Just call me Harada - My 1984 50th Anniversary Edition Z31 300zx Turbo Build

[sawtooth4x4]

nice. I've two Z31's. a 2+2 and 2 seater. Fun cars. Always wanted a turbo, just couldn't find one!

[lublub]

I like this car.

[jbaker1121]

nice. I've two Z31's. a 2+2 and 2 seater. Fun cars. Always wanted a turbo, just couldn't find one!

Awesome! My first Z

I like this car.

me too!

[aeok18109]

i rike eet. a rot.

[jbaker1121]

i rike eet. a rot.

arigato

[jbaker1121]

All the gaskets came in, so I took a day off studying for finals to try and get few of them out of the way.
Did the valve cover gaskets and got to the intake manifold gasket (also removed the exhaust manifold and have the gaskets ready)
Painted the valve covers in Gold to match the 50th AE gold trimming around the car, and did those gaskets. I think I may do the spark plugs before putting the intake manifold back on, plus I want to polish it up a bit more.
It seems like somebody has been in here to replace these gaskets before. One of the valve cover gaskets was very new, while one of the heads also seems to be newer than the other (although the EGR is on the 'dark' head so that may be the reasoning for it's color)
A lot of the bolts also seem to be new.
I'm happy about this - seems at least one of the previous owners was taking care of the engine.

Ran into some issues because one of the guys let our neighbor use the engine crane so I couldn't move it up to the engine stand to access the oil pan etc.
(changing those gaskets too)

It's also an issue to find the correct size bolts to mount the transmission to the motor, and the motor to the engine stand. The local places didn't have the right size.

Anyway, here's some pics.
Finals are coming up so I won't have a chance to work on the car until afterwards.

[jbaker1121]

so, getting close to having her running again.

This past weekend we got the new wiring harness in, engine back together and were ready to bolt it to the transmission + drop her in, but realized (after a deep clean) that the flywheel I had bought second hand was toast. hairline fractures, scorch marks, etc. not resurface able, and likely not safe. So, I've been trying to find a replacement. OEM flywheels new from Nissan cost $269....but for $340 I can get a fidanza aftermarket 11lb flywheel, so I think it's worth the extra few bucks to go aftermarket.
My pressure plate was just as bad, so I've decided to get the AMS clutch kit for a new one (although the exedy clutch I have is actually fine/ pretty new)

I also need new plugs and wires. So, there's another $500 i reluctantly need to spend just to get the motor and tranny ready to go in...

Besides that, the z31 bolt guide I found on xenon gives the wrong size for the bell housing bolts - it says m10 x 20 while I think I need closer to m10 x 90mm to bolt the bell housing to the motor block. So, I need to verify the size and get that bolted onto the motor.

After this is done, Should be a straightforward drop-in. driveshaft is already on car. However, I am still missing a few random things here and there that weren't in my shell nor came with the motor when I got them.

I have an intercooler, so it's okay that I am missing the entire stock intake system because I have the FMIC anyway.

Another issue that came up (although this could be caused by not having everything plugged back in) was when we got the new harness in and connected the battery, the fuel pump did not turn on at all. (also, the digi dash did not light up besides security lights and a few others...no green)

so, looks like there are a few hurdles to jump over before the car will be running, but we hope to get it at least running this weekend after parts come in by friday.

This will decimate all, after I ... overnight parts from Japan.

[e34///M]

In for this.. reminds me of my z31 back in 2009

[jbaker1121]

as I wait for parts like the flywheel, clutch kit, and a few nuts and bolts (literally) I made the decision that I am going to repaint the car with a semi-decent DIY paint job... close to OEM specs, so I removed the quarter glass and started to re-strip all the paint to get ready for a little more bodywork and some rust that appeared over the summer.
the previous owner had injected some liquid sealer behind the windows which were probably leaking, so that had to be removed, and i have to locate new weather strips for that (will just use generic)
As for parts, I was missing literally a bunch of bolts I needed, so I ordered those along with new clutch slave cylinder, clutch cable, clutch kit for new pressure Plate, new flywheel (OEM one) spark plugs, plug wires... waiting on intercooler piping and a MBC to come in so that can be set up easily. Then, HOPEFULLY the rest of the motor drop-in should go smoothly...
The paint will be much like the factory 50th AE two-tone, though I did not get color-matched silver - just generic metallic silver. ($88 for the gallon, doing a simple one-step acrylic urethane paint) But will have the black two-tone as well as the gold striping and turbo decal to keep it looking like a 50th AE. wheels will be painted gold to match the striping and decal.
This all *should* be done in the next few weeks. Aiming to have it ready for my Birthday in late november.

[nsogiba]

can has burnouts? keep it up.

[jbaker1121]

can has burnouts? keep it up.

Can definitely haz burnouts, and drifts.Sort of want to put it into the wall though after the headache it's given me.

[TWM Performance]

Great platform! Don't see these done up too often

Renato

[jbaker1121]

Great platform! Don't see these done up too often

Renato

not a huge aftermarket as they seem to have been skipped over by tuners of that era...

[Junya]

My next car is def going to be a z31 because of your build.
Congrats on getting this rare beauty

Anything in particular I should look out for when getting a Z31? I think my main goal is swapping it and maybe a Dorisha style on the outside.

[jbaker1121]

My next car is def going to be a z31 because of your build.
Congrats on getting this rare beauty

Anything in particular I should look out for when getting a Z31? I think my main goal is swapping it and maybe a Dorisha style on the outside.

Good to hear man just look out for rust buckets. It's easy to find another motor etc but hard to find a clean car (like any other 30 year olds) - also the aftermarket support is not huge, and the stuff that is available is generally expensive. (compared to easy-to-come-across parts for cars like a 240 or ex-7)

I too want to do sort of a Dorisha/Shakotan kind of style, that's why I liked the factory fender flares and wide body look of the 86+ ones. Trying to find some nice wheels for it while also focusing on getting the motor in and getting her painted back to semi-stock look.

if you're going to be in the market soon, let me know. I may let her go