Hello everyone,
I have had a number of requests for pics/ write up for removing the rear interior panels on our the 370Z. I figured it was time to do a semi-write up so that it will guide a few people along both now and in the future. Majority of the requests that I have recieved have related to installing the NISMO add-on braces as well as various stereo and general DIY questions.
Here is what you should see when you pop the hatch on the 370Z....
Begin by doing the following:
1) Remove all carpet, flooring and what other misc stuff you have stored in the rear (i.e., book bags, helmets....bodies
)
You will also need to remove the rear pull shade. To remove this:
Begin by unclipping the shade from the inside of the hatch and allowing it to recoil (Images 1 & 2). Reach inside on either the driver or passenger side and slide the pull shade's end cap away from the interior. It is spring loaded and will allow you to lower the end of the shade towards the floor of the car. This will allow you to do something along the lines of a 3 point turn to get the shade out of the car.
2) Refer to the picture below, there are 4 little hooks that secure the rear cargo nets in place. These need be removed as they serve 2 purposes. Not only acting as an anchor point for the cargo nets, they also help in securing the left and right body panels into place. There are no not pictured that are located on the center panel, between the tail lights.
To remove these clips, simply take a flat blade screw driver, butter knife, etc and gently pry on the top portion the fastener. You will see a spot where the top portion seperates.
Now that most of the interior is out of your way, you can now begin removing the hard plastic panels that cover the sides and rear of the trunk area.
3) Now, remove the Rear Interior Cargo Lamp. To remove, you will need to pry on the side facing the Driver side Fender. The light justs snaps in and can be removed with you hands. It will need to be removed once freed.
4) Begin by gently pulling the rear weatherstripping away from the chassis. I have found that by doing this, it allows for an easier removal of the center section.
5) To remove the center panel. Begin by gently brying the lower portion of the plastic out of its clips. It will pop free to a certain extent. To free the upper portion of the panel, gently pull each side UP. The panel has snap in clips both vertical and horizontal holding the panel in place. Be careful when pulling this panel, you can stress the plastic to the point it will crack!
This is what you should see once the panel is removed:
6) To remove the outer two interior panels, you will need to remove the two highlighted clips. These clips are to be removed in the same fashion as the four previously taken out.
7) Now you can begin popping free the side panels. In order to remove the foam brace under the carpet, you only need to pull one side off. Either way, the process for removal is the same no matter which side you choose.
The Slots in the chassis along the hatch area are where the snap in clips attach the interior panels to the body of the car.
8) Once the panel is removed, the large foam floor support bar can now be removed. By removing this, it will allow access to the BOSE Amp/Brain Box. There is alot of dead space under here, as mentioned in other posts, you can hide amps and other electronic devices here easily.
I will update this listing as I remove the interior more and more as I learn more tricks. There were alot of unused eletrical connections that I found hidden in the chassis, which makes me wonder what kind of goodies the Japanese 370Z's got and we could potentially use here in the states??
I hope this helps you guys out!