Chuck33079's Journal
 

(Decided to put all the random threads together in one place, so I can add to it as the monkey on my back forces me to keep adding stuff.)

Well, I finally found some time to sit down and write up the whole process. Some background first- I started to look at new cars late last year, and wanted to sell both my tired daily driver (2003 IS300) and the garage toy ( well modded 2004 STi) in order to downsize to just one car. This meant I needed something comfortable with a lot of gadgets since it would be my daily driver, and it needed to be faster than the Subaru in order for me to feel like I upgraded. I was looking at used 996tts, a new CTS-V, an IS-F and a few others. The GTR was out of the running, since the cost of upkeep on that car is unreal. The local Porsche dealer didn’t want my business, as even the receptionist wouldn’t speak to me when I walked in. The Lexus dealer told me they had an IS-F, but they didn’t want to go get it from the garage a few blocks away. I was really close to the CTS-V coupe, but they just wouldn’t move on the price and there is no way I was spending 73k on a GM product. A GT500 and Z06 would have offered the performance I was after, but the interiors of both were not nice places to be and I couldn’t handle the “Vette Guy” stigma. BMW/Audi/Benz were out due to reliability issues. I flirted with the idea of a Viper, but it’s just not a realistic daily driver.

A good buddy of mine has a G37s coupe, and I liked the car, but it didn’t have near enough go. I decided to run up to Baker Nissan to talk to Paul and Jason about putting a turbo kit on a G37. While I was there, I took a 370 out for a test drive, and I realized I preferred the two-seater vs the 2+2. I reached out to Sam at GTM, who was great about talking me through my options as far as forced induction on the Z. Paul and Jason at Baker made me feel confident that I could use a boosted Z as a daily driver without issue. It didn’t hurt that I’ve always had a thing for Zs, especially the 240 and 300.

It took some time to find the right car, as apparently it was fairly challenging to find a 370 Touring with nav and the sport pack in a color I wanted and a manual transmission. I actually had parts for the car showing up before I owned it, since I couldn’t pass up some of the Black Friday deals. I ended up purchasing the car from Fusz Nissan out of St. Louis. They had the car tinted and a clear bra put on, and I flew up to grab it on a Friday morning. The drive back took care of most of the break-in period. I rolled back into my garage at about 4 am Saturday morning.

Parts began to be installed immediately. First was the Blendmount and Mirrortap power cord for my Escort 9500. A GTR start button and Nismo shift knob followed. The clutch helper spring got yanked out at this time as well. The car was stock for less than 24 hours of my ownership. About a week later, I got bored and installed the Hotchkis sway bars and Z Speed under panel as well as dying the interior stitching red. EVO-R CF door handle covers were installed because the stock silver handles look like *** on any color car but silver. LED interior lights, black chrome badges and a JDM rear fog light topped off this part of the build. Once the car was broken in, it was strapped to a dyno and produced 280whp/230trq (Dynojet). Here is where a normal person would have stopped. Unfortunately, we’re not normal people, we’re car guys.

By now the big ticket items started showing up. Sam came through with his stage 1 turbo kit, oil cooler, 3” downpipes with external wastegates plumbed back in, boost and AFR gauges, and a few other goodies. All hot side piping was ceramic coated, and all of the intercooler piping was powdercoated black. The intercooler got his thermal dispersant coating as well. A CSF radiator and condenser showed up around the same time. NST provided the Spec stage 3 clutch and lightened flywheel. Along the way I picked up Eibach springs, a heavy duty CSC, stainless brake lines, a TurboXS manual boost controller, Whiteline endlinks and a crap-ton of sound deadener. Tony at F.I. sent me one of their 3” TDX systems, with cats and the mufflers ceramic coated black to cut down on the bling factor.

I enlisted a buddy of mine to haul a truckload of parts up to Baker, and the car got dropped off. This was very strange for me, since I’ve always been a DIY guy. Paul tormented me (at my request) with the occasional shot of my car in pieces, with new parts being bolted on. It was like Christmas Eve, but it lasted for almost two weeks. It was the worst case of blue balls I’ve ever had. A few weeks later, I got the call to go pick it up. I didn’t get a chance to open the car up much on the way home due to traffic, but over the next few days I began to really appreciate the changes over stock. Obviously, there’s a ton more power. It’s still a little deceptive, as the butt-dyno seems to be completely disconnected to the speedometer. Punch the throttle, and you’re going much, much faster before you even really notice. You still don’t get the push in the back of a CTS-V or GT500, but the speedo needle is climbing like you wouldn’t believe.

Throttle response is great, and the stage 1 turbos spool up quickly. Boost threshold is low, and there’s only a touch of lag (and I’m blaming that on the DBW). Sam got me exactly what I was looking for- a responsive, smooth, quick-spooling set-up without the “floor gas, nothing, nothing, nothing, oh crap- tire spin, rev limiter, shift” feeling of a big turbo car. I was willing to sacrifice a little power up top for the responsiveness. Other than the power, and turbo-related noises, there’s not a huge change from a stock vehicle in terms of driveability. Credit on that has to go 50% to Sam for designing a great kit, and 50% to Jason for doing a terrific anal-retentive job putting it on. The 3” TDX exhaust sounds fantastic. It’s deep and menacing, but not overly loud or droning. It’s perfect- it’s only loud when you want it to be.

It took some getting used to the new clutch. It’s got the narrowest of engagement windows, and the light flywheel makes things trickier. It probably took me 500 miles before I stopped looking like a rookie, and I’ve been driving only manual transmission cars for 15+ years. Down the line, that adjustable pedal assembly will probably find its way into my car. For now, it’s almost an anti-theft device. Jason installed the springs while he had the car apart, and I’m perfectly content with both the drop and the ride quality. I’m sure I’ll eventually do something completely different for the suspension, but it’s fine for now since 90% of my driving is commuting around town.

I still have no idea how much power the car makes over stock, since I have no real desire to put the car on a dyno in August in Houston. It’s just too damn hot, even early in the morning. I’ll get the final numbers once it’s cooled off in a month or two. I’m just blown away by how much of a different car this is with the turbos installed. I’ve still got to put on the end links and brake lines, and I’m sure I’ll pick up camber arms for the front and rear soon. Eventually, I’ll get around to re-doing the audio in the car, but the Bose is just good enough for now and I have yet to install the sound deadening. Once I fry the rear tires, a set of 265f/295r Michelin PSS will be put on.

A few things that may help you if you decide to go this route:
Do your homework. Understand what you’re buying.
Buy the good parts. It’s cheaper to do it right the first time.
Add 15% to your budget for parts that you decide to put on “while you’re in there”.
Have enough money set aside for a motor. Things can happen. This is an expensive hobby.
It will take longer than you expect it to.
It will cost more than you expect it to.
Ask the people installing your kit what they recommend. Don’t just buy parts based on internet hearsay.
Call people. Don’t pm them, don’t email them or Facebook message them. Pick up the phone, call them and ask your question. You'll get an immediate answer.
Don’t be a guinea pig. Make sure the people you choose to work with have a proven track record with the platform. Pay more if you have too. It’s cheaper long term.

Special thanks to:
Paul and Jason at Baker Tuning
Sam at GTM
Tony at Fast Intentions
Z1, NST, Courtesy Nissan, The Z Store, Z Speed and Concept Z

P.S. Some constructive criticism for the vendors involved with this project- Very few of you saw fit to send me a sticker with my purchase. I’m a little disappointed. I’ve come to expect two whenever I buy a part- one from the part manufacturer, one from the vendor. They’re not for my car, they’re for someplace far more important- the beer fridge in my garage. There’s a large blank spot where your logo should be. NST and CSF were the only ones to include this very important component of the order. Z1 did not include a sticker, they went well above and beyond by sending a selection of large posters featuring scantily clad chicks posing on Zs. Bravo, gentlemen. Well done. For those of you not mentioned above, step it up.

P.P.S. Sam, I’ve got to commend you for hands-down the best instructions I’ve ever seen from anyone involved in aftermarket car parts. Wow. I didn’t install the kit myself, but the instructions made it seem like I could.

Got a screaming deal on a lightly damaged cf Top Secret lip. Had it installed today. It looks great, but now I need to address the sides. I'm not a huge fan of the Top Secret sides. What others would work? I'm kinda torn between the Ings and the Seibon S-tune replica. If I went with the Seibon, I'd paint the vertical surfaces to match the body and leave the horizontal parts cf. Any other ideas?

(Space reserved for dyno results when I get off my lazy *** and get it done)

Current mods:
GTM Stage 1 TT Kit
GTM 34 row oil cooler
GTM 3" downpipes w/ external wastegates plumbed back in
CSF Radiator and condenser
TurboXS manual boost controller
Defi boost gauge
Innovate AFR gauge
Specialty Z 6 puck clutch and flywheel
Specialty Z Tilton CSC
Fast Intentions 3" TDX
Eibach springs
Hotchkis sway bars
Whiteline rear endlinks (Broke, back to stock for now)
SPC front and rear camber arms
SPC toe bolts
Black Chrome badges
Clear bra/ tint
Nismo leather shift knob
Zspeed under panel
Z1 hood struts
Courtesy Nissan dress up bolt kit
Some random brand red oil cap
Nismo radiator cap
GTR start button
Top Secret CF lip
Evo-R CF door handle covers
Stitching dyed red
*** load of sound deadening
Blendmount/Mirrortap for Passport 9500
Simota's fuel gauge overlay
Fumoto oil drain valve
JDM rear fog light
LED interior lights
LED trunk light
LED reverse lights
LED license plate lights
Stealth rear turn signal bulbs
6K HID bulbs
LED parking lights
Ztoyz aluminum ps and overflow caps
Alcantara knee pads
Painted headlights
Di-Noc covered airbag warnings
Z1 front PVC hoses
Z1 overflow hoses
Baer's sweet custom A pillar gauge pod
Painted Nismo wheels
Side markers painted to match wheels
Paint engine cover red
Z1 radiator hoses
2008 G37 OEM thermostat
Spal fan for oil cooler (Temperature activated)
Scangauge/Blendmount
CJM fuel pressure gauge
ARC cool fins


Coming soon (need to stop being lazy and install):
RJM adjustable clutch pedal
Z1 SS brake lines
Z1 heater hoses
Z1 brake booster hose
CJM oil pan
ATI damper
RJM HD clutch master cylinder

Great stuff. Your Z looks sick!

Busy you have been :) I did the same thing you did with the thread haha. I always look back to see what my thoughts and opinions were when I first did something.

Yeah, this project's starting to snowball. Oh well. Most of the major stuff's done now. There's a lot of little things to work on, but most of the mod budget is getting diverted to getting the track car ready to go. I only need one money pit at a time.

:tup:
I remember stopping by as your car was being torn down, I am in the same boat working on track or maintenance stuff at this point. My brakes are being redone currently and in a month probably my clutch finally with new flywheel & CSC.

Going to keep the Z as a daily driver. Gutting and caging the IS300 for track use. That way if I wad it up out there or the motor lets go I can still get to work on Monday. I figure I'll learn more tracking a slow car anyway.

Nice, my fiancee has a 350z which I get once we get her a new car in a year. So I can daily a Z and track a Z. :driving:
And her Z is the leather, heated seats, etc so works out nicely for a good DD.

I'm jealous. My girlfriend drives a Kia.

Maybe, she wants a Porsche diesel SUV next and with Porsche everything is an option and she wants them. :ugh2:

Ouch. Look at it this way- you'll now have an awesome tow vehicle for the track car.

That is very true, and she will be happy. So a win-win.

Plus, you better not hear one word about spending money on the Z if you just forked out Porsche money. I figure you've got a few years of nag-free car modding.

Well I am almost done with my Z, so I might need a new project to work on. :tup:

Well, with the holiday Monday it looks like I'll actually get a chance to install some of the parts gathering dust in the garage. If all goes well I'll get the bulbs and clutch pedal installed. Hopefully the weather's nice since it badly needs to be washed.

I would love to hear the car and how the 3" tdx sounds with the tt's. Idle, revs, full throttle. etc

Any chance of some vids?

I'll get a few videos whenever I get the car on the dyno. No idea when that may be, since all of my time is being taken up getting the track car ready.

Decided to spend some more money on parts I don't have the time to install. Picked up a bunch of Z1 hoses and an A pillar gauge pod. Maybe I'll get a chance to put some of this stuff on this weekend. I'll settle for enough time and good weather to wash it.

To my great surprise, I actually had a chance to work on the Z this weekend. I put in red silicone radiator overflow and PCV hoses. At this rate, I'll be done with the car sometime shortly before the sun burns out.

pics or ban!

I always forget to take pics when I'm messing around with the car. It's probably whiskey related.

easy method I use is posting everything to instagram. Then using Webstagram - the best Instagram viewer to copy image url links and pasting them here.

I still have to remember to actually take pictures. That's usually where I fail.

Attachment 68526
Holy crap, I actually remembered to take a picture.

Finally got around to painting the headlights. It looks so much better without all of the silver. Big thanks to VDC Off for all the help. Also threw in LED parking lights and 6k HID bulbs.

Attachment 69333Attachment 69334Attachment 69335

A few more crappy iPhone pics. I'll get some better ones after I get off my lazy *** and wash the car.

Ordered a few Evo-R CF goodies for the interior today from the Z Store. Got a call an hour later saying they hope to have their shipment (that was supposed to be there 5/31) in a few days. This is the second time I've gotted burned by Evo-R. I'll give it a few days before cancelling this time. Sweet merciful christ, dude. The key to selling parts is having freaking parts to sell. I'm not mad at the Z Store at all. They can't distribute parts when the manufacturer can't get them out the door.

Dude the headlights turned out sick!!! Makes me want to do mine.....Looking real good buddy!!

Thanks. They actually look better in person. The housing's satin black, and the shrouds are gloss black. It came out really well. The orange reflectors were tinted with nightshades so there's still a little orange in direct light.

good job on the headlights ... I am still trying to build up the stones to do mine. :tup:

I had to recruit somebody from the forums here. I had done it before on other cars, but I needed help with these. It's unnerving throwing the headlights in the oven knowing how much replacements cost.

If only I had that kind of money...haha

Great build man. Car looks great.

Thanks, man. It's definitely started to snowball. At least all the big ticket items are done, and it's just a matter of little bits here and there to go.

The gf came through with some nice z goodies for my bday next week. Ztoyz shift knob collar, metal overflow and ps caps and dipstick finisher all in nice shiny black, not to mention the nanoscrub pad for my pc so i never have to use another goddamn clay bar. They always seem to get you exactly what you want when you set the order up with the vendor and have them send her the invoice. Attachment 70870
Attachment 70871
Attachment 70872

Ducked out of the office today for a little alone time with cold beer and the car. So far, installed the roadster knee pads and covered the airbag warnings on the visors with some 3m fake cf.

Attachment 71097
Attachment 71098
Attachment 71099
Attachment 71100

More to come until the gf gets home and the fun stops.

Great idea on the safety stickers, been thinking of a way to cover them cleanly.

I can't claim that one. Somebody on here did it first. Looks a hell of a lot better though.

Got the Ztoyz machined aluminum ps cap on. Took a little filing of the oem one since it goes over the top.
Attachment 71102

Well, just cancelled my Z Store order for some Evo-R stuff. The 5/31 order was supposed to get in the week of 6/24. As of this morning, now it was 7/12. I'm out. If he had been able to give them so much as a tracking number, I'd continue to wait. He can't even manage that. I hope his day job is taking good care of him, since he's not doing too well with the cf goodies business.