mcduck

Since the motor was mostly apart already, it only made sense to put these on at the same time.

No problems here. Make sure you have the belt specs before install. Took me almost an hour at the local parts house to convince the "auto expert" I did not need the stock belt sizes because I no longer had stock pulleys. Eventually, I had to go behind the counter myself and find what I needed.

mcduck

Last, but certainly not least, we have the box of Crawford Z goodies!

To make things easy, let me say that we had absolutely no problems with any of the Crawford stuff. Pretty much easy install/replacements for the the stock parts they were replacing.

Can you say "BLING"? ... I knew you could...

mcduck

First up, we have this shiny little upgrade!

I did mention on another thread the secret thing was not going to add any performance... But DAMN Does it look good!

When I explained to Doug that I was shooting for some performance upgrades that could also double as neat stuff for car shows, he offered up this new item to me. I think I'm the first to get one.

All I can say is that it looks much better than I can show in the pic here, and is a jaw-dropper when combined with the polished plenum, silver UR pulleys, and polished CAI! So much shine, I have to open my hood like this...


Only thing I have mildly bad to say is that Crawford should have polished the water pump and timing chain tensioner covers as well. I'm going to suggest it and maybe they'll to that on future ones. Also, if you decide you want the shiny engine cover, look for stainless bolts before you do the install. the stock bolts look kind of "brassy" colored and stand out against the polished finish of the cover.

shil01

BLING!
I WANT THAT STRUT BAR!
Did crawford have it polished? I was thinking of buying it and polishing it myself but if the price is reasonable i might just order on done. How did you get that ft cover so shiiiny???

shil01

oops..spoke too soon.....NICE!

mcduck

If you don't know about this spiffy little upgrade by now, you really need to open your eyes. Pretty much the best thing you can do performance wise for you motor fight now if you are staying NA.

Of course, I opted for the "BLING" version to appease my car show side...

mcduck

To top things off, we have the Crawford strut bar. This really is a crappy picture... for one thing, it doesn't show all the parts.

All together, very easy to install. This is the way mine came, but I'm not sure if it is standard to have them shipped polished. As I mentioned earlier, Doug knew I was going to go mild show car route.

I imagine they can polish or coat this as you like, though...

mcduck

So there you have it... all the parts that went on my car in the past two weeks. Just got in touch with Mark... I will be getting my car back about lunch time tomorrow.

So, I should have some nice "completed" project shots later this weekend.

For those curious, next upgrades in no particular order...

- Grounding Kit
- Crawford Hi-Flo Cats (unless someone points out some better ones to me)
- TechnoSquare ECU

Definitely will be getting a dyno prior the above mods. Not sure about after unless someone wants to fund it for me...

TheBigShow

iTrader: (2)

dynoooooo, b-otch!!!

mcduck

Perhaps you misunderstood me when I said I still have not picked up my car, will be doing that tomorrow, and will try to get dynos done sometime this coming week.

Man... some people are so darn impatient!

Glasgow Smile

iTrader: (1)

That is awesome.

Post some pics once installed too.

PropaGanda

Nice! I can't wait to hear about what this thing can do. I will be so happy to hear about the first person to put 350 hp to the wheels NA. Hell, why stop there? Why not 400? THAT would be sick.

Bebopin Spike: How could you? You dismissed your namesake character for a bouncing banana? Pure lunacy...

krismax

Did you notice if your nismo cams where hollow like the stock ones?

AL350Z

I'm a little concerned with the lack of a harmonic balancer on the crank pulley. Am I correct on this?

Eric1h

Andy let me know if you need a grounding kit, i have a few made up I can give you a good deal on it. Had to make one for morris anyway.

Z1 Performance

iTrader: (564)

I would not worry about the pulley at all. These motors are internally balanced. The rubber dampener thats on the factory one is actually there to absord noise.

mcduck

My baby's back today... Have been taking it easy so far tho... the mechanic suggested a short "break-in" period for everything to seat properly. So may the dyno may be delayed for about a week. I promise I will be getting one soon, tho.

There is definitely more pull with the upgrades and you can really start to feel it just below 4000rpm... maybe around 3800.

The other reason I'm waiting on the dyno is that it definitely needs the timing and idle adjustments. I can drive the car, and it feels stronger, but the timing would help smooth the motor out.

If I can't get to a Nissan shop this week that will make these adjustments for me, I'll be ordering the TechnoSquare upgrade by the weekend. In either case, a dyno will definitely come very soon after the tuning is done.

Bebopin...
Should have some pics of the engine compartment up Monday or Tuesday.

krismax...
did not notice if the new cams were hollow, but then, I didn't pay that much attention to the old ones in that regard either.

AL350Z...
lack of harmonic balancer does not seem to be a problem at all.

Eric...
Yes, definitely need a grounding kit. Want to have silver wires. Can you hook me up on that? If so, what's it going to run me?

Wedge

mcduck..........I am really lovin' this thread of yours. Very well written, informative and extremely interesting.

I am considering a Technosquare ECU upgrade as well. At $595, it seems like one of the best "bang-for-the-buck" engine mods out there.

Have you seen this thread from another forum?

http://350zmotoring.com/forums/showt...4832#post44832

It is a pretty good thread to show the fast turn around time for the ECU upgrade.

I can understand the cost issue of the dyno runs. Have you looked into purchasing a G-Tech Pro or G-Tech Competition? These little gadgets are handy to show you increases following various mods you add on. They are inexpensive, with the G-Tech Pro selling at only $140. Here is a link to the site if you want to read their information:

http://www.gtechpro.com/products.html

The G-Tech products won't give you the detailed info of a dyno run, but if you make sure the weight of the vehicle is consistant, and you use the same stretch of road each time, these products can at least give you some idea of the increases new mods are giving you. Just an idea....

Are you going to purchase an additional ECU with the upgrades and keep your stock one as a spare or just send in your current ECU for remapping?

I am looking forward to your future posts, especially ones with pics.

Again, great job on the car..........and on the thread!

Eric1h

let me see if i can get the silver cable and I'll let you know the price. I have red and black on hand

Car sounds awesome man.

if you need a dealership to help you out, we have a very mod friendly deakership in town RPM Nissan.

Glasgow Smile

iTrader: (1)

This is why!

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/peanutbutter.shtml

Nice review McDuck, looking forward to pics and dyno.