Z45 Warning! Tons of pics.

[zmech]

I realize that the Z31 performance board is used by members only now. So I copied my posts from there, cleaned them up and decided to post here also.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Z45. My latest creation. This is a work in progress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is an oem engine from 1995 Q45. V8 with a stock 7000 rpm redline. Yummy...

 

The weight is actually lighter in the front now. Only by about 100lbs. (no ac, aluminum engine vice cast iron)

 

There is a five speed T5Z Mustang Cobra transmission behind it.

 

I was shooting for an OEM look. I wanted it to look like it came there from the factory.

 

If you are looking at this swap, I would recommend a shrink. I had a very steep learning curve on fabrication with this one.

 

The VG30ET that was in this car will be re-located into the 50th at a later date.

 

 

Crossmember with mounts cut off.

 

First test fits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

oil pickup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

failed the first oilpan, this is the second.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

chopped and dropped crossmember

 

 

 

motor mounts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Z32 OEM flywheel custom cut with Q45 automatic ring gear welded on. This mates to the VH starter.

 

 

 

 

 

clutch- Howe throw-out bearing

 

 

 

 

 

bell housing from Q45 auto mated to custom T5Z with adapter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

transmission crossmember

 

 

 

 

Z31 turbo radiator and Spal fans

 

 

 

 

 

Last fuel pump went bad because the bracket rusted and it sucked up the rust particles. New one installed here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut down the large alternator/AC bracket to mount a G35 alternator. Alt is mounted in the AC compressor location.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some general clearance pics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PS pump was very close so I notched the bracket.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then the dreaded exhaust. I have many hours tied up into this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ceramic coated

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picked up another HKS super mega flow filter. Cut down the OE rubber intake tubing and got everything fitted in. Just could not make myself cut into the car to put it outside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spark plug change out.

 

 

 

 

New emblem for the back. Tommy Kaira (Z) and the 45 from the Q45 powder coated black.

 

 

 

On the alignment rack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have owned this car since 1992 and have done some very stupid and some incredulous stuff to this car. I have done all the work and know every nut and bolt in this car and it rarely surprises me. Well low and behold, it shocked the shite out of me today. I came across my cusco bar in the storage and was about to give it to a friend of mine. Well for giggles, I decided to try it onto the Z45 to see how badly it would not work. HOLY SHOCKS!!! It fits. I really did not believe my eyes. So here it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Got the front sway bar mounted again. Used some 3/16 steel and made some spacers to get the sway bar dropped enough to clear the PS pump.

 

 

 

 

 

This is what the car started as in 1992. Nostalgic picture.

 

 

Some comments and Q&A from Z31P.

 

Zmech' date='

I've got to give you credit. You did a great job on the swap. I'll admit I was a bit bummed to see the news though. I started my own VH swap a little over a year ago and I was hoping to be the first VH z31. Looks like you beat me to it. Congratulations. Anyway, the video is great motivation for me. Can't wait to hear how you like driiving it.[/quote']

 

Started mine in June 2008. It takes a long time to get things figured out with this change. Good Luck with your swap. Be interested in swapping notes sometime. Drop me a PM.

 

Took it by the local Nissan dealer today (only 1 mile away). Sat in the parking lot and revved the shite out of it. Got to watch all the mechanics poking their heads out of the garages.

 

My two kids.

 

 

It was pretty fun at MSA with the VH. Towed it in an enclosed trailer there. Unloaded and then got to drive right by all the other Z cars in the line. Left it in 1st gear and revved it up the hill. You should have seen the stares... Then to top it off, lost the alternator in the line entering the show. That sucked. What sucked even more was it started working as soon and I put it on the ramp of the trailer. I hate stupid shite...

 

Number one reaction of the day.

Holy shite!

 

Number two reaction.

What is it?

 

 

 

are you trying to get it to pass the BAR?? If so' date=' kudo's to you. Just remember to not get discouraged WHEN you fail the first time. Almost everyone has to make at least 3-5 trips to get it right. And thats in a well documented BAR procedure like a B16 in a Civic or something.

 

Infact, you should probably browse some civic forums and try to find a more lienient BAR assoc. I mean, they will still have a bulk of the rules, but some are easier than others. Hell, some wont even let ANY aftermarket guages pass at all. Even turbotimers are a failable offense.

Good luck.[/quote']

 

Thanks for the hints. I figure I will give the BAR a few shots and if it does not happen then I will take it out of state. Heck, it might not even make it due to the fact I cannot get the CEL to turn off. I do not know what to use to fake the signals for the auto trans. And of course that is one that triggers the CEL. Got a couple of people working on it but no solutions yet.

 

 

 

I was wondering what you were doing for ecu tuning? one reason i ask is that if you get on it hard and the exhaust hits the rear crossmember you may have an LT1-LS1 camaro style problem, where the knock sensor goes nuts and pulls all the timing out. Are you running an OBD2 setup?

 

No tuning as of yet. I will be using Nistune once I get there. Not worried about the knock sensors at this time as they are by-passed. They are both bad and need to be replaced but I have enough stuff on the plate as is without taking off the plenum to replace those. I made them go bad by flooding the valley with antifreeze. OOPPS. This is an OBD1 1995. Last year (sorta) before the OBDII. The 1996 was sorta OBDII but lost the variable valve timing due to restrictions in smog laws.

 

 

Wait, all this work and an open diff???

 

Yes. It will stay that way till I get the HLSD setup working. Still working on shafts for that. You would be shocked at how well behaved the car is with the open diff. I have seen many a car with too much power spin around because of having the diff too tight. Also, I have two CLSDs but those both need to be rebuilt with new bearings and clutch plates. I currently have the VLSD in the 50th. Little by little I will keep chipping away at this. I want to do everything myself or as much as possible.

 

 

 

Finally finished up 99% of the wiring. Still waiting for the tach adapter but now I have all the other gauges attached. It is so nice to know what the engine is doing. Put all the interior back in and dropped it to it's wheels. Off for a little drive today. Drove it about 65 miles today and it is running very nice. This engine is the smoothest engine. It revs right up with little effort and sounds great. Still have a couple of things to iron out but for what has been done to this car, I will accept that.

 

 

 

I think I have made the car look TOO STOCK. I was at the Breakfast at Balboa on Sunday and met some really cool Sentra SER guys there. Only one guy there could tell that it was different. Most people going by did not even know that it was not STOCK. Maybe I should enter the stock class at MSA next year...

 

 

 

When are you going to go try and have it Bar'd?

 

I am not. I decided to register in Texas. Changing the title to my Dad so he can register it.

 

Looking nice..........ever dynoed your Z?

 

Not yet. Still have a few things to finish. Want to swap the clutch out as I am not happy with the current one. Then get the NOS bottle in it and and then off to the dyno shop for a few runs.

 

 

Well, took it out the other day driving in the morning and had to stop to get brake fluid and refill the clutch master. I have changed the clutch master to the 3/4 inch Wilwood for the clutch. Confused because this is a new master and I was not dripping fluid anyplace. Decided to look inside the car. Holy shite, fluid inside. Damn what a mess. Seems the extreme pressure of the ACT HD pressure plate was just too much for the master and blew out the seal. Sucks!

 

So, not liking the crazy heavy clutch pedal anyhow, I decided to swap out the clutch. Off to Nissan for full Z33 clutch. Got the pressure plate and the 250mm disc. Pull off the exhaust, pull back the trans and pull the bell. Swap out the clutch and put it all back. Only took me about 6 hours by myself at a leisurely pace. Now the pedal effort is very nice and the engagement is smooth. This is what I should have used in the first place...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Was asked about pricing.

Donor car $3000

Tons of other stuff- aproximately $4000.

 

Now that does not include some items I already paid for in the past. Nor does it include the items I manufactured. Try pricing an oilpan custom made by someone. Or custom one off machine work from someone you do not know. Or stainless exhaust pieces. The exhaust bends and piping in SS for headers alone costs about $600. Then having them coated...

 

I have two words for the Z45. Money Pit.

 

It has been a crazy project for sure.

All the build pictures I have. There are over 600 pics here to see. Have fun....

CLICK ME

 

If you have not used this photo album before, click the album you want, then click the pic you want. It will bring a small pic of it up. Click that one and it will bring up the 1200 x 800 pic.

 

 

Videos

 

All my videos up to date. Don't mind my stupid comments as I sound like a dumbass in some of the videos...

 

http://videos.streetfire.net/videos/search.aspx?p=1&w=3&o=5&c=All&t=zmech

 

 

One more vid. Gave a guy with a GTI a quick ride. He used his phone to record the video. This was 0-85 mph and then quickly braking (wilwoods). Almost planted his face into the dash.

 

[sweetleaf]

impressive

[hoov100]

I think you just developed a better alternative to run a z trans with the vh.

[nullbound]

very cool and well documented!

[jbk240z]

Very cool indeed! Looks like oem install. Great work.

[ihatejoefitz]

:bow:

[boardkid280z]

When you said you were pulling out the NOS bottle, that surprised me since it sounded like you were gonna keep this thing stock/factory looking. Do you have any other planned upgrades for it?

[quicker240]

Kudo's for probably to coolest start to finish swap I have seen here lately. You did a great job balancing custom work with ingenuity and making the necessary arrangements with the exhaust and transmission setup so that the car can be easily worked on and/or modified. Thank you so much for the documentation also. I hope you won't mind talking to me at some point as my own S30-VH45 project moves along. I, along with others here I'm sure, would like to copy what you did with the trans adapter if you have any detailed specs you would be willing to share.

I will watch closely as you progress as I am interested how the motor will react to a stiff shot of nitrous. Very smart and thoughtful build you have executed here. I am so VERY impressed with the overall car. The tasteful badgeing is enough, the exhaust note tells the rest of the story. My hat is off to you sir!

[garvice]

WOW. I guess Z31s are cool.

Lots of very cool fabrication work there mate.

[zmech]

When you said you were pulling out the NOS bottle, that surprised me since it sounded like you were gonna keep this thing stock/factory looking. Do you have any other planned upgrades for it?

 

Actually I cannot take credit for that. Buddy of mine that got me into the Z31s in the first place got me on the NOS long time ago. I had forgotten about it since the car became turbo. But now that it is NA he suggested I do a dyno pull with NOS on at least one pull. You know, just to see what it does. Still have to drive it around some to break in the clutch though. Other plans. Well, eventually. I am still attempting to purchase another house in SoCal and that is pricey. So if that happens then the project may get put on hold for a bit.

[zmech]

Kudo's for probably to coolest start to finish swap I have seen here lately. You did a great job balancing custom work with ingenuity and making the necessary arrangements with the exhaust and transmission setup so that the car can be easily worked on and/or modified. Thank you so much for the documentation also. I hope you won't mind talking to me at some point as my own S30-VH45 project moves along. I, along with others here I'm sure, would like to copy what you did with the trans adapter if you have any detailed specs you would be willing to share.

I will watch closely as you progress as I am interested how the motor will react to a stiff shot of nitrous. Very smart and thoughtful build you have executed here. I am so VERY impressed with the overall car. The tasteful badgeing is enough, the exhaust note tells the rest of the story. My hat is off to you sir!

 

My thanks to you and Garvice for your kind comments. I have wanted a V8 for such a long time and the opportunity came up so I jumped in head first. I was raised on Chevy, Ford and Mopar V8s and just had a hankering for another one but wanting to be loyal to the brand, I chose to use the VH. Anyone can use an LS or Modular Ford. If I could have gotten my hands on a Titan for a decent price, it would have been the 5.6L in there instead.

 

Feel free to copy any pics that are posted here or my pictures website. Just to let you know, that T5 has been modified for the Z31. It is still the T5Z but not for the Cobra any longer. That is a custom built input shaft and the upper and tail casings have been changed to the Z31 cases. All the internals have been cryo treated also to help eliminate breakage.

 

Yeah I had to put a lot of thought into making sure that I could still take it apart with some ease for maintenance. Do not want to just start welding stuff in and then not be able to do something with it if it breaks. I actually made the exhaust manifolds so that they will come out with the engine still in the car. V-band flanges for most of the remaining exhaust for quick disassembly.

 

I do not mind you contacting me. I will PM you some info.

I also have the drawing of the trans adapter. Only the 10 holes for the bell to the adapter were hand drilled on a press. The other is CNC.

 

Let me know if you have any questions. Now that I am at the final blows I will answer any questions you have about it.

[Jared]

I was never a fan of Z31s until now, I really like this car. Nice work.

[Racinjitter]

Yes please! I vote best z31 build of 2009!

[RUZN]

wow.... just... wow... LOL awesome job, very cool

[BRAAP]

AWESOME! doesn't even begin to describe your car! VERY nice.. I would love to drive it, just once...

[1 tuff z]

absolutely amazing! well documented, thought out, attention to detail.

 

now my favorite z31.

[zmech]

Thanks for all the great comments. I have put alot of time and hard work into building this. It really is fantastic to drive.

 

I will be pulling the thermostat this weekend. Seems I may have a stuck one. It does not overheat but does cool down quite a bit when coasting downhill. The other night it cooled down to under 140 DEGF while coasting for about 3 minutes.

 

Will be working on a cover for the front part over the fans also. I am thinking thin SS sheet to cover it.

[zmech]

Got the thermostat changed out today. It kept cooling down alot if I coasted down hill for a while. So I did the natural course of action and change the thermostat. It was not totally stuck open as I found out. It uses a rubber ring in the tstat that had flaked off over time. I am sure this is the original as the housing still had the original blue sealant on it. So it was leaking by just not very rapidly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fletch350z]

Dude, I think I love you. That is amazing. Nice work!

[zmech]

:arrow:Decided to make up a cover for the front made from aluminum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:arrow:Also got the TIG working again so I busted out the aluminum and made up an overflow containter for the coolant. It is mounted under the driver headlight. It will hold 1.8 quarts.