coldel

Cheers pal I did knock the guy a fair bit on the asking price, but I almost deliberately bought it as it was uncared for as I saw a bit of character in it and fancied the challenge and yeah the number plate is pretty good she just needed some cleaning up really and when dyno'd got very good bhp numbers so mechanically sound. I only just realised that in addition to the above it has a new clutch and flywheel, rear cv joint, new falken 452s all round as well! Also a super service, all oils changed, belts, filters etc.

Yeah it looks fine, the steering wheel/display/seats are all black as well so it works nicely

Happy birthday Joy from Col, Becks n bump

I used the flyeyes stuff to cover the lights, I ripped it off for the MoT as I fancied a change anyway, you can get any shade of material, so light grey if you like. Mods on hold whilst I sort out job situation but do have an eye on changing the rear lights, I did also order new number plates but they are taking an age to arrive which is annoying. Also have my eye on some body kit - again has to wait till job issue resolved but still a bit to do yet as you say Jim!

Its not the most amazing Zed in the world - certainly compared to some of the stunning cars on here - but its been a lot of fun this last 11 months taking it from the mistreated dog it was to the thoroughly clean car it is today. So just to keep track of whats going on with it for my own reference thought I would grab photos and post up a thread... ...this is how it arrived, April 2011, and boy was I excited The first mod, for any self respecting Zed owner, that stubby aerial! Then some decent wiper blades, Bosch aeros Followed by some ebay badge specials And my first meet! It was then some bodywork scratches which had been 'blown over' by the unscruplious previous owner began to show through - a trip to RTPerformance then for the rear bumper Then, a turning point, some Volks GTVs appear on the forum for sale, so on a whim I go for it! Seats were looking a tad worn, so time for a bit of repair work on them - very chuffed with the outcome Interior next, centre dash looked a bit dull in my view, gear knob and handbrake a bit worn, so a Satin Black wrap for the console, momo knob and handbrake plus a sneaky D1 Spec throttle controller By now those cheapy ebay badges were wearing badly, I resprayed them but decided in the end to take them off and go for something simple on the back... ...and again thanks to RTPerformance a complete respray and some work on the front, badge removal and grille inserted Engine bay up next, had already got a nice Stillen induction kit in there, resprayed the covers, and purchased a 350z-uk slam panel plus some new engine bay washers/bolts and nismo rad and oil cap (replaced the Z oil cap in the photo) A little tidy up on the rear strut brace with some carbon wrapping and a little spraying Thats the aesthetics, now for POWER plenum spacer installed Followed by a Milltek and Berks and of course the Abbey uprev Engine power is nothing without some decent stopping power, step forward CS with some Black Diamond discs and pads all round ...and here it is now - finished, probably, well maybe...

super post that Dan I suppose to some degree its horses for courses as well, someone tearing it up wherever they go would benefit from PSS vs someone who drives like its sunday every day would they need PSSs, not so sure. Regarding the costing, I think comparing the costs my view is that they are somewhat irrelevant as: - Bridgestone may well do more R&D than Falken, a sunk cost that Bridgestone have to recover, however doesnt mean that Falken are massively under developed as replication of R&D is common place, I'm pretty sure Falken get by by taking apart PSSs and making something similar. - You pay for branding, like it or not, the cost is not all about the quality and build, you pay a premium on top for the Bridgestone brand, if other markets and products are to go by can be anything up to 20% So the difference I suspect is not one is twice the cost of the other if you take this into account, probably more like about 25%-50% higher - but still a noticable difference but not as marked. ..and on a common sense point, better tyres does not make for driving faster on public roads, they wont save you if you are rattling along at 100mph on a motorway or driving 10 yards behind a car at 70mph on a motorway, no matter what they are!

Doesnt look too bad - can see the effort thats gone in - although the wheels are too small!

Get some of these wasso to go with your carbon fibre tipped exhaust http://www.carbonfibergear.com/weds-sport-full-carbon-fiber-wheel/ That'll knock some weight off the car!

Good summary that, we have numerous posts on induction vs standard air box but this is it really. I wouldn't take my Stillen off and go back to the standard box, great sound, looks fantastic in the engine bay with its very well designed heat shield and did I mention, it sounds

There needs to be a 'this has gotten a bit weird' thread smiley

well done mate

..starting at 99p! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nissan-350z-Brembo-Callipers-4x-/260940150068

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nissan-350Z-bluetooth-phone-adapter-/200704617620

Was going to say - lightened wheel nuts are noticable on a 1500kg car? At least if you dont like the CF etc you can take it off and sell it!

Think TCS should be fine, the only think affecting it is the rolling radius I would have thought?

Very happy with my 19s, I am not a racer on the road by any stretch of the imagination so works for me just fine ...and they are Volks Racing

Parked up by the river, red lipped black Rotas as well I think i spotted?

Sides too wide for my liking Spoiler is a bit wrong Overall, seen better

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/02-08-Nissan-350Z-Rear-Indicator-Reverse-Clear-Lights-/380403689341 I ordered these, took 5 days, no contact from customs, what you pay is all you pay

CONGRATULATIONS on the news A family is way way more important and rewarding than a Z ...but its good to have little interests other than families and babies to keep you sane

When a clutch slips raw metal is grinding against the flywheel and what I saw when the car was opened up was a knackered clutch and the flywheel, which was partially worn, with huge grooves cut into it where the worn clutch had gone down to the bolts and cut into the flywheel and knackared it - if you drive the car whilst the clutch is slipping this will generally occur, which is why if it is slipping, its usually too late to save the flywheel. Well, thats what I saw on mine anways

Order in the flywheel - worst thing you can do is go for a clutch change, wait around watching the labour cost go up, only for them to take a knackared flywheel out, you are then left putting a broken flywheel back in with your new clutch and back there a week later to pay for all the labour again with the new flywheel going in. Maybe chat with Alex about it, see if he can send you one over on a full refund if you dont open it/need it? Sorry Alex! If the clutch is slipping, generally that means it has already started eating into your flywheel anyway It is expensive, I bought my Zed and had an extra £1k set aside for new alloys which within a month went on clutch/flywheel/cv joint but thats what owning japanese sports cars cost.

Just gone through the same thing mate, only car between us was the Zed, baby due in 3 weeks time... ...we bought a Focus in December, we started sorting out the nursery In Jan, two months before, where the Focus came into its own with it comfortably transporting chests of drawers/baby changers and the like. Really though, no need for the sensible car until a few months beforehand. That said, Becks loves the Zed, and she appreciates that its a passion of mine as I do keep it running 100% with regular check ups and wash it every weekend. She likes to go off do Yoga blah blah but thats her passion, it would be unfair if I said she couldnt waste money on that with a baby on the way in the same way she wont say I waste money on the Zed. Just means that we don't go to restaurants as often etc and actually makes us tidy up our finances!

OK - going to have a go at doing this this week - whats if I drill the plate and bolt it on, will I need to remove the undertray to get behind the grill - or is it possible to reach in through the engine bay?