Budget 2004 350z DE

[Coog]

Yep thats the one lol.

Hopefully not too bad, and no doubt ill find something else whilst at it!

Was actually thinking of you and ur fleet when typing out the last message. I don't know how you can be arsed

Get the pipe done and don't poke anything dodgy looking

I find it a tremendous way to get a bit of head space (most of the time). Getting into rot and dealing with it wouldn't be on the fun list though. Horrible activity. Should be some shiny bits going on soon? That's always a really enjoyable thing to do.

 

[Blackie]

Oh I know all about it with 5 of them lol

Brake pipes are 3rd on the crap stuff to do on a car list... especially if it's the full length up & over a fuel tank.

I must be weird as I enjoy doing brake pipes! Lol

 

[Coog]

I must be weird as I enjoy doing brake pipes! Lol

Wee 12 inchers off the master cylinder to a front caliper is dead on, but dropping a fuel tank to get one front to rear is my idea of hell lol

 

[thefool1983]

Should be some shiny bits going on soon? That's always a really enjoyable thing to do.

Watch this space

Already feel like Keiichi Tsuchiya with my new W brace on the back.

 

[thefool1983]

Update time.

So I have all the welding done .
It took 4 rolls of welding wire .

Floor painted and waxoyled and the tank and subframe back in.
New (second hand) kidney brackets and a new Ultra racing lower brace.
Just the shocks still to put in. But want another coat of stonechip on inner arches.

Also changed handbrake shoes, looks like someone had some fun with these ones!
And like everywhere else, some rust convertor on as well.

Still need to get rear calipers on.
One of the bolts stripped on removal, so I'll need to helicoil it .
I also replaced the brake line for rear drivers side. Passenger is ropey enough, but the bleed nipple is snapped on that caliper, so don't fancy it

Nearly ready for MOT which is up on 12th July.

Got these delivered yesterday too, so I need to find someone to spray those for me too. Suggestions welcome.

 

[Coog]

Have a wing needing painted here too. Wasn’t sure if it’s better to take the wing somewhere or the whole car. Obviously the wing is much easier. Will see what’s suggested in here lol

Underside looks good!

 

[thefool1983]

And an idea of some of the welding required up in round the inner arches, fuel filler, shock mounts!

Have a wing needing painted here too. Wasn’t sure if it’s better to take the wing somewhere or the whole car. Obviously the wing is much easier. Will see what’s suggested in here lol

Underside looks good!

Yeah. In the same quandary. But since this is already 50 shades of grey, I'll just leave the wings in somewhere I think
Rear arches need a "touch up" too. But I think I'm going to have a go at some rattle can heroism on those

 

[thefool1983]

Another small update.
One of the rear caliper bolts was cross threaded, it sheared when I was pulling caliper off (feels like 100 years ago!)

Drilled the bolt out. But the threads got mullered.
Drilled out oversize, tapped and helicoiled it back down to original size.

Some new pads and a good bleeding session all round. Due to new brake line. I now have agood brake pedal. Another wee job sorted

Brembos are a ballix to bleed, 2 bleed nipples on each caliper for the both pistons.
Wife was ragin, missed half of love Island and had me shouting "on, off, on, off" instead

 

[thefool1983]

So. Another update.
Got 2 new wings delivered a few weeks ago, Gerry Logan painted them for me in original blade silver..
I gave them a good seal with stonechat on the backside, to try and make them last.

Bodywork behind wings was decent enough.

Before

After

I then stuck a bit of stone chip up in round front arches, top mounts etc
Before

After

 

[Chris0]

Not far off a ‘minter’ now! Some effort put in fair play mate

 

[thefool1983]

Gerry also repaired a cracked fibreglass skirt.
Before

After

Few bits and pieces left to do for MOT.
The fuel filler assy needs replaced.
I thought I could repair original one, but it was in too bad shape once I started into it.

So am currently waiting on a new one arriving from a guy across the water. He was messing me about a bit with delivery etc.

This is the main roadblock to mot at the min.
There's an airbag light on that I need to sort, and the rear arches meed some rattle can action.
Hoping to get all that sorted this week.
And a years ticket by the weekend.

Oh I dickyed up from subframe and brace (no pics)
And made a replacement bracket for carbon canister mounting at rear arch (and saved myself 55 quid!)

 

[thefool1983]

Front subframe and brace tidied up.

 

[thefool1983]

Well overdue an update (will do a proper update once I have a chance). But I managed to get the old girl thru mot today!

Just in time for the **** weather!

Can wait to just take it somewhere for a drive!

 

[Blackie]

Yes!! Nice one man!

 

[thefool1983]

Time for an update!
As always the last few wee jobs were the most fiddly.
Getting a fuel filler turned out to be a nightmare. First guy just stopped replying to my messages , second guy sent one. But "got lost in the post". So when I eventually got one I set into the 5 minute job of changing it... the day before the MOT was booked.

It was a nightmare!
Because I removed the old one when subframe was out I didn't realise it would be so hard to fit replacement. I had to brake disc, and spring & spring cup to get room to fit it
And when I did the alignment bolt on the spring cup was seized and needed drilled out. So a panic to Nissan in glengormley got me one of those at 3pm. When the car was up at 7!! Big panic and all back together on time.

AND....
it failed anyway. On emissions and two bushes at the front!

Emissions were sky high, CO 5.4% instead of .05%!!
So where do you start with that?
I stick it in an OBD2 reader I borrowed and found that the O2 sensors weren't cycling between rich and lean as they should. So I ordered one of those and swapped it out.
At the same time, I found one of the breather pipes for the fuel EVAP system was leaking, so I "professionally isolated" that system!

Then borriwed an antiquated CO reader for setting carbs (that I laughed at) i verified that the emissions were definitely prob better maybe!

I think the breather pipe leak may have been the main culprit and the replaced O2 sensor was probably fine. But its definitely reading closer to the other 3 sensors than the old one was.

Dropped the front brace, and the two control arms. MOT man was right, they were goosed

And new poly bushes in, only because they were cheaper than the original replacement bushes.

And we are golden!! Finally

The new poly bushes increase front Castor and that combined with the lack of play of the old ones have definitely tightened up the front end and got rid of some nasty understeer that I thought was just a feature of the car. Downside is heavier steering when crawling round car parks or the likes. But a good trade off !

 

[thefool1983]

Parallel to all this, and inspired by @Blackie and another forum member who's name escapes me (he painted his mums rear bumper lately), I decided to have a go at some rattle can heroism on the rear arches.

It turned out an alright job in the end (once I'd wet sanded the clearcoat).

 

[thefool1983]

 

[Coog]

Good job on the MOT. Nothing like a last minute panic to get things sorted. That wee emissions yoke is the job. Didn’t know there was a home gamer device.

 

[thefool1983]

So its turned out OK and would be perfectly passable. Only problem i have is the colour match to original paint is not great!

You can see the front wing was also sprayed and it and rear quarter are a different colour to door!

I have tried a quick buff on rear of door to see if it would help, but I don't think its ever going to match. So I might need to blow in the two doors..
Unless anyone has any innovative tricks?!

 

[thefool1983]

But anyway, that's us up to date and am currently having some fun driving this thing. Really is like a go cart, and even with the traction control on just wants to go sideways!! Great Crack, would thouroghly recommend !

Good job on the MOT. Nothing like a last minute panic to get things sorted. That wee emissions yoke is the job. Didn’t know there was a home gamer device.

Yeah, I scoffed at my uncle when he produced it, its for setting the idle mixture on a mk 2 escort like .
But it worked (and I ate my words).

Really enjoyed most of the work on this thing, but its so hard to find time when its not urgent. An mot date certainly focused my efforts!

 

[pablo]

50 shades lol but on a budget looks class!!

 

[Coog]

Silver is the worst colour to match so you’ve done alright there tbf.

 

[pablo]

@thefool1983 I see Gerry has wrapped it up. Called down to see him about some work on the wifes Q3 and he is defo retired this time.

paint wise you might be in a tricky position with 3 shades of silver now. Youll end up painting most of the car to get it right. Presumably the 1/4 doesnt match the boot and the front wing doesnt match the bonnet etc

 

[thefool1983]

@thefool1983 I see Gerry has wrapped it up. Called down to see him about some work on the wifes Q3 and he is defo retired this time.

paint wise you might be in a tricky position with 3 shades of silver now. Youll end up painting most of the car to get it right. Presumably the 1/4 doesnt match the boot and the front wing doesnt match the bonnet etc

Yeah, he said my front wings were his last job! .
The match to front wing and rear 1/4 would be very close, so was hopping up was just faded paint in the door.
I'm going to try and buff the life out of the door and hope it comes up better. But its not looking likely. Pity, because the finish I got on the rear 1/4s is pretty decent for a rattle can job.
I don't know if I can be arsed trying to blow in the doors either.
Its all "character"

 

[mark19]

Yeah, he said my front wings were his last job! .
The match to front wing and rear 1/4 would be very close, so was hopping up was just faded paint in the door.
I'm going to try and buff the life out of the door and hope it comes up better. But its not looking likely. Pity, because the finish I got on the rear 1/4s is pretty decent for a rattle can job.
I don't know if I can be arsed trying to blow in the doors either.
Its all "character"

Wrap it!!!!!