First off, I've been a car nut for as long as I can remember. It all kind of started when I was little and my Mom and sister went to the store and picked me up a pack of toy cars, from there it spawned into 100's of toy cars, make believe races, car lots, car shows, you name it. I had a lot of Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche, etc toys like most kids as they are readily available at stores and fun little sports cars to pretend with. When I was little and my family and I would go on vacations I would take rolls of pictures of cars seen on the trips. Cars out on the road, cars on car haulers, in parking lots, at peoples houses, it didn't matter, the more the merrier. The kicker of the story is that nobody in my family was really car crazy so to speak so I'm not sure where I got it. There was always appreciation for them, but no one got their hands dirty or had projects or old muscle cars stored away. I was to be the first.

On one certain trip down to see my Grandma in Florida in late 1989 I spotted a car in a parking lot and asked my Dad if we could go look at it. We went over and it was a new Nissan 300zx (a very early Z32). It was a 2 seater base model NA, but man it was something. I wanted it....and a Z car love affair started.

I got my first car in February 1999 (no more driving Mom's cars!). It was a 1998 Nissan Sentra SE 5spd. It had the SR20 in it, it was black, looked cool, and it was a sporty little Japanese car. It was just what I was looking for. I had no idea how to drive stick, but I learned that day. I learned a lot of things on that car by tearing things apart, putting mods on, putting things back together, etc. I was hooked but I soon came to realize that bolt ons (intake, exhaust, suspension, etc) weren't going to get me what I wanted. I could pour a ton of money into the Sentra and it was never going to be a Twin Turbo Z. So I worked a ton and saved up.

Finally.....the time for a Z car! The timing of this post is good as I am coming up on an anniversary of sorts as on December 10th I will have owned my Z for seven years already so I'll be able to break down how its come along year by year.

It was November of 2000 and I was working a second job as a door man at a bar in a local suburb. A guy came in who was working on the roof at the bar who had a white TT Z32. I went out and drooled over it, talked to the guy, and found out he was going to be selling it. I didn't think there was anyway I could afford it, but I went over his house and drove it right around the end of November. After driving it, I had to have it. No bones about it. I went to my bank with my Dad, he co-signed for me, and they approved my loan for $15,000. Looking back, what was I thinking, 19, used high maintenance sports car....whew the world was at my fingertips and I was ready to blast there in my Z. I drove it home just before winter hit and parked it in my garage. I had a long winter to get into trouble with parts

The car had some cracking in the paint on the lower front fascia and some on the rear spoiler. Plan was to fix up that paint work, maybe a couple little bolt ons and call it a day. That obviously didn't last as the plan. Years of blood, sweat, tears, and money later, its what you see today.

Now on to the pictures....

2001

Started out stock and snowballed from there.

The Z got some SSR GPO Evolution wheels and Nitto 555 rubber, HKS Hiper exhaust, Stillen intake, a shift knob, and some maintenance.

No more stock wheels!

That summer it also got a Wings West body kit, an old Stillen wing, some jdm clear corners, a Top Speed front strut bar, and some other goodies. It was cool, unusual, and I was going to make it my style a little at a time.

I began to take it to car shows as it was very unique since no one in my area was really doing anything to "tuner" type cars and mine was quick and twin turbo out of the box.

Winter time rolled around and it was time to put it away, work a ton, and save up for more stuff.

2002

In 2002 it really started to get out of control. I became extremely anal about keeping it clean, detailing it every other day, and I spent lots of money haha. It got some AV stuff including a DVD player, new speakers, etc. It got a pair of Sparco Torino racing seats, gauges, a dash kit, etc inside.

It got old school Tein Coilovers, Suspension Tech sway bars, adjustable tension rods, test pipes, an HKS hardpipe kit, some Nismo caps for under hood, a JWT ecu upgrade, etc. Looking back I'm not sure how I managed to survive on ramen noodles all the time to afford this car. Keep in mind I was working two jobs full time and going to school.

Summer was over and I was broke. Snapped a couple pictures late in the fall before putting it away for winter.

2003

By this time, my car was beginning to get known in the area. I was always around at car shows, I was cleaning house in my class (it helped to have a clean car from Miami Florida to start with), and I was driving it a lot. I hadn't really accumulated much new stuff for the car over the winter as there weren't any huge plans. Just some interior stuff and some more engine dress up. That changed on May 10th on the way home from a big car show that the Z had just won. There was a loud pop from the motor and black smoke started pouring out of the exhaust and the car was running horrible. Time to limp it home and figure out what happened.

Turns out there were injector issues and it had a leaking headgasket.
So it got loaded up on a trailer and taken to my buddies shop where it could be torn down and rebuilt since it couldn't be done easily in my small garage.

As things tend to, it snowballed into a whole lot of "well while the motor is out and we're in there...." kinda stuff. It went from a simple rebuild, maybe some 555 injectors, and small turbo upgrade to break the bank go all out multi-year project. I had a dream of what the Z could be and I was going to make it that. New internals, HKS turbos, big fuel system, lots and lots of custom work, it was happening.

Suspension, drivetrain, electronics, it was getting it all. Screw the budget. 2003 came to a close with me only having driven it in the spring. Winter was hard and I was missing driving the Z. Paying the bills and not enjoying the car wasn't fun.

2004

The build continued in 2004. I did a lot of things that the guys on the forums (not NICO) said wouldn't work, and that you couldn't do. I wanted to push the envelope. I wasn't happy with a lot of off the shelf stuff so we fabbed better up and learned through trial and error. Tuning the car was a nightmare and took forever.

Spring turned into summer and summer into fall. The friendship with my buddy who had the shop strained and I didn't work on the Z much.

My Dad had cancer and my focus turned away from the Z. He was my best buddy and we were so close. He passed away from cancer August 21st 2004 and I was devistated. He never knew much about cars, but he supported what made me happy. Over the years he would come sit outside and watch me work on it or come to car shows and hang out, he just loved seeing me happy. He supported my car addiction 100% and contributed in any and all ways that he could. I had talked all through the build about the monster the car was going to be and all the things along the way. He was anxious to ride it in when it was finished. Then it hit me. He had never ridden in my Z. I never got a chance to share my passion with him. Here is my Dad with my Z.

He was my inspiration as he taught me to never settle, never to give up, and to achieve your goals. I loved him dearly and I was going to do just that. The Z wasn't going to sit and never get finished.

I had it out with my friend and the Z came home to my garage to be finished. Josh (NSR_s30), some other friends, and myself wrapped it up and got it running right.

Before it saw the road I had a pair of decals made up for the T-tops. The drivers side wore my name and the number 22 as that was the number I always wore in baseball as a kid. The passenger side sported my Dads name, my navigator, and his number 34 that he wore as a baseball player.

The Z was back and out on the road and I was going to live up what was left of the year.

I had no plans on it, but a friend talked me into entering the vehicle into Hot Import Nights Cleveland on October 9th 2004. We cleaned the car up and I drove it out to the location. I met a lot of cool people there like RJ DeVera and had a great time.

That was the show that I came to the realization that the Z was more than just a big deal to me and my friends. The Z had a bigger crowd at that show than any other. And when the awards ceremony came around, and they rattled off all the Nissans and my name wasn't mentioned I figured no big deal as I didn't expect to win without neon lights, 10 tv's, big subs, and all the things that I don't like but that make a show car. The announcer got down to the final awards. Best overall, hottest performance vehicle...winner is....Jerry Taylor with his Nissan 300zx. Holy crap, I won. My Dad was definitely looking down and smiling, this one was for him.

The Z then was featured on cardomain as one of the first "Show off of the week" winners and various other sites. It was then, after HIN, that I found NICO and joined up.

2005

The Z ran great, the Z was very fast, and I had a full year with it. I drove it, I showed it, I enjoyed every minute of it.

The car was even featured as ROTM on NICO

Mods continued here and there as did trophies and spirited drives.

2006

Another year of problem free fun with the Z.

Continued to fine tune the car and tinker with it here and there all year. Added some little bits and pieces to further customize it and make it my own throughout the year.

2007

This year has been a lot of fun. We (NSR) did our first national NICO meets, spent a lot of time together, and I've got to cruise with my girlfriend Stephanie (NSR240sxe) in her awesome 1997 kouki 240sx I got her as a surprise b-day present in January. We've added a lot more cars to the collection and continued to have fun. Here's some snap shots of the Z from this year.

So that brings us up to today. The Z wouldn't be where its at without my family, my friends, my girlfriend, and of course all of you on NICO. So thanks for all you do

Here is a somewhat current modification list, may have missed a couple things but you get the idea.

Exterior
Wings West body kit (4 piece)
Stillen Wing
Bomex AD258 Nose Panel, slightly modified
Ab Flug Aero Mirrors
Fully Cleared Corners
JM 6000K HID kit
Phillips Silver Vision Bulbs in marker lights
NSR Fully Cleared Taillights
JDM Clear Rear Side Markers
JDM Red Fairlady Z Hood emblem
JDM Fairlady Z rear emblem
Carbon Fiber Foglight Ducts
NSR Rear Wiper Delete kit

Wheels and Tires
3 Piece SSR GPO Evolution Rims in Chrome
-17x8.5 front
-18x9.5 rear
Kuhmo 712 tires
-235 front
-265 rear
Muteki light weight wheel lug/lock set

Brakes and Suspension
NSR VR4 big brake kit with brembo cross drilled and slotted rotors in the front
Brembo Cross drilled and slotted rotors in the rear
Axxis MM Brake Pads
NISMO 60mm Wheel Hub Studs
300 Degree Brake Master Cylinder Brace
Tein RA Coilovers
Top Speed Adjustable Tension Rods
Top Speed Front Strut Bar
Top Speed Rear Strut Bar
Top Speed Hicas Eliminator
Top Speed Rear Ladder Bar
Suspension Tech Adjustable Sway Bars
Dupree Subframe Spacers
Noltec Adj. Front Upper A-arms
SM Tuning Adj. Rear Arms
Energy Suspension Bushings
Stitch Welded and Reinforced Subframes

Interior
Sparco Torino's Red/Black
Sabelt Harnesses, Black
Sparco Harness Pads, Red
Wedge Engineering Brackets
JDM Veilside 300km/hr Gauge Cluster
Custom Red Leather Interior Trim
Nismo Shift Knob
J-Spec Shift and E-brake Boots
JDM Fairlady Z floor mat tags
Custom 'SilverTwin' Short Shifter
Autometer Phantom Tachometer
Autometer Phantom boost gauge
Autometer Phantom water temp gauge
Autometer Phantom air/fuel gauge
Lotek Full A-Pillar triple pod
Brushed Aluminum dash kit
4pc. Custom Aluminum Pedals
Chrome Fire Extingushier
Apex-i S-AFC
Apex-i AVC-R
Apex-i Rev Speed Meter
HKS Type 1 Turbo Timer
Signal Auto Steering Wheel Hub Adapter
Sparco Color 2 Steering Wheel

Engine and Engine Bay
Turbo XS RFL BOV's
OS Giken Twin Disk Clutch
Powertrain 1pc Aluminum Driveshaft
DSP Racing Turbo Manifolds
HKS GT2530BB Turbos
Wiseco Oversized Pistons
Nitrous Express (NX) NterCooler FMIC spray kit w/ 10lb Nitrous Oxide Systems (NOS) bottle
HKS DLI Ignition System
XS Engineering FMIC
Slick Motorsports Dual Intake with Apex-i Filters
Border/Sard 850cc Fuel System
NSR Test Pipes
Stillen X-pipe
HKS Hiper Exhaust
Z1 Motorsports ECU Tune
Specialty-Z Split Downpipes
Nismo Oil Filler Cap
Nismo Radiator Cap
HKS Hardpipes
Optima Red Top Battery
Chrome Battery Bracket
Chrome Power Steering Res.
Chrome Misc Clamps
Polished strut bar
Polished valve covers
Polished Throttle bodies
Polished Custom Radiator Bracket
Powdercoated Red Strut Bar brackets
Powdercoated Gunmetal Upper Plenum
Samco Upper Radiator Hose - Red
Samco Lower Radiator Hose Elbows - Red
TurboHose Hardpipe connectors - Black
Slick Motorsports Custom Oil Catch Can
Custom Hood Mirrors
Custom Fuse Box Mirror
Hose Techniques Red Silicone Vacuum lines
Koyo Polished Aluminum Radiator
FAL Black Magic 150 Electric Fan
Painless Wiring Assembly
Billion Thermostat
Stainless Braided Lines throughout engine bay with -AN Fittings
DP Aluminum Lower Radiator Hose
SX Fuel Pressure Regulator
SX Fuel Filter
D/U Fuel Pressure Gauge
Nismo Oil Cooler
NGK 2 step colder platinum spark plugs
300 Degree EGR Elimination Kit
Noltec Urethane Motor Mounts
Powertrix Engine Ground Kit
SPL Stainless Steel Clutch Line
SPL Chrome Brake Reservoir Cap
SPL Chrome Power Steering Reservoir Cap
SPL Chrome Clutch Reservoir Cap
PB Carbon Fiber Throttle Cable Cover

Audio / Visual
Panasonic DVD & Navagation System
Panasonic HeadUnit
Panasonic Processing Unit
Custom sub box built by RH Designs
Alpine 6.5" x 4
Alpine 1" tweeters x 2
JL Audio 12" Subwoofer
Soundstorm 500 watt amp
Soundstorm 700 watt amp
(Trunk mounted audio equipment only installed for shows as it doesn't make the car faster )

Fluids
Mobil 1 Synthetic Oil
Redline Synthetic Manual Transmission Fluid MT90
Redline Synthetic Differential Fluid 75w90
Redline Water Wetter

The future plans for the car are to continue to improve it, have a lot of fun, and to do what I want, because anything less than perfect isn't good enough.

I look forward to sharing knowledge with all of you and making this place even better than it already is today. Feel free to e-mail me or say hello on instant messenger. All the information is listed in my profile.

Thanks for reading the most long winded and picture heavy post I've ever made. Hope you enjoyed!

Quote, originally posted by nghtrain88 »

true passion

A well documented history, Jerry. That photo outside your work is deserved of the Zama Museum wall - perhaps you can print one & gift it, lol! A big thank you for the hours you dedicate to our shared passion.

May I suggest a group push to show off your ride?

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/444850

Log in or register, nominate for showoff. 300,000+ views so far - whew!

Quote, originally posted by OriginalWheelman »

Nothing like a car that makes you smile every time you drive it. You can't put a price on fun. Unless you're a hooker.

Already been graced with that honor actually

White Comet Sale
Daytona Blue paint
aftermarket gauges
welded diffs, diff housing and ring gear

wtb- s14 speed sensor

Quote, originally posted by nsrZ32 »

Already been graced with that honor actually

Yep, I saw it fresh a couple of years back. Multi award winning, that's your car! Are there CarDom rules excluding multiple wins?

And what of the Zama idea? That is one interesting warehouse, I'm sure pics like that one are very welcomed. Might get you an invite

Video:
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm...20044

ForSale: 1987 Chrysler Conquest TSi
http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread/356505

Quote, originally posted by themadscientist »

Websters called. This thread has caused them to recall all dictionaries as suck must now be redefined.

mmm HID's

Honestly I have no idea on the cardomain thing, I'm hardly on there anymore to be truthful lol.

On the Zama topic, I would LOVE to go there some day. If bribery with a picture could help, I'm down 100%

Doubt it would help though.

Quote, originally posted by BMAR240SX »

Bro im speechless about your car, ever since i started posting here i think your Z was my backround for like 6 months, then my computer crashed But man you get my vote hands down for best looking Z i have ever seen in my life

Quote, originally posted by White Comet »

dang u have hands down, one of the nicest Z's on here

Thanks guys

hey jerry, i feel you completely on that one... my father just passed away from a stroke on 20 october 2007 and i just realized after reading your post that my dad never got to ride in my Z either. he had always loved sports cars ever since he bought his first 1967 Triumph TR4 in 1967. since then, he has had many little sports cars which included his most recent 2004 Toyota MR2 Spyder. i have inherited that Spyder and will continue to enjoy it along with my Z. i would have loved to take him up and down the canyons of utah in my little Z, but every time i drive that Z from now on... he will be riding with me. the death of a loved one is such a pain in the A$$ huh? thanks man and ill continue to enjoy the passion we call the Z32.

"Don't fear change, greet it!" - The most influential man in my life, Lawrence (Chip) Lee Grant - 1948-2007. I love you Dad.

No dyno time yet, I'll get there eventually lol.

As for the 1/4 mile, I haven't run it since the motor build. Back in 2002 I got talked into going to the strip with a few buddies it ran a 12.86 with Stillen cone filter, JWT ecu, HKS Hiper catback, and a set of test pipes. Not sure what it would run now, not really a fan of drag racing though so who knows when and if I'll take it.

1) He once saved a litter of kittens from a burning building with little thought of his own safety.

2) His brother was the inventor of the keyboard necktie.

3) NSRZ32 is also known as, "Tea Bag Johnson" amongst his many adoring fans. Tea Bags, is how we like to call him here on the forum, is in fact the Ohio State air guitar reigning champion. His hand play and in-air scissor kicks are legendary amongst the underground air guitar community.

4) And lastly he was the brainchild behind putting the jelly and peanut butter in the same jar. Yeah, he's THAT guy. I thank him in prayers everynight.

Keep up the good work sir.

Worthy of starting a parallel thread, Milo!

Absolutely incredible car and the dedication that you gave to it is amazing...even if it was a lesser car. Keep up the good work bro, amazing ride you have.

I wanted the Wings West rear and I wanted the flow and function of the HKS Hiper so we trimmed out the lower portion of the valence to allow the HKS exhaust to clear. I am happy with how it turned out and how it looks. Actually have a lot of Z guys ask about it so they can do the same.

Here's a couple more pictures of the rear for you