Hey all. Let me start by introducing myself, my name is Daniel and I just recently moved to Dallas, TX a couple of months ago to get my career started. I have recently been bitten by the 370Z bug, no idea why or where, but I'm rolling with it. I used to own a couple of Turbo MR2's so I have always been in the sport scene and know my way around an engine bay.
Let me lay out some details for you all so when reading my questions you will know what my intentions are so you will be able to answer them more accurately. I love the body style of the 370Z, I am not looking to make any changes to it of any kind, I love how it looks stock. The engine though is what I want to tackle right off the bat. I am looking to go turbo and I am aiming for the ball park figure of 700+ hp to the rear wheels. The problem is I don't know what the stock block can handle. Will I need to upgrade the ECU, or will the stock one handle that? So that is why I am here, getting all the details figured out before I get this project underway.
I have a laundry list of questions so let me get right into it and star them off:
1.) What shops would you all recommend to do some serious work? I need a shop that can not only install bolt on's, but do custom fabrication, dyno testing, and tuning with an aftermarket fuel system.
2.) What places would you recommend buying from parts wise? Is there a local tuning shop in the Dallas/Forth Worth area or is there like a go-to 370Z website that everyone orders from?
3.) I am looking to go twin turbo. Is there a particular model of the 370Z that would handle turboing better than others? If so, which one?
4.) What is the difference from a base model 370Z and a touring/sport model? Or is Touring and Sport two different models as well? Which model is the top most one? Is it worth the money and time to track down a Nismo model?
5.) The automatic transmissions come with paddle shifters, does this make the automatic model work the same as a manual transmission? Or is there still a huge difference from an automatic and a manual? Paddle shifters seem like they would be awesome as hell to have, and are in all the top end cars, so it strikes me as odd the automatic has paddle shifters and the manual has the tradition boot shifter.
6.) After buying the car, what purchases would you make to get to 700+ hp? Twin Turbo? What would all need replaced? ECU, Cams, Valves, Crankshaft, Fuel System, brake system, exhaust...etc?
7.) When looking for a 370Z, what would you all recommend to look for and watch out for?
8.) Is there a car scene of any kind in the Dallas area? Is there a 370Z club that meets up?
I know this is an extremely lengthy first ever post, but I wanted to get my questions out there so I can get my research under way. Thankfully, with my career, after purchasing the car, I will have plenty of funds to feed this project and get the car to where I want it. The only problem is lack of knowledge with this car. I knew the MR2 Turbo inside and out, I did my own work and tuned it myself, but that car was made back in the early 90's, modern cars have changed soooooo much. Hell on the Turbo Jetta you can't even put a BOV on without it throwing an engine code. Back when I was modding my MR2, all I had to do was disconnect a hose, plug it, and bam, fuel cut is gone. Now a days, cars are way smart and know when they are getting f'd with, lol. Any information you all can give regarding anything I posted would be great, even if it's just a list of links of websites, that will get me going in the right direction at least.
