luv350sass

I never did my own work on my cars and had an evo and 240sx. I havent had a fast car in 5 years and just got a 78k mile 2003 350z. Im very happy and always wanted one.

Im off to a bad start though. I want everything in the world and have no money too lol. Im still going to put expensive quality parts in this thing. My goal is to have it be a road beast. Perfect for autox / road racing, but not conforming to any qualification rules for classes..

but instead of changing suspension first. The trans is screwed and takes minutes to get into reverse. a little grinding in other gears. It also had a redneck straightpipe.. and some mushroom looking single pipe air intake.

So i took out a 5k dollar loan i have 3 months to pay or its way more and got

1. brand new cd009 trans

2. lightweight flywheel and clutch

3. tomei exhaust.


So heres my questions

1. My landlord has a lift at a shop he uses sometimes and claims to be able to do my transmission and exhaust for cheaper. Given my financial situation it seems great. How much can be messed up installing trans? How smart of a tech do i need if i really care about this car? If he does mess something up will it be easy to pinpoint and fix? I plan on maybe even getting a beater and putting this thing on ice in garage. and on next engine boost it... so big plans in far future. For now im in rental, and its about to be my daily driver..

2.computer management off the rip or tune? The only quote for tune flashed to stock ecu so far was high and on dyno. 1000 plus 100 for license. I want engine management someday. maybe aem? or is something better than aem. I guess im going to wait for the trans parts to be installed before tune. Im going to try to do this all quickly and not run it like i want until after tune. stick to low rpms..

3. I know wrong section for this but i love how car handles and the thing came w suspension bottoming out on bumps and they said it had a few new parts and rest in box to make it great. and they are stupid kids.. It looks like it has aftermarket control arms and they gave me a brand new rev9 hyperstreet II coilover kit. Not what id buy at all cheap crap. and i have a feeling itll be hard to dial in and not feel right. I am having it put on anyways so it driveable and i can focus on engine and trans first. Then later in game get suspension parts i want. Any reccomendations on what to tell them at shop when i have these poor quality coilovers thrown on?

4. lastly, what should i do immediately after some of these main things? Any overlooked important small mods if i want to ride high rpms alot and want it reliable? eg. steel braided lines, diff brace etc. I want this thing perfect someday.

Thanks and apologies for long post. i hope
im in right section, i felt alot of it was engine and drivetrain related.

mr. sparco

iTrader: (13)

Gotta resolve this before all else. Taking out a 5k loan to mod and repair a money pit...

luv350sass

Yes its horrible. I do make 1000 a week and only pay 540 on special home rent deal. The car rental is 184 a week though.. i think i might be able to put some of those parts on or maybe even tune too, and still pay it back. Especially, if it helps me get out of rental to use for work commute. It does get iffy though when talking big nums like having a shop do the transmission. My idea was, that this would help me have all of the parts at my fingertips. Just incase i can get it done and get out of expensive rental. It is keeping miles off my z though. My work commute was shorter, but now its like 35 miles each way. The loan is crazy, its basically interest free unless i go over my 100 days then it goes from 5k to 12k! But i know ill pay it lol, not letting that happen.

Also, is it more difficult for someone to put the cd009 in vs the stock trans since its a diff one? Just trying to stilll feel out if i should let this dude touch my z.

luv350sass

I also really think it may be a good idea for me to scout hard for a decent 3k dollar car or something to use on the side for transportation or when z in shop. After i pay off loan and get main problems fixed of course. I cant wait to hammer on this thing. I havent had it over 4500 rpms, scared til after tune. I feel like i should probably instal trans parts before tune though.

travlee

iTrader: (8)

he is already into the car more than its worth. OP, no offense... poor financial choice.

Heel Til I Die

iTrader: (2)

No offense, OP, but it sounds like you're way in over your head.

My advice:
1. Pay off the car loan before spending more money on it in modifications.
2. Once the loan is paid off, spend money on necessary maintenance items. From the sound of it, it appears the transmission needs to be addressed first. (and to answer your question, yes - much can be messed up by improperly installing a transmission incorrectly)
3. Sell the Rev9 coilovers and put that money towards #'s 1 and 2.

If you don't like 1 and 2, sell the Z. Save your money until you can afford to buy one with cash. Drive it for a while to get a feel for it and areas of improvement. During that time, put any extra earnings towards a "modification budget."

luv350sass

well i agree but im in this now and just need some other advice on how to go about it. There were some zs same price that were nicer but the people wouldnt reply and were being flaky. rental was getting annoying paying that every week and boss doesnt like when i take off work. So i went ahead and got this one w no rust and a few problems just because it was easy to get. My pay rate will also be increasing over next few years. and last car was a ford focus i had since new and engine blew at 110k even w proper maintenance but did run it hard. I just want something i like again i was dreaming about zs the whole time i had my three cylinder focus. and i think i can afford it, it will just be crunch time rn..

RENFRO

iTrader: (1)

Take your loan money and go back and pay off the loan. If you've got a decent financial situation, just save and handle maintenance items. If this is your daily and it has immediately required maintenance to be somewhat reliable, you're going to have a bad time and I'd suggest selling the car for something else.

I've had mine for 12 years and have seen several people go down the road of working on and modifying these cars with loans and credit cards. It's never worked and is never a good idea.

As said before, you're simply in over your head at this point and wouldn't recommend going forward.

i8acobra

iTrader: (6)

Fix trans, sell cheap coilovers, drive car.

luv350sass

Man i appreciate u trying to look out for me financially but theres no going back.. I do not owe any money on the car. I paid ten grand for it from a private owner, and have been saving and dreaming of 350zs for a long time. This will be one of my last chances to get a semi decent one i feel. i also already registered it. Unfortunately, that took all of my immediate funds. So i took out a 5000 dollar loan on parts that i need. Some have already arrived. I owe 4400 more on loan, even already chipped at it once. The loan has no interest, or insanely high interest if i fail to pay back in time. I actually considered getting a c5 z06. but i would pay interest and full collision. I figured if i get a z, even if i spend just as much on it, if i wreck it maybe i cannot tell insurance and my rate will stay lower, and then get a loan on a c5 z06 lol. I thought it was actually the better financial decision and ive always loved zs

travlee

iTrader: (8)

ugh.. worse than i thought.. i was assuming you bought it for about 5-7k

but hey, if you can make it work and its your dream car.. do it

luv350sass

it is my dream car. and i do like that the body is mostly garaged thru life and seems rust free

luv350sass

Thanks for getting to the point for me! Would you trust the guy i know to change a trans? is this an install that gets commonly messed up? is the cd009 more difficult to install than oem trans? Big price difference vs one of the best shops

i also need something on suspension. it sounds like wheel wells or something scrapes when going over bumps. i was going to throw these on, but they do cost to install... and i would plan on changing them so you may be right. Im just not good at selling stuff online, and I need something now. If i do put cheap coilovers on, do you think i could ask them to do anything else like adjust it certain way, or buy another cheap suspension part? Id like to ride them for a year or less.

also feel like i need a tune but maybe not. i need to measure the piping on pre installed intake, its kind of big.

I was thinking either fix trans and throw old suspension parts and tune and drive (tough price wise if i pay good shop for trans). of course im throwing exhaust on forsure already

orrr maybe buy engine management and let trans sit in my house. and make sure its running right maybe even see if i can research how to tune myself. ive always wanted to learn. and throw on exhaust and cheap coilovers. Then just try not to park to where i need reverse and save to pay back loan on trans before install.

luv350sass

So if i drive this thing w suspension bottoming out for a few months and sounding like its scraping or something when it hits bumps, do you think it could cause irrepairable damage if i wait until i can afford better coilovers?

travlee

iTrader: (8)

could be a blown shock.. sell the coils, get some nicer shocks and change the springs later. coils really arent needed

Heel Til I Die

iTrader: (2)

It depends what's scraping- most likely the flex section of the exhaust. If you plan on replacing that anyways, then I guess it's no big deal, but eventually it will wear a hole in it which will be awful. Anything can be repaired with enough money, but it sounds like you are running short on that.

You don't need coilovers. Get some quality shocks and some springs with a rate close to OEM.

To answer your other question - the CD009 transmission is an OEM Nissan part, so install is the same.

No need to tune right now if the only bolt-on is an intake.

Why do you need engine management?

luv350sass

Well the exhaust is getting replaced this weekend with my expensive Tomei exhaust, so def dont want a hole rubbed in it. Ill def replace some suspension. I do want some top of the line suspension parts, its pretty important to me I plan on living a little in the 350z but dont want to die on a mountain.. For now no though. I will pay off this loan first. You said oem parts basically but im still probably going to throw these coilovers on. I love figuring this out and am open for more debate. Its just im so busy i hate selling stuff. i still have 300zx big brakes for 240sx in attic. and i already have the crappy 600 dollar coilovers. im hoping they will fix the issue, and be the cheapest fix for now. Im just worried they wont be setup right and i will want to change them sooner than planned.

You are making me feel better saying i prob dont need tune. If i dont, i wont until atleast after loan is paid off. Im just worried because you never know whats been done to it. I was scared to run high rpms because it seems just a tad weak, and i thought w intake i needed tune. Only reason for engine management would be that this will b a constant project. If this engine lasts long enough for me to save money or get another car, i will build next engine and boost it. and im sure there will b other mods before that. I just thought i needed a tune now, and since a tune is like 1000 dollars and i want to learn how to do it myself because its cool to me, engine management seemed like a good idea to go ahead and purchase.

On a positive note the shop quoted me just under 1000 bucks for trans and its a good shop! I can definitely do that and pay off loan! I was thinking it may be around 3k dollars

luv350sass

So are you saying coils wont really fix the issue im having maybe? You gotta remember im stubborn and theres only two options 1. put the coils on. 2. just dont use them and get something else

i mean i could post them on marketplace but i hate dealing w people and them knowing my schedule and all. I probably wont sell them for much if i do. I put a car up there and it go so annoying i took the ad down and sold the running vehicle with tons of problems for 500 instead of 2000. its almost more of a pain than its worth

edit: im also just confused as hell because i know nothing about cars just drive them.. once you get into the ultra premium high dollar suspension parts, isnt there no such thing as a seperate shock and spring? i always get confused because theres different types of suspension setups. but you make it sound like i can keep the nice shocks you reccommend. and get some top end springs later. when i thought all of the top end was coilovers or maybe air suspension? or is springs another word for coilovers?

plus this z already has aftermarket control arms and maybe something else but i think thats it. apparently recently installed, prob why the shocks blown or whatevers wrong with it.

GreyZ

iTrader: (2)

Here we go

luv350sass

ps. does anybody have a link to a thread w mod lists of peoples heavily modified cars for certain uses? i plan on changing everything on this car over time once i get funds right. i have found some stuff like was looking at short shifters and found this

"inc short shift imho.
Diff brace (Bell Raceworks), diff bushings, vibra-technics engine mounts and gearbox mount."

you all are so full of knowledge that helps someone like me. i have no clue what to put on a car to make it ultimate,and go all out