Yes, a number of folks know and I'm shite at keeping schtum about work being done to my Z.

 

In an ever increasing quest to have the cleanest Z I could possibly create, I have become more and more fussy with how things look resulting in me going back to a more original look. So over the past few months I have been buying up more and more original new OEM parts; dispensing with my 2-din Z Thirty Two fascia and replacing it with a brand new OEM one were the first steps, a rare DIN cubby with door from Richard Smith, all new centre console plastics, re-foaming the seats, all sorts of other things and many brand new exterior pieces.

 

Spurred on from JP's awesome example and Andrew's take on OEM+ and idealistic car plus deep knowledge, my Z is going back to the paint shop next week for some major surgery. I've been let down time and time again by poor quality workmanship from the various bodyshops I've used (which has been both stressful and upsetting) and this time around, I've decided to go all-out, get more new stuff and have the car stripped of what's already on there and repainted properly.

 

Not content with trying to find somewhere locally to me and getting let down as previously described, I've elected to use Kraftworks near Chelmsford who are some 3 and a half hours from me and a trailer is being sent next Friday to pick it up!! Some folks may have heard of these guys as they are the very same paint shop that did Joel's car who many have seen and love (myself included).

 

I was lucky to get hold of a brand new OEM 89-93 spoiler (still boxed), so that's going on....and because I thought it would be great idea to de-wiper and de-aerial my car whilst being in a terrible mental state following a nasty relationship breakdown, I made some silly mistakes and welded up stuff that I really shouldn't have, I have decided to go back to how the car once looked (my Z originally came over from Japan with no spoiler, so it's never had this fitted in my ownership) and despite liking the 99-spec, I think the original looks a lot better, at least on light coloured cars like white and silver and more befitting of the car's age (it's a 1991) and the rest of the body. Gary (GSC60) very kindly gave me a non-welded tailgate with no rust on it (VERY hard to find these days). I have a brand new wiper arm, seal and all the gubbins to go back in it. The aerial hole is being re-instated and that's going back in.

 

I argued with myself on what spoiler to go with for a while; having made up my mind on the TwinZ Type 1 as I love the style and have never seen a decent quality copy of the original, I went with what I thought was my only and best option, that was until a brand new original one was found, still boxed! AndrewG and myself, I think, took the last two available from Nissan, they've been NLS for about a decade in the US and I had thought they weren't available here either (Thanks for your help Ash). The quality of original spoilers is fabulous, they're very tactile and fit like a glove, something cheap fibgrelgass replicas just don't do, there's also a way of protecting them against spoiler-rot found in older cars (thanks to AndrewG for that one).

 

I'm very excited. The rest of the car will look almost the same....except for one thing...the paint!! I'm totally done with pearl white paints. They can look nice, but almost all of them look cream/beige in off-light situations and that has started to bug me. The rear quarter of my car is a very slightly different shade on my passenger side for reasons unknown and the previous paint shop just couldn't rectify it; some keen beans may have noticed that when they've seen the car in person! Trying to rectify damage or repaint areas with pearls is an utter nightmare as you end up chasing the paint round the car in an effort to blend.......soooooo......the new colour is going to be a metallic white which is a paint I'd not really known about but had wondered whether one existed. It turns out quite a few do and I've had the colour chips through today of those that I'm interested in comparing. The beauty of these new metallic whites is that they lay like a traditional metallic so you don't have that pearl mid-coat that is the thorn in my side. Metallic whites don't look beige or off-beige/cream out of direct sunlight, yet they still sparkle in the sun like a pearl coat, some more than others. It's almost like a modern take on QN0 which is a pearl white used on 94+ Z32s, but with half the maintenance and a better look.

 

Although mine's in good condition, a new t-top bar is going in and rear screen top trim and other new things are going on. I have boxes and boxes of new Nissan parts.

 

The colour - Jaguar's glacier white metallic as Nissan don't do anything similar. I looked at a VAG metallic white also, but this didn't have much metallic in. So the Jaguar colour has been chosen as of today! It's a stunning colour and really quite subtle. Range Rover also use this same colour code (2201/NAK) under the 'Yulong White' moniker. I thought about a straight-white, but I owe it to the car's origins to keep a special finish on it.

 

Here are a few images of the colour in various lights.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 3, 20178 yr by Funkysi

Don't they swell up and crack the paint in the winter?

Don't they swell up and crack the paint in the winter?

 

They do, but it has nothing to do with being winter - there's is a design flaw that can be rectified.

 

The issue with the original spoiler is over time moisture finds its way through the the recesses where the clips are sited, this then corrodes the steel support bar and it all blisteres through and retains all the moisture.

 

When the spoilers were fitted from the factory they were also not sealed correctly when fitted to the body. The 'fix' for brand new spoilers is to weatherproof the recesses under the spoiler and correctly seal the leading edge of the spoiler to the boot. Nissan simply applied a body tape.

 

So when you see spoilers that have rotted in the corners it's because water has found its way into the clip recesses and when you see them rotted along the leading edge it's because water has bypassed the useless body tape applied from the factory.

 

Lastly, I don't drive my car in the rain or leave it out in the damp.

 

AndrewG could probably explain it a little better.

Edited March 5, 20178 yr by Funkysi

I like what your saying and make's sense but I'm going to stick with my fibreglass one :yes:

You wouldn't be able to get a brand new original replacement anyway. ;)

So you're going standard, standard, standard, except the paint .... What's the odds that in a year or so time we'll be reading about you getting a respray with original Nissan paint ? :)

So you're going standard, standard, standard, except the paint .... What's the odds that in a year or so time we'll be reading about you getting a respray with original Nissan paint ? :)

 

Not standard. Interior is series 2 (US rear quarter panels), wheels are BBS LM, brakes and Brembo R33GTR disks and calipers all round, Meister R suspension, UK blue glass, back roof bars, Nismo suspension bushings all round, Veilside exhaust system, Z1 intercoolers......it'll never be standard, but visually, I want to go back to a bodystyle that was more inkeeping with the original manufacture year.....AND have genuine stuff on it, not replica products etc. I love the fit, finish and feel of original equipment.

 

It'll be having a number of performance upgrades towards the end of the year too.

 

:)

 

NEVER going back to the original colour. :)

What are you doing to the engine mate ?

What are you doing to the engine mate ?

 

RPS Max Street Clutch and lightened flywheel to start with!

 

Enginewise - JWT S1 mild cams, Selin Translator, 740cc injectors and adapators + pre-written SpecialityZ chip to suit. Eventually Nistune ECU then to Protuner for a day. I won't be chasing numbers, it'll be purely about power delivery and response, but 17PSi should see about 450bhp of reliable responsive power.

 

The injectors might seem like overkill however Greg Dupree recommends them and supports maps for this setup. Just because they can flow at that rate doesn't mean they have to, they are modern pintleless injectors so there's a bit of futureproofing also. With the Speciality Z kit, I can just fit it all and run it. He has a number of different maps suited for various different options. It'll get me running at least until the Nistune goes in and it goes for rr mapping.

RPS Max Street Clutch and lightened flywheel to start with!

 

Enginewise - JWT S1 mild cams, Selin Translator, 740cc injectors and adapators + pre-written SpecialityZ chip to suit. Eventually Nistune ECU then to Protuner for a day. I won't be chasing numbers, it'll be purely about power delivery and response, but 17PSi should see about 450bhp of reliable responsive power.

 

The injectors might seem like overkill however Greg Dupree recommends them and supports maps for this setup. Just because they can flow at that rate doesn't mean they have to, they are modern pintleless injectors so there's a bit of futureproofing also. With the Speciality Z kit, I can just fit it all and run it. He has a number of different maps suited for various different options. It'll get me running at least until the Nistune goes in and it goes for rr mapping.

 

450bhp on stock turbos at 17psi?

450bhp on stock turbos at 17psi?

 

Yeah, they'll be fine. That's the max I could expect. Realistically, 420/430. Plenty in the US have exceeded that and some over here have. The stock turbos limitations are about that. 17.5PSi is pretty much their max, however they are a responsive turbo and there's nothing wrong with mine at the moment. Bearing in mind that it isn't just wacking the boost up to 17PSi, there's a map/Nistune involved, cams, a Selin translator, injectors etc etc. Steve300zx managed 400bhp on stock injectors and stock turbos and I think he was only running 14/15PSi. It's all doable....and if it isn't, there's a planned turbo swap and other bits in the pipeline. I'm just keen to push the envelope on a very healthy engine and turbos.

 

At the end of the day, as long as response is there and drivability is there, I am not too fussed what figure I achieve.

Edited March 5, 20178 yr by Funkysi

I think you want to be throwing some 2.5" intercooler piping and intercoolers at it as well for 450. Stock tubs certainly have their merit but they have to breath or they heat soak easy and become useless. Most of the guys making big power on stock turbos have full breather mods a custom map and are running E85.

I'm running a stock long block, with turbo back exhaust with a generic chip and 16psi. There is fuel head room left but it was getting too hot when we dialling the boost in. Anyway it put down 308rwhp iirc, about 370bhp. I think you'd make about 400 on that set up, getting that extra 50bhp will require the custom map and the breather mods.

If you want I can hook you up with the dyno I used to check my AFRs, he doesn't do remapping but will do a power run taking AFR for pretty cheap. Not too far from you either, Salisbury way.

I think you want to be throwing some 2.5" intercooler piping and intercoolers at it as well for 450. Stock tubs certainly have their merit but they have to breath or they heat soak easy and become useless. Most of the guys making big power on stock turbos have full breather mods a custom map and are running E85.

I'm running a stock long block, with turbo back exhaust with a generic chip and 16psi. There is fuel head room left but it was getting too hot when we dialling the boost in. Anyway it put down 308rwhp iirc, about 370bhp. I think you'd make about 400 on that set up, getting that extra 50bhp will require the custom map and the breather mods.

If you want I can hook you up with the dyno I used to check my AFRs, he doesn't do remapping but will do a power run taking AFR for pretty cheap. Not too far from you either, Salisbury way.

 

I guess you didn't read that I'll be going for a NISTUNE and full map. ;)

 

Potentially breather mods, I haven't ruled it out, it's more a suck-it-and-see thing.

 

I'm probably going to take it to Protune, the guy who did Howard's car - but thanks anyway, if anything changes, I'll let you know.

You did say eventually...I've heard good things about Protune too. The guy I used isn't a tuner he just has a RR, I was just suggesting it as a way to check the AFRs on the Chip you using to kick off, they can vary as you know (although speciality zed ones are good and I'm looking to get one myself) and as far as I know you don't have a wideband.

 

Rather than Nistune have you thought about going with a full standalone Ecu? Considering how much money is wrapped up in your car already a stand alone would offer greater safety features, some offer Traction control, Lambda feed back etc. Not something I can justify myself but a high end car such as yours may be worth the expense.

Potentially breather mods, I haven't ruled it out, it's more a suck-it-and-see thing.

 

Rather blow-it-and-see thing I would have thought!

 

Here is some grist for the mill:

 

http://www.twinturbo.net/nissan/300zx/forums/general/view/2615575/Yup-and-Ive-seen-results-over-many-years-of-dyno-events.html

The only tip I could give you si is....stay standard on power,there's no way I would ever chase power again,I wouldn't like to tot up how many thousands I've pi..ed away and only to attachived 430 bhp,you have such a nice car spend the money on something else;)

The only tip I could give you si is....stay standard on power,there's no way I would ever chase power again,I wouldn't like to tot up how many thousands I've pi..ed away and only to attachived 430 bhp,you have such a nice car spend the money on something else;)

 

You were doing it wrong [emoji1]

To be fair, I think Simon is on a quest for the exact same results as myself. It's not about power as such, it's more about response and improving the low down torque. In order to achieve the best results for that target, it seems the larger intake pipework, paired up with the right exhaust setup is the way forward.

I know I've posted this before but...

 

"I am here to tell you that IN MY OPINION it would be better to upgrade your intercoolers and pipes rather than upgrade your

turbos if your not going to do both." - Greg D@Speciality Z

 

http://www.twinturbo.net/nissan/300zx/forums/general/view/2415470/A-little-info-about-turbos-and-pipes-DYNO-CHARTS.html

You were doing it wrong [emoji1]

 

Yes your so right,to get anywhere near 450 bhp you need a fresh engine rebuild,your asking so much out of the engine at this kind of performance it will let go within an instance,and has to be mapped right.

Good luck si, Mucho respect.

Time for a bit of 'hidden tech' today! Not very exciting, but a great deal of satisfaction in doing this. :)

 

Because I don't want the interior of my car to look like the ICE department at a branch of Halfords, I am always very conscious of how I install things and what I install. I've just gone back to single DIN and have bought myself a rather nice Alpine head unit. The new headunut has bluetooth connectivity and USB interface....we'll come to the USB side of things in weeks to come.

 

Because it has Bluetooth, it also has the facility to pair phones and make hands-free calls. The thing that was bugging me however was where the hell do I put the microphone!? I didn't want it clipped or glued to an A-pillar trim or hanging down from somewhere. I've been hunting for a while for the right solution which I have now just modified, only slightly, but it might give others the idea also.

 

So, I bought this, it's the microphone from a new Mercedes A-Class.

 

 

Obviously this wasn't going to fit anywhere in its current state, however the grille is small enough for it to be mounted on the roof light panel. There is some unused real-estate between the ridge behind the map lights and the mount point underneath where the little climate control fan is. I'll cut a hole into this and clip it in eventually!

 

 

Well, I had a good look at what Alpine sent me (the microphpone) and the Mercedes one and I 'could' have un-soldered the wires, however there may have been different resistors and impedance values, so I thought maybe I should try and modify the whole lot.

 

Fortunately, the Mercedes microphone was in a small plastic enclosure that snap fits into the microphone grille. You can see here the big bulk of the Alpine microphone above it.

 

 

Time for some butchery!

 

 

With all the over-molding and end cap now removed, we're left with really quite a small little component.

 

 

Time to take the Mercedes microphone apart to see what we're left with. Handily, none of it was bonded it, so it all pulled apart nicely. You're left with a rubber grommet, a small enclosure and the little circuit-board with the microphone on it.

 

 

With that all in bits, it was clear to see that the microphone was a perfect fit into the enclosure!

 

 

 

Modified the grommet to fit, also, on the Alpine lead, there was a little metal collar under the over-molding which I could now use as strain-relief.

 

 

Grommet back on!

 

Edited March 9, 20178 yr by Funkysi

Unit reassembled. You'd never know! :)

 

Very nice Si, I wouldn't expect anything less!

Actually, scrap that, I think I'm just going to put it straight into the headlining behind the light. It will be closer to the driver's seat then! OEM+ :)

 

OEM+..............Modified! Next you'll be putting stickers on her.

 

Hide it you OEM nut!