DJTODD's Journal - 2012 370z Nismo
 

Updates:

5/10/2015 - GTA Road Atlanta 2015!

11/20/2014 - My hideously delayed review of the FI TT Kit

5/14/2014 - GTA Road Atlanta

4/6/2014 - Got the car back!

Ok, I've screwed around long enough without a good consolidated build thread. Most of this initial post is just reserving some space for future posts.

So, I've been a long-time Z guy. My first car was an old S30. I fell in love immediately, and have owned every model Z over the years, with an s14 and a few other Nissan vehicles thrown in for good measure.

When I purchased this car, I was splitting DD duties between an 07 350 and my truck. We had an infant at the time so I have to have a crew cab truck for car seats and tow duty.

Up to that point I had been doing 2 or 3 track days a year, just playing as hobby. When I made my mind up to get the 370, I did some poking around (here mainly) and wow, what a refreshing group compared to the Charlie-Foxtrot that are the 350 forums. That, combined with the slow, but ever-growing contingent of riced out 350s was enough to push me over the edge.

I had also made my mind up about taking this car much further down the pure sports car path, as opposed to the middling track/show car that my 350 was. Low and behold, I'm driving past my local dealer a week or two later, and they had a brand-new black Nismo sitting on the lot. 4 hours and some arm twisting later it was in the driveway. I have purchased 9 cars from this particular dealer, so I ended up with a righteous deal.

I drove it home and ordered the FI CBE and HFCs that night. That was the first time I spoke to Tony, and the beginning of a long road :)

The more I've driven it, especially at the track, the more likely it is this car will turn into a pure track car. Yes, I could have probably gone with the NA route, but since day 1 I wanted to boost this car. It's the way it should have come from the factory!

Current state of the car
http://i1056.photobucket.com/albums/..._ETA%20137.jpg


The car prior to shipping to Cali
http://www.the370z.com/members/djtod...0181-small.jpg


Aaannndd after they finished with it.
659hp, 589lb-ft




And for good measure, a clip from GTA Road Atlanta.




Below is a working list of current and future state.

Current

Engine
Fast Intentions Twin Turbo Kit - Stage 4 - HTA2868s w/Alpha Covers
Fast Intentions 3" Downpipes
Fast Intentions 3" Exhaust
Fast Intention FAST-785 Fuel System
Bosche 1000cc injectors
Mishimoto Radiator/Condenser CSF Triple-Pass Radiator
Fast Intentions 34-Row Oil Cooler

Electronics
Uprev Tuned by Seb@SZ
Turbosmart eBoost2
Racelogic Traction Control

Drivetrain
Southbend Aluminum Flywheel
Southbend Stage 3 Clutch
ZSpeed HD CSC
OS Giken LSD
Z1 Urethan Transmission Mount
Whiteline LSD Bushings
RJM AFP Clutch

Suspension
Stance SS+ Stance ProComp Coilovers
SPL Front Upper Control Arms
SPL Front Lower Bushings
Whiteline Front Bar/OEM Rear
SPL Front/Rear Endlinks
SPL Rear Camber Arm
SPL Rear Toe Arm
SPL Rear Traction Arm
SPL Lockout kits.
SPL Rear bushings

Safety
Robispec Harness Bar (Black)
Sparco EVO2
Sparco 6-point harnesses (red)
Hans Sport Series II

Wheel/Tire
Street:
TE37s 19x9.5+22, 19x10.5+12
Hankook RS3 275/35/19, 305/30/19

Track:
Enkei NT03 18x10.5 Square
Hankook Ventus TD 295/30/18 square

Brakes
Stoptech Trophy BBK - 380mm slotted
Stoptech Stainless Lines
Carbotech Pads - XP12 F&R
Nismo Replica Brake Ducts

Aero/Exterior
Aeromotion R.Static Wing
DJTodd Garage Fab Splitter/Undertray (Track only)
DJTodd Garage Fab Diffuser
DJTodd Garage Fab Vented Hood
Blacked out emblems
Tint by Palmetto Pro Tint
Clear-bra on Front Fascia, Hood, Headlights, Fenders, Mirrors, A-Pillars

Near-term
Cage - Should be going in for full cage soon.
OEM triple gauge replacement - Could really use some input here on brands. Leaning towards Defi atm.

Longer-Term
Adding lightness
More aero

More to come here as I remember, and have the time to fill in details

Reserved

sweet ride, man.

:yum::yum: @ 659hp

Love it.

Gauges, Defi are great quality.

Yep. I'm strongly leaning that way atm. They look like the nicest fit in the oem triple cluster too

I like that they have a metal casing, and are reliable. Other cheaper options have plastic casings, and well, tend to have a higher failure rate. Not worth the money saving if you ask me.

Sick looking car :yum:

Subcribed! :tup:

Subd!!

All black, done right!

Looks great, Sub'd

So, got the car back from F.I. Friday evening.
Spent an hour or two out screwing around, and was totally and completely blown away.
First impressions were as expected. The fit and finish is fantastic. I took a few minutes doing a walk-around/inspection, changed out of the valet-map, double-checked the boost group, let the oil come up to temp, then I went for a drive.

...My first text to Tony was filled with expletives.

I started with the "around town" map, which is about 9 psi/590hp with conservative timing. It is a total mind-f@#k.
The power is relentless, but the most amazing part is the delivery. Specifically, the boost threshold and boost response. Needless to say, I am VERY happy on my decision to wait and go with F.I.

Anytime...anywhere...you have boost. Cruising along in 6th at 2800...tip in, and it instantly makes boost.
I did one pull up to the top of 5th along a deserted stretch and, well...its gets there DAMNED fast now. Stupid fast.
I'm totally going to have to re-learn this car at the track.

Oh, almost forgot. Those HTA wheels and the alpha housings sound WICKED! Major grin factor!

The next day I had a bunch of daddy duties in the morning, and a car show in the afternoon, so it was back home for a quick wash.

Saturday was my buddies car show.
All my local gear-head friends knew the car would be back, so it drew a lot of attention. People couldn't believe the numbers it made on a stock motor, and the attention to detail was oogled over all day. I had Tony put a crinkle-coat black finish on the intake pipes and they came out REALLY well.

http://www.the370z.com/members/djtod...rsary-show.jpg

Saturday evening was dinner with the wife so I got to scare the **** out of her...check!
I also played with the high-end map+boost group Saturday evening. Want to blow the tires off ANYWHERE in third?...check!

Today was spent recharging the ac (i evacuated it prior to shipping to CA, so I told them not bother recharging it), draining the coolant, replacing with distilled H20 + water-wetter, and doing a few other maintenance items.
I'm scheduled to be on the track Wednesday, so I don't want to be "that guy" dumping antifreeze all over the place.
I also need to get corner-balanced again...hopefully Monday.

That will also be first shakedown session.
My main goals are to see how the cooling systems copes, and what changes I need to make to the damping & LSD. Initial breakaway and total lock is probably off for the power I'm now putting down, but we'll see.
It's also not supposed to be very hot, but I have no data at the moment so I have to get as many shakedown sessions as possible.

Next major punchlist items are:
- Get the oem seats back out and replaced with the EVO2's,
- Work on front splitter
- Work out ducting for brakes. I had to wait for the TT install, so I can figure out how to best route around the filters and intercooler piping.
- Maaaayyyybeee tinker around with rear diffuser ideas. I have some aluminum handy, and no one seems to have anything resembling functional, so it's something I want to work on.

All in all, very excited! Hopefully I have time to get any setup bugs worked out over the next few weeks. I have plenty of track time booked, so that's the goal.

May 9th - GTA @ Road Atlanta. Be there!

Sub'd

That first pic is mind blowing !

omg.. sick ride! i cant get my eyes off the first pic for some reason lol