Hello everyone. Any input here would be very much appreciated. I am new to the Z-Community and am not very mechanically inclined. However I need some feedback that I may be able to provide the Nissan/Infiniti dealership with.

I have a 94 nissan 300zx tt with about 78k miles. It has a borla exhaust, stage 3 ashspec ecu and a K&N air filter. I've been having some idling issues like hiccups at low rpm (1000 - 3000k) but once I've ran the car for a bit, these issues
go away. I was scheduled for a diagnostic meeting with the Nissan/Infiniti dealership next week but I didnt make it that far. I was driving down the road, admittedly at about 100mph, and the engine cut off completely. I tried restarting while it was rolling at highway speeds and no dice. I used the momentum to get off the next exit and pulled to the shoulder. I tried restarting while sitting and all i hear is a loud clack like the start fires once and wants to work but nothing turns. Normally the car fires right up on like the turn. So like "ruh rooooom" sorry for the written sound effects. Anyway, I tried popping the clutch and it just locked up the rear wheels after getting it to about 10 mph and popping in 2nd. The dash lights up fully and all electrical works. Fans still blow. No power steering with the key turned on, and the clutch is definitely stiffer. A friend said maybe the clutch switch? I dont know. I think I need a new alternator because on normal start up, there is a loud squeal until I was a min and when I rev it lightly, it goes away. Serpentine belt is fairly new, it was changed at 66k miles, so only about 11k miles on it.

I cant think of anything else to add, but if you have any questions or comments, I will be on this site all day. The car is currently parked at the dealership, and I have to call them first thing in the morning. So any quick replies would most appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Check battery voltage. Sounds like you killed the alternator, the battery couldn't charge, and now there's not enough power to the ECU or starter to start it.

Replace the battery and alternator if that's the case, then get a scanner and run any pending or active CEL codes (to identify the low-idle miss).

AZhitman wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 15, 2019 8:40 pm

Check battery voltage. Sounds like you killed the alternator, the battery couldn't charge, and now there's not enough power to the ECU or starter to start it.

Replace the battery and alternator if that's the case, then get a scanner and run any pending or active CEL codes (to identify the low-idle miss).

I suppose it could be the alternator, however the car had full power to everything. Would this cause the clutch to become stiff and the tires to lock up when we tried push starting it? I figured it would at least roll, just with standard resistance of the engine, like when I downshift. I am worried about it being the belt because I read somewhere that the z32 has a detonator belt or something? Like the engine will just destroy itself if the belt breaks. I fear the worst because it seems like everything wants to work but the engine is just refusing to turn. Any other thoughts? I will definitely relay your idea to the mechanic that will be looking at it.

Best advice anyone can give you that doesnt involve paying someone a lot of money to diagnose it is to use the FSM (see link in my signature) and go through the troubleshooting procedure. Also piece of advice, unless you absolutely 100% positively KNOW (as in confirmed yourself) that there is an old crusty tech at the Nissan dealer that know KNOWS these cars you should stay away from the dealer and find a specialty shop. these are far from an Altima and though at the end of the day a car is basically and in most ways just a car unless you want the tech learning about 300ZXs on your car Id find somewhere else to go. As for your particular issue, yes it could be the belt (haha detonation belt, I like that), it could also be a bad ground, a leaky injector, or a plethora of other things which is why the troubleshooting/diagnostic section of the FSM is so great.

NolimitZ32 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 16, 2019 6:16 am

Best advice anyone can give you that doesnt involve paying someone a lot of money to diagnose it is to use the FSM (see link in my signature) and go through the troubleshooting procedure. Also piece of advice, unless you absolutely 100% positively KNOW (as in confirmed yourself) that there is an old crusty tech at the Nissan dealer that know KNOWS these cars you should stay away from the dealer and find a specialty shop. these are far from an Altima and though at the end of the day a car is basically and in most ways just a car unless you want the tech learning about 300ZXs on your car Id find somewhere else to go. As for your particular issue, yes it could be the belt (haha detonation belt, I like that), it could also be a bad ground, a leaky injector, or a plethora of other things which is why the troubleshooting/diagnostic section of the FSM is so great.

Thank you so much for your input. Sadly the only specialty place around me are out of state and I dont have the luxury of using them at the moment. I just hope it is not too involved at this point. I plan on doing a lot of work to it but at the moment need it running as it is my daily driver. Am I misinformed about the "detonation belt"? I dont recall exactly what it was but I remember that this was one of the main things to be wary of. They are going to diagnose the car tomorrow and if I can find someone more familiar with working on then before tomorrow night, I will just have it transported to that shop. Sadly I doubt that will be the outcome. I live in Delaware and there are not many shops around that work on the rarer imports like the Z32. Any additional input will always be welcome and thankful. To be honest I was hoping you would have seen this post and replied. So I thank you very kindly.

DrykoseZ32tt wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 15, 2019 9:52 am

Hello everyone. Any input here would be very much appreciated. I am new to the Z-Community and am not very mechanically inclined. However I need some feedback that I may be able to provide the Nissan/Infiniti dealership with.

I have a 94 nissan 300zx tt with about 78k miles. It has a borla exhaust, stage 3 ashspec ecu and a K&N air filter. I've been having some idling issues like hiccups at low rpm (1000 - 3000k) but once I've ran the car for a bit, these issues
go away. I was scheduled for a diagnostic meeting with the Nissan/Infiniti dealership next week but I didnt make it that far. I was driving down the road, admittedly at about 100mph, and the engine cut off completely. I tried restarting while it was rolling at highway speeds and no dice. I used the momentum to get off the next exit and pulled to the shoulder. I tried restarting while sitting and all i hear is a loud clack like the start fires once and wants to work but nothing turns. Normally the car fires right up on like the turn. So like "ruh rooooom" sorry for the written sound effects. Anyway, I tried popping the clutch and it just locked up the rear wheels after getting it to about 10 mph and popping in 2nd. The dash lights up fully and all electrical works. Fans still blow. No power steering with the key turned on, and the clutch is definitely stiffer. A friend said maybe the clutch switch? I dont know. I think I need a new alternator because on normal start up, there is a loud squeal until I was a min and when I rev it lightly, it goes away. Serpentine belt is fairly new, it was changed at 66k miles, so only about 11k miles on it.

I cant think of anything else to add, but if you have any questions or comments, I will be on this site all day. The car is currently parked at the dealership, and I have to call them first thing in the morning. So any quick replies would most appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Ouch!!!, that certainly does not sound good. When was the last 60k timing belt serviced?

A the timing belt (detonation belt, describes what can happen if it or the tensioner breaks) failure can and will do lots of damage at 100 mph.

Good luck and keep us informed

^as itsa said the "detonation" belt refers to the interference design of the engine where the valves and pistons in each cylinder occupy the same physical space at different times. If the engine is in time there is no issue but if the belt slips enough teeth or breaks there is a good chance that the piston and valves meet and beat the hell out of eachother. As I said, there is just to much to test before a clear diagnosis can be made. We can help you but without actual test data all anyone can do is guess.

I appreciate all the input from everyone. Apparently a valve in cylinder 3 blew through the piston and blew it up. I have a half of a sparkplug sitting in front of me that expresses just how much it blew. There is a hole in the piston from the other half. The mechanic is certain that the cylinder wall is going to be beyond repair. So I am at this point looking for a replacement engine. I found a jdm vg30dett with 65k miles out of New Jersey, I'm in delaware, for 2300 plus 200 shipping. Now I am trying to find a shop that can do the swap efficiently.
So yea, it's a big cluster fu**. Any advice or assistance would be greatly appreciated as always.
Oh and the timing it seems is perfect, hahaha. Ironic, but if I have to I can swap alot over to the new engine as needed.

My advice would be to source a rebuildable core as cheap as possible and have a reputable builder build you an engine or buy an already built engine. JDM engines are a crapshoot and for 2500 you're in order-built territory. I bought a JDM engine once, it came with a 1 month warranty, the wrong ECU (Z31 unit), a cut up EFI harness, and a bent rod. The seller wouldn't swap out the ECU, just flat out said no, wouldn't provide an uncut harness, and it took me more than a month to figure out the bent rod because I was doing the swap myself on the weekends so the warranty was never honored (not that I expect it would have been honored even if I discovered it within the month). I ended up building the engine myself but could've saved a lot of money if I had just bought a core from a junk yard. We have a thread in 300ZX general which documents all the horror and success stories of used JDM engines, you should read it. Then I suggest you find an engine builder and start a conversation with them. Also check out these:

Built IPP Stage 1 Longblock: https://www.importpartspro.com/stage-1- ... 300zx.html
Forged internals bottom end rebuild kit: https://conceptzperformance.com/wiseco- ... p_1518.php
Valves and Kits: https://conceptzperformance.com/items.p ... =92&page=1

There are many options. You may end up spending ~$1500 more in the end, build services included but you will have a FRESH engine with upgraded components, zero miles, and the KNOWLEDGE that you don't have a ticking time bomb under your hood, and likely a 1 or 2 year warranty from startup.

You could also try to source good used parts and have the engine built or even assemble it yourself, all the information you need is in the FSM but I don't know if you are interested in such an undertaking.

Wow. That is great information. So I am not going to go with a JDM engine as I also had a guy that owns his own Z shop say pretty much the same thing. I am not mechanically inclined enough to build and swap an engine by myself. How much do you think i will need to buy a fresh engine and get it installed? I am going to take out a loan and my buddy with a1 credit is going to cosign to make sure i get approved right away and have lower interest rates. I need some input on what exactly i am looking for in terms of what i am suppose to buy to make sure that the engine swap is successful and also about how much I am looking to have it installed. Can you give me a rough estimate on the the total amount for the the whole process? I know my turbos, and timing belt is still good so I can swap that stuff over if needed. Thank you again for any input you can provide.

At this point I am not worried about doing any costly upgrades. I am just looking to get a good engine back into the car. It is currently my daily driver and I need it fixed asap.

DrykoseZ32tt wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 18, 2019 4:57 pm

Wow. That is great information. So I am not going to go with a JDM engine as I also had a guy that owns his own Z shop say pretty much the same thing. I am not mechanically inclined enough to build and swap an engine by myself. How much do you think i will need to buy a fresh engine and get it installed? I am going to take out a loan and my buddy with a1 credit is going to cosign to make sure i get approved right away and have lower interest rates. I need some input on what exactly i am looking for in terms of what i am suppose to buy to make sure that the engine swap is successful and also about how much I am looking to have it installed. Can you give me a rough estimate on the the total amount for the the whole process? I know my turbos, and timing belt is still good so I can swap that stuff over if needed. Thank you again for any input you can provide.

I would stop right there, never take a loan out on a toy, you say its your daily, which already is a scary though. I personally (and I am sure a lot of the other Z32 veterans here will echo my sentiment) think its a terrible idea to go into debt (read: take out a loan) for a Z32, it's not an investment its a financial liability and if things keep going wrong you will keep diggin a deeper hole to fix them.

Your turbos are likely good but something you just said really doesn't add up. If your timing belt is good then how did the damage happen? The "detonation" belt would be referring to the timing belt (there is no such thing as a detonation belt). You need to get a good mechanic (NOT A DEALER) to look at the car and run a leak-down and compression test to confirm. Maybe the dealer already did that, if so ask for the results. Go read up on each of those, how they are performed and what they do, you could even go to autozone and loan the equipment to do them. Something in what you're saying isn't adding up. As for the cost, Z1Motorsports has a published price for a TT swap of $8700, since you already have TT I'd say the cost is likely $1500 or so less (per Z1). I've read of other shops doing similar work for less but it all depends on many factors. Now knowing that you are doing all this on credit I'd say your cheapest and safest option would be to find someone who is parting out a Z and can show you proof of the engine running. SZR Pro in Houston is always parting cars and they are very respectable, I've done business with them multiple times over the years. They may be able to help you source a good (confirmed good) TT engine and ship it. The swap itself isn't very technically difficult its just a MASSIVE PITA because of the space constraints and sequence of the work. I've seen shops charge as little as $650 for the labor. Again this is something you will have to do A LOT of homework on because lots of shops will tell you they can do it just to get your business and then do a s*** job.

NolimitZ32 wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 19, 2019 6:52 am

DrykoseZ32tt wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 18, 2019 4:57 pm

Wow. That is great information. So I am not going to go with a JDM engine as I also had a guy that owns his own Z shop say pretty much the same thing. I am not mechanically inclined enough to build and swap an engine by myself. How much do you think i will need to buy a fresh engine and get it installed? I am going to take out a loan and my buddy with a1 credit is going to cosign to make sure i get approved right away and have lower interest rates. I need some input on what exactly i am looking for in terms of what i am suppose to buy to make sure that the engine swap is successful and also about how much I am looking to have it installed. Can you give me a rough estimate on the the total amount for the the whole process? I know my turbos, and timing belt is still good so I can swap that stuff over if needed. Thank you again for any input you can provide.

I would stop right there, never take a loan out on a toy, you say its your daily, which already is a scary though. I personally (and I am sure a lot of the other Z32 veterans here will echo my sentiment) think its a terrible idea to go into debt (read: take out a loan) for a Z32, it's not an investment its a financial liability and if things keep going wrong you will keep diggin a deeper hole to fix them.

Your turbos are likely good but something you just said really doesn't add up. If your timing belt is good then how did the damage happen? The "detonation" belt would be referring to the timing belt (there is no such thing as a detonation belt). You need to get a good mechanic (NOT A DEALER) to look at the car and run a leak-down and compression test to confirm. Maybe the dealer already did that, if so ask for the results. Go read up on each of those, how they are performed and what they do, you could even go to autozone and loan the equipment to do them. Something in what you're saying isn't adding up. As for the cost, Z1Motorsports has a published price for a TT swap of $8700, since you already have TT I'd say the cost is likely $1500 or so less (per Z1). I've read of other shops doing similar work for less but it all depends on many factors. Now knowing that you are doing all this on credit I'd say your cheapest and safest option would be to find someone who is parting out a Z and can show you proof of the engine running. SZR Pro in Houston is always parting cars and they are very respectable, I've done business with them multiple times over the years. They may be able to help you source a good (confirmed good) TT engine and ship it. The swap itself isn't very technically difficult its just a MASSIVE PITA because of the space constraints and sequence of the work. I've seen shops charge as little as $650 for the labor. Again this is something you will have to do A LOT of homework on because lots of shops will tell you they can do it just to get your business and then do a s*** job.

Ok. Thanks again for all the amazing support. I found a mechanic not far from me (1 hour) who has worked on numerous z32s (7 just this last year with pictures to show) and told me he can definitely do the swap for me. He admitted that they are a PITA but he is familiar enough with them to only charge 120/hr. I was recommended to him by a local drift car driver and I was pegged with the "swap it to a 2jz" speech for a bit but he understood my desire to keep it a vg. All included with swap and parts (plus a compression test and leak down test of the jdm engine supplier he uses) is gonna cost me 6-7k. He explained the extra 1k (total of 7k) could arise if there are any hoses cracked, or similar little things.

He understood that the jdm can sometimes be a crapshoot but explained to me that this supplier is his cousin and he has gotten numerous engines from him and only had one bad one so far, which his cousin replaced for him with almost no hassle.

I think at this point I just need to go with this option and hope it will just last until spring when work picks up and I can buy a used truck as my daily vehicle in the spring.

To comment about the "detonation belt". I was uncertain what exactly I read up on and knew it had something to do with the timing belt. I was indeed referring to the interference engines and how if it gets out of time or the belt breaks, causes massive damage.

The first mechanic that checked my car out said that all the timing belt components look good and that he believes it was a preexisting condition on the valve (warp or bent) and that my driving it is what caused it to continually get worse. He explained it is most likely the cause of my low power and shudder at low rpms and that when I took it out on the highway and got going as fast as I was, it just threw it out of whack and smacked into the piston, which is what caused the damage and ultimately the shutdown of the engine.

Again, I am not a mechanic and want to learn all about these cars. So I dont know for certain what exactly it was or was not. I do know, the plan was to make it a project car a year or so after I bought it and I am going to be doing just that come spring time. However in the meantime, I just need to stop the bleeding and make sure it gets me going for another 3/4 months or so.

I will continue to update on here and keep everyone posted. And I greatly appreciate all the feedback.

I'd recommend you take the car to this new guy (if he strikes you as the trustworthy type) and have him do a once over on it. The preexisting condition just doesn't sound right to me, valves don't just stretch and bend, they are made of hardened alloys and if they contact the piston once they usually continue to do so on every revolution. Now if a valve spring breaks or a retainer fails then you may drop a valve but then it wouldn't be a power loss situation, it would be a grenade followed by a cement mixer full of ball bearings under your hood type of reaction. At 76k miles the engine is so new that it shouldn't have any valvetrain wear issues. Whats a couple hundred $$ for proper diagnosis when the alternative is $7k for a used engine. Also ONLY $120/hr???? is that normal for your neck of the woods or is that the Z car premium?

NolimitZ32 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 23, 2019 6:39 am

I'd recommend you take the car to this new guy (if he strikes you as the trustworthy type) and have him do a once over on it. The preexisting condition just doesn't sound right to me, valves don't just stretch and bend, they are made of hardened alloys and if they contact the piston once they usually continue to do so on every revolution. Now if a valve spring breaks or a retainer fails then you may drop a valve but then it wouldn't be a power loss situation, it would be a grenade followed by a cement mixer full of ball bearings under your hood type of reaction. At 76k miles the engine is so new that it shouldn't have any valvetrain wear issues. Whats a couple hundred $$ for proper diagnosis when the alternative is $7k for a used engine. Also ONLY $120/hr???? is that normal for your neck of the woods or is that the Z car premium?

So again, thank you for your excellent advise. The new mechanic I will be using does seem more knowledgable, and more specifically about the Z. We talked for about 2 hours and he gave me a complete breakdown on that engine and what he will do. He was very straight forward about everything including what potential pitfalls and unexpected needed purchaces/repairs. I feel very confident with him after talking for so long.
The 120/hr is not exactly the normal going rate but for the Z, around here, it is better than most. Some have quoted 160/hr for the Z specifically because it is such a PITA, as you said before.
I have talked to many friends and one guy I know personally does alot of engine work/swaps but is mostly familiar with JZs and admitted he knows the engine in a non hands on sense only. However he explained when I get it swapped with the other mechanic, he will only charge me 65/hr in the future and to let him figure stuff out on it when I want something done. I am stuck between the: do i in the future let this guy learn on my Z, and the: I personally know this guy and he will allow me to be side by side learning with him and being more hands on. "Thoughts?"
I plan on having the new mechanic do a once over with the car and engine once I get it to the shop and get his opinion. Because we are using his supplier on the engine, he will be able to check out the engine and determine if a new one is neccessary. However if it is, then JDM will be the way we go. Compression test and leak down test, new gaskets all around, and new seals. Anything else you know I will need/should do while we have everything out? Again I am on a budget so, upgrading it all currently isnt the option. I am trying to hit basics that wont stack up to much more at this point as I can supplement smaller items off my paycheck each week.
I think I mentioned it in previous post, but i cant remember. We are going to do a clutch upgrade while the engine is out and free access to the trans. He actually suggested it as it will be free labor mostly since the engine is already out and he can do it while right there.

Anything else you can think of is tremendously helpful and will be applied as needed. Thank you for your ongoing support.

I meant let the new mechanic diagnose your current engine BEFORE you sign up to buy the swap.

Hello again. No I understood what you said. Maybe I didnt say it clear enough. I am having my mechanic check out this one before I actually purchase the new one if it is needed. I am confident that this guy knows his stuff and hope that when he checks it out, that it is salvageable.
Since we are on the subject. What would I need other than a rebuild kit and full gasket set if I was able to do a rebuild. I know the block would need to be sent to a machine shop to get tested for integrity/cracks/etc but as far as parts, do you know what else I would need? Is it drastically cheaper to just do a rebuild versus a swap?

Got ya. Realistically its probably more expensive to do a rebuild than a swap.
Bottom End Kit ~ $1500
Top End rebuild Kit ~ $350
Timing Components ~ $350
Machining ~ $400
Build Labor ~ $1000
TOTAL ~ $3600

That's all new components and complete kits, you can cut down on the cost by only replacing the bad valve and/or piston and rod. Its something you'll have to really shop around for. Go put together a build list using Z1's posted prices or look on ebay for used OEM components. Its the only way you'll know for sure. Mind you that figure above is a very rough estimate and you are still paying for the labor to pull the engine and put it back in, so the $~3600 is going against whatever the new-used engine will cost. Another alternative is to only do the heads but that's assuming the piston isn't damaged and only a valve is bent. You pull the head with the bad valve (if there's only one) and get just that fixed. obviously you'll have to confirm that the block mating surface is good as well as the head. This would by far be the cheapest since the head can come out without pulling the engine and if done PROPERLY it is an acceptable repair. Again, you need to talk to whomever would be doing the work because not everyone can do it properly or is willing to warranty such work.

Awesome input. I think the swap would be the better route and then when money is more available do a rebuild on my engine if it is salvageable. If it is good I could even use it as a way to bore and upgrade on the side while I use the replacement in my car. I know the piston is no good as it has a hole in it. So I'll probably just have him yank the current one and do the swap, and then have the complete diag on the current one. I make decent money so it wouldnt be an issue to do little by little and just leave it at a shop for a few months as i upgrade it.

How do you know the piston has a hole in it? Did he use a boroscope to get visual confirmation? I don't know about you but if I was about to hand someone $7,000 of my hard earned money I'd be asking every question I could and asking for proof of every statement made. I wish you good luck in all this but I really do think you are approaching this rather lightly but its your money/debt, and your car so do you brother.

The reason I am so adamant that you really explore every option is because I've made damn near every mistake in the book along the way with my car and stopped counting when I hit $10k in expenditures, and that's with doing ALL wrench work myself.

Yea I understand. When I went to the Nissan Dealership and had the initial diag done, the next time I went in after the work was done they showed me with a straw like scope that showed the inside and I could clearly see the hole as well as him describing it.
I am not going to them for the work but rather to a specialty shop that does many swaps and is at least familiar with the engine itself. He wanted me to swap to a 2J but that was just his suggestion and understood I wanted to keep it VG. He seems very capable and has already confirmed that all steps would be ran by me before he gets parts or performs work. He takes his commission at the end and requires all the money for parts only initially. So I know what I am getting into first. We have agreed that I need the donor engine, new clutch and flywheel, a master gasket set and seals, and new hoses. That is why I was asking if there was anything else I could expect from the unexpected. I am using my water pump and other accessories where needed. I can manage to swing more money if needed if I dont have to pay for labor until the work is done and i am just worrying about parts up front.
As always, your input is valued and welcome.

Get a new Timing Belt Kit, DO NOT reuse your old one no matter how new it is, its been in an engine that had a catastrophic failure, it could have been stretched, jumped, etc.

Other than that it looks like you have a plan.

NolimitZ32 wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 25, 2019 7:39 am

Get a new Timing Belt Kit, DO NOT reuse your old one no matter how new it is, its been in an engine that had a catastrophic failure, it could have been stretched, jumped, etc.

Other than that it looks like you have a plan.

Ok, I definitely will. Do i absolutely need all the components to the timing belt as well or should they be ok? Spindles, etc.

Spindles are a suspension part, you mean idlers. I'd replace the entire kit so as not to leave anything to chance, but that's me.

NolimitZ32 wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 26, 2019 7:46 am

Spindles are a suspension part, you mean idlers. I'd replace the entire kit so as not to leave anything to chance, but that's me.

Yea, I got you on replacing the entire kit. Yes I was referring to the idler pulleys. I looked at the kit with the lower and upper idlers, and the gates racing kevlar timing belt, and it will all cost about 700, the silicone master hose set about 300, the full gasket set about 300, the 6 puck ceramic and performance street clutch about 900, and the clutch release fork assembly kit about 115, so all together it is gonna run 2400ish. Plus the engine at about 2600, for a total of 5I plus labor. So I'm looking at about 8k. *sighs*
Hopefully it all works out and I'll have a great running car for a little while.
I'll keep you posted. Any other input or advice is very welcome.

The cost does add up when you piecemeal. Also you should know that the OEM stuff for these cars is very high quality and there is no need for things like kevlar belts at stock or close to stock power levels. Unless you're planning to have this as a designated track car I'd forego the 6-puck clutch, the unsprung ones drive like s*** and give no benefit on the street. Doing everything at once definitely cuts down on the labor cost.

Thanks for the input. I do plan on antiquing the car and using it as a track car and special occasion weekend sort of thing ( shows, beach vacations, car meets, etc). Eventually I plan on making upwards of 500-600 whp. Do you think the kevlar belt is overkill? What clutch would you recommend for these future desires? I am trying to prepare for the upgrades by hitting the clutch/flywheel now while I have the engine out and everything is more easily accessible.
The hope is that my original engine is rebuild able and I can upgrade the internals on the side while I use the replacement engine. Otherwise I would probably by a remanufactured engine already built later down the road. Either way, the replacement is just to use while I make everything else fall into place.
The car (with a good engine in it) has the stage 3 ecu, borla exhaust and air filter, so I am assuming around 350-385hp.
Should i just stick with an oem clutch and flywheel, and just upgrade it when I decide to swap in the upgraded engine in the future?
Thanks for you help.

My car is built for ~650chp, I run the Specialty Z superstreet clutch which is good to something like 700 lb/ft (clutches are rated in torque), my flywheel is a chormoly lightweight unit (everyone selling these sells one of the same 2 or 3 units that are likely sourced from the same manufacturer). My timing belt is OEM and so are all the other timing components, that said, the timing belt is a maintenance item with a shelf-life if you will, and all TBs need to be replaced before they dry-rot, no matter how much carbon fiber kevlar magic unicorn feces they are made of. All of the gaskets on my engine are OEM with exception of the head gaskets which are Cometic MLS. The oil pump, and all accessories are OEM as well. I am even on stock re-circulation valves because my ricer days of VROOOM PSSSSHHHHHH are well behind me. My comment about the clutch has to do with UNSPRUNG units mainly because they have a less forgiving engagement, also the friction pad material is "stickier" so they grab better in race conditions.

DrykoseZ32tt wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 26, 2019 12:32 pm

Thanks for the input. I do plan on antiquing the car and using it as a track car and special occasion weekend sort of thing ( shows, beach vacations, car meets, etc). Eventually I plan on making upwards of 500-600 whp. Do you think the kevlar belt is overkill? What clutch would you recommend for these future desires? I am trying to prepare for the upgrades by hitting the clutch/flywheel now while I have the engine out and everything is more easily accessible.
The hope is that my original engine is rebuild able and I can upgrade the internals on the side while I use the replacement engine. Otherwise I would probably by a remanufactured engine already built later down the road. Either way, the replacement is just to use while I make everything else fall into place.
The car (with a good engine in it) has the stage 3 ecu, borla exhaust and air filter, so I am assuming around 350-385hp.
Should i just stick with an oem clutch and flywheel, and just upgrade it when I decide to swap in the upgraded engine in the future?
Thanks for you help.

IMO, the kev belt is over kill, many vg have made 800whp on the oem belt. Both the SZ max or high 5 clutchs are great for under $600 and easily handle your power goals.

Thank you. I will definitely look into that