Project Double Down: From Start to Finish
 

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This is the story of a 350Z that underwent a freakish transformation. This transformation changed it from a mild mannered sports car to something of a super car. A wolf in sheep’s clothing if you will, like a chick with a d*ck, shocking and unexpected. Without further ado, this is the story of…Project Double Down.
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Chapter 1: Strippers
Ok now to the serious part. During 2005 my 350 Z was my daily driver and my track car. After the addition of the Kirk Racing 4-Point roll bar, Corbeau CR1 seats, and Corbeau 5-Point harnesses I started to think that maybe my car wasn’t the best daily driver anymore. My girlfriend was complaining that it took 10 minutes to figure out the harnesses every time and so I had to make a decision. The easy and cheap way would be to ditch the roll bar, harnesses, and seats, but no, that was out of the question. I love track racing too much and I am a safety whore. So the search was on for a new daily driver. I ended up with a 2001 Lexus IS300 and then the ideas started flowing…

Within two days my 350Z was in my garage up on jack stands. At work I was on the forums looking through the classifieds for new exciting parts, and the next weekend I enlisted the help of the NV350Z Club and a few others to aide in my “stripping party.” That weekend we tore into the car answering the question we all had in the back of our minds since we bought our Zs, “What’s under all of this plastic?”

That’s right folks, we gutted my 350Z. Everything that could be spared was gone, the carpet, the radio, the speakers, everything. After a block of dry ice and a few chisels most of the sound deadener was gone as well. All that was left was a bunch of bare metal and a pile of interior pieces…

http://www.sincity350z.com/guttedcabin.JPG
http://www.sincity350z.com/guttedmidsection.JPG
http://www.sincity350z.com/guttedroof.JPG
http://www.sincity350z.com/guttedtrunk.JPG
http://www.sincity350z.com/guttedpile.JPG

Chapter 2 coming soon!

Chapter 2: The Big Decision

My car still on jack stands, but now naked, I started to order some parts for the car. I decided I needed a more aggressive coilover setup so I sold my Tien Flex w/EDFC and picked up a set of JIC FLTA-2 coilovers. This decision came after talking to a few companies at SEMA about their products. Then I knew I had to tackle the camber issue. The front was an easy decision with the Cusco A-Arms, but the rear, I had a little more trouble deciding on.

I started to think about if I was going to stay N/A or go with forced induction. My major hang up was that I didn’t like the idea of lag with turbo setups and centrifugal superchargers. So I started researching the Stillen superchargers because they offer a no lag, roots type blower. The only problem was that it wasn’t capable of much power for the price. Having to buy a new hood and strut tower brace wasn’t too appealing to me either. I didn’t want to stay N/A because then I would be Rickdogg Jr. lol. Not that that’s a bad thing Rick as you probably have the sickest 350Z I have ever seen.

While searching the forums I came across Scott at Violent Racing Technology (VRT). We got to talking and he filled me in on the JWT Twin Turbo kit. Well after about an hour and a half on the phone with VRT I was convinced. JWT was the way to go. Near instant boost and has amazing torque numbers. Both of which are awesome for the track. What made the decision even easier for me was that the guys at VRT are avid track racers as well so I knew that this setup could hold up to the abuse.

So the next day, the wheels went back on and the Z was put on a trailer headed for San Diego! Early Sunday morning I drove down to VRT with the Z in tow. I got there and was greeted by Scott and Mike from VRT. They were just as excited to see my newly stripped 350Z as I was running around their shop like a crack head……….on crack lol. (writers block). Then it was out to lunch and back across the desert. What a long day that was.

The next day I called up Scott and told him my newest decision that I thought about all the way home. I wanted a built motor. I have always had this motto; “Do it once and do it right, because doing it twice always costs more.” So true to my motto I decided the built motor was the way to go with its CP Racing Forged Pistons, JWT Cams, Pauter Rods, and much much more. Oh and of course the JWT Clutch and Flywheel will be installed as well. Before you know it I was getting these pictures in my email…

http://www.sincity350z.com/vrtshop1.JPG
http://www.sincity350z.com/vrtshop3.JPG
http://www.sincity350z.com/vrtshop5.JPG

Chapter 3 coming soon!

Chapter 3: While at VRT

So my car is now at VRT in San Diego and my garage feels empty even though the IS300 sleeps there while the Z is gone. So what happens when you don’t have your 350Z to drive? You buy more stuff for it! The following is what happens when you live by the motto stated in Chapter Two.

So I got to thinking, with all of this power at hand, my speeds at the track were going to be considerably faster. This opens up a whole new labarynth of things that need to be addressed. First and most important of these issues is safety. Although I already had a roll bar and harnesses, there was still MUCH room for improvement in the safety aspect. I kept having flashbacks of my last track day where I watched a brand new Lotus Elise burn to the ground. So it was off to SummitRacing.com to buy another mod that you need, but hope you never use, a fire suppression system. This three nozzle system sprays into your engine bay, cabin, and rear cabin at the push of a button. The best part, the flame retardant is clear and leaves no residue so your vision isn’t blocked while trying to get out of the car, and cleanup is a lot easier. Then I started thinking about the airbags…with the harnesses keeping me in place, all the airbags will do is come out and punch me in the face. Then I got excited because airbags are heavy and that means I can get an aftermarket steering wheel. So to Momo I went, and on my doorstep a few days later was their “Fighter” steering wheel.

After my safety spree the boys at VRT brought up a very good question. With all the extra speed I will have entering braking zones, will the OEM Brembos be enough to last an entire weekend at the track. Probably not, which is why I am now a proud owner of an AP Racing big brake kit.

Next came a pretty obvious decision. I need some bigger tires. The solution…18” Nismo LMGT4’s powdercoated flat black wrapped in Nitto NT01 tires, 275/35/18 Front, 315/30/18 Rear. The secret lies in the offset and the profile of the tire people. No fender mods needed.

http://www.sincity350z.com/vrt1.jpg
http://www.sincity350z.com/315s.jpg
http://www.sincity350z.com/lmgt44.jpg
http://www.sincity350z.com/lmgt45.jpg

Chapter 4 coming soon, but not as soon as 1 & 2 because chapter 4 isn’t completed yet.

You got me so excited that I want to go FI and the whole nine yards!

love those wheel/tire pics! (insert eek smiley here)

Dayum Mike, you ought to be a writer for one of those mags.
Whats with the smiles?

Thoses Nitto are sweet..... too bad they dont make them in a 19 :(

Mike your car will be the bomb when your done with it.

UPDATE ON WHAT HAPPENED OVER THE WEEKEND

Well this weekend the car started its final days at VRT in San Diego. They have been putting miles on the car making sure that everything works well. Friday and Saturday were taken slow while the new internals got broken in and everything else checked out ok. According to the guys at VRT it idles like stock, has no heat issues, and is really strong. They only ran it at about 7 lbs. of boost during the break in period as well.

Saturday night was its first real test drive. Scott at VRT put 350 miles on it that night! The car did awesome on long trips and had no heat issues or oil leaks. Then Scott took it to some high speeds and noticed that the back end of the car felt a little wierd. Back to VRT he went to check the suspension.

The suspension checked out fine and and then he figured it out. It was the rear tires. Earlier that day they had hand measured the rear tire width. Although the Nitto NT01s were 315s, they actually measured out to be 323s. On the 9.5" rim, the 323s crossed just over the line of stretching the tire on the rim. What was happening was, at high speeds the tire was growing taller, like drag slicks, because they were stretched so much trying to fit the 9.5" rim.

The tires did not rub at all, it was just the stretching problem. So, what we are doing is switching back to the 315/30/18 Michelin Pilot Sport Cups that I was originally going to put on the car. The good news with that is they come in a 285/30/18 which will replace the 275/35/18s I had on the front with the Nitto NT01s. So I lose a tiny bit of width in the rear, but gaining more in the front.

Check back in the next few days for Chapter 4 which will include some fun stuff!

http://www.michelinman.com/images/ca..._cup_large.jpg

Picture from www.michelinman.com

the rims looks really hottttttt

Just got word from VRT that they are delivering the car either late tonight or tomorrow morning!!!!! Unfortunately they didn't get a chance to dyno it, but I will do that on my own. I am also going to take some video and a lot of pictures. Stay tuned for my review! Chapter 4 is coming real soon!

Pope and I get first dibs on shotgun!

Bring it down to that place in Henderson, I've got 4 dynos on credit and I want to dyno mine as well. What sort of engine/turbo management are you running? UTEC? That's what I want to switch to...

I am going to bring it down there probably tomorrow on my lunch break. Depending on how busy I am at work. I am using a Split Second Piggyback ECU.

More pics of the install!!!

http://www.sincity350z.com/vrt6.jpg
Under the car...

http://www.sincity350z.com/vrt7.jpg
Another shot underneath the car...

http://www.sincity350z.com/vrt8.jpg
Momo Fighter steering wheel...

http://www.sincity350z.com/vrt9.jpg
JWT Twin Intercooler...bad azz...

http://www.sincity350z.com/vrt10.jpg
Almost done!

i hate you more and more everytime you post pics :D your damn pics have forced me to start saving for a vrt project... my wife isnt going to be happy

lol, I can have my girlfriend guide her through the experience.

she should be used to it from my turbo rsx... it had some serious cash in it (not as much as yours does)... i think she was under the impression that i wasnt going to turbo this car, but i have changed my mind :)

hahaha, At least you haven't decided to gut the interior. I still get s**t about that.

i bet... i think my wife would refuse to ride in it (i will strip it when i have another car to daily drive).... so is the guy there yet with your car :)

NEW UPDATE:

After a good talk with Dave from SportZ Magazine, he convinced me to get a few new parts for engine safety...

First is a Fluidampr performance damper pulley. As Dave explaied to me (sorry Dave if I say this wrong lol), everytime combustion happens in the engine, the crank moves forward and back in the block. Now the crankshaft is built for this, but when you add things like forced induction that increases the combuston pressure. This makes the crank movement worse. What this Fluidampr pulley does is dampens that effect making the engine run smoother and adding another element of safety towards reliability.

The second is heat coating. Now I knew that Jet-Hot coating was good for keeping temps down, however, Dave made me realize how important that really is. This is especially true for me coming from the insaneley hot Las Vegas. The reasoning is simple, I just never thought about it that deep. Extra heat can cause detonation in an F/I car, and detonation is something I do not want. Since my car is already put back together, I am going to have to wait a while to take the turbo kit all apart and get it Jet-Hot coated. In the meantime I purchased a few rolls of Thermo-Tec heat shield wrap. This isn't the best looking solution, but I would rather be safe than sorry. Dave also gave me a tip to make it look better...aluminum heater duct tape.

Also to add another degree of safety monitoring for the heat issue I will add a temperature gauge that reads the intercooler outlet air temp. This is the air that is going to the engine, so until I get my Jet-Hot coating, this is a good way to make sure I am not going to detonate my engine.

The Fluidampr pulley and Thermo-Tec heat shield wrap have already been orderd. The gauge will be ordered from www.EDOPerformance.com tomorrow!

Thanks again Dave for your very knowlegable insight and tips.

http://www.fluidampr.com/images/rend...da_cropped.jpg
http://static.summitracing.com/globa.../the-14002.jpg

No, I am not even sure if they left yet lol. They already informed me that they will be here really late tonight.

i can imagine how excited you are. when i my turbo setup redone on my rsx (3" turbo back exhaust, new boost controller, new ems, and race gas tune), i couldnt sleep the night before. I was pumped. I know how you feel... :)

Yeah I don't think I am going to sleep tonight.

I just got a call from Scott at VRT. Instead of trailering the car up here tonight and then drive back, the decided to wait until tomorrow. In the meantime tonight they have fixed my exhaust leak for me and tried out this stuff on my brakes that is supposed to make them not sqeak with the track pads. Tomorrow morning the car will go to Jim Wolf for a dyno session and then Scott is going to drive the car up from San Diego and fly back.

any predictions on whp?? what boost level are you running it at?

Drooool....

Probably 455-475 whp and 465-485 lb-ft torque at 8 psi (0.55 Bar), especially with his built motor. Heck, I'm sure it could make at least 500/500 with the right dial in.

But what do I know... I'm still N/A.