Hey guys. I'm planning on getting myself into a 350Z somewhere in the next 6 months or so. Some may think I'm jumping the gun with this thread, not even having the car yet, but I have wasted money in the past by not planning out builds so I want everything out in the open so I know exactly what I'm getting into.

Alright, the ultimate goal is to turbo the Z (get the car in 2012, boost in 2013). I read the DE vs. HR thread and it reinforced my belief in wanting to get the HR. I'm very interested in the single turbo that I just saw from S&R. Pending further details and what not, that would be an ideal setup. The car will be an Automatic. I'm not sure how much power the stock auto will hold, but I assume it will need some work to put the power down and will also shift faster etc.

I was originally looking into getting a DE with the Momentum kit (seems to be very well built). This is still an option. From what I've read, the HR will withstand more power without modifying the block. Either way I go, the car will be a street car for 99% of it's life, with occasional trips to the strip. This means pump gas. Don't really have a set power goal, but I'd like to get every bit of power out of 93 octane without pushing it to the limits of longevity.

Sorry for the wall of text, like i said I'm trying to lay out my entire plan before I commit to the 350z. Any opinions, knowledge is appreciated.

 

dont buy a Z with the intentions of boosting it. Buy a car that is turbo from the factory. or one with alot more cubes and stay NA.

 

Good luck on the car hunt.

 

Momentum single turbo is a great set up on the DE.
With a AT,and no other serious mods(I'd mod exhaust etc),I'd think you would get a bit under 400hp with an adequate tune

 

+1
seriously man

I'd recommend picking up some rwd mazda and swapping in a 2j or lsx. A fcrx7 is cheap a sh*t, an fd rx7 is sexy and affordable, and rx8's sh*t themselves easily too. As long as you pick one up with a blown motor they won't cost too much. Then just go NA with an ls series or FI with a 2j. Either way you go, you'll save yourself money, probably have a faster or more reliable car or even both, and you can make it handle/look just as good, or likely better.

The z33 platform is not very boost friendly. And if you do decide you must go 350z, IMHO go DE. Unless you intend to keep the engine 100% oem and just bolt on a kit, then I could see HR being a good choice. Either-way, go pick up a vette, supra, evo, early gen viper, camaro, cobra, honda (those s2k's can actually take quite a bit of boost on stock block), 300zx, GTR (if you can afford it! ). Hell an is300 can make for a WAYYY better boost beast than a 350z.

 

I was actually considering a couple different cars. I was set on getting a Lexus SC300 and swapping in the Supra turbo motor. The SCs are dirt cheap and Supra parts are everywhere. Then I had the idea to do a LS1 240sx which I wouldnt need to boost bc the LS1 with full bolt ons will have plenty of power for a car that's only about 2800lbs stock. I had always wanted a Z since I got my first car, but just never happened. My only issue with getting the SC or 240 is that I will have to replace a ton of stuff. I was quoted about $4000 to swap in the JDM Supra motor into an SC. So I can find an SC for like $3k, buy the motor and trans for like $3k (JDM ones are cheaper to buy up front, but require additional wiring to install), and $4k for the swap. So, for about $10k I could have a stock Supra essentially.

 

Will you be doing the work yourself? If so, find a host car that has a ton of room under the hood. The 240sx is a great platform just not very unique. Guys stuff any and everything in those cars but the space under the hood is ridiculous for such a small car. I had an SR swap and you could pull and re-install the motor in about 4 hours. I don't know a lot about Supras but buying a motor that is boosted from the factory will take you much further. Guys routinely made 500+ whp on the SR motors. 8.5:1 compression from the factory with Iron sleeves, DOHC, 7500RPM limit, impressive motors.

The reason I ended up selling my S13 was because of the age. They are just old. I wanted something a bit more modern to build so that is why I ended up in Z33.

 

OP if you really want a Z and you want to boost it, just understand that there are lots of other "little" things that will come up with a build, so it could get pretty costly in a hurry. I love my car, and wouldnt trade it for just about anything, but i've put a lot of money that I never intended to put into it lol. I will say that if its what you want, go for it, there are a lot of guys on here that have a lot of knowledge about this platform and that there is also a welth of information on this forum, make the search function your friend and be sure to read the stickies at the top of the page, they are life savers, and pretty funny to boot.

As far as advice, there is a lot more parts/kits/options avalible for the DE than for the HR and like Resmarted said, if you are just bolting on a kit and running with it, the HR will take you a bit further than the DE will, but agian the DE has a lot more options as far as kit selection goes. GL and keep us informed on your progress.

 

mods for the HR are growing as most of the VHR parts are interchangeable. Theres pretty much everything available for the HR you would need outside of a new manifold if your into the look and even then you can fit the gtr manifold on it.

either way op if your looking to get a 350 and boost it budget another 14k on top of that for a stock block set up or 18-20 if you plan on building it.

on a side note i have a boosted one im fixing the head gasget on and reselling :P
( the car http://jotechracing.com/project/350z...ch-stage-5-tt/)

 

Every time I think about building an SC or 240, I keep coming back to the fact that they are just old cars, plain and simple. The 350 will cost me more up front, but the other 2 will catch up eventually with part after part needing replacement. I really enjoy my boss's 07 Mustang GT. Problem is that they are EVERYWHERE. My Dad's got a 69 GTO, and I thought it would be cool to have kinda an old school new school thing and get a new one for myself. They haven't caught my eye like a lot of imports because most domestics focus on performance over looks, but this GTO does show and go very well...hmmm maybe I'll consider them.

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u...f2e7ffb0_b.jpg

 

pontiac G8 GT's look very nice modded aswell and they have the ls2 still

 

What about a vette? You could probably pick up a nice c5 for less than 20k.

 

ls1 c5's go for 12-18k up here. the ls6 z06 c5s are high teens to low 20s

 

ls1 is a great motor, way underrated. exhaust and vortech and you are set.

But with the 2jzge platforms just get an r154 tranny (5 speed from 1j) and do a na-t conversion. No need to swap. If the compression test* checks out, get a headgasket, l19 studs and buy a na-t turbo kit.

You'll end up doing less work than on a Z for turbo, seriously. It's sometimes easier to pull the motor out, put the turbo kit on and then put it back in than it is to install in car. And then you still don't have the most reliable/easy platform.

2j is not going to break on you. And if it does, it will be cheap to replace, easy to re-assemble, and easy to find a machine shop for it.

 

wow... build thread and doesn't even have car yet, already talking about 2jz and ls swaps... what is the F/I section coming to? LOL

 

I think we are all still in a good mood from christmas and now new years...