One of the best parts about ZCG is the opportunity to perform multiple builds for a customer. We met Mike J in 2008 when he brought his G35 Coupe in for some modifications:

 

Mike added some tasteful HRE wheels (one of his signatures) and we did a full build on this car including a Vortech supecharger with ZCG supporting mods. He enjoyed the G for a few years and sold it to a friend. The friend brought in the G for service, mentioning that Mike had acquired a 2013 R35! Sure enough, Mike called us up and said it’s time to spend another chapter together.

 

From past zcarblog posts we know the R35 GTR is a wonderful sportscar that blends in despite its impressive performance out of the box. Mike wanted a boost in power so we started with a host of Alpha bolt-ons from AMS including their downpipes and Y-pipe w/muffler:

    

Stock vs AMS 90mm catted mid-pipe:

 

Finishing the exhaust upgrades with an Akrapovic titanium slip-on exhaust system:

  

Our plan for more power included a complete flex-fuel setup for E85 tuning. Shown below are 1300cc Injector Dynamics injectors, DW300 drop-in fuel pumps,  SpecialtyZ 3″ Intakes and SpecialtyZ Flex-Fuel kit:

  

Flex fuel installation:

 
Rob utilized Ecutek for tuning on both 91 octane and E85.

91 octane: 554hp/509tq

E85: 629hp/616tq

 

On E85, the dyno reveals huge gains from low rpm to redline. Mike we know you are Enjoying The Ride, thanks for bringing your GT-R to ZCG!

 

Chris B is a long time ZCG customer and we have been with him through various stages of his build. Affectionately called “Lucy”, this beautiful G35 coupe has won numerous awards at shows including Hot Import Nights. Chris fanatically detailed the engine bay with polished and stainless parts abound. Even the Cosworth intake manifold was customized with candy-red carbon fiber to match the valve covers and huge Brembo calipers at all 4 corners.

 

 

Low compression in one cylinder and a feeling that he’d reached the limits of the Vortech supercharger sparked a call to ZCG. Rob and Chris discussed the next stage of boost for Lucy and it would be in the form of two turbos courtesy of a GTM Stage 2 kit! Parts arrived and the drivetrain was removed.

 

The built VQ was re-assembled with care and attention to detail considering how Chris insanely polished parts like the entire front end.

 

Behold the shine. Once you start polishing it is hard to stop!

 

With the engine buttoned down the GTM twin-turbo kit was installed. Note details like the manifold heat shields and insulation protecting oil/wiring lines near downpipes.  The fresh GTM stage 4 automatic transmission is a prudent upgrade to handle big power:

 

Twin-turbo VQ, welcome home!

 

Polished hot/cold pipes feed the GTM FMIC:

 

Rob’s conservative 91 octane tune yielded 450hp/421tq to the wheels. More power to come!

 

We love working with Chris and look forward to turning up the wick when the urge arises! Enjoy the boost and that wonderful engine bay!

Lots of pictures of Chris’ build in the gallery below so don’t forget to click after the jump!
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Just as I finished the last post the UPS truck pulled up with another round of goodies for the GT-R.  Four brand-new Toyo Proxes T1R tires in sizes 285/30/ZR20 and 315/25/ZR20 arrived to compliment the 20″ HRE one-off wheels.  Mounting and balancing is currently underway.  Also in the latest delivery was a set of bright red Status Racing seats and mounting hardware.  The seats are made of a tightly woven material and have large side bolsters with provisions for 6pt. harnesses.  Check out the pictures.

Z Car Garage has begun the transformation of it’s first customer GT-R for a SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show booth which takes place next week.  Work was started immediately because the car needs to be detailed and on a trailer for the show by Saturday morning.   The car will be under a full assault of modifications over the next 48 hours so the Z Car crew has a couple of sleepless nights ahead of them!

The GT-R will be receiving a full compliment of carbon accents: side skirts, front bumper insert, front splitter, side vents, and the rear lower valence panel.  The TOP SECRET coil over kit that will be used keeps the standard Bilstein struts and the driver adjustable suspension.   Next is the full titanium exhaust system with a stainless steel cat-delete mid-pipe; I will get some more info on the manufacturer and specs.   Also, there is a one off set of HRE wheels that was made specially for this car, I will need to wait for the go ahead to show pics of these because they are supposed to premier at SEMA.  The entire set up is truly a thing of beauty.

There will be more pictures and info as the week comes to a close