Hi All,

 

I mentioned in various previous posts that I would start a thread about my new and first 300zx. I’ve copy and pasted an introduction that I posted in the newbie section a while back (with some updates) so you can get an overview of the car;

 

Almost two months ago at the spur of the moment I went and bought a lovely Jap spec blue 300zx TT Manual LWB with 98k miles.

 

An over view of the cars spec is;

- 390bhp tuned by ProTuner

- stock turbos and internals

- 800cc injectors, selin twin maf conversion

- Kakimoto mid and rear section exhausts

- aftermarket turbo elbows, downpipes, front pipes etc.

- 98 spec fairly new manual gearbox

- K Sport big front brakes, stock rears

- Veilside Andrews racing split rim wheels in gunmetal grey

- two tone grey/black leather seats, hicas lock out, fairly new polybushed rear end and BC Racing shocks. List goes on but that's some key bits from memory.

- 98k miles

- Has been very well maintained with a lever arch of service history from the previous owners.

 

I've got plenty of plans consisting of refreshing the car including modernising where possible to create an OEM+ look (no cheap chav bits don't worry).

 

The Zed was booked into the bodyshop 23rd March but sadly due to the coronavirus lockdown, these works are now postponed. The works were to fit;

 

- 99 spec front bumper

- Respray to bonnet, both front arches to get rid of peeling lacquer, drivers door, rear bumper and getting rid of surface rust to around rear lights/boot

- Replace side indicators with genuine Nismo clear indicators as existing clears ones seals have fallen apart

- Fit new trims that were missing between boot and rear lights

 

I’ll have all this done as soon as the lockdown is over and the bodyshop is back open.

 

I’ve got on the to do list the following;

 

- Source a 2nd hand AC compressor and get it reconditioned and then installed as the previous item exploded under the last owners ownership

- Full leather retrim as existing leather is cracking up/poor quality.

- Get a double din music system trim kit so I can fit a nice double din screen unit with modern features such as bluetooth etc. and also change all speakers

- Paint the stock rear Z32 brakes in black to match the K Sport fronts

- Sills need re-doing as they have rusted in areas from where its been jacked up in the wrong location!! Paint has obviously been damaged and flaked off leaving the bare metal to rust so will get this sorted

- Fit Michellin PS4 tyres when the current tyres have worn out

- Probably go for more power in about a years time maybe but for now coming from a 2 tonne 270bhp 4x4, 390bhp is more than enough to make me giggle.

 

I’ll start a new post with what I’ve done so far with photos of course!

 

Pics of the car when I bought it;

 

 

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3 minutes ago, Deep1978 said:

Hi Raja,

I saw your Z at Jimmer's a few weeks ago and in all honesty the pictures do not do it justice, it is absolutely stunning in the flesh, the paintwork and attention to detail is amazing, the car itself looks better than new!

Aww thanks so much, really appreciate it mate. You’ve got her blushing now ☺️

COTY!

New 3” front pipes made by Infinity Exhausts to replace the 2.5” previous ones.

No wonder Jim recommends them, they do know how to make a pretty exhaust! Very happy [emoji846].


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My baby, almost have tears in me eyes!

My baby, almost have tears in me eyes!

Ollie got in touch recently, I sent him lots of pictures and he said much the same! Lots of change and getting there bit by bit [emoji846].


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Outstanding work, outstanding Z , outstanding write up, I enjoyed that, ? 

The Z is now mapped and made 580bhp [emoji3]! I was expecting 550-560 as I went for the response route with quick spool turbos, rather than outright power and big turbos. Going to be great fun and also a tad scary driving a car with 200 bhp more than when I last drove it [emoji28].

Hopefully can collect over the next week. Haven’t driven the Z since last October - been far too long. Such a shame the weather now has gone downhill.


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Edited January 29, 20232 yr by Raja93

Quick snapshot of the dyno video - sounds like a beast!


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Great news hopefully its worth all the pain and money ? 

great power figures just be carful in the wet she will bite  ?

5 hours ago, Raja93 said:

Quick snapshot of the dyno video - sounds like a beast!


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That is going to be dangerous mate!  Back end liked to step out with near 400, so this will be vicious haha!

 

Got any videos of the dyno run?

10 hours ago, gray said:

Great news hopefully its worth all the pain and money ? 

great power figures just be carful in the wet she will bite  ?

Will definitely be worth it - this is a lifer car for me. Yep will avoid driving in rain and when I do get stuck out in the wet, I drive it like a granny tbh ?, even at the 390bhp it had before. 

5 hours ago, Dazsw said:

That is going to be dangerous mate!  Back end liked to step out with near 400, so this will be vicious haha!

 

Got any videos of the dyno run?

It will be a beast - can't wait to drive it hard, although going to ease into it, learn what it's like and where limits are before properly going for it. This modern tech with the Link G4 ECU and traction control will make it really usable power thankfully, otherwise I probably would have gone for less power if I couldn't get the TC. Jim drove one with Greg after a tune and TC set up, around 600bhp, floored it in 2nd gear and it gripped - he could feel it trying to step out but it gripped the whole way. Try that in a non TC equipped Z at that power and you'll end up in the central reservation ?. 

Having said all that, I couldn't actually get the TC set up this time round... as we're trying a different route to make the set up more reliable - have to book it back in at a later date to do that. Got to be a bit careful in the mean time!

Yep got a video but can't post it here I don't think. Quite a short one but yeah it sounds mean ?.

On 21/05/2022 at 07:30, TheRealNips said:

Sisters, not brothers. Anything mechanical is actually considered female. it harks back to the French I believe and their use of male/female pronouns. My car is definitely a "her"; costs me a lot of money, but great fun when you are in her.... ?

The use of gender to items is because of the attachment to a god of, the cat god is a lady so cats are hers etc etc. The French have retained this linguist quirk but most of us have dropped it as language  evolved, I expect there’s an element of the monotheism of early Christian culture.
 

In English culture we’ve retained it for certain things like boats. Also some regional dialects use it, it’s not uncommon to hear “pass us the she” in this part of the country from the older generation when wanting a tool. 
 

So basically the French are stuck in the past ?

On 06/07/2022 at 22:10, Deep1978 said:

Hi Raja,

I saw your Z at Jimmer's a few weeks ago and in all honesty the pictures do not do it justice, it is absolutely stunning in the flesh, the paintwork and attention to detail is amazing, the car itself looks better than new!

Ditto - I saw it there too, whilst I was next door at Infinity.... Looks amazing in the flesh?

Hopefully you can make it to the AGM on Sunday 2nd October - be great to see it (and you, of course) there!!

On 07/07/2022 at 21:56, Joely P said:

COTY!

Agreed...... And, dare I ask, a possible NEC exhibitor this year......???

5 hours ago, RichardS said:

Agreed...... And, dare I ask, a possible NEC exhibitor this year......???

Thanks Richard, appreciate it ?. Want to do a couple more bits to it before taking it to the NEC, so am currently aiming for 2023. Rear wheel centres are peeling and would like to get 5mm wider ones so want to do that, and you may have noticed my drivers seat leather is torn in a few areas, which needs sorting. Rear seat quarter trim has shrunk also along with some other tatty bits - once I've done all those works then will be happy to show it for sure ?

1 hour ago, Raja93 said:

Thanks Richard, appreciate it ?. Want to do a couple more bits to it before taking it to the NEC, so am currently aiming for 2023. Rear wheel centres are peeling and would like to get 5mm wider ones so want to do that, and you may have noticed my drivers seat leather is torn in a few areas, which needs sorting. Rear seat quarter trim has shrunk also along with some other tatty bits - once I've done all those works then will be happy to show it for sure ?

Just an FYI on the rear seat quarter trim. Mine did this and some light heat gunning to stretch it back to shape and spray adhesive fixed it right up 

Although with how your build has been - I would understand if you would rather retrim or replace!

42 minutes ago, Peage said:

Just an FYI on the rear seat quarter trim. Mine did this and some light heat gunning to stretch it back to shape and spray adhesive fixed it right up 

Although with how your build has been - I would understand if you would rather retrim or replace!

I don't know why I haven't thought of that! Thanks so much for the advice. Mine's pretty bad so I think I will do this before winter. I'm not spending anymore on it for a while so in the mean time, this will tidy up the interior nicely ?.

After 9 months of the Z being away from home, I finally got her back last Saturday. By chance I was blessed with dry weather the almost 3 hour journey home and for the rest of the weekend. I’d set off from home at 8:45am, took the 3.5 hour train journey up to Coventry via London Victoria and Euston station. Got back home around 4-5pm and the first thing I did was give it a thorough clean, as it had been sat at Protuner for 1.5 months and it was filthy! Had dust on every surface of the body. They were too scared to wash it or wipe it, understandably.

Photos below of when I picked it up first and then after I cleaned her and the engine bay on Sunday morning [emoji2].

Cleaning the engine bay and Jim painting a few bits for me has highlighted some brackets and bits like the power steering reservoir, that desperately need to be repainted. A job for winter hibernation I guess.

Edited September 12, 20223 yr by Raja93

The drive home was perfect, with dry weather, not much traffic and big wide roads to fly down. Having not driven her since last October / early November, I drove it cautiously at first then slowly got into the power. The turbo flutter was just intoxicating and the power in every gear even 5th, is a complete game changer. This Z has finally got the power to match the looks. I hardly got into boost and even then it was flying. Need to get onto an empty road in early hours to start getting into the higher RPM’s and learn the limits. 

So I can enjoy the Z and not be having a panic attack every time I drive her, especially on dual carriageways / motorways with stone chips etc. I’m taking her this Thursday to get PPF applied to the front bumper, headlights, bonnet and both front arches. They do include side skirts but unsure if it will go over the stone chip finish. Rest of the car will get ceramic coated so will make washing a breeze. I ceramic coated the wheels on my daily and on the Z and it is one of the best things I’ve ever done! The wheels retain the fresh polished look after every clean and the cleaning is so damn easy. They’ll ceramic coat over the PPF as well. I am so looking forward to not having to waste time polishing and waxing - can now spend that time driving! [emoji3].

They’ll custom design the PPF panels with CAD, print and apply it, so they don’t have to cut a huge sheet on the car, which would have nicked the paint.

Will take them 5 working days so I’ll get her back just before the GoJapan show.


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Since last year I’ve been adamant about sorting out a garage to store the Z. Having looked at tonnes of garages and secure underground car parks I found an ideal garage a few weeks back. Yesterday I went back to test fit and she fits nicely. Got her in today just before the rain started - happy days. It’s all come together now.
 

Edited September 13, 20223 yr by Raja93

Nice garrage space Raja and your Z is awesome mate.?

Glad its all worked out for you mate and happy zedding 

Im just glad what we have had done by powerzed aka jimmer has been a complete enjoyable experience….it would of been and in lots of cases has been a complete nightmare with cowboys so called specialists !! charging silly money for jobs that they just couldn’t fulfil…I’m glad you never had to endure this and hopefully other zedders reading this will take on board there is only one true zed specialist.

Personally i just can’t praise the man enough for what he did for me and others he saved well done Jimbo ?

Edited September 13, 20223 yr by gray

On 13/09/2022 at 12:46, gray said:

Glad its all worked out for you mate and happy zedding 

Im just glad what we have had done by powerzed aka jimmer has been a complete enjoyable experience….it would of been and in lots of cases has been a complete nightmare with cowboys so called specialists !! charging silly money for jobs that they just couldn’t fulfil…I’m glad you never had to endure this and hopefully other zedders reading this will take on board there is only one true zed specialist.

Personally i just can’t praise the man enough for what he did for me and others he saved well done Jimbo ?

Cheers mate, and glad yours is going well too - expect nothing less from a PowerZed build TBH!

I remember I posted either on this thread or another one how lucky I was, that I bought mine at a time when we all know who the best guys to go to are, for engine work and bodywork i.e. PowerZed and Dream Body Works / Kraftwork. Not too long ago as you say, there were crooks conning the community. I think I would have lost patience and given up if I went to people like O.C and L.A.A and inevitably got screwed over!!

I kept texting Jim, thanking him for all his work and will do a separate post on his exceptional service and standards - didn't have time last night and that's for a different day. He's got a fancy new website BTW - got some photos of both of our cars on there ?.

As Gray says, without a shadow of a doubt, PowerZed is the only place to take your Z!!

Edited January 29, 20232 yr by Raja93