| Triepsyn: So get down to the basics... Derek: It's a 1993 Nissan 300ZX, stock color was nissan black.. It's now PPG Viper Blue.. Stock motor was a VG30DE. I replaced that with a VG30DETT in January of 2004.
T: When did you buy the car and what made you buy it..
D: I bought the car in 2002 from a private seller in Fayetteville. I'd always liked the 300ZX's, but I couldn't really afford the insurance on the turbo model since I was like 18 and had just graduated high school. When I saw the car I thought it was pretty nice, clean and well kept. So, a couple days later I went back and bought it.
T: Did you really know much about the car?
D: I didn't know anything about the car when I bought it, actually. Before I got the 300ZX I had a Dakota R/T, a Civic, and a couple of Eclipses.. So, I really didn't have any experience with the car whatsoever.
T: If you didn't know anything about it, how did you figure out enough to end up doing a motorswap by yourself two years later?
D: Uhh.. Well, I just started messing around with it in the garage. First thing I tried to do was polish the intake manifold, just kind of winged it and took stuff off.. Then, I started doing little stuff.. the next thing I knew I blew the stock motor up! I didn't have a car to drive for about 6 months, and after some thought and getting income in from a new job, I pretty much I decided I was going to do a TT swap.
I got most of my information from twinturbo.net, they have tech tips on how to do EVERYTHING on that car..
T: Well, what happened after all that..
D: I decided to do the TT motor, so I bought a JDM motor out of a shop in California called SpeedTech. I bought the motor and I met a guy that lived nearby by that had a 300ZX sitting in his garage. I started talking to the guy, Chris, and I found out he was pretty much a 300ZX genius. He decided he was going to help me out on the project.. So I got all the parts in and got hooked up with a shop where I could do the swap out. I just started pulling everything off the motor in sight.. Next thing I knew, the motor was out...
Chris and I finally
got everything going, got it running.. But, I never could get the engine to pull good oil pressure. It never picked up the pressure I was looking for, so I came back home and let the car sit overnight. I went out to start it the next morning and it had a rod knock. I had a warranty on that motor, but I had to pay for the shipping back to California.. They sent me another motor that they promised was fine this time. So the motor came.. Its looking pretty raggedy. My intial thought was to just try it.. So, I got it all prepped, put it in, got it started and it smoked like crazy, that motor had so many problems.. I decided instead of paying for shipping back to California, I'd just rebuild it myself.
I took that motor out, pulled it apart.. Took the block and head to a local machine shop. I had the crank micro polished, it was bored over .40, 5-angle valve job done with some porting.. I bought remanu'd turbos for it.. I bought an RPS clutch, had my flywheel resurfaced and lightened.. I had the rods shot-pinged.. I bought Wiseco ceramic-coated forged pistons.. I got Clevite-77 rods and main bearings.. titanium springs and valves..
It now has the GReddy Profec-B boost controller, Z1 Performance remapped ECU.. Nismo five-fiftyfive Injectors, Unorthodox Underdrive Pulley, Bomz Racing exhaust with hollowed-cats, JDM downpipe..
T: Word is, you go through paint jobs like crazy...
D: I've painted the car a couple times... (laughs) First color was dupont black in summer of 2003 just to clean up the stock look. Two weeks later I decided to go with the veilside bodykit and I went with the PPG Viper Blue.. I decided on the viper blue because it was a unique color and stood out from your typical cars on the road, yellow and orange is alright, and you really stand out. But this blue catches your eye too, and its not too flashy.. Anyways, A couple days after the car was painted, someone decided to vandalize the car, jealous bastards. (laughs) After that I didn't feel painting the car (again) myself, so I took it out to a guy named Joe out in Avoca that does restoration on classics. I had Joe finish molding my bodykit, which turned out great. He reinforced my front bumper, after I wrecked it, with new steel rods and patched up all the holes from the accident. After Joe finished up my bodywork and primed it, he wet sanded the primer for a better finish once the paint was applied. He laid down the first layers of paint and wet sanded that to start, then he put on a few coats of clearcoat. I think that the paint is almost perfect, he did a great job.
T: What were your initial plans with the car versus what ended up actually happening...
D: I ended up doing more than I had ever intended on doing.. Just one project, I don't know, lead to another..
T: Whats going on with the car now..
D: Currently is interior. Next is upgrading the suspension, a-arms.. shocks.. springs.. A full GReddy exhaust, what I mentioned with the interior..
T: Any other cars you're currently working on or is this your only modified?
D: I have a Civic hatch that I'm doing a little motor work on.. That's all.
T: No details?
D: No. (laughs)
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