300 ZX project

[Leon]

Hello guys, I have started a new project with my good mate Kelvin who helped me a lot on the M20 McLaren.
This is a Nissan 300ZX with a twin turbo 3.0L V6. One of the rules Kelvin laid down was this is not a 12year project and we hope to have it ready for the next summer season which is 6 months away.
First job is a 12 inch motor set back and some after market race suspension, I want it to look like the set back is part of the car and as such the stock tunnel and fire wall are retained and once welded back in will be dressed up to look like part of the original floor we also get to keep the stock G/Box mount.
We have gone for 18" wheels same as the IMSA cars used and I originally wanted to build it to replicate the IMSA GTO that Steve Millen ran in the early 90s but that would have broken the 12 year rule so that's not happening. I will post photos as we progress and I hope it will be of interest to you.

Cheers Leon

 

[Leon]

Hi Guys,
Back from WA so had a couple of weeks off and got some work done on the roll cage in the Z. It had a part built cage when we got it but was not legal so cut it out and started from scratch. I have just tacked it up and a pro certified welder will complete the welding while I'm away at work this time. Also took to the doors with the cutoff discs and halved their weight as well as cutting out the trunk floor and any brackets that won't be needed. The partner in this project (Kelvin) made the dog house (engine cover)

 

[Brian Kissel]

Good to see you are back on it Leon. Looks good.

Regards Brian

 

[Leon]

I know you guys like photos so here are some progress shots. Still have a few tubes to go in yet but it gives the welder something to start with while I'm at work

 

[Leon]

A couple more. I have added the another side intrusion tube so its an X with a dropper in the middle to the floor and another from the back stay to the Centre of the main hoop and top intrusion bar. It also has tubes to the front strut towers from the dash bar going through the fire wall and they will triangulate to the foot plates in the front laterals of the main cage and drop at 45 degree to the chassis rails.

Cheers Leon

 

[Leon]

Well, some more time spent on the 300ZX. got the roll cage finished and welded up this time home. Made the engine and G/box mounts and bought Intercoolers and radiators but as always happens with these things we are now looking at maybe going the single turbo direction. For a brief moment we looked at going the LS3 way but as we have a built 3.0V6 and all the stuff to make it work, the economics makes sense to stick with it. Also got a Tilton pedal box/master cylinders, 14"AP rotors and huge Brembo calipers. Blasted and painted all the sub frames and suspension parts. Made the front clip a One piece unit and cut as much excess metal as Kelvin let me out of the shell.

 

[Leon]

Here are some photos of the cage. Will send more of the finished/painted shell before we start putting all the bits back in it. the plan is to paint the entire shell white then add the red and blue in the same scheme as the 90s Stillen Works car #75.

 

[Leon]

Back home for 6 weeks over Christmas and hoping for some real progress on the 300z, we are going with a single turbo and have mounted it in front of the engine running to twin intercoolers. Finally finished the rollcage and now making the alloy fuel cell and mounting Intercoolers and radiator, these will be ducked air from the front air dam and out through the bonnet. The body will then get blasted and painted and we can start fitting all the suspension, steering, brake system and wiring. Kelvin made the rear wing and did a nice job of it as well, he has done most of the body work while I do the engineering stuff and considering he is a builder and used to working with wood he got a good handle on the steel stuff.

Some more photos and I promise the last of the roll cage pics, next lot will be turbo install, coolers etc.

 

[Neil]

Back home for 6 weeks over Christmas and hoping for some real progress on the 300z, we are going with a single turbo and have mounted it in front of the engine running to twin intercoolers. Finally finished the rollcage and now making the alloy fuel cell and mounting Intercoolers and radiator, these will be ducked air from the front air dam and out through the bonnet. The body will then get blasted and painted and we can start fitting all the suspension, steering, brake system and wiring. Kelvin made the rear wing and did a nice job of it as well, he has done most of the body work while I do the engineering stuff and considering he is a builder and used to working with wood he got a good handle on the steel stuff.

Some more photos and I promise the last of the roll cage pics, next lot will be turbo install, coolers etc.

If running your 300ZX at Bonneville is in your future plans, get an SCTA rule book before you go too far with your roll cage, etc.

 

[Leon]

Hi Neil, I can assure you this car will never leave these shores, its being built to run in allcomers club events in NZ we also want to run in "Time Attack" and "Sports Sedans" which are pretty much run what you bring events so the cage is to MSNZ standard and the guy who did the welding is the guy who signs off on it so we're all good.

Cheers Leon

 

[Leon]

Hey guys had 6 weeks at home over Christmas/New Years so got a bit more done on the Z and also finally sold the M20 so successful time home.
Got the cage finished and mounted the radiator in the trunk ran the pipes to the front ran the exhaust through the car and out the side jut behind the left door and painted the entire car. Now we can start putting the suspension back in and fit out the engine etc getting to the fun stuff now.

Some pics to look at.

 

[Leon]

Hi Guys Kelvin and I are pushing on with our 300ZX project and now have the rear suspension and drive setup installed the radiator and ducting is pretty much done. the intercooler has been modified and installed with the engine and Turbo. I still have the front suspension to do, changing from the std Nissan set up to adjustable A arms and possibly going to a push or pull rod set up just have to look at how I mount the Coilover shocks.

We had to make our own intake manifold to get it under the wind screen valance, modified the water pump housing as we are running a Davies Craig electric pump and also looking at remote mounting the power steer pump.

Kelvin has done the windows and the venting ducts for the radiator.

Some photos attached.

 

[Leon]

Hello again, Thought I would share another purchase I have made. I have a friend who collects cars and Motor bikes and he never sells anything well hardly never but I managed to squeeze a bike out of him a few years ago for another good friend and I managed to get a 1985 Audi UR Quattro off him. Now he has 2 of them, a 1983 model he has owned since 1987 and the 85 model which he's had since 1990. I'm going to strip it back and tidy it right up and make some upgrades along the way. I have wanted this car for many years and finally he relented and sold it to me. It only has 90,000 miles on it and has not been driven since the early 2000s so it needs some TLC but these cars are becoming quite rare and collectable. They only made 11,000 over their 10 year production run and I'm sure not all of them have survived. I will start a separate build thread once I get started. Here it is now, its actually in very good condition. The white car is mine and the Grey and the Blue cars have the A2 upgraded body kit that I hope to do. Cheers Leon

 

[Leon]

Hey guys more progress on the 300ZX project, front suspension was retained with some tweak's, I had to make it 2" wider to accommodate our 30 x 68 x 18 front tires also reversed the lower arm stays from forward facing to rear this allowed me to remove the large cross member that held the Radiator and also the front stays so more weight gone. the brakes are now almost done just the right rear caliper to mount.

More body work done as we have now done the flares in alloy sheet and I got out the old hammer and dollies and had beat the lips which I wanted hand finish but kelvin jumped in and gave them a thin smear of Bondo. still have to do the front splitter and flat floor and that will pretty much be the body work done.

Just a side note, when we first got this car we were going to LS power it but as we already had a built engine and a bunch of stuff to make it go, we thought that's the cheap option. AHH Wrong, its cost us $5k for the fuel system alone then we went single turbo, inter coolers, plumbing, etc etc. we could have swapped a LS in there pumped it up to 600hp quicker and probably cheaper than this is going to end up but this will have a cool turbo flutter and shoot flames.

Photos coming

 

[Leon]

Photos as promised

 

[Leon]

 

[Leon]

 

[Leon]

 

[Leon]

 

[Leon]