Khamvongsa's pursuit of his fantasy car wasn't a straight race.
He got his first 300ZX, a 1992, after experimenting with a Mazda
Precidia, an Eagle Talon and a Ford Mustang, only to have it
written off in an accident. His next 300ZX, a 1990, he sold
to a friend in order to get a BMW 328i - a decision he soon
was forced to regret.
He didn't miss it for long, re-acquiring another 1990, 300 ZX
two-and-a-half years ago. But this wasn't to be a stock reunion;
this was to be a rematch with a mission. "I wanted to have
about 550 horsepower to the wheels and run an 11-second quarter-mile,"
he recalled. "I wanted a streetable [sic] 11-second car
that could run, go get groceries and then go smash up the track."
With the current rage of import tuning still in its relative
infancy and an relative lack of local expertise regarding 300ZXs,
Khamvongsa travelled solo into largely unknown territory - the
Internet his primary guide.
"It has been a rough two-and-a-half years," he said.
"Not a lot of people know about the 300ZX in Winnipeg.
That's what took so long to do it up. I had to find out how
to do these things on my own and then school the mechanics on
how they work and then let them do it."
Having created an extensively detailed modification list for
his first ZX, only to abandon it due to a lack of funds, Khamvongsa
decided to work mostly off the top of his head with nothing
set in concrete. However, two things were off limits when it
came to the modifications - the overall look of the car and
its daily drivability.
"I bought the car because I like the way it looks. I didn't
want to put a body kit on it because sometimes that really cheapens
the look of the car in some cases," he said. "I wanted
it to go fast first, then I wanted it to look nice and I wanted
it to be an all around car."
Along the way, Khamvongsa found allies. He found them at Motion
Performance's parts counter (who would later become his sponsor)
and Giardino International Auto & Tire Centre who provided
much of the mechanical muscle. "It's expensive to do this
kind of stuff. The more help you have makes the world of difference.
I wouldn't have done it without them that's for sure."
The first modification performed is the one Khamvongsa concluded
to have produced the most dramatic results for the amount of
effort invested. He credits the gutting of the pre-cats and
streamlining of the exhaust system with instantly making the
turbo charged car respond better.
Although, Khamvongsa admitted not every modification was as
valuable. "Blow off valves," he lamented. "I
love the sound of them but they don't really help all that much.
It's more cosmetic than performance. Because up until you get
around 500 or 600 horsepower you don't really need it to be
honest."
All the research and modifications came together earlier this
year when he posted a 12-second quarter mile at 120 mph at Victory
International Speedway in Gimli, Man. According to Khamvongsa,
this was the fastest time posted by an import at the track so
far this year.
Still the 11-second run remained elusive.
Khamvongsa projected there isn't anything else that can be bolted
onto the engine to boost performance. He said any further modifications
would have to delve into the depths of the engine's interior
such as boring it out or installing lightweight pistons. His
fear is these modifications may push the limits of the engine
beyond the brink.
"I'm on that knife edge where a little bit this way and
a little bit that way something severely bad can happen."
Regardless, Khamvongsa surmised the coveted 11-second barrier
rests more within him than the car, a consequence of not having
driven the car very much during its build up. "For those
two-and-a-half years I've probably driven the car a year in
total," he reported. "A lot of it is my launching
it. A lot of it is my shifting. Once I get a little more seat
time it will break into the 11's."
MOD LIST
Engine/Drive train:
J-spec vg30dett engine
Custom front mount intercooler
Custom hard pipes
Custom downpipes
Custom mid pipes
Custom dual intake
JWT exhaust
JWT ecu (555cc,dual pop)
JWT sport 600 turbos
TurboXS blow off valves
TurboXS manual dual stage boost controller
Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator
Nismo 555cc injectors
HKS super air fuel controller
Nos purge kit
Nos wet nitrous kit
Unorthodox underdrive pulley
Act 6 puck clutch
Fidanza flywheel
Exterior:
Custom black with blue pearl paint
AutoLoc door poppers
Shaved door handles
Shaved rear wiper
Shaved antenna
Shaved gravel guard
Cleared taillights
Cleared side marker lights
KVR cross drilled rotors
KVR brake pads
4 - 18'' Lexani Roma wheels
265/35/18 Avo zz1 tires
2 - Mickey Thompson ET street tires (on stock rims)
Interior:
7'' Pioneer in dash monitor
NEX racing seat
6 point roll cage
Reupholstered seats
4 - Auto Meter gauges
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