Well I guess that I have kept my mouth shut for long enough...

I guess a little back ground is in order... I was one of Sharif's first customers back in the day when he was still tuning in NC just getting Forged off the ground. I decided to work with him because of the attention to detail he provided as well as not blowing smoke up my a$$ about what the parts he was selling me were going to do for the car. I too used to have a small shop of my own doing this same stuff for the GM J-body platform. I was featured in Sport Compact Car for a 500hp Cavalier that I built as well as Super Street for the turbo kit I was producing for this same platform. Here is a link to what is left of the article http://www.superstreetonline.com/howto/99118/

I started my business the exact same way Sharif did, on the Forums... Honestly I got to big for my own good and people started getting pissed because I could not deliver fast enough and I ultimately closed shop to work for a larger local operation that specialized in Exotics and Muscle. Now Cars are my hobby with a side job here or there...

Ok, now on with the story! After 2 years of being boosted on the stock block I finally blew the engine by snapping off the number 1 rod at the small end. I did this after cruzing the car @ 100+mph for 10min and then it let go after a 160mph blast on a back road. At the time the car dynoed at 452whp on the DD @ Forged with a UTEC, 650cc injectors, 3" exhaust, etc... I knew I was living on the edge but the thing that sucked most was I just signed on the mortgage to my new town home the day before I popped my engine! So now fast forward about 7 months...







At first I was just going to do a basic build to get the car back on the road and maybe a little more power... Yeah right! I know myself better than that! So I finally decided that you know.... I am single, no responsibilities, so lets have some fun!

So I went wit the following build:
-Cosworth 8.8:1 pistons (.020" overbore)
-Eagle H Beam Rods
-Cosworth Bearings
-Rev-up oil pump
-ARP main studs
-ARP L19 head studs
-OEM Nissan gaskets (including head gasket)
-Cosworth Heads
-JWT C2 Cams
-Fluidamper crank pulley
-AMS Radiator
-Nismo Thermostat
-1000cc RC injectors
-FCon V Pro
-FCon Knock Amp with wideband

Parts already there:
-APS oil pan
-Crawford Intake Manifold
-AAM return fuel system
-AAM 3" downpipes with wastegate dumps
-APS 3" dual exhaust
-ATS triple disk clutch
-Nismo clutch line
-Greddy e-01 boost controler

I decided that I was going to build the engine myself and worked with a local machine shop that had done all of my work for my when I was running my shop. I first had to find a short block that was not trashed... Then had them check/machine everything that was needed. Turned out that the crank actually needed to be lightened with the lightweight pistons and rods by about 85 grams if I remember correctly... They hung the pistons for me on the rods and I took over from there. I blueprinted the engine about 5 times to make sure everything was in spec. And then checked again to make sure with the ole' platigauge. All of the bearing clearances were between .00175" and .002". Piston to wall clearance was .04", dead on... The ring gaps were set to .033" top and .028" second... Kind of loose compared to the other piston manufactures out there, but I figure Cosworth knows more than I do! As for the valve lash I was able to set almost all of the cold clearances to .011-.012" with only a few exceptions +/- .002" (ended up having to order 5 new lifters with the Cosworth heads).





























The only hick up in the whole build was after everything was installed back into the car I forgot to put one of the oil galley plugs in that is right behind the alternator! I have never seen oil pump on the ground so fast! But once I got that fixed the engine started right up first try on the old tune in the UTEC. I broke in the engine after warm up by doing the medium load pulls on the highway ( and 3 heavy load) and letting the engine slow the car down to let max vacuum seat the rings. Changed the oil after about 20 miles of that and then 1500 miles later I was back at Forged to get the FCon installed and tuned...

2 days later and lots of tuning by Sharif we were able to get 548.3whp on pump gas (93oct) on 16psi of boost. Of course I was pushing for more power... But one of the things I like about Sharif, is he is not going to push the limits of what he is comfortable with. He is about making solid street power that is going to last for a long time... Next time I come back I plan on doing a water/myth kit or race fuel and see what we can so with 21-22psi... I think 650whp with this power plant is not out of the question on the heart breaker dyno



I have only had one chance to run this thing down the 1320 3 times... I really need to figure out how to launch this thing now! With absolutely awful 60ft times of 2.2 secs I was only able to get a 12.2 @ 124... I have some ideas of how I want to launch the car, but I suck if I can’t get sub 2.0 60fts on street tires. I have done it before, but 305/18 DR are on the list, along with some axles.

Thanks again to Sharif @ Forged Performance for getting me all of the parts to do the build on my own, and trusting my to bring him an engine that would stay in one piece! Everytime I go to his shop they are more than accomodating and I would reccomend (as would many many others) Forged for anything you are trying to accomplish with your car!





Let me know what you all think! I am looking forward to seeing everyone at ZDayz if I can find a room!

 

what ur crazy! nice car i like the look and the power very well done

 

very clean.

 

Thanks guys! I debated a long time about the V2 Nismo wing... But with the canards on the front it really needed something back there and that is the only wing I liked that went with the rest of the kit...

 

I'm not a fan of wings in general (although the second pic makes the wing look much better) but you do have to admit that with 540+ to the wheels, the wing is quite "functional".

BTW to the OP; congrats on the beastly build.

 

Damn, your car is just sickness.

 

Very nice! Who assembled the motor?

 

It has to be the nicest yellow Z I have seen on this forum good job.

 

i like the cars look

 

Very sweet ride in person....thanks Joe. You did a fine job putting that engine together yourself.

 

Wow great numbers on Sharif's DD! Cosworth heads?!! I wonder how much they contributed to your numbers?

 

I assembled the engine myself with the exception of hanging the pistons on the rods... All of the machine work was done at C and P machine in Fort Wanye, IN. They are well known for building high hp tractor pull engines! I know, I know... But they have been doing this for over 60 years now and I trust them to do the basic machining that was needed for this build.

So would I!!! I changed so many things with the build that it is hard to tell what helped the most... The C2 cams being there as well...

I was happy when Sharif started tuning the car was hitting 467whp off of wastegate springs alone which was 8.5psi. Not to bad considering the lower CR of 8.8:1 when the stock engine was doing 452whp @ 10.5psi on the exact same exhaust system...

I can't wait to see what this thing does on race gas and 22psi!

 

Car looks GREAT!

I would prepare youself - 'someone' may comment on the color of your RTV Silicone...

 

congrats man i love (d) the Ultra Yellow on the Z =(

 

Must be an inside joke... LOL

It is the Nissan RTV that is reccomended and included in the overhaul gasket kit...

 

i love the wing flows with the kit

 

nice car

 

Nice build.


How well do you think the Cosworth parts will hold up compared to the others?

 

Yes, inside joke - we used the same thing...

Let's see some videos of the bad boy!!!