Whats up everyone? My name is john and ill be buying a 89 300zx turbo soon. its a z31. a friend of mine is selling his to me for 500 bucks. i havent went to look at it yet but i will sometimes soon when we both have free time. ill just tell you all whats wrong with it here in this thread.

Well i just got off the phone with him and he told me that i do need a paint job. and someone backed up into his car a while back so there is a dent on the back of the car somewhere.

the main problem....the car isnt running! he said something about there is a computer thats messed up in the engine block???

i just wanna get this thing running because i sold my car away not too long ago. just wanted a different car and i came across this.

i did have a 2007 honda civic Si sedan. loved that car to death but it was a little too pricey. so i got rid of it. so anyways.... nice meeting you all, and can someone help me out with the car's problem please!!??

 

w00t! Welcome to ZDriver!

$500 is a score for that car as long as there is nothing "major" wrong. There's only one computer (ecu) on the car, and it's at the passenger side kick panel. Maybe he means a SENSOR?

 

ohh... i see i see. well maybe. all i heard was something in the engine block was messed up. or around the engine block. i dont know. ill take a look at it later when i go see that car. and yes 500 bucks is a steal. ive been looking up a lot of pictures of the z31 and more and more i look the more im starting to like it.

so what should i do first to the car when i get it? besides fixing all the problems with it. i was thinking about changing out all fluids.

 

fix it and fluid change, basically all the preventative maint. should be done and get it to run like magic again, also, 89 turbo nice score, its a rare one, but a great one, LSD rear end very strong and the Z32 like tranny, which is near bullet proof.


also, welcome, try to figure out whats bad on it, also if its been sitting for a while (like half a year or something) i would suggest changing the gas and the oil before attempting to start it.

 

nice. thanks for the tip. after all thats said and done, i want to make it quick. decently fast. what are my options?

i was thinking: front mount intercooler, 3 inch exhaust system, intake, cams???, bigger turbo???

 

Options are endless.... the limiting factor is the $$$ in your wallet.

What is your main goal? Street car? Track car? Road course car?

What is your hp goal? 250hp? 300hp? 500hp? 20000000000hp?

What is your mechanical / electrical / body skill level? Will you be doing all mods yourself?

 

im looking for a drag race setup. i like going in straight lines. lol

hp....i dont know yet??? i dont know what these things are capable of yet. but like i said...decently fast. atleast faster then my civic Si was. ( 325 whp )

some stuff i will install myself. if its just a bolt on mod, ill do it at home. other then that, i'll take it to a shop.

really my goal is to make it faster then my Si was. and also at the sametime i wanna make this car look good. i've already got the wheels picked out. just cant seem to find a good suspension kit for the car. or any good lip kits. there is a one specific lip kit that i saw in google images. been trying to look for it but cant find it. ill post a picture of it here in a minute.

 

How much are you willing to spend? $5k? $10k? $20k?

Here's two Z31 mod sites:
http://www.redz31.net/
http://www.az-zbum.com/

 

just until im satisfied i guess. willing to spend however much.

 

Well... if there's no limit on money, go ***** out. Yank the motor, forged & balanced internals, studs all the way around, lots of head work, MLS headgaskets, large turbo with custom ss manifolds and external wastegate, 3" exhaust, huge intercooler.

$20k ought to get you there.

 

here is a picture of how i want my front end to look like...
i like that sleepy eye look, but im guessing you have to buy something for your headlamps to do that? i've seen some z31's with their headlamps go all the way up. but yea, im looking for that lip and also, whatever it is i need to buy for the headlamps to look like that in the picture.

 

Do what JohnZboy is doing. I'm sure he's well over $20k: https://www.zdriver.com/forums/300zx-z31-performance-technical-227/engine-sitting-car-progress-pics-25470/

 

lol i dont know about doing all that. can the engine handle about 350 - 360 whp on stock internals?

 

wow....now thats crazy. but i probably wont go all out like that. lol and i think he has the lip that i want too. that car is sick though!!

 

The "general" (and I use that word loosely) rule of thumb is that a motor should be able to sustain a 50% increase of hp on stock internals. Stock is 205hp. Doing the math, a 50% increase would get you to about 307hp.

 

i see. Hmmmm..... well then in that case i think i should upgrade some internals.

how are cams for the z31??

 

http://www.az-zbum.com/ you really need to read up on that website. it will tell you everything you need to know.

 

if you dont want to go into internals i still suggest ARP main and head studs (not sure if they make rod bolts for the car but thats an option) and an MLS headgasket. that should secure the stock block for a nice boost increase. then you need to go exhaust cams would help, larger turbo and injectors and something to manage that stuff, maybe nistune can do the trick for that. as for suspension, if you dont care TO much about handliing i'd just get a good strut/spring setup and forget coil overs and sway bars.

 

oh snaps!! a 2jz engine can fit into a z31?? supra = my dream car. ill settle for the engine itself. maybe i should look into that see if its worth the time...

 

but which do you like more the 2JZ or the legendary RB26?

 

both are sex. lol which is cheaper and easier to install?

 

honestly, i think the RB might be cheaper (for actual purchase price), probably same difficulty to install

 

i was checking out the RB20. cheap and can make decent power. need to do some more research on engine swaps. never really paid attention to swaps till now.

 

RB20 is a waste, get a 25 at least.

 

why is it a waste?