These things are super cheap now, almost a steal. I've always loved the look of the Z32 and a buddy is interested in picking one up for a project but I told him to let me consult the overlords at GRM first. How capable are these things on the track? I know they are pigs when it comes to weight; but, is there any hope for them or should he just look for something else? Miata isn't he answer for him.
I had one. They are REALLY difficult to work on - even the NA models. Most of them are cheap because they need frequent maintenance that is very difficult, and parts are surprisingly expensive - not Ferrari expensive, mind you, but more on par with OEM BMW stuff.
Spark plugs are a two-hour job and the correct OE plugs (which, of course, are the only ones that work right) are $16 a piece; they are also known for failing fuel injectors, which require an eight-hour plenum pull adventure to get at...and of course then, while you're in there, you've got to replace a lot of other stuff. All of the plastic connectors on the engine wiring harness will eventually crack and break from the heat, leading to some bizarre running issues. If you're looking at twin turbos, all that stuff becomes even harder, and then the turbo heat will cook every impossible-to-reach hose under the engine bay to the point of insanity. The T-top models carry a lot of weight up high and many sanctioning bodies won't let them on track; that said, even starting with a NA slicktop, they are extremely difficult to get under 3,000lbs. Only some of the weight is in the luxo-accessories; most of it is in the drivetrain (particularly the VG30 engine which is HEAVY) and severely overbuilt bodyshell.
They're not all bad, however. Even the NAs are splendid vehicles when running right, performance on par with a non-M BMW E46, and the twin turbos are absolute MONSTERS with minor bolt-ons. You can fit a LOT of tire in the wheelwells, the stock TT brakes are great with many upgrade options, and they are pretty comfortable too. There are swap options out there for the enterprising. The smart thing to do would be to swap an RB-series motor in for ease of maintenance, or go LS-Juan.
SlickDizzy wrote: go LS-Juan.
Condensed down to the relevant bit.
You can get a good running FD with aesthetic issues for $9k or so. They might have a bad rep for fragility but they're actually quite easy to work on.
You should check out Brian Heitkotter's STX Z32 build thread over on roadraceautox.com.
The Z32 is one of those cars that just seems to have disappeared completely. I almost never see them anymore. Too bad--I always thought they were neat.
They seem to do pretty well at our local track days.
I always liked the look of these cars, but working on most Nissan products requires a very cool head and a whole lot of patience.
Good Friend of mine has the fastest NA Sentra Spec V in the Us (Don't laugh) and that thing is un necessarily difficult to work on...
I hate to say this as being any way associated with the drift scene, but what about a 240sx? Cheap to maintain, huge aftermarket, easy to work on, and a NA will probably be similar in performance to the Z32
Injector issue on early cars has been mostly traced to the way Nissan wired them, think they always have pos voltage, even when key is off. The ecm just grounds them to fire, but the issue seems to be the fact that they have voltage 24/7. Think they changed that in 95 or 96 with a relay to only give them pos when key is on, you can also add a relay to earlier cars, like i've done.
I ended up doing all hoses, and there is a lot of little water ones a few years ago, car was 16-17 years old when they decided to go, so should be good for another 15. One did require the removal of the tranny if i remember correctly.
I also have a s13 240sx w/RB, during the swap i compared engine bay dimensions with the Z32, and the S13 is slightly larger.
Will wrote: You should check out Brian Heitkotter's STX Z32 build thread over on roadraceautox.com. The Z32 is one of those cars that just seems to have disappeared completely. I almost never see them anymore. Too bad--I always thought they were neat.
I see them, usually they are like $8000 when for sale in good condition and are in fairly poor condition more often than not.
To the OP. If you want an easier time get a 350Z. You can get a decent to good but far easier to work on 350Z for the same price as a really good 300zx.
Funny thing is a turboed 350Z would probably be easier to work on than a 300zx.
I also have a s13 240sx w/RB, during the swap i compared engine bay dimensions with the Z32, and the S13 is slightly larger.
Maybe someone should take a otherwise fantastic looking car, the 300zx, and put a RB25 in it. Would probably solve all the "hard to work on" issues.
Z32s aren't hard to work on, just time consuming. Lots of layers, but you really only have a bad/hard time if you're impatient and try to skip layers.
The turbo versions are hugely overbuilt and very reliable cars if given at least a half-ass dose of care.
These are the overlooked "Japanese Supercar" bargains. They'll make the most power out of the normal players with just bolt ons.
Very heavy. Much hard. So difficulty.
I always liked 300ZXs and owned an '88 for a while. But I think there are a lot of better options in the same price range that are better suited to track duty, ie e36/Miata.
You would be making your life hard by going that route.
Swank Force One wrote: Z32s aren't hard to work on, just time consuming. Lots of layers, but you really only have a bad/hard time if you're impatient and try to skip layers. The turbo versions are hugely overbuilt and very reliable cars if given at least a half-ass dose of care. These are the overlooked "Japanese Supercar" bargains. They'll make the most power out of the normal players with just bolt ons.
Whats crazy is they are 1/2 to up to 1/3 the price as the competition. IDK why I don't see every 240SX drift kid with one.
For better or worse, 240SX is just plain easy to work on, and pretty controllable for sliding. I think the Z32 handling would be a bit spooky trying to hang the tail out in comparison, and the car wouldn't be running long with the willful neglect of the typical 18 year old drift kid.
Swank Force One wrote: Z32s aren't hard to work on, just time consuming. Lots of layers, but you really only have a bad/hard time if you're impatient and try to skip layers. The turbo versions are hugely overbuilt and very reliable cars if given at least a half-ass dose of care. These are the overlooked "Japanese Supercar" bargains. They'll make the most power out of the normal players with just bolt ons.
This. I've had one. Once you are used to the engine bay, it isn't that bad to work on. Spark plugs and whatnot will be difficult... once every 100k miles. The injector issue is a pain, but outside of that they aren't very needy cars - not anymore so than other 20 year old cars that have been neglected. The biggest issue is that most of them are in the hands of E36 M3ty owners.
They are heavy. NA slicktop being the lightest at ~3160lbs. You can get it down to around 3k, but it will never be a light car as long as the VG30 is in there. Now, swap in an SR20 and you'll have it quite a bit lower than that.
They can fit a ton of tire under them without much issue.
If you want big power, the DETT motor isn't expensive and can be swapped into a NA car relatively easily. Like SFO said, it will make the most with bolt ons. BIG power if you want it. Like not-peaky 500whp on stock turbos, and a turbo swap to push to the 600-700hp range. At the huge Z fest they have a drag event and IIRC there are plenty of cars in the 10s on the stock turbos.
And they are sexy as hell. I often regret selling my slicktop.
ProDarwin wrote: At the huge Z fest they have a drag event and IIRC there are plenty of cars in the 10s on the stock turbos.
Yea, but it's one of those diminishing return things, like with Supras. What does a 500whp and a 700whp Supra have in common? A 12 second time slip lol. Same with the 300ZX TT.
Of course, we get 300zx tt's up here dirt cheap imported from japanland. For a boulevard bruiser, hard to go wrong.
HiTempguy wrote:ProDarwin wrote: At the huge Z fest they have a drag event and IIRC there are plenty of cars in the 10s on the stock turbos.Yea, but it's one of those diminishing return things, like with Supras. What does a 500whp and a 700whp Supra have in common? A 12 second time slip lol. Same with the 300ZX TT. Of course, we get 300zx tt's up here dirt cheap imported from japanland. For a boulevard bruiser, hard to go wrong.
Up there rather would import a Supra or FD or Skyline. All would be like 1/3 of what you pay in the US anyways. $8k for a minty supra sounds nice to me.
If you do decide to go with one, get one track prepped already so some of the issues are fixed and improved. 
In reply to turtl631:
They have a short wheelbase and are rather wide, as a result, they are pretty hard to get sideways. Definitely not a good choice for drifting.
kanaric wrote:Swank Force One wrote: Z32s aren't hard to work on, just time consuming. Lots of layers, but you really only have a bad/hard time if you're impatient and try to skip layers. The turbo versions are hugely overbuilt and very reliable cars if given at least a half-ass dose of care. These are the overlooked "Japanese Supercar" bargains. They'll make the most power out of the normal players with just bolt ons.Whats crazy is they are 1/2 to up to 1/3 the price as the competition. IDK why I don't see every 240SX drift kid with one.
The rear suspension takes some brains to work with. Doesnt work well with cheap ebay shocks slammed as low as they'll go.
Thanks for the input guys...I am not interested in purchasing juan. This is a very close friend of mine interested. He's always had a thing for them and came across a one owner slick top for $2300 with 113k miles on it. He's not a handy man but his roommates are both mechanics so I'm sure they'd be doing most of the tooling. According to the other thread what about a Honda V6 (see what I did there!?!? Accord V6).
Oh, I forgot to mention above... the stock PCV system will cause some serious smoke-screens on track. Its inexpensive to fix, but lots of hoses to mess with :(
Will wrote: The Z32 is one of those cars that just seems to have disappeared completely. I almost never see them anymore. Too bad--I always thought they were neat.
My neighbor just sold his Dad's "garage find" 90 TT for around $4k last fall. It had sat for at least 10 years, had rough paint and bad 90's Pep Boys wheels, but he got it running. It had some lifter-like noise that he said was a $500 fix.
Yea they can be found for cheap all over (except Miami because well everyone thinks just because they owned it it's worth more). I mean $2300 is cheap but you can find miatas in that price range as well. You can find V6 f-bodies in the same price range and eventually swap an ls in there a lot easier.
If you're talking 3rd gen f-bodies, I think most of them are only worth $1000-$1500 IMO. That sounds like a fair price for a V6 4th gen f-body. F-bodies need suspension and limited-slip diff work before power improvements, unless your friend wants to drag race it.
You'll need to log in to post.
