Hi my name's Pez, I've been a forum member for a while, though have been really busy with work so not been able to post much unfortunately.

 

I bought my 'Z' off Matt (Exeter) back in '07; for those that knew it back then it was a tidy example of a '91 TT manual, relatively stock apart from a HKS Super Dragger exhaust, Apexi induction kit, KYB shocks and a 99 spec rear spoiler.

 

(I actually stumbled on an old thread of his; would have been about the time he sold it to me, he then went off and bought himself a big old American fuel gussler van)

It was decent enough but eventually I tired of the lardy arseness of a stock 'Z' and decided that it was nowhere near enough for me.

After a PAX compensation payout, I looked to import something a bit different.

After toying with the idea of importing a Skyline GTR R33 & R34, and deciding that I couldn't justify (in my wifes eyes at least) spending £34k on a car,

I kept looking, eventually I stumbled on a nice looking example of a fully re-built immaculate 1995 600bhp Wide body Mazda RX7, which after speaking to the UK based importer directly, I decided that it was the car for me.

I paid up and imported the car from Japan (and God do I wish now that I hadn't).

1995, fully rebuilt and immaculate it certainly wasn't!

After paying out in excess of £20,000+ and getting shafted by a 'now exposed con man on the DRIFTWORKS forum' I resided to the fact that I would never see my money again or the RX7 that I had paid for, so rather than mope on the issue I focused my efforts else where.

Where to go from here?

Well it just so happend that I'd kept my 'Z' with the intention of selling it on once the RX7 arrived; obviously that never happened so after a bit of pondering I ploughed all of my efforts (and money) into making my 'Z' the car that I wanted it to be all those years before.

 

 

 

This is how my 'Z' used to look on completion of Phase 2:

 

http://i1034.photobucket.com/albums/a430/azineakinadan79/220.jpg

 

 

 

**Note: I won't touch on Phase 1 'cos it was pretty nasty! not fibreglass shite but just wrong**

 

 

 

however, despite spending a substantial sum of money, I figured that the lardy arseness was still a major issue.

I made the decision that in order for the car to be realistically 'driftable' on the track the car needed to lose a considerable amount of excess weight and so began the 'diet!'

 

 

The car was stripped to a bare shell, where I proceeded to relieve it of anything and everything that served no purpose.

 

(I'll take this opportunity to highlight that fact, 'drift!', from the outset the focus of 'Phase 3' was to prepare the car for the track, if you're a 300zx pureist, you may want to steer clear of this thread)

 

Most people say that the Z32 isn't a particularly good car for competative drifting......I say that's bo**ocks! Cooling issues aside, the Z32 is a tidy cr to get side ways.

 

The drift scene is severely lacking in 'Z's to fly our flag. This will change I'm sure.

 

There are a few 'Z' drift builds on going, so I thought I'd share mine and get some feed back.

 

 

Every single aspect of the car was stripped:

 

-all carpets, trim, sound deadening was removed

-the dash, heater etc were ripped out and replaced with a custom carbon fibre/military grade aluminium mesh half dash

-All glass was removed (bar front windscreen) and is to be replaced with Lexan

-cabon fibre blanks are being made to replace the rear quarter windows

-the bonnet, boot, targa panels, front panel, overfenders, skirts, fog lights, front fenders are in the process of being switched for carbon fibre parts

-full 6 point roll cage, with side bars has just arrived from the US

-70" carbon fibre GT wing is ready to replace the old 'small' 60" wing

-carbon fibre rear diffuser has been fitted

-custom straight through decat exhaust on Labree down pipes have been fitted and a custom side exit twin exhaust is currently being manufactured

-all doors have been stripped of any excess weight

-all steering/supension has been replaced with upgraded after market parts from TEIN/STILLEN/WHITELINE/DRIFTWORKS

-18" Volk Racing CV PRO (3 piece) split rims, have been replaced with much lighter and wider 18" Volk Racing CV PRO (1 piece)

-Fuel system is currently being replaced with a 22 gallon US imported FUAL SAFE fuel cell with built in cut off & fire extinguisher system

-complete fuel system rebuild, twin 044 Bosch pumps utilising AEM EMS/fuel components, upgrading the NISMO 740's for larger injectors

-AEM electronic ignition fuel sytem

-RACE TECHNOLOGY DASH 2/DL1 (data logger) system/VIDEO 4 (on board EMS compatable video)

-full brake upgrade 12 pot (380mm) & 6 pot (356mm)

 

-Takata 6 point harnesses

-cooling is provided by AEM water/methanol injection, upgraded PACE side mounted intercoolers, Koyo rad, HEL oil cooler, carbon vented nose panel, carbon vented bonnet, carbon venturi ducts

 

-the current carbon fibre seats unfortunately aren't FIA approved so will shortly have to be replaced

 

 

 

 

 

Full engine spec will be posted tomorrow: Carrillo rods, Arias pistons, NISMO 740cc injectors (upgraing shortly to larger 1000cc injectors), twin GT675RS roller bearing turbos etc.

 

I'll get the full spec up and welcome any advise.

 

99% of the car's component have had to be imported from the US or Japan (or brought back by me from my many trips to the US) UK customs have been very good to be fair and have turned a blind eye on all occassions! bless 'em.

 

 

 

 

 

Carbon fibre/Mil.spec aluminium half dash, NISMO GT shift knob, C's JAPAN short shifter kit, the Personal 'OZ RACING' limited edition steering wheel (1 of only 500)was a Christmas present fro my wife.

 

 

 

http://i1034.photobucket.com/albums/a430/azineakinadan79/007-1.jpg

 

 

 

http://i1034.photobucket.com/albums/a430/azineakinadan79/018.jpg

 

 

 

http://i1034.photobucket.com/albums/a430/azineakinadan79/016.jpg

 

 

 

Loads of DRIFTWORKS goodies, TEIN TYPE FLEX coilovers (with EDFC), STILLEN anti roll bars, CZP & WHITELINE droplinks

 

 

 

http://i1034.photobucket.com/albums/a430/azineakinadan79/017.jpg

 

 

 

http://i1034.photobucket.com/albums/a430/azineakinadan79/012.jpg

 

 

 

http://i1034.photobucket.com/albums/a430/azineakinadan79/013.jpg

 

 

 

Full weld in roll cage imported from the US (primered just to stop the surface rust in the mean time)

 

 

 

http://i1034.photobucket.com/albums/a430/azineakinadan79/003.jpg

 

 

 

http://i1034.photobucket.com/albums/a430/azineakinadan79/004.jpg

 

 

 

Twin JWT pop chargers and Z1 Doolz kit, HEL 19 row oil cooler, twin Bailey BOV's (some tatty looking SAMCO hose in there at the mo that'll need replacing shortly)

 

 

 

http://i1034.photobucket.com/albums/a430/azineakinadan79/009.jpg

 

 

 

Some of the AEM parts that made it through the 'volcanic ash cloud' (hopefully more to follow over the next few days), TEIN and BLITZ parts = loads of wires = Japanese insruction manual = loads of smacking head off garage door in frustration!!!! can't wait.....

 

 

 

Z32 balancing on 2 x space saver wheels....not really.... obviously just extra safety measure if 4 tonne axle stands don't surfice.

 

Carbon fibre overfender just tacked on to cut and prepare mould for custom carbon kit.

 

Quite lucky with the Volks offset, as they are a perfect fit for stock arches, the brakes (not fitted in the pic) push them out a bit but I need to play with the geometry and possibly add spacers on the rear.

 

 

 

http://i1034.photobucket.com/albums/a430/azineakinadan79/006.jpg

 

 

 

Carbon fibe rear diffuser (I should have all of the front and rear lower arms replaced with the DRIFTWORKS parts within the week)

 

 

 

http://i1034.photobucket.com/albums/a430/azineakinadan79/037.jpg

 

 

 

I'm preparing a full build portfolio (sifting through about 800 pics) to add to the thread, I'll post some decent pics of the build over the next few days.

 

 

 

Loving the forum fellas by the way........

TAKATA 6 point harnesses

 

Edited May 27, 201015 yr by jap.slapper

My God this project excites me, you must be buzzing. Well done buddy, its makes me proud to be a zed owner, your gonna show the community what potential zeds have. I applaud you.

The oil system will be upgraded as soon as the fuel system is sorted; I'm hoping this will be within the next 3-4 weeks.

I've opted for a boot mounted dry sump system from Armstrong Race Engineering, I just need to tie down some minor compatability issues with them beforehand.

 

 

 

Im very interested in this. Whats the deal, are they going to produce a custom oil pan for the VG or do they already have one ?

 

Spotted a Nissan 3.0 V6 pan listed on there site, but there price list refers to it as being for the VQ.

 

Any ideas on cost ?

Im very interested in this. Whats the deal, are they going to produce a custom oil pan for the VG or do they already have one ?

 

Spotted a Nissan 3.0 V6 pan listed on there site, but there price list refers to it as being for the VQ.

 

Any ideas on cost ?

 

 

 

I'll admit that this is one of the very few aspects of this build that concerns me a little with regards to cost.

 

I'm not sure if any of you are aware of a recent carbon bodied Supra build by Radni Molhampour, the owner of Tevo Dekk (Norway's equivalent of Kwik Fit); Radni also owns/runs JapanTuning (http://www.japantuning.no).

 

 

 

For his 1000+ bhp (937 rwhp) track build he utilised an Armstrong Race Engineering dry oil sump system, very similar to the setup that I intend to use.

However, despite the replacement ARE sump; that came as part of the kit, being specifically designed for the Supra, it didn't fit properly and he openly admits that it would have been cheaper and easier if he had fabricated a bespoke sump from scratch.

 

I'm more inclined to commision a custom part, machined in the UK, that is guaranteed to be an exact fit.

Initially this may be an expensive route to take, though instinct tells me that it might be the more cost effective option in the long run.

 

I'd be interested to hear oppinion on this.

 

Cost is still being determined, but unfortunately I know it's not going to be easy on the wallet

Perks of the job!

 

These were kindly 'donated' the other day by a mate of mine who I work with, he didn't have a use for them so I got a result and bagged myself a pair of helmets for track days :hyper::hyper::hyper:

 

 

 

Edited May 27, 201015 yr by jap.slapper

:thumbup1:

My God this project excites me, you must be buzzing. Well done buddy, its makes me proud to be a zed owner, your gonna show the community what potential zeds have. I applaud you.

 

 

I'm glad you like it mate.

 

The thing with this particular build is that it is what it is, it's a track car first and foremost.

There are always going to be problems encountered on the way but I suppose that's all part and parcel of the whole build process.

 

There are always going to be other more powerful Z32's etc. and I know that this build will not be to everyones taste but that's neither here nor there in my eyes as ultimately, I'm not buildng the car for them!

 

There aren't going to be any bu****it spec lists on paper or cut and pasted dyno graphs as with other car forums because that's completely contradictory to its purpose (and please don't think that I mean that as a reflection of 300zx forum members because that's definately not the intention)

 

If a part works it stays, if it doesn't it goes....simples.

 

 

It would be stupid of me not to take on board advice from the numerous forum members who have a great deal of knowledge on the Z32 but at the same time I fully intend to push certain boundaries where I feel that they can be pushed.

 

We'll see how it goes

Edited May 25, 201015 yr by jap.slapper

any more of those helmets going :) :)

 

for the oil cooler, do not run it via the catch tank. Any oil in the catch tank needs to be disposed of as it will be contaminated by steam etc.

any more of those helmets going :) :)

 

for the oil cooler, do not run it via the catch tank. Any oil in the catch tank needs to be disposed of as it will be contaminated by steam etc.

 

 

 

Ref the helmets, I can ask him in the morning, but very doubtful mate.

I would offer one up if it was spare but as my boy, my two girls and my wife will be joining me on track days, I'm going to need it for them.

 

I've got this one spare, if it's any use to you :lol::lol::lol:

 

 

 

Cheers for the heads up on the catch tank, I reckon I'm gonna have to sit down and figure out new mounting points for everything :thumbup1:

I was test fitting the front carbon fibre overfenders before the battery on my drill died.........bugger!!!

 

Oh well here are a few pics anyway.........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obviously they are nowhere near complete as I still need to finish the test fit, remove them and cut/shape/refit etc. before the coat of clear laquer on both the front and rear

 

The extra width should enable a very slightly wider track at the front end.

 

Not perfect yet, but they are designed for a Supra to be fair, so don't be too critical just yet :wink:

where the hell did you find carbon overfenders for ANY car lol?

where the hell did you find carbon overfenders for ANY car lol?

 

I was chatting to a bloke on the Supra forum about something completely different and he made a random comment about carbon fibre parts and how costly they were.

 

He was gutted as he'd just shelled out a couple of grand getting his mk IV Supra sorted only to write it off a few weeks later in the wet.

 

He'd sourced these carbon overfenders; that were now no use to him, and was looking to trawl back some cash so that he could start afresh.

I'd seen them before but only in FRP.

I got wind that envy performance were selling them on their website for £900 and thought that I'd give them a crack on my Z32.

 

I offered him a rediculously low 'instant bank payment' and his mrs replied to the e-mail accepting the offer.

 

They arrived a few days later and I got to work sizing them up.

 

I've seen the FRP type blended in on Z32's before and they looked pretty decent to be fair (better in my lowly opinion than some of the gash FRP wide body kits currently available for the Z32....no offence intended as I know that overfenders are not to everyones taste)

 

so to get a full set in carbon fibre was a result; and as they serve a purpose (and I like the purposeful 'bolt on' look), they won't be blended in, simply hex bolted on enabling a wider stance all round

I really like the bolt-on look, but many dont! A great example is on the 993 GT2:

 

I really like the bolt-on look, but many dont! A great example is on the 993 GT2:

 

 

I agree mate, the bolt on look isn't to everybody's taste but the way I'm looking at it is....it's a track car (road legal yes but primarily built for track)....if I have a big off on track or get a bit too close to the opposition and damage something whilst getting sideways, it doesn't really matter because I can just beat it out, unbolt the damaged part and replace it with another one (I'll just have to knock up a mould beforehand and carry a few spares in the truck)

To be fair the majority of self funded drift cars are usually held together with plasti' ties by the end of the season.

 

Not to mention the fact that the final aggressive 'don't f**k with me' look of raw carbon on track animal, places a severe eliment of doubt in the minds of the country's wealthy flash ba***rd drivers :wink:

 

Not to mention the fact that the final aggressive 'don't f**k with me' look of raw carbon on track animal, places a severe eliment of doubt in the minds of the country's wealthy flash ba***rd drivers :wink:

 

haha, now that I like :thumbup:

These aren't completed yet but at least I've finally managed to get round to finishing the initial test fit of the drivers side front carbon fibre overfender and its a pretty good fit.

 

 

 

 

I've always planned to use hex bolts to secure the overfenders in place, but think that standard washers are a bit shite looking, therefore I went on a rummage, looking for suitable alternatives.

I now plan to use the heads (?) from the hex bolts that hold the cam covers in place

 

 

 

 

I've primered and black laquered one as a tester and think that it's both practical and also adds to the purposeful look of the overfenders

 

 

 

The hex bolt sits nicely inside the 'head'

 

The only drawback to this is that I need to source '16' heads for each front fender and probably the same for the rear

Edited May 27, 201015 yr by jap.slapper

what a beast . iam looking forward to see it finished ..

I got back from work this afternoon and found a nice big box waiting for me

 

 

 

 

Out with the carbon fibre buckets and in with a set of SPARCO's

 

 

I just need to pick up an extra set of side rails now, so that I can bolt them in place

 

 

The GREDDY oil catch can arrived yesterday so I'm just looking at options for mounting points.

As the red top race battery is going behind the passenger seat, the now empty space would appear to be an ideal place to secure the can.

As shown previously by Mark's (silverbullet) setup

 

 

Edited May 27, 201015 yr by jap.slapper

are you leaving that sound deadening in your car ?!?!

Everything that's not required mate (especially sound deadening!!!) is coming out shortly or has already been removed, I'm just having to work on it whenever I get the chance and just keep chipping away.

If I want to stand a chance of getting the car ready by the end of this summer I need to really pull my finger out :thumbup:

Agreed with the sound deadening, I removed all of mine a couple of months back. Once removed the car is about another 40kg lighter! Only thing is you'll have to apply a lick of paint as yours is exposed, its unpainted under the deadening. (obviously) :thumbup:

Agreed with the sound deadening, I removed all of mine a couple of months back. Once removed the car is about another 40kg lighter! Only thing is you'll have to apply a lick of paint as yours is exposed, its unpainted under the deadening. (obviously) :thumbup:

 

iam sorry but i weighted that tar and it is 5 kg drivers side and 5 kg pass side .. and about 4 kg under back seats and boot ..so 40 kg hardly ..

Agreed with the sound deadening, I removed all of mine a couple of months back. Once removed the car is about another 40kg lighter! Only thing is you'll have to apply a lick of paint as yours is exposed, its unpainted under the deadening. (obviously) :thumbup:

 

Yep, you can't argue with a 40kg weight loss by simply removing some pointless excess

 

(Labour have just lost 90kg if that's the case, hey Gordie'.....well, probably closer to 110kg I reckon)

 

As it'll need touching up inside anyway; once the sound deadening is removed, I'm considering going for a full matt black interior, just to be a bit different

Edited May 27, 201015 yr by jap.slapper

iam sorry but i weighted that tar and it is 5 kg drivers side and 5 kg pass side .. and about 4 kg under back seats and boot ..so 40 kg hardly ..

 

 

I've binned it now... but I had a big bag full of it that was 28kg, that was without removing from the transmission tunnel or anything further forward from the front seats. So a guess that may be slightly out, but that makes your 14kg sound wrong too. :tt2:

How much sound deadening do you need in one f***ing car Mr Nissan?

 

I'm only half way through stripping the stuff out and still have the rear wheel arches and boot floor to do yet.

 

The cardboard box of sound deadening that I've already stripped out weighs a fair few kilo's

 

Once it's all removed, I'll weigh it and see how much excess weight the 'Z' was carrying

 

 

Just going to run an idea past you guys.

 

I've had a delay with the company that are supplying the polycarb windows for the car; nothing that could be avoided simply a personal family matter on their part, that has halted business for a while.

 

anyway, I want to get the car water tight as soon as possible, before I start to install all of the electronic bits and pieces into the dash.

 

I remember seeing a track NSX that was built in Japan a few years back, that offered the driver minimal rear view through the small polycarb rear screen.

Instead the driver relied on a small rear mounted camera with a video feed running into a small LED display mounted on the dash.

 

I'm considering fabricating a carbon fibre screen (mould taken from the original rear Z32 windscreen) fitted with a custom camera housing which would house one of the 4 high resolution RACE TECHNOLOGY VIDEO 4 cameras.

 

The VIDEO 4 system allows (4) seperate camera feeds (+ audio) to be recorded on the systems removable flash card for after action analysis.

 

 

However the system also offers the added bonus of a seperate VIDEO OUT port.

 

RACE TECHNOLOGY VIDEO 4

 

 

What I am looking at as a possible option is, as previously mentioned, mounting one of the cameras into a custom carbon fibre rear screen and then will run the additional rear camera feed (via the external VIDEO OUT port) into a seperate 12v DC DVR mounted on the dash in clear view of the driver, this will then effectively become the rear view mirror, with the added bonus of recording the video feed (in addition to the VIDEO 4 recording) onto a seperate removable flash card (if required), the DVR records in FMV (25 fps) MPEG format wth the ability to extract JPEG stills direct off either the removable flash card or via USB (a seperate remote audio option also enables recording of the on board 2 way comms system from the pits to the driver etc)

 

 

DVR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The whole system runs via a RACE TECHNOLOGY DL1 (datalogger) to the AEM EMS (which also incorporates a datalogger function) so that all vehicle data; in addition to video and audio data, can be recorded (internally and on external flash card); again for after action analysis, with the added bonus of a back up recording of every piece of vehicle/video and audio data.

 

 

 

RACE TECHNOLOGY DL1

 

 

 

 

I am looking to upload the AEM EMS software onto a small OQO computer which will be running off 12v DC, enabling continuous access and control over the vehicle diagnostics.

 

 

OQO COMPUTER

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rear carbon fibre hatch

 

 

 

 

I've already confirmed that as long as the rear view is adequate, the car will still remain road legal.

 

The additinal weight saving over polycarb glass is an added bonus.

 

 

What are your views fellas? (bearing in mind that this build is primarily for track purpose)

Edited June 19, 201015 yr by jap.slapper