Dcocci's Track car/Time Attack build
 

I've finally decided to start a build thread for my car. This is my first Z, and have loved it so far. The intention with my build is to start from scratch and mod as I go along. My end goal is to have a competitive Enthusiast class time attack car. I'll also provide some reviews of parts I've installed and tracked. All of the work will be done myself. I'm a Porsche technician and I have a kick *** shop at my disposal :) I've had this car since Sept 2014, so I have to catch you guys up in the first few posts. Here goes...

Back story- I was in the car scene in New England since like 2001 or so, back when I was a 16 year old little bastard in my 95 Miata. I did a handful of track days and auto-x, and even some karting leauges however I was never really a "track guy" as I never really went regularly. In 09, and after a bunch of cars (02 WRX,86 mr2, 83 alfa spider, sr20 240sx, some ran, some didn't lol), I bought a mk5 GTi and left it bone stock as a commuter. Leaving it as a commuter pretty much put a stop to me being in the "scene", minus a couple Waterfest runs. I did that for about 5 years or so, then I moved to California in April 2014. Once I settled in, I was ready to become involved in the massive car scene here in Southern California. I made the decision that I wanted to build a car that I can regularly run in Time Attacks and HPDE's. I wanted to be a "track guy" and have a track car.
I decided I wanted something BONE STOCK that I could mod as I went along. I wanted to really feel the difference between mods and have fun with the whole journey. As my driving progresses, the car progresses.
Because of the weather out here, I didn't have to worry about a winter beater or an AWD car being a must. I love the EVO's and STi's, however I feel that they are a little overpriced. You're either paying too much for a beat down used car that was more than likely beat and modded, or you're overpaying for a new car. Either way I wasn't convinced. I looked for s13's and s14's as well, only to be disappointed in the selection. Either you're buying a non running shitbox for 1k, a beat drift missile with a welded diff and a "drift tax", or a completely done and modded car for 15k. Nope. After that I looked at the FRS/BRZ and the 350/370 z's. The FRS was ok, but my god was it slow. Then one day I was surfing the web and found a 2014 black 370Z base with 4k miles on it. The right color, the right condition, the right mileage. I was happy. I rushed over there the next day and drove it home. BOOM! Just like that I had my new track car project! It was September, and I was stoked I finally found my car!

My GTI was traded in. You can see it lurking in the backgound
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I'll be working on the car in this pictured shop
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I wasn't bummed about it being a base. I never really liked the rev-match, and I figured if I'm planning on modding it for the track then whats the difference? It was super clean and the mileage was LOW. Good enough for me!

After a couple months of driving the car around, I decided that it was time to get the ball rolling with this journey. There is a local autocross held about once a month in Camarillo. I decided this was a great chance to shake the car down and get a solid game plan on how I would go about modding the car.
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After about the first turn, I realized what my first mod was going to be. WHEELS AND TIRES. The stock tires suck, and the base wheels are way too narrow. Understeer going in, oversteer coming out, ABS lock up. It was a mess. I also wasn't happy with the brakes. They were pretty spongy. The overall feel of the car was just sloppy all around. Wheels, tires, and brakes were going down. I finished the day and hit a couple cones. It was fun to get out there and mix it up, however I now knew that I had some work to do. I went like two or three more times with the bone stock setup. It was pretty annoying sliding everywhere, so I was done with the stock setup.



These bad boys were bought shortly after. I called a buddy of mine in Mass at Kaizen Tuning who is a WORK dealer and ended up with a square set of WORK MCO racing type CS. 18x10.5 offset f-+20 r-+12. Tires are Hankook Ventus RS-3 285/35r18 from Corner3 garage .:tup:
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As for the brakes, I again talked to corner3 garage. Because of the base brake package, my choices were limited. I wanted a set of project MU club racers to slap in until I can get a major upgrade brake package. We couldn't get the club racers, but we could get a set of the HC800 pads project mu offers. I pulled the trigger and also added some Brembo htc64t brake fluid.
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The wheels and tires were a significant upgrade. Compared to the stock package, I couldn't believe the difference. Understeer was history. I could attack the corners and be confident in the front end grip. The rear? well, it was alot better, however the new crutch was the open differential in the base model. There was also no learning curve coming from the stock wheels and tires. Times instantly decreased by multiple seconds at the auto-x. The new pads and fluid provided me with the bite I was looking for as well. The brakes felt alot more solid after a couple break in runs. These particular pads are dusty, and you'll get a little squeak from them every now and again on the street. Neither of which bother me too much. I still have an old school mentality with pads, in that the best performing ones on the track will be a little dusty and squeaky sometimes. No big deal.

Here are some pics of the wheel/tire/brake setup. As you can see, with stock suspension, these wheels poke out the front. They don't rub, but they poke.

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I love the look of these wheels. Work has a 370z as their poster car for these wheels, and for good reason. They go really well with the car. I love the "no nonsense" look. No centercaps. No bling. All business.

With feeling the large difference between stock and the square wheel/tire setup and the good brake pads and fluid, I decided the car felt good enough to hit the track. When I first started looking into track days, I stumbled across some local time attack series that go on in Southern Cal, one of which was a Nissan Challenge Time Attack that Corner3 put's on with Extremespeed track events. I thought it was cool that they had a time attack series just for Nissan guys, so I decided to jump right in with two feet and participate in a time attack event instead of just doing a regular track day! Street class it is!

While also messing around with the local autocross, I decided to sign up for the January inaugural Nissan Challenge event for 2015 at Streets of Willow. I was stoked to get this car on the track and see if I could hang. With the minimal mods I have, I did well. I kept the car on the track, and I was able to break into the 1:30's with a best time of 1:38.651. Nothing to write home about, but I was excited that I was able to get out there and not get embarrassed. I didn't finish last, and I didn't have one tire off the track the entire day, so I considered it a good day. It was nothing but encouraging.

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Very cool and welcome to the Z family.

Since that inaugural event, we've had 5 events all over the tracks in So Cal. Once a month. I have now raced Streets of Willow, clockwise and counter clockwise, Big Willow in the rain, and dry, and Chuckwalla. I missed the Buttonwillow event, which was a bummer because I keep hearing that's the best track out here. I still haven't spun out or gone off the track once! Throughout these events, and continuing the autocrosses, I grew more and more familiar with the car, and where I wanted to upgrade. Autocross has me thinking the suspension is way too soft, and that the open diff is total garbage. Big Willow in the rain showed me again just how crappy the open rear diff is. Chuckwalla in upper 90 degree heat showed me the importance of an oil cooler. Chuckwalla was in early may, and after that I had a clear plan of how I wanted to mod the car.
I had a Stillen oil cooler sitting on the shelf since about two weeks after I bought the car. It was a purchase I made after lurking around here for a while and taking some advice on mods you should do right away if you're planning on tracking. I never installed it until after Chuckwalla when I saw 270-275 degree spikes in oil temp! You can't get any closer than that without going into limp mode! That was the first time I saw the temps creep that high, and that next week the car was in for a oil cooler install.
The install went terribly. It turns out the core was damaged, and pissed oil all over the place as soon as the car started up. Total bummer.
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After talking with Stillen, I just decided to cough up the dough and buy an upgraded 25 row Setrab core from them. I was kinda pissed they took the core and didn't reimburse me, but whatever. I might be done with them after that, I don't know. The install with the Setrab core went nice and smooth and has held up well at the track. I've run an autocross and Big Willow with it and it performed flawlessly. Temps spiked at about 240 degrees. I also decided to mount the cooler my own way, on the drivers side of the car instead of the pass. side like Stillen says. There is a perfect spot for it on the drivers side where you don't have to disturb anything mounted in the front. It fits like a glove.
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Here are some random track pics I've taken. Our most recent Big Willow event has been the most encouraging outing to date. I managed to scrape up a 3rd place finish in my class! Running a 1:46 and change. Again, nothing to write home about, but it shows huge progress. That was with a 200lb passenger too! I'm starting to trust the grip of the chassis and tires more in mid corner and coming out of the corner. The open diff sucks and will bite you if you aren't careful! I blew the car sideways in turn 1, but managed to save it and look like a hero lol. Iv'e also been kicking some serious *** at the autocrosses. A friend of mine in his BMW 135 has joined me, and we have been moving up the ranks. Those cars are QUICK
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The last event was also my last event on stock suspension. I decided that a set of coilovers and camber arms would be my next major upgrade. I decided to do this over a LSD because I just really want to see the difference between stock and modded suspension. I think the overall feel of the chassis will improve, and I'll be more comfortable pushing the car and tires. The LSD will be next on the list. (now taking recommendations. I want a clutch type. Maybe a Kaaz?)

After talking to corner3, and seeing what people run on here, I decided on SPL front and rear camber arms, SPC rear toe bolts, and a set of custom valved and sprung BC racing type BR coilovers. These parts ALL look top notch, but the SPL stuff...my god. The upper control arms are beautiful lol.
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According to the rules, Redline time attack and Global time attack both say you must run 1 way adjustable coilovers in Enthusiast class. Because of this, and because of BC's option to custom build your coilovers, the BR's were the perfect choice. I decided on 14k front and 12k rear swift springs. These rates should be ok with no aero and street tires. These get installed this week, and We run Streets of Willow counter clockwise...AT NIGHT. That will be fun :happydance: I'll be working on the settings, but I'm hoping to be faster right out the box. My best CCW run is a 1:38.1. I'll stay conservative and say a 1:35 will be a success. I'll also be working hard, as this will be my first night run on a track ever. Stay tuned!

So...coilovers were not installed. My shops compressor was being serviced all week after work. GREAT. This paved the road for what would be an awful week with the car. Already bummed, I decided to suck it up and go another round with the stock suspension. Leaving straight from work, I went to go wash the car using a touchless car wash. Bad idea. The 370 is apparently too wide, and I curbed a couple wheels on the equipment. What......the f. They say fake parts break hearts, but when you curb a real deal wheel, it crushes your soul lol. Saturday, my plan was to show up in the afternoon and setup the EZ up and chill with some people who were running during the day. When I showed up at around 2:30, it was already pouring rain. It was a nightmare to say the least lol. It was POURING out all... freakin... day. The track was flooded as hell. A couple groups ran, and the safety team at the track shut the track down for a little bit in hopes that the rain would die down and water would drain down on the track. When the organizers called an emergency drivers meeting at 6:30PM, I thought they were going to call it a day and pack it up. Instead, they left it up to us drivers to determine if we should kill the day, or give them an hour to set up a modified course using another part of the track that wasn't flooded. We voted, and decided to run. My first and only run was at about 8:30. It was still raining at this point, and visibility was awful. I decided rather than to concentrate on lap times, to just keep four wheels on the course and not get into any trouble. I put a wheel in the dirt/mud, but zero damage. After that, I apparently missed my groups next run. It was about 10:30 at this point, so I decided to say screw it and pack it up. Us Nissan guys went to Buffalo Wild Wings after that to get over the night lol. It was a crazy night, but at least we got out there with a run. I left frustrated, but also with a ton of respect for the drivers who didn't bitch and got out there, and the organizers for giving the drivers the vote. Next week the coilovers will be installed and the alignment will be done. Next round is at Big Willow, and hopefully it doesn't rain out!

a couple pics

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welcome to the addiction! I may have to pick your brain sometime later if something comes up, as I have a couple of P cars.

Thank You! And I'm here to answer all of your P car questions :)

Nice journal! Subscribed and good luck!:tup:

UPDATE!! So after the disaster of the night event, I brought the car in after hours at work to install my coilovers and dial in the alignment. It took all week, working on it for an hour here, an hour there. During the week, I was offered a free pass to a track day that Saturday at Streets of Willow running counter-clockwise as a promotion for SocalZ, Nissfest and the Nissan Challenge. It was a day event, and it was the earliest track day that I'd have my coilovers installed, so I decided to go and use it as a shake down day for the suspension.

The day was a total success across the board! Everyone had a great time, and I bested my personal best lap time by FIVE seconds! FIVE! a 1:33.478! It was absolutely unreal how much of a difference the suspension made. Night and day doesn't even come close to describing it! The car just plants itself in the corners. Lots more mechanical grip, and pushing the car and the tires to the limit is much much more manageable now. Before the suspension, getting to close to the limit would totally upset the chassis, causing erratic handling. I couldn't trust the car. Now when you get to that limit, it's much smoother, and it cooperates with you instead of fighting you. I was playing with dampening throughout the day, and I ended up with a pretty stiff dampening setting that I liked. 5 clicks out from full stiff in the front, and 8 clicks from full stiff in the rear. The car runs -3 degrees camber front, -2.5 rear. front caster is at about 6 degrees. zero toe in front, and maxed out factory spec toe in the rear. ride height is measured at 3 1/4 inches from the top of the fender to the top of the wheel. Pretty low. I have a little bit of pass. front rub on high G corners, however I like the setup so much, I've decided to roll my front fenders as opposed to raising my car or changing my specs. The track conditions were pretty dusty all day, and it was HOT. I ran my fastest times early in the morning.

Next step will be upgrading the front swaybar and endlinks. I may try and get one before my August 9th event at Big Willow. Stay tuned! Here are some pics!

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Well my friend i have to tell you first that i read all the post that you did over here on your thread hahaha!! and i want to tell you... Awesome work that you are doing on your Z :tup: the car looks really good... you are having fun in it... what more i can tell you hahaa! You are really having a great time on your Z... I buy my car for that purpose to... well for DD and occasional track days.. well my DD route from my home to the work i can call it like a track day too hahaha!! a lot of turns, elevations, etc....:bowrofl: Anyway keep having fun with your Z bar and now im subscribed to see more of your progress.:tup:

Thanks man! Yes, this car has been a ton of fun, and having fun with the whole journey will always be the most important step for me. The only thing that isn't fun now is the scraping around town now that I'm lower lol. Oh well, it's worth it :tup:

hahhahaa!!! nice man! is part of being dropped hahhaa!! same happen to me when i drop the Z... but like you said... worth it :tup:

BTW i buy the Stillen 25 rows oil cooler kit too... i hope my Stillen core arrive in perfect conditions i dont want to have the issue that you have with your stillen core man:eekdance:

My core was damaged at the outlet on top of the core. It was not perfectly flush with the core. You could see it was dropped or something and it was cocked at the top, and there was a small indent at the outlet. The only thing I can recommend is check it over once you get it and be aware of things that just don't look right. Besides the core everything went really good!

Thanks for the info bro! as soon they arrive im going to inspect everything twice ;) BTW what oil filter you are using? i dont want to use the Fram that comes with the kit... I do my search and found that the replacement for the Fram oil filter that comes with the kit are Mobil1 M1-105, K&N HP1008 & the Purolator PureOne PL10193... I always use the Mobil1 filters on my cars and the Purolator PureOne... but i want to know wish way do you go cause is another issue in the Stillen Oil Cooler kit :shakes head: with the thermostatic plate we have to use a smaller oil filter :icon14:

I used the fram and its a pretty tight fit . I may try a Mobil 1 filter my next oil change though. No complaints so far.

Great my friend! thanks again :tup:

Sunday 8/9 was another event at Big Willow. Typical hot and dusty track conditions, but all went well. The suspension on my first run was AWFUL. Using the previous streets of willow damper settings, the car was all over the place. Way too stiff. My first run was slower than my personal best with the stock suspension. No good. Once I softened the dampers 5 clicks or so all around, the car felt much better. The confidence was back, and I was able to set a PB of 1:45.5. To be honest, I was expecting a couple seconds faster than a 1:45, but it's possible that better track conditions could have settled that. The passengers front tire rubbed as well once the dampers were softened. I had the fender rolled and slightly pulled to get rid of it, and it didn't rub when stiffer. Ah well. It isn't bad at all, so I may just leave it. The brakes are finally on their last leg as well. The pad material is low enough to where the car set a brake warning/ABS light on the way home from the track. I've been impressed with the project MU HC 800's. They've lasted 7 track days, and probably 7 or 8 autocrosses with daily driving duties. Not bad at all in my book for BASE brakes and exceeded my expectations. I think it's time to upgrade to Akebonos though, as I'm looking for alot more stopping power.:tup: Overall I'm now keeping up with some quick guys in the Challenge. I took another 3rd place by the end of the day, and we were all within 1.5 seconds of each other from 1st to 3rd. Big improvement from before. The gap is closing!
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congrats bro!!!! with the Akebonos and a new set of pads your are going to see the change for sure... :tup:

again your correct Mr Carl :iagree:

-Clifford :tiphat:

Thanks man! I've made due with the base brakes, but it's definitely time. Following some smaller lighter cars around the track made me realize that there is alot to be gained with this car and it's braking. I've been happy because I haven't experienced any brake fade (good pads and good fluid:tup:), but the stopping distance needs to decrease. I think I'll be happy with akebonos and some good pads. In the meantime the car is off the track for the next month or so. I'm going to clean her up and change the fluids...sort of give it a nice check up. I'll post some good pics of her nice and clean!

:iagree::iagree: BTW if you are not ready made the differential fluid change... do it bro... Last weekend i made it and damn... that fluid was nasty as hell... i take some pics before and after clean the drain screw and was very nasty hahaha!! if you want to see the pics let me know... ;)

Good to know! I'm planning on doing oil, trans, and rear diff fluid changes. I'm also going to clay bar and touch up some knicks in the paint, and put a nice coat of wax on it :) It needs a day of beauty lol. Also might flip the tires around to get another trackday or two out of them before I change them out. The tread is getting kinda low :/

hahhaha!! is part of the track work lol get the thread of the tires low :p

BTW last Saturday I install the oil cooler and have too say...... Damn why i dont buy that thing as soon i buy the car hahaha!! hold the temps very very good.... Now i have to change my brake pads and the power steering fluid and go to the track again :driving:

hei man nice build. i j want to ask a question here. were u experiencing a fuel starvation during the heavily right hand turn? because i am also planing build my car for the track. i heard some ppl saying there is a fuel starvation issue.

Just read through the whole thread and man am I jealous. I wish I had the $$ to spend to do exactly what your doing, Ive slowley been trying to make it out for a track day but I never seem to have the money to drop on the parts. I recently had just about everything ready to go in, (oil cooler, brakes, wheels) then I felt the csc issue coming back. Its about 60k on this clutch so I figured it was time to replace it with something but that had to be payed for so I ended up getting rid of all my other stuff.

In due time, Ill be out there on the southern Cali track days. But until then, Ill just drool over your build lol

Just read the whole thread and really enjoyed it. Great to see the progression from stock to where you're at now.

Hey guys! It's been a while! I didn't mean for this to die for those who are following lol. So to get up to speed, the remainder of the season was a success. I managed to mix it up with some top guys in September at Autoclub infield, and after that event my tires lost grip pretty rapidly. I managed to attend two more days, at the Autoclub Roval couse for Nissfest, and Buttonwillow counter-clockwise. Neither of which were very succewssful outings, with the cherry on top being a Tony Hawk 900 spin at 100mph at Buttonwillow, nearly hitting a flagmans post lol. Anyways, this is a just a quick update. I will provide some detail into tire performance, and my journey with the base brakes and oem pads and ebc yellows, non of which I've been happy with. Cheers!

Yes I have. Its not every event, but there have been a couple specific corners on specific tracks that I've experienced fuel cut. Its a very annoying thing lol. I fill my car to the brim before I hit the track. I think I will also pick up a gas can too, as I hit fuel cut in the afternoon sessions

haha thanks man I appreciate the kind words! Once you get a cooler and brake pads and fluid youll be good to go! I understand the money for parts problem, as I've been trying to save for an upgraded brake package for like 6 months now lol. For now I just do the best with what I have :)

Subbed!