SirVive's 300ZX Build Thread

[SirVive]

Recently purchased a 1992 300zx 2+0 NA Automatic. Body has 245k miles, engine supposedly has 30-40k miles. According to the VIN it came stock as a TT. Long story short the past owner was a cheapskate and replaced the original TT with an NA.

Overall the car is in decent shape. I drove it home after purchasing it ($3k) which is a bit over a 2 hour drive. Drove ok but the tires were nearly bald and the suspension felt very weak. Transmission felt fine and the engine sounded and ran well.

Goals for the build are as follows.
450-500 rwhp

Will upgrade as I get the money. Going for suspension first, then will work on small things within the engine compartment (like a TT alternator, air filters etc.) while i save up for the big upgrade to TT or LS2/3. After that I will deal with the body/paint and interior.

I am sure I will have many questions as I go. So expect me to be around a while lol.

Here are some pictures from when I first got my SpartanLadyZ home.










And here are some during and after gutting the interior.

[Ace2cool]

Spider? Yeah. Torch the car, start over. It's a lost cause. That sucker looks wicked.

Question: Why go TT alternator? Why not just get a J30 alternator? They put out a bit more power, and should be about the same price, if not cheaper.

So right now, you're just getting the looks back up to par? Looks like you're heading in the right direction, and this car looks like a good starting point. You want this added to the build list?

[BlackWidowZ]

soo much work on the bright side it has potential.

[Z-owned]

Car looks to have always been an n/a unless the previous owner switched front bumpers, hatch etc. That's the vin on the firewall correct? Something seems odd to me about it since everyone i have seen there is stamped in and painted with the rest of the bay. On a side note if that was your park job I would learn to not hit and go up over curbs lol.

[DCaff300ZX]

Car looks to have always been an n/a unless the previous owner switched front bumpers, hatch etc..

Yeah, and a radiator change plus no HICAS or TT wing I could see, so probably not the bigger sway bars...too much for a cheapskate to do, pretty clearly always an NA.

[BlackWidowZ]

Something seems odd to me about it since everyone i have seen there is stamped in and painted with the rest of the bay.

good catch you may want to check that there isnt another vin under that vin. the car has all the signs hat there was never a tt in it. and make sure that vin matches other vins throughout the car. before you do anythng else to that car word of warning. The vin on mine as well as everyones else is stamped on the firewall that looks like a piece of metal glued on top of the vin. you may have a stolen z there sir. actually that looks like bondo with a vin engraved into the bondo.

[SirVive]

Thanks for the heads up. The VIN's all match on the firewall, driver door and dash. I will take some more pictures today of the VIN's to give ya'll a look.

The dent was there before. Just didnt take a pic of it until I started taking the interior out.

Thanks Ace i will look into that for the Alternator.

[ThisIsSparTTa]

Well that escalated quickly. Weren't you having trouble getting it registered/insured? Don't you want to make sure you can make get it set up legit before you put a lot of $ and time into it?

[300ZXttZMAN]

Spider? Yeah. Torch the car, start over. It's a lost cause. That sucker looks wicked.

Question: Why go TT alternator? Why not just get a J30 alternator? They put out a bit more power, and should be about the same price, if not cheaper.

So right now, you're just getting the looks back up to par? Looks like you're heading in the right direction, and this car looks like a good starting point. You want this added to the build list?

I wonder which category we should list this under lol?

[300ZXttZMAN]

Welcome to NICO!!! DAT spider

[BlackWidowZ]

regardless if they match check to make sure the vin on the firewall isn't fake. Try taking a flat head screw driver to it dont scrape the numbers.. A real 300zx vin doest look like that. And doors and dashes can be swaped from a doner car but a firewall cant. The vin will also be on the engine block and the transmission. "cant be seen with the engine in" But like you said the vin is a TT but this car is a NA.

[SirVive]

Well that escalated quickly. Weren't you having trouble getting it registered/insured? Don't you want to make sure you can make get it set up legit before you put a lot of $ and time into it?

No problem getting it registered, but I went in to my insurance company and they sorted it all out. Everything is covered and im just waiting on my plates to get to me (stationed in NC, registered it in TX)