Not a 370z, but... VQ35HR ST (VSR) Begins

mad_jelly

Today begins my story. I bought my 2007 350z Grand Touring Roadster March 2008. I bought her brand new with 16 miles on the clock. Over the last 6 years, we've gone through many changes but none of which involved the magnitude of work as required with FI.

I've been hunting for a single turbo setup for nearly a year now and chose VSR's setup primarily for two reasons. 1) They are a one stop shop for the setup. You ship your car to them and they take care of everything (install, tuning, other stuff). I've always been a hands-on kind of guy (search for my DIYs on my.350z.com). I really enjoy wrenching on cars, probably more so than actually driving. However life has gotton away from me with work, the house, the wife, my toddler and second on the way. It was time to put my hobbies aside (wrenching) and enjoy the car as it should have came out of the Nissan plant. 2) The turbo and intake placement resonated with what I wanted in a turbo kit. To the best of my knowledge, the only other ST setup for the HR has the turbo mounted low and the intake tucked next to the transmission. While im sure it works just fine down low, I feel better if the intake and turbo sat above my crash beam (Just a personal preference).

Proposed Setup:
VSR Topmount turbo kit
CJM Stage 1 VQ35HR fuel return w/ pump harness
HKS M-Series 1 step colder
Southbend Stage 2 Kevlar Clutch and Flywheel Kit
ZSpeed HD CSC
Mishimoto Radiator
Stillen Headers
AEM Tru-Boost and UEGO
Innovate Oil Temp and Pressure
Vibrant 3" HFC

I track my car a few times a year. It'll be interesting how well this setup performs at the track. Not just from a reliability standpoint but also from a safety standpoint. I've never had an issue with NA, so this new setup will be interesting. There were reports on the.370z.com of improper placement of a few critical lines in relation to the downpipe, exhaust leaks, oil and ps leaks. The owner of VSR, Bobby, stood behind his product and offered to make it right.

I hope my story will be a great one as there are only 2 other VQ35HR VSR turbos in the states (to the best of my knowledge).

PS. Pardon my spelling and grammar. x-posted on my.350z.com

Timeline:
June 23, 2014: Transport received the car
August 27, 2014: Car still at shop. Install is taking some time. The welder had a little accident over the 4th in July. Dude is welding in a wheel chair. Talk about dedication!
August 29, 2014: Car nearly done. I asked for a few more maps for different boost lvls. Added more pixs.
Sept 5, 2014: Car made no power. Cylinder 1 had low compression. ~160
Sept 8, 2014: Leak down showed 40% leak on Cylinder 1. Starting modest build.
to be continued
Sept 29, 2014: Motor pulled, found oil starvation on bearings and rings. Most likely from excessive G's.
Oct 13, 2014: Motor nearly back into car. Added pix of shortblock
Oct 25, 2014: Car Done, on its way back. Added moar pixs

Attached Images

	mad_stock.jpg (73.2 KB, 46 views)
	2014-06-23.jpg (459.0 KB, 58 views)
	vq35hr_vsr_st_1.jpg (85.7 KB, 43 views)
	vq35hr_vsr_st_2.jpg (95.1 KB, 49 views)
	vq35hr_vsr_st_3.jpg (31.4 KB, 52 views)
	vsr_350z_front.jpg (203.2 KB, 38 views)
	vsr_350z_front2.jpg (261.0 KB, 68 views)
	vsr_350z_turbo.jpg (234.6 KB, 56 views)
	vsr_350z_front3.jpg (225.6 KB, 51 views)
	long_block.jpg (80.9 KB, 33 views)
	short_block_3.jpg (68.2 KB, 196 views)
	short_block_4.jpg (73.9 KB, 193 views)
	vsr_built_st.jpg (255.6 KB, 55 views)
	vsr_built_st2.jpg (271.6 KB, 64 views)
	vsr_built_st3.jpg (251.1 KB, 56 views)

COSMO

Awsome, bobby will take care on you...

Nissan370

you can add cams to your 350z right
i know we cant on the 370z and the overlap kinda cheats us on a few ponies

and i believe your not going to be able to use your headers the kit comes with atleast driver side headers

__________________
370z vsr motorsports single turbo/built motor 9.1cr 525rwhp/450rwtq @ 10.5psi (stock maf maxed out)

mad_jelly

Yes, the VQ35HR does have aftermarket cams. Not going to go down the "built" route with the car. Gonna keep it stock internals. If it blows up, just going to throw in another stock motor and keep the power reasonable. Too many variables with built internals. My risk tolerance isn't that high yet.

I am unfamiliar with the actual piping since I haven't been able to locate actual pictures of the exhaust side on a car.

Driver or passenger? The driver side is extremely cramped already with the steering column. I would think the downpipe comes down the passenger side, requiring modified headers. I could be completely wrong though. I hope they can retain the headers since the collectors are 2.25" and equal length.

Maybe VSR can comment on this, otherwise i'll call Bobby when he gets back.

fuct

am i lost?

not hating on your post mad_jelly but why is this here?

mad_jelly

because public visibility is the best way to both praise and keep shops accountable for their work. my.350z.com is dead and I doubt anybody with a 370z will go there for product and service review. From my understanding, VSR services 370z and performs more 370z builds than 350z. Although my setup isn't directly related to 370z, the shop experience will certainly be relevant.

I appreciate your concern for polluting the 370z FI space. I have no problem deleting the thread if it gives 370z users too much heartburn.

Like I said earlier. I truly believe x-posting a VSR experience is mutually beneficial for 350z and 370z owners.

fuct

alighty....

mad_jelly

minor update. car still at shop. Thought I would have the car back for VIR last week but their welder got into an accident back in July. Homie is welding in a wheel chair.

I am really hoping to get the car back soon. My time is running out. My second son is arriving in less than a month and I would like to enjoy the car before my world get flips upside down.

nomodsjk

Damn bro how long has it been gone? Where about in va are you? And who freaking cares what other people think about your post. You're a 370 forum member even if you're talking about an older model. I think most of us would welcome you but no matter the circumstances you will always have f***ing cry babies whining about minor details that just rub them the wrong way. Cry me a river. Awesome car man! Hope you get to drive it soon

Staples

We're all Z and G lovers here, no matter the year or model.

I hope everything works out and you get your car back soon.

__________________
'08 Infiniti G37s - Forced Induction Fed

ANMVQ

I don't have a Z anything LOL and I spend tons of time here, G37X Sedan

__________________
14 Q50 AWD, ARK, ECUTEK (SEB), Takda,

COSMO

My car is at vsr as well because I had them build me a motor to better suit my twin turbo setup. There have been a lot of mistakes since this began and I'm hoping they will fix my car soon so I can have mine back as well.. I get the impression vsr has a high employee turn around from what I gather. The guy who built my motor was fired so just imagine that and after installing my new motor they forgot to install the rear main seal causing oil to leak out everywhere... This will be the last car I boost due to the fact of faith in any local shops and the headache involved during the entire process.... I hope yours works out but I can't imagine it taking them this long to do a single turbo install.. Stay on their asses or they will drag there feet!!

jaytirbhaw

350z build threads are welcome, usually what goes on with one VQ can be translated to the next for the most part. Keep us updated !

mad_jelly

a few miles away from DC. 400whp in constant traffic jams is going to be awesome.

That sounds like a terrible position to be in but im glad VSR is doing what they can to rectify the situation. I hope you get the car back soon.

mad_jelly

Update: Car made no power, cylinder 1 had low compression. VSR believes its a burnt valve.

Options: 1 run the car down until it dies
Option 2: Put a used "good" motor in there
Option 3: Build it
Option 4: Rebuild the heads (assuming it is JUST the valves)