Martin B has owned this 1991 300zx Twin Turbo Z for a very long time. With 237,000 miles on the clock he visited Z Car Garage for the first time in 2013. The difference between a general repair shop, an independent repair shop and a Z car expert is a big deal on a Z32 because it is a car that you can get behind on quickly. If you are not well-versed in this chassis you will throw parts at it endlessly, often leading to more repairs.

 

After more than two decades of working with Nissans, the crew at ZCG have got it down. The 90-96 Z32s are some of the raddest Japanese sports cars of the era. We know what to do and what not to do. For Martin’s first visit we corrected the knock sensor and harness, replaced the clutch with a JWT HD unit, turned the existing flywheel, replaced center support bearing, clutch M/C, power steering hoses and corrected rack bushings:

 

 

JWT Clutch and flywheel

 

Heater core repair:

    

We installed a few suspension parts including new adjustable camber arms:

   

SpecialtyZ exhaust and downpipes:

 

The transmission had several leaks needing attention:

 

After 237k miles the driver’s seat had seen better days so we rebuilt it from frame to padding and sent Martin on his way…

  

 

Later that year, after enjoying the car with the ZCG touches he felt that it earned a place in his collection. With 240k miles on clock,  we removed his engine/transmission for a rebuild using a Rebello VG30DETT with JE pistons, Eagle rod and balanced with ACL bearings. Full engine bay harness service as well. Many more pictures of the build in the gallery below!

     

All hoses and parts in the engine bay that are relatively inexpensive were replaced while the engine was out:

  

The drivetrain is installed and buttoned up. A clean Z32TT engine bay is a treat to look at, despite the complexity:

  

On the dyno the freshened engine made 318hp/320tq to the wheels:

 

It has been since 2013 and Martin’s Z now has 255k mile on the clock. We touched up everything and added some Work Emotion wheels (not pictured).

Enjoy The Ride, Martin!

 

Please browse our picture gallery after the jump

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Mo M comes out of Capitola, CA and he is a car enthusiast with a show-winning Toyota MR2 that he built last year. His next project is this NA 300zx with a planned V8 engine swap (LS3). Before the Z receives the new drivetrain, Mo wanted to make sure it could handle the power.

  

We went through the entire car with Mo and installed his suspension parts including full Powertrix coil-over suspension, f/r camber arms, new T/C rods and sway bars:

  

Stock suspension vs new coil-overs

   

Fender rolling:

  

One of the things plaguing Mo was that he had several general repair shops work on the car. They replaced the clutch and flywheel assembly but he was getting a persistent grinding upon startup. We replaced the starter, installed a JWT aluminum flywheel and clutch.  We also fixed brake master cylinder.

Now Mo is super pumped about the car’s handling and brakes. The next set of mods include a nice set of SSR Professor MS3 wheels and big brakes to handle the power of that mighty LS3 engine that’s coming soon!

 

 Ron B. Jr met Rob Fuller in the early 2000s. At the time Ron had a 300zx Twin-Turbo that ZCG serviced. Sadly, one day Ron decided he was done with the Z32 and sold it. One of our customers actually bought it and we think it is still out there being enjoyed. Ron wasn’t entirely done with Z’s as he picked up a 350z Track model (shown at Thunderhill in 2006):

 

Some 15 years later after meeting Rob, Ron had got another Z. Why? Once you have a Z it is in your blood and hard to get it out of your life! This latest Z obsession came in the form of a 2012 Nismo 370:

 

Ron loved this car but he was missing something. We all long for it: BOOST! So he gave ZCG call, reconnected with Rob and reminisced about the old days with the 300. It was decided, we would make Ron’s car one of the first jobs of 2016 using a Stillen supercharger kit.

    

The Stillen kit comes with a polished V-3 blower, 25-row oil cooler and we add GT-R plugs. Due to higher inlet temperatures observed on these builds we are starting to upgrade the stock water-to-air cooler. Frozen Boost makes a larger cooler shown below:

 

A few shots of the kit installation:

 

Before and after:

 

We love the PLX Devices DM100 gauge that neatly replaces the clock with…

 

… a multi-function display for vitals like boost, air intake temp and wideband:

  

Another addition to the interior was a new NISMO shift knob:

 

Got the Z on the dyno and out of the box the Stillen supercharger added 82hp/42tq to the wheels:

 

 

With UPREV tuning we saw significant gains of 120hp/85tq above stock for a grand total of 410hp/326tq to the wheels:

 

With 410hp to the wheels one would think Ron’s Z car obsession is satisfied…he is really feeling the need for another 300zx Twin Turbo in his life so we are on the hunt for a pearl white 90-92 Z32TT with black/tan interior. From Z32 to Z33 to Z34, if the Z is in your blood we can help you live with it!

 

Keep Boosting Ron and Long Live The Z!

Ray has been with Z Car Garage for several years and owns this limited production SMZ 300zx Twin-Turbo. In 2008 we did a fully built engine with 740cc injectors, JWT dual POP, full 3″ exhaust and mild porting.

 

 

With 15k miles on the build, the intake cam sprocket was wearing out due to the Sport 500 cams. Luckily there is BDE Performance who specializes in improving Z32 parts. They have rebuilt VTC intake cam pulleys that are designed to eliminate the noise/wear that comes when running the stock units with aftermarket valve springs/hotter cams. BDE also offers a fully adjustable exhaust cam pulley for the first time.

Intake VTC(L) and adjustable exhaust pulley:

Stock(L) and after both pulleys are installed:

 

This was our first time using the BDE parts and dyno tuning was much easier with the new cam pulleys. On 91 octane we made 462hp/384tq to the wheels:

Ray’s SMZ also features beautiful VOLK GT-7 wheels, TEIN coil-overs, Powertrix T/C rods and Brembo brakes.  The Steve Millen aero really has aged well over time…We love it!

 

Ray was enjoying his Z for many miles but like most of us he wanted even more power.  Since his SMZ wasn’t a dedicated daily-driver Ray was ready to make the jump to 100 octane! In preparation for more power we installed a Selin dual MAF translator, Ash-spec inlet piping, and BDE motor mounts.

 

We dyno-tuned on 100 octane and made 563hp/506tq to the wheels at 19lbs boost. This was a healthy gain of 101hp/116tq from the 91 octane tune!

 

This isn’t an ordinary SMZ. With 650hp on tap Ray should be very happy. Breathe in that 100 octane and Enjoy The Ride!

 

 

Kevin M visited Z Car Garage last year for a new clutch/flywheel, JWT POP charger air filter, routine maintenance items and new WORK wheels on his beautiful Slicktop 300zx. Although the XD9 wheels were a definite upgrade aesthetically, a slight drop in ride height would do wonders for its stock suspension “off-road” stance.  We were happy to see Kevin return in October to upgrade the suspension and install a bunch of other goodies!

 

To dial in a lower ride-height and firm up the ride we installed Stance coil-overs. While coil-overs were being installed we also replaced several suspension parts that were either worn or could be upgraded like Z1 front control arms and SPL T/C rods:

 

New steering rack bushings:

 

Shown below is the modest ride-height drop that looks great but remains functional especially for those treacherous San Francisco roads.

Before/After:

 

Before:

 

After:

 

Stillen sway bars round out the suspension upgrades:

 

Peeking behind the lovely spokes of those WORK wheels is a Stoptech 332mm Big-Brake Kit with black calipers.

 

The rear calipers were color-matched, and treated to Stoptech rotors with our favorite 309 pads:

 

Here’s a few details that we admire Kevin for addressing: Window moldings and front cowl pieces! These are items often overlooked or neglected. With age/weathering window trim can eventually peel back and reveal bare metal underneath. The cowl can fade and crack. Fortunately ConceptZ makes a full replacement kit. We also replaced the A/C compressor and drier with new Nissan units:

 

Here are before/after shots of the molding and cowl:

Kevin’s slicktop Z is well-preserved with just the right amount of personal touches to make driving and owning one fun!