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;

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Powerzed are the go to for many people on here, and has a great reputation.

I wouldn't use the guys in Crawley, the Zed needs people with real hands on knowledge, otherwise stuff will get messed up, happened so many times on the forum to loads of people.

15 hours ago, naz27 said:

When they did the clutch they noticed the starter motor bolts were split which would explain the slight sticking noise. It’s getting worse now but still starts fine. I’ve found a company selling them online link: https://www.startermotor-alternator-store.co.uk/nissan-300zx-starter-motor-s1349-reman-7546-p.asp

They appear to have a decent reputation so probably going to go for them. Does anyone else know anywhere better for starter motors? I’ve seen good firms who can rebuild used units but I’d rather go for a ready refurbished unit.

Check with Joely P to see how he got on with his replacement:

https://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/topic/148518-an-oem-z32-beyond-expectation/?do=findComment&comment=1725711

 

4 hours ago, Dazsw said:

Powerzed are the go to for many people on here, and has a great reputation.

I wouldn't use the guys in Crawley, the Zed needs people with real hands on knowledge, otherwise stuff will get messed up, happened so many times on the forum to loads of people.

That's what's been worrying me actually, because these are such vital components, it really needs a specialist doing this kind of work. Cheers for giving me the good kick up the back side I needed! I'll get the parts ordered then arrange the logistics of getting down there and back. 

1 hour ago, AndrewG said:

Check with Joely P to see how he got on with his replacement:

https://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/topic/148518-an-oem-z32-beyond-expectation/?do=findComment&comment=1725711

 

Great, thanks for this Andrew. 

After much deliberation, I’ve decided to definitely strip the chassis, fully underseal, get the outer sills light rust cut out and new metal put in, and also strip and powder coat all suspension components etc. Essentially the chassis will be clean enough to eat off. I can then relax driving it through winter (kept off road when roads salted), knowing that every surface on the underside has been stripped and fully weather proofed.

I’ve received part of the 120k service package - I didn’t realise CZP have the timing belt and water pump on back order when they dispatched rest of the order, so just waiting for that to come in. With the order, I got some new bolts for the engine bay to replace rusty ones - pics will be posted over the next week once I’ve cleaned the engine again.

The respray will be put on hold for the time being, until I get a bit more security from work, as it’s all a bit up in the air at the moment. It’s also the thing that’s least needed on the car so I’m not too concerned. The paintwork generally looks that of a 6-7 year old car to be honest, which fits the fact it was resprayed around 2008 and kept garaged with minimal miles after. Anyway point is, it’s not too bad condition, it’s just not absolutely perfect for an obsessive car disorder sufferer like me [emoji23][emoji2957].

Updates to follow next week, inbetween relaxing on the beach and going on lots of drives with the roof off, as it’ll be sunny everyday [emoji2].


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good stuff mate, smart decision.

Received my full order from CZP now for the 120k service kit, ancillary belts, a power steering return silicone hose and some engine bay bolts to replace rusty items.

Gave the engine bay a good clean yesterday. The throttle linkage springs had surface rust all over them. I thought they would need replacing but Joelyp advised they could just be scrubbed clean and covered with an engine heat proof clear coat paint, so that’s exactly what I did. It looked horrendous before (a ‘before’ pic is included below) as that was the first thing you saw but now all nice and shiny [emoji3]. Rusty bolts gone and new ones fitted. I bought a full new set of oem timing cover bolts as they are seriously crusty but they won’t be going on until the 120k service is carried out.

Starter motor case had the bolts which hold it together missing somehow - only found out when the garage doing the clutch and flywheel at start of June had told me. It’s been starting straight away since I bought it but always made a sticky sound for a split second straight after starting, which was probably caused by this. I gambled and bought a refurbished starter from a supposedly reputable company - ‘the starter motor and alternator company’. It was £155 so £55 more than the one fitted to my car by the previous owner 2 years ago, so let’s hope it was worth the extra money!

Some pics of old/new starter motor and engine bay below. Forgot to take a pic of the new starter but I’ve put in the advert pic which is exactly the same condition as the one I received.

Just waiting on some of my shares to hit the right price before I sell and arrange the chassis restoration work - will update when arranged. Need to call PowerZed too to arrange date for the service.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for sharing Naz its getting better every time you post and with the new parts it will look even better. When I got my timing belt done I had new chrome bolts fitted to the T belt cover. The devil is in the detail.

2 hours ago, naz27 said:

Received my full order from CZP now for the 120k service kit, ancillary belts, a power steering return silicone hose and some engine bay bolts to replace rusty items.

Gave the engine bay a good clean yesterday. The throttle linkage springs had surface rust all over them. I thought they would need replacing but Joelyp advised they could just be scrubbed clean and covered with an engine heat proof clear coat paint, so that’s exactly what I did. It looked horrendous before (a ‘before’ pic is included below) as that was the first thing you saw but now all nice and shiny . Rusty bolts gone and new ones fitted. I bought a full new set of oem timing cover bolts as they are seriously crusty but they won’t be going on until the 120k service is carried out.

Starter motor case had the bolts which hold it together missing somehow - only found out when the garage doing the clutch and flywheel at start of June had told me. It’s been starting straight away since I bought it but always made a sticky sound for a split second straight after starting, which was probably caused by this. I gambled and bought a refurbished starter from a supposedly reputable company - ‘the starter motor and alternator company’. It was £155 so £55 more than the one fitted to my car by the previous owner 2 years ago, so let’s hope it was worth the extra money!

Some pics of old/new starter motor and engine bay below. Forgot to take a pic of the new starter but I’ve put in the advert pic which is exactly the same condition as the one I received.

Just waiting on some of my shares to hit the right price before I sell and arrange the chassis restoration work - will update when arranged. Need to call PowerZed too to arrange date for the service.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looking good, how did you clean the springs then?

Thanks for sharing Naz its getting better every time you post and with the new parts it will look even better. When I got my timing belt done I had new chrome bolts fitted to the T belt cover. The devil is in the detail.

Thanks Gaz, it’s appreciated [emoji1417]. You’re right - the devil is definitely in the detail. The engine will slowly get cleaner as I learn how to remove certain parts of the engine bay to get access, as time goes on.

I went with the oem bolts at the last minute as all mine are rusted and washers cracked - in hindsight I probably should have forked out the extra and got one of those ‘Z-Spec’ engine dress up bolt kits... Something for next year I guess then! Also I like the idea of some engine tucking like the fuse box and power steering reservoir relocations to below nose panel, as it is a bit of a faff in there. Let’s see what happens..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looking good, how did you clean the springs then?

Thanks mate! Just got a small bit of household sand paper and lightly sanded the springs, and the corrosion came straight off. I ripped bits of plastic carrier bags to wedge in underneath and around the springs to cover the surrounding areas. Then sprayed 2 coats of Halfords engine clear paint.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

BTW, the brown finish on the springs is an anti corrosion coating applied by the factory.

Edited June 30, 20205 yr by AndrewG

BTW, the brown finish on the springs is an anti corrosion coating applied by the factory.

Ah that’s interesting - thanks for the heads up. Good thing Joel told me to apply a clear coat to it. Hopefully it will protect them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looking very nice fella, great job [emoji106]

On 30/06/2020 at 22:47, naz27 said:

Ah that’s interesting - thanks for the heads up. Good thing Joel told me to apply a clear coat to it. Hopefully it will protect them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I wouldn't have sanded personally. What's underneath is a silver plating, the discolouration you see there as Andrew said is a factory coating to protect against corrosion. Polishing would have removed this although I took mine out completely and had them stripped and re-plated (along with everything else) I did not apply any additional coating and they stayed looking fresh.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 2, 20205 yr by Funkysi

I wouldn't have sanded personally. What's underneath is a silver plating, the discolouration you see there as Andrew said is a factory coating to protect against corrosion. Polishing would have removed this although I took mine out completely and had them stripped and re-plated (along with everything else) I did not apply any additional coating and they stayed looking fresh.
 
 
 
 

I see - thanks for the advice, it’s appreciated [emoji1417]. In an ideal world, I would like to take the throttle linkage items apart I.e all the bits in your photo to get it all newly plated, especially after seeing Chris300’s project thread. Being a new Zed owner, I’m always a bit nervous about breaking something, but will hopefully learn soon how to take it all apart the correct way and get it refinished.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What an absolute pain I’ve had for the last two weeks almost. After fitting the remanufactured starter motor, it worked great for the first 2 days then the starter wheel stopped fully engaging with the flywheel, so it was grinding my beautiful specialty z flywheel. I stopped driving it for a week until a replacement turned up. The supplier thankfully didn’t argue and paid postage for me to return the starter and get a full refund, so although it was a pain for it to not work properly, I can’t fault their service. On top of this, I was laid in bed for last/this week with a bad leg so it’s actually been pretty good timing - last couple days my legs healed up. Me and the car must be in sync for breaking and healing at the same time! [emoji23]

So I ordered another starter last Friday 3rd which was due this Monday just gone. I told the guy I’d pay extra to get it on Saturday 4th but he said no don’t worry, the free postage will give you Monday so I thought ok fair enough. Monday came and went and no sign. I messaged him Tuesday then he says oh sorry our supplier let us down so we’ve been delayed - thought oh that’s great, nice of you to let me know!! I was then told it would be posted Wednesday and arrive Thursday (yesterday).

Thursday came and went and no sign. It turned up this morning at 8:30. It’s my wife’s birthday so we were supposed to be leaving on a 160 mile round trip to see her friends and wanted to take the Zed. I Managed to call my garage who I’m very friendly with and get it replaced this morning very quickly. New starter is working all good, for now...

Got the car booked into PowerZed finally for mid August to do the following;

- 120k service
- replace the power steering reservoir return hose which has started falling apart at the top
- sort a minor oil leak
- try and sort my door locks

This’ll then give me peace of mind mechanically.

Chassis restoration work will probably follow on from this in late August or September.

I was walking back to the Zed in a car park after paying the ticket and just stopped in awe and started taking loads of pictures. The lighting really amplifies our beautiful cars body lines...

On another random note, I was on eBay and popped up in my suggested items were Japanese performance magazines - my brother used to buy them and give them to me starting from when I was about 10-11 years old. I screen shotted a copy which was one of the first copies I ever read. Brought back so many memories from when my Jap car love affair first got going, dreaming about buying one of these cars one day haha and 15 or so years later and here we are... There’s a nice white track 300zx in that copy. I’ve still got about 30 copies in the loft - didn’t realise they’re worth £3-£4 a copy still which is madness since that’s the new price back in the day.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow it’s been a while since the last update.

Just picked the car up from PowerZed today.

Jimmer really is the only man to be working on these cars and he’s super friendly to boot. I don’t know why I’m so surprised by his excellent service and knowledge, since everyone on this owners club always raves on about him, I should have expected it. I guess because in comparison to my local cheap garage who I always have to watch to make sure they’re not doing anything wrong, it’s lovely for the first time ever for me, to be able to relax and leave your baby in the hands of a true professional.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had the full 120k service done and oil change, the power steering return hose replaced, all timing cover bolts replaced with a genuine oem set (massively overpriced!), coolant flush, engine bay fuel hoses replaced and spring clamps fitted, and my ebc repaired.

Even though my engine last had the 60k service done approx 25k-30k miles ago max, it was done 7 years ago. The maintenance schedule states every 60k or 4 years. My point is that although the condition of the timing belt was ok, the water pump had a leak forming and all the various seals that get replaced had turned rock solid. So you should always follow the maintenance schedule, as they’ve been written with those intervals for a reason! Don’t ignore it.

Some of the photos Jim took below of the service.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Next on the to do list before winter hits is to take car to a Jap performance car specialist to do the following;

- strip all under seal and remove everything from the chassis including brake hardlines and all suspension parts etc. Apply new under seal
- get rust on sills cut out and new metal
welded in
- get all suspension parts powder coated
- fit some new Michelin PS4 tyres to the rear, to match the fronts, as the old Nexens have been battered and bruised by my summertime driving [emoji41] and obviously a full 4 wheel laser alignment

Pictures and updates to follow once work starts [emoji1417].


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice update Naz - and you can't go wrong taking your Zed to Jimmer..... You're dead right, there is definitely a good reason we all rave about his work.....

 

Hi Naz,It was a pleasure meeting you & working on the car again after Ollie sold it.With what you are planning it will be a very fine example indeed.

Great to see things being done correctly mate, it's had a pampered lifestyle this car!

Nismo bushes came today woohoo [emoji2][emoji1][emoji16]. Whatever bushes Nismo didn’t sell, I sourced energy suspension ones. Shipping was quite impressive - CZP came in 3 working days as usual and Greenline motorsports Japan delivered all the Nismo ones within a week too.

Look at the super cool Japanese newspaper they used in the packing!

Just speaking with the garage now, arranging a date, probably for late October. Works will only take 2 weeks thankfully, so the zed won’t be down for too long.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Could you ping me a PM with what costs you paid for the whole lot please? 

I'm going to be weighing up the various options to replace all mine shortly. Ta.