Ok, guys. My bearings and gaskets are finally in (thanks Performance Nissan!) so the spare block I bought should be completed very soon. However, I'm starting to have second thoughts about this whole thing... I've dumped a veritable shitload of money into this car (forged wheels times six, an extra rear set for the track, BFG Drag radials, PE TT kit, almost finished rebuilt motor with Pauter rods, Arias 9.0 pistons, ARP studs, Brembo brakes/rotors, Impul bumper, custom 3" exhaust, Nismo LSD, JWT flywheel & clutch, Rogue shifter, Eibach springs, camber arms, sway bars, Crawford polished plenum, Greddy Profec+eManage, RC 550 injectors, AAM fuel system, TS ECU, and on and on) but all I do every day is read reports of blown gaskets, limp mode problems, fuel problems, ECU problems etc. etc. even from people who know what they are doing. This car is my daily driver and I just want to tune it for 500rwhp and forget about it--but I know that such a wish doesn't match reality. Fact is, a highly-tuned car needs lots of ongoing TLC.

I'm getting tired of this hobby. But... but... to take the car all the way back to stock after coming so far seems crazy as well. Arrrrghhh.

Anyone want to buy a highly modified G35 sedan?!?

--Steve

 

I know anytime I've fixed up a car I go through different phases. You seem to be in the "wtf do I have for all this money I've spent" phase.

If I was feeling like you, I would probably build it, drive it for a while (a year), then dismantle it, sell all the parts, and then sell the car to get something else I promise myself I won't **** with!

Look in the for sale section, seems like there's other guys in your shoes dumping all their uninstalled parts (built motors, turbo kits, etc)...

 

Steve,

I know the feeling. It gets expensive quick and the spending and headaches never end. That's why I got rid of my Z. It was just too much of a headache and I felt like it would never end. I'm not saying to sell your car, but I hear where your coming from. Hang in there. BTW, I saw you on Cary Parkway last Saturday morning, car looks good as always.

-Bill

 

Sounds like the worse may be behind you if you've spent all the cash. The trick now is to get the right install work. Quality workmanship and conservative tuning can make a world of difference.

My 2 cents...

 

I only saw one guy in the classified and he is selling his stuff because he is having a baby.

Zimbo,

I know how you feel. My motor is currently being shipped to SGP for the build. When it comes back I plan buying everything else I wanted for the car including a body kit. I am about to drop another $17K on top of the $19K I have already. Add that to the $35K I paid for the car and I could have bought a brand new Z06 and had left over money. I try not to think about it and all that matters to me is that I am happy as ***! You can't put a price on happiness

Funny thing is when I bought the car I told myself I was not going to mod anything except the wheels......I am sure you know, one thing led to another.

 

Zim, hang in there. You are right...once you start pushing past 550whp, then just start to break apart, regardless of how well the motor is built. You cant expect a highly tuned 600whp+ motor to last for 100K miles.

But, I think if your goal is a reliable 500whp, that is easily and safely doable. Personally, I know my car can make much more power, but I just dont know how long that will last. So I am going to return my car for less boost..with a goal of 525whp or so, and a comparable amount of trq.

Don't worry about limp modes...that only happens with TS Reflash, SC's and very high boost levels. If you scale injectors with eManage, you will not run into this problem.

Best of luck.

 

Bill, it's good to see that you're still perusing the boards. I was bummed that you sold the 350Z but now I can *totally* see why. At the same time, RPM is *really* close to being done with my block and I can't really see myself just selling it without at least trying it out in my car for a while

Thanks for the support, guys. Fingers crossed. Seriously, if I can get this engine swapped, get the car tuned, and hit an 11 second track run I'll be perfectly happy to part out the car and go back to a Corolla and feel like I got my money's worth. It's been a very fun learning experience despite the headaches and stress.

--Steve

 

There's four or five guys selling built longblocks and turbo kits.

 

Can you point them out I just saw 2 stock blocks and one forged.

 

let me know if you are selling a built block--i wouldn't mind having an extra one

TODD

 

Zimbo, they should have a dedicated counseling section in this forum for those of us who have gone over the top with this car. Even if it is your daily driver you can enjoy it without worrying too much. You have done everything the "right" way, and although that is no guarantee against catastrophic failure, you have taken the precautions. I agree that you cannot put a price on happiness and as you blow by one Z06 after another you will remember why you did all this. Your car is vastly different from 99.9% of the cars on the road and that comes at the price of headaches, money and time. In the end, the memories will be worth all the above.

 

nicely put...tear...sniff...sniff

 

I actually had all of the money assembled for a built block/TT kit last October - but I told myself that is not the direction I want to take with this car (esp. since I'm eyeing the GT-R for '08) - instead, I decided to buy wheels/tires and put the rest into various renovations in my house - and let me tell you, I'm very happy with the decision... so now I'm going to wait until the Holidays and then buy one of the APS kits (I'm going to see what the ST kit can do before I drop an extra $2k for the TT) and be happy with a safe 400whp and hope that the car lasts another 2 years...

I guess I'm happy I came to the same conclusion as you, Zimbo, except I was fortunate enough to NOT have spent the money on it before I did... Good luck with whatever, and remember - the time is coming for big HP VQ cars, but we're still newborns in the scheme of things (learning as each new step is taken and we fall on our a$$)...

 

Amen, brotha!