best way to spend 6 grand on my engine?

[Dellkack]

Hello all, i'm a new member and i just bought my car
i gotta 300zx tt with about 55k on the engine

it has not been modified at all and i am curious what you think the best way to spend about the 6 grand that i have left over on my engine, i definitly want to upgade the turbo but from there i dont know where to go and what i have to do to make my car the rocket i want, please help me out if you can, i know you guys know your stuff ive been surfing these threads forever and now i can finally get my car project going!

[1viadrft]

Intake, Exhaust Manifolds, Exhaust for starters!

Then go ape-shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[neogenesis]

First off, are you familiar with the VG30DETT engine? Or the Z32TT? I wouldn't go stright to the bolt-on stuff but that's just me.

[Dellkack]

the z32tt but i want to upgrade the turbo system and add alotta horse off the bat before i even go into intakes or anything.

i just need a good foundaton to build off of

and thanks for the replies i appreciate the help

[longlivetheZ]

2 words for you...SGP Racing.

www.sgpracing.com

Ship that bitch off. That's what I'd do. Check out the "Engine building services" section of their site...I'd keep ~2K back, spend the rest on rebuilding the engine, then spend that remaining 2K on turbo upgrades. You'd be hauling some serious ass.

[Zgringo]

I'd start with a set of ARP rod bolts and main studs, and while your in the engine put in a set of forged pistons. While your heads are off have them "O" ringed and install a good head gasket. Then I'd put a plug in socket in your ECU and get a emulator and laptop. Now your ready to go as far as you want with your engine, without any fears of ever blowing it. You have a solid foundation to build on.
Depending on how much work you can do yourself but with the money left you need to get lots of air in and out of your engine. So exhaust and intake. Depending how far you intend on going. Wild..dual pop's and 3" exhaust, kinda wild single pop and 2 1/2" exhaust.
From that point on you'll have many options open. Cams & springs, turbo's, intercoolers, porting and polishing the heads, Go to Broke's sticky and read all the options you have. If your going to go serious wild i'd suggest you go to a good engine builder unless you have the ability to do the work yourself and have a dependable automotive machine shop to do your machine work.
The question you've asked is like asking "I want to build a house, and have $100,000." To be able to give a good answer one needs to know what your needs are. Your starting with one of the best cars, so your going in the right direction. As for your needs, you want a 9 sec. drag car, or a ass kicking GP, maybe a show and go car? Lots of different directions.

[DeleriousZ]

make sure you replace the timing belt pretty quick too, also upgrade to an electric water pump and electric fan.. that should free up ~20 hp by itself (i think i read somewhere that it frees up a dyno proven 17 hp on the z31.. could be way off too tho) if i had 6 k, i'd go with the stage 3 upgrade from.. z1motorsports? (~1100) some sort of fancy boost controller (~500 if you wanna go all out) definitely some new guages (~250 depending on how many) and by then you should have approx. 350 rwhp... after that the sky's the limit, engine building, new turbo's/intercoolers, all that good stuff that the previous people said... read broke's tuning tips sticky and if you have any questions, go from there

[k3smostwanted]

if i had $6,000 for my vg30dett, what would i do?

i probably would do all the bolt-ons before i ever got into upgrading turbos or rebuilding the engine. especially since you only have some 50k miles on it. heres a list of my mods.

JWT pop-charger (dual or single, single will suffice)
cat-back exhaust
greg dupree split downpipes
testpipes
JWT ECU
555cc fuel injectors
kevlar timing belt (beings your coming up on 60k)
greddy profecb boost controller
greddy turbo timer
guage pod
flywheel
clutch
JWT 530BB

that should be damn near 6k's with all the labor yourself. after that i would save for engine rebuild and larger intercoolers and your ready for whatever the world may bring you.

[Zgringo]

Delerious good post, and the elec. fan and waterpump well give you more power than a underdrive pulley. With all three you'll gain 'bout 45-55HP.

Dell stated he had $6,000 to put into his engine, and want's a rocket. If so, then he'll be going beyond the normal bolt-on's and later be doing some serious performance upgrades. I have 3 friends that started with the bolt on idea first and one cooked 3 pistons another put a rod out the side of the block and the other a rod out the bottom of the pan.
If your going to go beyond the normal 350-400HP range then start with a good bottom end and you'll never have to worry from that point on. Make your weakest point your strongest, from then on it just a matter of how much you want without worries.
You don't start building a house from the roof down, you start with a good foundation.

[DeleriousZ]

very good analogy mr. gringo.. makes me want to rethink my methods of going about modifying my future z32 tt!

[k3smostwanted]

that is a good point...but on the other hand it is only $6,000. a z32TT can eat 6,000 out of your pocket pretty damn fast. just about everything you buy will set you back about atleast $500 (ex. downpipes, testpipes, ecu, dual-intake, turbos, intercooler, fuel injectors, etc.)

on the engine block you can possibly rebuild the whole engine with 6,000 with stronger bits. broke can clarify on prices as i am sure he knows since he just shelled out quite a few pennies to rebuild his engine.

i would stay start with bolt-ons unless your goin to spend more and more money. if you plan on spending every spare penny you have then i would stay start with the engine and then worry about bolt-ons.

[Zgringo]

That's why I said It depends on if you do the work or you shop it out. I do all my own labor so all I have is parts cost, and alot of stuff I build myself and don't buy.
I've seen so many guys spend mega bucks on a car and go out and blow it cause they didn't have a good bottom end. What a waste of time and money.

Do it right the first time, and you'll never do it again.