z.Leinbach wrote:concept z performance, z1 motorsports, specailty z are a the majorly recommended sites to go to.
depending on where you are in the world or US, concept z is out of AZ, and Z1 motorsports is out of GA
This, and Welcome!
As I read your intro, I'm getting more and more concerned for you as you WILL be learning a LOT if you succeed in your first project endeavor.
The Z32 is a VERY difficult first stop, mine also actually as far as the "newer style" engines and electronics are concerned (old Ford FE V8 guy, Mustangs), and the Z32 is NOTHING like "regular" cars and engines. It takes some time to absorb the differences in the engineering of the Z32, the "do's and don't's", and how the successful guys go about things and why. RoboZ has a great site for DIY where he spends more time explaining some things and has lots of pics- GREAT first reading for insights into working on the car. He does a lot of repairs but also deletes, which are all OK to do but not always necessary...be aware of the difference between "fix/repair" and "repair/delete". Both are viable options, but depend much on your intended use of the car, trouble you are willing to deal with, and/or possible resale impact- upgraded parts even if making the car better in some way are not usually able to be used to increase value, and often are viewed during a sale as a bad thing unless they are known to be a common and 100% reliable option such as battery, stereo, brake and tire upgrades. OEM replacement (and NOT through the dealers, who DO NOT KNOW THE Z32!) is usually the best overall way to go unless you intend to modify the car to YOUR tastes, and care not for what that may do to the cars' value.
DO read up on the stickies mentioned, and ANYTHING else you can find regarding the Z32 and the VG30DE engine (interference motor, electrolysis, corrosion of controls), and be ready to know the fsm (available to download here) for regular diagnostic and repair procedures such as leak-down testing, boost testing (valuable even on NA's looking for vacuum leaks), and helpful diagrams and layouts as you hunt through the mess under the hood looking for your next project.
Be ready also to learn a WHOLE new verbal cuss vocabulary for Nissan engineers who while making an awesome car, did NOTHING for the service and repair end of things and possibly worked or were directed to make it harder to work on. Not only that but the tons of sensors and redundant systems, and procedures for dealing with them make for an extra headache in all ways.
Buy ONLY OEM parts or better and through the better vendors mentioned as much as possible, and learn for SURE when and where Rock Auto/Speedzone are a viable option, if ever (tools, bulbs, basic simple parts, fluids only for me), and even then what the best solutions are...it took me about 6-7 months lurking here before I took on my NA in 2008 and it was WELL worth it.
Oh and even for me after 13+ years of Z32 NA and TT ownership and constant DIY, a TRULY qualified Z32 mechanic (others are surely qualified mechanics, but no Z32 experience is a HUGE problem) is a LIFE SAVER.
Good Luck!
