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Sub'd. This thing is going to be sick. Hope to see it at Strats or Streets when its all done.
I am trying to speed things up with the build, but I have been super busy at work and haven't had alot of time to spend in the garage lately. I got a few more parts in, and just need to source a set of Mitutoyo gauges and I can start assembly of the motor. I will have more pics up soon...
Got the water pump, oil pump, starter, and alternator mocked up. Had the throttle body shortened and will have my machine shop lathe it for the coupler. Still waiting on my valve covers and upper oil pan (front sump), and assembly can begin. Progress is slow, but moving along.
New oil pump
New water pump
Shortened the throttle body, and it is currently at the machine shop getting lathed.
Took apart the Twin Turbo cluster and will send the frames to Brandon at BTI to trace out for custom gauges inside the two openings (turbo and oil psi):
Got the throttle body back from machining and welding. Tough to weld on dirty aluminum casting....also deleted the second throttle cable wheel (cruise control) and cleaned the entire assembly up a bit by removing unnecessary items as I will be using a standalone ecu.
Took apart the Twin Turbo cluster and will send the frames to Brandon at BTI to trace out for custom gauges inside the two openings (turbo and oil psi):
It sounds like you already have this covered but were you aware of the custom LCD information displays that Popformance makes for the Z32? This is the same electronics designer who makes the LXCC HVAC/multifunction display/controller for the SC and Soarer.
Look for "Gauge Replacement Console" on his website. It's set up for eight sensor inputs and can display three at a time in each space. It's a cool idea.
However I look forward to seeing the custom gauges you're having designed for those spaces! Soon to be far more useful and accurate than the stock Nissan boost and oil pressure gauges.
Got the valve covers and upper oil pan back from media blasting....and decided to paint them myself instead of powder coating. The valve covers came out really nice, however, I ran out of silver paint for the upper pan so that will have to wait for this weekend. I also drilled and tapped the breather holes for 1/2 npt.
That engine looks perfect now! And so clean with the could-be-factory-stock forward facing manifold. Excellent!
Thanks Craig! I'm just about done "mocking things up"....now I will disassemble everything and start the final reassembly with the pistons, rods, crank, bearings, etc...
I will be in AZ next week and my buddy Ben will be showing me his 1200HP 300ZX 2JZ swap....so im pretty excited about that. I will get a chance to learn alot about the swap from someone who has gone through it.
So, lately I have been on/off about this project...particularly the engine. I keep thinking maybe a LS motor, then maybe a SR, then maybe a built VG, then maybe a RB, etc...
It seems like every time I ride in a motor swapped 300ZX, I want that motor in my car...lol. Then, I go home....drink a bit...and then go on the internet and buy more parts for the 2JZ.
Last weeks new part, a drive-by-wire throttle body and pedal assembly off of a G35 (Nissan parts), and a badass adapter by Vlad over at NationalSpeedInc. This adapter is VERY well made, and the welds are on point. I decided to paint it aluminum and test fit it on the motor. For those asking why I went DBW....well, after talking to Vlad and other folks who have done this, it's really a great mod. No more IACV, AC idle kick up/down issues, separate traction contorl unit, crusie control delete, etc... The DBW with a proper standalone ECU will be able to not only save weight on deleted parts, but add more functionality. I really like the way this came out, and hopefully will have it integrated well with my build.
So, lately I have been on/off about this project...particularly the engine. I keep thinking maybe a LS motor, then maybe a SR, then maybe a built VG, then maybe a RB, etc...
It seems like every time I ride in a motor swapped 300ZX, I want that motor in my car...lol. Then, I go home....drink a bit...and then go on the internet and buy more parts for the 2JZ.
Last weeks new part, a drive-by-wire throttle body and pedal assembly off of a G35 (Nissan parts), and a badass adapter by Vlad over at NationalSpeedInc. This adapter is VERY well made, and the welds are on point. I decided to paint it aluminum and test fit it on the motor. For those asking why I went DBW....well, after talking to Vlad and other folks who have done this, it's really a great mod. No more IACV, AC idle kick up/down issues, separate traction contorl unit, crusie control delete, etc... The DBW with a proper standalone ECU will be able to not only save wait on deleted parts, but add more functionality. I really like the way this came out, and hopefully will have it integrated well with my build.
Very cool man,
All the engines built right make awesome horsepower you really can't go wrong if you choose 2jz,ls,cummins,rb.... even the new coyote ford motors are pretty impresive, and ofc hellcat or demon crate engines.
The 2jz was just doing it back in the day. =) but the LS motors are great you can boost them reasonably.
I did want to ask why use the Allen head bolts? I'm a mechanic and they just seem like a pain and much more prone to striping than regular hex head bolts to me.
All the engines built right make awesome horsepower you really can't go wrong if you choose 2jz,ls,cummins,rb.... even the new coyote ford motors are pretty impresive, and ofc hellcat or demon crate engines.
The 2jz was just doing it back in the day. =) but the LS motors are great you can boost them reasonably.
I did want to ask why use the Allen head bolts? I'm a mechanic and they just seem like a pain and much more prone to striping than regular hex head bolts to me.
Thanks man....I might be selling this motor. After discussing this build with ALOT of professionals out there, they all recommend I do not hack up my clean bodied 300ZX tunnel or components in the bay....very rare to find clean examples of these cars. So, I may go fully built VG30DETT or leave the car as is and wait until I purchase the R35 GTR and mod that. Right now, im "wedding shopping"......go fast parts money down the drain.
I used the Hex bolts to give it a cleaner look....more aesthetics than anything. These bolts generally are not terribly tight on the intake manifolds, so removing them in the future wont be an issue. Stripping Hex bolts usually happens due to undersized Hex bits or "softer" Hex bits.
I love nissans including the Z cars, but the 300zx is not very rare and there are lots of clean stock examples out there, especially n/a ones.
Sure die hard nissan fans will like it stock, but they are not very fast and modding a TT will cost lots of $$ for not as much fun compared to a 2J or RB.
I would not hesitate to mod the chassis and put a proper motor in there like the very nice 2JZ you have on that stand
the vg30dett is a pain to work on anything, If it were already a TT car I would still say rip it out and put the 2jz in there.
The RB25 could also be a good swap too, but the VG is better used as a boat anchor imo.
Thanks man....I might be selling this motor. After discussing this build with ALOT of professionals out there, they all recommend I do not hack up my clean bodied 300ZX tunnel or components in the bay....very rare to find clean examples of these cars. So, I may go fully built VG30DETT or leave the car as is and wait until I purchase the R35 GTR and mod that. Right now, im "wedding shopping"......go fast parts money down the drain.
I used the Hex bolts to give it a cleaner look....more aesthetics than anything. These bolts generally are not terribly tight on the intake manifolds, so removing them in the future wont be an issue. Stripping Hex bolts usually happens due to undersized Hex bits or "softer" Hex bits.
Ehhh.... I wonder who you talked to. No disrespect and obviously it will be your money and your decision to make, but what is your goal with this car?
Do what YOU want to to. Where's the fun in preserving that car for the next guy to enjoy it, or worse just keep it stored somewhere where it does not see the light of day. Do you want to keep this car for 10+ years with hopes of it going up in value and making a couple of thousand dollars on it? It's a nice car, but it ain't some rare Porsche that will be worth hundreds of thousands one day. I really don't understand how you guys put this much work into a build and just scrap it. It makes no sense at all.
I love nissans including the Z cars, but the 300zx is not very rare and there are lots of clean stock examples out there, especially n/a ones.
Sure die hard nissan fans will like it stock, but they are not very fast and modding a TT will cost lots of $$ for not as much fun compared to a 2J or RB.
I would not hesitate to mod the chassis and put a proper motor in there like the very nice 2JZ you have on that stand
the vg30dett is a pain to work on anything, If it were already a TT car I would still say rip it out and put the 2jz in there.
The RB25 could also be a good swap too, but the VG is better used as a boat anchor imo.
I agree with you 100% on the 2JZ...it is a much better platform. I talked to several Z owners who have motor swaps, built VG's, and also spoke to two very reputable tuner shops. All said with today's technology in ECU's, fuels, and advacements in turbo's, a built VG will be the cleanest and easiest route....and they are right. Contrary to what the internet says, the VG can be built inexpensively for really good power....very reliably at that. Z1 Motorsports has the full scoop on this. In the past, people dawg'd the NA VG's because they would blow them up using pump fuel with 10.5:1 compression and 17psi of boost, but now the NA's are the way to go because they are identical motors as the TT's only better for boosting because of the higher compression ratio. With E85 and the new tech out nowadays for tuning, there are 550-600whp NA-T's running fine on bone stock internals.
Originally Posted by 97-SC300
Ehhh.... I wonder who you talked to. No disrespect and obviously it will be your money and your decision to make, but what is your goal with this car?
Do what YOU want to to. Where's the fun in preserving that car for the next guy to enjoy it, or worse just keep it stored somewhere where it does not see the light of day. Do you want to keep this car for 10+ years with hopes of it going up in value and making a couple of thousand dollars on it? It's a nice car, but it ain't some rare Porsche that will be worth hundreds of thousands one day. I really don't understand how you guys put this much work into a build and just scrap it. It makes no sense at all.
I knew what I was getting myself into with this build, however, after talking to other Z owners and reputable tuner shops, they all agree that a built VG is the way to go with this car. In terms of the 300ZX's rarity, they certainly are not rare as a vintage Porsche.....but in very clean shape, they really are tough to source. I have seen a few NA and TT's out there, all of which fetch good money. Considering what I paid for this car, the resale will almost triple my profits....ive already had two offers on the car (gladly show you the back and forth PM's from Z forums). Sure, it's no MKIV Supra or Porsche....but these cars in good shape are sought after (primarily people who want to stuff LS motors in them...lol.) My goal is to have a 700HP "streetable" clean 300ZX, and I have begun putting together a list of what will get me there with the VG. Not to mention, EVERYTHING bolts up....same trans, NA diffs are actually upgrades, etc... With guidance from guys who have done this with their Z's it should be just about the same in terms of cost as what the 2JZ was going to cost me (remember, i need adapters, mounts, etc.. with the 2JZ). I don't see the 2JZ as a loss, it may end up in a future project FJ40...lol...or some other Toyota. I love staying busy when I can with cars, engines, etc... so again, I am not just scrapping it. Btw, what most people don't know (other than JimmyMac) is that almost everything I have spent so far between the SC300 and the 300ZX cost me $0 out of pocket....long story.
One thing everyone should know about me......im super indecisive. The one car I have always wanted since I was a kid and will eventually have is a GTR, that I won't change my mind....lol. Who knows, maybe I come across a decent shape MKIV Supra..... Good news is, it will have a nice power-plant waiting for it. In the meantime, the 300ZX build continues.
03-24-18, 11:13 AM
. Good news is, it will have a nice power-plant waiting for it. In the meantime, the 300ZX build continues.