axmea?'s not-much-of-a-build thread-going slow
 

From this..........

http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...Z/DSCN0410.jpg

to this..........

[IMG]https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5503/1...4fbc4be1_b.jpgDSCN3444 by Raf, on Flickr[/IMG]

to this.......

[IMG]https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5553/1...8ea4ce3f_b.jpgmYcooltoyedZ by Raf, on Flickr[/IMG]

to what it is now......

[IMG]https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7135/2...408544b4_b.jpgDSC_6428 Pearl White 370Z by Raf, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7483/2...4e878902_b.jpgDSC_6435d Pearl White 370Z by Raf, on Flickr[/IMG]

The story is in the middle. I will post what I've done so far and include my wish list. In the meantime........

I spent the entire weekend with my wife in Paso Robles and drove back via Hwy 1 to San Luis Obispo. I love the 101. One suitcase, my trusted ramps (yes I take with me all the time) and 42 bottles of wine on the way back. I had to use every nook and cranny of that Z.

Some photos.

At Lone Madrone
[IMG]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2839/1...9057380e_b.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7343/1...b7d44152_b.jpg
DSCN4903 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]


At Daou -- the highest point in Paso Robles. It was fantastic.

[IMG]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3745/1...75cc399c_b.jpg
DSCN4891 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7389/1...94b058c0_b.jpg
DSCN4889 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

At Villa San-Juliette (Nigel Lythgoe's winery)

[IMG]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3767/1...12108898_b.jpg
Villa San Juliette by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

Sunset at Graveyard Winery for a Halloween party

[IMG]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3750/1...e65a21db_b.jpg

this was on our way back. At Morro Bay.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7344/1...db35e5f2_b.jpg

Very nice pictures:tup:

Your car is sexy as ever, and your pictures are stunning Rafael! each one of those shots can be framed on display in your office.

I started to feel content with my decision to buy gunmetal, but every time, I see your car I wish I could have gotten a pearl white :crying:

Amazing....that's all I can say buddy....everything's right about your setup.

First exterior mod -- August 2012
 

.........

After blacking out the fangs (not a fan of the fangs), I knew I wanted a body kit installed but was not sure on which one to go with. I wanted either the Amuse, Zele, or the Sunline kit. I also wanted instant gratification so I picked up a $75 sunline replica from a dealer in the City of Industry, CA. I had it painted and I installed it myself in August of 2012. I thought it looked good. Installation was very straight forward.

I thought it came out good. It did not have a finished look but just looking at the front, it looked like it works with the car. I also saw I needed to lower the car and have spacers installed. No intentions of replacing my wheels. I thought the stock RAYS looked good.

http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...pt1thepark.jpg

http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSCN1790.jpg

Beautiful pics, beautiful scenery

Thanks ya'll. Love taking shots. Need a better camera to get those hi-res/super clear pix though.

September 2012 suspension mod at Amplified Motorsport
 

Suspension mod: September 2012

The car was high, can't stand the gap and how far the wheel were sitting in the wells. Decided on H& R sport springs - $250 BNIB and SPL camber arms and SPC toe bolts for about $230. Went to Amplified Motorsport to do the install plus supplying the H&R spacers 20mm all around.

[IMG]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3833/1...00dbd2c1_c.jpg
DSCN1906 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5490/1...7b39565a_c.jpg
DSCN1907 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]


Front
[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7445/1...2cc414ac_c.jpg
DSCN1911 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

Rear
[IMG]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5505/1...8affa11f_c.jpg
DSCN1910 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]



On a lift at Amplified next to a brz
[IMG]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5513/1...0e4ded99_c.jpg
DSCN1923 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]


Still had my old plates
[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7416/1...4329c975_c.jpg
DSCN1905 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]


Before
[IMG]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5529/1...6b75f835_c.jpg
DSCN1902 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]


After
[IMG]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5484/1...71ee2487_c.jpg
DSCN1980 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]


Stepping out of Amplified - very happy with the outcome.
[IMG]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3695/1...973113cb_c.jpg
DSCN1928 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]


I love my H&R's and my stance
http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...RDSCN23212.jpg

Great pics! I wish Swifts were that low.

How's the ride quality with the H&R springs?

It was great as long as the shocks were in good condition. Mine was new when the H&R's were installed. The ride quality was really good. It was noticeably stiffer. I recommend that the struts be replaced as well when putting these on. Have not heard of anyone do a Koni and H&R combo. That would work well. Long term, my struts took a beating. I eventually installed coilovers.

How I ended up with AeroJacket -- Feb 2013
 

This happened on Feb 2013. Yup, this is how I ended up getting a new kit installed. I ran into a curb. Totally my fault. Making a u turn in a hotel driveway and was expecting direction from the valet and did not get it. This lip that I broke cost me $75 from a dealer in So Cal. Painting was $100 and I installed it myself to save some cash. It was pretty easy to install.....easy to break as well. I liked it because it was cheap and flexible. Lots of close calls until the curb. Curb always wins.

[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7446/1...f9463368_b.jpg
IMG-20130130-00032 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7411/1...60c65405_b.jpg
IMG-20130130-00031 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

Now that would have never happened if you were wearing an Omega, Rolex or even a Tag...:rofl2:

or a Panerai. lol.

AeroJacket Installed -- March 2013
 

So after hitting the curb in Feb 2013, I contacted ShineAutoProject and got a quote from Kenny, called Aerojacket and spoke with Rick, and even considered a Zele replica from a vendor who is no longer around - LCR Autoweerks. I did not like the idea of hacking off the Zele bumper or the FI exhaust because of the fitment issue so stayed away from it. I know Amplified Motorsport hacked a zele kit to match it up with the owner's existing exhaust fit but I did not like how it looked. It looked like the plastic melted around the exhaust tips. Tony from FI did not recommend hacking his exhaust so I passed. It was disappointing because I liked how it looked but it just would not work. I got a great price though.

I decided on picking up AeroJacket's kit. Rick said he'd call once the pcs are made and ready for installation. I picked up the Sunline replica made by AeroJacket.

• Spoiler
• Skirts
• Spats
• CF fenders with mesh
• GT Wing

Contacted Rick he took the car to his shop. It stayed there for about a week. Bad weather slowed the process. It was cold and moist during that time.

Here are some pix at AeroJacket's shop in Gardena. Bumper is off. I should have cleaned the air filters while it was off. Took another 5 months before I cleaned it.

[IMG]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3759/1...f96845b3_b.jpg
20130206_193555 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

Pieces painted. No clear yet. I did not like the white mesh.

[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7397/1...64c51030_b.jpg
20130205_160618 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7400/1...83c20ed3_b.jpg
20130205_160611 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

Spats Installed. What are those tools that they're using to keep 'em attached while curing. No idea but that thing worked. No issues with gaps at all.
[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7338/1...61a50555_b.jpg
20130206_193540 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

Spoiler installed onto the bumper. Should be blacked out. I like the dark and wide opening look. This does not do it for me. I'll do it myself later.

[IMG]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3758/1...a14e0be5_b.jpg
20130206_193606 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

Stepping out of the shop. Car looks different and transformed. It is coming off as I imagined.


[IMG]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2872/1...d0fb547f_b.jpg
20130207_153059 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

Sweet mama. Those fenders.....(and no wide gaps baby). I do not like how the mesh was painted white. It should be blacked out. I'll do it myself sometime. Mesh is also made out of plastic instead of metal. I'll change it out sometime when I get the drive to do it. Looks fine for now

[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7361/1...141836bb_b.jpg
20130207_153113 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

Delivered. First time I saw it and it looked magnificent. From this angle, it could use some wheels. So Happy with the transformation. Now it looks way better than just with the front spoiler and nothing else. It really finished off the car. Looks very nice in my opinion. I also like the simple touches of CF on the fenders, to the B-Pillars (courtesy of EVO-R), to the CF Wing. Not over done and just right for my taste.

[IMG]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2889/1...0267e335_b.jpg
20130207_202512 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps762a2cc2.jpg

Took it to Solvang and Sta. Ynez for some wine tasting and it snapped necks and attracted on lookers. I like how it turned out.

http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps280b5864.jpg

NST Pulley -- Coming up!
 

NST Pulleys arrived a few weeks back and finally have the time to install this Thursday at Amplified Motorsport.


[IMG]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3699/1...74bbcdb0_c.jpg
DSCN4829 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7346/1...7358effa_c.jpg
DSCN4826 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

damn your Z looks amazing!

Ever considered painting the headlights? Blackhoused headlights on a white car looks great
https://scontent-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/...63656281_n.jpg

Pulleys installed yet Raf? interested in hearing your impression with them since I keep going back and forth with this mod :shakes head:

Interesting story behind the install but it is done. The car runs great. Car revs a whole lot better, although the 3rd and 4th gears are my favorite, 2nd gear pulls are fun. Strangely, my mileage dropped by .2 mi. per gallon.



Thanks for the compliment. I've thought about it but I am not sure yet. Not sure of the combination I like plus have plans to do something else first. I will let you know.

Please Pm me about the install, and i thought one of the benefits of the pulleys is assisting in gas mileage unless you are red lining it al the time now lol

Here's what happened. Are you ready?

This was Thursday last week. NST pulley install gone bad. Took 20 minutes to get the car up on their lift. This should have been a signal for me to say stop, I'm leaving. But I was there before. As for the installation itself, the battery terminal was not undone, shorted when the minion tech's wrench grounded and zapped a hole on the oil filter cooler. Coolant leaked out. Stupid minion tech error. He said he thought about it but did not say anything. I heard from the lead tech that the owner wanted to weld the hole shut. Tech said no not a good idea and asked to get a part instead (thanks Naoki). No parts to be found in short notice. Special order item. No dealer had it in stock. They decided to bypass the oil cooler so I can get home -- a temporary solution. Fine I can come back Saturday to install the replacement oil cooler. When they were done with the pulley install, the car would not start. Key light went on! They checked the fuses and did not find anything. They seriously thought the incident triggered the steering lock issue. Car sat overnight. Oil cooler replacement arrived late Friday. They eventually discovered the fuse that kept the car from starting. They missed it the first time they went over all fuses. They had to replace the fuse assembly to get car started. Glad to find it was not the steering lock issue. It should not be affecting later model Z's. Since the cooler was replaced, they replaced the oil and filter and began bleeding late in the day. I just had my oil changed the past weekend with Amsoil Synth and Amsoil filter. They used Eneos and K&N. Not a fan of K&N but oh well. It is what it is. They could not work on bleeding the car again until late Saturday (tech had an appointment and can work late afternoon on Saturday). Car was finished late Saturday. I was picked up Sunday AM to by the tech to pick up the car.

What normally took 1 hour at the most to complete took 2.5 days because they failed to protect the car by taking off the terminals from the battery, replacement parts took time, tech could not work early Sat AM due to a prior commitment. Oil cooler and the starter fuse assembly took a long time to find. They tried their best to get it fixed. Started with one error. The pulleys were done quickly. Had it not been for grounding out and zapping a hole on the cooler, it would have been fine and zero issues. Again, they did their best to figure it out.

Because of the trouble, they did not charge me for the install. I know they really felt terrible about what happened. I got upset and very disappointed with the installation but figured no sense in yelling and screaming at them. They did their best under the circumstance. It was inconvenient but you deal with it. No Z from from Thursday night thru Sunday morning. In the end, the car runs great! Love it. I wish I could dyno but did not want the spend the money on it. I'll wait 'til 2014 to get a tune done. I don't think it needs it right at this moment but I know it will benefit from it.

at least you got a free install haha

axmea?'s not-much-of-a-build thread - more like a photo log
 

Kudos for your patience, Rafael. What matters is you are happy with the result!

Suspension set up - Powertrix - California
 

Here's my write up on my suspension. Installed Powertrix Coilovers last Sept. Swift springs on the front. The rear Swifts just arrived and taking the car there this Friday early AM install just before work.

http://www.the370z.com/brakes-suspen...e-heavy-2.html

http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...pse7920207.jpg

http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps30387742.jpg

Very nice man. Subd. Lets hit a meet sometime!

Sure will! We should drive out to Cerritos in January (the 4th).

I really like the Fujimura kit. Chop work courtesy of cooltoy. Still deciding on whether to paint the bottom or not.

unpainted --
http://www.the370z.com/attachments/n...d-4l603moi.jpg

painted --
http://www.the370z.com/attachments/n...d-vpycn4z0.jpg

Compare to the existing set up ---

[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7325/1...01a8beb9_b.jpg
DSCN4976 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

both look very very good, but in my opinion I would go for the white on the bottom. It looks just right for me. Whichever way you go, it will look awesome! :tup:

^^ Both you and jlo370 said the same thing. It'll be a tough one.

add a third to this , showed my wife and she says go with the white:tup:

I like the blacked out bottom lip, it shows more contrast and gives a more aggressive look. And you can have both if you paint the bumper all white and use plastidip so you can change up to your liking.

Agreed. I was just about to mention that.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

Spanner wrench placement mod!!!!
 

I arrived home and my wife baking some chicken. It just came to me at that moment so I went back to my car and pulled out the spanner wrenches stored in a bag in my car. She just finished so I placed the wrenches in the oven and increased the temperature to 500*. This mod took me about 15 minutes once it reached the desired temp.

This will also be on the DIY thread.


Bake your spanner wrench in 500* oven for 10 minutes.


[IMG]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5497/1...7cb20d69_z.jpg
DSCN5791 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]


Take out of oven and tie a piece of wire to pull it off later.
Place your hot wrench at your desired spot.
Use appropriate tool or utensil to press your wrench into the foam block.
Press your hot wrench into the block until the wrench has reached the desired depth.
Make sure it is evenly laid across.


[IMG]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3735/1...7acb5020_z.jpg
DSCN5792 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]


Using the attached wire, pull off the wrench from the block.
There will be melted foam stuck on the wrench. Do not scrape it off. Leave it alone and let it cool down. It will peel off on its own once it cools down.


[IMG]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5528/1...7b403acc_z.jpg
DSCN5793 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

Repeat process for your 2nd spanner wrench.

[IMG]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2878/1...25da7947_z.jpg
DSCN5796 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

Here is how it looks once you complete both. But wait you are not done yet!


[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7414/1...5e1a56af_z.jpg
DSCN5798 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

Heat a piece of spoon and place it on desired spot to create an area where you can stick your finger and pull your wrench off the block.
Press the hot spoon until you reach desired depth. Again, there will be melted foam stuck on the spoon. Do not scrape it off. Leave it alone and let it cool down. It will peel off on its own once it cools down.

[IMG]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3704/1...96f34740_z.jpg
DSCN5804 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5487/1...ebed8686_z.jpg
DSCN5802 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]


Peel off the foam from your wrench and place it onto the chosen spot and admire your great work!

[IMG]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3769/1...668c1430_z.jpg
DSCN5799 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]


Here's how it looks while in the kitchen.



[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7346/1...6b50f338_z.jpg
DSCN5805 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]


In the car. Looks good to me. You can place it anywhere you want. I decided to have it on the left side. I have plans for the top right side.



[IMG]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2872/1...6c5cfa93_z.jpg
DSCN5807 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]


[IMG]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5490/1...738dba0f_z.jpg
DSCN5809 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

Swifts - rears
 

My rear springs arrived and was installed Dec 20th. Just had time to load it up. Was installed at Charles' shop in San Diego. The car rides much noticeably smoother. The metals used on these swifts are outstanding. Compare the two. Better material, it is lighter, stronger, longer travel before potential binding. This is what makes Swifts a good upgrade. Stock is 10k Swifts was 11k and rides better. Then again, damping adjustments also make a difference. When I had my H&Rs there were signs of binding when I pulled it out.

[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7295/1...723cfd86_c.jpg
DSCN5038 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2808/1...77719122_c.jpg
DSCN5040 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

End links looked OK so far. Will look into replacing these later in the year.

[IMG]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5547/1...6059c2fe_c.jpg
DSCN5042 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

That's Charles Z on 20" Venaci's

[IMG]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3809/1...54649952_c.jpg
DSCN5046 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5535/1...ac91089c_c.jpg
DSCN5060 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

Rock chips? Make a pair of these.
 

I made something for my side skirts. To minimize rock chips eating up the FRP on my skirts just behind the front wheels, I cut a small gauge aluminum sheet after making a pattern. Used a high tpi blade for a nice smooth cut. Cleaned and smoothed out the edges, hammer it to shape, primed, painted it black, and simply stuck it on there with 3m tape. Still there after 2.5 months now. The paint is beat up but you can tell how much of a beating rock chips can make on those skirts. Nice layer of protection I think and easy to make.

I plan on making a 2nd one, this time I'll wrap it at the bottom some more.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5531/1...aea85c6a_c.jpg

[IMG]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2841/1...43378854_c.jpg
DSCN5839 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

Replaced the WeatherTech emblem with these.

[IMG]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3823/1...ed51720f_b.jpg
DSCN5979 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]


[IMG]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2823/1...be837aeb_b.jpg
DSCN5984 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]


[IMG]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3753/1...5569f266_b.jpg
DSCN5991 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

Love the pics you take. I vote white for front bumper also.

Nismo Front Finisher Install
 

I picked up a front finisher. iphone sucks.

[IMG]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5584/...cf4630ac_c.jpg029 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5279/...51cb71b8_c.jpg032a by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5154/...592d0798_c.jpg039a by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

I have always underestimated the nose finisher but the more I see it, the more I like it :tup:

Makes me want to pick one up. Goes really well with the Sr style lip.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

Swapped out the wing for a duckbill.
 

Out with the old, in with the new.

[IMG]https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2916/...a44543f5_c.jpg370, 370Z, Nissan, Nismo, Nismo Z, Z34, Avant Garde, AeroJacket, 029 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]


No tape used. Just bolted in.

[IMG]https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3811/...ec048e1b_c.jpg370, 370Z, Nissan, Nismo, Nismo Z, Z34, Avant Garde, AeroJacket, 031 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]


No gaps.

[IMG]https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2914/...9aa53954_c.jpgDSCN6990 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3758/...9c078dda_c.jpgDSCN6986 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

Again, no gaps.

[IMG]https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3720/...02390957_c.jpgDSCN6998 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3764/...f3f1c807_c.jpgDSCN6993 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2935/...be314375_c.jpgDSCN6997 by axmea?, on Flickr[/IMG]