Sounds awesome! But there is a big lingering but...

haven't updated this yet. Seems not many people really check it anymore. Facebook is just easier to update, and more people seem to check it out.

But the car continues to try my patience. Although it's likely my own fault.
Ever since round 1 at CSCS I have been complaining of a lack of a feeling in increased power. And perhaps rightly so everyone has said I've changed a lot and it I might not be feeling it right.

I've looked at data and in a straight line last years car is very very very close to this years car. Despite this years car being about 100 pounds lighter and originally having 50 whp more.

So I picked up a few more parts like an UPrev GT MAF, R35 GTR injectors, Walbro 255 fuel pump. Installed them and went off for the retune.

But we could only muster maybe 280 whp. So something is definitely amiss. Sasha at onpoint dyno worked tirelessly in the heat to try and get more out of it, but it's only 280 whp. He put in tons of extra time. Lending his expertise. I started the car. He ran over "Shut it off!" he detected a misfire within seconds and saw where the my mechanics assistant had pinched the oil filler shroud in the plenum making a vacuum leak. He also found another mistake where they had hooked the intake up wrong.

The car makes no smoke. No noise. No hesitation. Just not making good power.
Numerous theories came up but in my mind the one that makes the most sense was that Sasha proposes I missed a shift. Which the more I think about it the more I did. On the shake down day at Centralia air port, before round 1 of CSCS.

That day I got dirt in my eyes and I remember accelerating and going 3-2, instead of 3-4. And it wasn't just dirt. It was airfield dirt mixed with metal shards. I needed two procedure on back to back days to get the metal out of my left eye. I thought I saved it and clutched in, but, I do remember missing that shift and the engine revving up higher than I'd ever heard it rev before.

I originally thought nothing of it because the car still sounded and ran great. I think that attests to the quality of the build. Even at this tune the car ran and sounded like a BAMF. But with the enormous cams Sasha said, a missed shift can bend the valves. And without those sealing, compression is affected, and there goes the power leaking right out the valves.

Unfortunately right now the car is a BAMF that's only making 280 whp. So it's in for a leak down test. I don't know how much this will all cost to fix.

I have debated on parting the car and just picking up something already built.
Jimmy K's JRP RX7 seems to make a lot of sense to me. The main thing for me is that it's already caged. Which is where I want to take the Z. But like everyone else I don't want to part with the cash.

So a friend is testing the Z's motor this week. I will probably limp into round 3 at DDT and put in a time to keep my championship lead. I know CSCS doesn't really mean anything to anyone. But the way I see it. This is my level of competition right now. And I want to win if I can. That's my nature.

If it's not an outrageous fix, I have decided I will fix the Z. Get it to where it always should have been. If it's running properly I remain confident I can take a whole bunch of time out of my 1:20.1 at TMP in round 1. Once again who cares? I do! I have an obsession with seeing that time fall hard. I remain confident I can beat the existing Super Street record of 1:17.6 with some time and a strong running car. If other people show up and take me down in cars with 430+ hp so be it. But I want that time in my pocket.

If the car is just going to be an outrageous fix, I might just cut my losses. Part it out, which I am dreading, thanks to the flakey nature of the East Canada buyers, and campaign that JRP RX7? Which would be a crap ton more money. But. Would probably also be pretty awesome.

But it would have to be a really outrageous fix. Because I like the 350Z. I want to see it whip some RX7 and Corvette asses, what with all there fancy power to weight ratio and suspension geometry. pffft who needs that crap. 350Z!

 

Depends what your goals are mate. Do you want to go as fast as possible? Don't drive GT cars, they cost a lot more to go as fast as an actual race car. Do you want to win CSCS? Well it might be worth buying a built car for that.

You will never see your money back for the Z, no idea what you could expect but there are not a lot of boy racers left. you are in a tough spot though, to either keep chasing the little bit more you can get out the Z (why stop at 90%) or move on. That said I wouldn't recommend getting into another time attack car. go race cars for real. Radical Canada is starting up, lots of strong open wheel series already going on, and all of those cars are faster than a Z or RX7 would ever be.

35k gets you an SR3
http://www.racingjunk.com/Sports-Rac...dical-SR3.html

and will run low 1:20s at mosport, which is faster than I've seen just about anything go around there with doors.


If fast is what you are looking for...

 

Sorry to hear about the motor, why not just run it out the rest of the season? Decide later. Have fun, try and win your TT group. Just get some last enjoyment out of the Z you know in and out already. There are always other track cars for sale.

 

35K for an SR3! woot.

 

If you damaged the engine then you need to accept that and fix it. It might be tough, I've been there.
To sell your car at this point and spend a boat load on a "ready to go" car will double your investment basically, and how reliable will the new car be? Also all your time invested.
Maybe your z someday will be caged and have 430+whp?

 

don't ditch it...it's too easy, unless you want to focus on driving and not tuning.

 

I somewhat agree with you. But this 350Z was always supposed to be a learner car. I've always had big dreams of racing other things. I would see bills mounting to more than what I can part the car out for starting to become an exercise in cost/benefit analysis. The Z will never be taken to that level. Like Rob said. The Z has to compete with the reality of already finished cars like Radical SR3's and my dream cars like Porsches limiting it's budget.
You've hit the nail on the head. Just personal preference. I do not enjoy wrenching at all. I know 4 out of 5 guys do but I just don't like it. I enjoy tuning in that I like watching small adjustments at the track affect handling and laptimes, but I wish I didn't have to make them. I'm kind of a princess that way. I just want to drive the car as fast as possible.

 

Whats a valve job cost $1500? The bottom end should be ok? You could try a UOA used oil analysis. See if you screwed a bearing or if theres piston ring material in the oil.

 

bottom end looks great. yeah I think I am looking at 1500 - 2000. but will wait for final word.
plan on limping through round 3, then trying for time at round 4 and 5.

who knows maybe the motor is fine and there is some weird explanation for all of this?

 

280whp is pretty good you can still have fun. And your car is light.
It would have to be either fuel, spark, or compression. Pretty much.
If Sasha didn't notice anything tuning it then might as well keep giving er'!

 

I've been going through the same process. Having fun and then breaking. And the more exotic I've made the car, the more often I'm broken down. Sometimes it's been my fault like a missed shift, other times it's just plain bad luck. But then there's the rush of when it's working well. Whatever you decide, make sure you're having fun. And you might start wrenching ...
Jim's car - you should absolutely go for it. It's too tempting for the rest of us to have it on the market!

 

Exactly.

 

Get it fixed asap Mike. More pwr will break things. I destroyed 3rd gear Friday and can't wait to get a new CD0009 transmission.
I sure sounded good when Sasha was tuning it I had to plug my ears each time it was so loud. I would not risk going all out though, if you feel the need to run it before you can get it fixed.

 

Glad you havent sold yet ^^.

 

I just had a root canal done and enjoying the vicodin the doc prescribed me. I thought of you when I popped my hydrocodone lol. I am jelly of your garage and the lift in particular along with your prescription writing abilities . I am half way through my script

 

I think you have put too much focus on a laptime. There is still a lot of progress and learning you can do with the car, look into GT sprints. A cage, battery kill switch and a weekend school in the spring and you can run door-to-door racing. You could get another couple of years there and it would be a whole new ball game. That is the next logical step IMO, time attack makes you a good driver, but you need to learn to race.

Are you running CSCS this weekend? CASC regional races will be happening at the big track next door, free to get in, walk around the pits and check it out.

 

http://www.casc.on.ca/roadracing/roadracing_tickets

To ensure you don't get stopped at the gates, here are downloadable tickets. There's no question, wheel to wheel raises the bar. Don't give up on that platform yet!

 

Leak down and compression tests passed with flying colours!!! Weird!!!

But good and cheaper