Fillerbunnie's GTM Stage 1 Supercharger build (Australian RHD)
 

I have a 2010 370 with about 20,000 miles on the clock. In Australia, there are stacks of V8 GM sedans making bulk power 400HP+ at the engine, and the 370 just wasn't quite cutting it at the traffic light 500 anymore :)

So after a lot of research, I see the general concensus among FI 370z owners is that the GTM kit is superior to the Stillen. I daily drive the car, so I am going for reliability over peak power. I enquired on GTM's website last week about the viability of this kit for RHD, and a bunch of other things, and to my suprise I got an international phone call from Sam @ GTM that evening on my work phone. I was impressed, and he spent a fair bit of time with me explaining my queries/worries about the kit.

I placed the order Sunday night. There is about a 3 week lead time on the kit I hear.

I'm doing the install myself, and will probably set it up with water injection as well (as I have an old Aquamist kit from my previous FI car).

Watch this space for the build/outcome! Hopefully all will go smoothly.

Go for it! :tup:

Awesome, im in for the build!

Unreal. I was worried about being the first person in Australia to try the supercharger kit.

Good luck. Look forward to the results.

PS. Can you list the issues that Sam raised in relation to RHD? Cheers.

Really they were just issues as noted here (I know it is a TT kit, not a supercharger kit, but the concerns raised by the poster weren't encouraging):
GTM Motorports Installer in Melbourne? - Engine & Drivetrain - Zclub - Australia's Largest Nissan 370Z and Nissan 350Z Forum

I was worried about parts fitment, and the viability of Uprev for AUDM vehicles. The support from GTM (as complained about) wasn't a huge concern, because of the massive volume of positive feedback on this forum.

Sam basically said that there really are no modifications required at all for the kit, and that Uprev works fine on AUDM/non-US vehicles.

From some reading, and some info about the specific case from Sam (that probably doesn't need to be repeated), my opinion is that the guy who is complaining was far more at fault than GTM - he had his kit installed by a tuning ship that then grand-standed his car as "their" turbo kit. He then goes on at length how is getting burnt by stock 370Z's (he obviously has no clue how to drive what so ever)

From a support point of view, everyone says GTM is top notch, and considering I got a call from Sam @ GTM the same day I enquired (I know it is pre-sales, where there is incentive, but even so) it was pretty impressive.


I'll keep you posted on how it goes when I get the gear :)

The fact that Sam called you speaks leaps and bounds!!! Sam and crew are super busy with a huge back log of cars to work on and orders to ship. Sam has always been willing to take a few minutes when I and others call. I have worked with Sam on the longest project on this forum. I also have 2 GTM cars. You can't go wrong with GTM. Your going to love your kit! Definitely post your install and results!

Ohh and btw get ready to spend like an hour unpacking the parts when you get your kit ;) Sam individually wraps every component (down to the shrink wrapped bolts) of your kit and gives you a packing slip with a full inventory of your kit down to the washer.

Enjoy and Congrats!!!

Hey man, can't wait to see the progress on this one! I too was concerned about being the Aussie guinea pig for the GTM sc kit!

Are you on AU Z club?

Nice...let us know on the status...i'm also pending on pulling the trigger, RHD as well - Malaysia.

I guess he's got bigger balls than us. :nutswinger:

Fillerbunnie

Where in Australia are you if I may ask?

I'm in Melbourne

I'll be back home for a visit in Jan/Feb, would love to come check it out.

Yeah not a problem!

Bloody car got 3 panels keyed by a crazy neighbour last night :(

That sucks, I've experienced it as well. No garage to keep it in?

Good luck with the install! If you have any questions, be sure to ask around. I'd be happy to help!

Kit arrived - exceptionally well packed!

Every item individually sealed and itemsed, with a full parts breakdown.. down to the individual screws and bolts!

Still waiting on the tune from Sam, haven't heard from him in a few days but hopefully that will come soon.

So I did the fuel pump last night and all went smoothly. took about 2-3 hours in total, working very slowly. I would put pics up, but they are no different/no more interesting than the installation manual.

A couple of points to make during installation (this will make more sense if you read the installation instructions:

http://www.gtmotorsports.com/Manuals...structions.pdf

- Page 13 (Picture 4): You first have to remove the 4 nuts and the metal plate (See the next step), then disconnect the connector from the top of the fuel pump assembly. This is no big deal, just a minor variation to the order.

- Page 15 (Picture 9). Fuel WILL go everywhere. Have a towel. There is no way to avoid this. I had a small rag that ended up soaked through :) The up-side for me was the top of the fuel pump assembly got a nice clean!

- Page 15 (Picture 10): When removing the fuel pump, it will snag on the float. The float sits on a bit of metal, protruding out about 15cm from the body of the fuel pump, so you need to rotate the fuel pump 90 degrees as you remove it. Think about this when you remove it, as the sensor looks quite fragile and you don't want to damage it.

- Page 18 (Picture 24): I used a flat-blade screwdriver to pry off the filter. The filter is fused to a piece of plastic, which is then pressed down to the fuel pump body housing. I put a flat-blade between the two plastic parts and levered it off easily. I think pulling on the filter isn't the best move - It seems quite sturdy (For woven fabric), but I feel I may have ripped it if I pulled it with the force I would have required to remove it.

- Page 18 (Picture 23) These instructions on removing the fuel pump don't seem 100% dead-on. The instructions say unhook/break (if required) the white plastic clips to remove the fuel pump, when in reality you can simply rotate the fuel pump counter-clockwise and it falls out of the housing (See my badly annotated diagram). These plastic clips need to be cut away in the next step anyway, however it is a lot easier to do this with the fuel pump removed, than trying to break/unhook the clips with a fuel pump in the way.
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/5116/pumps.jpg

- Page 20 (Picture that shows cutting plastic) - Cut the clips, using a sharp blade, right down to the base of the clip. If you leave clips protruding unevenly, the fuel pump will go in at an angle.

- Page 22 (Picture 50) - My harness was red and black. Green/turquoise wire is positive (red). Black is black. This is pretty self-explanatory, but thought I'd add it none the less.

- Page 24 - Possibly the most important point - my O-Ring had stretched and no longer sits in the recessed metal. I re-assembled (with difficulty, as the o-ring sits outside the recess as it is too large, making it almost impossible to put the screws back in). Now it is re-assembled, it does not seal 100% as a portion of the o-ring is outside the recess. **I HIGHLY RECOMMEND BUYING A REPLACEMENT O-RING** These can't be more than $15 from Nissan and I will be doing just that this week. I suspect I will get fuel fumes in the cabin until I replace this. If I was GTM I would probably be supplying one with the kit. Maybe if you car was very new (mine has 20,000 miles) it would not have expanded so much, but for me a replacement was mandatory.

Car fired up after about 5 seconds post-replacement, and ran perfectly (apart from the fuel smell from all the petrol I spilt when unclipping the fuel hose :)~

Pump makes a noticeable whine which you can hear idling. This is normal for Walbro pumps, and not an issue for me as I usually have some music on anyway. Just a nice reminder of the 500 horses I'll have under the hood :)

Anyway, that is all so far :) I'll start on the mechanical later this week!

I was wondering what had had happened to you. Were you charged tax or import duties for the kit?

Glad to see it all arrived safe and sound.

What o ring are you talking about?

He is talking about the blue O ring that seals the top metal plate to gas tank.

Ohhh I see, I didn't have a problem with mine.

Not a cent. Thanks Sam! :)


In regards to the o-ring, perhaps I was unlucky. Mine was quite obviously stretched, so may have just been bad luck.

Still waiting on the tune from GTM so I can start :(

You can start it and let it idle to bleed the cooling system and check for leaks the idle adjustment are the same for stock.

don't you need the supercharger tune before you start it for the first time?

Nope ,Sam told me the start up and idle are the same you just can't be revving it up.

oh cool.. the temptation to rev would be great haha!

Yeah I haven't even started the install yet as the first step was to test the OEM uprev tune to make sure it was all OK.

Sam sent me the tunes last week, but at this stage I won't be starting the install until early Jan.

OK so I started the install Friday last week.

All going pretty well, but I've hit page 51 (Power Steering line install) of the install document:
http://www.gtmotorsports.com/Manuals...structions.pdf

And it looks like I don't have the lower high pressure fitting or the stainless high pressure line in my kit.

Interestingly, further in the document (Page 77) it shows the power steering cooler lower line, with an arrow pointing "To Factory Hard Line", despite the instructions earlier in the guide (Page 38, removal of power steering lines) to discard all the factory lines.

So I'm confused - I suspect perhaps the instructions are a mix-up between an old and new version of the kit and I am supposed to be using the factory lines for this part. That, or some parts were missing from the kit. Interestingly, the high pressure fitting and braided line don't appear in the parts manifest either.

I've emailed Sam from GTM, currently awaiting a reply, but I would appreciate input from anyone else who has done this install?

All good, Mike has just replied with some info - advising me I can retain the high pressure line OEM line.

I'll give it a crack tonight.

Wow, lots of great work! Good luck on the rest of the build!

Just read this build mate, I'll keep an eye on it for sure, pitty I'm in brissy would love to see it!!

keep us updated if you require any special tools for certain jobs, would be a great help as I'm planning to do this myself towards the end of the year :) it's awesome the way you are explaining certain sections of the guide and which pictures you have had problems with and the resolutions, really helps!

good luck with the rest and enjoy!

Hey Mate,

Yeah I'm keeping a log of everything that was different between the USDM & AUDM vehicles. A few things so far, but nothing that can't be cut/ground/soldered around so far!

Intercooler is mounted now, just doing the piping & oil filter relocation and I'm done. Should be starting it up Monday.

Kit is in!!

After a couple of minor setbacks (AUDM vehicles have oil coolers, so you can't bolt the oil filter relocation plate to the block as the stock stud is too long) I started the car up last night.

All good except for a couple of issues to do with the tune - The idle is fine, but every 5-10 seconds it drops to ~400pm, almost like it will stall, then back up to normal idling. The other issue is that my AFR correction factor sits at about 80-90% when under low-moderate throttle under 3000rpm (still on my 100km run-in), when Sam says it should be 90%-110%, with 100% being ideal.

I've emailed sam, just waiting on a reply.

For the most part, the install went flawlessly. There were quite a number of minor differences between the US and Australian cars, which I will detail in an updated install guide for Australian cars. In short:

- AUDM power steering cooler is larger (still fits, I had to modify the bracket)
- AUDM cars have 2 horns, so the second horn needs to be mounted as well (can be done without too much trouble)
- AUDM cars have the pop-up bonnet system for pedestrian impacts, which UpRev does not yet support, leading to a permanent dash warning light (annoyance only - I assume the system won't function, but I don't plan on hitting any pedestrians)
- AUDM cars have 3 extra airbag/crash sensors for the pop-up hood system when you hit a pedestrian. 2 of the 3 are attached to the bumper baffles which need removing for air flow, so you will need to retrofit them to the bumper (or remove)
- AUDM cars have an additional aluminium front crash bar extension which needs to be removed to mount the intercooler (in theory I could have mounted it with the intercooler, but it was very tight and the crash bar extension is very flimsy - Almost appears to be a bumper support rather than a crash bar)
- AUDM cars ALL have water-to-oil coolers. The stock stud that goes between the filter and the block is quite long and you cannot mount the bypass plate for the oil filter relocation. I had to machine myself a new stud (I threaded the old stud fully, then cut it down with a grinder) to make it work
- AUDM cars use the stock power steering pressure line, which you have to bend slightly at the pump end to route over the belt system
- AUDM cars require the extension of the power steering pressure sensor connector (this may be all cars, but it wasn't in the instructions)

- I hate push-lok hose. It might be good, but **** it is hard to put on!!!
- I hate constant-tension clamps!!!

I have a good mechanical knowledge but all self-taught. I found the install quite simple overall, just time consuming (maybe 40 hours in total, but I moved very slowly/methodically). There were very few moments where I thought "****, what do I do now???"

I'll be posting some more details when I have the tune all sorted, but in short:

GTM's Stage 1 S/C kit, while a few years old and a few revisions on, is an incredibly well engineered product. It honestly felt like I was installing OEM equipment. The physical layout of everything (the relocation of the pumps, alternator) _just works_. Sam, Mike and the guys must have spent a LOT of time getting the kit engineered as well as it is. The brackets are all top notch, solid, and lined up like the came from the Nissan factory.

The only issue I have had is getting email replies from the guys - They are obviously VERY busy (And I can see why!) but sometimes I would wait for a week or so to get a reply. I guess I could have called, but this was never super-urgent for me, so I can't really judge overall on the response time.. I suspect if I had life-and-death issues I would have called and gotten responses right away.

I will reserve final judgement once the tune/is all sorted and I am on-boost, but I can pretty confidently say I am unbelievably happy so far with the kit, and the guys at GTM.

Top class gear guys!

Cool. Great info as well. Look forward to checking it out when I'm back home next.

A word of caution if you are intending to add headers .... as the US headers are optimised towards LHD and long-tube OR shorty headers will need to be "dressed" to clear the knuckle on the steering rack uni-joint ...

Search my posts for photo's of what is required to avoid the headers rattling away on the steering if/when you get them fitted.

Shout when you have the car running, there are a few of us Z34 track junkies in Melbourne. Consider joining us at Philip Island for the NSDOC Nationals at Easter if you are into track-days and sprints.

RB

Fillerbunnie,

We want to give you props for all the feedback you've given us since you're the first Australian customer that has even bothered to let us know how things went. This will really help out your fellow Aussies with future installs and help us deliver an even better product since we are always looking for opportunities to make our stuff the best it can possibly be. Cheers mate!

Thanks for the kind words about our kit as well. We are pleased that you like it.

I checked with Sam and he did reply to the e-mail you sent us yesterday, so we should be able to help you get up and running.

Congrats on the completed install... I've had the kit on my car for 15,000 miles and have no complaints. You'll really enjoy it. The power is great and the sound is even better!

my dipping RPM's at idle were due to a fuel pump going out..... not sure if thats your issue, just throwing it out there.

Sam sent me a new tune for the idling issue. Hasn't fixed it, I'm thinking it may be something physical so I will check it out tomorrow.

The open loop fuel maps are spot on with AFR, and closed loop are pretty good now too.

I got on the boost a bit after my 100km run in was over... Roads are wet and it's raning, but so far this thing is crazy fast. More to come when the roads dry out!

I bet you have recalibate your AFR gauge