Project: Mothra
 

I wanted to give Z enthusiasts a look at a project a Houston Nissan dealer is doing. This will be one of the cars tuned by Smoky Nagata next month at Import Reactor and will also have some incredible Top Secret parts on it. They dropped the engine yesterday for the first mods and it's already starting to look sweet underneath. This one will get the Powerhouse Amuse body kit as well. So, the outside will match.

They just signed up as a forum sponsor, so expect some progress reports coming soon. I think anybody who loves Japanese performance will really love this car. It is going to be a track monster/show car like no other.

Check out the facebook for some photos here:
Project Mothra Photos | Facebook

In for more.

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oh yeah

Updated

ceramic?

I think it is ceramic coated.

What dealer is it???? It would be cool if it were the Bakers over at Baker Jackson.

Per the Facebook page it looks like it is Baker-Jackson South.

It just so happens it is...but I think you knew that. They just became forum sponsors, so I expect an official announcement in their section soon. I bought my Z there. Great experience.

An official Web site is coming, but it's under construction right now. From the Mothra facebook page:

Welcome to // Project: Mothra //. A stock Nissan 370Z is undergoing a metamorphosis to become the ultimate of its kind. It’s as much an offering to legendary Japanese tuner Kazuhiko "SMOKY" Nagata, as it is an exercise in using only the best components in the world to allow the Z to reach its ultimate potential.

What will shock most in the tuner-car community is that this transformation is being done by a Nissan dealer – Baker-Jackson Nissan in Houston. Smoky Nagata http://www.topsecretjpn.com/smoky.shtml will tune the car himself. His Top Secret components, many previously only available in Japan will accent its performance. And the Powerhouse Amuse http://www.webamuse.co.jp/z34/index.html body kit, with its signature wing – the inspiration for this beast’s name – will alert everyone that this is no ordinary Z.

Become a Facebook friend of // Project: Mothra // and watch her as she’s built. Get info and updates on ordering nearly-impossible-to-get Top Secret components for your own car through BakerJacksonNissan.com. And to any track challengers out there: fear the Fairlady as she transforms into a screaming monster capable of laying waste to an entire city.

hummmm...

Ha thats funny! I know the Bakers. I went to school with Brad Baker and played soccer with him. He is the general manager at the south location. I got a good deal because of them.
His dad drives a fixed up GT-R and he is mostly at the north-west location cause he is the GM there. And no I did not know it was them that was doing this car, its a small world after all right.

In for more looking great :tup:

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Can't wait to see it. By the way, anyone remember the good ole Godzilla movies? vs Mothra....Mothra's theme:

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Eww.. They ruined it by going with stillen headers..

I think they're Stillens. I could be wrong. Why do they ruin it?

i have no experience with the headers, so i personally can't say. however, some users have reported loss in hp and torque using the stillen headers.

...what suspension is going into the car?

Sound interesting. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

Aren't these items conflicting though?

-Top Secret Carbon Lip
-Full body kit by Powerhouse Amuse

I believe there are multiple 370z getting worked on, one with Amuse another with Top Secret body work.

I checked on the parts list for the Mothra car. This one is more accurate and complete for the PROJECT MOTHRA CAR ONLY.


Top-Secret stainless steel cat-back exhaust system
Top-Secret Front/Rear Coil-over system
Top-Secret Dual Cold Air Intake System
Powerhouse Amuse Bodykit (front bumper, rear bumper, side skirts, spoiler)
I-Forged Sprint 20X9 FR, 20X10.5 RR, 2-Piece, Flat Black Insert w/ Polished Black Lip
B&M Short Shifter
Non-Stop Tuning Over/Under Pulley Kit
Stillen Ceramic Coated Headers
Nissan J-Spec Euro Fog Lamp
ACT Stage 1 Clutch Assy.
Stillen Lightweight Flywheel
370Z PROcess ECU tune by Top-Secret
Stillen High-Flow Catalytic Converters
Stillen Sway Bar Kit, FR and RR
AP Racing 6-Piston FR Big Brake Kit
AP Racing 4-Piston RR Big Brake Kit
BLITZ R-VIT DS Controller/Guage 370Z
Full Kenwood Excelon Audio System. 6 ¼ FR Components, 3 ½ RR Mid-range, 12” Sub. 1800watt (1000watt to Sub, 200X4 to Mids and Highs)


The other car Baker-Jackson is doing won't be tricked out nearly as much -- it'll have the Smoky Nagata tune and a few of the performance parts, but not the body kit or the really exotic stuff.

Oh WOW I totally misread and failed to notice the TS coils on the first post. Sorry! Looks like a great build.

cuz the stillen headers dont really produce any gains its a waste of money. not to meantion the fitment is horrible as are all other stillen products which are hit or miss.

Full Kenwood Excelon Audio System? is this a show car or a performance car? either way, i am subscribed!

I'm pretty confident it will do well in both missions. As for the Stillen headers, there should be a dyno stage forthcoming that will determine gains or losses. It does seem that they have resulted in a slight weight reduction...

Here is a list of the weight comparisons on the parts installed thus far:

Stillen Ceramic Coated Headers @ 7# each, Stock @ 10# each = Weight savings of 6#
Stillen High Flow Catalytic Converters @ 5# each, Stock @ 10# each = Weight savings of 10#
AP Racing Rear Brakes @ 16 1/2# each, Stock @ 22# each = Weight savings of 11#
AP Racing Front Brakes @ 32# each, Stock @ 38 ½# each = Weight savings of 12#
B&M Short Shifter @ 1 ½#, Stock @ 2 ½# = Weight savings of 1#
Non-Stop Tuning Over/Under Pulleys @ 1#, Stock @ 5# = Weight savings of 4#
ACT Stage 1 Clutch Assy. @ 17#, Stock @ 18 ½# = Weight savings of 1 ½#
Stillen Lightweight Flywheel @ 13 ½#, Stock @ 28 ½# = Weight savings of 15#

Total weight savings thus far = 60 ½#

Project Mothra | Facebook

We should be shedding 30+ pounds in a seat exchange, too.:tup:

The Web site is now up, so it'll be easier to follow the build. So far, the mods listed are the ones on the car only, so they are minimal at this point. This is not meant as a tease to those of you eager to see results. Believe me, we are as eager as you are, but we're doing this right and taking it step-by-step.

As things go on (like the Top Secret stuff) and dynos are done, there will be updates in the blog space. We encourage feedback here on this forum and on the facebook and twitter pages, both of which are linked to the site. Thanks, everyone, for your interest and comments. We look forward to talking Zs with you all.

Project Mothra

I assume the TS intakes will be similar to the Amuse intakes that appear to be more a short ram intake with no heat sheilds. At least, that is how the G37s look. That said, I would be very interested to see how they perform as they will be sucking in a bunch of hot air with the hood closed....

I notice that most of the jdm stuff for this car doesn't produce the type of gains compared to other things half it's price.. It's almost like they threw it together and just made it look pretty and charge a rediculous amount for it.

I think this would be a great opportunity for someone with a budget to test a short ram style against the long tube back to back and settle exactly what the difference is. They could test the TS on the dyno then install the Stillen and measure the difference keeping which ever has more desireable results for them. I'm sure they could sell which ever doesn't work out easily.

Baker-Jackson Nissan how about it? I'm sure many members would appreciate it!:tup: Either way repped you for a nice build with a website.

I have done that, I had Takeda short ram and lost HP and gain 1lb of torque, Stillen Gen III gain power (I personally have not been on the dyno but others in Houston have with the Gen III on the same dyno and showed gains).

I don't doubt the G3 had gains, I've seen RCZ and Semtex write ups. They seem like they are doucmenting the changes on the dyno. I thought it would be intersting to see the short ram vs. the G3 back to back on the dyno with an overlay of the curves. It would be a good resource for the community.

The argument could still be made that one short ram could be designed different than the model they will use from TS, but is should be close.

I expected JDM parts on these z's.
Cause smokey was tunning these but I guess not...
Still cannot wait for the results!

Sounds like something we can do. We were planning on sending it back out to be Dyno'ed again this coming week with a few other changes. It won't be stock when tested with the different intakes, but we can have it run with all of our current mods with stock intake, G3 intake, and our TS intake and post it up here for you guys. At least everyone will be able to see specific differences on the same car, same dyno, on the same day.

Fair enough, at this point I think the N/A mods you have are mostly what people have on thier "wanted" list anyway. I think most people understand (or should) the intake will probably show a bit lower #'s on a car with other mods already done like yours. Thanks in advance for going through the extra trouble! :tiphat:

Thanks Baker-Jackson!

amuse hasn't made an intake for the 370z yet...i think.

Not yet: Current Amuse 370Z Products

And most likely, the only way to get an Amuse intake system is to have Amuse take your Z for a special build.

any plans to change the gear ratios? Some 4.08's would set it off with low end power coming quick, I believe one member broke into the 12's with them on an auto Z.