As with most projects and rebuilds, they all start in the same place, mine was no different. However, this isn’t truely the start of my forever ongoing Z project. I’ve owned this car (my second Z) since 2008 when I purchased it from a former member. For the first 5 or 6 years I did the usual mods with suspension parts and basic bolt ons. For reasons unknown, whilst running stock boost, piston 5 cracked a ring land during a track day at Castle Coombe. A forged build and a remap later all was well until a sunny October’s day 2013 at Bruntingthorpe killed that engine with what at the time was a suspected head gasket failure at 181mph..... And this is where I shall start my journal.

 

The Z was stored off the road from Oct 2013 until March 2015. I’d had a major knee operation at the beginning of 2015 which meant I was going to be off work for 6 months. I’d saved up enough to start thinking about a parts list to rebuild her and frankly, after a couple of months of staring at the same 4 walls, I was going stir crazy! I employed the help of a good friend and decided to pull the engine and see what was what.... just a head gasket my arse!

 

March 2015

Problem 1: It turns out stainless steel, exhaust wraps and condensation don’t mix well

 

Before I’d even got the engine out, a new set of downpipes was added to this list. These AMS items were only 2 years old, so I was far from impressed! I contacted the retailer and after a bit of tooing and froing I secured myself a set of replacements for free... how long they will last, only time will tell!

Just now, craig said:

Sounds like a road trip needs planning or a driving weekend ?

I’ve got a trip up to Snowdon at the end of Sept planned with my two closest mates in their cars (Gen 1 Legacy turbo and a 944) which I’m really looking forward to.

 

ive still got a steering issue that I’ve got to figure out. I think im probably going to strip rebuild the rack as im running out of ideas as to what the problem is

13 hours ago, nickz32 said:

ive still got a steering issue that I’ve got to figure out. I think im probably going to strip rebuild the rack as im running out of ideas as to what the problem is

What is the issue?

I don't mean to spam your thread Nick but i thought you may be interested,I have a guy i use for machine work etc.He has a Segment from a SPZ flywheel and reckons he is going to make a set.

1 hour ago, AndrewG said:

What is the issue?

Turning left of centre the steering gets heavy and feels like it’s binding (I can feel it through the floor aswell as the wheel). At the moment everything mechanical checks out (column, UJ, wheels, hubs etc) so I’m going on the assumption it’s something hydraulic.

1 minute ago, jimmer said:

I don't mean to spam your thread Nick but i thought you may be interested,I have a guy i use for machine work etc.He has a Segment from a SPZ flywheel and reckons he is going to make a set.

Ah nice! Let us know how you get on with them!

Well on further inspection, I found I’d made a mistake when I reinstalled the rack when replacing the bushes. It appears that I’ve misaligned the column in the UJ, which has thrown the lower UJ out of phase with the upper…. While I’m not 100% sure it’s the cause of my stiff steering, it’s deffo worn out the lower UJ. I removed it today and found it to be free moving but very notchy.

 

hopefully I can source a used replacement in the next day or so and I’ll look at getting a new unit when funds allow (theyre £240 for an OEM replacement!)

1 hour ago, nickz32 said:

Well on further inspection, I found I’d made a mistake when I reinstalled the rack when replacing the bushes. It appears that I’ve misaligned the column in the UJ, which has thrown the lower UJ out of phase with the upper…. While I’m not 100% sure it’s the cause of my stiff steering, it’s deffo worn out the lower UJ. I removed it today and found it to be free moving but very notchy.

 

hopefully I can source a used replacement in the next day or so and I’ll look at getting a new unit when funds allow (theyre £240 for an OEM replacement!)

I think I have a spare it’s from a 1990 don’t know if N/A or TT if there is a difference.

Small update

 

i borrowed a UJ off a good friend of mine so that my car stays mobile in time for this weekend (BIG milestone coming!)

 

I removed mine and found it was utterly goosed, both notchy and stiff to move in all directions.

 

JoelyP also pointed me in the direction of a recent FB post that identifies 350Z steering UJ’s as identical and half the price of 300zx ones! Nissan U.K. haven’t got any at the moment max but I’ve got one coming from European stocks that will arrive in plenty of time for my road trip in September

On 15/08/2021 at 21:31, craig said:

Sounds like a road trip needs planning or a driving weekend ?

@nickz32

This will be a good trip for the car!

 

 

13 hours ago, TheRealNips said:

@nickz32

This will be a good trip for the car!

 

 

Will see what next year brings mate!

Fairly major update

 

the Z went to Abbey motorsport last week for mapping.

 

with fuelling 80% done and boost levels decided upon (1.5 bar) she made 524hp and 519 lb ft at the hubs, which equates to 602hp and 591lbs ft at the crank. Considering that no changes to the base map ignition timing were made, she’s on track to make well over 600hp/lbs ft.

 

however…. We stopped play when the VTC developed a rattle and a slight drop in oil pressure was noticed. We decided to inspect the oil filter and send an oil sample off for analysis to make sure everything was ok

 

unfortunately, I got some bad news today.

 

 

What material/metal is that Nick?

So yet again, it looks like I’m going to have to strip the engine down and figure out what’s gone wrong and try and deduce why.

 

the oil analysis will tell me if the rich base map has diluted the oil, but due to the time frames and lack of fuel smell from the oil, I’d be very surprised.

 

Highly gutting, but I refuse to let an inanimate object beat me!

18 minutes ago, AndrewG said:

What material/metal is that Nick?

It’s bearing material…. Which bearing is unknown at the moment

Bugger, damn and blast!

I’ve come to expect the worst when it comes to my luck with this car, and my luck didn’t disappoint.

 

I pulled the engine yesterday, and removed the sump, where I found…

I’m pretty confident that is bearing delamination. There is virtually zero shimmer to the oil, which means that it hasn’t been instigated by bearing to journal contact.

 

what makes things worse is that it appears the issue has taken my turbos with it

 

I know exactly how you feel mate, i'm on my third rebuild after finding shrapnel in the oil of the first build contaminated my second build.

At the time it also took out my turbos and i had to get them rebuilt too.

I basically had to start again.

 

Hopefully the cause is covered by the engine build warranty.

So disappointing Nick its a set back but you can sort it.

For Christ sake, you’ve paid bloody good money for that rebuild. I know it’s not the same builder each time but how hard is it to build an engine. 

A bit of an update 

 

the long and short is the engine is goosed and will require a significant amount of work to sort it out, none of which is covered under warranty.

 

The “why” of the failure is a bit of a sore topic. I have my beliefs on the cause, EPR have theirs.

However, the end result is the same, the block requires a significant amount machine work to get everything straight and how it should be, the crank needs either a regrind or replacing and I need to replace both turbos as debris has damaged the CHRA’s to the point the compressor wheel touches the housings, aswell as replacing two of my pistons.

the engine is not going back to EPR again, and I’ll be sorting it out myself.

There may be an opportunity to upgrade a few bits, but machining costs will dictate if it’s affordable.

 

 

Gutted for you Nick but take your time and work away at it mate.

On 23/12/2017 at 00:01, Joely P said:

It seems to a shame to interrupt this thread with a comment as you’re full steam ahead catching up - but I’m going to!

 

I have been following Nick’s build as best I can via Instagram and Facebook, but it was never really a documented journal like this to properly take in what is being done. I’m so glad I hassled you to get back on the club forums and post up a proper journal as it’s a pleasure to read and take in.

 

I know there’s still more to come and it gets better but this thread will be an awesome guide to many looking to upgrade every aspect of their pride and joy and an inspiration to get stuck in and try things!

 

It’s a bloody good achievement by all accounts sir and I can see this link being shared around the global community as part of the new brigade of tuning ethos for the Z32 that doesn’t require massive turbos and all top end. In my opinion, a 5-600hp Z32 with small turbos and buckets of torque like this will probably be the best all round street and fun track car out there. A Z with good throttle response and low down power with a fairly decent grunt all the way to redline is the way forward.

Hate to bring up such an old post, but I couldn't agree more. I've been following bits and pieces of this thread and now I'm nearing my build, have started properly reading through. As I begun reading from the beginning, I couldn't help but think what a fantastic guide this is, as per Joel's comments. I'm also going for the small turbo (GT525) response and linear power route. This is the most concise engine build thread I've seen and provides invaluable real world experience for a novice like me, to areas like the fuel system and head e.g. the OE belt stretch, cam gear failures, which I would never have found elsewhere. I've already recommended the journal to another member!

Thank you for continuing to post updates and wish you luck sorting the recent issues. 

Hey all.

 

just a quick post to say I’m still around. However, I can’t really talk about my car at the moment due to the issues I’ve mentioned above… I’m sure you can read between the lines as to what that involves.

im hoping to have a resolution at some point in the next 12 months, but it may be longer depending on time lines out of my control. Whether I’m able to talk about things depends on the resolution.

It’s a rough period in my Z ownership, and it’s killing me not being able to do anything with the car….. hence why I’m not on here much anymore. But, I remain optimistic that my Z ownership journey can pick up again in the relative near future.

I’ve already pencilled in some trips for when the Z is running again, future improvements and fail safes to help prevent such devastating damage again.

 

A positive note to end on, I’ve just renewed my insurance for the year and after submitting the required pics and paperwork, I’ve secured a £48,000 agreed value with no quibbles!(I’ll ask for higher next year ?)

Hey all.

 

well I’m happy to say my engine saga is now pretty much behind me and I’m free to move on with my car!
 

So, what does the future hold…. Well I’ve pretty much got to start again. I’m yet to finalise what is salvageable and what isn’t, hopefully I’ll get a definitive answer on that in the not to distant future. However, I know the crank and turbo chargers are goosed and will need replacing. I’ve already sourced a replacement crank and block should I need to replace that…. Turbos are by far my biggest future expense, so will have to take some time to consider my options. I do know I won’t be staying on GT525’s, I simply can’t make full use of my build specs on these turbos. Even with all supporting mods, I’ve hit the limit of what they can safely produce without E85.

 

im also going to do some chassis mods while the engine is out. This will mainly be refreshing bushings and arms with a bit of powder and zinc coating thrown in for good measure.

 

looking forward to getting started and being active again in the Z community….. I’ve really missed it!

Good luck Nick - hope it all works our for you mate......!