Looking to purchase a Z car. Have a few questions

[karlj]

Hello all. I am looking to purchase a 6 speed 300Z car between 1990 to 1996. Im going to get the best one I can purchase for about $5 to $6K

That price range seems to put me in the n/a version of the car which is fine with me. What I want to know is:

What are the common problems with these cars?I hear that sometimes the 6 speed will grind in gear under high rpm/boost?How easy is it to modify a n/a version to about 300 flywheel hp? The n/a if im correct makes about 222 crank h/p so that would be an extra 78 hp. Is it possible? Only thing I see for the n/a cars is cold air intakes, exhaust and computer work. Nothing else. Do they have a cam kit for these cars? Are modding these cars pretty expensive?

Also are working on these cars pretty easy? Anything to look out for when looking at a Z car?

One of my moms cars is a 1992 nissan maxima with 14x,xxx miles on it and that v6 is super strong. Nissan makes good cars so im impressed with their long term build quality.

Thanks for the help in advance.

[nsrZ32]

Welcome to NICO!

Good choice on the Z32, its truly a fantastic car. I'm sure you will be able to find a very clean NA in the price range you're looking at.

-All Z32's (90-96 300zx's) are 5 speed. A 6 speed Z32 was never produced.

-Grinding gears is not a common problem, but if they do, change the fluid and run Redline Synthetic MT90. 9 times out of 10 that takes care of the problem.

-Making 300hp at the flywheel out of an NA is difficult. But there are tons of parts available. Cams, headwork, fuel system, intake, exhaust, headers, computers, etc.

-As with any expensive sports car, the parts are generally pricey and the Z32 isn't exactly easy to work on. But once you've done it a few times, you'll realize that the labor isn't bad at all, just intimidating at first.

-When buying one, check to make sure all maintence was done on time. Especially the timing belt at every 60K miles.

[karlj]

thanks for the info. They are 5 speeds...sorry for the error!

Is it true that the 1990z cars had troble making boost? I've seen some high mile tt 300z cars for sale witin my range but seem somewhat skeptical about the condition of the car. Especially the mechanics.

[nsrZ32]

Nothing wrong with the 90 Z's.

And a TT for 5 grand is going to need some attention and most likely will have lived a rough life.

[evildky]

the only reason a Z would have trouble making boost is if there were a leak or some other problem that needs fixing, my 200k mile 91 TT boosts just fine and dyno'd 240 whp which is pretty much what they should have done when new, oh I have drop in air filters and someone replaced the exhaust with some skinny crush bent 2 1/4' pipes with cheapo mufflers

[karlj]

why does everyone "hate" working on the Z32 motor? Looks like the engine bay is cramped and you really cant see much of the cars systems (fuel injectors, etc)

I found a place that has cam kits for the Z32 motor and they are local. Are the cam upgrade worth good numbers? So far ive found the n/a cars with bollt ons make about 205 whp.

[winez31]

there are some auto tts in your area between 5k and 8k

[winez31]

kind of alot of miles tho http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/...st=39

[karlj]

thanks for the tip, but two must haves for a Z car are:

1. not red2. no automatics

[karlj]

also are there any other motors that nissan makes that is a direct bolt in for the na/ version? For example can you put a Z33 motor in a 90 to 96 n/a z car? I believe the Infiniti G35 has a 298 hp v6? Will that fit into a z car?

Are there any stroker kits available for the Z32 motor to stroke it out to 3.5 liters, or larger?

Thanks everyone!

[txQ45]

Stroker kit from Jun about $10,000J-30 engne works in the Z a few things to switch but it'll workMost Z32 owners work off the Stage upgrades Stage I - pop chargerStage II -- ECU up gradeStage III - cat back -- with these three your up to 350+ hp

[evildky]

if you want power, the best bet is to either buy a turbo car or if you must convert your own, the VH45 and the VQ35 have been swapped in but they are far from bolt in, my suggestion is to wait till you can afford the turbo, to me it's just not worth the drama, cash and downtime to do the swap, better to start with something closer to what you want

[bloodspread]

just a quick question, would it be leagal to drop a TT engine ito the N/A chassis? i searched but i couldent find anything on it, i searched ca law and it says for an engine change it must come from the same make and model and year car. so does that mean i can put a 1990 tt engine into a 1990 n/a chassis?

sorry if this question has been asked too much but i could not find any more info on it

[karlj]

what is a turbo timer? Why/is it true to not sut off a turbo car right away after driving it and to let it idle for ~2 minutes?

And to change/service the turbos on the tt z32 does the engine have to be removed?

[evildky]

that depends on youtr local loaws, here it is legal, in CA how knows, I'd think if it were kept stock or used only OE or CARB certified parts I would be legal in cali as well?

[bloodspread]

im thinking the same thing but i guess im going to have to take a trip down to the dmv or a smog shop to ask them and find out for shure, thanks for the help