350Z Project X

iTrader: (2)

Alright so right now I have a 2004 350Z enthusiast convertible and am going to be selling it to buy a hard top and fully build it for drifting and after hours of searching cant seem to narrow down what year I want to fully build. (I have a friend going to the auctions next month to get a Z for me) I know the 07'+ have stronger internals for boosting, but im going to be changing out the internals regardless for high boost thats why i was still debating on going with the DE rev up motor
No matter which one i get i will be major engine work. Im just really stuck between the 05' or 07'. All ive heard is the 06' burns too much oil so im steering away from that, but need other peoples help who drift their Z's also. I drift my vert top right now but wanna get a hard top because ive loved them from the beginning and I want to do this right. Thank you for any help, Ive looked on every other thread with no solid response. anything i missed ask away please.

davidv

iTrader: (2)

I was thinking maybe the drift members in the drift forum may be more helpful with a drift build than the general membership. I know. Call me crazy!

350Z Project X

iTrader: (2)

I figured that after I posted but don't know how to move it to there without reposting it. Ill have to repost when I get on a comp. I'm on my phone

R350Zz33

iTrader: (4)

the hr block is stronger too not just the interals

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

Just cage the vert and drift it .

350Z Project X

iTrader: (2)

i thought about that but every time i see a hard top i get sad i have a vert and the vert is 300lbs heavier.
My friends uncle owns a used car lot and said he has a 2005 coming in this week so im gonna check it out. I know it doesnt have an HR but might be a killer deal since its his uncles lot

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

Once its fully gutted and caged, there may not be as much of a weight difference. Beside a vert, top down/off/removed with the jungle gym exposed is just bad ***.

350Z Project X

iTrader: (2)

haha, i thought about it today more, then something came to mind when i was drifting with the top down doing some hmm..spirited driving. There was so much S*** flying in my face when sideways. lol.

350Z Project X

iTrader: (2)

I was also thinking about when it rains and stuff cause im still gonna daily drive till i get my streetbike. Then i wont be driving it much at all

Deedilus

iTrader: (4)

Noticed no one has said anything on here so I guess I'll chime in. I daily drive my drift Z, and I all I gotta say is I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. You never really realize how much dedication you need to have to daily a competition drift car. Be prepared to fix **** non stop, always be working on it, putting paychecks into getting tires, and ride around town with door bars, a roll cage and stupid suspension.

One thing that really sucks is if you're working on it (installing new suspension **** or whatever you are doing) and you don't have a ride, you need to get the car back to neutral each night before you drive home or have to go to work. Good example of this is when I was doing my bushings; next thing I know it's 11pm, the rear subframe is dropped and the entire rear end is taken apart so I can press the new bushings in and I have work the next day at 8AM. Prepping the car the week before an event or getting **** fixed the week of an event causes this kind of stuff a lot too, you have to just get use to it and soldier through. Also prepare because 5 point harnesses suck while daily driving, haha.

As far as mods I'd say that I SERIOUSLY suggest you stick N/A until you learn the car and get extremely bored with it. You want to learn the car then do upgrades that make the car better, not learn the car then have to relearn how to drive it by putting a whole bunch of stuff on at once. These things are stupid easy to drift stock, so you really don't need much.

Rollcage
Good bucket seat
Steering wheel
Harnesses
Coilovers
suspension arms
Tein inner tie rods
Hydro e-brake
intake
exhaust
Differential (Ballin get a 2.0-way, budget either shim a VLSD or weld an open)
Lot's of wheels.

Seriously, that's all you need. A proper alignment, better suspension, and a cage. Once you get bored of that, then start thinking about upgrading your steering angle with a Powered by Max steering kit or Tein inner tie rod with spacer. After that if you seriously need it then start getting some more power by slapping some snails on it.

I'm not the best drifter, I don't have the most powerful car here, but I can get by with what I got and I'm in the same situation you want to get yourself into and thought I'd toss in my two cents. Good luck finding another Z!

Oh, and one last thing I highly suggest getting a tow car instead of a sport bike. When you start going to events a lot and start tandeming, driving to events and back without a way to tow if something goes wrong starts to get pretty damn sketchy.

Nackers

Rollcage
Good bucket seat
Steering wheel
Harnesses
Coilovers
suspension arms
Tein inner tie rods
Hydro e-brake
intake
exhaust
Differential (Ballin get a 2.0-way, budget either shim a VLSD or weld an open)
Lot's of wheels.


I would just modify this list a little. I would do as many events as possible and modify the car as I have extra cash. I to believe you shouldn't build a car to drive. I like to drive the car stock and improve on it as I progress. Though if your a good/experienced driver, building a car to drive isn't as bad:

Wheels/tires- You always need spares. Cheap **** to start and as you progress, getting better tires to help managing the car easier.

Good bucket seat + harnesses- Being "One with the car" makes everything easier. Don't cheap out on the seat or mounting it. Seat position is one, if not the most important thing to being comfortable. I'm tall so I actually cut the floor and added in 1" square stock rails welded flat to the floor and mounted the seat straight to that. Keeps me super low so I'm comfortable.

Steering wheel- Flat, Deep dish, spacers, quick release... whatever you need to do to get the wheel where you want it so its comfortable in your driving position.

Shift ****- Same as above. Worry about being comfortable so all your focus is on the driving. Everything in the interior should be exactly where you want it so your body naturally/instinctively is where it needs to be without looking or thinking about it.

Handbrake- Factory one is ****. It's a lot of work and effort, but a good working handbrake is a tool you don't want to be without. Again, get the handle to be in a very comfortable position close to the wheel so its quick and easy to grab, then find the wheel again.


When your compartment is finished you should be able to close your eyes and grab everything you need on command without thinking or guessing.



After you get yourself comfortable, I would decide what is more important to me. Suspension, or diff. Some Z's diff's work pretty well from the factory. If thats the case, get a nice set of coilovers. If it's not, get a diff first.


Suspension arms + tie rod spacers should really go together right after the coilovers. I still run on a couple stock suspension arms, but they work with my alignment. Maybe you want more/less camber... these will do that. Need some more toe in the rear? They'll do that too. Of course, the tie rod spacers will get you that little bit more angle and thats always helpful.


Here is what I consider a turning point. From here, I would decide if I'm doing well in competition to get a cage. Since they are really expensive and is a kind of mod where your not really turning the car back to stock after doing it, you may opt out and do more power to make everything easier.

Though, another thing to consider is safety. A cage makes things safer, but its expensive. If this is just a hobby, I'd wait as long as I could to do one. But, maybe its the first thing on your list cause your going to be competitive. It's hard to say from my point of view.

Once I was consistently placing top 8, I'd do power... and lots of it. Single or twin turbo kit would be my choice, but engine swap of some sort works too. Then also getting different, wider wheels with much better tires to get even more control


Now the car.

03 Base

Why? It's the cheapest and if you really plan to build it as you progress, most features your talking about now are going to be ripped out and modified. HR motors and such... you may end up swapping for a LS motor in the future. Unless you just got money to burn, buying a more expensive car with a motor thats worth a couple extra bucks when you sell it 2-3 years down the road isn't worth it. Likewise, if your building a turbo motor, the standard VQ once upgraded rods/pistons/hardware etc are done, will be about as good as a HR.

My idea is to keep costs of everything down as much as possible. With that said- importance of quality parts and installation is nothing to skimp on. If you don't know what your doing, don't risk it. Get a friend who does to help or take it to a professional.