Now that I have almost all of the kinks worked out mechanically, Id like to start doing some fun stuff to my z. Id like to increase performance and visual appeal... And Id prefer not to put out for than 250$ per part (i.e. Dont wanna turbocharge (yet :P)). During the summer Ill be able to put out much more for parts, but right now Im kinda tight with money.

Heres the cardomain for my Z:

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2270461

 

for all your Z31 needs:

http://www.az-zbum.com/modifications.shtml


Hopefully AZ-Zbum doesn't care that I'm whoring his web site.... it has most everything you need to know about Z31's.

 

AZ-zbums's site told me HOW to do a lot, but didnt really give me any suggestions on what would look or perform well (cept the intake, definalty going with team green)

 

maybe clean your engine, will help wityh cooling and to inspec for leaks and such.. just a suggestion.

 

yeah, i was gonna grab some engine cleaner and do it this weekend... i dunno if its ever been done (only had this car for about 2 1/2 weeks, dunno if the people before me did it or not)

 

lol, then the first thing I would do if I were you is to....

1. buy a timming belt and instal it asap, especially since you are trying to drag it

2. buy all your tune up parts, and lastly, get some lube and hit all your grease points, that will help your rubber suspension parts last alot longer

 

on an NA? springs and shocks, intake and exhaust, small stereo upgrade.

 

did timing belt and every other maintenance thing i can think of...

 

You've set your limit then... but remember, you get what you pay for. There aren't too many mods on the NA motor, that doesn't cost some green. The basics (CAI, exhaust, and maybe a couple other mods) are the ones that cost less than $250. You can't even get good cams or a performance ecu for less than that. So with your $250/part limit... don't expect a "Vette Killer."

 

I expect to be making more money come summer, but Im only 17, and $6/hour is as good as I can get right now. Im working ~15 hours a week (cause of school), bringing home about 70$ a week, but in summer ill be bringing home 200$ a week. Im currently putting out 40$ a week for insurance and 20$ a week for gas, leaving me little room for playing around with parts, but in summer ill be getting 200$-40$-20$=140$ a week to play around with.

Now do you understand why I can only put out about 250$ a part till summer?

 

Yep... and we're letting you know what you can do w/ that much $.

 

springs are less than $200
shocks are less than $200

save your money and eventually buy a turbo.

 

Use your $70 a week to treat you girlfriend. Save the change and come summer fork over the extra money you'll be making to do some "worth while" upgrades. Doing something like turbocharging the car will probably hold you over til the next summer

 

cept its about 5x what I wanted to spend...

 

Yeah but look at this way: If you just do the turbo swap and be done with it you'll have more power than spending twice as much on mods for an NA motor. And an intercooler and boost controller are fairly inexpensive and will allow you to raise boost levels a litttle bit without having to spend too much money in the future.

You could always sell the NA and buy a turbo model instead

 

Hmm...

I was thinking about swapping the tranny for a manual (maybe)... maybe I could swap the engine too... But that would be in a while... By the end of summer or so...

Or maybe Ill just swap the tranny and put turbos in it...

My dad has a 1990 300zx, he just replaced turbos and has one left that still works. Maybe Ill buy the other one and see what we can do... Hmm... Ill have to think about this for a bit.

 

Then you're retarded and can't afford ANY modifications. Go sit in your room and play with yourself more. Save the money you THOUGHT you were going to spend on modifications and spend it on the repairs that will be coming up shortly.

 

Well... ok, ive been thinking a bit more...

Finding out that the auto trannys in these are crap, I think what Ill do first is put a manual tranny in it (yes, ive been reading about what is involved, and i can do it myself). Then probably by mid-winter ill be able to order a set of turbos and the hardware and put that in.

After seeing your guys' comments about trannys and major performance I think Ill save and do the big stuff, then do little stuff

 

A "set of turbos" ? So twin turbocharge a VG30? uh... um... huh.

EDIT... I was going to say something else, but I'll hold back.

 

Whats wrong with that? I know ( i think ) id have to swap out the exhast manifolds, my dad has 1 turbo (working) from his '90 turbo, I figured Id get another and put em in (yes, with a few modifications)

 

So... on $70 a week, you can afford twin turbocharging a VG30... so will you be changing the compression ratio, so you don't blow it to hell? Will you be buying a new oil pan to dump the turbo oil? Will you be buying an identical turbo to the one your dad has? What A/R turbines? Water cooled turbos? If so, where ya gunna run the coolant lines from? How much boost? What fuel management will you be using? The list goes on and on, but we'll start with these.

 

Answer: VG30DETT. Or for those budget minded: VG30ET. Either way is going to be easier and cheaper than trying to turbocharge an NA motor. I guess if you have all the parts lieing around then it may not be cheaper but otherwise...

Swapping a turbo/s onto an NA motor is ONLY worth it if A: the car was never offered with a turbo motor, or B: the turbo motors are so rare you cant find one. In this case the 300ZX WAS offered as a turbo model and they werent so rare as to dictate the need to go through all the extra effort to try to turbocharge an NA motor. Even if you plan to upgrade everything, it's still just easier to start with the correct foundation. Then everything already has it's place.

 

there is WAY more to making a VG30E twinturbo than slapping a couple turbos on. piping, ecu tuning, pistons, intercoolers, vaccuum lines, intake just to name a few. do your homework before you even think about attempting this. and really, you should just consider swapping in a turbo motor. like the others have said, it will be cheaper and less time consuming. better yet, sell your NA and buy a turbo. that is the best bet. and dont bother saying "i know (i think)". just be honest and say "i dont know".