1990 Nissan 300zx Twin Turbo (Z32) - Mason Padjen

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1990 Nissan 300zx Twin Turbo (Z32)

Mason Padjen

Instagram: @masebuilds 

Photographer/Author  -  Donnie Rochin

Instagram -  @r0cean11

FaceBook -  r0cean11 Photography

www.r0cean11.com

What’s up, everyone?! My name is Mason; I’m 26 years old, from Roseville, California and living in Sacramento, California. After high school, I went to Cal State Fullerton for Operations and Supply Chain Management, then moved to Las Vegas, NV to work in operations for Amazon. I moved back to Northern California in 2019 and have been working as a project manager for an international pharmaceutical distributor since then. Friends call me a legal drug dealer. I have 5 projects that are a combined 239 years old. My Z is the newest.  

Cars have always been a family thing for me. My great-uncle owned and promoted all of the dirt race tracks in Sacramento and the surrounding areas. My dad has had a collection of untouched barn finds since I was 3 or 4. He had a Jeep CJ5 in his younger years, which is how I ended up with one as my first car. My older brother had fox body Mustangs and helped me install my first stereo, and my neighbour across the street always had a 60’s Chevy pickup project and would let me borrow tools. So as a little kid, I had a ton of car influences and always liked going to shows and races. The town I grew up in has a cool little racetrack that hosts sprint car races, trailer bashes, soap races, and monster trucks. I was big on PS2 racing games like Burnout 3 and as a LEGO kid, I always liked the idea of taking a car apart, figuring it out, and putting it back together in better shape. Other than the kickstart from my Dad on the Jeep I’m pretty much Google and Youtube certified. 

The Z was my middle school dream car! I started browsing Craigslist pretty young and my best friend's neighbour had a gunmetal grey Z for a couple of years and I thought it was so cool. The body lines are unique and the technology was ahead of its time. I ended up getting into jeeps and trucks and forgot about the car so I didn’t really plan to get this car at all. After moving home from Vegas I helped restore a 1981 280zx that got me interested in sports cars again. I saw a neighbour’s Porsche 944 and started shopping for those at dismantling auctions, not really expecting to buy anything. 

Then I happened across this Z on Craigslist because the seller had tagged “944” in the description. I remembered how much I used to like 300zx’s and it looked pretty solid. I took my brother out to San Jose, CA that weekend and bought it from the owner’s friend who was selling it for him while he was at college. My brother drove it home (the check engine light came on), and I taught myself how to drive a manual transmission that night. 

My dad got me into my first car (that I still own). It’s a 1964 Jeep CJ5 rust bucket with a drivetrain from a ‘74 Corvette that was hacked into it with duct tape and crimp connectors. When I got it, it had the original master cylinder, it would wander to another lane if you held the wheel straight, the wiring was a rat’s nest, and it didn’t have floors. It still has the original shocks and some of the gauges. I drove it from 16-18 and baked my feet and broke down everywhere. I used the driver’s ed car for my license test which was probably for the best.

I couldn’t take the Jeep as a daily driver when I left for college but I had an itch for something to work on, so I bought a 1967 Yamaha YCS1 180cc street bike for 400 bucks and restored that, which is how I got into café racers. That one had been sitting in the snow in Montana for 44 years. Now I have a ’74 Honda CB360 that I’m finishing up. From there I got an ’82 Chevy S-10 with a 4.3L V6 swap, flipped it, and fixed up a 2005 Toyota 4Runner, which was my daily driver until someone went 70 into a tree, bounced off it, and flew through the air into my car.   

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Since then, I’ve started on a 1967 Datsun 1600 Roadster that’s been sitting in a barn since ‘86, and my dad’s 1981 GMC K1500 High Sierra that’s been mostly sitting since ’89. Both of those are turning into mild resto-mods and the GMC will be my daily. 

My first thought on the car is usually “Holy shit look at that spaceship”.  I love the shape of the car and I wanted one for so long that the excitement still hasn’t worn off. It’s taken a ton of time just to try to keep the car on the road but every single drive in it is a blast. The recognition from people out in public reminds me that I wanted the car even when I’m mad at the engine bay, and it’s a conversation starter to meet interesting people. I’m definitely proud of the work. 

Like any car, everything is available online if you know where to look. Forums like Twinturbo.net and Nicoclub.com are kind of outdated and hard to use but they have good information; I have a digital copy of the FSM that I got from a forum user. There are a ton of Facebook groups specific to the car that can be good for parts, but asking a question on there that’s unpopular or poorly worded is going to get you ripped apart 9 times out of 10. For true technical questions, I stick to local guys or Z32 friends I’ve made on Instagram.  

Most of the sticky situations have come from how cramped the engine bay is. It just turns everything into a longer job. My goal is to pull the motor at some point and do all of the common deletes that are documented in the forums. They’re all meant to free up space, get rid of extra leak sources, or ditch faulty original designs like the PTU. Polar Engineering is coming up with some really cool stuff for these cars. 

The thing I always hear from people in person and online is the paint colour. It was painted back in 2014 or 2015 so I didn’t pick it, but when I saw it for sale that was my reaction too. I’ll probably never change the colour of the car. I’ve spent most of my time and money on mechanical fixes so far, but I have some ideas for wheels and other things to tie the colour in better and get the car to look more finished. And yes I like to gate-keep it depending on who’s asking…

Please leave your comments on my story in the comments section at the bottom of the page, it helps the story get more views and reach the Printed Magazine, Thank you. 

The other thing I usually hear is that it’s rare to see a clean 300zx. There just aren’t that many people modifying them. Most people in the community will tell you that they’re better looking than a Supra and that Supras just picked up steam from the Fast and Furious movies. I don’t know if there’s any evidence for that, but values on Z32s are starting to climb. Last year a modified Z sold on BAT for $72K, and originals have gone for $50-100K+. 

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Modifications: 

Engine/Drivetrain Modifications - 

• OEM turbos with billet compressor wheels 

• Tomei 740cc injectors, new style connectors 

• Greddy boost controller and solenoid 

• Stillen ECU tuned at Specialty Z 

• Unorthodox Racing underdrive pulley 

• 1-Piece driveshaft 

• Walbro 450LPH fuel pump (e85 compatible) 

• Brett Dempsey Engineering goose honk killer kit 

• Z1 Motorsports side mount intercoolers 

• Z1 Motorsports downpipes 

• 2.5” catback exhaust with resonated x-pipe 

• Sebring Tuning exhaust tips 

• 98+ Spec JDM manual transmission 

• Nismo transmission mount 

• Jim Wolf Technologies clutch and lightweight flywheel kit 

• Concept Z Performance chromoly clutch pivot ball 

• OEM clutch release slave and throwout bearing 

• Technafit stainless steel braided insulated clutch line  

• Z Speed Performance shift mount kit 

• Z1 Motorsports 300ZX premium short throw shifter 

• Carbon fiber fan shroud 

• Carbon fiber throttle cover 

• Carbon fiber timing belt covers 

• Concept Z Performance battery tray 

• Jim Wolf Technologies cone air intake 

• Koyo aluminum radiator 

• GKTech high-performance engine fan 

• Z1 Motorsports 300ZX silicone radiator hose set 

• Z1 Motorsports Silicone 300ZX coolant bypass hoses 

• Z1 Motorsports 300ZX silicone intercooler couplers 

• Z1 Motorsports knock sensor 

• Z1 Motorsports battery cables 

• OEM 300ZX water pump 

• Z1 Motorsports aluminum under shroud 

• Winfactory hood damper strut kit 

• ZSPEC master cylinder, radiator, cruise control, and strut caps 

• ZSPEC stainless steel oil pan fastener kit 

• ZSPEC ultimate engine bay fastener Kit 

Suspension Modifications - 

• Z1 Motorsports HICAS elimination kit 

• CZP underbody tunnel brace 

• Nagisa Auto Gacchiri Fender support braces 

• Powertrix front and rear end links 

• Powertrix Ultra Lite coil overs 

• Stillen adjustable sway bars front & rear 

• Top Speed front strut bar 

Brakes/Wheels/Tires Modifications - 

• Toyo Proxes R888R, 225/50 ZR18 92Y front, 245/40 ZR18 93Y rear 

• Aodhan DS06 wheels, 19” x 9” front, 19” x 10” rear 

• Drilled and slotted rotors 

• Hawk ceramic front brake pads 

• Hawk ceramic rear brake pads 

Interior Modifications - 

• AEM wideband gauge 

• Turbosmart boost gauge 

• A-pillar gauge pods 

• Interior Innovations double DIN radio bezel 

• Z Thirty-Two carbon fiber door sills 

• ZSPEC T-top handle finisher set 

• Concept Z Performance shift knob 

• Kyle OC 3D printed cup holder 

• LED interior lights 

• OEM shifter and emergency brake boots 

Audio/Video - 

• Pioneer touch screen head unit - DVD RDS receiver 

• Pioneer door and trunk speakers 

• Alpine PDX-V9 4-channel and mono power amplifier 

• Maniacal Motorsports custom “Z” subwoofer enclosure 

• Sundown subwoofer 

• Viper 2-way keyless entry security alarm system 

Exterior Modifications - 

• Carbon Creations carbon fiber vented hood 

• JSPEC '99 front fascia (JDM) 

• TwinZ Design front lip for '99 J-Spec bumper fascia (type 1) 

• TwinZ Design nose panel (type 1) 

• Z Thirty-Two carbon fiber cowl trim set 

• Carbon fiber fog light ducts 

• ZSPEC “Fairlady Z” front license plate cover 

• Clear front signal housings 

• JSPEC side skirts 

• Grams carbon fiber side skirt extensions 

• KBD quarter window louvers 

• Winfactory CSL-R spoiler 

• Winfactory Rear Diffuser (Powder Coated Black) 

• Red LED illuminated logo rear tail panel 

• Clear taillights 

The Work

Specialty Z (@specialtyz) did the tuning on this car before I bought it and I’ve heard good things about them. I’d like to take the car back down to Southern California to have them tune it again when I trust it for a drive that long. I’d also like to shout out Christian Ruiz (@crexxx) for all the work he did on the car during his ownership. 

I had the injectors done by a shop because they went out the day I bought the car and I knew nothing about it. I’ve had a window motor and a couple of other things done in a pinch by my cousin’s shop Auto Tec in Loomis, CA. And I had a homie come out and do some work once but that turned into a sketchy deal. At this point there really isn’t anyone in the Sacramento area that I trust to touch the car, so I try to do everything myself. There’s a decent-sized community of owners up here that I can turn to when I get stuck. They’ve all basically known each other and have been building these for like 10-20 years. 

Please leave your comments on my story in the comments section at the bottom of the page, it helps the story get more views and reach the Printed Magazine, Thank you.

Advice/Tip

If you’re on social media, there’s a lot of pressure to have a show car built with all the expensive parts and the $4000 wheels. Just remember that you never know what their credit card balance or their retirement looks like. Be creative with your budget, learn and get the right tools to do as much as you can on your own. Cars are meant to be driven! 

The common advice for looking at a purchase is whether the 60K/120K mile timing belt and related maintenance have been done. You have to pull quite a bit to get there and from what I’ve heard, getting it wrong can send you down rabbit holes. Always look for the cleanest starting point you can afford. Don’t forget that getting a twin-turbo tacks on a whole new parts list to cost you money and another system to troubleshoot. 

Future Plans

The plan is to keep the Z. It’s too much fun to drive and I’m obviously not that good at letting go of cars. I was pretty interested in the new Z but they’re everywhere already and for the price, I can keep all my projects. 

Here’s my plan: 

• Finish up the cosmetics: door seals, t-top seals, window seals, and t-top bar, pull some dents and have some paint spots fixed 

• Pull motor, replace all seals and gaskets, do deletes and shave engine bay, install Garrett turbo kit 

• Install Haltech standalone ECU and get the car tuned 

• Install air suspension and new wheels 

Shout Outs

I need to get a few shoutouts in here. There have been so many that have been a huge help with this…

Instagram: 

@_zyndicate and @california_z32s for keeping the California 300zx community in touch 

@niskromedia, a photographer, friend from school, and one of the first to introduce me to the lowered car scene when I moved home @brodyjporter and @antwonlarusso, two youngins that have taken great shots of the car 

Facebook: 

Sacramento Z32s and Z Owners of Northern California, are two good resources for knowledge and events 

The Scene

Most of my friends these days are from the car community. Car meets/shows and skateparks are one of the few places you can go and get along with every person there, and there are a lot of crossovers between the two cultures. It’s a good time after spending 10 or 20 hours a week in the garage to get out and talk to people who are doing the same thing. Someday I’d like to own my own shop or some other automotive-related business and the car scene has been a great way to learn and figure out what I’m interested in. 

Dream Car

One dream car? That’s not possible. I want a little bit of everything. My next buy would be a first gen Chevy Nova, an S13 Silvia coupe in RHD, a Datsun 240z, a 4WD Jeep Comanche, a 60s/70s Mercury Cougar, or Plymouth Roadrunner. On the unattainable list would be a silver Benz 300SL Gullwing with a red interior or the Black Ghost Dodge Challenger. You can’t beat an original car with some patina and a good story. 

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Please leave your comments on my story in the comments section at the bottom of the page, it helps the story get more views and reach the Printed Magazine, Thank you.

'The future is bright as long as we can still Smell the Fumes'

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