mattross1313 Posted April 16, 2013 Author Share Posted April 16, 2013 Quick close up to prove that I fitted the Tarmac sports one too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah 350z Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 Very nice I like that look Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted April 16, 2013 Author Share Posted April 16, 2013 Very nice I like that look Cheers Sarah mini update for tonight - in keeping with theme of recent updates....another fail!!!! Since owning the car I have been toying with the idea of creating some custom rear light clusters, based on the pre-facelift units. Buster loaned me a set to fit in place of mine, leaving mine free to fettle with. I had planned on fitting some custom built acrylic rods to give the effect of red bars of light, along with something funky with the three lines of reflectors pointing up towards the roof. So with a few hours to kill tonight, and a friendly Keyser around the corner......I went off on my way. After helping break some bits off the mini engine (when I say help I mean stand on a bar whilst Chris got 'Medieval on its ass'), we heading to the powder coating room so I could use the oven to split the clusters. I have done this before on my MR2 so I know the deal, put them on a low heat for a while then gently pry the lens apart as the glue softens. It takes time, but I got pretty good at it (did it to three sets). The Zed however didn't want to play ball, we had it on a low heat but before the glue had even began to get soft the red lens had deformed and sunk inwards So I now have one rear light unit which isn't much good to anyone, the other I'll try and sell. Time to go shopping for some facelight rear lights as they already come with LED's, and I shouldn't need to fettle and break these ones Pictures don't really do it justice, but you can see the parts that used to be straight are not anymore, and parts that used to have a nice curve to match the car are not so nice. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted April 16, 2013 Author Share Posted April 16, 2013 Thanks to Chris for the loan of the oven, and to Mrs.S for the cuppa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 Very welcome mate - shame it did not go to plan was a great idea. If you need to break anything else I'm just round the corner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted April 16, 2013 Author Share Posted April 16, 2013 Cheers Chris. I might try the same broken unit with a hairdryer or heat gun to see if i have more luck. Maybe a focused heat will work better and not effect the main red plastic so much?......don't suppose you have a heat gun i could borrow for an evening? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted May 2, 2013 Author Share Posted May 2, 2013 Havent made any updates for a little while, nothing ground breaking at the moment but just a few little things that I've been doing to keep myself busy. The bigger bits are being collected this weekend & at Japfest Hopefully get the majority of it fitted before our Wales trip in July. Over the past week or so Buster helped me fit an old engine grounding kit he had going spare. I will replace it at some point but for now I am more than happy with it I have given the cables a quick clean up....just need more orange in the engine bay to continue the theme. I also had another present from Alex, which was my passenger side headlight washer cover. This popped on very quickly and has tidied up the front end of the car a treat! really happy with it And a quick snap of the car the other evening down at the seafront, was a lovely day after work so went for a quick blast with some friends. Last weekend I also treated the car to new boots all round. After much deliberation I opted for Falken 914's. These seem to provide better wet grip than the 452's and seeing as these will eventually become my winter tyres I thought it would be a better option. They have been fitted and balanced, unfortunately my car matches a number other Zeds out there and has a rather alarming amount of surface rust underneath. I think it may have live near..or IN the sea at some point in its life. This results in me needed to get 4 new bolts at the rear so I can get the alignment adjusted - needs some camber and toe adjustments. It looks like these bolts are pretty expensive in themselves, so I am toying with getting coil-overs and camber adjustment kits sooner rather than later. The kits come with the bolts, so if I buy the bolts now I will only end up with another set of bolts when I eventually buy the camber kits......thats my logic for buying a new set now and I'm sticking to it!! and I will ofcours need to get coilovers at the same time I am looking to at either the BC Racing or HSD coils, with the camber arm kit, most likely a full set of wheel spacers and maybe some adjustable topmounts? (or do people think topmounts would be over kill? Cheers, Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KyleR Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 Chances are, like mine the camber bolts and toe bolts will all be rusted solid and will need chopped off. You only get one pair with the camber kit to be used in place of the OEM toe ones, so you'll likely still need another pair to be able to adjust everything correctly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted May 2, 2013 Author Share Posted May 2, 2013 Ah OK thanks for the heads up on the kits. Yep mine were(still are) solid. The guy trying to do my wheel alignment was pretty much hanging off one of the bolts and it wasn't having any of it!! Might look at a price for the 4 bolts see what I can find. Alex only has one set in stock and will have to order the second set. But if I need to order another pair anyway for the kit I might put this on hold for a little while. Just get it aligned 'as is' with new bolts and do coil overs in the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted May 5, 2013 Author Share Posted May 5, 2013 Well after a rather productive (and long) 2 days we have some good updates Yesterday I went to a friends unit and had the windows tinted. I went for 20% on the rear windows and lighter on the fronts, didn't got for Limo as I still want to be able to use the window at night. Really really pleased with the results and totally transform the car. Struggled to get a good photo, but this should give you the idea So that was yesterday over and done with - after a party last night, Maccy D's breakfast & a coffee I set off on a road trip. I had arranged to go down to Exeter to meet another member to collect a shiny exhaust for my Zed My mate Matt came along to keep me company.....a little concerned about fitting myself, Matt and an exhaust in the Zed we headed off on our way to hope for the best. To make things more fun I had to pick up another exhaust near Exeter for another member (not saying who yet incase I spoil their surpirse).....So, it was now me, Matt & two exhaust systems in the Zed! Challenge accepted!!! Matt with the first exhaust mid pipe (back box in the boot) Matt with first mid pipe over one shoulder, and the other mid pipe coming in from the boot The boot After dropping off Matt I have to improvise with the seatbelt, to avoid myself getting hit in the face Those eagled eyed viewers might be able to see what treats are in the boot. The exhaust for the other member is a full K1 system with bungs (defo needed haha). The system for myself is rumoured to be one of only 3 known in the UK It is a Fujitsubo 100% Titanium system - backbox and mid pipe. I got this for a good price and after a small fix up I can't wait to get it fitted. the backbox needs a new mounting bracket as the passenger side has snapped off, the join to the mid pipe needs straightening, dent pulling out, and a good clean ...oh and get the tips flamed This weight of this system is unbelievable! Matt balanced the mid pipe comfortably with one finger!! and it comes with the Zed logo etched into the rear box which is cool Keyser is dropping the system off to a local welder to get it checked out in the hope he can weld it up for me....... I left the system with Chris this evening.....hopefully it does not end up on the green monster before I come back to collect it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted May 5, 2013 Author Share Posted May 5, 2013 Found this on youtube a while ago - with the exception of the Fujistubo Y-Pipe ( i will fit A.N.Other) my system will hopefully sound similar to this......love this clip!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humpy Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 I've been in that zed whom you bought it of and it sounds fantastic! Even nicer with the zed logo on it. Look forward to seeing some videos and pictures of this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted May 7, 2013 Author Share Posted May 7, 2013 Cheers Steve I'm really looking forward to getting it fitted, should sound awesome! We spent a long time yesterday doing some cleaning ready for Japfest - on both mine and Lisa's Evo we cleaned behind the wheels, wheel arches, touched up the callipers & painted the inner edge of the disks with some silver hammerite. Just makes it look a bit fresher. Whilst doing this I hooked up my new budget GoPro for some timelapse testing. It's a Wingman HD camera and is pretty much the same as a GoPro. Note about halfway through where Lisa takes a well earned rest on the spare wheel and catches some sun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olliecrx Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 Some amount of work being done there!!!! Love the Z logo detailing on the backbox too, that's a nice touch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted May 7, 2013 Author Share Posted May 7, 2013 Yeah I really like the Zed on the back box. I initially opted not to have the bumper tuck mod on mine, but when this is fitted I might have to....be rude not to show it off Had a catch up with Keyser this afternoon, or a near as i could with the wonderful mobile network where we live!! The two local places he spoke to are unable to help. However one suggestion was to use whats left of the titanium exhaust mount (two small pieces of hollow tube) and fabricate a steel piece that runs inside the tubeing. The exhaust can then hang from the new steel piece and have no worry or falling out of the titanium 'runners', maybe even a quick spot weld or tack to properly hold them in place. It might be an option should I not be able to find anyone that can help. As for the bend in the entrance to the backbox, this should be cured with some heat and force to just pull it straight. The challenge will be bending it to the right place so it mates correctly with the mid pipe. fun fun fun!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinyflier Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 Cheers Steve I'm really looking forward to getting it fitted, should sound awesome! We spent a long time yesterday doing some cleaning ready for Japfest - on both mine and Lisa's Evo we cleaned behind the wheels, wheel arches, touched up the callipers & painted the inner edge of the disks with some silver hammerite. Just makes it look a bit fresher. Whilst doing this I hooked up my new budget GoPro for some timelapse testing. It's a Wingman HD camera and is pretty much the same as a GoPro. Note about halfway through where Lisa takes a well earned rest on the spare wheel and catches some sun That is the funniest vidclip I have watched for ages! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted May 7, 2013 Author Share Posted May 7, 2013 Cheers i aim to please. I was very close to adding the Benny Hill theme song just for extra giggles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 Nice work, car should be spotless for japfest after all that hard work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted May 9, 2013 Author Share Posted May 9, 2013 Fingers crossed the car will be clean for Saturday. it's rumoured to be raining tomorrow so I will no doubt be getting funny looks from the neighbours as I clean both cars, and fit a set of wheels to the Evo.......best not Effing rain!! Quick update for today - I dropped the exhaust over a local Ti welder who should be able to sort something out for me. He is hoping to get some Ti to replace the missing mount and will try to work his magic on the dent too. Fingers crossed he can do it for me, double fingers crossed that he can get it done by Wednesday next week and I can fit it ready for Wales........probably wishful thinking though. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted May 13, 2013 Author Share Posted May 13, 2013 Post Japfest udpate. I didn't get a great deal of time at the show but I did manage to wander over to the stand and meet a few members. Whilst there Darren kindly gave (in exchange for money) me a set of Berk HFC's...brand new in box Whilst near the stand I popped over to collect my coolant hose kit from Merlin Motorsport, in orange to continue the theme. I also collected some replacement rear lights from Dip as I melted the last set, good to meet you mate the final treat was collected from Ironhide, which was the prototype engine bay slam panel that he has recently has a group buy on. Mine will end up painted and fitted. That's it for now, see more of you guys up in Wales 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted May 25, 2013 Author Share Posted May 25, 2013 Exhaust update!! After dropping the exhaust off last week with a local welder, he gave me a call this week to say it was ready. He has done an amazing job considering how hard titanium is to work with. Unfortunately he couldn't get replacement Ti bar to create a new exhaust mount, however he did a top job creating a replacement out of stainless steel. He also pulled out most of the dent in the rear box, and pulled out the intake pipe a couple of degrees. Both are not perfect, but a whole world better than they used to be! looking at the position of the dent it should not be visible when on the car anyway. We should be kicking off the fitment of this next weekend so in my excitement I spent some time today giving it a clean. From my googling it seems Ti is quite tricky to maintain - WD40 and a rag seemed to do the trick. Check out the pics below of the before/after cleaning, and the repair work. dirty clean New mount straightened exit dent shiny shiny Oh, and I removed the '350z' badge as the Zed has been half hanging off since I bought the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MITZ@CougarStore Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Looks great, Matt... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizurd Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 that exhaust is looking good! get it fitted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT4 Zed Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Nice exhaust!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted May 26, 2013 Author Share Posted May 26, 2013 Thanks chaps, fingers crossed it will be fitted by about this time next weekend...ish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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