JLarson's build thread

[JLarson]

Zspeed undershroud, added shortly after Christmas. Mostly what I remember about this install is my hands were so cold I lost feeling. An unheated garage is painful in the winter.

[JLarson]

That was the last of my modding for a little while, until the weather got warm again. Z1 Bushing Collar Inserts went in sometime in March or April, when I had a random warm day to do it. No pictures of that install. It was mostly me on my back trying to figure out how to drop the necessary parts of my suspension, and not drop them on me.

Pro-tip: Supporting your differential is key! I did successfully install them. My impressions - not enough change for me to notice, but my launches seem a bit more solid with less wheel hop.

I followed that with the Z1 poly transmission mount. Now THAT was a winner. Better launches by far and incredibly easy install. I still have some engine mounts, but I have no interest in installing those... probably will wind up in the classifieds once I remember to take a picture.

[JLarson]

Next was the TWM Short Throw Shifter. I drove Megan's uncles Camaro, and came away impressed not with its power (it felt heavy) but with its shifting. I sought to emulate it. Found a guy selling his TWM, BNIB.

Install with the DIY on the forum was a piece of cake! The throw was too low-set for me, so I followed that up with a $10 three-inch shifter extension on Amazon. Nailed it. Shifts are crisp, mechanical, and easy, especially paired with a 1 lb weighted shift knob.

I'll have pictures of this setup when I remember to take some, but my brother will be making me a custom shifter extension in his lathe, to match the diameter and appearance of my shift knob.

[JLarson]

My last mod before Zdays was the RJM V3.1 pedal.

For all those reading, do this mod first! Even if you don't hate the way the 370z shifts stock, the customization of the RJM is amazing. You can tweak just about every aspect of it. I love it. Paired with the aforementioned shifter plus extension, it has truly changed the shift characteristics of my vehicle, definitely for the better.

[JLarson]

Also, somewhere in there I did 20mm front and rear spacers. With stock wheels, I'm basically flush with my wheel wells. It's a nice improvement.

Now I've got to go do some real work, since people are finally responding to my emails. I'll be back later to add pictures from Zdayz, and my impressions on my Pilot 4S tires, installed last night.

[OldGrayDog]

You have been busy, good to see its going well!

[madwi]

[JLarson]

Originally Posted by OldGrayDog

You have been busy, good to see its going well!

Thank you sir, hope you and your wife are doing well! Any updates on your car?

[JLarson]

Madwi, that picture of our Z's on the dragon captures one of my favorite memories from the trip.

[madwi]

That was a good run with Thomas and D.

[JARblue]

Great stories, Josh. Thanks for sharing
Looking forward to seeing what you do to it

I'm over 7 years of ownership now ... still yet to start a build thread

[JLarson]

Originally Posted by JLarson

Although the G37x was mostly suitable for Megan, she did find herself missing the roar of the exhaust on my 350z.

So her birthday present was something a bit special.

Side story on the installation of the Motordyne... As we were installing the rear canister, I was under the car holding it in place so the bracket aligned correctly. Megan leaned down to look under, while operating our rather torquey drill to fasten it in place. Overtorqued it, spun the drill butt into her lip.

She ended up almost biting through her lip. Few minutes later, she mentions to me she might need stitches after we finish. I hadn't seen the injury, so I look up and see blood oozing from this very deep and ragged looking gash. Prepared to drop everything and take her right then.

Like a champ, she says "No, we're almost done, let's finish my exhaust."

We wrapped it up, fired up the car, and the deep rumble fills the garage. Classic Megan quote: "I really want to smile, but that's going to just make this start bleeding again!"

[wideglideleon]

She's a REAL car girl and quite the trooper.

[JLarson]

I said I'd talk about Zdayz 2018. I had mentioned in passing to my wife that Zdayz looked like a lot of fun. It also just so happened to coincide with our 1 year anniversary weekend. She startled me by being hugely in favor of the trip! So we planned our trip, leaving Thursday evening, and returning Sunday.

What a trip! We left around 4 pm from just outside Philadelphia, PA. By the time we hit Virginia, we were experiencing pretty constant rain, and it became painfully apparent that my rear tires were not holding the way they should (uneven wear caused by an alignment issue, as I discovered later). For the first time in its entire existence, my traction control actually came in useful, when at one point my entire back end broke free and almost snapped me out of my lane. (The good news - our near death experience was a good way of convincing my wife that I needed Pilot 4S tires. Thanks to Rusty for the advice!)

We stayed in an AirBnB in Roanoke, Virgina, and continued the trek the following day, arriving at Fontana Village late afternoon. For the first time, the Z was starting to look fairly common...

[JLarson]

Once we registered and entered a few raffles, we went looking for food. From stalking everyone on the forum, I recognized Madwi and EastWest hanging out on the deck. I wandered over, introduced myself, and they welcomed us warmly!

We spent the evening hanging out with JC Hammond, Zoren, JarBlue, Rusty and Mrs Rusty, DePointFive0, Madwi, and EastWest. Best group ever. Incredibly nice people!