Tom_K

I've had a busy few months but now back on to sorting this car. Bump to see if any of the traders have one?

Thanks for the help but sadly I've tried that. When I bought the car it had a pretty shot DMF and (I assumed) noisy release bearing, so I replaced that with the lightened flywheel, clutch and new bearing. Unfortunately, the noise was still there (goes when you depress the clutch) Then I tried genuine nissan oil with molyslip; the change itself is great, no issue there, but the noise with the clutch out still isn't great. You can hear a sort of backlash when you're in 3rd for example and lift off the throttle. I'll try and get a video for others to reference as that may help.

Afternoon all, My 03 350GT has got a fairly annoying gearbox whine so I'm after the better/stronger CD009. I'm based in hampshire so collection is possible from near there but realistically I guess it would need to be couriered. Any help much appreciated. Thanks Tom

As said, that is damn low for a static set-up!! I do like that plate holder though, how secure is it in the upright position? Not trying to nit-pick but it looks like it could be a bit wobbly?

That looks immaculate! Love the various subtle tints.

Thanks. Next up is to find a cd009 and fit that, sell it to my friend (who’s wanted it since I bought it) and look for something with a turbo. But I’ll probably find a bunch of other little bits to do in the meantime.

Afternoon all, another update: I used the car a decent amount during the good weather but when it started to cool down, I decided to do a job I've been meaning to for a while; straightening and painting the sills. Some muppet had damaged the sill slightly jacking the car up, so I took everything apart, straightened it all, de-rusted it and painted it. Then filled everything with wax and put it back together. When removing the skirts, there's a particularly weak clip that broke. For anyone that wonders why the part of the clip is so thin and weak, it's because of 'sink' or 'show through'. This is an an injection moulding term that basically means, if you have a thick section of plastic on the back surface (like where the clips are on the side skirts), when the part is injection moulded, you'll see a little sinking on the opposite surface (think of the molten plastic cooling down at a different rate where you have a lot of material in one small area). So what designers do is make anything that's joined to a visible surface, as small/thin as possible. This means, for the you and I ~14 years later taking our cars apart, things break. So, I glued it back in place and added some polyurethane to give it some strength back: Now painted: ...and waxed: I always put a little grease on clips like this on re-assembly to make things a bit easier: And back together:

May I suggest using 800 and make sure you sand it in all directions (if you're not using tools like a DA), that'll minimise the sanding scratches you're seeing through the paint. Also, try some high-build primer to flat back before putting the top coat on. Lastly (I don't mean to nit-pick, just trying to pass on tips from my many 'learning occasions'), wet sanding isn't really the best on rattle can paints as they're more absorbent than 2k, so you risk water getting trapped in the coats and then blistering after a few weeks.

Thanks. Doing bushes like that is one of those things that's much easier to do than you think, as long as you've got some threaded bar and a decent selection of washers and sockets.

Fair point on the smaller head jacks, I know exactly what you mean. I got a bit creative with a stanley knife and made one fit inside the head/cup of a jack before getting, well, exactly what you said; a big costco jack (seriously, one of my best investments).

Another interesting update; I've recently fitted a magnetic sump plug and will probably be the same when I next service it. Loved the microfiber to protect the ARB lol That's my kind of thing. Oh, speaking of, here's a tip you might like if you don't know already; buy some ice hockey pucks to use as jacking pads. They're really dense circular rubber and work brilliantly between jacks and whatever part of the body you're touching. Also, interesting to hear of your pain bleeding the slave; I remember being super disappointed at the feel straight after I did mine, but lots of bleeding later and it was fine.

Cheers for the reply. So can anyone explain any pros or cons to each system? Why are they chosen?

Wow, sorry to see the latest update! Name and shame the bodyshop (I may have missed it if it was elsewhere in the thread) One of my pet hates in crap bodyshops! Enthusiasts like us notice a rubbish a job, but the trouble is most of their customers are people who simply drop a damaged car off and if it comes back without any dents, in roughly the same colour, they're happy. So it never pushes the bodyshop to actually do good work!

Right, time for another update. Oil service (plus a magnetic sump plug), coolant replaced (rad only), PAS fluid replaced, new belts and arb drop links: Coolant was definitely due: As were the belts! I drained the PAS reservoir, then filled it back up again instead of undoing a line on the rack and emptying the entire system. I've got enough fluid to slowly 'purge' the system by sucking the reservoir dry and replacing with new fluid a couple of times. New drop links: And lastly, a poor picture of the sump...just to finish things off:

Hi Guys and Gals, I wanted to start this as a discussion point more than anything; firstly to see if my understanding is correct and secondly to gain input from those more knowledgeable if it's not or if they'd like to add anything. Oh and also, reason being I've recently replaced my coolant and it got me wondering. So, what I did was: - Drained the rad (took the cap off to drain it faster), drained the over-flow tank and then filled up both again as slowly as I could be bothered with. Oh and btw the front end was up high on axle stands for me to drain the rad. - I then started the car, with the interior heater set to full heat to ensure full circulation, and let it warm up for a few minutes with the rad cap off (until I assumed the thermostat had opened). - Then gave it some revs and held it about about 2.5-3k for another few minutes before putting the cap back on and letting it sit to warm up. Interior heat was fine, all seemed good and I switched it off and let it cool down. - The next morning I went to check and the overflow tank was pretty low, I assume the rad sucked any coolant it needed as it cooled down. So I it topped it back up. So, I assume everything is fine but I'd like to understand a bit more about the technical side of things. The 350z's coolant system uses a thermostatic radiator cap that releases pressure at 0.9 bar. This 'vents' any coolant into the tank, which is never pressurised, and when cold, this is how you gauge how much coolant is in the system. Question: -As the cap opens to circulate into the tank, would it naturally bleed air from the system? -And would it suck the tank dry if there was a leak for example? Also, on other cars I've had (like my Seat Ibiza), there is an expansion tank and no cap on the radiator. This tank is the only access point to the coolant system and you fill up any coolant through it, not directly into the rad. This expansion tank is pressurised when the engine is up to temperature but there is no thermostatic cap like the Nissan that opens up at any point. Can anyone explain the differences and why? I know I could probably google this but I thought it would be good to get some discussion on the topic.

Hi All, As I've mentioned in my project thread I need a few items for my 350GT. Now, I could shop around and source all the little bits from separate places but I'm hoping I can use one of the trusted traders on here (keeps money in the enthusiast places more than anything), and also, lets be honest, it'd be easier for me. Ps, I've searched for answers to some of the questions below as I hate being 'that guy' but I can't get any results. Even if I search the entire forum got 'PAS fluid' for example, I get zero hits... So, the car is a 2003 350GT and I'd like the following parts: - Oil and filter (it's got 5w30 fully synthetic mobil super 3000 in currently and I do have some left), plus a magnetic sump plug and new washer. - Front ARB drop links - Aux belt and AC belt Potentials, based on price and if they need to 'specific'. These are things I may as well do while I'm there, if the price is right. - Radiator cap with gauge (just for curiosity) - PAS fluid & Coolant: Are these cars particular over these fluids? I'm used to BMW's for example where only BMW coolant is the safest bet. Otherwise I'll replace like for like. Thanks all.

That explains it! The last picture was very familiar and looked like it could have been taken at the places I've worked. Great build! Keep up the good work!

Do you work for an injection mould tool company by any chance?

Well I've lived with a few noises the old girl has been making for a while now and decided to look into them. First off, there was a noise coming from the front that I suspected might be the drop links. So I removed them, tied the ARB out of the way and went for a test drive to confirm. The noise was gone so that's a new pair of drop links needed: Next up was a recent development; an exhaust heat shield rattle. Now, I'd already secured all the heat shields but one was still clinging on to the original weld...well, not anymore, so that was fixed: Also, the aux belt has started squealing so a new one of those is also on the list. It's also due for a service, even though I don't do many miles in it, so the shopping list is as follows: New front ARB drop links New aux belt, maybe even tensioner Fresh oil and filer Maybe some new PAS fluid while I'm at it. Anything special needed here?

Yaaaay! Another one! I like that front lip; improves the front no-end.

Really interesting work. I'm a user of Bilthamber stuff; how do you find the difference between the UB and UC?

Cracking thread!! All the work you've done is really my kind of thing...as is the Primera! Interesting to see the solenoids being gunked up to, did anyone ever see the S2000 on Wheeler Dealers? Similar thing.

Wow, great work!

Loving the cost breakdown each time! Almost as if it's your way of justifying things

Thanks Davey. The only part of the underbody that's left is the middle basically, so at some point I'll get the skirts off, remove various bits and complete it all. I'm not sure if it's a placebo but I'm sure it feels a little 'sharper' with the new plugs.