Been looking for a 93-96 z convertible for a while, & the search finally ended. With only just over 3700 cars made from 93-96, it was kind of hard to find the right car. I just got a 1993 that's red with black top & interior with a 5 speed. It was kind of hard to find a decent car with a 5 speed. It seems most were automatics. I got it from the original owner. He bought it new in Hawaii, where it was for 2 1/2 years. He had it shipped to California when he moved, where it's been the rest of it's life, so it's in great condition. The bad part about it being in California (San Diego), is the fact that I'm in central Minnesota. I knew I'd be in for a long drive, but I thought the car was worth it. I ended up flying in, & driving it back. I made a few stops (vegas, phoenix, etc) over a 7 day period on the way back, & ended up putting on 2900 miles on the trip back. It was a pleasure to drive the whole trip. It just had timing belt replacement. When I got it back, I replaced the ashtray, antenna mast, had an alignment, & put on 4 new goodyear eagle f-1's. I won't be able to drive it for at least a couple more months, but it's even a fun car to just look at. I'm considering a tt drivetrain swap, because the convertible was only available with the na engine. The power the na engine has isn't that bad, so maybe a few upgrades of the current drivetrain will suffice. Any suggestions that will improve the current engine's performance? Here's a link to a few pictures. http://members.cox.net/300zx4sale/ Anyone have a nice black leather steering wheel? That's about the only thing on the car that needs to be replaced. I also wouldn't mind finding some 18" wheels & tires to replace the factory's with. Maybe a 7 spoke or something close (6 or 8 maybe?). Any suggestions on maintenance issues that should be checked, or other stuff that should be checked, or upgraded to enhance the way it drives? There's almost nothing that I'm not qualified to do myself, & I have 2 shops that are 20x55 & 35x40, so I have space too. Is a tt drivetrain swap maybe the best alternative? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Brett.

a Twin Turbo swap is the easiest way to make quite a bit of power but if your just looking for a few extra ponies to put a hop in its step i suggest doing some basic bolt-ons.

-headers back high flow exhaust will open up good amount of Hp along with a high flow cone filter...people swear by different products but most people buy the JWT pop-charger.

-underdrive pulley is another popular mod which will free up soem HP and let your engine rev easier...

-ECU upgrade will open up quite a bit of power, JWT piece is well known but companies like Z1motorsports carry teh AshSpec piece....there is also a few mor companies that do soem ECU work...

-nitrous kit, usually not a popular choice but a lot of Z tuners but works well...the n/a can hold its own with a 100 shot but i wouldnt take it past 60-75 shot.

after all that is complete your basically done with the N/A engine unless you want to keep it n/a and rebuild the engine with more aggressive internals. most people opt to just replace with a TT engine if they are lookign to take it past bolt-ons...

you can find everything i mentioned in the sticky thread titled Z recources or somethign like that....

you can also learn mroe about the Twin Turbo Swap with the thread pertaining to that...i guess just read the sticky's and you will find just about any basic information you need to know.

BTW: nice car, very rare. the pictures/link is not working but i can tell from your description that it is a very nice car. good luck and happy Z-ing...im betting not alot people own Z's up in minnesota do to the harsh winter's so you probably have a less common along with a great one...

I just read an article of a 'vert Z32 with a TT swap... making 1200HP+!!! I'm not a fan of the rag-top but a TT swap would be cool! Everything Jason mentioned is correct. Keep in mind that the convertible is the heaviest Z32 out there and you will need more HP compared to us get that butt moving. Good luck! Post some pix!

good find man... hope you take good care of her... i might suggest looking into some Volk racing rims if you want to go 18... they've got some awesome looking rims that back the looks up with superb performance... good call on the timing belt too, seems like you know the ins and outs of the z... hope you stick around and get to know everyone

i might suggest looking into some Volk racing rims if you want to go 18...

why do the good wheels have to be so damn expensive??? id love to have a set of works, volks, SSR, advans, RH etc...but damn id have to work 3 jobs to pay for them.

anybody know of any other companies that make staggered wheels, preferably 8.5 and 9.5 inches wide that are light weight...the only thing i can find is the 5zigen's. motegi makes a nice wheel that is really light but the widest it comes in is 7.5" and i really dont feel like riding on donuts if i buy aftermarket wheels. :D

SUPER ADVAN ver.2's... those are my dream wheels!

i meant to say cheaper wheels there Jorge!!! :D

i cant afford advans along with a TT swap, id have to do one or the other. and i chose TT swap...i thought maybe i could find a less popular wheel like g-games or something for cheaper since that name doesnt seem to roll off the tongue of every tuner...but to no prevail.

now back on to this guys thread...

are you looking for lightweight wheels, chrome, or just something nice and affordable????

http://members.cox.net/300zx4sale/ Sorry about the bad picture link. This one should work. These are pictures taken by the previous owner when it was for sale in San Diego.

http://members.cox.net/300zx4sale/PB200022.JPG

Nice!

Very Nice!!!

Immaculate car... Theres one for sale down the road from me, $8,995 and I talked the guy down to $8,250... Just for fun, because there is no way in Hell I would buy an Automatic 'Vert :lol:

But it needs new windows in the rag portion, new mufflers, and hangers... But other than that, its not too bad... Considering its a '93 with 104,000... Pfff :rolleyes:

'Verts are too expensive for this guy...

-Wes

i meant to say cheaper wheels there Jorge!!! :D

i cant afford advans along with a TT swap, id have to do one or the other. and i chose TT swap...i thought maybe i could find a less popular wheel like g-games or something for cheaper since that name doesnt seem to roll off the tongue of every tuner...but to no prevail.

now back on to this guys thread...

are you looking for lightweight wheels, chrome, or just something nice and affordable????

I was talking about me doof-us!

Try eBay. I see some nice wheels going on there all the time. I just saw some 17 inch staggered BLITZ wheels go for like $900! They retail for like $2000. Sure they were used and and a few dings. But c'mon! I see ADVAN's and VOLK's going for way cheaper too, Jason. Best bet is to save some money (about a grand) and buy 'em used and cheap! There are samll Japanese communites down here in So.Cal. and you would swear this how they do bussiness in Japan... alot of shops and alot of USED WHEEL store's. You can get a good set of 18's for $700. I stop by every now and then looking for that one set! I got a few links if you want, Jason! Maybe they can ship?

give me the links Jorge!!! im willing to spend a good chunk of money here in a few months probably but im not willing to spend $2000+ then $800 on tires. its not gonna happen...i say a couple nice sets on TT.net for real cheap but i dont have the money right now. ill do alot more searching when the time comes...

im looking for a 5 spoke lightweight 18" wheel that is black or gunmetal or i can powedercoat black or gunmetal. atleast a 9" in the rear...im really considering the 5zigens but getting them staggered is gonna cost me around $1200 and then i have to buy tires, not bad but i was hoping to find a used set of something for $700 or so...ebay has nothing. they have some chrome somethign or another...

http://members.cox.net/300zx4sale/PB200022.JPG

Nice!

Very nice... the red looks great! Kinda reminds me of a particualr somebody's Z32 2+2...


Jason, IMD may be interested too... here's a link of of some used rims: http://takumiproject.com/brand.asp?brand=ADVAN The third ones down are a good price! There is another sight I frequent too but I don't have the link... I'll have to get it to you later, Jason.

*edit* here's the direct link... they have other wheels too...

Takumiproject.com (http://takumiproject.com/products.asp)

Immaculate car... Theres one for sale down the road from me, $8,995 and I talked the guy down to $8,250... Just for fun, because there is no way in Hell I would buy an Automatic 'Vert :lol:

But it needs new windows in the rag portion, new mufflers, and hangers... But other than that, its not too bad... Considering its a '93 with 104,000... Pfff :rolleyes:

'Verts are too expensive for this guy...

-Wes I wouldn't buy an automatic either. Auto's are fairly common to find for sale, but 5 speed verts are kind of hard to find unless you want to spend $12-$15k+. This one I paid $8k for. I suppose you have to add to that travel expenses to fly to get it & drive it back. I wanted to save a few bucks for performance upgrades. At least the timing belts were done less than 10 k ago, & the top was new last year. It only needed a few minor things (antenna mast, ashtray, alignment due to inside tire wear). I also replaced the tires because I had a new set of Goodyear eagle f-1's in the back. I part out cars when I'm not fixing them up so I end up with quite a few extra tires. The vehicle I'm parting out this week is a 2000 chevy blazer. I hate most american cars, but at least I know I'll never have to drive it, since I'm parting it out! I plan to keep it for quite a while, making it better & better as I go.

I was talking about me doof-us!

Try eBay. I see some nice wheels going on there all the time. I just saw some 17 inch staggered BLITZ wheels go for like $900! They retail for like $2000. Sure they were used and and a few dings. But c'mon! I see ADVAN's and VOLK's going for way cheaper too, Jason. Best bet is to save some money (about a grand) and buy 'em used and cheap! There are samll Japanese communites down here in So.Cal. and you would swear this how they do bussiness in Japan... alot of shops and alot of USED WHEEL store's. You can get a good set of 18's for $700. I stop by every now and then looking for that one set! I got a few links if you want, Jason! Maybe they can ship? The lighter the wheels are, the better, but the main goal with the wheels is achieving the right look. A set of 18" wheels that are a 6-7, or 8 spoke would be ideal. Something silver in color is preferred, but chrome would work too. What would be ideal is to find someone selling wheels & tires togather, although I'm not holding my breath. I do have some time to look though, because in Minnesota, I'm not driving it until we get some nice weather. Also, it has a new set of Goodyear Eagle f1 (GS-D3) tires on the stock wheels that will work until suitable replacements are found. I've seen a few possibilities on ebay. What is the wheel offset that's required? I assume there is a "range"? I believe a +35mm offset is standard, but I would assume a little more or less will work too? The 18" wheels from the Infinity G35 might be an option, as they would probably look pretty good, but I would imagine they are pretty heavy. I think they are the right offset, & the nice part is that you can get perfect wheels & tires with just a few miles for a little over a grand+-. Any opinions? Brett.

Any suggestions how to improve the low beams on the '93z? The brights are good, but the low beams suck so bad that it's almost dangerous to drive. The factory fog/driving light are almost no help, as they suck too. I put in some new bulbs in the low beams (Wagner True View), but I'm not optimistic. The only other part about the car I'm not a fan of is the design of the tail lights. I'm sure there's aftermarket replacements that would be a big improvement. Any suggestions? Brett.

Any suggestions how to improve the low beams on the '93z? The brights are good, but the low beams suck so bad that it's almost dangerous to drive. The factory fog/driving light are almost no help, as they suck too. I put in some new bulbs in the low beams (Wagner True View), but I'm not optimistic. The only other part about the car I'm not a fan of is the design of the tail lights. I'm sure there's aftermarket replacements that would be a big improvement. Any suggestions? Brett.

you do not like the yellow or the shape of the taillights period??? they make JDM ones which are basically the same thing except they have clear lenses in the bottom instead of the amber.

as for headlights, do they happen to be pointing down ont he road so you cant see ahead...they are easily adjustable...if you pop your hoos there is a screw on the side of the headlight lens towards the fender...you can screw that tighter and it will raise the whole headlight unit up so the light aims higher...my lights sucked too and i adjusted them and now they are great, better than your average car. if you cant find the screw ill go out and take pictures to show you...

the G35 wheels will work fine on the 300zx...

BTW: thanks Jorge!!! ill check that site out thoroughly later...

you do not like the yellow or the shape of the taillights period??? they make JDM ones which are basically the same thing except they have clear lenses in the bottom instead of the amber.

as for headlights, do they happen to be pointing down ont he road so you cant see ahead...they are easily adjustable...if you pop your hoos there is a screw on the side of the headlight lens towards the fender...you can screw that tighter and it will raise the whole headlight unit up so the light aims higher...my lights sucked too and i adjusted them and now they are great, better than your average car. if you cant find the screw ill go out and take pictures to show you...

the G35 wheels will work fine on the 300zx...

BTW: thanks Jorge!!! ill check that site out thoroughly later...
Replacing the amber lenses with clear ones would probably do the job. I'll give the headlight adjustment a try & see if I have some improvement. Reguardless of my adjustments, I might not be able to check it out the true view bulbs, or the headlight adjustments on the road for a while, since I likely won't be able to drive it again for a couple months. I parked it outside for a couple hours the other day when it was sunny, because I needed the shop space after having the eagle f1's mounted, & the car almost wouldn't move on flat packed snow. It took over 5 minutes to get it back into my shop, as they are not made for snow. I knew they were a summer tire, but didn't think it would be totally undrivable. Anyhow, I'll try adjusting the lights, & look into some jdm tail lights. Thanks for the help. Brett.

Replacing the amber lenses with clear ones would probably do the job. I'll give the headlight adjustment a try & see if I have some improvement. Reguardless of my adjustments, I might not be able to check it out the true view bulbs, or the headlight adjustments on the road for a while, since I likely won't be able to drive it again for a couple months. I parked it outside for a couple hours the other day when it was sunny, because I needed the shop space after having the eagle f1's mounted, & the car almost wouldn't move on flat packed snow. It took over 5 minutes to get it back into my shop, as they are not made for snow. I knew they were a summer tire, but didn't think it would be totally undrivable. Anyhow, I'll try adjusting the lights, & look into some jdm tail lights. Thanks for the help. Brett.

no problem, the JDM taillights are for sale at any major Z store. ill list a couple but ebay probably sells them the cheapest but be careful not to get ripped off...there is a cheap version that you can do yourself or other people do and resell it for double what its worth.

the headlight adjustment should help a bunch...

main sites you should probably memorize or bookmark...:D

ultimatez.com
amzperformance.com
z1motorsports.com
sgpracing.com
courtesyparts.com

just to name a few...