Ken S came to ZCarGarage several years ago when he just purchased this pretty 300zx Twin Turbo. It had just passed the 60k mark and ZCG performed routine maintenance including full timing belt services. It wasn’t long before Ken got the performance bug and started upgrading the suspension. ZCG installed Tockiko 5-way shocks, sway bars, and StopTech 13″ big brakes. After tackling the suspension naturally Ken wanted more power so a Stage 3 upgrade with supporting mods was installed. Unfortunately the stock turbos had issues so they were upgraded to JWT Sport 500s.

The original front bumper had seen better days with nicks and peeling. Williams worked his magic with new paint and installed new side skirts, JDM front bumper and that trademark vented hood that we have seen on other Z32s.

Recently Ken visited  ZCG for more power upgrades.  Basic performance upgrades included new 2.5″ IC plumbing and SMICs from ConceptZ.  Here you can see the install and how much cleaner the new plumbing is:

Dual JWT POP chargers replace the single merged setup:

With increased cooling capacity and the HKS boost controller total output is now 383hp/378tq at the wheels!

Here is the engine bay before/after the install and detailing. Please check the gallery for more detailed images: it’s easy to overlook all of the work that is performed!

It is impressive to see an iconic 90’s sports car perform and make power that rivals most current sports cars. It is even better when there is still plenty of aftermarket support and enthusiasts willing to continue developing parts!
Long Live the 300ZX TT!
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A few years ago I noticed a super clean white 300zx (NA) with tan interior always parked in the garage at my work. It made me excited to see another Z brother and I wanted to meet the owner or at least leave a “nice Z!” note on the car because it was in such good shape. Eventually I met the owner, Amir, at a conference and turns out that he has always been a fan of the Z32 since it was released in 1990! I mentioned ZCarGarage to him and soon enough this pretty Z32 was getting some love at the shop.  Amir’s Z came to us with 114k miles on the clock and virtually no major problems during it’s ownership. Routine maintenance was performed and a few choice performance parts were installed including:

-Powertrix tension/control arms
-SpecialtyZ exhaust system
-Twin-Turbo Z32 wheels
-power steering hoses
-timing belt service
-full steam cleaning of the underbody

 

SpecialtyZ exhaust system:

 

Powertrix parts:

 

New tension rods installed:

The dyno revealed impressive numbers for this 20-year young Z.  197hp/184tq at the wheels for a bone stock engine with 114k miles!

 

We have a feeling that Amir might have caught the mod-bug so stay tuned for more pictures and updates.

Long Live the Z32!

The 300zx is a classic.  It possesses timeless lines that will probably never go out of style.  These cars are capable of awesome power numbers with a few of the right parts put on them.  Unfortunately the braking performance is becoming a classic also as this design nears twenty years old.  This is where our good friends at StopTech Brakes come in.

The 332mm front brake kit is the perfect system for any sort of high performance street driving and it even suits the occasional track day enthusiast.  The factory brakes wouldn’t stand a chance here.  We also paired the new brakes with a pair of braided brake lines up front just to ensure that we were getting every bit of brake performance that a 300zx deserves.  The downside of a big brake kit is that it won’t clear most stock wheels.  What ever should we do!?  Oh yeah, get new wheels!!  In this case we have a nice set of silver split five spokes in an 18″ size to clear the new stoppers.  The brakes really fill out the wheels now.

Another weak part of the 300zx is the front suspension.  The tension (T/C) rods can fail at anytime due to mileage or age (and possibly looking at them wrong), and when replacing the T/C rods why not add adjustable upper control arms to complete the equation.  In this case the high quality parts from Powertrix were called into duty and fit the bill quite nicely.  Now the front suspension is far more adjustable than it ever was in stock form as well as being more reliable.

Bring on the next project!!

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