dmhenderson's Nismo '12 GTM supercharged build thread where I freak out a lot

[dmhenderson]

Me too man. You have no idea..

Trip report so far:
-Throttle is more responsive. Zero hesitation.

-Weird "slipping" feeling in the high end of the power band is gone. What I thought was the clutch was actually the BOV flopping open which explains the sudden weird power loss.

-Exhaust note sounds a bit deeper and not very Z like although that could just be my imagination since I haven't been around it in a while.

-Seems a bit more aggressive through the mid-range of the power band (high 3rd/low 4th).

-The car chews through gas at a hilarious pace. I think I've gone 80 miles (maybe) since I filled up and the tank is almost half empty.

-As previously mentioned, valve flutter is gone! Sounds a lot more like a factory FI car than a conversion. Lots of hiss, less background noise. Highly recommend this BOV to anyone with the same kit. The turbosmart valve was noisy, unreliable and required maintenance. This Synapse Engineering BOV requires no maintenance, is quiet as hell and isn't super expensive either.

[dmhenderson]

Also, I bought a dashcam which I'm fiddling with as we speak so maybe I can get some audio/video of the new setup in action.

[mikey1600]

glad everything is working now! sucks about the trouble you were having.

any new figures to update us with if you have before and afters? I'm about ready to pull the trigger on an e85 conversion as well, running the stillen supercharger kit.

[dmhenderson]

Still waiting on the E85 tune. Will post numbers once Frank has time to do it.

[dmhenderson]

This will likely be my last update:

-E85 conversion complete. Pushing a shade under 530 whp and 400wtq. Hilariously, premium is now cheaper per-gallon than E85. I can run both but have been running corn fuel just because it's fun.

-Clutch has given up entirely and just breaks loose under load at the top of the power band in 4th. Palpable dead spots in the clutch while accelerating in 2nd especially when cold.

-Curbed wheels refinished with gloss rather than satin. They sparkle like hell but look like giant "steal me" magnets. I actually had a guy chase me down yesterday flashing his brights and honking his horn (in a VW passat) asking where the wheels came from.

-Clutch replacement happening last week of March. Southbend Stage 3 Daily kit (apparently beefier than the super street) with replacement master cylinder, CSC etc. For the record, it's f'ed up that you have to replace the CMC automatically on a clutch with less than 15k miles on it but whatever. Joys of the VQ37 platform I guess. Price tag on that clutch kit is horrendous but I'm talking with Joe over at Zspeed to work something out once he gets back from vacation on Friday.

[theDreamer]

DM, you will like the stage 3 daily kit, I got it in mid Jan when my CSC died after 85,000 miles.
I still drive my Z everyday and after a couple days it feels like normal and grabs much better.

[dmhenderson]

Stage 3 daily with quiet disc option purchased. Will be on the car by the end of March.
Joe at Zspeed cut me a really solid deal. I'm having the clutch shipped to my house while it snows so I can play with it and make racecar noises.

[theDreamer]

Originally Posted by dmhenderson

Stage 3 daily with quiet disc option purchased. Will be on the car by the end of March.
Joe at Zspeed cut me a really solid deal. I'm having the clutch shipped to my house while it snows so I can play with it and make racecar noises.

Also joining you on the e85 front, my SC seized up and replacing parts currently, going to make the switch to e85 while the car is down.

[dmhenderson]

"seized up"??? What happened? You're going to make me paranoid.

Read what we had to do carefully and save yourself a headache. The ethanol conversion was horrible and probably not worth it in the long run.

Go ahead and pick up the fuel return kit from CJM now because the setup won't work without it. Just to give you an idea, I have to fill up twice a week driving around on this stuff, it's more expensive than premium (right now) and burns 3x as fast. Oh and I should also mention my "commute" is less than a quarter mile from home. I'm sure you know most of this - just want you to be aware of what you're getting yourself into.

Also did you ever swap out your BPV?

*Edit: For FI and Ethanol you need the stage 2 return kit FYI.

[theDreamer]

Originally Posted by dmhenderson

"seized up"??? What happened? You're going to make me paranoid.

Read what we had to do carefully and save yourself a headache. The ethanol conversion was horrible and probably not worth it in the long run.

Go ahead and pick up the fuel return kit from CJM now because the setup won't work without it. Just to give you an idea, I have to fill up twice a week driving around on this stuff, it's more expensive than premium (right now) and burns 3x as fast. Oh and I should also mention my "commute" is less than a quarter mile from home. I'm sure you know most of this - just want you to be aware of what you're getting yourself into.

Also did you ever swap out your BPV?

*Edit: For FI and Ethanol you need the stage 2 return kit FYI.

Sorry, not trying to make you paranoid, the fluid in the reservoir all dumped out (still investigating) and was going down the freeway so the SC was spinning with no fluid. SC overheated and locked up, if the fluid had not leaked the kit was still going on strong.

I have spoken with Charles at CJM and we are working on the parts to use for the fuel upgrade, also trying to deal with GTM on getting key parts I need from them if that is even possible.

Woah, e85 is more than premium for you guys? It was high for a bit at the start of the year here but it has dropped down below regular fuel (I think I last saw at $1.80-$1.90). Also working on a DD as my wife & I are expecting our first child so need a car with a back seat area to haul the little one around.

I never did change the BPV, might be something I need to do also while doing all the upgrades.

[LAVA]

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[dmhenderson]

Haha hate to disappoint man, but the build is pretty much done. The clutch is the last upgrade i'm putting on the car before I part it out.

[Luciano13]

Originally Posted by dmhenderson

Haha hate to disappoint man, but the build is pretty much done. The clutch is the last upgrade i'm putting on the car before I part it out.

After all this greatness

[nomodsjk]

Part it out???

[dmhenderson]

Looking at picking up a R35 this fall after show season.
This car is a massive pain in the butt.

(I love it to pieces but still)