hello every one, well i've been thinking alot about my 90' na and what i wanted to do was to completly disensemble the car (cooling, powerplant, transmission, suspension, ect...), check everything to make sure it is up to the manufractures specification, replace with needs to be, and also install the performance upgrades that i would like to have (engine, cooling, fuel system, ignition system, ect...) now the reason that i am saying this to all of you is to get ideas of what i should do, what i should check and any information that any of you feel that i should know, i want to keep the engine naturally aspired. so if you can help i would greatly appreciate it. (please do not tell me what i should do with my money, however if there is any "less expensive" parts that you think will be better than i would like to know) thank you all!!!

 

Don't fix it if it isn't broken. You should focus on what is actually wrong with the car instead of trying to find all of minor/insignificant things. Remember, your car is 17 years old. There is going to be a lot of stuff that is worn. You just want to replace it when it wears out.

 

you ought to do a tt swap if you're taking the engine out

 

i knew someone would say to do a tt swap, no i do not want a twin turbo, i want to keep the engine naturally aspired, unless i misinterpered and you wanted me to get an engine built with spec. for the twin turbo....what i want to do is to get a completly rebuilt engine from z1, but while i'm at it i want to check everything to make sure it is in great working condition because i'm planning on keeping this car for a very long time so i don't want anything to go wrong later, so just give me some information that anyone should thing i would like to know. and yes i'm only planning on fixing on whats broken how ever instead of WAITING for it to brake i want to check it which is why i'm asking anyone on here to share information with me....

 

pretty much a restoration/rebuild you should:


get the engine rebuilt by Z1

replace all the bushings rubber parts in the suspension, replace suspension if needed

take out the upholstry check for leaks or rust from standing water if there is none then you wont have to media blast and rust inhibit and repaint

replace any dry rotted or ripped molding (seals around doors windows and such)

upgrade to an all aluminum radiator put on the alluminum down-pipe replacement for that long radiator hose cause it can collapse when it gets old.

check the boots on the rack (steering) replace if ripped, same for the CV joints in the back.

might as well upgrade to a K&N type intake, and SS brake lines.

If you do actually tend to keep the car for a long time SS exhaust is good when yours starts rusting out (if it hasn't already) check your Catalytic converters too for rot or being clogged.

wheel bearings, battery (if its over 5 years old) battery cables if they show corrosion.

If anyone else can think of anything i missed....I am sure missed somethings...

probably about 15k$ for everything.

 

thank you goofyz thats the type of information i need, should i also replace the bushings on the differential, also do you think i can re-wire my entire system with new wires and should nissan have them for me, also should i get some prevenative maintance stuff like seals, bolts, gaskets...ect?

 

also what i wanted to do was get an aftermarket electric fan from z1, i seen an HKS fan controller, do you think that would be better than using a mechanical thermostat since that will show me the tempature of the engine which will allow me to get rid of the mechanical thermostat reading so that i can use another gauge...

 

you should get the energy suspention master bushing set and do all your bushings. and personally, i wouldnt go with an electric fan.

 

ya i was going to completly redo the suspension to work with 18' wheels to slightly raise the body, and when i do that i will do the energy bushings and also add the louver (the wings on the front part of the body to force the front end down, to stop that "floaty feeling"), if you think that getting 18' wheels instead of 17'(which i currently have) will that change my center of gravity or increase roll or anything like that?

 

why wouldn't you get an electric fan, it is supposed to free up horse power at the clutch because it doesn't use power from the clutch. i know that the electric fans don't push as much air as the clutch fan does but since i'm upgrading my cooling system (all alunium dual core radiator), and getting some alunimum piping and better radiator hoses, shouldn't that get more than enought to keep my engine running at optimal temp and give some more power to the wheels?

 

18s are kinda big if you are going for performance, 17s are ideal. and the HP you will free up by removing the mechanical fan is miniscule. i wouldnt want to trade cooling power for such a tiny ammount of hp.

 

yes i know 10hp isn't that much but if i do that would i raise the tempature if i get the electric fan even thought my cooling system will be upgraded with better parts?

 

You would never get 10hp from removing the mechanical fan. Who told you that?

 

Any change in ride height will, as a result, change the roll center of the car. Not necessarily effecting "roll" severly, but will change the suspension geometry away from the one of the better handling cars out there. Without major mods like piecing togther a spring/dampner system, or coilover/custom arms and the like, it haven't heard any REAL positive effects of ride hieght changes in a non-race Z you want a street car right?
My friend(NA Z just like u) had a set of Stillen/Enkie's and they are 18's. 245 fronts 265 rear. And the car is not only alot more soggy with the biggins, but the wheel bearings got jacked up because of the major size change. Now he cruises happier on the stockers.

 

alright thanks for all of your information....i'll stay with 17' or should i go with the stock 16'? but i will upgrade my suspension....

 

17" is a good size, as long as you get tires that keep the overall diameter as close to stock as possible. you will benefit from less sidewall roll, but wont increase weight and rotational mass too much (depending on the wheels). there are a few threads you can seach for that go into depth about why 17" is an ideal size for the z32.

 

ya i seen some of thoes threads but i really wanted 18'....lol, so what should i do to my suspension, i know that springs are better ride quality but coil-over is better handling....

 

what are your intentions for this car? if you want a pure track car, that you will be making adjustments to on a regular basis, coilovers are the way to go. however, if this is something you are going to be driving, and maybe taking to the track every now and then, coilovers are a waste of money. lots of people end up buying coilovers cause its "cool", set them to one particular setting and never change them again.

 

alright i thought so, thanks for all the informations, i'll stop asking stupid questions now.....but if anyone has anymore suggestions or ideas please let me know

 

hum hum hum

 

you are looking at wheel weight when replacing wheels, size as long as reasonable wont effect rotational mass much if you keep the overall weight down.

stock wheels with heavy Kuhmo tires are like 35 pounds each, 18" volks with good rubber would probably tip the scale at less than 30lbs. Just remember to keep the OD of the replacement wheels/tires as close to stock as possible.
Oh, Mike, The wheel bearings going out on your friends car was probably coincedence the metal size of the wheel opposed to the rubber size of the wheel wont have anything to do with bearings going out .

With the advances in tire technology over the last 10 years, 16/17/18/19 are all pretty much in the performance tire catagory, don't believe me, check out what tires (sizes) are on the top sports cars sold today.

as far as aftermarket suspension, if you like adjustability go with coilovers. Tein Flex, K-sports, Megan, HKS hypermax, Blistens to name a few. Remember they cost about 1000-4000$ for a set if you go that way. the upside is they make it a lot easier to adjust the height of the car. Keeping the ride height close to the same as stock as possible is a good idea cause you wont have to get camber adjustment kits and stuff like that.

You are all over the place as far as upgrades and car work go. Perhaps you should start with a budget, set goals and see how best to achieve those goals within the boundries of your budget.

electric fan vs. mechanical fan. People say electric fans don't push as much as mechanical fans. That is absolutely true. a mechanical fan spinning at 7000rpm pushes a helluva lot more air than an electric ever could. But ask yourself this, when is the engine going 7000rpm? aren't you usually going fast enough for the ram air effect to cool your radiator? Say like over 40mph? If you are sitting at idle and the electric fan comes on...guess what? it pulls more air than the mechanical at idle (or even idle+300 rpm). So, which is better for traffic situations? I'd put my money on the electric fan. Just remember if you are going with an electric fan you really need to upgrade your radiator to a double core.

 

thanks goffyz that is exactly what i thought, becuase i seen a thread somewhere that states that air already cools the engine around 50mph, so i will get an upgraded cooling system with the electric fan, do you think it would be better getting that hks fan controller or using the stock thermostat or the nismo thermostat (since it open earlier than the stock one)???

 

"stock wheels with heavy Kuhmo tires are like 35 pounds each, 18" volks with good rubber would probably tip the scale at less than 30lbs. Just remember to keep the OD of the replacement wheels/tires as close to stock as possible.
Oh, Mike, The wheel bearings going out on your friends car was probably coincedence the metal size of the wheel opposed to the rubber size of the wheel wont have anything to do with bearings going out .

With the advances in tire technology over the last 10 years, 16/17/18/19 are all pretty much in the performance tire catagory, don't believe me, check out what tires (sizes) are on the top sports cars sold today."

I meant the change( in tire size) created the problem. If i am wrong, so be it. And yes I know about supercars these days, and the 19+ sizes

 

thanks for the information mikez, so if i do go 18' than that will screw with my center of gravity, but also if i get the air guides on the front of the body to keep my front end down, will that help?

 

just go with a colder Tstat