John P is a new Z car owner and found this Z32TT in the Pacific NW.  When we first met John his Z had 110k miles on the clock and he decided it was time to modify…so we gave him the works! Before the go-fast goodies were installed we addressed all of the car’s issues John discussed with us and ended up with a beautifully clean, well-rounded 300zx.  Our first order of business was in engine bay, correcting the PCV system which had been bypassed/cobbled together:

 

Next, we found an injector problem and performed the common late-style conversion. The 1990-1994 Z32TT’s have fuel injector problems because Nissan used a wet coil design. This left the injector coil wire prone to oxidation over time and eventual shorting. The solution? Convert to later style injectors using the early fuel rail. There are several adaptor kits on the market to achieve this, making servicing/removal a breeze without the need for removing the manifolds. For John’s Z we wanted to run 740cc injectors which is only available in the new style:

 

More engine work including full timing belt services along with valve cover removal/refinishing:

 

Driveline was upgraded with a JWT HD clutch and flywheel. Keen observers may note that the exhaust has changed too!

 

Larger downpipes greatly improve flow over the stock manifolds. The best downpipes for your Z32TT (in our opinion) can be found at SpecialtyZ. These are 3″ units:

 

The Z was treated to a chassis steam clean, making a clean grime-free backdrop for the new exhaust system!  The downpipes were mated to 3-2.5″ midpipes:

 

With wiring and general cleaning the engine bay looks much better!

 

A few chassis upgrades included SPL T/C rods and bushings as well fresh rear brakes:

 

With the mechanicals sorted John added a few lighting improvements to the interior. The dim stock displays benefitted from new LED sources. Check out the difference:

Even the climate control display is improved:

 

More LED upgrades throughout the cabin:

 

All of the work above was completed on John’s first visit. On the dyno the new exhaust clearly makes a noticeable improvement in power. We picked up 31hp/33tq to the wheels:

 

John visited ZCG for the second time for upgrades!  We installed more parts from our friends at SpecialtyZ  like their Selin dual MAF.  To improve breathing we also installed larger Stillen intercoolers and charge plumbing from Ash-spec:

 

Finally, low-profile engine mounts from BDE offer more turbo inlet clearance:

 

With larger ICs, plumbing and dual MAF’s we tuned John’s Z and it now makes 372hp/360tq to the wheels:

 

Enjoy The Ride, John!

 

Stillen supercharger month continues at Z Car Garage! Last week we featured Daly’s G37 sedan and today we bring you David G’s 2009 G37 coupe. With 57k miles on the clock David wanted to go forced-induction on his G37 with Stillen’s CARB-legal kit.  As with all builds, each customer gets a dedicated rack for parts:

 

We also installed a  JWT HD clutch/flywheel, Z-Speed T/O bearing and 19-row oil cooler:

 

For added peace of mind we also performed full 60k services. Here are a few in-progress pictures:

 

On the dyno, the Stillen-provided CAN tune put down 406hp/309tq to the wheels. Rob’s tuning further improved hp and tq throughout the entire rev range for total of 433hp/325tq!

 

With an improvement of +137hp/69tq over stock David is trying to keep his smile under control. Enjoy the Boost!

 

June felt like Stillen Supercharger month at the shop. Since Stillen has made significant changes to their kit including the use of a Vortech blower, this is now a very popular choice for great power gains and CARB-friendliness. Naturally, Z/G enthusiasts are lining up to enjoy some boost!

We have three Stillen S/C builds to report. Let’s start with Daly C’s  2009 G37 Sedan. You might notice that the kit still uses the pretty “Stillen” cast intake manifold with dual throttle bodies on one side:

 

Here are a few in-progress pics of the install. Daly has GTM oil and tranny coolers and GTR one-step colder spark plugs:

 

While the G was here we gave Daly a full 30k service for peace of mind and upgraded Stoptech brake pads. The before/after:

 

So how does the Stillen kit perform? With the baseline CAN tune from Stillen, it produced 373hp/282tq to the wheels. This is an improvement of 89hp/40tq with most of the gains only noticeable after 4krpm:

 

Rob’s tuning however, turns Daly’s G into a different beast now making 414hp/317tq to the wheels. This is a significant peak increase of 38hp/35tq to the wheels over the base tune! More importantly, the gains are available throughout the entire rev range. Lots of area under the curve to enjoy!

 

It’s always gratifying to see total gains above baseline, so here is what the +130hp/75tq improvement looks like:

 

Daly we love your sleeper G37 sedan. Tune in next week for the second Stillen build!

This Z Car Garage-built G35 coupe has an APS Twin Turbo kit, Volk wheels, Stoptech brakes, TEIN suspension and a host of other goodies. For more information please visit our FOR SALE page HERE

 

Thomas C came in for full 60k mile services and a new exhaust system on his G37 S sedan.

 

The old exhaust system had an aftermarket y-pipe that didn’t significantly increase power. We installed a full cat-back system from Fast Intentions followed by an UPREV tune. Old vs new:

 

The new exhaust looks and sounds great:

 

On the dyno we were impressed with gains from the FI exhaust combined with UPREV tuning. Peak numbers were 302hp/249tq to the wheels, an increase of +15hp/10tq. Check out the mid-range tp redline gains in both hp and tq from 3500rpm: