Although the stock block has more than proven itself to be plenty reliable if you don't go too crazy with boost, I think the OP has the right approach. I design structural components for buildings and as a rule of thumb, its always best to overdesign something rather than have it fail due to something unforseen. The engineers at Nissan know this...which is why it can handle a bit of boost. If you can afford to spend the cash for a build, it's going to save you a lot of time and headache later when/if you decide you want more power. You need to find the right balance of what you can afford to spend and reliability. If you don't leave yourself a margin for error, you'll end up broke like a few guys I've heard rumors about.

You can run boost down as low as the spring will allow. I believe some can go as low as 4PSI but I think most run 6PSI as lowest and then tune it up to 10-12PSI for those fun runs. :driving:

It's not so simple to say that aftermarket parts are overdesigned. There are a myriad of complex factors that come into play when you start swapping internals, and you're usually trading certain types of reliability for others.

That's what I'm going to do. Hopefully I can get lucky enough to find another motor.

I'm jealous of FI owners tuned to over 500 whp. Granted, 400-450 whp is more than enough to shred meaty tires. My car is so much more fun to drive now after replacing the brake switch and slightly tightening the manual boost controller (1/8th turn).

As for longevity, my car is daily driven. My friends asked me to track it, but I prefer not to since this is a daily driver setup - not a bulletproof track setup. My car had about 22k miles when the turbos were installed, and it is marching towards 49k miles. Sometimes I wonder if the engine will outlast the turbos. :)

i was on my account looking at wrecked and totaled 370's with intact motor and transmissions to see if it would be cheaper to go that route for spares lol

Not a bad idea. Yank the drivetrain and try to part out whatever is left. You would have to get the car for dirt cheap though.

prices arent too bad for some of them. my favorite one was a convertible that was completely burnt from the rear end to the dash. engine was perfect lol

What prices are you seeing for mid to rear damaged Z (with engine fine)?

depends really. the one i spoke of having rear fire damage only has 6500 miles on it but isnt up for auction yet. i've been looking at previews for upcoming auctions.

this is it

https://www.iaai.com/VehicleImages/2...35017_6_I.jpeg

https://www.iaai.com/VehicleImages/2...5017_10_I.jpeg

clean engine. this one is in austin tx i think

I thought you had sold your Z, I'm glad to hear you had a change of heart.

I'm not saying aftermarket parts are necessarily better and I never said ALL aftermarket parts were overdesigned. I was refering to the overall approach to the engine build. You overdesign the block to handle more than what you need. Of course it's not that simple, but staying with components designed for 332-350 hp and boosting it to 550hp or more isn't the correct path either. The reliability aspect isn't guaranteed when you do ANY type of modification. A huge factor is going to be on the mechanic doing the work.

No real bites other than some trade or low ball offers, but I spent the entire Christmas break re-evaluating the situation and decided to hang on to the car. Oh, the recent trip to the dealer to replace the brake switch finally resolved the annoying throttle lag and slow acceleration issue since first ownership in '09. Imagine flooring it 1st and 2nd to redline, and not seeing boost! Throttle barely opened up.

^that might be a good thing. If I floor it in 1st or 2nd I see no traction!

That's the problem. I don't think traction can be seen. :bowrofl:

lack of traction can be seen by those strange set of black marks he leaves on the road :bowrofl:

:bowrofl::roflpuke2:

Those black marks are called "elevens" :roflpuke2: :tup:

oooooo :tup:

:bowrofl::bowrofl: