Hello all, since moving to Germany and getting a pay bump (detailing cars on the side) ive really had some time to work on the Z and refine the project as a whole. Since i never really kept up with my old build thread i finally decided to delete it and start over. Taking a page from Spohn ill try and keep as many of the pics on the front so people dont end up having to dig to far.
Ill start where i started, with a base car. While deployed to Iraq i had been desperately searching for a shop who i could trust and get my Z moving in the right direction. After stumbling over NST i contacted the owner Mike and after a few phone calls to settle my concerns and nerves i pulled the trigger. From there the parts started to roll in. Since i was in Iraq i ended up having everything shipped to Mike and then had my family bring him the car.
Origional build:
ARK Type 1 CBE, AEM CAI, Mishimoto Silicone Red Coolant hoses, BC ERs Re-valved by Scott at Relentless Auto, Forgestar F14s in Gunmetal, gorilla lugs in red, 18x9.5 F and 18x11 R. Akebono 40th Edition Brakes, Project Mu Pads, Racing Brake Slotted Rotors, SS Lines, Whiteline Front and Rear Sways, a Stillen 25 Row Oil cooler Kit and a B&M Short Shifter.
The end result was awesome. When i returned to Houston on R&R leave from Iraq the car was set up and ready to go! On top of that Mike invited me to join the NST team at XDC Dallas which was an absolute blast.
After returning from Iraq i picked up the Amuse R1 Titan Brace Bar and a Crow 5pt Harness in the hopes that it would give me the ability to mount a harness without a full cage. Alas the bar was originally built for a RHD car so when it was flipped for our LHD the mounting holes for the harness ended up pointing straight up...which was useless! (but it was realllly shiny...so i kept it!)
Since the bar did not end up working out for me, i followed Mikes advice and went with Secret Service Auto for a custom made, full weld, 4 point cage with a harness bar. Needless to say i was not disappointed. These are the guys who do the bulk of the work, or did, on the NST drifting cars. Chris the partner i talked to was down to earth and very happy to see the Z in his shop. While i was it it Mike Bonnai was in the process of parting out his first build and was more than glad to sell me his Carbonetics 1.5way Carbon LSD. So off the car went to SSA for the diff instal and the cage build.
After the cage i had a stroke of bad luck. On the way up to a Z meet in Dallas i hit an alternator in the left hand lane of I 45 NB...thats right...an alternator. (believe me i had no where to go to avoid it) After $6000 of insurance work later done by Baker Tuning/Baker Nissan North i was again back on the road. At this point ill mention that Baker Nissan not only had me back on the road but managed to get it done under 4 days which is unreal when you think about how long the parts took to get to them and then for them to get the work going. The damage was mostly to the sub-frame of the car but also managed to crack my right rear rim which left me with a lengthy wait for a replacement through Forgestar.
In the meantime i managed to get some AutoXs in on the Ft. Riley Airfield.
