I'm thinking of going full Gastropod and I wonder why the Z32 doesn't seem to get much attention around here...? I've always liked the look of the car and the twin turbo version seems to have had respectable performance. Can't find any turbo versions that don't look like they've been ridden hard and put up wet in the Challenge price range but I am finding a few N/A versions. Thoughts?
A slicktop N/A model has some potential. Or a TT with some creative lightening. Its very robust and the power output isn't terrible (for challenge budget cars). It can fit a lot of wheel and tire, and it has double wishbones and nice brakes at every corner.
It is heavy, and the engine bay is very tightly packed. The PCV system needs mods to be suitable for track work.
Brian Heitkotter built one and won nationals in STX with it a few years back. ~31xx lbs and 220whp IIRC
There was also a Lemons team that built a convertible one about 5 years back as well. They were crushing the entire field until the headgasket blew a few hours in. lol.
They’re not bad cars, the engines are a pain in the ass to work on though, just because of the tight clearances. It’s a wide motor in a small engine bay. The other downfall is that they are on the heavy side for the era.
My buddies parents had a ‘90 NA Z32 T-Top car and it was a blast to drive around even without the turbos. It’s a pretty good GT car.
Yeah, That engine bay requires disfigure carny hands. Best swap would be ls or rb25. In Japan they came with an rb25 from the factory in certain trims.
Nothing an LSx/T-56 wouldn't fix.
On a budget I'd do an SR20.
But for gastropod, just stick with the VG, unless there is room to snag a turbo one from an engine importer. Its not in high demand, you may be able to get one on the cheap. While the turbo is a pain to work on, it does make some very impressive numbers. I do recall seeing a >500whp dyno... on stock turbos.
A non turbo with a manual trans is low 15s 1/4 out of the box, so not really a slow car. Some basic mods and weight reduction would make it pretty quick. They already handle decent. I think any 5spd Z32 you can get for challenge money that's not a total heap is pretty cool!
Vigo said:A non turbo with a manual trans is low 15s 1/4 out of the box, so not really a slow car. Some basic mods and weight reduction would make it pretty quick. They already handle decent. I think any 5spd Z32 you can get for challenge money that's not a total heap is pretty cool!
Found one, too, but it's on the east coast near Richmond, VA and I'm in Missouri...
The 5spd trans is not the most robust in early versions. Slightly better later on, but not much.
I rent a seat in a 1990 “speedster” 300Z for Champcar, and you have to shift very delicately for 3rd, 4th, and 5th. The synchros will get crunchy if you don’t. Car handles VERY well, and brakes have never been a problem. The Z cars have saddlebag gas tanks, with a fuel pump only in the right side. There is a tube connecting the sides, but in hard right handers, you can have fuel starvation issues down the following straight when the tank gets down to a 1/4 full. Two lift pumps, and a surge tank with a pump have solved that issue, but it’s definitely more complicated than stock.
This is how you end up with an early Infiniti Q45. Same suspension setup as the 300zx with a v8 and a LSD. The only issue is finding a decent condition one, but nobody wants one so the price is highly negotiable. Also a heavy car like the z32.
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