Feature: A To Z

Everything has a beginning, and everything an end. Take the alphabet for instance, it starts with an A, and ends in a Z. A is for Alex. Z is for the beautiful 350Z you see gracing this page, and owner Alex Gallardo has literally transformed it from A to Z, and everything inbetween.

If your wondering where you've seen this car before, you may recognize it from the fifth installment of the Fast & Furious series thats hitting the big screen this summer. "I was actually on vacation in Miami, and drove the Z down there" says Alex. "A couple of People were handing out fliers about a recruit day, I figured I wouldn't make it, but said whatever and sent them pictures. I got a reply back saying they loved it, and it went smooth from there." Thats quite an accomplishment to make such an appearance on the big screen, leaving millions to drool over your car.

As a personal friend of Alex's through my350z.com, I myself can attest to how well built it is, and how much time is invested into this machine. Alex is no stranger to Z's either, this is his 2nd one. His 2nd turbo'd one at that. As a tech at Forged Performance, Alex gets the privilege of playing with Z's, GTR's, and various other cars all day...and get paid for it. Alex built the car in his off time from work, "it went pretty smooth, i haven't had anything major happen luckily. Just a clutch line leak" laughs Alex. What can we say, the man does work.

"I first got into cars in highschool" he says. "I bought an Eclipse, eventually the headgasket blew, and I didnt have enough money to have it fixed, so I taught myself how to do it. I thought damn, this is cool, and I've been hooked ever since." From there on, Alex has owned a few cars, including an Eclipse GST, a blue 350Z that he turbo'd, and now this beautiful, built, twin Turbo'd Z you see here.

Continuing on this alphabet theme, let's focus on another set of letters; R&D. R&D stands for research and development, and Alex, as well as Forged have done it all. Having access to some impressive machines, tools, and skill, Alex utilized his tried and trued methods for the VQ35 block. It starts with boring the block over .020, and then stuffing a set of Arias pistons, and Eagle rods into the aluminum block. Alex used only the best; Cosworth bearings, ARP main studs, and bulletproof ARP L19 headstuds to keep his head in check. Not taking any shortcuts, Alex bolted Shariff's (owner of Forged performance) old head in place, which came ported and polished, filled with Ferrea valvesprings, retainers, 1mm oversized valves, and JWT stage 1 cams. I think it's safe to say the block's got a good head on its shoulders. Filling the cylinders with pressure is the benchmark GReddy twin turbo setup. Utilizing cast manifolds, 18g turbo's, twin Tial 38mm wastegates, and R-Spec intercooler, this is a recipe for high power. Now that Alex had the air dialed in, he needed fuel. He turned to Charles from CJM Motorsports for his custom twin Walbro 255 setup to pump up the fuel, and Deatschwerks 850cc injectors to spit it all out. Once it's combusted, it's sent through a set of custom 3" downpipes, and out of an APS 3' exhaust. Putting the power to the 19” Volk GTS Phantom wheels is a monstrous Carbonetics Triple plate clutch. "I love the clutch because it's so grabby, but in traffic it makes you look like you can't drive" laughs Alex, "but it holds the power great!" Now that the heart of the beast is in place, it need's a brain. HKS came to the rescue with it's FCON, Navigator, and Knock Amp. A Zeitronix display translates the combustion process into the easy to read AFR's we've all come to love. The end result was an impressive 542rwhp @ 16psi on pump, and 642 @ 20psi on race gas on a dynojet.

Moving to the inside, where Alex spends most of his time, rests a set of Sparco Evo2 seats, bolted upon Racetech seat brackets. Keeping him planted on his cheeks while combating lateral G's is a set of Schroth Harness's, intertwined with an Avalon harness bar. Alex translates the car's steering energy, by NRG, through their hub, quick release, and steering wheel. An eclipse touch screen DVD player sits forever alone in what seems like the only non-performance oriented part of this Z. Like i said earlier, every part of this car was covered.

As a track junkie, Alex focused on the suspension, sparing no expense. Cusco Sway bars, SPL bushings, and a set of Ohlin's coilovers bring things together. A set of GT Spec Chassis and rear braces, accompanied by SPC camber arm braces Stiffen the car up like a Peter North film. "My favorite part of my car is probably the suspension because im a track freak." It certainly shows, as he can be found at the track more than his own home!

Ensuring this car looks as good as it goes, a set of 19" Volk Racing GTS Phantom Wheels wrapped in a set of Bridgestone RE-11's keeps it rolling fresh. Hiding inside the Volks is a set of Stoptech 6 Piston brakes up front, and 4 Pistons in the rear, all while being kept cool with a set of Nismo brake ducts. The body of the car is draped with automotive eye candy consisting of an INGS +1 front bumper topped off with an APR diffuser. Following suit, INGS +1 sideskirts trail off to a Voltex rear diffuser, which finishes off the Z, while transforming it into the big screen showstopper you see before you. Its aggressive stance, and bodylines look right at home poised on the meaty 305 RE-11's out back. This truly is a car that looks as good as it performs.

Alex would like to thank Shariff, and the staff from Forged, as well as his friends and family for their support. He would also like to give a big thank you to his brother who kept him motivated along the way. While most of this Z is complete, Alex plans to add a few more goodies, such as a Cosworth manifold, and Cosworth cams. "I'm content with the power, and want to keep it where it is. I'm more focused on keeping it cool, and getting my new suspension setup dialed in." If there's one thing we can see Alex is good at, it's building cars. I think it's safe to say he'll be just fine at his second home, err, track.

Looking back, let's recap. Mr.A did some impressive R&D to produce this Z. He built this alphabetized Z with parts from such companies as HKS, NRG, CJM, JWT, K&N, APS, SPL, FCON, and SPC. That definately is a build starting with A, ending with Z, and covering everything inbetween.