So I've been around the Zed scene in one model or another for almost 15 years now. Last owned was a 1995 Slicktop which I bought on a bit of a whim. Unfortunately it was a terrible time to own a project due to have new born twins when I bought it, doing a huge house extension shortly after, and then having another set of twins. Basically didn't have the time to dedicate to it so ended up selling. 

A number of years later, no more wiser, and a bit of a tragedy later and I ended up buying another Z32. 

Most people here will know this car, and know it's had a hard life. Over 15 years in the UK, never undersealed, and a sketchy service history for the past 5 or so. 

Just about every panel is a different shade of midnight purple. 

After discovering that the ignition barrel had been rodgered and that a screwdriver could start the car it was time to correct that before everything else. 

So a full lock and key set was ordered from Japan. Ignition now fitted. Door locks to follow. 

List of items to do (in no particular order) :

1. Purchase and replace heater pod - Done

2. Replace window upper sliders - bought but not yet fitted. 

3. Source OEM airbox to replace the awful cone filter. - Done

4. Raise suspension up to a sensible height. (need to buy a MeisterR spanner) - Done

5. Fit better size spacers for the wheels - Done

6. Replace front drop links - Done

7. Remove all suspension, soda blast, paint, refit. DONE REAR. Part done front

8. Rear subframe to come off. Soda blasted. Paint. New bushes. DONE

9. Rear diff oil replaced, new gasket, paint. - Done

10. Replace fuel lines front to back. 

11. Clean, treat, paint entire underside

12. Sill replacement both sides (eeeek) (recent investigation suggests only rear returns will need doing. Here's hoping). - Done

13. Repair to front radiator mount (lower) - Done

14. 120k full service to complete. Probably Powerzed, but it's a heck of a journey for me. Will see. - Done

15. Fix clocks ambient lighting. - Done

16. Replace HID bulbs with 4300k - Done

17. Replace indicator bulbs with none chromed ones. DONE

18. Replace/refurb boot struts

19. Full respray. 

20. Rear bumper mount metal work repair. - Done

21. Remove crappy dynomat from boot floor and investigate condition

22. Make new boot plywood cover sheets - Done

23. Repair partial shelf blind 

24. Remove rear tints

25. New Cats

26. New exhausts (double twins) 

Edited May 17, 20223 yr by Lexx

47 minutes ago, Lexx said:

Smoking has stopped after 30 mins running today. So putting that down to spilled coolant burning off. Phew. 

Erratic idle is being a pain in the ***. I've adjusted the timing as best I can to 15° BTDC. But with the idle wandering a bit it obviously causes the timing to wander as well. 

Found one vac leak and sorted that. All the PCV and IACV hoses are brand new silicone items for Z1. Balance bar seals are new and torqued to spec. 

I'm looking at the IACV or the CAS now I suppose. I'm a silly sod and didn't clean the IACV when I had the plenum off. So I'll get Luke to send me a gasket and pull the IACV for cleaning. 

Borrowing Bird and his Consult  soon so I can check a few other bits and bobs are in spec. 

Good idea Consult will give you all the info to help.

F****** cowboys man. 

Idle issue traced to the IACV as if I wiggled the connector on the AAC it would sometimes sort itself out and run steady for a second or two. 

Pulled the IACV - only had 3 bolts in it instead of 4 and no gasket. A previous owner (or garage) had tried to repair a snapped connector by mastiking it back on. Solonoid only intermittently working when tested with 12v.

In the skip with this one and getting a good used one to try. New ones are $670 so trying to avoid that till I know this is the only fault. 

Thanks to Joel for helping me out with some fault finding this morning. 

Rcvd a 2nd hand AICV from one of the regular breakers. Unfortunately it arrived damaged

 

 

 

Luckily it was only the AAC part I needed so I pulled that and have I stalled it in my current housing (Breaker is suppying another one next week). 

Anyway. Made a new gasket up and lost some more skin off my knuckles installing it. Car fired up and idled smoothly right away. Once up to temp I set the timing again for 15° BTDC. Totally taking this as a win for the day!

Going to get her down off the blocks tomorrow and take her for a spin round the block and make sure everything runs as expected. 

Edited May 9, 20223 yr by Lexx

Good news Al.?

Washed and taxed. 

Time to drive it till the next thing on it breaks.....

Looking good Alex - lovely colour.

So I didn't do a follow up after my driving around earlier in the week because I was so ****ed off with the car at that point. 

I'd developed a coolant leak - which I immediately worried meant I messed up the sealing of the water pump or hard pipes. And then on top of that there was a rotational squeak coming from somewhere around the diff. I put the car back on stands, had a 5 minute look. But honestly didn't have the time or patience. 

Huge thanks to Lee (Bird) for popping round this evening for an hour and just being second pair of eyes. Coolant leak is a failed jubilee clip on the upper hose that I'll replace tomorrow. And diff squeel was crud in between the ABS teeth, ABS sensor, and the shields. Cleaned, tabs bent out a little, and now all good. 

It's so easy to get fixated on worst case scenarios with these cars. That fresh pair of eyes looking at a problem is invaluable. 

1 hour ago, Lexx said:

Huge thanks to Lee (Bird) for popping round this evening for an hour and just being second pair of eyes. Coolant leak is a failed jubilee clip on the upper hose that I'll replace tomorrow. And diff squeel was crud in between the ABS teeth, ABS sensor, and the shields. Cleaned, tabs bent out a little, and now all good. 

It's so easy to get fixated on worst case scenarios with these cars. That fresh pair of eyes looking at a problem is invaluable. 

Makes being part of our Z32 community so worthwhile.

Edited May 15, 20223 yr by AndrewG

If it's not working on the car in the cold and rain it's working on it in a heatwave. I can't wait to get our extension built with the garage extension! 

Anyway. All 4 corners got new discs and pads today. Forgot to take pics as I was doing it so only 2 pictures. 

Discovered that the handbrake was over adjusted and was binding on the rear disks a little which explains some of the bogging down I experiences last week when lifting off the throttle. Anyway. All sorted and back on the ground. Test drive tomorrow. 

Had the car almost 2 years. Made a lot of progress from where it was when I bought it. Last bits of the front suspension to sort next and then it'll be time for the chassis to meet a wire knot brush and paint! 

So a lot has happened since the last post. Nothing has really happened with the car like. 

Didn't extend the house...... Moved instead. And after a rather stressful few days the Zed is now in her new home. For reference I do not recommend driving a 300zx in -5° and freezing fog. 

Been quite a while since the last update. And the Zed hadn't moved from the garage since I put it in there in 2022.

Had the Zed trailered up to a local garage to get an inspection and costs done for some work. In particular on the floor and chassis rails. The rails themselves were pretty rotten in places. 

Garage has done a great job, and I'm very happy with their welders work. Pics of before and after below. 

Getting hardlines replaced shortly before getting a fresh MOT. 

 

Geat to see the workmanship in those repairs Alex.

Looks like a tidy job 👌

As of today she is now for sale. 

If anyone knows of anyone looking for a late model 2+2 then please point them my way. 

Alex, sorry to read about the reason for the sale of your lovely Z - my best wishes to you.

3 hours ago, AndrewG said:

Alex, sorry to read about the reason for the sale of your lovely Z - my best wishes to you.

Thanks Andrew. Hopefully she sells to a good home for the summer. 

Well, Zed went to a knew owner today who will continue the restoration journey I started. 

He knows of this place and will hopefully make himself known. 

Hello all, 

been a odd few months for this car, but I can say, I am the new owner of this Z 😏

 

so I’m new to owning a Z32, tried getting the best I could and after the work Alex has done to it I think I’ve done pretty alright! 

I will definitely need much of your guys help though, to get little things and what not all buttoned up on this car! 
 

first things first, a little history behind it! :

so I Originally found the car on Facebook, back in 2024 when Alex was selling the car, after many months of ogling over it and trying to save the best I could to get it. It sold. 
after a few months it popped up again, on eBay this time so I swooped in first. 
when I saw the car it was garage kept. Didn’t look like it had changed much, did a full swoop round and the only things I could find that had been changed were- 

- lighted flywheel 

- Decat pipes 

- stainless steel headers 

 

thats it. 
 

so now I have my hands on it, gonna carry on the job that Alex did! And restore 

 

aiming to make this beauty into a proper show car,

did pretty good with my last motor, let’s see what I do with this 😏