http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...-47-12-am.jpeg
The problem child herself.

I mounted the lift's hydraulic pump on the wall and made up some different hydraulic lines for the lift so I could run them along the ceiling. With the pump on the trolley it comes with, its just too low to use comfortably for me and having the lines on the floor would just give me something else to trip over.

Whats the lift height on that? ~46"?

Yeah just under 4ft. It's no full height lift but for my purposes and ceiling height its perfect.

I could use a lift like that. Have the same problem with ceiling height. :shakes head:

I like it. Certainly a giant improvement over jackstands and laying on creepers. :rock:

:iagree::iagree:

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...08841144-n.png
Here we are again! So I kinda gave up on the car for about 9 months, with what's happening in the world right now and all that blah blah blah I had more important things to stress over and the mighty 1.4L Nissan Cube was proving to be an awesome daily (37mpg with my heavy foot). Last year I decided I wanted a truck also and that build has taken my mind off the shitty situation I found myself in with the Z.

I got a pair of 2011 heads from Husam (BTWTuning) who had them checked and decked at the machine shop and he also swapped in the JWT valve springs on the exhaust side so I can reuse my C2 cams. Those should ship out this week.

In preparation for their arrival I am pulling the motor (again). It was smoking after I rebuilt it the last time which was probably due to me reusing the rings on the one cylinder that I replaced the rod in. I will be re-honing all cylinders and installing new rings to the same gap's that AAM's machinist had in there. Also while I measured the bearing clearances which required Grade 1 OEM rod bearings I noticed some shavings on the magnetic bung so I will be inspecting the bearings and replacing those if need be.

Hoping that this round I solve the VVEL refusing to work in bank 1 and the smoking. Pretty excited to get back in the driver seat and enjoy the power.

Been doing a little bit of work every night so it's not so over whelming. Last few times I did this I was using the lift at work so had to be in and out quickly. Being able to set my own pace in my own space is pretty nice.

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...122243f1c.jpeg
Spare timing covers redone with Duplicolor etch primer and gloss black engine paint.

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...-46-06-pm.jpeg
Turbos off and most of the top end stuff. Forgot I didn't have a pulley puller so I was unable to remove the ATI damper.

Tonight I'll get the oil pan and timing covers off.

Keep forgetting to get a 3 jaw puller to get the ATI damper off so I focused elsewhere.

Fired up the band saw & welder and using one of the circles I cut out of the fan shroud, 1" angle and 2" flat aluminum bar I made a new battery mount.

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...ac085182f.jpeg

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...b6707c246.jpeg

Rivnut's are my new favorite thing to use. I don't think I can ever go back to nuts and bolts for things like this.

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...2da7a9299.jpeg

Will get a wider flange M6 bolt but the proof of concept works. My only concern is since the new battery is lower down and offset to the rear of the car, the alternator and starter cables may not reach so I might have to remake those.

Looks good. I like the timing cover and battery mount.

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...ec4ea8c57.jpeg
Got the bay redone in Boulder Grey pearl that’s on the newer rogues.

The heads and gaskets are at my freight forwarder in Miami so I should get them within the next 2 weeks.

Engine disassembly happens this weekend

That view is all too familiar to me.

I need that goat pic you had up on a t shirt

:rofl2::rofl2:

Finally amassed all the various parts to get this thing back up and running. The motor is reassembled and I am in the process of redoing the intercooler piping using a Vibrant GTR core.

I was finding it difficult isolate any issues I was having to a particular bank because of the cross flow intercooler so I went vertical.

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...d29810df4.jpeg
Intercooler mounted in it's new home, it was tricky getting it as high up as possible since its a 14" tall core but it fits in there much nicer than the horizontal core.

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...5394a607d.jpeg
New 3" cold side piping mocked up

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...ddb1849ea.jpeg
Some "CAD" work, offsetting the outlets clears the upper bumper support

I'll be tackling the intakes and if the aluminum sheet I ordered is ready, the end tanks as well today.

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...cdbdbb102.jpeg

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...74497ec5c.jpeg

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...2ca91f13d.jpeg

Got the lower half of the intakes mocked up and the passenger side finished. I need to lower the car back down one more time to confirm their height is ok and then I’ll start connecting up the lines and put the transmission on.

The end tanks are done but I’m waiting on a bead roller before I weld on the last 3 outlets.

Confirmed the intakes are at the right height after lowering the car back down on the motor. I also finished mocking up the cold side piping, all that's left is to mount the BOV and MAF flanges.


http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...4-18-50-00.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...4-18-50-15.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...4-19-18-11.jpg

Plan is to have all the welding done tonight after work and bead roll everything. Then it's bolting on the flywheel/clutch and transmission

No pictures today but I did complete the following

All intercooler pipes welded and bead rolled
Intercooler outlets welded and bead rolled
Torqued all the manifold bolts/nuts
Remounted the engine oil and power steering coolers
Managed to strip an ac line bolt hole in the compressor
Grabbed the intercooler to reposition it by the outlet I just welded so I have a half circle pattern on my palm LOL

More importantly I fixed the MaxJax lift, I have been plagued with binding issues which they refused to make right. I have one of the older units with a textured powder coating which causes the delrin guide blocks to bind. So far I've taken the guide blocks out to sand thecorners/edges then melt the surfaces with a torch for smoothness along with greasing the hell out of it. What ended up working was putting some 1/8 aluminum flat bar in the posts for the guide blocks to slide on, no more binding!

Still no pictures as the garage looks like it's been hit by hurricane Nikko. I'll clean up tomorrow and get some.

Flywheel/clutch and transmission are back on and the subframe has been bolted back on for what I hope is the last time. I had to do some re-routing of the oil cooler lines and power steering cooler lines.

The list is getting shorter
Connect AC lines (& get the vacuum/gauges/freon from work)
Connect wiring harness
Connect fuel lines
Connect steering shaft
Install front knuckles/brakes/suspension
Bleed brakes
Install drive shaft
Install y pipe
Install shifter and interior panels
Finish rewiring gauges
Download current rom and send for a revised start up map for the new 3" cold pipes

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...28dcf87b6.jpeg
Home stretch now!

Tomorrow should be warm up and beat on it to seat the rings

Important life lesson time, the intake cam gears have a left and right side. I was chasing a no spark situation and that seems to be the issue looking at the part number on the cam gears.

Lot's of double work ahead of me tonight after work.

Still dodging pulling the timing covers. Doing other things that need doing like tidying up some wiring for the fuel pumps and line lock, need to get my wife to crawl in it to help me bleed the brakes. Once I run out of small things to do I'll have no choice but to quit procrastinating.

Forgot I needed a quick connect to 6an fitting for the flex fuel sensor. Previously I had the sensor in the return line with the CJM fuel pump hanger but now that I have his twin pump hanger that won't work so it's going in the feed once I get that fitting.

It lives!.....sorta.

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...994ca6807b.jpg

I repaired the crack in the front lip, have to get that repainted but no aesthetic mods until the engine proves itself. I need to take apart the headlights too as they got foggy on the inside some how.

The alternator isn't charging and I double checked the connector for it. Have to pull that out to get it tested and see if we have the voltage regulator at work.

The other electrical gremlin is I don't have continuity to one fuel pump, the level sender or the fuel temp gauge so I have to pull that back out to check everything out with the multimeter.

Finally! Back up and running!

After the first 5 mile drive I put it back on the lift, oil drain magnet looks good, oil looked clear. Filtered some through a shop towel and no metallic powder.

I had 2 small oil leaks, one of which has been fixed. The other is the drivers side turbo oil drain, I need to buy a sacrificial wrench tomorrow to grind down for low profile action. Tuesday it will regain daily driver status.

Interior wise, I completely forgot that I need a slider for the new to me passenger side Bride seat so the stock one goes back in until I get sliders.

First drive to work this morning with no surprises.

I have been driving a 2nd gen Nissan Cube for 2 years which made my wife's Kia Sportage feel fast. The wastegate's are 14psi on the Z, I've only crept up to like 5-6psi as I am still apprehensive, holy **** this thing is quick. 60-70% throttle in 2nd and as soon as boost comes in the 325's are barking out back.

I'll be taking it easy until the truck gets here just incase, I may not even try to do any WOT pulls until that point. No point in building a car to make power and not to use it but it's been down 2 years and I just want to drive/enjoy it for a while.

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...7-17-24-05.jpg
You can see now why I need to do some body related work, the poor front lip has been through hell.

Nice job! I have not had mine for three years the end of next week. I can't wait to feel that rush again.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

It will be worth it in the end!

The car gave me a scare yesterday and didn’t want to start, checked the logs I did previously and saw the MAP sensor reading not moving so I found out the omni 4 bar map sensor failed on me but that wasn’t it, after watching the gauges after cranking I saw no fuel pressure. The relay is acting up so I bridged the pump 2 relay and got back to work, replaced that relay last night.

I am waiting on an OEM GTR MAP sensor to arrive from Husam, even with FedEx, that’s a week at best to get to me. I can’t express enough gratitude for all the assistance and support he’s provided through out this whole journey. Was a no brainer to have the Frontier swapped and built at BTWTuning.

Just some paint, those are good scars. Glad to see it running!

Thanks, I'll probably see if the bumper can come in the back of the truck. Get a start on it for the new year.

Still chasing this fuel smell, It's more prevalent after I shut off the car. I have cleaned the area numerous times but the fuel/dust film still returns. I think I may have torn an o ring in the OEM "feed" line quick connect fitting. I'll try swapping that out to -6AN from the fuel pump hanger to under the car and see if that solves it.

Fuel smell solved, turns out the ORB plug on the extra fuel hanger outlet was a smidge loose, I had to cut the short end of an allen key even shorter to be able to tighten that.

Did the 3rd oil change, swapped over to Valvoline VR1 synthetic 10w30 or as I affectionately call it, smurf blood. Minimal fuzz on the magnetic bung, so far so good, next oil change will be in 1k miles.

On that note, the car gods giveth, and they taketh away. Starter has failed, at the bottom of the drive way no less. Friends are coming over to help push the heavy bitch into the garage tonight.

Fwiw, @zs-carpenter bought a winch for my garage to pull the car back into the garage and on the lift (since the turd usually isnt running) and it is absolutely awesome. Might be worth a couple bucks to try one out.

That does seem like an awesome idea, my drive way is kinda 90* and not very long. Though I could set up a pulley to get it half way and then re rig. Hmmmmm

My driveway is a serious hill and getting it back into the garage by myself wasnt happening.
The pulley would work out well. :tup:

Ended up pushing it back out onto the street and push starting it, I forget how heavy this thing is until I need to move it manually.

In related news, I hate newer cars, I really do. Car was in some kind of limp mode, no CEL's and no idea what could be causing it but the throttle was definitely being limited. Of all the things, the little rubber stop in the pedal for the brake light switch crumbled so the brake lights were on constantly, the ECU thought I was on the brakes and cutting power.

Hopefully it's run out of hurdles to throw in front of my path now....


https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e2/08...4084927e50.jpg

This car is ******* fast. I have reason to believe I am done power wise. That is all.

Track opens up some time early in the new year so I'll see if I can best my previous times.

Well my virtual dyno days may be nearing an end. Someone locally has a 4WD hub dyno now. I’ll be going on Friday as part of a work perk (love my job some times)

In other news, the exhaust has a HORRIBLE drunken trumpet noise around 3k so I did the 1/4 wave calcs and broke out the band saw and tig.

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...8673d3f18.jpeg
Will find out in the morning if it was worth it

Well that was a success, it still has the VQ rasp but the shitty trumpet sound has been eliminated at the exact rpm it was occurring. Math works!

Took some time off work and decided I wanted to punish myself by tackling my dashboard. It has the cracks and peeling that is common and since a used dash is going to be $1k by the time I get it, figured I would try covering it in a basic wet lay up “forged” carbon fiber.
http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...2e0aec933.jpeg
How it started

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...0390decdd.jpeg
After heating and scraping the plastic crap off the foam. I also decided to smooth in the gauges, some 2” pvc pipe and body filler got the result I was after.

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...4983e90de.jpeg
Had to use some filler in a few spots, then a coat of glazing putty. I sanded it very lightly with 220grit

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...4324440fb.jpeg
Using a half pound of 1/4” carbon flakes and epoxy resin I got 3 layers. Was a pain in the *** because you can’t brush on the resin, will just end up with clumps of grey hair. So after the epoxy set up I had to drizzle on more then toss more flakes on.

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...76038b145.jpeg
Current status. I have about another 6 hours of sanding with 80grit to do a final brush on of epoxy to fill in any small pin holes. After that I have some tinted and matted PPG high solid clear to be the final layer.

I’m looking forward to the outcome of the dash project!

Me too! :icon17:

Sanding, what a **** ton of sanding. Between waiting for the epoxy to set up and sanding this is taking ages. Patience is not one of my virtues so I have been limiting my time on it to 1-2 hours at a time each day.

Basically there's no way to use body filler and a few spots are thin on the carbon flake layers so I cannot just sand down to carbon and am having to use the epoxy itself to build up. Not ideal but another 2 coat's build up, sand smooth and then a last thin sealing coat of epoxy and it will be done.

http://www.the370z.com/members/sirni...4-17-27-36.jpg
You can see the low spots at the top of the picture.

I was thinking about making a CF dash later... That looks like a huge PITA. lol