Fresh Legs for the Z32

The reason for the 300ZX visiting my garage was leaking rear struts. Not surprising - they're the factory originals with 32 years on them. Only 38,900 miles, but time doesn't care about mileage. I decided it was time for a full suspension refresh with KYB struts all around.

I started with the rears in early November. Getting the strut assemblies out of a Z32 is a bit of a wrestling match - the suspension arms don't exactly drop down on their own. My solution was a ratchet strap to pull the arms down far enough to clear the strut for removal and reinstall. Worked like a charm.

One thing I noticed during disassembly was that the factory rubber strut mounting gaskets were completely shot. The OEM replacements are absurdly expensive, so I designed a set of gaskets and printed them in TPU. The flexibility of TPU makes it a great substitute for rubber - it'll handle the vibration dampening while lasting a lot longer than the originals did.

I came back to the fronts in late December. Same process - old struts out, new KYB assemblies built up with the printed gaskets, and installed.

The difference is immediately noticeable. The car feels planted and composed in a way it just wasn't before. Thirty-two years of slow deterioration means you don't really notice how bad things have gotten until you put fresh components in. The Z32 is riding like it should again.

I'll Take Transmission Fluid Over Eggnog

With the 300ZX convertible getting a full refresh this fall and winter, the transmission and differential were next on the list. Both still had their factory-original fluid from 1993 - 32 years in service. Christmas Eve seemed like as good a time as any to change that.

I started with the transmission. The drain plug is magnetic, and after pulling it the fluid came out looking about how you'd expect for three decades of service - dark, but not terrible.

The magnet on the plug looked normal - no concerning metal or shavings. That's a good sign for a transmission with only 38,900 miles on it. I refilled with Motul MT-90.

Next up was the rear differential. Same story - original fluid, same vintage. I drained it and refilled with Red Line 75W-90 GL-5+ Full Synthetic. I didn't grab any pictures of the diff work, but the process was straightforward.

Between the coolant flush, clutch fluid bleed, and now the transmission and diff, all the factory fluids in the drivetrain have been replaced. The only original fluid left in this car is probably whatever's still hiding in the power steering system. One less thing to worry about heading into the new year.

New Rubber for the 300ZX

The 300ZX was rolling on tires that were well past their expiration date - over 20 years old, and the sidewalls showed it. Dry rot and cracking all the way around. At that point it doesn't matter what the tread looks like; age is the killer and these were long overdue for retirement.

I ordered a set of Falken ZIEX ZE950 A/S Ultra High Performance All-Season tires in 225/50R16 from Tire Rack - my go-to for tires. They showed up quickly as usual. Once they arrived I mounted them myself, putting the tire changer to good use again. That machine keeps paying for itself.

The Falkens are a solid fit for the ZX - the Z32 isn't a dedicated track car, so an ultra high performance all-season makes more sense here than a sticky summer tire, especially at this mileage. Fresh rubber makes a noticeable difference on a car that's spent so long on cracked and hardened tires.

Pass the bottle!

The 300ZX has been getting a full fluids overhaul, and the clutch hydraulic system was next in line. I've been working through every reservoir on this car - most of it still running factory-original fluid after 32 years - and the clutch master cylinder was no exception. A look through the reservoir told the story pretty quickly.

I popped the cap to confirm what I suspected. The fluid was dark brown and well past its service life.

With the car on the lift, I got eyes on the slave cylinder for the first time. The NABCO unit is heavily surface-rusted on the outside - not surprising for a 32-year-old car - but the bleeder screw was intact and cooperative.

I attached a bleeder bottle to the slave cylinder and flushed the system from the master cylinder down. Fresh DOT fluid all the way through.

The clutch pedal feel is noticeably better. Hard to argue with fresh fluid after three decades.

Keeping Cool After 32 Years

The 300ZX convertible has been sitting pretty much untouched since 1993 - and that includes the coolant. With 32 years of factory fill in the system, I figured it was time to flush it out and start fresh.

I grabbed some Prestone cooling system cleaner, a few jugs of distilled water, and some concentrated antifreeze. The plan was to drain what I could from the radiator, flush with the cleaner, rinse with distilled water until it ran clear, and refill.

With the car up on the lift, I pulled the radiator drain and let the old coolant flow. I left the block drain plugs alone - they're nearly impossible to reach on the VG30, and I wasn't about to risk snapping a 32-year-old plug. Turns out I didn't need to worry anyway - for being 32 years old, the fluid actually still looked pretty decent. No visible corrosion, no gunk, no discoloration beyond the usual green. Nissan knew what they were doing with the factory fill on these.

After the flush and several rinse cycles with distilled water, I ended up draining about five gallons of old coolant and rinse water combined.

For the refill, I calculated the amount of concentrated antifreeze I needed by taking the total coolant capacity from the FSM and subtracting what I drained on the last flush. That gave me the volume still trapped in the block and heater core, so I could mix accordingly and hit the right ratio. Topped off the overflow reservoir and the system took the new coolant without any drama.

One more factory original fluid crossed off the list!

Clipping Along

The parcel shelf on the 300ZX convertible is held in place by two large retaining clips. These aren't your standard off-the-shelf size, and after 32 years the OEM plastic had become brittle and cracked. The shelf itself wasn't going anywhere without them, but the two empty holes where the clips should be weren't exactly a good look.

I designed a replacement clip in CAD and printed a set in ABS. ABS was the right call here - these clips sit right behind the rear glass and will see plenty of heat on a sunny day. The design follows the OEM geometry with slightly thicker walls for durability, but since I was already going through the trouble of designing them from scratch, I figured I'd add a little flair and embossed a Z logo on the face. Why not?

The clips snapped right into the shelf and look great. No more empty holes, and a subtle Z badge that only the observant will notice. Another small win for the 3D printer.

A Family Visit

Every now and then a family member comes to stay for a while. In this case, it's my dad's 1993 300ZX Convertible - one of the rarer Z32 variants Nissan built. With just under 39,000 original miles on it, this car has been well preserved, but time catches up with everything. Factory original fluids, factory original struts, factory original tires - you get the idea. Thirty-two years of "original" adds up.

The plan is an extended stay here in the garage to knock out the maintenance backlog. Struts, coolant flush, clutch hydraulics, transmission and differential fluids, new tires - basically everything that ages out regardless of mileage. The car doesn't get driven much, but that's almost worse for some of this stuff. Rubber deteriorates, fluids break down, and struts lose their damping whether you put miles on them or not.

I got her up on the lift and took a good look around. For a 32-year-old convertible, the condition is impressive. No rust, solid undercarriage, and the VG30DE looks like it's barely been touched. It's going to be a fun project working through the list.

Stay tuned for more!

Pan Handling

At just under 2,700 miles, the Z was due for its second oil change. I captured an oil sample at drain for SPEEDiagnostix analysis - my second sample on this engine - and figured this was the perfect time to swap the stock oil pan for the Z1 Motorsports aluminum pan I'd been eyeing.

The stock pan is plastic. I'd already installed a Z1 aluminum undershroud to protect it, but the Z1 aluminum pan appealed to me for a few reasons. Over time and heat cycles, that plastic pan will become brittle. The Z1 pan also increases the oil capacity - never a bad thing. But more importantly, the design of the stock pan leaves about 8/10 of a quart of dirty oil trapped in the bottom. The metal insert for the drain plug has to be reinforced in the factory plastic pan, and that reinforcement creates a pocket that never fully drains. You can see it in the photos of the factory pan.

With the stock pan off, I got a good look at the VR30's internals - oil pickup, timing chain, and the inside of the block. Everything looked clean and healthy for a motor still in break-in. No unusual deposits or wear marks. Good signs.

I cleaned the mating surfaces, applied the new gasket, and torqued the Z1 pan into place. The fit was spot-on. With the added capacity of the Z1 pan, it took over 6 quarts to fill - a nice bump over stock. Swapped in the fresh filter and buttoned everything up.

The difference underneath is night and day - that finned aluminum pan sitting next to the red front subframe looks like it belongs on a purpose-built machine. Form and function in one shot.

Z Nationals 2025 - Running with the Pack

I made the trip down to Z1 Motorsports in Carrollton, GA for Z Nationals 2025, and it did not disappoint. If you've never been, it's hard to describe just how many Z cars end up in one place - every generation, every build style, from bone-stock daily drivers to full-on show builds.

The fun started Friday night with a group meetup in the hotel parking lot. There's something about seeing a row of Z cars lined up under the lights that just hits different.

Saturday was the main event. I entered the Z in the People's Choice car show, so the morning started with some last-minute detailing to get everything dialed in.

I popped the hood and let the car speak for itself. Didn't bring home a trophy this time, but I got to talk Z cars all day with folks who actually know what they're looking at - and that's the real draw of these events.

I also got to catch up with a couple of the Z1 engineers I'd talked to the previous year about 3D scanning. They actually remembered me, which says a lot about the kind of company Z1 is. Great staff, great people, and they clearly care about the community they've built around these cars.

The turnout was impressive. Z1's lot was packed wall-to-wall with cars and people, and the energy was great. Already looking forward to next year.

Seeing Clearly Now

The Cube's headlights had gotten pretty hazy over the years. Fourteen years of UV exposure will do that to polycarbonate lenses - they develop that familiar cloudy, yellowed look that makes the car look tired and cuts down on light output at night.  I grabbed a 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System (39008) off Amazon to tackle the job. It's a drill-mounted kit that steps through progressively finer sanding discs followed by a polishing compound - takes the guesswork out of the process. I taped off the paint around the lenses and worked through the grits. The 3M kit makes quick work of it - you can see the oxidation coming off with the first disc.

The difference was night and day. What were dull, yellowed lenses are now clear again. It's one of those jobs where the effort-to-reward ratio is hard to beat - maybe 30 minutes per side and the front end looks ten years younger.

Not bad for a Sunday afternoon!

Letting the Z Breathe

The Z had about 2,000 miles on it and I figured it was time to let the VR30 breathe a little easier. I grabbed the NISMO Cold Air Intake - one of the few bolt-on intake upgrades that's actually engineered for this platform rather than just slapped together with a cone filter and a prayer.

The stock airbox does its job, but it's conservative by design. The NISMO unit replaces it with a purpose-built intake box and ducting that improves airflow without sacrificing filtration. The install itself spanned two evenings - I started the night of October 4th and wrapped it up the next day.

First order of business was disconnecting the factory airbox from the intake hose. If you're doing this yourself, do your homework on that retaining clip before you start yanking on things. A couple of long screwdrivers will do the job - just pop the clip forward as far as you can and the airbox lifts right off.

The most challenging part was getting to the hose clamps connecting the factory air hose to the turbo inlets. I used a combination of swivel socket extensions to work in the tight space. The passenger side was noticeably more difficult than the driver's side - it's tighter over there, and there's an extra PCV hose connected to the intake hose that you have to deal with.

Of course, the garage supervisor had to be on-site for the entire operation. She set up camp with her fan and tennis ball and kept a close eye on things from her bed. Quality control at its finest.

With the NISMO intake in place alongside the Z1 carbon engine cover and radiator air guide, the engine bay is starting to look the part. The twin NISMO intake boxes give it a purposeful look that matches the rest of the build. More importantly, the throttle response feels just a touch sharper. Time will tell if the seat-of-the-pants feel holds up!

Music City Z's

ZCon 2025 was held in Nashville this year, and being just down the road, there was no way we were going to miss it. We prepped the 280z and the Pulsar NX and headed into town for what turned out to be one of the best weeks I can remember.

The event kicked off with activities throughout the week, but one of the highlights for me was the drift and autocross event out at Nashville Superspeedway. Seeing Z cars of every generation tearing around a real track never gets old. From vintage 240s to brand new RZ34s, the whole Z lineage was represented and putting in work.

Speakers night was something else entirely. The lineup of guests this year was incredible - Peter Brock, Hiroshi Tamura, Motohiro Matsumura, and more. I brought a BRE 240z model with me and got Peter Brock himself to sign it. Meeting the man behind BRE Racing was a bucket list moment for sure.

I also got to have a discussion with Motohiro Matsumura, EVP of Nissan Motors. Here's where it gets personal - he actually worked with my father decades ago when Nissan was exploring supplying the SR20 engine for legends racing. When I mentioned my dad's name, he remembered him. That one caught me off guard. In the best way possible.

I also grabbed a moment with Hiroshi Tamura, the chief product specialist behind the GT-R and Z. Watching him sign autographs and talk shop with fellow enthusiasts was great.

The final day was the People's Choice car show. The night before, I got the two cars staged and ready to go.

She entered the Pulsar NX in the "Other" category and took home 2nd place! Peter Brock presented her with the trophy, which made it even more special.

After the show wrapped up, we drove both cars over to the Nissan Americas headquarters for one last photo op. A fitting backdrop, even if the building is newer than our cars are.

What a week. ZCon 2026 is in Arizona - that's a bit of a haul for us - but Nashville was one for the books. No question.