I purchased the Z in October of 2003, modifications took place during the Winter of 2004. I want to thank Jeff for his guidance and for posting this thread, as it alerted me to many possible pitfalls associated with new car modifications. Thanks Jeff, best of luck to you and everyone else out there. Kenny

( I still don't have a clear bra...nearest reputable installer 240m )

 

Kshep:

Wow, I was checking out how your car is set up, it is sweet! Nice all around package from FI, Brakes, suspension, to wheels. You must love it? Do you have any suggestions to others after having all those mods? Maybe you could comment on how you feel about them from your perspective. Do you have any pics you could post of it. I am jealious.....

Jeff - zland

 

Will post a quick reply fro now as I am "hosting" a wedding this weekend and am about to be very busy.
I drove a '91 300ZX TT for 13 years, then purchased the 350 last October. No mods on the 300.
Initialy, the only aspect of the 350 I wanted to upgrade was the wheels & tires. I researched, found this site, found YOUR car in the wheel gallery and the ball started rolling. (Nov. '03)
I found a very reputatable motorworks shop within 100 miles, met with them and set the GOALS of the project...streetable performance and maintain the longevity of the engine & drivetrain.
I'll skip the install for now as time is an issue, but 65 hours total labor. Had some custom work done for gauges as the OEM looking pillar mounts were not yet available. I was 100 miles away and these guys are mechanics, not photographers, so no install pics.
ACP and gqmodel have some very detailed pics posted of their installs which are similar to mine.
When I delivered the car to the shop, 800 miles on her...only 1600 on her now so I'm not pushing the car at all until we reach about 3k miles. Even then I do not plan on increasing boost pressure past Greddy parameters...5.7 - 6 or so. This will give me the extra 100rwhp I needed for the tire configuration I choose and is more in line with how I want the car to perform.
The main lesson I have learned is that each modification seems to lead to another, especially with forced induction. Do your homework, pick a REPUTABLE shop, discuss the GOALS of the project and then reseach some more. New options are comng on the market, be patient and do it right the first time. We did most of that, and I am very satisfied with the results. As time and the server allow, I will post some pics.
Good luck to all...Kenny

 

I did manage to get a few pics up in the Gallery section / specific colors / silverstone...page 14 /shots of the read deck with no wiper & the HRE's

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....417#post822417

 

Kshep:

Your taste and mine are about the same. I love how understated have modified your car from the HRE 845's to the removal of the rear wiper. Nice Job....

Jeff - zland

 

Wow!! Great info!

Just bought my Z and that post is the best I have seen

That sure helped answer some questions.

Thanks Jeff

 

Thanks to all of you for the compliments!

I guess here is a shameless plug but what the heck, it isnt like I am making big bucks doing this anyways. I just enjoy doing the research and helping others. I am a teacher by profession so sharing information is what I do.

I submitted a couple of articles to SportZ that I feel you guys might enjoy, I feel they are imformative. If you like this post, you should really enjoy these articles. They are much more detailed on specific subjects. I am sorry but I cant say what they are or talk about them until they get printed (yes, I would love to talk about them but that is not the way it works). The main idea is it is written by a Z guy for Z owners. I hope you support the magazine so we can do more stuff like this. We are the only magazine deticated to Z's only so your support allows us to give specific research you wont find other places. Post on websites can be helpful but we are able to set up testing that a typical consumer cannot put the time and energy to do so.

Ok, you got the point so if you agree, enjoy reading the mag, if not, it is a free country, dont buy it, so good luck anyways.

Jeff

 

Great!
I just subscribed and look forward to reading your articles in the future!

 

I started my subscriotion to Sport Z a few months before my Z arrived on 10-16-02. I think so much of it that I will be advertising my 'Zee-Bracket' in SportZ as of their Summer issue. The addition of your articles will be one more reason to look forward to receiving my copy at home

 

Thanks guys!. Something I have been promoting is the concept of the "Z community". We are a relatively small but passionate group about our cars. We need to support each other, share knowledge, information, including vendors that provide good service etc. To me this is the higher purpose of a website like this.

If there is anything I can do to help any of you guys, let me know....

Jeff - zland

 

Excellent article.
Can much hp-gain be had by modding the ecu only?
About nos, what should I know about it--installation, precautions, maintanence, etc, before i buy a system?
And what about the nos/ecu interaction? If i add nos, will it effect the ecu?

 

Do a search on ECU upgrades. Maybe you Technosquare for a key word. Cheston another guy that posts here seemes to work with them a lot.

I know they can program your ECU for stock and then upgrade the program to mods as you add them. I believe there is a cost to each upgrade. It might be best to get the mods you know you want first then do ECU after getting the mods done.

If I remember, Technosquare is in Irvine Calif. You can call them as well. Again, do a search, read up on it and then ask more questions if you need to. I can find out more if you hit a wall and cant find out what you need to know.

Good luck,

Jeff - zland

 

Can someone explain to me how to increase the amount of boost you can handle, and what does "improperly tuned mean"?

 

Thanx, zland. It looks like you're in O'side. I'm in IB and a major Zfanatic, so I look forward to meeting you and picking your large, capable brain at some event sometime.

 

thanks for the info. i'm currently at that crossroad right now. i already have the stillen body kit, stillen exhaust, and aem cold air. wondering, what order should i go in as far as small engine or power gains?

 

Hi Jeff -

how are they hangin'?

2003 Silverstone Track (NAV & all options except side airbags)
Competition wheels and tires: Nismo 5-spoke forged 18" x 18.5" front, 18" x 9.5" rear,
with Kuhmo Ecsta MX 245/40/18 front, 275/35/18 rear
Street wheels and tires: Stock Rays forged 18" Track wheels with Bridgestone Potenza S-03 Pole Position tires, 225/45/18 front, 255/45/18 rear
Nismo Limited Slip Differential
Tilton 8 lb. Flywheel
Tilton Rally Clutch
Tein Coil Overs with Electronic Damping Control
Nismo S-tune Swaybars
Crawford Strut Brace
TechnoSquare ECU - custom flash
Nismo R-tune Cams
Crawford Plenum
Borla Headers
UR Racing Pulleys
RT High-flow Cats
JWT Popcharger Intake
Borla Dual Cat-back Exhaust
Z-xtreme Grounding Kit
Drilled Titanium Pedals
Airbag Cut-off Switch (passenger side)

 

if i get a nismo exhaust and dont have the dealer install it.. will it void my warranty?

 

To the best of my knowledge it will void the warranty on the exhaust itself but nothing voids the warrranty of the car unelss they can prove that the modification effects the parts nedding to be warrantied.

 

yea thats what i heard. i just thought it might void all my warranty from it.

 

very helpful just bought 2004 for uh my wife(lol)although she isnt into the horsepower i do and i really got alot out of you column.i never new these things were so much fun
thanks again