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Japspeed VH45 Nissan 370Z: Part 7!

Following part 6 of our V8 370Z build which saw final preparations ahead of the 2015 Autosport International Show part 7 will bring this build right up to date including coilovers, interior, rear window ducting system and air jacks!

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With suspension performance becoming ever more important within drifting as the sport moves forward it is paramount we select what we considered to be the best suspension setup on the market. With this in mind choosing AST-Suspension became the obvious choice with their 3-way adjustable external reservoir Nissan 370z coilover kit.

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These coilovers have been entirely custom designed to suit the unique setup within the 370z. This includes custom length of damper, diameter of shocker, spring rates, valving rates, adjustability and reservoir location.

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Running a four car team in the BDC means that the seemingly long, five minute rule for wheel changes has to be distributed between all of the cars. With this in mind we decided to decrease the pitting time of the 370z as much as possible. Lifting the stock filler cap on this car reveals the air jack operation valve. This allows us to raise the rear end of the car in seconds for significantly faster wheel changes and a more streamlined operation within the pits.

Next up – the all-important interior details with Corbeau Pro Series Race Seats a top priority! Accompanied by a set of awesome 6 point camo Luke harnesses our seats provide the ideal environment for any racing driver – giving the perfect mix between safety, control and comfort.

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A feature of this build that sets it aside from the competition in the world of drifting is the electronics within the cabin. Most notably of which is perhaps the Motec C127 datalogging dash. Designed to log several hundred parameters from the Motec M1 ECU this combination allows our engineers to not only diagnose any potential faults quickly but help work with the driver to go ever faster!

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Replacing every fuse and relay within the car is our HP Electronik Power Distribution Module so as to increase the reliability of the electronics tenfold. Where a fuse would pop and shut down the electrical system, the Powerbox maintains the electrical feed which keeps the system running and flag an error for the engineers to diagnose upon the car’s return to the pit. Similar systems can be found in high performance cars such as the Pagani Zonda as well as a range of Le Mans competition vehicles.

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Working in conjunction with the powerbox unit is the HP Electronik Membrane Switch Panel. This adds an almost factory look to the interior of our car, giving a sleek and sophisticated race feel as opposed to the more conventional flick switches.

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Injecting some technology into the instrument cluster is the JT Innovations Toucan Touch Screen Display which maps every sensor within the ECU and displays a live feed of each as a visual graph. This allows our engineers to monitor the performance of the car in minute detail. Such monitoring enables us to pinpoint and tweak small details in combination to provide significant gains run after run.

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Tying this all together is the wiring loom designed and manufactured from Raychem wiring and supplied by our friends over at HCI Systems. As any auto electrician can tell you this is no small feat considering the intricate custom detailing and technical challenges presented by such a unique car.

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Throughout the majority of this build, including our latest video you will only have seen our prototype handbrake installed. Due to the limitations in space on the centre console combined with a designed to keep the factory look as much as possible the handbrake is floor mounted in the driver’s footwell.  The angle at which the handbrake is mounted and operated at is designed to be ergonomic with the driver.

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Finishing off the interior it is important to note that the design of the handbrake is a key feature in that with the near OEM look of the interior the handbrake brings the statement making feel of the exterior to the interior of the car!

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Moving to the exterior of the car this build features a unique rear window ducting system designed to aid cooling of the rear-mounted radiator. The difficult aspect of this window was keeping the smooth, sleek look of the exterior which prevented the use of more conventional large scoops and ducting. We overcame this by designing a folded rear window oversized ducting system.

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By folding the top section of the rear window, creates a smoother airflow across the car; packing more air at any given speed through the radiator. Within drifting the car is rarely straight with the airflow directed conventionally over the car from front to rear. To combat this we have oversized the lower half of the rear window so when bolted into place this forms a sleek scoop at the base of the window.

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Stay tuned for the next instalment of our 370z build as we delve deeper under the bonnet and make the final push to get the car ready for smoking up some Maxxis MA-Z1 tyres!