813_350Z

So after being a forum member for approximately 6 years I felt it was better late than never to introduce my Z.

My obsession (seems appropriate) for the 350z began after taking a ride with my buddy after he had picked one up in 2009. The overall feel of the car was nice and appealed to me and I quickly fell in love with it. After my then current car was stolen and stripped I soon found myself in the market for a new ride, but not just any new ride. I immediately knew that I wanted to get my hands on a 350z.

For 4 months I walked to work while I shoved money aside for a down payment and to spend time searching for the perfect 350z. I found her in mid 2011 at a local Nissan dealership. It was an '05 with roughly 45k miles on her for $17.5k. I'm pretty sure she was either a lease or owned by an older owner who took excellent care of her. Given the condition, I was skeptical of the price because it seemed low and I expected to end up with major problems at some point.

The salesman was just the type that I like to deal with, laid back, not pushy, and willing to let you look without interjecting every 30 seconds. I explained to him that the price was a bit high for me and I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it work. He said "no worries, I have to put gas in it though, no reason why you can't at least drive it to fill it up with me". We filled her up with a full tank of gas and headed back toward the dealership. He asked if I had ever driven one before and I told him no, but I had rode in one. He smiled and said "well, go ahead, drive it like you stole it"...I floored it to 100. I was hooked. The car just felt so perfect and I knew I had to have it. I was fortunate enough to have my grandma co-sign for me, though she was hesitant to. The Z's payments were $360 a month plus $210 a month in insurance, which for me was high, but I was determined to make it work. I brought her home 3 days later.

I moved across state a couple of months later with my now-ex girlfriend. We ended up breaking up a few months later and I faced one of the biggest challenges, maintaining the Z and living. I worked 18 hours a day, 7 days a week to maintain the car payment, insurance, and the $1,000 a month apartment she had stuck me with. I lived off the dollar menu at Taco Bell because money was tight and I never had time to cook. I was determined to keep the Z even if I had to live in it.

Fast forward to today and things are much better. The Z is now nestled into the garage in a house that I own. My wife and I have two other vehicles as daily drivers so the Z is only driven once in a while. My wife asked when I was going to get rid of the Z and I told her she'd be gone first lol. My grandma has since passed and her name is still on the title so the Z is more than just a car, it is the biggest memory of her I have and a constant reminder of how I struggled to make it through a difficult time in my life. She has a little bit of aging, but she still drives like the day I took her off the lot. With a new baby recently gracing my life money has been tight and I have not been able to modify the Z the way I want, but hope to be able to in the coming years. I ultimately plan to go FI, conservatively, by means of a supercharger. We will see where time and money take us.

813's 2005 Silverstone:

Engine:
Z1 Polyurethane Engine Mounts

Transmission:
Transgo Valve Body Upgrade (yes, she's a 5AT)
Exedy Technics Sports Clutch Kit
Z1 Polyurethane Trans Mount

ICE:
Kenwood DDX470 W/ Wired Reverse Camera
Kenwood speakers all around (can't remember the model)

Miscellaneous:
Hella Sharptones Horns
Carbon Fiber Engine Cover
Dodge Avenger "shorty" antennae
Mishimoto dual core aluminum radiator
Aftermarket transmission cooler

epenbecks

love the story when people can live and rise up like you. good job!

813_350Z

Thank you! I appreciate that!

rustyschopshop

The struggle is real when you put family before the Z !
Glad you priorities are right and taking car of the things that matter most. Tight finances and the love of cars are hard to co-exist. It can be done just takes more patience. Glad you are active here and can't wait to see what you do next. Pinching pennies myself toward my next mod.

jhc

Great story about resolve and determination, nice job staying focused on long term goals!

bealljk

iTrader: (13)

It’s never too late!

813_350Z

Thanks, Rusty!
I believe I am following your build so I am eager to see yours as well. I joined this forum to assist me with problems I may encounter as well as gaining inspiration from the build of others.

Thank you!



You're right. I've been following your build and seeing how many years you have been working at it mine doesn't seem so long.

bealljk

iTrader: (13)

its a journey ... Ive had more than one occurrence where a friend has told me I've put too much into the car and wondering why I havent given up? I have zero interest getting a corvette, a hellcat, mustang, etc ... the z has my heart.

And there are plenty more things I want to do with the car!

813_350Z

I agree. I've had a few times in the past couple of years where I could have scored a much more high end car for what would have been a steal. What fun is that? Anyone can go out and buy a high horsepower car. I enjoy the journey of building my own. It's custom. It is my own. I know every aspect of the car. I know every detail inside and out.

I had an Acura Integra before the Z. I bought the car for 4k and dumped about 9k in to it. It wasn't a Corvette or a BMW, but for 13k it gave a them a h*** of a run. That's where I get my enjoyment, taking the long, painful road to the same goal.

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Well, it's better late to the party than not making it. I'm a bit late to this thread, but what the hell. Your story was one of passion and owning a Z can inspire plenty of that! One suggestion: don't be in too much of a hurry to mod your VQ35DE. Remember, it earned several Wards powertrain awards for V6 design and you know it has more than enough power to get you into trouble fast! Since you're an avid reader of this forum, you know that Nissan took all the low hanging performance off the tree, so there's not much cheap upgrades to make.

Depending on the current mileage of your Z, there may be some maintenance items you could upgrade, so keep saving those pennies.

bealljk

iTrader: (13)

I also think it's 'me' … I don't 'flip' vehicles - I buy what I 'really' want and hang on to them until it doesn't make sense not to.

I had a black '93 integra … loved that little thing … it was my 'college' car and served me well.

all solid points DK! (says the guy who did almost the exact opposite!)

MicVelo

Funny, just this morning was out moving my car and thought about new stuff for it (dreamer thread stuff - y'know, the "2020 build it out" train of thought that died) and realized, it's exactly where I need/want it to be. Nothing more, nothing less. Motor tuned, all suspension and rolling stock, no body mods. IOW, "done". Hahahahaha.

I mean, why bother? As was noted, "It can get me into trouble - and out - as it is." Plus, I barely drive it. 5k miles in six years.

But I still love seeing all the builds out there. Keep 'em coming! And thank you for real contributions, OP.

813_350Z

I'm in no hurry. Truth be told, the SC may just be me dreaming and she may never see FI. I had mentioned on Mic's "Z Obsession" thread how I still get the same smile on my face 8 years later that I did the first day I drove her. Now, if money and time permit, I may throw a bit more power at her, but I will not go "***** to the wall" and I will not cut corners with it. I want this car to be around for a long time and hopefully be able to pass her down to my daughter when she is old enough and I feel she is mature enough to handle the car and drive it responsibly.

She currently sits at 130k and running beautifully. I have put maybe 300 miles on her in the past year and a half, but she has been compression tested annually since I purchased her, fluids are changed regularly, and any signs of problems are quickly remedied.

The Integra was a great car. I had it for about 2 years before she met her untimely demise. I have no doubt I would have still been driving her today, but God had other plans.

We all love to dream, but as you have all mentioned it is hard to perfect perfection. Nissan did a great job with this car.

She is still very much a blank slate. I beefed up the transmission so it was ready for it I ever did throw a little more power at it, but she remains stock. The only thing I will do in the appearance category is lower her about an inch and had spacers to bring the stock wheels out flush with the fenders. I just think it looks more clean that way. She looks good as she is so there's no reason to add a lip or spoiler, IMO.

Plus, I don't want to end up as one of those "new Honda Civic" 350zs I see from time to time. To each their own.

813_350Z

Took advantage of Z1's Black Friday sale and picked up a set of adjustable polyurethane motor mounts.

I know one option is by dropping the subframe to install these.
The video I found here:


Cuts out having to drop the SF, but instead just lifts the engine enough to clear for the mounts to be pulled out I know I could use a piece of wood to distribute load and lift by the pan, but have always considered this risky and would prefer not to take that risk. What other options are available and accessible for properly lifting the engine other than the oil pan?

rustyschopshop

Barrow an engine hoist, just be careful to not lift too much pinching wires and hoses. Top nuts will be awkward to get to but if you have a 24" extension with a swivel should be doable. I did mine while the engine was out. Bottom nuts are extremely easy to get to.

rustyschopshop

I was hoping to get in on several z1 sale items as well but after my son and fiance had to move back in with us our budget is worse than shot. Just found out this morning she is pregnant. Not sure when the finances will clear. Don't think they are ready for a baby but can't change the situation but deal with it.

bealljk

iTrader: (13)

Congrats Rusty! In reality, is there ever a perfect time to have a baby? Does this make you a grandpa?

bealljk

iTrader: (13)

I put a 2x4 on the edge of the oil pan and let the edge dig-in / cut-into the wood to help with stability ... then but a jack underneath that to lift. I would rather have the weight of the engine on the perimeter of the lower and/or upper oil pans than in the middle.

I'm not sure why my idea hasnt caught-on but when I had my mounts cut I had a 7/16" hole drilled through the mount (for my 3/8" hardware) so that I didnt have to lift the engine but 1/8" to slide my mount between the subframe and bracket ... then drop a 10" bolt in from the top and put a nut on the under side ... also cleared up a healthy amount of room for the greddy charge pipe and they were a few lbs lighter than OEM. Win win!







Congrats Rusty! In reality, is there ever a perfect time to have a baby? Does this make you a grandpa?

rustyschopshop

Yes it does make me a grandpa. Between my wife and I and father inlaw they already owe us 20k plus the IRS close to 20k by the end of this year. Plus are behind on a bunch of their bills. Agree no one is ever ready for kids but they really are not ready. Plus we have 6 people 8 animals already in a 4 bedroom house with 1.5 bath. Everything is rough just trying to help my son through his mental and physical health issues so they can get back on their feet. Just gonna be harder for them to get back on their feet now.

813_350Z

Thank you, Rusty. I don't have an engine hoist readily available. I may have to try to source one though if alternative options are limited.

They had a few items I was looking at. I have been planning to upgrade my motor mounts, transmission mount, and differential bushings to polyurethane. Finances are tight due to being on a single income since my daughter was born earlier this year so I opted for the engine mounts since they were the most expensive and the sale yielded the largest savings on them, so I decided to get them out of the way now.

Congrats, Rusty. As Bealljk said, there is never a right time for a little one. Just remember to enjoy it and take things one day at a time.

So your lifting point with the jack was the external perimeter of the pan, correct?

Those mounts look good! I had considered solid mounts, but I still DD the Z from time to time so I didn't want to add too much NVH.