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The Works: John’s 300zx Twin Turbo

Filed under: Featured Cars and Projects,Maintenance,Performance
by Alvin G @ 4:45 pm on August 23, 2014

ZCG 3314 Cam2 003
 

John P is a new Z car owner and found this Z32TT in the Pacific NW.  When we first met John his Z had 110k miles on the clock and he decided it was time to modify…so we gave him the works! Before the go-fast goodies were installed we addressed all of the car’s issues John discussed with us and ended up with a beautifully clean, well-rounded 300zx.  Our first order of business was in engine bay, correcting the PCV system which had been bypassed/cobbled together:

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Next, we found an injector problem and performed the common late-style conversion. The 1990-1994 Z32TT’s have fuel injector problems because Nissan used a wet coil design. This left the injector coil wire prone to oxidation over time and eventual shorting. The solution? Convert to later style injectors using the early fuel rail. There are several adaptor kits on the market to achieve this, making servicing/removal a breeze without the need for removing the manifolds. For John’s Z we wanted to run 740cc injectors which is only available in the new style:

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More engine work including full timing belt services along with valve cover removal/refinishing:

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Driveline was upgraded with a JWT HD clutch and flywheel. Keen observers may note that the exhaust has changed too!

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Larger downpipes greatly improve flow over the stock manifolds. The best downpipes for your Z32TT (in our opinion) can be found at SpecialtyZ. These are 3″ units:

ZCG #2 21514 011ZCG #2 21514 041
 

The Z was treated to a chassis steam clean, making a clean grime-free backdrop for the new exhaust system!  The downpipes were mated to 3-2.5″ midpipes:

CAM3 11314 011ZCG #2 21514 073ZCG 3314 Cam2 002
 

With wiring and general cleaning the engine bay looks much better!

CAM3 11314 007ZCG 3314 Cam2 009
 

A few chassis upgrades included SPL T/C rods and bushings as well fresh rear brakes:

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With the mechanicals sorted John added a few lighting improvements to the interior. The dim stock displays benefitted from new LED sources. Check out the difference:

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Even the climate control display is improved:

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More LED upgrades throughout the cabin:

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All of the work above was completed on John’s first visit. On the dyno the new exhaust clearly makes a noticeable improvement in power. We picked up 31hp/33tq to the wheels:

John Park Z32TT (1)
 

John visited ZCG for the second time for upgrades!  We installed more parts from our friends at SpecialtyZ  like their Selin dual MAF.  To improve breathing we also installed larger Stillen intercoolers and charge plumbing from Ash-spec:

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Finally, low-profile engine mounts from BDE offer more turbo inlet clearance:

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With larger ICs, plumbing and dual MAF’s we tuned John’s Z and it now makes 372hp/360tq to the wheels:

John P Mods to Tune (1)
 

Enjoy The Ride, John!

ZCG 3314 Cam2 004




Track Day Sept. 6-7: Sonoma Raceway with Speed SF

Filed under: Events
by Alvin G @ 11:29 pm on August 4, 2014

Screen Shot 2014-08-04 at 1.27.43 PM

Our friends at SpeedSF are running another great track day at Sonoma Raceway September 6-7. We love running our cars with these folks and they go above and beyond to make sure you get tons of track time!
Register now at SpeedSF.com!





Alex’s Supercharged 370z

Filed under: 370z,Featured Cars and Projects,Performance
by Alvin G @ 4:18 pm on August 2, 2014

ZCG 52714 409

Alex T is the owner of this pretty Black Cherry Z34 and he visited Z Car Garage on referral from our boost junkie friend and customer Juan F.  To satisfy Alex’s desire for forced induction we installed a Stillen supercharger kit that was actually used on Grant K’s Nismo 370z.

JC12014 004JC11314 066JC12014 005
 

Out of the box, this older Stillen kit left plenty of room for improvement so we invested in several upgrades like 1000cc injectors, Aeromotive high-flow fuel pump, pulley and these engine oil/automatic transmission coolers:

JC11314 015JC11314 035
 

The transmission received a GTM valve-body upgrade and stock bypass valve was replaced with a blow-off valve:

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Fast Intentions test pipes replace factory cats:

JC11314 023 - CopyJC11314 020 - CopyJC11314 025
 

To put the power down more effectively we installed a Quaife limited-slip differential, using the stock 3.36 R&P:

ZCG 51714 050ZCG 51714 080ZCG 51714 067
 

With all of the modifications and UPREV tuning Rob extracted 435hp/343tq to the wheels. This is a 147hp/104tq gain over stock:

Alex Tat Z34 Stillen and baseline
 

To monitor vitals Alex chose PLX Device’s OBD2 multi-gauge. We first installed this trick, wireless sensor/gauge package on Steve’s G35 with an iPhone interface.  For Alex’s Z34 the multi-gauge was seamlessly integrated into the OEM pod:

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We love the brilliant display and wealth of data that can be accessed:

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Enjoy the Ride Alex!

ag1

Check out more pictures in the gallery:
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