We are a new sponsor here and we just wanted to share with you our shop car. It's not an FX but it shares the same motor and any true automobile enthusiast can appreciate the work we put into this car....
Some of you might have seen this on other forums but I figured I'd post it here for those who have not.
This is from the initial build thread, the car has since been tuned to make an additional 20whp and is currently at 320whp.
Here are two videos of the car...
(This video was at 300 whp)
YouTube - Sexy 300 WHP 350Z
YouTube- Z1 Performance 320 whp dyno pull
Currently the car is down as we are making more improvements to it. We are not done with the car yet and have plans for even more NA power, be on the lookout.
Some of you might have seen this on other forums but I figured I'd post it here for those who have not.
This is from the initial build thread, the car has since been tuned to make an additional 20whp and is currently at 320whp.
This after the second audio build we did in the car...But first, a prologue
Hey all - as some guys here know, I've been doing an NA build on my own car for quite some time. It started about 2 years ago when I acquired a spare set of heads, and some Tomei cams. After much time spent with the flow bench, and a variety of other tools by my machinist, as well as assistance from some Japanese shops (notably MCR (Matchless Crowd Racing), and one of our suppliers in Japan, we had a set of heads completed. The original goal was to put those onto my stock block with a set of DC Sport headers that had been given to me, and see what could be done. Unfortunately, time was not something we had alot of, and the project got side tracked. While I did have some bolt ons done (netting 268 whp back in December 2005 when I did my UTEC install), I never quite got around to doing the headswap.
Fast forward to Fall 2006. A customer called us from Michigan and told me a story of his 2004 Z that had been totalled at an event. We ended up working out a deal for his longblock, in exchange for parts he wanted for his new Z. Now that I had a spare block...the "What the hell" factor took over, and I decided to build a block to go with my yet-unused heads
The goal on this car has always been a setup that can run in all 4 seasons, is not built or tuned to the ragged edge, but rather, a more reliable approach. I have other cars, and while the Z is a toy of sorts, it gets used quite alot (50k miles since getting it Fall 2003). In the spring, summer and fall, its basically my daily driver so long as the weather is nice.
Ok, so what did it make and what does it have?
Here are the details on the build. I think it encompasses what a good, NA build should...every detail that needs addressing was addressed. Yes, there are things I can change to net even more power, and some of those will be explored going forward. My goal from the outset was to break 300 whp, to give me a good platform with which to really learn the black art secrets of NA power on the VQ.
So what does the motor build consist of:
Internals:
Weisco Pistons (.020 over stock)
Eagle rods
ARP rod bolts
Fully balanced and blueprinted - not only balanced as individual components, but also balanced as a rotating assembly
OE Nissan bearings
Full Ported and polished heads
5 angle valve job (stock Nissan valves)
Tomei 268 cams (268 duration, 10.5mm lift)
NISMO valvesprings
NISMO headgaskets
Lots of time spent porting stock, non rev up lower plenum -we logged over 100 hours between the heads and plenum, going off recommendations from MCR Japan, as well as things we found on our own.
Motordyne 1/4 inch spacer
Unorthodox underdriven crank pulley
New: water pump, rev up oil pump, idler pullies (OEM)
Final Compression checked in at 11.3:1
Misc Power Stuff:
Gruppe-M Carbon intake
3 inch MAF housing
Crawford headers
HKS DLI II
NGK Iridium Plugs (LFR6AIX-11_
Sun Hyper Ground
Fujitsubo Y pipe
Fujitsubo Legalis R Titanium exhaust
Resonated test pipes
Drivetrain:
OS Giken Super Single Clutch/Flywheel with Aluminum cover
3.9 final drive
Cusco RS LSD
NISMO finned diff cover
I think that covers it mod wise (engine related)
some pics of the motor:
Pics of the clutch (yes we balanced the clutch, and even the pulley, to 10k rpm)!
My old motor out of the car
Some pics of the assembled Motor (my favs...it looked so pretty on the stand)
Ok ok ok...so what did it make?
Dyno Sheet:
This is on pump gas, done yesterday in Norwalk, CT. I've known the owner of "The Shop" for years, and he was good enough to fit us in on short notice right after the holiday. For those who don't know this place...you might remember a certain black 911 TT that duked it out with Turbo Tito (white 911 TT) back in the earlier days of import drag at E Town? The car is owned by the owner of "The Shop".....they do some insane builds there. Tuning was done by another good friend, Junior Barrios, whom I've also known for a long time. One of the best tuners I know, listens to exactly what you wants, and does it right. I have recommend a ton of our local NA and FI customers to him, and all have walked away with terrific results.
Anyway, here is the sheet:
As you can see from the sheet, it pulls very, very nicely, from about 3500 to redline, which is currently set at 8,000. The tune was done on pump gas. It also was insanely humid yesterday too, so I am looking forward to going back as we test more parts for the car, and hopefully get a bit cooler of a day with lower humidity, just to see the results
What does it feel like? Compared to where it was before (268 whp), it's a completely different animal! It pulls with reckless abandon to redline, and just loves to be rev'd out. Power is also very very linear...it just keeps pulling. The combination of the lightened internals, the lighter clutch (saved about 25 lbs there alone), the lighter pulley, and the 3.9 gears is an absolute BLAST!
Anyway, that's what I have to report so far. In the upcoming weeks I plan on testing a new throttle body, and I am very much looking forward to putting the Cosworth intake manifold through it's paces. I'm now determined to see what can really be unlocked from the motor having met the goal for round 1. My overal "cause" won't change...I want an absolutely streetable car, that runs on pump gas, with good driveability characteristics, but with a substantial increase in power. The NA game is very time consuming, as it takes alot more research, and sometimes alot more work than going FI, but I welcome the challenge, and hopefully, what we find will benefit the community as a whole. In addition to what you see above, the car has undergone a complete remodelling, with new wheels, new brakes, new body kit, and I'll be showing pics once the paintwork is complete (we're starting prep work this weekend with any luck). I am hopeful you guys will like the final result...as I picture it in my head, I think you will! Right now, I'm going to wash her down and take her for a ride.
These are the most recent photos taken back in May 0f this year...This is the second install in this car. The previous install consisted of:
- Kenwood DDX7015 Headunit
- McIntosh MC431 Amplifier
- Focul Utopia 6.5 2-Way Components (Mids in the door, Tweets Custom Molded into the stock Kickpanels)
- SEAS Lotus 10 inch subwoofer. The sub box is all MDF (no glass), and is ported.
- Tsunami 5 farad cap
- Dynamat Extreme throughout
Here are the pictures from the initial install.
The sound quality was not bad, but we knew there was definitely room for improvement.
So this time around we made some slight changes. The latest install consisted of these changes:
- Replace the Kenwood DDX7015 with McIntosh MX406 headunit
- Replace McIntosh MC431 with MCC406M amp
- New seats! (took out the red Brides and replaced them with something ultra ultra rare!)
- Custom alcantera work for certain key interior spots (more on this in pics to come)
- McIntosh sub bass controller (in the coolest spot ever!)
- Sirius tuner mounted in factory cubby (my car has no nav) with stealth mounted antennea
- Drill out factory door speaker grilles and re-wrap in windsong
- Ran new power/ground wires (now 4 gauge) from cap to amp
We retained the Focal Utopia fronts, and SEAS Lotus 10 inch sub.
On to the pictures, not the best but you get the idea...
Our thoughts...
Here are some exterior shots that are a few months old. Obviously the major difference would be the seats are black and no longer red.
Here are two videos of the car...
(This video was at 300 whp)
YouTube - Sexy 300 WHP 350Z
YouTube- Z1 Performance 320 whp dyno pull
Currently the car is down as we are making more improvements to it. We are not done with the car yet and have plans for even more NA power, be on the lookout.
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