300ZX Turbo Track(ish) Car Build

Started by FlatBlackCaddy, October 09, 2014, 07:46:39 AM

FlatBlackCaddy

Quote from: 68_427 on April 23, 2015, 09:54:29 PM
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
Protecctor of the Atmospheric Engine #TheyLiedToUs

hotrodalex


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?
2023 Ford Lightning Lariat ER
2019 Acura RDX SH-AWD
2023 BRZ Limited

Previous: '02 Mazda Protege5, '08 Mazda Miata, '05 Toyota Tacoma, '09 Honda Element, '13 Subaru BRZ, '14 Hyundai Genesis R-Spec 5.0, '15 Toyota 4Runner SR5, '18 Honda Accord EX-L 2.0t, '01 Honda S2000, '20 Subaru Outback XT, '23 Chevy Bolt EUV

FlatBlackCaddy

Quote from: MrH on November 02, 2015, 11:23:05 AM
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. :lol:

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!
2014 C7 Vert, 2002 Silverado, 2005 Road Glide

FlatBlackCaddy


Rich

Quote from: FlatBlackCaddy on November 02, 2015, 12:18:10 PM
My daily driver is a 97 ford f150 with 220K on it,

Are you sure it's not a '99 Lightning in red?
2003 Mazda Miata 5MT; 2024 Tesla Model 3

Gotta-Qik-C7

Quote from: HotRodPilot on November 02, 2015, 09:55:37 PM
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.
2014 C7 Vert, 2002 Silverado, 2005 Road Glide

Rich

Quote from: Gotta-Qik-G8 on November 02, 2015, 10:55:17 PM
Did they make a '99 Lightning? I thought those went out of production in '96.

didn't you ever watch Fast and the Furious?!
2003 Mazda Miata 5MT; 2024 Tesla Model 3

68_427

LS swap.  There's a bunch of weight savings right there.
Quotewhere were you when automotive dream died
i was sat at home drinking brake fluid when wife ring
'racecar is die'
no


FlatBlackCaddy

Quote from: 68_427 on November 03, 2015, 12:00:44 AM
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

Quote from: FlatBlackCaddy on November 02, 2015, 05:51:03 PM
Really..... :hmm:

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.

Quote from: FlatBlackCaddy on November 03, 2015, 07:15:38 AM
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.
2024 Mitsubishi Mirage ES

FlatBlackCaddy

Quote from: Eye of the Tiger on November 03, 2015, 07:21:36 AM
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

Quote from: 68_427 on November 03, 2015, 12:00:44 AM
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

Quote from: GoCougs on November 03, 2015, 03:48:58 PM
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.
Maybe we need to start off small. I mean, they don't let you fuck the glumpers at Glumpees without a level 4 FuckPass, do they?

1975 Honda CB750, 1986 Rebel Rascal (sailing dinghy), 2015 Mini Cooper, 2020 Winnebago 31H (E450), 2021 Toyota 4Runner, 2022 Lincoln Aviator

Eye of the Tiger

Quote from: Soup DeVille on November 04, 2015, 07:57:42 AM
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?
2024 Mitsubishi Mirage ES

Soup DeVille

Quote from: Eye of the Tiger on November 04, 2015, 07:59:31 AM
Swap a rotary into a Z. Is that wrong?

Yes, but in a bizarre and brilliantly pointless way.
Maybe we need to start off small. I mean, they don't let you fuck the glumpers at Glumpees without a level 4 FuckPass, do they?

1975 Honda CB750, 1986 Rebel Rascal (sailing dinghy), 2015 Mini Cooper, 2020 Winnebago 31H (E450), 2021 Toyota 4Runner, 2022 Lincoln Aviator

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.
Protecctor of the Atmospheric Engine #TheyLiedToUs

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.
2024 Mitsubishi Mirage ES

FlatBlackCaddy


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

2024 Mitsubishi Mirage ES

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.