Official Cheap Mod Thread

[happytheman]

Originally Posted by MyZ4U2C

This thread was a excellent idea btw, I wont be able to afford much just getting my Z, so looking through here getting some little mods here and there to tide me over will be great! repped!

the spoiler is great, ur looking at the eyes right? lol, and this mod is something that looks a lot better in person than in pics, its really hard to justify the lighting / look in a pic

Sure, we'll just go with that for now! Thanks for the rep! Yea, it's always nice to see new ideas pop up that don't cost a bundle to incorporate!

[Phaddi_inc]

Let's not forget the "K. F." hood damper mod! A must have for anyone who spends time messing around in the engine bay. If I remember correctly this mod was less than 100$.

Nissan 370Z Forum - Phaddi_inc's Album: Stillen Gen3 Install - Picture

Nissan 370Z Forum - Phaddi_inc's Album: Hood Damper mod - Picture

[happytheman]

Originally Posted by Boost_lee

Isn't that chuck's car?

Someone give that man a Gold Star!

[happytheman]

Originally Posted by Phaddi_inc

Let's not forget the "K. F." hood damper mod! A must have for anyone who spends time messing around in the engine bay. If I remember correctly this mod was less than 100$.

Nissan 370Z Forum - Phaddi_inc's Album: Stillen Gen3 Install - Picture

You're right, it's just under $100. I think they're working through some slight fitment issues on this one though. I'm waiting on the completion of some additional R&D and then I'll be jumping on board.

[Phaddi_inc]

Ya I heard there was some fitment issues but mine seem to be spot on. Hood and fender gaps are all the same still, which was a big concern for me. besides lifting the hood that extra bit for the install, I can't see any issues at all. At first they were a bit aggressive on opening, but they seem to have settled just nice now.

[2ndChance]

Cheap Y pipe!! $100 shipped!

I can feel it rev faster around 3-5k range, more aggressive launch (tire spin), and deeper exhaust tone. People concerned about rasp, it does not make sense to cold start your Z and rev it in neutral gear, because it will sound like crap, but when you drive and really push it, sounds great.

Fitment is spot on. Just look how thin is the stock pipe.

[happytheman]

Nice! Any idea what the composition of the steel is by chance?

[2ndChance]

Originally Posted by happytheman

Nice! Any idea what the composition of the steel is by chance?

Supposedly "High Quality T-304 Stainless Steel". Quality seem to be on par with mid range exhausts I've seen.

[chefsung]

damn. I wanted to order the pwjdm shifter but its out of the red color base....

[happytheman]

That PWJDM piece is nice. I went through a couple of different shifters before I settled on that one. Good luck getting it, and when you do..post up pics!

[sfearl1]

^^ best shift knob evar

[b1adesofcha0s]

Here's another great cheap DIY mod, painting your brake calipers. I painted mine this past weekend and it cost only like $30-40 in materials. Did take like all day to do, but definitely worth it.

I used VHT caliper paint which is good for temps up to 900* and I used their brake caliper cleaner as well to do the prep. Here's a cost breakdown:

VHT Caliper Paint = $7.50 x 2 = $15.00
VHT Caliper Cleaner (or any other brake parts cleaner) = $5.00 x 2 = $10
Sanding Sponge (or use whatever you want for sanding) = $2.50 x 2 = $5
Total cost = $30

Here are the results:

Before




After

[b1adesofcha0s]

Also I don't remember if it's been mentioned already, but plasti dip is another awesome cheap mod. It costs like $5-10 per can depending on what kind you get, but it's very easy to use, requires minimum prep work, and is removable! You can see the plasti dip on my wheels in the last post and it looks great.

[RoshDawg]

Great job on the calipers! I'm guessing you took them off to paint them?

[happytheman]

Looks great man! I will say that when I painted a previous vehicle's calipers I just masked the sh!t outta everything and went to town!