Mid Mount Turbo 350Z: A 2007 Nissan 350Z Build

This mid-mount turbo 350Z belongs to KC Hoover (@2jz_kc), a South Texas car guy who went from Need for Speed and Tokyo Drift to a string of clapped-out Nissans, three Lexus GS300s and finally the Z he'd wanted since high school. Photography is by Adam Delgadillo. Here's the story in KC's own words, followed by the full build list.

Growing Up on Fast and Furious and Need for Speed

I'm KC Hoover, and this is a bit of my background in cars. I have been into cars since I was a kid. Growing up in South Texas, a primarily Latino area, the Fast and Furious movies were extremely popular. I remember going to friends' houses just to watch parts 1 and 2 on DVD. As with most kids not old enough to reach the pedals, we played a lot of car video games, with Need for Speed being the biggest one: from Hot Pursuit 2, to both Undergrounds, Most Wanted, and Carbon.

At the same time these games were evolving, so was the Fast and Furious franchise. With the Tokyo Drift addition, and with the Underground and Carbon games having dedicated drifting game modes, that took what we knew of cars and expanded it into a more worldwide view. Since then, Japanese cars have been the preference, with unique aftermarket support and owners customising them in ways we didn't see with European or American cars. They were also being used in motorsports like drifting that other countries weren't doing.

With Tokyo Drift and NFS Underground 2 hitting their peaks in 2006, we saw a lot of the 350Z. It was a popular car at the time, alongside other legendary Nissans, Toyotas, Mitsubishis, etc. So my interest was heavily into those three manufacturers, with goals to own some of my favorite models from them.

First Cars: A Blown El Camino and a Neglected 300ZX

Fast-forward to me earning my driver's license at 16 in 2010. I spent a ton of time reading up on different Japanese cars on Speedhunters. I wanted to get my first car, but like any broke high school kid, owning something like a Supra or Evo was out of reality. So my first car was actually a gift from my grandpa: a black 1969 Chevy El Camino SS. It was a 4-speed automatic and had a double white racing stripe on it. The only issue was that it had been sitting, so my grandpa had the issues addressed and gifted it to me.

The day I went to pick it up, I started it, pulled out of the driveway, and the engine blew before I even had a chance to actually drive it. The block had a crack in it that was overlooked, and once it got to temp it leaked oil.

So then it was back to getting a different car of my own. I saved up to buy a '93 Nissan 240SX that was in the early stages of being NA-T. It was a red hatch listed on Craigslist (this was before Facebook even had a Marketplace, and running 240s were selling around $2-3,000) that still had the KA24DE in it, but it wasn't running and needed too much work before I could drive it. So I passed on the 240 and continued to search Craigslist for a new listing.

That's how I found a 1990 Nissan 300ZX. Plenty used, with around 270K miles on the original VG30 engine. With an asking price of $3,000 it was at the top of my budget. I looked at it and it ran healthy. It had recently been repainted… a very interesting magenta color. So I knew that was the first thing to go. When I took a closer look I noticed the original OEM paint was red. I negotiated down to $2,000 as it needed to be repainted and have some mechanical work done.

A Love-Hate Relationship With Clapped-Out Old Nissans

Little did I know what I was getting into… a love-hate relationship with clapped-out old Nissans. Within the first year of owning that 300ZX, the timing belt, which had been neglected, snapped. The VG30DEs, both NA and turbo, were interference engines, and the worst did happen. That's right: bent valves and damaged pistons. The labor and machine work were more than the car was actually worth, so the best route was to source a new (used) engine rather than rebuild the original.

I trusted a shop to complete this, and it turned out they couldn't handle it. So it was off to the next shop… and another after that, until I found one able to complete the work. This is what sparked me to dive deeper and learn how to fix my own cars from there on out.

I enjoyed the car for close to two more years until it was totaled in a car accident on Halloween Day of 2013. I was T-boned by an Isuzu Rodeo driven by a Russian man who didn't speak a single bit of English. I bought the car back from the insurance with plans to part it out, but ultimately sold it to a local as a parts car, in one piece. I think he may still have it to this day, or it may have been scrapped by now.

Switching to Lexus: Three GS300s and Nine Years of VIP

From there I think I had had it with Nissans and wanted to shift gears into a Toyota. I found a 2002 Lexus GS300 locally that had some tasteful beginner VIP mods and styling. I took my insurance payout from the Z32 and bought that car for $8,000. It was a Sport Design model, black with gray interior, and it needed mostly cosmetic work and ran perfectly. Then I fell in love with JZs and sedans, JZX chassis like the Cresta, Chaser, and Mark II.

After owning that '02 GS for roughly a year, while I was daily driving it to work, I was rear-ended by a Chevy Silverado on Mother's Day of 2014. The car was totaled. After experiencing this situation I haggled with insurance for months on value. After being successful I was able to get a payout of roughly what I paid for the car, and I kept all of my aftermarket parts from it.

Shortly after, I saw an '03 Sport Design GS300 optioned with the rare saddle leather interior listed in the Lexus GS300 pages on Facebook. The car was located in Indiana, and I arranged for a shipping company to pick it up and bring it back to Texas. The car was bone stock with just an HKS Hi-Power exhaust, and I transferred all of my existing and new FIGS, Serial 9, PBM, and T Demand suspension parts to it, as well as my Weds Brophes and full Junction Produce VIP interior. I enjoyed that car and building it in a traditional VIP style for 9 years.

Back to Nissan: Finding the 350Z

But two years before selling it, I had the Nissan itch again and bought another 1993 240SX. It was a project originally for my wife to learn how to drive a manual and how to do basic maintenance on a car. But in 2021 I bought my house and sold it to a friend, as it needed a new clutch and some other work. I wanted to refocus on the Lexus and my new home.

Fast-forward to 2023. The new Nissan Z (RZ34) was announced and I wanted one. However, every single dealer was marking them up, and I didn't want to go that route. But I wanted to relive my high school Z days and get back into one. Enter the 350Z.

When I was younger and had my 300ZX, that was when the 370Z was brand new, and at the time the 350Z was the sports car to have. It was still somewhat new and cheaper than the 370. So I set out to find a clean used example. I found a 2008 San Marino Blue one in town for $16,000. However, it had been wrecked on the passenger-side door, and although fixed, it was way overpriced for it. I asked the sellers why it was so high, and they said that's how much they owed on it. I told them I wouldn't buy out their negative equity and offered 10. They declined.

So then it was back to Facebook Marketplace, where I found my current Z in 2024, all the way in Miami, Florida. I arranged a price and transport, and the rest is modern history.

Two Years With the Mid Mount Turbo 350Z and What's Next

I have enjoyed this mid-mount turbo 350Z for 2 years now and have made a lot of quality-of-life improvements, with final suspension touches planned this winter and more aero to be installed and painted later in 2027. Although I loved the comfort of my previous Lexuses (the '95, '02, and '03 GS300s), I truly missed shifting gears in a coupe. The mod list is current and up to date, and I can't wait to share more on social media for my next mods and upgrades.

Mid Mount Turbo 350Z Full Build List

KC's mid-mount turbo 350Z runs a Boosted Project Z kit feeding a 6467 Comp Turbo, backed by a beefy fuel system, a pile of Z1 Motorsports chassis hardware and a 14-inch Akebono big brake kit in yellow. Want to see another Z33 taken a different direction? Check out this hand-built 350Z widebody, or for more Nissan coupe action, see this 1996 Nissan 240SX S14.

Turbo and Power

• Boosted Project Z Mid Mount Turbo Kit
• BPZ Manifold
• 6467 Air Cooled Comp Turbo with T51R Mod
• Treadstone Intercooler
• Z Speed CMAK V3
• Greddy Profec Boost Controller
• GTR Spark Plugs

Fuel System

• 1300cc ID Fuel Injectors
• CJ Motorsports S0 Fuel Return with Pressure Gauge
• Aeromotive Fuel Pressure Regulator
• 525 Hellcat Pump with DeatschWerks Relay
• Z1 E85 Fuel Pump Grommet

Cooling

• Gplus 30-Row Oil Cooler
• Treadstone Sandwich Plate and Lines
• Z1 Magnetic Drain Plug
• Z1 Oil Pan Spacer

Drivetrain

• Z Speed Stage 3 Clutch
• Z1 Medium Weight Flywheel
• Z1 Solid Motor Mounts
• Z1 Solid Transmission Mount
• Z1 Solid Differential Bushings
• Z1 Differential Cover
• Z1 Differential Brace
• OEM Nissan 370Z Rear Axles and Hubs

Suspension and Chassis

• BC BR Coilovers
• ISR Toe Arms
• Z1 Toe Arms
• Tru-Hart Adjustable Front Upper Control Arms
• Tru-Hart Camber Arms
• Z1 Rear Subframe Brace
• Z1 Door Link Bushings
• Z1 Pedal Bushings

Wheels, Tires and Brakes

• Enkei RPF1 SBC Staggered
• Front: 18x9.5 +38mm
• Rear: 18x10.5 +15mm
• Akebono Big Brake Kit in Yellow
• Z1 2-Piece Rotors Front and Rear
• Nismo Forged Lug Nuts

Exterior

• Fly1 Circuit GT Carbon Fiber Hood
• VIS Carbon Fiber Tunnel Hatch
• OEM Front Nismo Bumper
• Z Speed Nismo Extension
• Z Speed Nismo Under Shroud

Interior

• Braum Racing Seats with Planted Brackets
• Tanaka Harness Bar Powder Coated Yuki Yellow
• Z1 Harness Bar Locking Collars
• Nismo 380RS Gas Pedal

Gauges and Electronics

• AEM Boost, Water Temp and Oil Pressure Sensors
• Innovate AFR Gauge with Bosch Sensor

Final Thoughts on the Mid-Mount Turbo 350Z

KC's path to this Z took in a cracked El Camino, a snapped timing belt, two totalled cars and nine years of VIP Lexus, and somehow he came out the other side with a stick shift and a turbo. The mid-mount turbo 350Z is the car his high school self would have lost his mind over, and with suspension touches and fresh aero on the way, it isn't done yet.

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Owner: KC Hoover, @2jz_kc

Photography: Adam Delgadillo, @0adam7 | Facebook: Adam Delgadillo Photography