Fi - diy
 

In amidst of the latest DRAMA between Forged and GTM and a couple of dissatisfied consumers some very good points were raised out of all of this.

NOTE! This thread will not be about this subject but rather one major point that I think will be very applicable for this forum.

There are many of us including myself who want to install their own FI system on our new 370Z/G37s ourselves. I am not an auto mechanic by trade however I am pretty skilled with a set of automotive tools and very good understanding of what I am doing.

I would really like to see more posts like “modme” did where he did a GTM TT install on his own and did a great job covering the install and the sticky parts of the job. This to me is what this forum should be about. I also want to personally thank "Modme" for this information. This information is not only interesting to us all but it gives us more courage to step out there a bit and do-it-ourselves. Auto Mechanics is not rockets science (no offense to anyone in that field) but its not that hard if you have a good set of tools and all the information you need, anything is possible. I have respect for "modme" to have the balls to install a TT kit himself while keeping the engine in the car.

I have no interest in shipping my car in either direction of the US to take even the slightest chance of having my car butchered. If I install it and I mess up then I only have myself to be pissed at. But sharing information is what these forums are about and when I install the FI kit I choose to run with I will do the same as “Modme” and share not only the difficult moments but some of the highlights.

I feel installing the system yourself will not only save you money but it’s a learning process and you will be able to resolve most of your own problems since you install it yourself it gives you that intimate knowledge that would be otherwise lost by having a shop do the work.

DIY GTM Stage II Twin Turbo Kit install by "Modme"

http://www.the370z.com/forced-induct...2-install.html

Good point from bad press!

I good start would be to get the service/engine manual/specs for the VQ 3.7 VHR. Tuning is the art & science of any mod. The 370Z has many computers (5 I believe)that talk to one another... so it is not that easy to tune the engine's ECU without effecting other on board computers controlling safety, HVAC, and other operations. I am not sure if the various tuners advertise on this web site and/or other have completely crack the various codes controlling all aspects of the 370Z yet.

Looking forward to this...just finished reading modme's install thread.

You have a good point, however when it comes to tuning, for me that is where my job ends and the professional's job begins. Not many of us, including myself, have access to a dyno nor the codes to crack the 370's ECU.

Luckily for most of us the the ECU flash that is provided with the turn-key FI kits will be adequate for most of our needs. Anything beyond that would reqire us to have our cars tuned at a reputable shop.

My past experince with tuner shops is being talked into crap I dont need which only makes the project budget skyrocket. I prefer to keep things simple and basic at first and go from there.

I totally support the DIY guys; that's how I learned to work on cars :)

Good take away and I fully support doing your own work.

But unless you know what you are doing and have been working on cars for a good amount of time, you might not want to use your new $40k car as your first diy fi project. I would start by re-building an older car first and learn from that...

I'm all for seeing more DIY installs. I say go for it and if you have questions post them up. I'm sure one of the "professionals" on here can help you out.

What kit are you thinking of doing, and have you talked to the company to see if they can get you some instructions to check out prior to making your decision?

I have decided to go with the GTM supercharger Stage1 kit. I really like the Rotrex compressor for its low noise and efficient traction drive system. I also like how clean and unobtrusive it keeps the engine bay.

I have also considered the GTM TT kit but its far more complicated and a whole lot more could go wrong during the install. Both units will meet my power goals and the supercharger is significantly less expensive and simplier to install plus everything is up front. Furthermore, if I ever have to remove it for whatever reason I could likely have it back to stock over a weekend.

I will not be doing DYI: Props to all that go this route!!!!!!!!!!!
I plan on going TT. I will be sending my car out to GTM before the end of the summer. Stage ll turbos here I come. I will need to sell all of my N/A stuff soon and put on stock :( I love my HKS exhaust. I CAN sleep at night knowing GTM did the install. I am going for a very low boost and about 430-450 hp. After I have the car about 6 months to a year I will rebuild the motor with a lower compression and up the boost. At that point I will be good for 550 hp and be done with it. I want to be able to beat my brothers 911 down the track, thats my only real goal.
After performance, I will go for a little bit of show and sound.
I am looking into buying a s2000 as my back up car.

JB - 430-450 is plenty. I can't even get traction from First -Forth gear.(WOT) I am not sure how you will be able to keep the power to the ground, if you decide to go more than 450.

I might just say 400-415 and keep it at low boost. I will need to do some mods to try to get the power to the ground. I drive like a grandma every where and I only drive the 3-4 times a week 30 miles a day so its not like I will be racing the car. But every once and a blue moon I will have to give it a little go-go :)
Lou where is all the videos at????
I am stuck on what kind of exhaust I want to put on the car....Thinking of HKS carbon fiber ti but thats alot of exhaust to be hanging out the back twice. GTM can fab up anything just need to find the muffler I like.

I made one vid. I know I have been slacking.

Everyone that goes turbo either does not post on the forum much or would not make nice videos if there lives depended on it. Is the car still easy to drive like the day it came from the factory? Also how much harder is it to press the clutch down all the way vs stock???

As long as the tune is right; yes, it will drive like stock until you put your foot down.

This is impossible to answer, seeing as how there are so many different clutch options available. My OS Giken triple plate, for example, has probably twice the pedal pressure over stock. However, after driving it for a day or two, it feels natural. Now, when I drive a customers car, I almost put my foot through the floorboard on startup since I'm so used to a heavy clutch :icon17:

It so smooth. Drives like a dream, just feels like natural power. Until WOT then the beast comes to life.

Clutch feels normal. Bumper to bumper traffic sucks.

Since this is about diy, is there anyone that is going to do their own install? I know I could do it myself I just dont have that kinda time on my hands. For me it is just easy to pay GTM to do my install! I know Sam will do a great job but if for some reason it turns out like a Forged Proformance job we will have some issues. I am the customer you dont want to screw over, and thats a fact.
Lou: how much harder is the clutch peddle over stock? I really dont want to work hard to drive the car. Not that I dont like my work-outs I just dont want one while driving the Z.

Are you thinking of going TT or a supercharger? If the latter you could do it in 2 stages. First I would install the new injectors, cold spark plugs, and fuel pump which would be a days work in itself and then drive the car to make sure everything functions good there. Then do the rest the following weekend.

I personally would not change the clutch as long as you stay around 420 to 450 rwhp. Don't quote me on that as this information is what I have read on this forum.

Sam said that there was a G37 with over 500whp that had stock clutch and it last about 11 months! I think the guy drove his car hard too but not 100% sure on that. I think you are right. I just dont want a clutch that will take away from the enjoyable driving experience the Z currently gives me. I also dont want one Calf muscle bigger than the other ;)

2fast4thelaw: Your right I have a 35gal compressor with every tool I need to get the job done except the time. Weekends I spend with family and I am too lazy to do it my self, I rather pay Sam to do it :tup: If I was retired I would be all game but the bottom line is GTM would still do a better job than I could, I could do a better job than FP though :stirthepot:

Sam told me there is an option to put the blow off valves under the hood closer to the throttle bodies. I think I am going to have to take him up on that one. I think the blow off valves will be more audiable in that location as well. Also I am going to put the HKS blow off valve on there instead of the tial. How much do you think it would cost to polish two HKS blow off valves? I like the black ones, not a fan of the silver ones but I would love to have them polished to match the pipes. Plan on having polished valve covers one day too.

I want to do the black powdercoated piping and intercooler on the GTM Supercharger kit. It will look really close to stock for the stealth/sleeper look.

Except for the Stillen exhaust tips my car looks completely stock.

My brother will never forgive me if I dont fly him down to Denver to help me install the supercharger so I will have good help.

So just out of curiosity what kind of experience do you have wrenching?

That isn't a sarcastic question either, assuming that you get the kit, and do the install, i'm just curious to see if we are going see a review based on someone that has been doing DIY stuff for years, with several auto builds in his past, or if this is going to be the hardest thing you have ever done.

I was 16 years old when my dad and I rebuilt the 350 in his 71 Chevy truck. When I was 17 my first car was an 83 Mustang 5.0 GT and I rebuilt the engine in it from its measly stock 175 Hp to 375 Hp.

I have replaced numerous clutches, transmissions, rear-ends, and other engine swaps. Plus I know how to machine parts and tools as I have my own machine shop.

About 12 years ago my brother bought a 1990 RX-7 but the engine was trashed. We found a Turbo engine from a wrecked 91 RX-7 and we stripped the engine down and rebuilt the block and we did the Turbo conversion. That was by far the most challenging project as we had to swap ECU's and wiring harnesses between them. It was a project I would never, ever take on again, but we get it up and running. Back then there were no kits with nice DVD instructions to do turbo conversions plus we used what we could find to make it work. We couldn’t use the stock IC because it was trashed so we mounted a universal IC up front of the radiator and re-piped everything. That was the hardest part of the project because I had to fabricate most of the parts and brackets myself.

Putting a supercharger in the 370Z should be cake walk in comparison the RX-7 turbo conversion! I am confident that my brother and I could easily do it in a weekend.

I'm gonna send Steve over to tune that thing if you don't get with the program, Lou. :tup:

2fast, subscibed for updates!:tiphat:

Sounds like you are set then ... Yeah the FC RX-7s could be a bit of a pain. I don't miss the days of the "vacuum spider" and brittle MOP lines. I would still love to own a pristine FD someday though.

subscribed. I have an 08 G35 sedan and will be installing a GTM SC kit myself too. That will however be done next April after my warranty is up.

I much rather do the work myself and if I'm lost, I will seek out help from a friend or advice from an awesome forum like this one. :D You learn quite a bit about your car and general automotive fundamentals.

In my opinion, the Z34 is still new, so the populous of DIYers is not that large. I'm sure you'll see more DIY threads once the Z34 gains more popularity and the initial cost (i.e. buying the car) is not too high.

After my brother and I install the GTM Supercharger I will do a full photo install and a full review on it. I would be more than happy to help anyone out on this forum which is largely why I started this thread. I have learned so much from this forum from what people have contributed. It is awesome!

You are right, but there are a few of us that know quite a bit about the car that can still help people out if they run into problems.

2fast4thelaw: You are very valuble to this forum my friend. This kinda infromation is what would make a site like this a powerful tool. I can't wait to see your skills also cannot wait to see the diy along with the GTM kit itself. Thumbs up to you :tup:
Have you put a downpayment on the GTM kit yet?

one small issue with your statement. You cant just chuck in fuel injectors and a pump, thinking everything is going to work correctly and drive with it. If you add injectors it has to be tuned. Unless you are making a very and i mean very small increase in injector size.

This is good information to know. I just assumend the ECU would auto adjust to compensate for the change in size of the injectors. When I installed my CAI, HFC's, and CBE at once the dealership told me the ECU would auto adjust to the change.

So it looks like you will have to install it all at one time that way you can do the ECU reflash at the end.