Ok, time for an update. We've gotten the timing set and got the car to run pretty well. Picked up a turbo Idle Control Valve and got that installed and wired in which smoothed the idle out a good bit.

I acquired a set of 88T hubs, 88T twin piston calipers, and the corresponding working master cylinder (since mine was busted). Those have all been installed along with new rotors. I've gotten my radiator installed, hoses hooked up, and filled with coolant. Kevin dragged his welder over and we welded in a set of brackets to hold the intercooler in place. I've run the piping for the IC, although I ran short on clamps and need to order a few more before that is in solid. I also test fitted the bumper and found I may need to revise the routing of the pipe that goes through the wheel well as it was hitting the bumper. I've swapped the blue dash for a black one that Kevin (Axel Kain) had. Also pulled the center gauge pod and installed a pair of ProSport gauges (boost and wideband O2). CM Performance exhaust has been ordered. Hoping that will arrive pretty soon.

As it sits now

Brakes

Gauges

Pipe routing






Video of it starting and running. Right now it's just an open dump off the turbo.
http://smg.beta.photobucket.com/user...48ff1.mp4.html

 

So it's been a while since I updated this. A good bit of stuff has been done since then. I picked up a Prothane kit from Acadiana Sportscar Orphanage and a set of 88T tension rods came from my brother. So the front suspension has been torn down and the bushings installed. This has actually taken a couple of months overall due to a couple of unforeseen hold ups along the way (a tap broke while cleaning up some threads that was a pain to get out, and one of the LCA bushings wouldn't install correctly so I had to get a replacement set). Here's a couple of pictures I snapped while doing that.

Here's the LCA after drilling out the mounting holes for the tension rods to accommodate the larger studs on the 88 rods.


The stock bushing burned out and ready for the new bushing.


The new tension rod and it's mount, with the poly bushings installed.


Also during this time I purchased a Nistune ECU and installed a fuel system upgrade. I used a set of flow tested 450cc DSM black top injectors and a set of 3000GT fuel rails. It took a bit of customizing and fiddling to get it to work, but they are installed and working now.

Pile-o-parts


Had to cut and bend the stock crossover pipe to get them to fit. Was planning to use some adapters and AN lines but the adapter wouldn't fit because of the neck for the radiator hose connection.


This is an adapter I found online that allows the use of an AEM FPR designed for use on a Honda fuel rail.


Modified the lower intake manifold to allow room for the crossover.


While we were fitting things, making sure the crossover would fit.


More fitting.


A little more fitting.


A somewhat close shot of the mounting solution we came up with for the rails.


This is a fairly final shot of the passenger side. We ended up having to remove the fuel pressure gauge and the adapter for it because it put the AN right angle fitting too far back and it was hitting the intake plenum. This is also before the fuel return was hooked up.


I picked up a set o 17x9" 2003 Cobra wheels that were in awesome shape. Need to get tires for them. They've got 275/40R17s on them, but they are mix and matched tires and all are work out. Planning to stick with that size in the rear and use a set of 235/45R17 in front. Just need to get a 15mm spacer and some extended studs for the front to get everything to clear.


It's also had a CM Performance 3" turbo back installed, which sounds pretty good. I've swapped most of the interior from blue to black. Still need to get some decent seats, probably Corbeaus. Gonna run the stock blue seats till then most likely. Still missing some interior plastics, but it's getting there.

Made a trip out to CAP this weekend and picked up all the parts to swap the front end to the late model style (87-89), so I'll need to get started on that. Most of it is bolt on, just have to drill a couple of new mounting holes for the headlight assemblies.

 

Finished with the install of the 87 front end I acquired. Not much left to get into a street legal condition.

 

Looking good man...interested to see how Cobra wheels look on a 300zx.

 

The ugliest of the Z family. Hopefully you can do it justice

 

Yeah, although it kind of grows on you. I may end up finding another shell and swapping all the good parts over at some point. This one had been hit in the front at some point in it's past. We didn't think it was too bad, but it's a little worse than we thought. Although that's the benefit of the lack of popularity for the Z31, cars can be found cheap. We got all the body parts to fit with some bending of mounting points and washers here and there, but it's still not quite right. So it may stay multi-colored just because I don't want to dump money into painting a car that isn't quite straight. We may also use it to try to learn how to paint a car, as my brother has paint guns and a decent compressor setup.

I do think I have the best looks of the Z31 family in this one though. The 86 has the flared fenders, and the old school tail lights (the 87+ tails are funny looking). But the 87+ cars have the better looking nose, which is why I swapped that onto mine.

 

I just helped a buddy of mine do his 31, at one time it was NA Now its a NA-T. Soon we will be in the process of swapping things over to the new shell, going from an 84 to a 88

 

Nice, looks like you guys dug a bit deeper into that one. I didn't actually open my engine, just did maintenance stuff. I see he got his hands on an Unorthodox Racing pulley. Those are hard to find. Is it just the stock turbo and injectors on the NA block with a turbo computer? Or did he do Nistune or anything?

 

Rebuilt stock na motor did a few deletes and such and put in new bearings and gaskets/seals put on a factory t3 turbo and manifold and down pipe with stock turbo injectors and he then fabbed his own fmic set up and using a stock computer . Nistune is about to be on the car as well as larger injectors and turbo. Only problem who the hell tunes nistune in va?

 

I don't know of anyone. My friend needs one too. He's got a hx35 and bigger injectors on an NA block, bunch of other nice stuff too. What injectors are you guys gonna be running? I'm pretty happy with my DSM 450s. Making them work with the 3000gt rails was interesting though.