RyanT Posted October 27, 2021 Share Posted October 27, 2021 (edited) Hi all - I thought forums were dead? Anyway thought I’d do my part to keep this one going! Keeping this short as I’m on my phone and formatting this is a pain, but I’m now in another 350Z after a while out. Rewind 6-7 years ago I had this, as my daily and only car - 60 odd miles a day, which I loved. Did everything well, and was completely reliable, European trips, Nurburgring etc. Although after buying a house with off-road parking I was in a position to have two cars - And while I loved the 350Z it wasn’t special enough to be a dedicated weekend car. So it went and in came this. Elise 111R (Toyota 2ZZ engine) - Essentially an Exige in an Elise body. I did love it. However in the same vein as a sports bike, it was so fantastic when you were on it, anything but a clear road just ended in frustration and feelings of a wasted trip. It was also pretty perfect out the box, and being a development engineer that spends their day behind a spreadsheet - I was getting itchy wanting something to tinker with. So I went in the complete opposite direction and wired a stupid amount of money thousands of miles away to buy this sight-unseen, which after a massively stressful (and expensive) 6 months turned up on the back of a flatbed looking like this. Which after 3-4 years of every spare hour (and what felt like every spare penny at times), ended up like this - Which was (is) a 1971 Datsun 240Z restomod, with a C5 Corvette engine. So 5.7L, 350bhp, 1060kg. Old on the outside, but everything under the surface is as trick as you can get - All adjustable, rose-jointed, massive Wilwood brakes, re-wired, the lot. Long story short, this summer it went to a new home, and despite that cash burning a hole in my pocket and my aspirations as stupid as ever I told myself to wait out until car prices returned to some form of normality. Although perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to get another toy to tide me over? No harm in logging into 350Z-UK surely? I’ll go into more depth on this when I’ve got more time - But long story short I accidentally bought a members car, KuroKid, I think I was on route to collect within 30mins of the (out the blue) message as we’d been generally chatting over Instagram about LS swaps and my 240Z. Thread from his ownership here - He obviously loved the car and took good care of it. Here’s a 1am petrol station return photo, the sign of all good car buying trips! I’ll go into more detail in my next post, but it essentially went up on jackstands immediately after getting home for the next month or so, and after a hundred little fixes, and some posh parts I’ve now got myself a car that can drive to a track day with a boot full of tools in relative comfort, lap all day without breaking a sweat, and drive home. All without the worry of sending a house deposit sized lump of metal sliding into the tyre wall. Perfect. It was genuinely the most fun I’d had in a car in a long time. Delighted to be back in a 350Z, these really do punch much beyond their weight. Anyway keep checking in, will add more detail how we got to this point (the good, and not so good…) Cheers all Edited January 20, 2022 by RyanT Added link 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pintopete58 Posted October 27, 2021 Share Posted October 27, 2021 Welcome back bud a shame you couldn't keep the 240z 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortPaul Posted October 27, 2021 Share Posted October 27, 2021 Hi and welcome from Bristol, luv the 240z buddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azurez33 Posted October 27, 2021 Share Posted October 27, 2021 Welcome chap, feel like we’ve already been well introduced, but great to see a post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADPHONES Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 Welcome back to the OC. That's a really interesting car history there that made a great read. Looking forward to hearing more of your motoring exploits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Muxlow Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 Hi and welcome back to the fold buddy. Nice looking cars you've had. I love the look of the 240Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GranTurismoEra Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 .The blue really suits the 240 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayT Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 Welcome back. Brilliant 3 cars but wow that 240z is just 😍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanT Posted November 17, 2021 Author Share Posted November 17, 2021 (edited) Cheers for the response chaps! So in an effort to fill in the gaps above. In short I wanted a simple, reliable, fun car I could drive to the track, use and enjoy all day, staying out for as long as I wanted per session, be fast, while not dreading the drive home. It wasn’t even a day before the car was being taken apart. The lovely BuddyClub seats were mounted really high which made the car really odd to drive and uncomfortable as you sat bolt upright which just isn’t how buckets work. Turns out one of the lower mount inserts had pulled out of the shell, so the higher mounting position was being used, as a work-around. So out the seats came for repair, alongside a massaging with the angle grinder of the rails and bolt lengths to get them as low as possible. This shows just how much lower I was able to get it. Absolutely transformative actually sitting in the car instead of on top of it, and actually comfortable. So much better. Next job was a knocking from the rear, which the previous owner advised as likely drop links. So I had those ordered to fit - Only to be welcomed by: Oh, that’ll be the knocking then. I replaced the drop links anyway as I was in there, gave everything a clean. Next job was a aluminium under-tray, as I noticed the existing one was barely hanging on and was essentially zip-tied in place. Now, this is where things snowballed… “If I’ve got it up on jackstands with the under-tray off - I might as well do a complete fluid change” “if I’m changing the coolant, I might as well replace the radiator while I’m in there with a big Mishimoto one” “If I’m draining the oil, I may as well fit a bigger sump while I’m there, and an oil cooler for good measure”. “if I’m fitting an oil cooler, I should really fit an oil temp sensor and gauge too” So, one of these: Went for the Mishimoto thermostatic oil cooler kit, which quality wise is great. But a frustrating lack of torque settings within the instructions. And one of these: Anyway, much cursing, zip ties, padded tape and braided line wrestling later - It was all neatly fitted. Then on to the larger Stillen sump -It was reassuring to see such clean internals when removing the OEM sump. I was a bit disappointed with the roughness of the casting on the Stillen oil pan, so cleaned it up with a wire cup attachment - Just to make sure nothing was going to shed and end up in the oil. Much better. Then an oil temp gauge neatly fitted into the drivers door panel. So, Mishimoto radiator, thermostatic oil cooler kit, oil temperature gauge & Torqen undertray all fitted. 2-3 litre increase in oil capacity always appreciated! Time to put the thing back on the ground. Or was it? I noticed the rear discs looked oddly small compared with the backing plate. Off came the rear wheels and low and behold someone has fitted non-GT pack, much smaller rear discs to this car and somehow didn’t notice something wasn’t right… Check the lip worn in the pads. So again true to form, I let things snowball. I was planning on fitting braided lines and replacing the brake fluid with fancy Motul 660 stuff, and if I was going through all that effort plus having to replace the rear pads and discs - I may as well upgrade the entire lot, right? So an Akebono (370Z Nismo) brake upgrade was underway… Take some RockAuto (Akebono branded, but raw calipers) Several evenings with some high temp paint, decals and lacquer - Some massive high carbon discs Some trick track pads - And some adaptor brackets - You have yourself a massive 14inch front, 13.8inch rear big brakes kit with OEM reliability for which you can get spare parts from any dealer or motor factors, perfect. However things are never as straight forward as they should be, and things rarely bolt on. The rear brake nuts and pipe were properly fused together, and ended up twisting off. So I had to grind back to good metal and re-flare with a new nut. And it turns out the big brake kit was juuust a bit too big, and made contact with the wheel barrel. So out came the angry side of the grinder - Upon Googling it looks like this isn’t unheard of. In reality it was just removing some mismatch and casting imperfections, to give it enough clearance. I think if you were to buy calipers from Nissan they go through an additional machining / finishing process so you wouldn’t have to do this. Not that it matters either way. Oh and I also switched the wheels out for some OEM rays with sticky AD08R’s. We got there in the end! Hel braided lines and posh Motul 660 brake fluid to finish off. … I quickly got the car back on the ground before I found something else to get carried away with. Car drives amazingly, the brakes feel fantastic. Although I wish the steering wheel was bit closer to me, and the gear stick too. In went a Personal Neo Grinta, and the old gear knob I had custom made and managed to keep from the 240Z sale, alongside a shifter extension. Perfect! Oh and you can also see the 380RS pedal I bought too. I’ve missed out loads I’m sure, it was weeks and weeks of fiddling, and finally got it finished with days to spare before the first track day, to which it performed faultlessly. Kept pace with my mate in his very trick Megane Trophy, during open pits was able to stay out longer than anyone else - Brakes endless, temps rock steady, car felt fantastic. So aside from booking in more track days, what’s the plan? Potentially a square set up would let the chassis shine more on track, perhaps a 265 square, and I want to get the alignment looked over. Oh and also book it in for some welding, I think ‘rust free’ must mean different things to different people as I poked my finger through the rear wheel well cill (you know the place, where that plastic piece catches all the mud). Cheers for reading. Edited January 20, 2022 by RyanT Spelling. 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azurez33 Posted November 20, 2021 Share Posted November 20, 2021 You got moving fast! FairPlay looking god mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanT Posted November 20, 2021 Author Share Posted November 20, 2021 1 hour ago, Azurez33 said: You got moving fast! FairPlay looking god mate Thanks! Compared with the 240Z everything is so easy to source, fit (and not insanely expensive). It’s most of the enjoyment of building a project car, with less of the downsides. Having an issue and being able to find 10 tutorials immediately on YouTube is the dream too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azurez33 Posted November 20, 2021 Share Posted November 20, 2021 2 hours ago, RyanT said: Thanks! Compared with the 240Z everything is so easy to source, fit (and not insanely expensive). It’s most of the enjoyment of building a project car, with less of the downsides. Having an issue and being able to find 10 tutorials immediately on YouTube is the dream too! I’d have to say the z is a pretty expensive car to modify if I’m honest mate but can understand the 240 even more so! but yes bet the YouTube tutorials Defintely make it so much easier! and wait to see what’s next! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicktZZZ Posted December 10, 2021 Share Posted December 10, 2021 Great read and build so far, you don't do things by half that's for sure and at least all that horrible cash from the 240 sale isn't burning too many holes 🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanT Posted January 20, 2022 Author Share Posted January 20, 2022 Few winter updates on this one as I continue to get it 100% right for my first year of trackday / road trip enjoyment with it. Blackfriday came and went, so picked up some final bits which were on my list. Installed a Torqen plenum spacer, and gave a good excuse to get everything inside squeaky clean. And spark plugs ‘while I’m in there’, they’ve probably been done recently but at least now all consumables have been replaced by me. Then imported / installed a SteeringSolutions so I can mount and retain the cruise control controls. Really smart product. I then spent some time like this, fiddling to get the clutch positioning adjusted - Horrible. Then some nice things arrived - Obviously Enkei RPF1s, 18x9.5 ET15, so square set up with 265/35 NS2Rs on all four corners, up from the 225/245 standard and allow me to rotate front and rear. Will really increase the neutrality of the car and I’m really looking forward to having a play with it all on track oh, and I fitted some facelift rear tail lights, which I’ve just remembered when looking at this pic. Bad picture, but centre caps arrived and fitted. Another little job I’ve been meaning to do is to fit heated elements to the Buddy Club bucket seats, which has the wiring and switches is already there is very easy. Every track car should have heated seats, right? Perfect! Think that’s about it for now - Off to Horsham Developments at the end of the month to get suspension / engine fettled and then get booking as many track days as possible! Cheers all - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunsetorangezed Posted May 2, 2023 Share Posted May 2, 2023 On 17/11/2021 at 19:44, RyanT said: Torqen undertray all fitted. @RyanT What a great thread, lots of work, fair play! What do you make of the Aly undertray? It looks like access to the filter is tricky? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanT Posted June 24, 2023 Author Share Posted June 24, 2023 (edited) Ah only 18months since the last update! Life is busy and I don’t get much of a chance to use the 350, but we’ve had a few adventures. First up, I spent a small fortune (thousands) on getting some rust on the rear of the car cut out and repaired, and the underside treated. Let’s not dwell on this too much. In prep for some trackdays. I booked into Horsham developments for a remap / health check, spanner check & alignment. Some healthy gains, and 20/30bhp in the midrange and a bit up top. Nothing groundbreaking but everything is healthy and working as it should be. As part of this the seized old Driftworks arms were replaced with bushed items from SPC to give a bit more compliance. I also found out the issues with NVH in an aftermarket gearbox mount. But when I went to replace with OEM, I found the threads had been stripped and it was loose. Honesty everything this previous owner had his hands on was a disaster. Repaired with an helicoil. OEM, new bolts. Sorted. I also made an impulsive eBay purchase with this Land Cruiser, idea is it’ll be a great tow car to take the 350Z on trackdays all across U.K. & EU, and sleep in the back while also enabling some off-road adventures. Made a fold out sleeping platform. And while we’re on the topic of other cars, this lovely little 205 Rallye has entered the fold. It’s so much fun, perfect summer car. You can blast everywhere without breaking any speed limits, and it has such compliant suspension & high profile tyres you can just roll over any potholes, such a great little thing. Back to 350Z things. Booked in to a (very wet) Castle Combe Car was fantastic fun and performed perfectly. Between the brakes, all the cooling - It’ll happily stay out for as long as you want, really great for getting as much seat time as possible during the day. From the strength of that trackday, and after a full fluid change - We booked onto Cadwell. As I’ve not gotten around to buying a car trailer yet - Loaded the 350 up with tools, luggage, spares - Off we go for a 250 mile drive to Lincolnshire. Sod’s Law it was another wet one. Again, a faultless do it all display from the 350Z. 250 miles there, a day on track and 250 miles back - Fully loaded, cruise control on, Bose stereo going, heated seat. What more can you ask for, from an almost 20 year old car. Unreal. Oh, my neighbour showing me up as always. Still, considering you could buy a 350 for every day of the week vs. his GTS, it holds up well doesn’t it? Anyway, I’ve probably missed out 80% of what’s happened. But at least we’re somewhat up to date! Edited June 24, 2023 by RyanT 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanT Posted June 24, 2023 Author Share Posted June 24, 2023 Oh and the massive groundbreaking news is that I’ve bought another new gearknob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunsetorangezed Posted June 24, 2023 Share Posted June 24, 2023 Love following this thread, great you are putting so much time in and getting so much enjoyment out. And the car looks amazing, some of the track shots are beautiful. I appreciate it may be a bit bitter, could you elaborate on the extent of the rust work that was done please? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanT Posted July 11, 2023 Author Share Posted July 11, 2023 (edited) On 24/06/2023 at 15:54, sunsetorangezed said: Love following this thread, great you are putting so much time in and getting so much enjoyment out. And the car looks amazing, some of the track shots are beautiful. I appreciate it may be a bit bitter, could you elaborate on the extent of the rust work that was done please? Thanks mate much appreciated! Yeah of course, so it was on the back end in two places - The first is the classic front inside of the rear arches, through to the internal cill section. All caused by that plastic guard which from what I can tell only serves to hold dirt & moisture against the body of the car. The second was around the rear strut mounting points. The front of the car was completely solid with zero attention needed, which is fairly common for these cars. Perhaps the undercoat body protection on the rear was lacking from factory as the underside is really good - Just specific areas on the rear were bad. Anyway, all sorted now. Underside fully treated and coated with a lanolin fluid film coating, which with maintence reapplications will keep it good for another 20 years, and won’t crack and hold moisture like rubberised undercoat. oh in other updates I’d also fitted a GKtech master cylinder brace. I’ve had these on previous cars and it’s made hell of a difference. The impact on the 350Z is not as immediate, but you still notice an improvement in the firmness of the pedal in sharp braking. Suprisingly fiddly to install though as there’s lots of odd angles going on. Edited July 11, 2023 by RyanT 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanT Posted October 7, 2023 Author Share Posted October 7, 2023 I spend more time brushing cobwebs off this thing than driving it lately. But, managed to sneak in a few little jobs! Not exciting, but made a handy extension for my trickle charger maintainer that just stays tucked up in the bumper and makes plugging he car in so easy. But, more interestingly. Oil Cooler Shroud I’d had the Mishimoto oil cooler for a while but the fact it isn’t shrouded is leaving a lot of cooling efficiency on the table. So I had a spare morning and got to work. Really pleased with how it came out and just from some spirited drives there is a significant difference in the oil cooling efficiency. Generally keeps it much lower, and cools down from peak temps much faster. Looking forward to getting out on track and it enabling me to turn even more laps / make the car even more robust. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanT Posted March 16 Author Share Posted March 16 Hi all, This is a very soft launch, but I’m thinking I probably should sell this, as with life being as busy as it is - I don’t get chance to enjoy it as it deserves, and it’s about to get much busier. Will write a comprehensive ad when I have time of all the spec, and any flaws, but everything is here in the thread. And in the previous owners build thread linked. In short, I bought the car - Which was already pretty trick, I then spent easily the same amount of cash again getting it to my standard, sorting rust, protecting, fitting more trick bits; RPF1s, Akebono big brake kit and so much more. All to do 2 wet track days and 4k miles in 3-4 years! I know I know. I don’t really want, or need to sell it. But I should. So someone come with a hassle free, grown up sell and buy probably the most complete, capable, reliable package available for the money. All sorted and ready to enjoy - Drive it around Europe, a weekend at the Nurburgring. £7.5k, or less if you wanted to bring your own wheels. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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