Fast road/Track 350z 3.7ltr HR built

[350Butcher]

So I've been meaning to write a little build thread about my new Zed for a while so hear goes! I'll try and fly through it a bit so its not too boring for you to read......

 

Bit of background: I've owned a 2004 DE Zed since 2012 and I carried out quite a few choice mods on that and learned a lot from that car too. In Oct 2015 I saw an ad for a totally stock 2008 HR Zed, 1 owner from new 26k miles and a full nissan dealer service history. So after taking a look the car was bought, collected and stored at my mums while I stripped the DE car of parts I could sell and parts I could swap over......

 

Once the DE was sold I bought the HR home and along with the parts that I already had and was transferring onto this car there was now a pile of new parts I'd acquired in the few months that had past addressing all the fixes to weaker areas I'd felt that the DE car had and so making the HR “THE†Zed for my use.

 

On arrival looking filthy and in need of a wash before work begins!

 

http://i.imgur.com/T4S0OsKl.jpg

 

First major job was I wanted the whole car rebushed, suspension, diff rear subframe the lot, so I chose the whiteline black range and set to it. Was really impressed with the whiteline bushes so much beefier than the stock items with way less space to flex and move around the fit on all of them was spot on too.

 

http://i.imgur.com/VAdgg0Bl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/bAFt9Gsl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1zEILc8l.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/SpTXmktl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/cilkrpfl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/GJ6FtRkl.jpg

 

I already had my Bilstein B14 kit to go on, I was tightening up the chassis with the bushes and knowing I was going to have the alignment all set up to suit a bit of track work once all the work had been finished I thougth I'd aim for some better results by adding a few SPL suspension components to the mix

 

http://i.imgur.com/uu20Uvjl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/d35eYeUl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/5LvA5Pil.jpg

 

Chassis done, it was time to move on to the drivetrain. Having done a bit of homework and research on the HR cars I knew the clutch slave cylinder was a known problem and along with wanting an uprated clutch and single mass flywheel there was only one (very perfect solution) the Xtreme kit!

 

http://i.imgur.com/5l1O0rAl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Faa3Pg8l.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/vlRWeutl.jpg

 

Continued...........................

Edited January 22, 2022 by 350Butcher

[350Butcher]

Next up was to get rid of the standard lsd thats not up to any sort of spirited or track driving. After a little research I sourced the my own spec OS Giken superlock (1way 3/35) along with new stub axle required, bearings and seals

 

 

To finish up and help get the engine breathing a bit freer I refitted my tanabe medalion exhaust/ XYZ y-pipe with resonator and the new HR ART pipes. I kept the standard air boxes but added K&N panel filters as this seems to be the best for power and booked the car in the see Mark@Abbey Motorsport for its Uprev (with fingers firmly crossed for the best)...........it made 293Hp@the wheels

 

 

To bring you right upto date, my latest thing was to improve the cooling. I sourced a Koyo radiator, 1.3bar cap and silicone rad/heater hoses from HPS in the states (couldn't resist having a set of their intake hoses too though!)

 

 

For me the car is spot on (for now anyway), I can drive to a track enjoy it all day and drive home again as well as being a great weekend fun car. I'll be at Donington at the end of the month to give it its test run before its 'Ring trip in September.

All the mods I've done I'd highly recommend to anyone, they all fit great all do what you want them to with no nasty downsides, its still totally usable and not too far from the great road car it was but with much higher limits on track.

 

Parts supplied through the below people and all have been very helpful and provided great service so cheers:

Mark@Abbey Motorsport

Ewen@Clark Motorsport

Rod@RB Motorsport

Quentin @Qprep for superb job with geometry the old skool (best) way

The guys at Sumopower

Alyn@AS Performance

Mitz@CougarStore

and a few bits sourced through the guys n girls of the 350z forum!!

 

 

There's a few bits n pieces I've missed so here is the full spec: (Updated 28/06/18)

 

Chassis:

MCS Motion Control Suspension 2WNR coilovers inc bearing top mounts all round

SPL front upper camber/caster arms

SPL rear toe links

SPL rear camber links

SPL rear traction arms

SPL FK spherical bearings throughout

SPL bump steer correction tie rod ends

Eibach ARB with whiteline drop links

Whiteline subframe and diff bushes

Bespoke alignment @QPrep

Nismo Rays 18" LMGT4 wheels

Yokohama AD08R 255/40R18 front 265/40R18 rear

 

Drivetrain:

Xtreme clutch kit inc single mass flywheel and clutch slave cylinder fix

B&M short shifter

Mtec Industries shifter / detent springs

OS Giken superlock diff

 

Brakes:

Front: AP CP5555 6 pot calipers with Pagid RSL29 pads / 343mm PF Performance Friction floating discs with custom BGdevelopments brackets and bells

Rear: Standard Brembo calipers and discs with Pagid RS42 pads

Goodridge braided hoses all round

Homemade 76mm cooling ducting to front brakes

PFC RH665 brake fluid

 

Engine:

Tomei Cams (Exh and Inlet 272 degree / 10.8mm lift)

Tomei valve springs

Ported and reprofiled heads and inlet manifold

CNC valve seat cut

PPE long tube race manifolds with parallel merge collector

Motordyne XYZ y pipe

Tanabe medalion exhaust

Boundary Gears billet oil pump gears

R35 Injectors

Stillen Gen3 long intakes with K&N filters

HPS rad and heater hoses

Koyo radiator and cap

Mocal oil cooler with homemade cowling

 

343hp@7250rpm

 

 

 

If you've made it this far then cheers for reading and I hope you like the car!

 

Thanks, Martin

 

Few Xtra pics!!

 

Edited September 16, 2018 by 350Butcher

[Stutopia]

Looks like your building something special here. Very nice start

[350Butcher]

Thanks, it's coming on nicely!

[GMballistic]

Moved to the correct area for you Op.

 

Looking very good & love those alloys.

[Rich260]

This is looking awesome. I'm sure you already have it covered but don't forget to grind the nib off the front knuckle or it'll catch the SPL camber/ caster arms under compression.

 

Looking forward to future updates!

[350jimbobz]

Nice write up and smart motor you have there. Enjoy her

Edited August 14, 2016 by 350jimbobz

[ATTAK Z]

Very Nice and a midnight too

[andy james]

Very nice.

Doing some of the most important mods first which unfortunately are hidden.

[martybhoy]

What a great build. look forward to more updates.

[350zedd]

Nice work Martin and best colour!

[350Butcher]

Thanks for all the comments, really appreciate that!

 

I will update as and when things happen, think it'll probably see the rest of the year out like this though

[scobie140]

Looks a good set up did you fit your clutch at home? I'm wanting to change mine over but wasn't sure i'd be able to get the clearance under the car to do it at home on the drive

[FiddyZed]

Big fan of the colour! Where do you notice the most improvement?

[veilside z]

Very nice. B)

[350Butcher]

Looks a good set up did you fit your clutch at home? I'm wanting to change mine over but wasn't sure i'd be able to get the clearance under the car to do it at home on the drive

 

Yeah do it all in my (wish it was a double) garage. The pic with the gearbox on the floor and axle stands all round on hole 3 is as much room as I had to do the job. Although its big the gearbox isn't too heavy and it nicely weighted to sit on a jack and be pulled away from the engine and then there's loads of room to nearly sit up under there and swap everything over. I'd recommend the Xtreme kit too, good quality and feel reassuringly heavy but not too heavy under your foot with no silly juddering etc mines already done a good few hundred miles of Alps bashing and its first trackday and feels good as new.

[350Butcher]

Big fan of the colour! Where do you notice the most improvement?

 

The colour was a bonus when it came up for sale!

 

Hard to say one area as everything is just up a notch or 2 really

 

The engine mods on paper don't look much but in the real world and paired with lighter flywheel etc I think it frees it up enough to be better everywhere over stock and is so much keener to rev and access the power its got

 

The chassis all rebushed firms things up quite a bit to be fair, maybe too firm for some but it allows the suspension to do all the work and you can feel that more when pressing on, it lost that floating disconnected feel that it had before (the stock subframe bushes allow a lot of movement) and it responds better to adjustments too as a result. The eibach arb's make a huge difference as a single mod, corners much flatter and improves direction changes massively. And lastly and most importantly decent sticky tyres, all the above would be a waste of time if the thing touching the ground is kwik fits own brand!

 

The brakes, although still using std brembos are great, the performance friction discs being a floating disc not only save a load of unsprung weight but have performed faultlessly over all the abuse I've given them (they were on my last Zed too) they've only ever had the Pagid RS29 pads fitted to them which never fade and are as happy going to the shops as lapping the nurburgring, they are pricey but they out perform everything else I've tried so I stick to them. The only downside being the dust it pretty aggressive so got to make sure you wash your wheels regularly.

 

Sorry for the super long reply which didn't even really answer your question either!

[scobie140]

Looks a good set up did you fit your clutch at home? I'm wanting to change mine over but wasn't sure i'd be able to get the clearance under the car to do it at home on the drive

 

Yeah do it all in my (wish it was a double) garage. The pic with the gearbox on the floor and axle stands all round on hole 3 is as much room as I had to do the job. Although its big the gearbox isn't too heavy and it nicely weighted to sit on a jack and be pulled away from the engine and then there's loads of room to nearly sit up under there and swap everything over. I'd recommend the Xtreme kit too, good quality and feel reassuringly heavy but not too heavy under your foot with no silly juddering etc mines already done a good few hundred miles of Alps bashing and its first trackday and feels good as new.

 

Thats good news, think i'll pick up a new clutch and lightened fly wheel to stick on over the winter. I thought i was going to have to bite the bullet and get a garage to fit it due to my lack of ramps but reckon if i pick up a new jack with a higher lift it should be sound. I'm between the Xtreme kit and the JWT kit, both seem to get good write ups.

 

I just need to add a press to my garage like you to save me pulling favors to get stuff pressed out

[JimF]

Great work! Like a wish list for my own!

[GodISmE]

Hey man, your build is very similar to mine (also 08 HR track car) and I am also planning to hit the Ring in September!

I have a few mods done already but you seem to be ahead of me.

 

Got a few questions for you as some of your mods are still on my list of things to do:

1) Radiator - where did you get the Koyo radiator from, can you drop me a link please (here or PW). Why did you decide to get this one? No more problems with overheating even on very hot days with long >20 minute sessions? Did you leave the thermostat in?

2) Clutch and flywheel - why did you choose this set and did you get the slave cylinder seperately? Does this solve the problem with clutch pedal staying on the floor after after long stints on hot days? How does this set perform compared to the OEM set?

3) Any problems with low oil pressure when idle due to this paper gasket in HR? Have you replaced it already by any chance?

4) Are those ART pipes so called resonated test pipes which replace the cats? Dunno much about the exhaust in this car yet. Is there a difference in performance between resonated and non-resonated pipes or is it just about the sound?

5) What is you current track set up - height, toe, camber, sway bars?

6) Any plans to change the FD to 4.08 or 3.9? After two track days I found that 3.5 is just too long for a track.

Edited August 21, 2016 by GodISmE

[350Butcher]

Very nice. B)

Great work! Like a wish list for my own!

 

Thanks for your comments guys

[350Butcher]

Hey man, your build is very similar to mine (also 08 HR track car) and I am also planning to hit the Ring in September!

I have a few mods done already but you seem to be ahead of me.

 

Got a few questions for you as some of your mods are still on my list of things to do:

1) Radiator - where did you get the Koyo radiator from, can you drop me a link please (here or PW). Why did you decide to get this one? No more problems with overheating even on very hot days with long >20 minute sessions? Did you leave the thermostat in?

2) Clutch and flywheel - why did you choose this set and did you get the slave cylinder seperately? Does this solve the problem with clutch pedal staying on the floor after after long stints on hot days? How does this set perform compared to the OEM set?

3) Any problems with low oil pressure when idle due to this paper gasket in HR? Have you replaced it already by any chance?

4) Are those ART pipes so called resonated test pipes which replace the cats? Dunno much about the exhaust in this car yet. Is there a difference in performance between resonated and non-resonated pipes or is it just about the sound?

5) What is you current track set up - height, toe, camber, sway bars?

6) Any plans to change the FD to 4.08 or 3.9? After two track days I found that 3.5 is just too long for a track.

 

Nice work. When are you heading to the 'Ring? We're booked on the Thursday DN16 through destination-nurburgring.com, Darren and the guys organise great events there so I'd recommend them if you've not already booked something up

 

1) Ordered through sumopower as they are the UK distributor but after found it cheaper still on tarmacsportz website. Went with it cos I had one before on my Evo 5 which was 420bhp and did tons of trackdays with no overheating issues. The quality is spot on too as you can see from the pics. I fitted one of their rad caps but the 'stat is the stock one. Also use Millers products throughout the whole car including their extra cool and coolant.

2) Chose it after reading all the positive comments about it, it does come with the slave cylinder and as far as I'm aware no one has reported anymore probs with pedal sticking on the floor so problem fixed! Lighter flywheel obviously helps but I see they do any even lighter one than I have which I would've had if I'd known about it!! But I did do all my mods at one time so I cant really say how much this improves response as a single mod. Its a firmer pedal but not over the top at all, well mannered and seems well built so should stand up to a bit of track use. I heel and toe all the time so I'm nice to my clutches and have never had a problem so hoping this ones not the one to give me any.

3) No probs with mine, but I have read about it and will be doing it at some point end of the year/over Xmas/winter etc for peace of mind next year. Oil pressure is quite high anyways as I use Millers CFS 10w60 NT in the car but I do keep an eye on it to make sure its always reading the same as is usual.

4) They're the ones. They do represent good gains and are made really well and yes do make the sound much nicer, had Berk decats on my DE car and they came off at my first chance for a set of ART pipes cos of the noise and so I went with the same again for this car.

5) I'll post a pic of my geometry if you like when I dig it out. Ride height i set myself at a point where the front lower arm was ever so slightly higher on the inboard end as to keep roll centre sensible (no maths in it though) and I run the rear slightly higher to give some positive rake angle (again no maths sorry) My ARB's are hardest rear setting and softest front for most of the time

6) I thought about it and if it was only a track car I might be more tempted but driving long distances I think I'm grateful for the taller gearing. Circuits like the 'Ring and Spa though its not a problem at all but Cadwell Park for example its in 3rd for most of the lap!!

[GodISmE]

We will be at the Ring on 2-3 October, two full days of driving. Hopefully the weather will be fine.

 

I am thinking about going with OBX long headers. They are supposed to add around 30hp.

Please share your set up for the Nordschleife and you feedback after driving there. I'm wondering how to set mine up. Right now my set up is -2.7/-2.4, -0.05/0.10. Car lowered by 2cm on full coilovers. How do you measure the rake - top of wheel arches? I read that 13mm is ideal.

Edited September 14, 2016 by GodISmE

[Jakeswheelbarrow]

Really like the colour!

[350Butcher]

We will be at the Ring on 2-3 October, two full days of driving. Hopefully the weather will be fine.

 

I am thinking about going with OBX long headers. They are supposed to add around 30hp.

Please share your set up for the Nordschleife and you feedback after driving there. I'm wondering how to set mine up. Right now my set up is -2.7/-2.4, -0.05/0.10. Car lowered by 2cm on full coilovers. How do you measure the rake - top of wheel arches? I read that 13mm is ideal.

 

We are praying for sunshine and dry tarmac too, week Thursday so not long to wait for us!

 

30Bhp sounds a bit optimistic but I know the long headers are the way to go for max results.

 

After a very successful pre-ring trackday at Donington at the end on Aug I can tell you the current set up is perfect for me. Car has really good turn in and is almost perfectly neutral through the corners with it leaning on the rears and allowing some adjustment from the rear on the throttle to keep the nose tightly on course if needed and great traction getting on the power on exit. I'll post back after Germany but I'm going feeling very comfortable in the car.

 

Current weights and setup (we did fix that rear toe but I don't seem to have got to a print out after)