ZacksLifestyle

I know what you're thinking. "Another boring build." Yes, it will be a basic b!+©# build. Anyways, I just wanted to make a thread of my progress as I've seen many other people do. I'm also going to try to use this forum to learn along the way as I'm only 22, so thanks for your patience.

I work at a Nissan Dealership as a service advisor so I have access to repair manuals and factory information, as well as Nissan technicians on speed dial. I don't have much info as far as aftermarket support goes, but that's what this is for. My girlfriends grandpa also builds motors for a few of the cars at the local dirt circle track and has been for 40+ years, but those are mostly old Ford and Chevy engines. So we're both going to be learning on this build. Other than that though, I'm pretty much on my own.

I currently have the front end off of my 2003 350z including bumper, radiator, etc. However, with the HOA in my neighborhood, I can't have the car at my place, so I have to keep it at a storage unit. So that has hindered my progress. I bought a spare motor for it that I'm building first and swap it in once that is done, which should be relatively soon. I have it apart and will be tanking it Tuesday (10/27/20) and will have the machine work and re-assembly left to do. I am just waiting for the cams w/ springs and valves to come in.

As far as my goals go, I'm wanting a somewhat reliable 500ish rwhp on pump gas but ultimately around 600 on e85. Wiseco 10:1 pistons, Eagle rods, JWT C8 cams and springs, Tomei (+1mm) valves, pathfinder cooling mod, OE gaskets, HR head gasket w/ mod for gasket, billet girdle, OE timing chains/guides/water pump, revup oil pump, oil pan spacer, ATI super damper. Most of the cooling will be supplied through Mishimoto: radiator, fans, oil cooler, etc. and then I was going to go with the HKS supercharger kit from Z1 with 100mm pulley and 1000cc injectors and just upgrade the fuel pump. I am very open to suggestions though.

bealljk

iTrader: (13)

welcome to the forum and thanks for starting a build thread

This thread has some really good information and you can learn alot by reading what others have done. Look up OldmanZ (Tim Rod) build, check out Conway's supercharger build, and Otaku's build thread.

You wont need to reinvent any wheels and just do what they did ...

500hp to 600hp is completely reasonable

Did you already buy your parts??

If not, swap out the eagle rods for something stronger.

Dont bother doing headwork/valve work, it's very costly and isnt necessary for your hp goals.

I would go with a mild'er cam ... you'll sacrifice top end but you'll gain tons of drive'ability and tune'ability. A C8 272cam is great for high-reving NA builds but get something calmer which will still flow perfect for a FI application.

definately add an oil cooler and I'm not a huge fan of Mishimoto, you can do much better for less money.

Dont use the HKS kit ... not many people use that kit and you'll be better off using the Vortech kit ... much more and much better information is available for the Vortech kit.

you'll need a return fuel system - look up CJ Motorsports

How are you going to tune the car?

You'll need to upgrade your clutch and flywheel (JWT makes a great kit for a great price)

consider a plenum spacer, it'll help flow more air and you could trim your front intake runners

add wideband O2 sensors

ZacksLifestyle

I bought the rebuild kit from Z1, it seemed the easiest as far as the pistons, rods, and gaskets go.

On the head/valve work, I'm getting the work done for free and my gfs grandpa is teaching me how to do it all, I just have to help him with other stuff he can't physically do anymore since he's almost 80. I just have to buy the parts, so I figured I might as well.

JWT C2 cam then? I haven't bought the cams yet but are next on the list.

Mishimoto actually hit me up on Instagram and sent me 35% off code so I was going to use that for all the cooling parts

I was looking into the kits on Z1 and the HKS kit came with 1000cc injectors vs 600 w/ the Vortech, so that's why I chose that one, but other than that, there was no reasoning behind that one. I'll update my list to the Vortech kit.

I know I'm going to have to upgrade the fuel system(especially for e85), but I wanted to focus on the engine parts now and then dive deeper into the fueling situation.

The vortech kit from Z1 comes with Uprev so I was just going to use that and tow the car to Kansas City(3 hours away) to have it dyno tuned by a company that my buddy uses for his cracked out Honda.

I'm keeping my eye out for a CD009 trans in my area under 800 but they're far and few between around these parts.

I got a plenum spacer with the engine I'm rebuilding, I hadn't seen anything saying I should or shouldn't use it with the supercharger, so I'll probably just throw it on there.

Wideband O2 sensors noted.


Questions for you if you're not too busy:
JWT C2 cam instead of C8 cam?
Do I need to upgrade the oil pump gears?
600cc injectors does not seem like enough for e85, correct?
255 lph also not enough, correct?
Is the 75mm throttle body worth it?
Most of my shopping is through Z1. Is there another site I should be looking into other than FB/CL and conceptZ

OldManZ350

iTrader: (23)

Welcome Zack,

IMO, Don't waste the money on oversize valves for 600whp, stock heads flow just fine for that.

And if Set on a Supercharger, Vortech is the way to Go!

TimRod

0taku

iTrader: (5)

1. Drivability vs a little extra power. I opted for the Tomei 256/256 for that reason. (Proved moot with the OS Giken Twin Disk clutch, shot myself in the foot there for normal street driving)

2. You should do just fine with the Revup Oil Pump if you don’t plan to go beyond 7k rpm.

3. I went from 550cc to 1000cc up to 2200cc from changing power goals. Building for E85 can get costly on the fuel system especially with a supercharger.

4. 255 will not be enough for 600whp on e85. (You might need a 340 for pump)

5. Hard to say, I have it and I’m still confused if it made any noticeable gains on high boost. (NWP 75mm is cheaper on their actual site vs other retailers)

6. Half my parts were either new or bought used from here. The marketplace was a bit better back then.

bealljk

iTrader: (13)

I would drop down to a less aggressive cam ... I run the C2 and my cams are not my limiting factor ... the supercharger will be the limiting factor at / around 18psi/20psi

go with the RevUp oil pump

Dont go less than ~1000cc injectors ... look at the ID 1050x ... they are rated for E85

no, keep the OEM throttle body - wont be your limiting factor.

I like Z1 and Concept Z

Read OldmanZ,Conway, and Otaku's threads ... theyre the godfathers of the VQDE Vortech setup ...

DarkZ03

iTrader: (11)

From what I gather 340lph is not enough for e85 at those levels?
I would second not going for valves, I want them for my car but I'm looking to get the most I can out of the HKS kit. I for one like the HKS over the Vortech but can't deny what Beall and the others said, way more Vortech builds out there....main reason I don't want it lol. I also second what Beall said about the Mishimoto stuff, both the Z1 or CZP coolers would be better.

DarkZ03

iTrader: (11)

Oh and if you do want valves just get BC, pretty sure you can get valves/springs/retainers for about the same price as the Tomei valves.

0taku

iTrader: (5)

A great investment would be a larger crank damper/harmonic balancer. I would probably recommend the Ati unit vs the Fluidampr. (DO NOT get a lightweight crank pulley. It does a lot more harm than good)

OldManZ350

iTrader: (23)

A 340 pump is god for about 600whp on pump Gas, you will need 40% more flow for E85

Conway_160

iTrader: (1)

As the rest have said. Just get yourself a 485 or 525 the price difference between then and a 340 is minor. And what it takes to install them is all the same.

0taku

iTrader: (5)

How available is E85 in your area?

ZacksLifestyle

There's an E85 pump about 2 miles from my house. SUPER convenient and reliable according to the car groups I am in from my area, I see that pump tested about once a week.

ZacksLifestyle

I just got the ATI crank damper, billet girdle, and oil pan spacer in the mail today

ZacksLifestyle

Update 10/30/2020: We were going to bore & hone the cylinders but needed a torque plate. I could not find anyone that rented them out and actually had one that wasn't torn up and they actually had on hand. Also did not want to spend $800 for something I'm going to use twice. My machinist (gfs grandpa) has a buddy that owns a cnc machine shop and he's going to just make one based off the head gasket. So we'll see how it turns out, I'll let y'all know.

Conway_160

iTrader: (1)

Zack, a torque plate isn't as important on a open deck as it is on a closed deck. As long as it is close and sets flush on the sleeves you should be fine.

ZacksLifestyle

I saw you had a thread about whether on not it was necessary and I've seen other threads about it. I decided I'd rather be safe than sorry. Had I not had someone that can make one, I would not have bought and would've just raw dogged it.

ZacksLifestyle

Also, I was looking for more info on the supertech block guards, I wasn't sure if I should get them or not. I tried looking for threads on it but I couldn't find very much info on them on here, but I may also not have looked hard enough. I watched a video of someone explaining them while building their vq motor but they spent about 3 seconds talking about it and said some people said they were good and some people said they were not.

https://www.z1motorsports.com/engine...d-p-11737.html

Jim Stephens

Following. About to do a Vortech V2 install, but without the engine mod and with a 375 to 400hp goal. I am setting up to run E85 as well. Using 750cc injectors, 340lph AEM pump, 34 Setrab row oil cooler, CSF radiator, cold plugs, Larger intake tube (3") so I can use the OEM MAF, uprev software, VQ motor. My plan is to do this build, learn, and enjoy the car. Then maybe build a new beefed up engine separately down to the road to be used. I have always want to learn how to do that. Good luck with the build!

0taku

iTrader: (5)

If your target is 600 on e85, you’re wasting your money on that imo. All the people I met with 800+ on their VQs still run the stock blocks. (No guard, no sleeves, no girdle)

Personally, my pursuit to 900 doesn’t involve any such upgrades either.