Ashley Robinson  - 2003 Nissan 350 Z custom built

Finally, the all-knowing age of 15 has arrived and I’m the first one in line at the local DMV to claim my god-given right to freedom and the pursuit of girls! Leading up to this day I’ve been saving my money and have already bought my chariot, a 1972 Mach 1 Mustang with the 351. She only had 68k original miles and flawless original Grabber orange paint! Not a day goes by that I don’t regret selling her:( She was a beauty queen parked next to my dad's white 68 Camaro SS.

Ashley Robinson  -  2003 Nissan 350 Z custom built
2003 Nissan 350 Z custom built
Ashley Robinson  -  2003 Nissan 350 Z custom built
Ashley Robinson  -  2003 Nissan 350 Z custom built
Ashley Robinson  -  2003 Nissan 350 Z custom built
Ashley Robinson  -  2003 Nissan 350 Z custom built
Ashley Robinson  -  2003 Nissan 350 Z custom built
Ashley Robinson  -  2003 Nissan 350 Z custom built
Ashley Robinson  -  2003 Nissan 350 Z custom built
Ashley Robinson  -  2003 Nissan 350 Z custom built
Ashley Robinson  -  2003 Nissan 350 Z custom built
Ashley Robinson  -  2003 Nissan 350 Z custom built
Ashley Robinson  -  2003 Nissan 350 Z custom built

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Ashley Robinson 

Nissan 350Z 2003

Instagram: @Mariley_zee

Photographer: @ Buckys_photography (Stance Auto Team, DM for Private Shoots)

For the last 41 years, my happiest moments have always been with a tool in hand and sweat on my brow. Those most distant smiles were found digging tunnels in the red clay mud of South Carolina and lugging reclaimed 2x4s into sappy pine frees.  Skip a few years of getting buried alive and having the wind knocked out of me and you’ll find my brothers and me testing the limits of PVC with gunpowder and rocket fuses. Yes, we still have all of our fingers:) Which came in handy when I got my first 50cc Honda dirt bike. Now we’re building jumps and exploring beyond the 20-acre world we know.

Finally, the all-knowing age of 15 has arrived and I’m the first one in line at the local DMV to claim my god-given right to freedom and the pursuit of girls! Leading up to this day I’ve been saving my money and have already bought my chariot, a 1972 Mach 1 Mustang with the 351. She only had 68k original miles and flawless original Grabber orange paint! Not a day goes by that I don’t regret selling her:( She was a beauty queen parked next to my dad's white 68 Camaro SS.

Now one Suzuki, two Yamahas, one Datsun, one Mitsubishi, one dodge, two more fords, two minis, two Chevys, and oh yeah, one kick-ass tire-shredding Nissan later you’ll find me grudgingly running my own custom cabinet business in San Mateo CA. The good days now are when I can pull away to get back into my shop and continue the dance with my steel-belted corn fuel consuming wallet exhausting Japanese girl that lets me be me with no judgement or hesitation in her beautiful metal shrouded LED eyes:)

What or Who got you into Cars?

Growing up in the southeast of America muscle cars were the norm. I loved my first car/mustang tremendously. It wasn’t until I was in my mid-twenties and had graduated from art school that I would really fall in love with modifying and creating custom parts for cars and bikes. There have been lots of people over the years that have influenced and encouraged me to pursue my passion. My next-door neighbour when I bought my first house in North Carolina opened my eyes to the limitless potential of the Honda power plants with his boosted 600hp B18 e.g. hatch.

Then there was the property manager where my business was located that had the world's only Datsun 240z stretched tube chassis with a blown big block! I think one thing that has stuck with me the most over the years was an interview with Jessie James and him talking about how growing up he couldn’t afford certain things so he had to figure out how to make it himself.

That really resonated with me. A burning desire for anything will not be denied by any form of lack if you get off your ass and make it happen.  As for the car culture/scene itself obviously, we have to acknowledge those original F&F movies. Who could watch that and not want a nitrous button on their steering wheel!  But seriously those films did reach a lot of places where JDM and Euro cars were not very well known. Tokyo Drift will always share a special place in my heart:) “life’s simple, you make choices and you don’t look back”

Why this Car?

OMG! I can remember the first time I saw a 350Z in a Chipotle parking lot! I actually walked up to it and touched it without even thinking. The lines were perfect, the taillights so sleek and sexy. It was aggressive but delicate in the way a grenade is. I loved it. At the time I was into many other things so I wouldn’t actually end up coming back to the Z platform for about 16 years. I chose my specific Z because I wanted to create a vision I had seen in my head while walking down the strip in Las Vegas in the summer of 2019. There were all these kids driving around in rented Lambos but at one specific intersection there was this slammed widebody 350z and to me, it stood out because you could tell the owner had poured himself into the car.

That moment got the wheels spinning and helped me to recollect all my ideas over the years for a build that I knew would fit a Z perfectly. The Exo style has always been interesting to me but I never felt like it was done in a way that respected the car's original shape or soul. So I started searching and by November had found a wreck in the rear Z. I wanted to start with a car that everyone else had already written off or would have just parted out. I wanted my Z to be a Z reborn! 

Why did you build this Car?

There are so many reasons for everything we do. I think specifically for me the reason I build anything is that its expression. The building is a way of letting that internal/eternal energy out into the manifest reality. Creating is being fully alive. This car began because she was the perfect platform for what I could see in my mind's eye but as we got further and further into the build it became evident that I was just as perfect a platform for her to create in me an elevated view of reality that would change me forever. We continue to build each other daily:) currently, we are finally able to head back towards drifting now that a lot of mechanical and fuel-related issues have been resolved. The original goal was to be everything, street, show, drift, track, canyons, ect. so.....we ain’t looking back, just left and right:)

What does it feel like owning this Car?

  • Zen
  • Inner peace
  • Love
  • Unity                
  • Escape
  • Recognized 
  • Validated
  • Seen 
  • Accepted
  • Vulnerable 
  • Exposed
  • Connected 
  • Alive

She is a material object born out of my soul that embodies my deepest most primal energy and when we are united in a slide it’s an out of body rush that can’t be explained with words!

Advice/Tips

My advice to anyone concerning anything is always the same. Never let yourself settle or slow down, always push for more! Fuck everyone who tells you can’t do something or have something and when you decide to go, go all out like it’s the end of the world!

Advice is specific to 350Zs. If you're new don’t think your build will happen overnight. It won’t. You wouldn’t be happy if it was. Also for anyone who can’t afford to get started yet or doesn’t even have their z yet don’t be discouraged. There is so much work you can do that’s free! Research research research! Learn as much as you can before or while you’re saving up. There are so many times I bought parts and even paid extra for expedited shipping only to have that part sit in my shop for months while I figured out how to and or where to install it properly. We literally have the world at our fingertips so search it and read or watch videos. And ask questions to anyone who will answer and when they do keep asking.

Every Z related company I’ve dealt with has been super supportive so call them up and ask questions. Also, the most important thing in my experience is to start off with a realistic build that you can complete or at least enough to be able to enjoy driving. I literally spent 16 months underneath my car before that first drive and there were many dark days and nights that were very frustrating. So don’t bite off too much at first. Positive reinforcement is necessary to get to the driving part. 

Buy shit only if you absolutely can’t make it yourself, but try first:) and that doesn’t apply to brake pads!

Seriously though don’t buy anything without getting real user feedback. I know I love to talk about my car so I’m pretty sure it’s safe to assume that most owners do. If you see someone that has a part you're thinking about, ask them. I just met a kid at a show recently that has the style of hand brake that I’m most interested in so I was all over his car asking every question I could think of. He was super helpful and gave me his pointers on the dos and don'ts on how to install it. 

Personally, I’m a big fan of sticking with your original engine. If it’s worn out, pull it and rebuild it. I love my DE! It’s fully built and boosted and I couldn’t be happier. Yes of course I want to swap in a 2jz but that’s later. If you’re just starting out, build what you got. Taking a motor apart and putting it back together (with the FSM) is so satisfying. 

What makes your car Unique?

Being unique should always be an added bonus. The building should come from the heart and be an expression of who you are. My car stands out the same as anyone else’s who isn’t afraid to dig deep into their soul and then put it out there for the world to see. 

Also because she’s thik:)

If you enjoyed this Car why not read this ONE HERE

Spec List

Engine

  • Forged internals
  • 1mm Overbore
  • 9:5:1 Compression
  • Fully Balanced
  • Stock deck
  • Rebuilt heads
  • ARP L19 Studs
  • Stock Valvetrain
  • JWT C8 Cams
  • APS Twins
  • 3" intake @ throttle body
  • 2" intake @ air filters
  • Z1 intake plenum
  • UpRev MAF GT
  • CD009 Tranny swap 
  • Greddy profec boost controller
  • Expansion Module
  • Dual Walbro 550s
  • Radium surge tank
  • -10an Fuel line with return line
  • ID 1700 injectors
  • Setrab oil cooler
  • Magnaflow pressure regulator
  • 3" Custom dual exhaust x pipe no cats no mufflers 
  • 3" downpipe

Exterior/Interior

  • All-new fully adjustable control arms Z1
  • Bell diff brace 
  • Knock off Bride seats 
  • Cypher purple harnesses 
  • All new poly bushings 
  • Solid subframe bushings 
  • Accuair elevel 
  • Custom iPad centre console 
  • Custom one-off headlight grills with LED projectors
  • A lot of gauges 
  • 154 feet of roll cage
  • Seibon hood 
  • Custom glitter wrap 
  • Coolerworx short shifter
  • Lots of stickers 
  • Sick speed purple lug nut spikes 

Who did the work?

90% myself. Had a lot of help from legit race car fabricators to ensure the cage would pass tech anywhere.

Also had a wonderful tuner Moncef, who helped me out with a remote tune @admintuning  and my homies @auxautowraps did a wonderful job on the glitter wrap!  also, Z1 Motorsports was great for all the bought stuff. I definitely learned the most on this build about engine rebuilding. The FSM is a must along with lots of patience, a clean workspace, and some quality assembly lube!

Future Plans

As any build is it's never finished cause there is always more you want to do. For this winter I plan to pull the front mount twins and replace them with larger ones in the rear exposed through my cage. Also will be changing up the colour scheme and cleaning up the engine bay once there is more room up front. Maybe in the future a 2jz swap when we want quad digit HP is necessary! Oh and definitely adding a fog machine and some paintball guns:)

Looking for a new club? Have a look at the ones featured on our site HERE

Groups/Clubs

Riding solo for now but I do love the @beyond_city_limits_USA guys 

What has the Car scene done for you?

Meetups and shows have been the best place to connect with the fam! I love knowing that I’ve got an upcoming event to go to so I can get that energy buzz from everyone else. We’re all connected via social media but getting together in real it's so much more genuine. I love it. And you get to see cars you never knew existed! And meet new people that you wouldn’t normally talk to.

Dream Car

Driving her every day! But definitely got my eye out for an RX7 FD

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