring.shitboxrally.com.au/greg-goldy Im just going to brain fart all the questions on my mind & would love some help answering them - we have just under 12 months to prepare the car for the rally. What are mechanic watch outs we should be aware of with 300's What sort of suspension is in them? reckon we could put patrol springs in it to get some height? What parts should I source as a must have to help us complete the entire trip is the rear rounded style hatch replaceable with the older style with the wing? Attached is pic of car & also of the route it has to survive! Cheers for any advice you guys can help us out with! https://1drv.ms/u/s!AqRCkES0Dvr-hOEQTnf_zzRkOl7_Pw https://1drv.ms/u/s!AqRCkES0Dvr-hOETzbmJZZ2jxF8sGA
awesome, that should be great fun! Timing belt service & a really good cooling system service are probably a good starting point. Do a plenum pull & delete all the unnecessary water lines, etc. Have a look in the tech section, there's a wealth of info to get it up to a good starting point. All the suspension is interchangeable with your bnr32, stock fuca's are slightly different but the aftermarket midori style ones will work on both, just rotate one end. I'd carry a spare AFM & PTU (maybe upgrade to a series 2 before you go), others will chime in with a lot more suggestions I bet! Only difference to hatch's is whether it fits a 2+0 or a 2+2, the various stock wings will all fit on either as will most aftermarket ones. If fitting the series 1 flush mount wing remove the light panel that fits across the hatch (very delicate item & worth $ to sell if condition ok), the later wings bolt to the top surface of the hatch & the third brake light panel stays in place. Concept Z Performance & Z1 Motorsports in the states are awesome for parts, as is RGS Performance (Rob260 on here) for a local option. Looking forward to updates!
Your best bet to get some lift is to get a set of stock springs or king springs and get them re-wound an extra inch or so higher. Although you'll likely run in to geometry issues and need adjustable arms if you go much higher than that. I'd also strongly recommend a good auto cooler and service on the trans. That's probably the weak link. Taking a spare auto trans computer is good insurance and they're cheap (otherwise you'll be locked out of overdrive if it fails). Also look at your driveshaft uni's and centre bearing. Series 2 PTU is a must. Timing belt, drive belts & water pump are a must as well as getting rid of as many unnecessary engine bay hoses. Also replace heater core hoses or bypass altogether if you're not going to be using the heater on the trip (last thing you want is for it to dump coolant on you in the middle of nowhere). Check for power steering leaks as they can quickly kill the alternator directly underneath the pump. You'll want a splash guard too for the same reason. Also check your brake master cylinder to ensure it isn't leaking inside the booster. Delete the FPCU (fuel pump speed controller) and do a fuel pump if it's been sitting for a while. Deleting EGR, AIV's and PCV on an NA are all nice to do mods to help increase reliability. Relocating your overflow bottle from in front of the passengers wheel also isn't a bad idea. Good luck finding a standard rear wing in good condition. The factory ones were made out of rubber and most of them have warped or bubbled by now. If you really want one, an aftermarket one would be your best bet. Good luck!
