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Circuit inspired 2004 Z


msitpro

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{note - this thread has been converted from introductions}

 

Allo all

 

Been reading the forum in a lurking capacity since deciding to buy a Z back in early May 2018. The love for the Z came from way back when Nissan ran the Z33 in the JGTC.

 

It's the first performance car I've owned since a mk1 Clio 16V back in 2006.

 

Bought a silver (Silverstone??) 04 GT (BOSE system, cruise, Brembo) with 51,000 on the clock for just £5250 in May.

 

It's been a busy first few months.

 

Firstly a new gear knob as mine never came off in the 14 years and was perished. (Mole grip fun!)

 

Next I managed to get some Rota Grid 9.5J front and 10.5J concave rear wheels with almost new Michelin PS3 tyres for £650

 

Had them power coated in a kind of shadow bronze with satin finish.

 

Replaced the stock head unit with a Pioneer touch screen Bluetooth model, with all the associated adapters to fit steering wheel controls etc. I also did the mod to retain the stock speaker voltage to the new wiring harness.

 

Around a month into ownership and the clutch starts to slip. So a new Exedy OEM spec clutch and Tarmacsports lightened solid flywheel were installed at a friend's garage. 

 

At the same time I had him replace the rear W and front 8 point braces with Ultra Racing ones 

 

Worst visual part of the car was the front bumper. I'd been eyeing Nismo v2 bumpers for a while and in particular one with 30 mins drive from me on eBay. Same day, a Volvo V70 tow bar reverses and splits my front bumper as I'm standing right there in B&Q car park. Pays up estimate of £310 repair from my dad's body shop within 4 days, so the new bumper was a go-er!

 

Took a week off work and did the arduous work myself of trial and error fitment of brackets, sanding down, building up low-sitting areas etc.

 

Sold the original GT bumper and I was even.

 

During the week I also had the wiper stalks re-painted satin black as they were corroded to hell.

 

Last job that week was a oil filter change. New HKS sports filter and some Motul 5W30.

 

Purchased Motordyne XYZ and ART pipes from member in Norwich bit turns out my mid section exhaust is aftermarket already and has a one-piece mid and y-pipe already so doesn't fit. Did get the ART pipes on though. What a sound!!! Rest of the system is unknown make stainless y-pipe back with twin 4" exits. Only mufflers are in the mid pipe.

 

Tyres on the new wheels posed an issue in that front were 245/45 and rears 275/35 - triggering ESP at 15mph. Not ideal. So eBay was forraged again for some 245/40 Advans and 275/40 Bridgestones.

 

 

So that's the story so far. Next thoughts are, maybe Craft Square carbon mirrors, GT style wing (20cm tall, 60" wide adjustable jobby). I'd love a Nismo rear bumper...

 

Umming about coilovers or whether it will be too uncomfortable, and the handling and ride height is good anyway. If I do then I'll do camber arms all round etc at the same time.

 

Later on, I dream of a built engine capable of 9krpm with 290/280 cams... (Forged pistons, rods, pins, etc.)

Maybe enlarge capacity also. I say this now... But on paper I think I'd be happy with 320rwhp, which should be possible with those mode. There's also the issue of plonking down that much dolla and sanity kicking in. But then I didn't think I'd pull the trigger on a Z in the first place.

 

At age 31, I'm on the first year of my own insurance policy ever, so I'll leave the engine mods for now! (Company car for a while and parents before that) My other car is now a Volvo S60 as I have some sprogs.

 

 

Not sure I'll make any shows this year but maybe next. Who else is local to me in Ipswich?

 

David

Edited by msitpro
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Welcome along :thumbs:

Coilovers (some) are a great upgrade and dont ruin the ride, they make you more connected with the road in my view, the issue is that almost all will lower the car and the zed like you say is low for starters so if you live in an area with harsh speed humps it may be an issue. After mine were fitted i clattered my y pipe on 2 humps not realising how low the underside was. 

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At age 31, I'm on the first year of my own insurance policy ever, so I'll leave the engine mods for now! (Company car for a while and parents before that) My other car is now a Volvo S60 as I have some sprogs.

 

:welcome: and don't forget to tell your insurance company on your mods already done, car looks ace  :thumbs:

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  • 1 year later...

Christ, forgot I made this thread lol

 

As the car sits now- You can see I did get the Craft Square mirrors. Had a 3" custom exhaust and cats built last summer and have since modified that twice due to excess volume. DC Sports headers on at the same time. Corbeau RRB seats... Alcantara wheel, Advan TC-4 18x10 wheels on 265/35/18-F 285/35/18-R... New Brembo OEM discs and pads... BC Racing 14k/12k true rear coils later changed to 8k/6k Swift springs... Mishimoto rad fans... fire extinguisher with mount ... harness bar/chassis brace... DEPO headlights.... full suspension poly bushed or changed to adjustable arms with rose/heim joints (Voodoo13)... Voodoo13 adjustable rod ends... Whiteline ARB and end links... Big country labs wing with custom CF uprights and end plates... HR bonnet, Nismo v3 replica rear bumper... coilover covers (corrosion is bastard!) .... Aam oil pan spacer ... 19 row oil cooler... Kinetix Velocity plenum... Injen CAI.

 

IMG_20200517_163004.jpg.6fa5a7f1aa7020aff2910b31dabf8ce5.jpg

IMG_20200302_150020_472.jpg.8b895b4e5e1f53131b04771d78c97054.jpg

 

Dyno tune day resulted in an increase from 253hp to 269hp @ hubs @ 6800rpm (redline now 7100rpm) - So approx. 310 ATF.

 

next mod is probably custom-fabbed bonnet and front wing aero vents (pressure relief/cooling/downforce/lift reduction) ... before respray in August. (delayed by 'Rona - blessing as I can get more done and finish with a better product) Also have CS Bottomline style skirt add-ons for the respray.

 

Yes, the very definition of Zed fever. The car's getting a bit Trigger's broom.

 

Edited by msitpro
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Cracking update, we need a proper build thread and and few under shorts of the custom exhaust. I'm very much a fan of custom exhaust as these can be made to spec exactly how the owner likes, visually and sound wise - plus in most cases with lifetime warranty.

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  • 6 months later...

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