New Member in the Dallas area with many questions..

[sw204me]

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.

[theDreamer]

Welcome, I will try to answer what I can as I am not in the Dallas car scene.

1) Not sure in Dallas
2) Vendors on the forum here are great, most will try to help get you anything you need or want quickly.
3) The engine is the same across the platform
4) There is base & touring, sport is a package which can be added to both base or touring. Sport package includes a BBK, LSD, rear spoiler and 19" wheels, Base v. touring is more "luxury" features: leather, power, heated seats, bluetooth, different radio, optional navigation
5) The automatic is very good, there is a full M mode which is manual mode where the driver has full control over shifting. If you plan to go for 700whp then I would recommend looking at a MT
6) Besides the TT kit you should look at: Oil cooler, exhaust, clutch, etc. Basically all the supporting mods first and then focus on the engine internals
7) If you are buying new, not much to look for other than what options you want and not over paying
8) Not sure, there is a Z club of Dallas I believe and a few people somewhat active on the forum here in Dallas.

I would call Sam@GTM and talk to him for a bit about what your plans are and what your goal is and he will help you get there.

[Z BEST]

Welcome and I also moved to Dallas last october so I know how it is to be the newbie, I would recommend Jotech Motorsports in Garland to work on your ride, they can help out in many ways for your car. They have a website as well if you are curious. Hope this helps.

[texasviking]

I can't speak for Jotech in terms of Nissans, but a buddy of mine had them do a turbo install on his Civic. He says they were great! I will try and get a name from him today sometime...

[sw204me]

That'd be great, thanks guys. Since I don't know much about the 370Z atm, I need to find a shop that I can tell them what my goals are and they tell me how they can make it happen.

Here's another question for you guys. I was also doing other research and for the price I plan to drop on getting a Z to that power range, I could get a local Dodge Viper with 92 miles on, if you were to drop about $50k on a car, would you wanna get a car that is brand new and you modded, or a car that turns heads everywhere you go but has a very basic interior that's almost primitive?

I fell in love with the Viper back in high school and it just baffles me how I could get that at the same price for what I want to do to the Z.

[theDreamer]

Depends on what you want to do with the car.
With modding there is going to be down time with the car, especially with the level you want to go with. There is also that satisfaction of modding the car and making it "your own."

If you want someone good to talk to, Sam@GTM can help a lot.

[sw204me]

What's GTM?

[theDreamer]

GTM Motorsports
Sam is the owner, he has an account here (Sam@GTM actually), he is more than happy to help and answer questions.

[sw204me]

A shame they are in Cali, would love to have a shop like that locally. Does he have a thread he takes questions in or should I just PM him?

[theDreamer]

The fastest way to get to him is through a phone call, PM/email would be next probably.
Baker Tuning in Houston has done two 370z installs so far with GTM kits (TT & SC), a third one has begun now. While not local to you in Dallas, they are in Texas and a bit closer than Cali.

[sw204me]

PMs would work just fine since right now I am just gathering information and doing research. I Googled that place in Houston and they look pretty awesome, though they aren't close, getting quality work is always worth a little bit of a drive.