300ZX Turbo Track(ish) Car Build

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Any possibility of going to a single turbo setup to clean up the engine bay and dropping a couple pounds?

I assume you are already on coilovers?  You should be able to get a 9.5" wheel on the front with a bit of camber.  (3 degrees and fender work you MIGHT be able to get 285s up front)

A singe turbo is a mess on a V6, IMO. Due to the amount of crossover pipes and whatnot. Plus if you look under the hood and how they designed the motor, it's essentially two I3's connected at a crankshaft. With separate intercoolers, and throttle bodies a single turbo would be a mess. I don't think I've seen a lot(if any) single turbo Z32's.

As far as the wheels go, well, these cars suck. I've been doing a ton of reading and the front end just doesn't accommodate much. I'm looking at 8.5" rims with 245 or 255 tires. The rear will take a 10"er with 275's or slightly bigger but the front end is a real pain. If I wanted to go 9.5 with a 265/275 I'd have to cut up the fender, which I don't really care to do. I'm not going to use large amounts of camber for wheel fitment because I want to track this thing and I think sacrificing proper camber for wider wheels will be a wash at best, and a decrease in overall performance at worst.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

For Reference:



Where would you put a single turbo?

And imagine all the pipework.

I think better weight savings would be to bit the bullet and dump unnecessary systems like A/C, ABS, Cruise, ETC.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

And here is the front suspension, and the major issue with wheel fitment.



That gigantic "leg" that is next to the coilover. I'm sure on of the suspension guys can chime in. But I'd call it a modified macpherson strut with an upper link. I'm guessing to try and make the suspension travel and camber change closer to a double wishbone setup. It's goofy, and it's certainly an issue with regard to fitting wider wheels and tires.

[12,000 RPM]

Man that setup must have been all the rage in the 80s. Looks like my old Accord except the upper link was an A-arm that wrapped around the shock.

Truthfully you may not need mega wide tires dude. My Z was pretty neutral at the limit on 225/245s. Obviously you will be dealing with way more power and higher loads but I feel like some trackday 245/255s on a lightened Z32 will be PLENTY. Id worry more about getting the right tires/compounds

[hotrodalex]

335s or nothing.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Well, I ordered some new Inner and outer tie rods and front and rear balljoints today. Since I'm in there I might as well get this stuff done. I should have ordered the driveshaft and quaife but I'm sure the front end will keep me busy for a few days(a lot of bushings to swap out). Plus i need to find a way to drop the rear subframe while on the 4 post lift. I'm sure it will take a day or two to just get that down.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

So I spent the last few weekends cleaning up my garage real good, installed a new shelf section and moved some cabinets around. Then spent a few days just organizing and really getting this place cleaned up nicely before winter. So I can just focus on the projects(Z and GTR) that I have planed this winter.

Started working on the Z, got a lot of the front end ripped apart and going to get the front bushings, say bar, control arm, camber arm and coilovers installed up there first. Also popped the bumper and reinforcement off so I can do some cleaning of the intercooler and other areas(tons of dead bugs). Also popped it off because I'm thinking of pulling the AC also changing the front end over to the later 99 Jspec front end.











Did some quick weighing of some of the parts, the coilover is about 2 lbs lighter than the stock strut/spring. The front SPL control arm is 2 lbs lighter than the stock, which is huge because the stock one was just a few oz's short of 5 lbs.

[MrH]

Wow. You have a nice garage.

So you've got the Z, GTR, Miata, and what else? You don't have a boring daily driver in there somewhere?

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Wow. You have a nice garage.

So you've got the Z, GTR, Miata, and what else? You don't have a boring daily driver in there somewhere?

Thanks, It's actually a pretty small(ish) garage for around here(about 1200sqft). But it's nice for a individual, I do wish I had a second hoist though so I could have 2 cars torn apart at the same time.
It's really nice to work in right now since I cleaned it up and organized it. Got a lot of stuff on the shelves and off the floor, hate tripping over shit on the floor.

I just have the Z, GTR and miata. My daily driver is a 97 ford f150 with 220K on it, you'd think that such a fine connoisseur like myself would have something much more interesting than that for a DD.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

I'd kill for a garage like that! I'm dreading doing the fluid change (rear Diff) on the G8 as we speak!

[FlatBlackCaddy]

I'd kill for a garage like that!

Really.....

[Rich]

My daily driver is a 97 ford f150 with 220K on it,

Are you sure it's not a '99 Lightning in red?

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Are you sure it's not a '99 Lightning in red?

Did they make a '99 Lightning? I thought those went out of production in '96.

[Rich]

Did they make a '99 Lightning? I thought those went out of production in '96.

didn't you ever watch Fast and the Furious?!

[68_427]

LS swap.  There's a bunch of weight savings right there.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

LS swap.  There's a bunch of weight savings right there.

Too much money, my engine is in great shape and at this point an LS swap wouldn't net but maybe 50 more HP than what I have.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Really.....

I actually would kill for a garage like that, since it would otherwise never be achieveable in my lifetime. Just PM me who you need taken out.

Too much money, my engine is in great shape and at this point an LS swap wouldn't net but maybe 50 more HP than what I have.

Turbo lag sucks for a track car... I assume you are installing an anti-lag system, then.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

I actually would kill for a garage like that, since it would otherwise never be achieveable in my lifetime. Just PM me who you need taken out.

Turbo lag sucks for a track car... I assume you are installing an anti-lag system, then.

Turbo lag is pretty minimal, these are still the stock sleeved bearing turbo's. If(when) I upgrade they will be to slightly(not much) larger ball bearing turbo's which should give me the power I want(550-600HP) while having about the same lag as stock.

[GoCougs]

LS swap.  There's a bunch of weight savings right there.

http://www.lojinnovations.com/

They state it's actually cheaper to convert to LS than to rebuild the original TTV6. So not only more power potential, it's also lighter and sits back further in the chassis.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

http://www.lojinnovations.com/

They state it's actually cheaper to convert to LS than to rebuild the original TTV6. So not only more power potential, it's also lighter and sits back further in the chassis.

I often find some of those claims dubious. Normally those figures are obtained with junkyard pullout motors at hard to find prices. A crate motor will set you back 7K, you can buy a lightly built VG longblock for 4K.

[Soup DeVille]

I don't know; I think an LS swap into a 300ZX is, well it would be effective- but ultimately underwhelming. Kind of what I always thought of the small block powered RX-7s. I can't deny it works; but it just seems wrong.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I don't know; I think an LS swap into a 300ZX is, well it would be effective- but ultimately underwhelming. Kind of what I always thought of the small block powered RX-7s. I can't deny it works; but it just seems wrong.

Swap a rotary into a Z. Is that wrong?

[Soup DeVille]

Swap a rotary into a Z. Is that wrong?

Yes, but in a bizarre and brilliantly pointless way.

[GoCougs]

Same as an LS in the 964 or bunches of other cars. Better motor by far but yeah, it is a bit generic.

[12,000 RPM]

What about a VQ? Even with turbos should be a good bit lighter.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Perhaps the F113 would be less generic. I'm sure there is a way to mount one somewhere in a 300ZX.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

V10 out of the m5........

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Seriously though, this motor runs well and has great compression. For a few k i can upgrade turbos and injectors and reach my goal of around 550 to 600hp. Plenty for a 3100 to 3200 lb car.

[Eye of the Tiger]

V10 out of the m5........

It's a deal, then. Get to work.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

If I see even moderate curb weight reduction, it will be like adding 50 hp at the existing weight. It's the right move IMO. This winter everything will be either handling related (with component weight reduction) as well as just plain weight reduction.

I'm sure it will feel like night and day come next spring.