Check Up on What's Below

After purchasing and receiving a used car, any used car, the next thing anyone should do is to get the car, a thorough check up. There is only so much a buyer could see physically and feel from a test drive especially since sellers do not usually let you go all out on a test drive. You would be lucky if you are allowed to drive on a highway. So, I need to have do some tests done on my Nissan Fairlady Z by professionals to determine if there is anything that could be potentially wrong with the car. Of course, I hope nothing is wrong because if it is not the case, it would mean I have to spend a lot to restore it. The first problem I have is finding the right person to look at my 350Z. My father suggests I let the workshop that works on his Toyota Vellfire and Mercedes Benz E200 because this workshop usually works on Audi, Volkswagen, BMW and Benz, and could easily handle my 350Z. At the same time, my father's friend recommends I see a used car dealer friend of his. I talked to that friend and he is very knowledgeable about 350Zs as he sold a few before. He asked me to let him take a look at my 350Z and he can tell me what needs to be done and tell me where to get it done. Unfortunately, he is a busy man and I could not bring him the 350Z.

Before this, I have already ordered and received new Brembo brake pads as I previously saw the pads were almost gone and to me, it was my first priority to get it done. So, I decided to have the brake pads changed at the workshop where my father sends his cars. I drove down to the workshop and showed the owner of the workshop, my new brake pads. He took a look at the existing brake pads and told me that I was mistaken as the brake pads are still very thick. So, I decided to save it for next time. Next, he looked under the hood and saw that the engine oil is still very clean from the dipstick but there are some oil leaking from the valve cover area. It could be the gasket or seal that has worn out. I also realize that the plastic cover for the car battery lock has broken, the cover for washer fluid and radiator lock are missing. Those are the parts that I should be looking for from chop shops. Then, the owner put the 350Z up on a ramp. Finally, I could see how it looks like under the car. I was especially curious about the extent of the exhaust modification and from the view under, it seems that it has been modified from the exhaust manifold all the way to the muffler. I could see clearly a plate stating the brand "Supercircuit" and I thought I should pay Supercircuit a visit to have the exhaust checked out. I could learn more about the exhaust mod too.

Cable Tie instead of a lock

Supercircuit plate on Y-pipe

After that, together with the owner, we looked at all the mechanical parts of the car. He noticed that there are some dents on the front lower arm bars and cross member. Some of the bush on the bars are worn out too. On the rear, there is a M-shaped metal and that also is dented. Most probably all these dents are caused by the car hitting speed bumps. The long wheelbase and low position, coupe chassis are the main culprits that makes the 350Z prone to hit speed bumps. Everything else looks alright except for a little rust here and there. The car came down and we went for a test drive together. I told him about the transmission not shifting right when going into 4th gear and also the high position of the clutch pedal. He said it could either be the synchros are gone or it has been a while since the transmission oil is changed. The clutch pedal was missing a guard and that is why it is higher than usual. The clutch pump might need to be changed but the good news is there is still a lot of clutch left.  Quickly, I took note of everything he said and I know what parts that I should start looking for. However, since the 350Z have been around for years, parts are harder to come by now. He also mentioned that since the car can still run normally, I should gather all the parts needed and restore it all together. Although we found some issues with the car, I felt relieved when he said I could still drive it without much fear.

I do have a few friends from the Celica Owners Club that move on to either the 350Z or the V35 Nissan Skyline. So, I told my friend the issues that I am facing with the 350Z and he suggested that I let a garage called "Redsun" have a look at my car. The owner of that garage has vast knowledge on Nissan's sports car such as the R34 Nissan Skyline/ GT-R, R35 Nissan GT-R, V35 Nissan Skyline and Nissan Fairlady Z. I talked to the owner about my problems especially the transmission issue and he told me to bring my car over once he is done shifting his garage. He also mentioned that instead of replacing the synchros, it would be much easier to change the entire gearbox. I have to prepare for the high cost of purchasing and exchanging of gearbox. It is also not so easy to find a pristine manual gearbox these days. So, it looks like I will have to wait for time to tell. Meanwhile, I will just drive the 350Z like a normal car and try not to do much damage to the engine.

Eternal Waiting

Finally the wait is over and it was time to go and collect the Nissan Fairlady Z. It has actually been 3 weeks since I got the car by the time this entry is posted. I have been busy with work and did not drive the 350Z often. So, sorry for the delay. Now, before I give you the review of my drive home, here is a summary of the time line. I had to wait a total of 2 months and 13 days to finally own the 350Z.

Nismo Ver2. bumper and Top Secret Carbon Hood 

Date - Description                                                                                                                                     
14/1 - Drove 540 km to view car in Perlis and back.
17/1 - Confirmed buying and paid RM 3000 down-payment to the seller.
20/2 - Bought a new Car Plate for RM 2300.
07/3 - Received documents from seller and send to process for transfer of car plates.
17/3 - Documents returned and completed transfer.
20/3 - Sent said documents back to seller in Perlis.
22/3 - Seller finished car inspection and is ready for transfer of ownership.
27/3 - Went to Perlis by train and did transfer of ownership. Drove 540 km back home with the 350Z.

Nismo Semi Bucket seats. Soon will replace with my Recaro SR6

I entered my new car and did the usual, adjusting of mirror and getting the right seating position on the Nismo seats. I realized that the 350Z lacks storage places and I did not even have a place for my mobile phone (later I found that there is only 1 cup holder, which is weird). Then as I started to leave the seller's premise, I was hoping that there will be petrol in the tank and thank god, he left me with half a tank. I was still in town and there were many traffic lights and so, I only shifted up to 3rd gear and I was trying to get use to moving from a standstill in 1st gear. It was only when I drove on the high way and found difficulty when engaging the 4th gear from the 3rd gear. My first change ended with some gears grinding and I thought it was due to me not used to the clutch but sometimes I could engage with ease. It felt weird but I carried on home. After driving for around 110 km, I stopped to refill petrol and I noticed that the brake pads are quite thin and there is a slight scratch on the rotor. The seller could have warned me or better yet, changed for me but after knowing it, I drove with more care and did engine braking instead of using the actual brakes.

Ray's Volk Racing GTS 19" rims with Brembo brakes

Brake pad

Normally when I cross borders, I would drive around 160 km/h in my Mazda 6 but I told myself I would drive slowly in the 350Z because I am still not used to its handling and the fact that it is a RWD. To make things worst, it rained for 80% of my trip back home and as it is, I did not get much chance to actually try things out. However, having said that, I did get some insights about this 350Z. First thing is the sound. It has titanium mufflers but I have no idea how intensive the modification is on the exhaust system and I do not know which brand it is. Moving around the city under 2000 rpm, it is louder than how stock would be but with just the right amount of sportiness and bass. It only gets noisy when it is above 3000 rpm and at 6th gear, that would translate to around 130 km/h. That is when you need to increase the volume of the audio system and it becomes difficult to talk in. The fastest that I have driven was 150 km/h and I really could not stand the sound anymore. This 350Z's handling was good too with the adjustable Tein coilovers and tires seem to be grippy. The clearance for this car is one and a half finger, which is quite high for a sports car and the stiffness is acceptable (not as stiff as my Celica was). I was surprised when I was able to cross speed bumps near my home with ease and straight on because 350Z is famous for having long wheelbase and the bottom will always hit.

Nismo 300 km/h cluster meter

Hard to read with mph and km/h together. Driven 1015.9 km.

Additional meter. Usually I read speed from this digital meter.

The thing that makes me feel good driving the 350Z is definitely the engine's characteristics. The power delivery is really smooth and linear. Biggest surprise is the lack of lag. While I was cruising at 5th gear, I expect that if I want a great acceleration, I would need to downshift but all I had to do was step on the accelerator. Of course the acceleration would not be like when V-TEC kicks in, where your head will be touching the headrest but the 350Z will move. Before I bought the car, my friend told me because of how well it is built, it does not feel as fast as what your speedometer tells you. You could be driving at 130 km/h but it feels like it is only 100 km/h and with the Nismo semi bucket seats, it is like you are not moving at all . The advantage would be easier to control the car and you would not panic but the downside is it could feel boring after a while. When it gets boring, it would be time to dig deep into your pocket to modify the 350Z and my friend already asked me to look for a supercharger kit. That would be the last thing on my mind because now, I am more interested to restore the car instead especially the transmission. First will be mechanical restoration, then aesthetic modification and lastly, maybe some power mod but it is a big maybe. This 350Z project/purchase is entirely from my pocket and having a not so deep pocket, the scale will be slow and small. Meanwhile, I will be enjoying its stock power of 280 bhp and 363 Nm of torque which is very, very sufficient for me. I am grateful to have a JDM in my life again.