🔧 BUILD Single Turbo 300ZX Build

General Information

This will likely be the last z32 car I pickup. I've had the pleasure of experiencing a few different varieties of z32 cars. Stock Twin setup, mild upgraded twin setup, v8 swap and now, in my opinion, the best(i hope) of them all, equal length single turbo setup.

The equal length tubular manifold plays a large role in the sound of the engine. One example I can cite is the RPS turbo manifold for the mkiv supra. It sounds delicious in large part due to its equal length headers.

I also single turbo'd my 3000GT and had similar results. It was the best sounding car I owned ever, till it burned down last year. :(

Here is a sound clip of it in all its glory. I got more vids but whats the point of uploading them now.




Not to get too far off topic, let me introduce you to my newest project. Its a 1990 300ZX which was originally TT that's got a custom made single turbo kit on it. Here is the whole list of goodies.

Engine-
87.5 mm wiseco pistons
Eagle esp high-beam rods
Clevite main and rod bearings
Super tech valvetrain
3 angle valves
Jwt r500 race cams
Under drive crank pulley
Solid aluminum mounts
New harness

Cooling-
Custom aluminum radiator
Custom modified piping and inlet
Electric fan()

Turbo kit-
Precision 6265 billet wheel turbo
Custom forward facing SS manifolds and up pipe
Custom downpipe and straight pipe single exhaust with borla muffler. All v-band.
Tial 44mm external gate v-band
Tial Q model Bov
Custom Garrett fmic core size 24"x12"x4.5"
Custom Single TB intake manifold
75mm strip TB with mustang 5.0 TPS sensor

Fuel-
FIC Hi Z Injectors. Unsure of size, probably 880cc.
Custom top mounted top feed rails
Fuel lab mini fuel pressure regulator
Dual Bosch 044 pumps, one in tank feeding external(kicks on under boost)
Stainless lines from tank and AN fittings throughout
AEM fuel filter
Painless fuel pump rewire kit

Ignition-
AEM Twinfire 4 channel ignition amplifier
NGK-BCPR7EIX plugs
Toyota Coil on plug setup with modified connectors

Driveline-
Aluminum one piece driveshaft
OS Giken triple plate clutch
OS Giken release bearing kit
Solid tranny mount
Hicas eliminated

Engine management-
HKS FCON
AEM 5 bar map sensor
AEM Air intake temp sensor
AEM Wideband
AEM Boost controller and gauge setup

Suspension
Powertrix sport street coilovers with swift spring upgrade
Adjustable arms and bushing upgrades throughout-not sure brands
18" SSR type C wheels

The bad news? Its got low oil pressure from the sound of it and has a hurt bottom end. I have yet to throw a gauge on it but its got a faint knocking sound around 3k RPM's. I purchased it knowing what I was getting myself into. Long story short, I acquired a spare built shortblock which I intend to freshen up and throw into this chassis. I plan to use the current heads which are already on the motor which is already in the car...after getting them inspected and cleaned up by a local machine shop.

For some of the older folks, you may recognize the ancient 6265 PTE turbo and the dinosaur HKS FCON engine management system. Needless to say this car was built a long time ago. The plan of attack for the time being is to get a good healthy motor into the car, then work on getting a more modern ECU into the car with some failsafes to ensure engine longevity and reliability. The current tune on the ECU has made 600whp but I plan to just get the car going again before changing more parts on it.

For now here are some pictures. The car is super fugly. But thats part of the appeal for me, once it gets mechanically squared away, she will be getting the full treatment. Full New paint, wheels, spoiler and proper rubber. It should be pristine when its all done and it will be very unique. When is the last time you heard of a single turbo VG powered z32?

NOMIEZVR4

TCG Elite Member
May 6, 2014
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Chicago
Intel Intel

my black car has teins and its one of the best coilover equipped cars I've ridden in period. It rides like a cloud.


This car supposedly has a superior coilover setup. Powertrix with swift springs. Pretty sure 8k. They look brand new. Previous owner purchased them shortly before selling the car. It just rides like shit. It doesn' t absorb bumps well. Badly paved roads i feel every nook and cranny. What i have checked is that they are on the softest setting. Preload seems to be OK from the 1 coil I checked, i was able to rotate the spring with slight force. I messaged Charles Park from powertrix he's willing to help to get me sorted out.

However I am open to suggestions.
 

Intel

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Oct 28, 2009
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Palatine
Intel Intel

my black car has teins and its one of the best coilover equipped cars I've ridden in period. It rides like a cloud.


This car supposedly has a superior coilover setup. Powertrix with swift springs. Pretty sure 8k. They look brand new. Previous owner purchased them shortly before selling the car. It just rides like shit. It doesn' t absorb bumps well. Badly paved roads i feel every nook and cranny. What i have checked is that they are on the softest setting. Preload seems to be OK from the 1 coil I checked, i was able to rotate the spring with slight force. I messaged Charles Park from powertrix he's willing to help to get me sorted out.

However I am open to suggestions.
Charles will get you sorted, being in full soft wont exactly lead to a smoother ride as it can let the springs do all the work. 8k front isnt particularly high for these cars, although you could go softer. Was worried they had you on like a 12k stanceboy spring setup.
 

NOMIEZVR4

TCG Elite Member
May 6, 2014
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Chicago
So one thing thats been bothering me since the day I got this car going is that its always driven real rough. Almost like driving a box of rocks. Initially with no powersteering and solid motor mounts and solid transmission mount it was real rough. The enjoyment of driving the car as a smooth touring car just wasn't there.

The power steering and the coilover adjustment were all done in an effort to make the car a more tolerable daily driver and just a more forgiving car in general. Today I removed this guy off the car:
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MY GOD. This is what I was missing, most definitely the missing link. The car feels like a NEW car. All the vibrations and harshness is 90% gone. I ordered a hardened rubber trans mount along with polyurethane motor mounts, but I'm going to return the poly motor mounts because im very satisfied with the drastic difference the new trans mount has made. I'm more excited than ever now to remake this Z into a comfortable touring and fun car. BTW driving with the tops off these night weather nights is heaven...

I spoke to Charles at Powertrix and the missing link for the coilovers is the spring rates. I have 8/6k. Those are recommended for autocross/performance driving. What I need to get are 7/5k springs. That should get the car to ride like a cloud. I'm going to see if anyone is interested in buying my swift springs.
 

NOMIEZVR4

TCG Elite Member
May 6, 2014
2,019
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Chicago
Now I will begin the interior saga. One of my most favorite things about this car are the fairlady Z JDM Recaros. The driving position is just awesome and it just adds to the experience. I wanted to compliment the nice seats with a great feeling shifter and a nice steering wheel also.

I've been chipping away at it since before the car was even running, trying to knock stuff out whenever I got a chance. Now that I'm 99% squared away with the mechanical stuff, it was time to focus my attention 100% on the interior.

here is what I began with. Tweed. Lots of it. Plus ugly carbon overlay on the center console and even more nasty carbon fiber stick on the bezel.
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Pods had seen better days.
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The car came with some ugly(IMO) white faced gauges
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First order of business was stripping vinyl covered dash from my parts car, which has long gone to the crusher.
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Also managed to grab a triple pod pillar cause I was going to move the gauges in the center anyways
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The vinyl isn't my first choice but it was economical and I really hate tweed. Eventually I think ill get the interior innovations suede Alcantara kit.
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Unfortunately not all the pieces were wrapped in vinyl so I had to make a trip to Joann fabrics and luckily i was able to find something matching.
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Pulled the glovebox out as it was one of the pieces that wasn't redone. Also a perfect opportunity to move the arm truboost and wbo2 gauges.
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AFter removing the latch and lock
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Removing the tweed with a heatgun
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cutting the new piece
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end product
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Out with the old
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While I was at it, I yanked the white faced gauges and installed black faced with LED upgrade
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And while I had the dash apart, I don't know if i mentioned it but I got a solid shifter bracket from the classifieds. One of my favorite mods. the Shifter on the car feels BOSS. Absolutely love it. Here is the picture of the newly wrapped glovebox along with the double din
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Just got some radio from amazon, i don't ever plan to turn it on. My orchestra is the rear tailpipes and turbo. Its nice that it came with a backup camera though.
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So in this picture i have all the tweed out of the interior. Its mostly all together but very dirty. Now the most satisfying part, to clean it all up and make it pop.
 

NOMIEZVR4

TCG Elite Member
May 6, 2014
2,019
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Chicago
I got a nice NRG wheel and swapped the horn button for a hood emblem i purchased a while back. I think it came out awesome.
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Wasting no time..
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Also ordered some interior innovation products..new blue shift boot and e-brake boot
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which brings us to today. I'm just waiting on the clock delete plate to come in later this week but 95% of the interior is now done. Still missing a few misc trim pieces that cant be seen in pics and i need to button up some of the vinyl here and there but here is the new look. I love my new cockpit.:rock:
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I will get new mats eventually also, or in the meantime steam clean the current ones to get rid of some of the stains. Also need to clean the dash to get rid of that glue stain. The little missing chunk will eventually get fixed when I get the suede/alcantera dash. What do you guys think? I plan to have the exhaust mounted this week then I wait for the bodywork.
 

NOMIEZVR4

TCG Elite Member
May 6, 2014
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Chicago
update time: Been daily driving the car the whole summer and its been a delight.

Here is the Labree exhaust(which I sold BTW) when I first installed it. It was nice but sounded too much like the current setup, so it had to go.
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Modifying bits and pieces to make it work
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It was short lived
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Here is version 1.5 of the exhaust :) and it sounds glorious!
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Here are some candids of the car after its first ever wash given by yours truly. It actually looks clean, poor thing hasn't been washed since I took ownership of it in March/April..
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Its actually got a little pop to it
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Shortly thereafter I began swapping the 8/6 springs for 6/5. Unfortunately, I'm not happy. Illl be selling these powertrix coilovers for much nicer riding(for the street) Tiens.
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I also rolled the rear fenders while I was at it and test fitted the new wheels.
Rears will need some massaging to fit but should be doable.
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Fronts are flush
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Some randoms..in all its ugliness. Soon this will be a thing of the past.
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NOMIEZVR4

TCG Elite Member
May 6, 2014
2,019
3,897
Chicago
and finally just recently I have begun installing the cosmetic items onto the car. Wanted to get it out of the way so it would be 1 less thing the bodyshop would have to do.

Got a rear diffuser and 94+ OEM spoiler. Took too long to get these mounted...much longer than I had anticipated.
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Finally after some trimming I put on the JDM bumper i ordered a whileee ago
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Last thing I'll be putting on is the side skirts. Hoping to get those out of the way this weekend. Since the weather is now starting to cool off a bit, the car should be going to the bodyshop soon for its final makeover.

and here is the current exhaust sound. I ordered dual 4" tips and I'll be welding some piping to them(custom axleback). Should look awesome when done. I loveee the sound.

 

NOMIEZVR4

TCG Elite Member
May 6, 2014
2,019
3,897
Chicago
so last time I left off, i began installing some of the body panels that I purchased. The only thing not pictured were the side skirts. So lets pick up from last time.

here is how the car sat
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as mentioned, i purchased tien Flex z coilovers. Im much happier with the ride quality vs the powertrix. Surprisingly they came in early. Out with the old, in with the new.
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These guys were put up for sale and are gone :)
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The next major hurdle was setting the alignment in the rear so my wheels sat flush with the fenders. Here I am doing an alignment and adding some camber to achieve the result I was looking for. Once the paint is done, I may do some final tweaks but I'm content with how its going to sit with the new wheel setup.
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Off topic, went on a little cruise with my other Z and happened to snap this pic
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Final thing that needed to be done was the exhaust. I purchased tips a while back and finally had them installed.
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Once it gets proper wheels on it, 10.5's out back along with everything else in place that ass should pop
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NOMIEZVR4

TCG Elite Member
May 6, 2014
2,019
3,897
Chicago
work is moving along..a bit slower because my car isn't a huge priority, but progress nonetheless. As of today, its fully sanded all around and ready for primer.

purchased a twinZ front lip to match the side skirts. Hard to see in the picture but once complete, it will be painted gloss black along with the fog light ducts and hood vents and rear diffuser
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Front bumper and lights have been removed and hood prep has begun. I purchased some vents to cover up the DIY hood vents

here is the current setup
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New hood vents. Nothing fancy just from amazon, the sizing matches pretty well
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Rear bumper also removed and just about ready for primer now
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were going to make a mild cowl to replace the hump in the hood.
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that's all for now, but the good stuff should be coming soon :cool:
 

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