The story of the Z Car...

The Z started out as a great purchase and I was so proud and happy to finally have one. That didnt last long as the Z-owner bug bit me hard. It couldnt have happened at a worse time either....

My buddy and I were cruising down Las Vegas Blvd when the car began running funny. Lights started to flicker and such. So I decided to shut the car off (While at a stop) and restart the car to see if it might fix any bugs that were causing the electrical issues. That was a bad idea. A dead car on the middle or LV BLVD. Yea...that was a huge mistake! Tow trucks wouldnt come and my buddy had to run into a casino and ask one of the valet attendants if they could help us with there jump box. They did thank god and I was on my way home.

So after a new alternator and battery, I figured I was set for a while with issues.WRONG!!!!

After doing a little spirited driving, I noticed my car began revving much quicker than before...I figured she was opening up and being nice to me! HAH, that was the clutch slipping slightly all the way through third gear!

Then as I am researching the clutch I want to get and spending a week or so researching all my options, I continue to drive the Z and baby the clutch. Then the brakes go out!!! Metal to metal and a caliper seal blew. Yay....

So now...clutch and brakes! But I do have a fair amount of extra money, so I decide to knock out any issues that may be associated with the clutch and brakes. So the minor build begins (and I thought THOSE mods were expensive).

I go with (all new):

-ACT Heavy Duty Street Clutch
-Fidanz 11lb Flywheel
-New OEM Master and Slave Clutch Cyl
-Reman Calipers
-Metal Master brake pads (one of the better, street pads out there. Dusty as hell)
-Cross Drilled/Slotted rotors (I later learn cross drilled is a joke)
-Stainless Steel brake lines
-New OEM Brake Master Cyl

I also opted for a new Injen intake. Big waste of money for what you get, but I was young and dumb! A JWT air filter and SS hardlines are nearly half the cost....all well, my bad!


Of course, being a less than 3 month old Z owner and new to the knowledge of fixing cars in general...I overlook some very obvious and helpful preventative maintenance or upgrades to our cars. So I didnt know I should put in a new rear main seal (and the shop never told me I should either....morons!). Or the obvious clutch pivot ball. But I digress. I also did a short shifter and nismo tranny mount about a year later...should have done that sooner. But, once again...I was a noob Z owner.



So...after another 2K into the car....I figure she is ready to behave and treat me nicely....not the case!!!

Life is a Journey....Enjoy the ride!

The Ride:

So, its around 2pm and I finally get to take the Z on the road for a real feel for her.....which lasted about the length on an on-ramp! Yay for LA traffic! What should take me about 3-4 hours takes me 5-6 hours to get back home to Las Vegas.

So now I get the joy of learning the clutch on the 5 speed in lovely stop and go traffic. Even though the AC worked, it didnt matter. T-Tops were off and windows were down to enjoy and show-off my new baby!

Somehow while in traffic I was playing with buttons and switches and anything I could play with in the car. This prompted the windshield wipers to go on. No big deal, if there were rubber on the wiper blades. Instead of a wiper blade, I had a wiper cutting tool. A nice, lovely, sharp wiper cutting tool that decided to etch two perfectly arced cuts into my otherwise perfect windshield! It was the original windshield I might add!

So yes, when red flags and sirens should have been going off in my head telling me this car is going to be a bad luck money pit....I ignored all the warnings. A new windshield was needed less than an hour after ownership! W00t!!!

The rest of the drive home was lead-footed as you can imagine. The etched window did have a lovely time screwing with my field of view, but it was a great drive none-the-less. Driving 70+, topless in Cali weather...need I say more?

Welcome to my blog!

Thank you all for looking at my blog! Please take a little while to look through my blog site. Read up on what I am doing, check out the photos and absorb all you can about my Z! Love it or hate it, my Z-Car is a build of passion. The last 5 years have been nothing but blood, sweat and tears getting her to where she is! And trust me...it is an iconic Love-Hate relationship!

First, a little about me and then I will give you the basic breakdown of my Z, its history and where its headed....

The Introduction...

My name is Steven Skwarkowski. I live in Las Vegas with my lovely girlfriend who also happens to be a Z-Car lover. I am the fanatic while she just loves them from a "I dont want to do any real work, I just like it".

So, while I have the completely modified, wild and sexy Z....she has the mild, stock, tame (and more reliable) Z. While my Z spends most of its life not running, taken apart, being upgraded or repaired, I could never do without her. I have a grand vision for her, but based on my obsession with getting it exactly how I want....it will be years from now til she is done!


The search.......

I first began looking for a Z32 in mid 2004. I knew I would have to go outside Las Vegas to find a true, decent Z car. I looked all over autotrader.com and anywhere else I could go (this was before craigslist kids). Took me about a month to find a Z I was willing to settle on. She was a 1990 Nissan 300ZX 2+2 in Super White with Charcoal Black interior. Having just over 103,xxx miles, I knew she was perfect....Now...how to get to LA from Las Vegas?


The car...

She was a 1990 Nissan 300ZX 2+2 in Super White with Charcoal Black interior. Having just over 103,xxx miles, I knew she was perfect! A guy in California (LA area) had her. He being the 2nd owner, and his father being the first I felt good. We spoke on the phone multiple times before so I could verify all the details. The car being bone stock in nearly mint condition I figured I had purchased a perfect specimen......HAH! You Z32 owners know what I am talking about. 

Now...how to get to LA from Las Vegas???


The Journey...

So in September of 2004, I took my first trip to go look at a REAL Z Car that I knew would pay off.

I plan to take a flight out of Las Vegas to LA, where the owner will pick me up at the airport in the car. From there we will look at the car and go forward.

I get up extra early to head to the back to withdraw the money I will need for the trip and the car (in case I do purchase it). I failed to remember that the banks dont open til 9am (or so) and you sure as hell cant get $7,000 out of an ATM. I happen to find a branch that opened at 8am.I get there, get the cash. Head back home and have my room mate drop me off at the airport. By this time I am already running late. The ticket line is long as hell and I am panicking...

I jump to the front of the line and ask the guy if I give him $50 if he will let me go in front of him. He did (though the other people were quite pissed off! HAHA!!).

**I must note I was quite cavalier with my money as I had just received a 50K insurance payout.**

I get my ticket, run to the gate and get on the plane! Everything is going great as I am on the flight I needed to be on and on the runway about to head to LA..............then...............we stop!!!!

Yea, the plane stops on the runway!!!! Apparently George Bush was in town to give some speech as he was campaigning for his re-election. Well, his plane was about to land, so all other air traffic must wait! Freaking 45 minute wait!!!!! The damn flight was only 55 minutes total! So as my phone wont work on the plane, I cant call and tell the owner of the Z I will be late.

I arrive late as ever. Dont know my way around the airport and I hope the owner is still there. My cell phone dies so I must use a pay phone to call him (all these signs should have warned me). He picks me up in the Z car as promised. We drive around with the A/C on but windows down (he tells me this is becuase he doesnt want the LA cops to pull him over for his window tint being too dark. To that I say "Fuck You California Laws").

We drive to a nice area so I can look over the car. She appears to be perfectly fine. Everything is as you would expect for a car that was at the time 15 years old. I give her a good 20 minutes and buy her on the spot and drive her home!

Had to fill up the tank, no big deal. Fill her up and on my way...feeling like a Million Bucks!


The Ride:

To Be Continued...