I am considering purchasing a 90-95 300zx TT. Is 500 whp a reasonable number? I don't want to just go the bigger turbo route because I want the car to be an all around vehicle. Strip, track, auto x, street etc...so a huge turbo with tons of lag is not an option for me.

 

That is very attainable for the 300zTT. You will need a turbo upgrade but lag is not bad from what I hear with Sport 500 turbos.

 

Thanks..any suggestions on what to do..I'm not in a huge hurry...so if tearing the motor apart is in the suggestion that is fine.

 

If I were going for 500+ wheel hp I would first swap some internals to be safe your boarderline. Including rods, pistons, and valve-springs. Then go with JWT intake (dual-pop for +500hp), a 3 in. exhuast/gut precats and get test-pipes, underdrive crank pully, 555cc injectors, sport 500 turbos, front mount intercooler, boost controller of your choice running 16-20psi along with Air/fuel controller, then ECU. Then dyno tune for optimal settings.

As for ECU to get, I used to think JWT was the only way to go. But rumor has it CaptanZap knows of a better tuner that only a few hundred Z enthusiasts know of. The ecu is designed to run more efficiently and receives high gains on hp and uses less fuel. Contact CaptanZap either here or over at zcar.com (I think he checks zcar more often so I would post their) for details about the ecu. Oh yea and it costs half the price - $250.00

 

500 bhp or what people would call brake or flywheel HP, then yes, sport 500s would do it easily (~400 rear wheel hp). The guys who have dyno'd highest on sport 500s have been at Greg dupree's shop. Using his prototype exhaust manifolds (dont ask, they are not ready), they hit 450 rwhp and 500 tq which are awesome numbers. But, thats not what you asked for is it? .. Sport 600's should be able to get you 500 rwhp but people just haven't had a lot of luck getting there with them (ie Greg (Dallas)). On pump gas the sport 600s dont seem to make much more power than the 500's. You have to jump to the 100+ octane and crank the boost over 19 psi to see any real numbers. The guys who are running the HKS are easily making 500+ rwhp as well as the TD-05 guys. Most TD-05 setups seem to dyno approx. 540 rwhp on pump gas, then go on up with race gas. Mike Kojima got ~570 rwhp on Sport 650's at 24 psi with race gas.
Chip at www.ginnmotorsports.com has an attractive looking turbo kit by PE that are ball bearing and can compete easily with the HKS 2530s. I 'think' you can get hold of it for around $2500 but I may be misaken, I have not inquired. You may want to give him a ring.

Sport 500's by general consensus are the most streetable turbos. They spool mad fast when you get the proper downpipes, test pipes etc, and they make a lot of torque down low. When you go to the bigger turbos you move the power band up to the higher rpm ranges, so your car doesn't become quite so usable in events like autocross etc.
Anyway, I'm rambing...up to you and what behavior you want from the car.

91 300ZX TT. Lots of mods, check Rides under my Profile if you are interested.

 

Once again thanks to all who have anwsered. I know where I will be coming to get advice when I finaly get the car.

 

Ths in regard to the turbo kit that Hogz was talking about on www.ginnmotorspotrs.com. Those turbos sound relly nice and I used the conversion chart and they cost about 3,076.02+100.00 U.S dollars.