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Been posting in other peoples threads and figured its time I just make my own... Had my Z since 2007, did a few track days but primarily focused on motorcycle racing... went to BMW driving school and got TRC level 3 certified for work last year and got the bug to do some car racing... Started prepping the car a few days ago. Its going to be a looooong winter. Cars current state:
Billstien pss10 coilovers
SSR Type F wheels: 245/275 x18 setup
Wilwood brakes up front, stoptechs in rear 13" rotors
SPC control arms
A/C removed
Work in progress:
Picking up lexan sheet for rear hatch and side windows
Gutting in progress
Sifting through wire harness
Prep for roll cage
The last item is what im stuck on. I was thinking of ordering an autopowerindustries weld in cage and getting a shop to weld it in and perhaps do some gusseting while theyre at it but im not sure of the quality of the cage. Heres a link to the website: http://www.autopowerindustries.com/R...350Z-2004-2009
Itd be either item 32174 $500 or 33174 $800... this could keep cost down for my build but I dont want my cage to be poor quality. Any input? I could get the cage welded in for $200-$400 bucks depending on the gusseting I add to it. I called around and a local shop that has built several cages for successful race teams quoted me $1800ish for a 6 point cage Fabrication and weld.
Does anyone have any opinions on this matter? If the autopower cages are legit i might as well save a few bucks. Any thoughts?
Don't order the autopower...just find a reputable cage shape to build one for you. I'm not sure I understand what class you are hoping to run? ST3 in NASA?
Last edited by 03threefiftyz; 11-25-2015 at 06:46 AM.
I'd make sure the cage is built for the class you plan to run it in. There are restrictions on what you can do cage wise for different classes and different clubs.
Not quite sure what class id be in exactly... I know that at this point im limited to ST or SU... from my understanding SU and ST have the same roll cage regulations. With my current power/weight ratio itd be in ST3. DE engine stock... might have to do something to get to the limit 9.0. The rules with the points are a bit confusing to me...
No points once you get to TT1-3...just meet the p/w (some modifiers in TT3 for aero/tire size and compound). There is a proposal to move TT3 to 10:1 for 2016 and lose the aero penalty (stock aero/no aero would run at 9.6:1). Unless you go bananas with composite material/thin lexan, you will really really struggle to get the car under 3000lbs coming off track with you in it....
reposting what I said in your other thread posted in the general forum.
the Pss10 is not suited for the track. The adjustors Bilstein uses are terrible. You'd think that adjusting them stiffer gives you better performance. It doesn't.
Keep them if all you want to do is toodle around with whatever else you setup will bring to the party. Need damping to help with the performance pie, your barking up the wrong tree.
You CANNOT fix the issue with a revalve, you can spend hours and hours restacking all the shims Bilstien has in it's inventory. It will be a waste of time. Get the nose you want on the curve and mid and high speed are kinda lunitic fringe. And no Bilstein does not offer different adjustors that will work. Not to mention that Bilstein now wants $200 plus per corner to revalve a adjustable shock.
IMO, pull the setup and resell if for what it is. The best comfort ride system you can by for the 350Z/G35.
No points once you get to TT1-3...just meet the p/w (some modifiers in TT3 for aero/tire size and compound). There is a proposal to move TT3 to 10:1 for 2016 and lose the aero penalty (stock aero/no aero would run at 9.6:1). Unless you go bananas with composite material/thin lexan, you will really really struggle to get the car under 3000lbs coming off track with you in it....
Thanks for the clarification. As of now I have no aero on the car. Before any work was done it weighed in at 3369 with me in it... Hoping to be sub 3000 before the cage gets installed. Still toying with the idea of removing the heater core but not sure if itll be worth the weight loss when it comes to a rainy day... Im going to cut out the speaker/storage box this weekend. I dont see anywhere I could save weight other than CF hatch and lexan front windsheild. Still have the front and rear crash bars but ill take safety over a few pounds anyday.
Have you guys pulled the gaskets around the doors/hatch? If so does it rain into the car bad? I removed a small piece on the inside where the door panel used to be and i was surprised how heavy those are... im sure all of them combined would net a few lbs, just wondering if its worth flooding the car everytime its out in the rain.
At first i was like 13 grams of fuel!?!?!? Damn you drained that shat down Then i realized standard units for fuel is gallons!
You remove the speaker box sheet metal? Worth it? Got any pictures of your interior?
The 2890 was with it in, but it will be cut out before the cage goes in as will most of the door material. That weight was with just a turn down after the xyz pipe (resonator/muffler) attached.
Damn thats low for still having that and the doors in... i wonder what mine is sitting at. I had a pair a scales at my disposal at my previous job but have left since. Need to find a place to weigh it.
Also are you running that M-brace under the car? Its right behind the trans, right where our y pipe connects? Seen a few pictures of guys with roll cages removing that... mine is pretty rusted out and has taken a few hits from speed bumps?
So decided to pull the heater core today, anyone have any insight on how to properly bypass the coolant?
Also any advice on cutting out the speaker sheet shelf would be appreciated too. NOt sure if ill have to grind it all the way around to get it off or if you cut enough out you can yank the rest out... seems to be spot welded in some places...
Also pulled the wire harness to trim it down... anyone know what the modules in the pictures are? Ill eventually figure it out by tracing the wires but if someone knows itd make my life easier so i know which one i can chuck and which one i cant (ECM ).
Cut out as much you can to get space, then use a spot weld drill bit. If you get them just right, you can avoid cutting a bunch of holes in the chassis.
Cut out as much you can to get space, then use a spot weld drill bit. If you get them just right, you can avoid cutting a bunch of holes in the chassis.
The one in the right is the ECU, the one on the left is the BCM, you'll need to retain both of those.
Guessing the instrument cluster connects to the bcm and not the ecm... if this is true I do need to retain it, if not then i wont need it because I have removed everything other than the instrument cluster...
11-25-2015, 06:36 AM
ST/SU Build
Then i realized standard units for fuel is gallons!
). 
