madmarco

Happy Birthday Nick!

Custom headers and cam timing are next, if that doesn’t break the 6K barrier then intake revisions (plenum and throttle bodies) are probably next. For now I’m just going to drive it and enjoy the ride. Just had a great time at Japfest Goodwood followed by a track day there yesterday. Black Sunshine got a lot of attention and held its own on the track, what a great car to drive!

Drove it hard at Goodwood. Z performed flawlessly all day, what a rush!

Still up for this, would love to represent the club.

Test dyno runs complete. Result 260.6 at the flywheel, pretty good and a big step from stock but still have some work to do… Cam timing is probably next on the list. Can’t load the video as it’s too large but trust me it sounded wicked with the baffles out!

Not yet, want to see if a change to the end pipe shifts peak power first. TDI is great but they’re not cheap. It is insanely loud even with the baffles, it will be close to the limit at a 105db track day, but my god does it sound good. I have a dyno session scheduled today, will post the results and the noise later. Two reasons- the JWT cams had some marking on the bearing surfaces after the last fail, and they didn’t match the claimed specifications for duration. Could have polished them up for reuse but the Tomei (also solid lifter) looked more promising.

Bonnet painted and installed. Exhaust uncorked with a Z1 race pipe, if this doesn’t solve the 6K + lack of power gain then it’s not the exhaust!

Gratuitous engine shot while the bonnet is off…

Time to reduce the under bonnet heat, didn’t want those horrible plastic vents so had proper louvres made at Cool Louvres in Crawley. Will drop off for paint tomorrow.

Thanks protoj, quality aftermarket headers for the NA are nonexistent these days. TDI has offered to do the math to determine ideal pipe lengths and a better collector and then fabricate on site. I’m looking at options for the back half, the HKS Hyper looks the most promising but a custom valved set up may be the way to go.

Back to TDI for the RaceCal tune. Ran into the same problem we had with the last motor (before it went bang), loss of hp above 6K. Power builds really well to that point and if it continued at the same rate it is likely I will hit my 300bhp target at 8K. Consensus is that my exhaust system is not flowing well enough so header research and new cat back system is next. Good news is engine is solid, with fueling and spark behaving perfectly. I always knew a fast NA would be a challenge!

I would be up for this. But the same disclaimer as Nick - assuming I survive the tune and posssible track days!

Continue to log miles in preparation for the full tune and power runs by RaceCal later this month. Made a run out to Didley Squat farm yesterday to see what all the fuss was about. Had a good burger but no way I was going to wait in the queue for the shop. Expected to see some cool cars but my Z32 was the only sports car or classic there!

Gutted, but I also have a conflict with a family event. Really is one of the best events of the year.

Clean bill of health at TDI, good to begin the new motor break in! Full tune and power runs scheduled for August.

She’s fully assembled and running sweet! New cams are a bit more lumpy and she has a nice rasp when reved. Feeling really positive, dyno check next week at TDI and assuming all is well a full summer of track days and meets are in the cards.

Black Sunshine part 2 begins! Picked up the motor from TDI yesterday and installed today. Taking my time but should be back on the road soon.

Engine rebuild almost complete. Updated to 88 pistons and Tomei cams. Should be back on road in time for summer, will update as she progresses.

Yes, main bearing was fouled by some contamination. Current theory is that some loose metal was in my remote oil filter tree/cooler set up and that I didn’t adequately flush it out after it sat in the lock up for over a year. The debri from the damaged bearing spread throughout the motor damaging all crank and cam journals. Engine has been fully stripped and now going through a fresh rebuild at TDI. This was a very costly mistake and to say I’m gutted is an understatement!

Cars look great, thanks for promoting the Z32 and our club! Gutted that I couldn’t join you but my motor is still at TDI.

Yes, they offer all sizes. Mine were 200mm long with 8 (front) and 6 kg ratings.

Refurbed the front Coilovers today. After many years they were looking a bit tatty although still functioning well. New springs, top pillowballs freed up and relubed, and given a good clean. Before and after photos -

Not yet, still waiting for TDI to finish the inspection. While the engine is out I’m taking care of a few small jobs. New dual air filters rather the HKS set up, power steering lines no longer leaking, horn wiring fixed, and a few cosmetic jobs.

Romain at RaceCal is very good at his craft and a genuine nice guy. Highly recommended

Motor stripped and dropped off at TDI. Should have some answers by next week. Oil looked good so don’t think anything too bad happened but time will tell…