T-minus roughly 48hrs and some change

Oil Change to Mobil 1 10w-30- check

Mobile 1 filter (code M-110)-Check

Install the original air box-Check

I’m ready to run me down some cones!

Roger-Roger!

Senna...The Movie...

Saw this on Monday; Amazing stuff, really pulled on the heart strings. One for my collection, right next Mr McQueen"s Le Mans

More Zs & Gs to run against

Looks like a local speed shop specializing in Japanese performance cars will be at the autocross event I'm attending, offering prizes to the top three cars who can beat or come closest to their modified Infinity G35's lap time. What the heck since I'm there I'm going to give it a shot.

Autocross with Speed Ventures

I'm doing my first autocross session with Speed Ventures on Sunday February 27th.

I opted for Speed Ventures as opposed to an SCCA Solo II event as the idea of working while waiting for my run did not appeal to me. For about the same cost I get unlimited timed runs. I purchased time for an instructor too since I intend to see my lines getting better throughout the day. Here's a listing of my run group. If I can keep up with the Prius, then I think I may have had a good day.

Sunday
Timing Alias	Car	HP	Tires
Alexa Apallas	2005 Toyota Prius	0	Street
Bob Gottlieb
Brandon Turner
Chris Aguirre	2007 Honda Fit	109	Street
Club Sport Z	2005 Nissan 350Z	0	Slicks
Daniel Herson	2002 Honda S2000	0	Street
Dannie Pinard	2010 Chevrolet Camaro	400	Street
david lowell	2004 Mazda MX-5 MazdaSpeed Miata	289	Street
Doug Hoffman	2003 Infiniti G35 Coupe	280	Street
Drew Dayton 19	2004 Audi TT	225	Street
Erik Herson	1991 Acura NSX	0	Street
Fulton Haight	1997 BMW M3 E36	240	Street
Gary Takara
Gene Schneider	2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution	395	Street
Ike	2005 Honda S2000	0	Street
Ira Cruz	1987 BMW 325is	0	Slicks
Israel Lopez	2008 BMW 328i	272	Street
Jacob Schiffelbein	2003 Honda S2000	0	Street
JASON FLETCHER	1986 Mazda RX-7	0	Street
Jeremy Fransen 29	2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution	0	Street
K C
Khiem D	2005 Honda S2000	237	Street
Kyle O'Rourke	1997 Honda Prelude	0	Street
LC1
Mark Ponciano	2004 Dodge SRT-4	0	Street
Matt Herson	2010 Ford Mustang GT	0	Street
MORGAN MALOUF	1998 BMW M3 Sedan	0	Street
Nick Schiffelbein	2003 Porsche Boxster S	0	Street
Reza V	1989 Honda Civic Si	110	Street
Richard Lee 12	2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution	0	Street
Robert Lowell	2006 Mazda MX-5	170	Street
S2K_Ryan	2003 Honda S2000	0	Street
Scott Du	1997 Honda Prelude	0	Street
SIR EDDIE DUNCAN	1965 Factory Five 427SC Cobra	300	Street
Vereker Tam	2000 Honda Prelude	658	Street
Vince Barbarie	2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STI	300	Street
W	2010 Mazda MX-5	165	Race
willi smith	1992 Mazda Miata	0	Street
zack tscharanyan 47	2005 Infiniti G35 Coupe	298	Street

Troubles with blogger

Sorry for the topsey-turvy posts. I believe the issues are fixed now...no I didn't do my brake job in Italy... Thanks all.

I'm Back!

Italy was amazing the food, drink and everything in between. Now in regards to cars, Italy was nowhere close to the UK or US. This could very well be because it was the holidays and like most of you east coasters, I’m sure Italian auto enthusiasts have locked up their beloved hunks of steel away from the elements…I guess. Well either way I did not see any Delta Integrales or Evo 75s tearing up the streets. I heard one late model Ferrari V8 next to the Ponte Vechio and a smattering of older 911s. Anyway here’s some pics:

New VW Scirocco

Vespa

Boring Lancia, plush but...

The Cops love their Land Rovers

Some cool vintage bikes

Police Alfa's on the Ponte Vechio

Brake Job...Oh joy...

Well as the description of the of the blog states “...I shall share my joys and frustrations with this transformation...” Well here’s a nice dose of frustration for ya!

In early November I decided to proceed with upgrading my brakes.The 350Z is a heavy car and although the Base version I have is the lightest of the various models, it’s still a tad over 3000 lbs. The stock brakes do a wonderful job hauling the car down on canyons and high speed runs but on the track the stock single piston brakes are known to cook. Now a Brembo upgrade from a track model Z would be ideal but at this time I’m not willing to spend the $$$ for this luxury. As luck would have it a fellow Z owner with a 2007 model year; bigger twin piston calipers, was moving to an after market big brake kit and had to unload his stock set up. Enter me with cash in hand and an open weekend at my dads.

Couple of shots from the old man's garage and his project cars

The rare and special 500E

The job seemed simple enough; move from the current 2005 set up to the larger twin piston 2007 set up, the pads looked good so I kept them until I was ready to buy some track/street pads.

Specs 2005 350z brakes:

Front rotor-11.5”

Rear rotor:-11”

Single piston front caliper

Specs 2007 350z brakes

Front rotor-12.5”

Rear rotor-11.5”

Twin piston front caliper

2007 to the left and 2005 to the right

Additionally, I upgraded to stainless steel brake lines from Techna-fit and high temp ATE brake fluid.

A little bit of trimming would be needed on the rear dust shield but apart from that it should have been a simple “plug-and-play” affair…or not.

Well after about four hours of doing the actual swap I was ready to bleed the system and take the Z for a test run. Close to two liters of brake fluid later and nothing; the brake pedal was holding zero pressure and would go straight to the floor. My father, a mechanic with forty-years of experience was baffled too. He was pointing to the brake booster or may be the master cylinder. I was less certain of that, as I had done my research and found that others who had done comparable swaps never had to replace the MC. It was now approaching 10pm on a wet Sunday night and we where both spent. Could it be bum calipers, failing MC and/or booster? May be the stainless steel lines where a wrong fit. I was convinced it was air in the lines and we just hadn't bled the brakes enough. So back to the Z forum I went and I sent out a call for help. “Get a Power Bleeder!” was the uniform reply; Z’s are notorious for being a PINTA when there’s air in the system and the only efficient way to bleed the brakes from any trapped air pockets was with a power bleeder. I ordered a Motive Power Bleeder and 48hrs later we were at it again but this time the brake pedal was starting to hold pressure. The Motive Power Bleeder is a great tool and highly recommended if you’re doing a brake job by yourself. In less than an hour, pressure had built up and the brakes were good to go. Finally!

In the months since, the brakes have worked flawlessly. This past week, due to a lack of time, I dropped off the Z at Precision Z for a brake pad change. Sean and co hooked me up with some Stoptech club pads and gave the Z a once over. The brakes are biting nicely and with the hightemp blue fluid I should be able to hang with the best of them…we’ll see. My first autocross event will be February 27

Ciao!

When I started this blog almost a year ago, I wanted to solely concentrate on the Z and nothing more. No family pics or moaning about the trouble & strife; that’s wife for my northern friends. But like all plans, life happens. So the point I’m getting at is it looks like I’ll be missing my December 18^th track day…again. Oh don’t feel bad for me, really and I’ll give you a hint why:

Guess where I’m going? Yup Italia! I’m off to Venice, Florence and Rome. It’s a treat for my better half and I and details of why will have to wait until the New Year. Until then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Speak to you all in 2011.

Post-Turkey day work out

I took the Z out today to stretch its legs. As most of the country was enjoying each other’s intimate company in the malls, I decided to hit Angeles Crest High Way and Big Tujunga. I couldn’t have picked a better day; the freeway was open and the canyons were clear from grandma and officer plod. Instead I was sharing the road with the likes of Ducati, Buell and Honda. Did I mention how much I love 3^rd gear? oh and torque, what a thing of beauty. Well I used both to their fullest as I was offered curve after curve. There were straights too and I could have easily hit triple digits but I played nice and hovered just under them. Well enough of my gloating here are some pics.

Forza Italia!!! And a lil love to France too.

Swung by the tale end of the Cars of Italy and France this past weekend. By the time I got there most of the cars had left. Still, there was a smattering of some pretty cool rides. Check out the Junior Zagato and the rest of the cars, enjoy;

Million Dollar Bumble-Bee

I had an appointment in Beverly Hills, just off Rodeo Drive yesterday so I took a detour to take in the sites. Rodeo is a treat in itself but also pretty cool if you’re into cars. All the big marques parade back and forth driven by the usual characters that know the price of all but the value of none. Either way it's good fun. While walking to my appointment, I saw a crowd milling around a car in front of the Bijan store. The store is named after its founder, Bijan Pakzad who is quite a mogul here in LA with billboards displaying Mr. Bijan’s smiling face and his flagship store taking prominence in the middle of Rodeo. Take a peak through the shop window and you’ll see why Bijan has the envious title, at least amongst his peers, of the most expensive store on Rodeo Drive. Well I crossed the street and this is what I saw:

A yellow and black Bugatii Veyron, yup yellow and black!

You may be asking “what the French toast, of all the colors, why would you spend $1 million on a car and order it in yellow and black?” Well yellow and black happens to be the signature colors of the Bijan brand, a brand that does not cater to the shrinking violets of the world but instead to the loud and brash captains of industry. The Bugatii looked great and upon closer inspection I could see the Bijan signature on the left quarter panel as well as what looked like the face of a Venetian Lion on the front hood of the car, painted to display a shadow effect behind the layers of gloss black paint. I’m sure I’m off here on the lion motif, if you're reading Mr Pakzad, please feel free to correct me. Again not the colour I would have picked but since the car is a promotional piece as well as one of Bijan’s personal rides, there must be a tax break in there somewhere, so I can appreciate what’s behind the thinking. Watch out for the Club Sport Z in black and green….not. Irrespective of the color, the car looked great. Heck, yellow and black, make mine neon pink I’ll be driving it around with a smile on my face.

Here’s a bit about Biijan's car collection from wikipedia:

Bijan is known also for his cars: he has a Yellow Bentley Azure with black interior, as well as a Black Bentley Azure with yellow interior. He is also known to have a Black Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren with a customized paint scheme, a yellow Ferrari 430, a Yellow Rolls Royce Drophead Coupe, and a Bugatti Veyron, all of which he is known to park outside of his Rodeo Drive boutique.

What I’d rather be doing…

350Z + The Nurburgring equals heaven!

Last clutch fix.

With the new flywheel and clutch in place it became painfully obvious that it was time to replace the clutch master cylinder.

While in traffic the clutch pedal was not retaining pressure and would stick close to the floor requiring me to kick it back up with the top of my shoe. After reading the message boards, another common 350Z issue is for old hydraulic clutch fluid to go beyond its heat rating, forcing the OEM rubber clutch line to expand in stop and go traffic. This would occur due to the positioning of the clutch line next to the exhaust manifold. Both issues were causing clutch pressure to drop so it was of to the shop to have this taken care of. Greg at Specialty Z had the master cylinder ready for me and I purchased the stainless steel line from Techna-Fit, a high quality local builder of “fluid delivery systems”. Greg wrapped the line in heat-resistant tape for an extra measure of security, bled the old fluid and replaced it with ATE Super Blue high temp hydraulic fluid. The difference is night and day with the pedal travel allowing me to smoothly transition from one gear to the next.

With these minor mods I have increased the performance of the Z by creating a more robust clutch system allowing me to push the Z a little harder when the time calls for it. Well that’s it for the drivetrain mods; lighter flywheel, performance clutch, stainless steel clutch line with heat shield along with high temp hydraulic fluid. I’m now ready to focus on other areas of concern; brakes and engine management.

Buttonwillow

Well my target track day came and went. Work and life seemed to consume all my time but I’m not too bummed. I’m shooting for the next driver’s clinic at Buttonwillow, on December 18th; same format of HPDE with instruction. The months of October and November will allow me enough time to determine if I’m running lean and make the necessary adjustments as well as swap out the brake fluid and replace the pads and lastly save up my pennies for a quality helmet. Another notable announcement; I just hit 41,000 miles so I’m averaging 1000 miles a month since I purchased the car in January.

Differential 101

Also known as how to convince your better half that you need a Limited Slip Differential. Got this from the guys at Crank & Piston

Transparent Z

clutch replaced

Got the car back and its running great; no more slipping at high rpm and now the Z jumps of the line err, stop-light.I still need to go back to replace the clutch line and flush the hydraulics but that will have to be in 2-3weeks.

Clutch replacement time

I’ll be dropping of the Z tomorrow for a day or two to have the clutch and flywheel replaced. After weighing my options I’m going for Specialty Z Sport Street Clutch with the SZ Flywheel that weighs in at 18lbs compared to the OEM’s 30lbs. Here’s a picture of it along with some info from the SZ website:



"Our flywheels utilize a patent pending "segmented" heat shield system. Traditional heat shields warp because of the uneven heat produced by a slipping clutch. Just like a car going around in a circle, the outside tires go faster than the inside tires, the clutch disc slides faster around the outside of the flywheel than it does around the inside. The faster moving outside gets hotter than the inside. Because metal expands more the hotter it gets, the outside of the heat shield expands more than the inside. Traditional heat shields are made of one piece metal rings, so when the outside expands more than the inside, the only thing the shield can do is warp. The segmented heat shields are not connected so they can expand and contract without warping. A warped heat shield causes the clutch to slip, which causes more heat and more warpage.

Our Billet Flywheels are dynamically balanced after CNC machining. Other flywheel manufactures assume that since they CNC their flywheels it comes off the machine fully balanced. This would be true assuming the density of the aluminum is constant throughout the part. Unfortunately even the best billet material is not evenly dense throughout and the starter ring gears are never perfect."

I’ll be mating this to a stainless steel clutch-line and ATE Super Blue brake fluid.

Group B Audi

Saw these tearing up the night time forests in England when I was a kid. Amazing then and amazing now. SWB Audi Quattro, the one that started it all:

Blackstone Labs Oil Analysis

I just received my oil analysis from Blackstone labs. It’s a great way to assess the wear of your engine by analyzing metallic particulate amounts which are suspended in your engine oil with the various metals representing an inner component of the engine; crank, piston, valve, etc. Consider it blood work for the engine. The results from mine look very good with the only areas of concern being the oil filter and the possibility of sludge. To remedy this, I’m going to be moving to a larger Mobil 1 filter, as recommended by many Z owners and run half a can of Sea Foam in the engine immediately before the oil change. Per the Sea Foam website, " Sea Foam will slowly re-liquefy and suspend contaminants for easy removal". I'll be using Pennzoil's new synthetic, Ultra and in 5000 miles I’ll grab another sample, send it off to Blackstone and see if there’s an improvement.

Falken 380Z RS at the 24hrs of Nurburgring

Found this great video on Crank and piston of the Falken cars tearing it up at the 2010 24hrs of the Nurburgring. You can view the results here enjoy:

Count down to Track day

It may be my imagination and according to Performance Nissan it is but I’m still hearing a slight pre-detonation at low RPM/high gear; e.g. 2400 rpm in 3^rd gear. In a week I’ll be having the clutch replaced; details to follow, and at the same time I’ll have my Z shop check the Air/Fuel ratio to ensure its not running lean. If it is, I will need to have that addressed before I take it to the track.

Now the track day I have in mind is more of a performance clinic with an emphasis on car control and driver instruction. They’ll be time spent on a skid pad and hot laps so I need to plan for a full day. The clinic will be held at the Buttonwillow race track in Kern County on October 2^nd .

Here are some details of the track

Buttonwillow website

Turn-by-turn guide to Buttonwillow per Trackpedia

Cars & Coffee, Irvine

A weekend or so ago I attended the unofficial car show that is Cars and Coffee. I left LA, blurry eyed,Saturday morning and arrived at the designated spot by 7am. The place was packed by the time I got there and the cars consisted of all types of vehicles, exotics, vintage, muscle cars and everything in between. Here’s a small sampling of what was there.

Jag D-Type

Some info on the R-Gruppe Cult


The Uber rare Ferrari 458 Italia





Euro spec M6 from the 80s





Daytona!!!!
The Alpine A110
More R-Gruppe