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Project: WeaponiZed


V1H

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  • 2 months later...

It's been a couple months coming, the work and effort was enormous. I modded my 370Z tail lights!

 

 

I've long longed for a more modern design; the 'individual LEDs' look doesn't quite fit this time of age anymore. There are however, as we know, no commercial aftermarket lights available, in part due to the fact that the tail light cannot be opened (unlike the headlight).

I wanted from the mod sequential turn signals and deep red tail lights (new breed of Merc, BMW, Audi, Porsche)

 

Brake Light

First I migrated the stock Stop light over to the turn indicator, making it dual-function via amber/red switch-back LED T20/7443 bulbs [US Amazon], plus 7443 socket adaptors [US Amazon] (the stock turn bulb is only two-contact T20/7440). The 7443 socket teeth needed a bit trimming to fit the light housing.

 

Tail Light

My research into the deep red came up inconclusively but I believe it's a LED with around 660 nm wavelength instead of the more orange-y normal red of 620-640 nm. I searched long and hard to find 660 nm red LED flexi strips and went through a number of disappointing purchases, all of which turned out to be the normal red. The only workaround I found was to buy 'Hydroponic plant grow light' led strips, which are specifically stated to combine 660 nm red and 460 nm blue LED chips in ratios from typically 3:1 to 8:1.

So I bought 8:1 660:460 grow led strips, which I specified to a double-row of 3528SMD chips, a density of 240 LEDs/m and power consumption of 24 W/m [#0.5M-HK-15MM-F3528PG120-NW-8:1-12]. I then removed the blue LEDs from the strips (there was no option of only 660 LEDs)

...et voilà!

Tail_1.jpg

To avoid varying brightness and power consumption with changing car voltages I decided to buy two PT4115-based LED drivers [Ebay] to power my deep red LED strips at a constant current. First I reprogrammed the driver's output current from 830 to 300 mA by replacing the two original current-setting 1206SMD resistors (R200 and R300) with a single R330 (0.33 Ω, 1%).
The PT4115's output current is set according to: I = 0.1 / R, where here R are two parallel resistances, i.e. R = R1 x R2 / (R1 + R2).
This way, each LED strip consumes 3.3 W and not get too hot. Also, powering my deep red LEDs at 300 mA requires the driver to apply about 12V which is guaranteed to always uncut my LiFePO4 car battery (>13 V). It's important that the driver's supply is always greater than it's output potential, else the output current would dip.

 

Now the hardest part, opening up the tail lights...
Unlike the head lights, the tail lights are fully fused, i.e. the lens is plastic-welded with the the housing. Prying with a screw driver will simply shatter your lens! What I had to do is buy another pair of used 370Z tail lights off Ebay, which I decided to serve as donors for the plastic housing. My stock lights shall then serve as lens donors (I had them already tinted).
I could now carefully destroy the Ebay lights' lenses, that is, break them away bit by bit with drills and pliers and files up to the very weld seam, until the unscathed rear housing was left. The chrome reflectors could then be unscrewed, too. My original tail lights underwent a similar procedure where I'd carefully destroy the rear housing, leaving the perspex lens intact.
Tail_2.jpg

I transferred over my harnesses and plugs, as well as, the original chrome reflectors, minus the OEM LED assembly for tail/stop. While I was at it, I spray painted my reverse and turn signal housings black (initially flat black, like my head lights, but later decided for gloss black to help with reduced light reflection).

 

Then I fabricated the deep red LED diffusor. I bought and experimented with various kinds of perspex (opal, LED light optimised, etc.) and ended up with 8 mm thick clear perspex with surface frosted finish (least internal loss, great surface diffusion). Custom alu brackets hold the LEDs strip against the hidden end of the perspex, light sealed with alu-sticky tape.

Tail_3.jpg

With the stock individual LEDs removed from the plastic carriers, I cut out a long 8 mm slots with a fret saw so my perspex LED assembly would slide inside.

Tail_4.jpg

I also added a 'side marker' of the same 660 nm LEDs where there's an unused provision behind the clear mini lens. They operate in parallel to the perspex light:

Tail_5.jpg

Tail_6.jpg

 

Sequential turn signal

Initially I bought a pair of 3-step sequential LED drivers [Ebay] but wasn't too happy that when each next channel comes ON the previous channel turns OFF again (only ever 1 LED on in sequence of LEDs). Also, 3 steps turned out to be too few.
However, a pair of Red/Amber switchback LED strip with silicon flexi-tube [UK Amazon] had a 3-step running turn signal with previously lit segments staying ON, and the controller was a 5-channel driver (BK-ZX-6L). I just had to add 2 cables to the 4th and 5th output! This is a test clip (don't mind the blue LEDs that were leftovers of said hydroponic light):
BK-ZX-6L.jpg

BK-ZX-6L.gif

 

The actual turn signal will be made from yellow 12V 2W COB LED bars, one of which i cut in half for the 1st and 4th signal, and 3M taped all to the 'staircase' plastic carrier, and holes for the wire feed-throughs.

Tail_7.jpg

On the clear plastic screen that goes on top of it I made four cut-outs to accommodate each a perspex diffusors in the next step, and some alu-sticky tape on select locations to suppress light bleeding.

Tail_8.jpg

I cut out a tiny mirrored letter Z, stuck underneath the 4th diffusor, so it turns the right way up in the chrome reflection underneath.;)

The diffusors were slotted in and glued in place with epoxy.

Tail_9.jpg

All wired up and routed to the original PCB, which I stripped of all its its components to use as 'carrier board' for my LED drivers (PT4115 & BK-ZX-6L).

Tail_10.jpg

Put everything back together in reverse order of disassembly. Will still need sealing, probably clear silicon. Don't forget to reuse the Silica gel pack that sits inside every light housing to prevent condensation!

Tail_11.jpg

Tail_12.jpg

Driver side done :D.... Passenger side to follow... aaarrrggghhhh :wacko:

 

 

Edited by V1H
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  • 1 month later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Installed some orange 'mood lights'...

These are electroluminescent (EL) LED lights (incl. 12V DC inverter, which actually runs them at a couple hundred Volt AC, but milliamps) [Ebay].

They were very easy to install. I got inspired by this youtube install video.

 

For the driver side door cart I simply spliced into the light blue (12V IGN) and black (Gnd) cables of the window controls harness.

For my center console mood light, I spliced into the green (12V IGN) and black (Gnd) cables of the seat heater harness (under the cup holder unit).

This way, the mood lights light up when ignition is ON.

Mood_2.jpg

Mood_1.jpg

 

PS: The passenger door I haven't done yet; there is no 12V IGN available and it'll require feeding some power from the cabin to the door.

Edited by V1H
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  • 1 month later...

Hello, last couple weeks I have decluttered my dashboard gauges and swapped my triple gauge cluster for 52 mm all-LCD-style Prosport EVO gauges (there are green/white and red/blue versions) with the red ones blending into the Z interior theme very nicely.

 

My plan was to swap the gauges as follows:

TripleGaugeCluster.jpg

I sourced my EVO gauges from R-Spec Performance Products (UK).

The Vac/Boost gauge is the mmHG/PSI version (#216EVOBO-PSI) and comes with a 2.5 bar MAP sensor, which I hooked up to my intake plenum.

The Oil Temp gauge is the Celsius version (#EVOOT-C) and comes with a 1/8-NPT temp sensor that screwed right into one of the spare threads on my AAM oil pan spacer. I took liberty and checked its R(T) response and it's different to the stock oil temp sensor.

IMG_3604.JPG

IMG_3605.JPG

 

The AFR gauge I bought is the narrowband version (#216EVOAFR), which I chose purely for cost (£56 versus £193 for the wideband version) but adapted it to function as wideband gauge. I reused my existing AEM UEGO controller with its BOSCH LSU 4.9 sensor (very precise). It has an analogue 5V output, which I feed to the EVO AFR gauge after some electronic conditioning: a simple electronic circuit converts the 0-5 V (WB range) into 1-0 V (NB range) in a linear fashion. Because the signal conditioning is quite specific to my case I'll skip technical details. It cost me some extra hacking and customising but saved me some pounds...

 

I managed to extract the single-piece PCB of the stock triple gauge cluster through their three little dash trim openings. To my amazement they were still working afterwards (only the plastic enclosure had to be destroyed). But I had no use for them anyway.

 

I only reused the 'top hat' covers for an OEM look. The EVO gauges fitted very well after minimal trimming:

IMG_3323.JPG

 

With the new EVO gauges in, the old AEM AFR and vac/boost gauges sitting on top of the meter crown cover became obsolete. The clock is shown on the sat/nat screen anyway, and the battery voltage I can display on my GReddy TOUCH OBD2 gauge on the right hand side. So, no information is lost, just de-cluttered. (I ditched the GPS speedo above the Rev dial a while ago)

IMG_3608.JPG

 

Close-up of the new EVO gauges

EVOgaugeCluster.jpg

 

EDIT:

Since the central dash trim was off I touched up the start button with some Dupli-Color Metal Specks Retro Red (#MS300).

I've been toying to buy the red NISMO start button trim for a long while but won't do it now anymore (sorry @Adrian@TORQEN;))

StartButton.jpg

Edited by V1H
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As I had to cover two small holes from my previous two gauges on top of the meter cluster I bought the Motorsport Auto Carbon crown meter cover [#50-1915] from the Z-Store. It's a simple slip-on carbon cover with very good fitment. Naturally, I love the looks but hope I won't get too addicted to carbon stuff - it costs too much  :lol:

MeterCover_1.jpg

There appear to be two options out there, some covering the central Rev Dial with carbon too, like the EVO-R cover, but I wanted it uncovered since I skinned my Rev Dial in red. This is the only reason I went with the Z-Store and had to deal with import duties.

MeterCover_2.jpg

MeterCover_3.jpg

Edited by V1H
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PREMIUM CONNECT INFOTAINMENT Upgrade - STAGE 1

 

OEM navigation maps update

By clicking Info on the Infotainment system and entering the menu Navigation Version, one can read out one's ... errr ... Navigation Version. My MY2013 showed from factory:

Navi_old.jpg

which I updated today to:

Navi_new.jpg

by installing a set of five DVDs of the Connect Premium (X9.0) EUROPE V7, which I ordered from the Nissan Navigation Store [#T1000-27465]. They'll also provide you with an activation code that's unique to your VIN and Unit ID (displayed when you click Info, then menu entry Map Update). The install took about 4 hours. The new maps are by HERE Maps and are supposed to add about 1.5M km of road, 275k one-way-streets and 449k turn restrictions.

Navi_box.jpg

Edited by V1H
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  • 4 weeks later...

PREMIUM CONNECT INFOTAINMENT Upgrade - STAGE 2

I have now upgraded my stock infotainment system with an Android unit.

I purchased it through @StormtrooperZon the forum.

Android_1.jpgAndroid_2.jpg

Left: OEM versus Right: Android (with AGAMA app)

 

What's in the box:

The Lsailt Android Multimedia Video Interface [#LLT-YF-VER5.9.5] runs Android 7.1.1 (pre-installed with a number of typical apps) on an  with2 GB RAM and 32 GB ROM. It integrates with the OEM infotainment system (incl BOSE® sound) and uses the stock Touchscreen. The unit supports Mirrorlink/carplay/dongles/phones, microSD, USB, GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi etc. You can switch between the OEM and Android infotainment system any time by pressing the BACK button for 2 sec.

 

The Android system includes the multimedia unit and a bunch of cables of which I currently only used the following four:

1) Screen splicing LVDS cable

2) GPS antenna unit

3) main power harness (splices into the stock radio unit's 20-pin and 32-pin cables; and has a 3.5 mm stereo jack connector for SOUND OUT and is important later, among stuff I didn't use e.g. Sound In, rear Camera 12V O/P, mini-speaker) 

4) 3.5 mm jack-to-USB converter

 

The remaining mini-speaker, USB cables, DTV/V OUT and AV/CAM IN harnesses I didn't currently use.

Android_3+.jpg

 

Installation:

This was a bit of a learning curve but @StormtrooperZ was very kindly supporting me with hints and tips :thumbs:

First, removed the dashboard trims and remove the touch screen and pull forward the radio/CD head-unit. That's all easily done with a handful of screws.

Android_4.jpg

Place the Android box on top of the head-unit (Velcro pad included) as it's slim enough to just about fit snug into that tight space.

Connect the main power harness (3), which will remain stuffed behind the head-unit when reinstalled, and route the 3.5 mm jack cable down and out, past the gear lever toward the armrest. The screen cable (1) routes upward and plugs into the stock (grey 4-pin) screen cable (the bigger white stock screen cable stays untouched). Connect the GPS antenna cable (2) and stow the GPS unit away. I shoved it higher up behind the screen and beneath the triple gauge cluster.

Reinstall the radio head-unit with the Android box on top, the touchscreen and the dashboard trims.

 

In order for the Android system to play sound though the car's stock speakers (BOSE system) you basically route the Android's SOUND OUT cable to the USB-AUX I/P ( IPOD) inside your armrest. That's what the 3.5 mm jack-to-USB adaptor (1) is needed for. It's not as tidy as the other harnesses. So I ran the 3.5 mm audio cable beneath the gear lever trim into the armrest compartment from beneath through a hole big enough such that the USB adaptor plug would fit through:

(I added a short white extension lead that I had lying around)

Android_8.jpg

View from underneath:

Android_9.jpg

 

Operation:

When the car is switched on it is important to change the radio's input mode to iPod with the DISC-AUX button.

Then, as mentioned, you toggle between OEM and Android infotainment system by pressing the BACK button for 2 sec.

The default home screen of the looks like this:

Android_5.jpg

After connecting to my home WiFi (car sat in my garage; else you could created a WiFi hotspot on your phone and connect this way) I downloaded the 'AGAMA Car Launcher' by Altercars from the Google Play App Store and set this to my default home screen and unlocked the full version ($1.99). The new look is what's shown at the top of this post :rolleyes:

Android_2.jpg

The AGAMA web page also has user instructions on how to associate the (initially empty) App shortcuts on the home screen with your favourite Android apps. I'm still learning Android, my first ever Android  device, but I recognised a few common apps like Google Maps for the Navi, TuneIn for the Radio, etc. The customisable five presets of the AGAMA home screen are Radio, Navi, Music, Phone and Internet, each having their subfolder with up to 5 configurable apps.

Android_6.jpgAndroid_7.jpg

You can now browse the internet and YouTube, watch videos in the car and whatever you want to do. Later I want to install the TORQUE OBDII app and look like a GTR dashboard :clap:

 

Edited by V1H
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PREMIUM CONNECT INFOTAINMENT Upgrade - STAGE 3

I am attempting to upgrade my stock touchscreen,

Because it is a resistive one, its touch sensitivity is low (dragging gestures on the new Android system is difficult) and the screen brilliance and contrast is substantially reduced, I am converting resistive to capacitive touch screen (typical for phones and iPads).

Note, any touch screen is merely a transparent coordinate tracking screen on top of the actual colour display.

 

I stumbled across this IndiWork 7" capacitive touch screen (sourced through car-solutions) with matching dimensions to the 370Z OEM screen. I will also need their capacitive-to-resistive touch screen converter [#CT6-4 V1.1] (also sourced through car-solutions) so that the 370Z infotainment system keeps thinking it's a resistive type. Display brilliance and touch sensitivity should be much improved.

CapTouch_1.jpg

CapTouch_2.jpg

I uninstalled my display, opened it up and very carefully lifted off the topmost glass panel (the actual touch screen). I needed a carpenter knife to break the double-sided sticky tape seal in between. Simple prying would shatter the glass. You can see just how light-robbing the resistive touchscreens are; cpacitive ones are perfectly clear. Also, the resistive screen has a blurring effect to it when you look through it - awful!

CapTouch_1.jpg

All I need to do is take off the flexible 4-wire FPC cable and connect its screen end to the converter's 4-pin output, making sure the 4 wires for Left, Bottom, Right, Top won't get mixed up.

 

[meanwhile, parts have arrived]

 

I wanted a compact solution without external cables running off the Display unit, so I fitted the res-to-cap-converter board to the aluminium case like so (there is not enough space inside of it):

CapTouch_2.jpg

The converter's power supply (ACC & GND) I directly sourced from the display unit. The Big grey 24-pin connector 'M75' has ACC at pin#23 (red cable in next photo). GND is at pin#12, but since all aluminium case is grounded too I bolted the ground cable directly to the case (back cable in next photo).

M75.png

As mentioned, I cut off the FPC (flexible printed circuit) cable of the original resistive touchscreen, exposed the gold contacts with a sharp knife and soldered 4 (arbitrarily coloured) wires onto it but kept track of their order:

my BLU-ORN encodes for Left signal

my YEL-YEL encodes for Bottom signal

my WHT-WHT encodes for Right signal

my GRN-GRN encodes for Top signal

Those 4 wires then run to the controller (right middle connector in above photo) for signal conversion. I had to do a bit trial-and-error testing in the car so see which pins on the controller are for the L/B/R/T signals (see above photo, inset).

CapTouch_3.jpg

The new capacitive touchscreen also comes with an FCP cable, which runs via a 6-pin connector on a tiny PCB to the controller's left hand side plug. Then, carefully closing up the unit, job done.

CapTouch_4.jpg

 

In comparison to the OEM touchscreen, the new one looks so crisp and vibrant as if one swapped an LCD for an OLED! And the touch sensitivity is amazing! The gentlest of touches instead of hard taps is now required to operate the screen. Dragging and scrolling menus is a breeze now.

CapTouch_5.jpg

I love it! :D

 

Edited by V1H
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  • 5 weeks later...

I'm now a happy owner of TORQEN's brand new and exclusive XB LED headlights [TRQ-HDL-Z34-RHD] ! :teeth:

While there are aftermarket headlight options for the 350Z, I am thanking @Adrian@TORQEN for bringing the very first aftermarket 370Z headlights to the UK :thumbs:

Especially, this set features state of the art 'Triple Kuria-optic Bi-LED projectors', sequential turn signals and DRLs. The light output is mind-blowing! It's definitely brighter than my Philips D2S HID Bulb (or the stock HID bulbs for that matter).

(Promo video here)

HDL_1.jpg

HDL_2.jpg

HDL_3.jpg

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1 hour ago, V1H said:

I'm now a happy owner of TORQEN's brand new and exclusive XB LED headlights [TRQ-HDL-Z34-RHD] ! :teeth:

While there are aftermarket headlight options for the 350Z, I am thanking @Adrian@TORQEN for bringing the very first aftermarket 370Z headlights to the UK :thumbs:

Especially, this set features state of the art 'Triple Kuria-optic Bi-LED projectors', sequential turn signals and DRLs. The light output is mind-blowing! It's definitely brighter than my Philips D2S HID Bulb (or the stock HID bulbs for that matter).

(Promo video here)

HDL_1.jpg

HDL_2.jpg

HDL_3.jpg

They are indeed a great upgrade ! 

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  • 3 months later...

Because I have tinted rear window and an obstructive Nismo wing out the back, my rear mirror view has been very poor.
I now installed a Rear Mirror Dash Cam, the Wolfbox 12" 2.5K G840H [Amazon].
Wolfbox G840H

I chose this particular model after reviewing the market because it has the largest display: 12" IPS touchscreen (1920x380 pixels) and uses the better SONY IMX415 Starvis sensor for superior night vision, among others. A quick spec summary:

Front Cam                        Rear Cam             

6-layer glass lens            IPS68 waterproof

F/1.55 aperture               F/1.8 aperture

170° FoV                          150° FoV

2560x1440p @25fps      1920x1080p @25fps

 

The mirror also features a GPS antenna, G-sensor, parking assist, 64GB TF card and lots of stuff I don't really need.

All I need it for is a brilliant rear view and for that... it blew my mind!

The clarity, brightness and field of view are such a tremendous improvement that I wonder why I drove for the past 7 yrs with the OEM mirror - every low visibility sports car needs that!

Mirror_2.jpg

I tucked the cables neatly under the head liner and ran them down the left A-pillar (power cable) and along the left side to the back end (rear cam cable), respectively. The rear cam cable them runs underneath the trunk plastic trims to the rear bumper (had to come off for camera installation). Note, the power cable cannot be hard wired to the car ignition (12V) but must use the included cigarette lighter adapter (5V)!

Mirror%20(3).JPGMirror%20(2).JPGMirror%20(1).JPG

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  • 7 months later...
On 19/07/2021 at 16:20, Umster said:

Nudge 🤭 what's been happening with this Z?! I'm craving for an update. 

Hi buddy, the pandemic has been a bit quiet in terms of modding and most recently I only swapped my knackered heavy duty CMC with a stock Nissan CMC since RJM Performance isn't getting its 'RHD act' together any time soon.

My pace is however building up again.

There are 4 things lined up:

 

1) Final Infotainment upgrade with a DAB+ Radio adapter, since the 370Z FM radio reception sucks balls 😅

This will be the Pure Highway 400 V2 EU/UK [#151603]

Pure_1.jpg

 

2) 'inspired' by my 5yr old son who loves to drive in my Z but dislikes the noise when I accelereate, I am going to slightly tone down the noise with a pair of 3" straight-though silencers courtesy of Vibrant Performance Ultra Quiet S/S Resonator [#1142], which I got for a steal at Amazon US.

Quiet_1.jpg.6b6b9adc1057c0d0fe4c92d7229b2f85.jpg

 

3) Upgrading my PCV system with a vacuum pump to improve performance and reduce blow-by of my current 'vent-to-atmosphere' style. It'll operate like this:

PCV_2.jpg.327dbf9dcae3176fdd6a81f5d605435b.jpg

But the main driver for this upgrade is my hope in combating the Borg Warner Turbos' significant oil leak into the intake charge pipes. I believe the oil drain stalls or is insufficient with my current VTA-style crankcase pressure.

After lengthy research on PCV evacuation I decided I want an electric vane-style pump (which are almost always brake booster pumps unless you pay real racecar money) I need to make sure the pump is not running constantly. Therefore I sourced via Summit Racing the CVR 12V Electric Vacuum Pump [#VP655] and CVR Vacuum Reservoir [#VPR700], along with a bunch of AN-10 fittings, check valves and vacuum hoses. But I will get into more detail when I am there.

PCV_1.jpg.a000d7db5c64f233b22cbc97ae45b404.jpg

 

4) A new sick Rear Wing, still on order with @Adrian@TORQEN - the absolutely baller Esprit GT Wing 262F in wet carbon finish as seen on this stunning Varis-bodied 370Z. My EVO-R Nismo High Wing will have to go...

Edited by V1H
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