How it came to be
It was early 2016, Brandon Mueller was in the market for a new daily driver. Something fun and rear wheel drive as well as of course a stick shift. At the time the price of Z32 300ZX chassis weren’t to high so when the option came around he jumped on it. The car was stock and had original white paint with the very heavy and slow naturally aspirated VG30. Already being into cars Brandon was popping into the occasional car show with the 300ZX when he had the chance to attend a drift event. After going he said “it was just the coolest thing I’ve ever seen” and he ended up taking the stock car out to a drift day to try it himself. After a single event he knew this was the motorsport for him and he continued to rack over 15 event on the stock motor before deciding it was time for a change.
The Engine that Powers it all
Just two years after Brandon had purchased the car, he had been to many track days and was ready for more power. Sammy with Tiger Racing built up a custom SR20DET engine with the works:  Wiseco pistons, Eagle rods, Mazworx headstuds, Super tech valve stems and Tomei camshafts. He also fitted this engine with a T2871R Turbocharger and a HKS Blowoff valve. This engine then got the Koru  Works dress-up and tuned by Sammy and Tiger Racing. Brandon received this engine in June of 2018 and began the swap in the garage of his home doing it all by hand. October came around and Brandon had finished his swap and now had a much lighter more powerful SR20 swapped 300ZX to take to the track.
Suspension and Wheels
“They are the first real set of wheels I’ve ever owned.”  And what a set to buy. 18′ Work Emotion D9Rs. The white just pops off that fresh orange paint. While some people may think white wheels aren’t worth their looks because of how dirty they get, I think they will always overshadow their brake dust collection by how amazing they look in almost any lighting condition. For suspension Brandon went  with DGR Coilovers, Z1 adjustable rear suspension and SPL rear camber arms. To make sure the SRZ comes to a stop, he has installed drilled and slotted rotors and a ASD pass -through hydraulic E-brake to help when flinging it sideways.
Track Life
On track Brandon is a hilarious and helpful friend to all, surrounded by his closest buddies who either came to watch him drift or to slide with him. Their group alway seems like they are having a great time whether they are slinging clouds at Lanier Raceway or shredding at Midpond or even helping to fix a buddies car. In the short time I spent with Brandon and his friends, the whole group radiated good laughs and even better times.
Credits
Photographer – @burkebarfield
Car owner – @brandon91z
