syecadelic
RMS Regular
Seeing as I’ve had this car since December 2015 I suppose I should create a thread for it (her)
Since the demise of the mx5 (that blue thing with a turbo) I had been keeping an eye out for something different and fun to keep me occupied and put a smile on my face once in a while.
Everybody, meet Nina!
A 2004 Nissan 350z GT (Uk specification)
Standard spec to include, heated electronic leather seats, brembo brake system, xenon headlamps, cruise control , bose audio system etc etc.
I had my eye on this for several months as I passed it every day on my short commute to work. It had been with the dealer, who was selling it on behalf of a gent, for a few months (Time to make a good offer)
After the test drive i couldn’t get over how solid a car it was to drive and the smoothness of delivery of power, not to be mention the sound of the exhaust ( I think its a milltek system fitted by previous owner).
It started its ownership in Scotland for 5 years (i think) before ending up in Norn Iron...
The car overall was in good enough condition being 2004 with 90k. Unfortunately it had been painted by the previous owner and this was evident. Not to mention a couple of Japanese beauty spots (rust bubbles)
This all helped with the buying price
I wasn’t planning on doing much to the car except enjoy it.... then that bug hit me several months later.
The first thing of annoyance was the standard bose casette/cd player. It had stopped fully functioning, allowing me to justify changing the head unit to my double din pioneer with bluetooth and DAB capability. This required bypassing the factory bose amp, easy enough done. Although a lot of stripping was required to get everything installed. I upgraded the rear speakers (situated neatly behind the head rests) to a pair of Rockford Fosgates, great job! Whilst maintaining the use of the steering wheel audio controls.
As time went out I stuck to my guns of, I’m not doing anything to it.
However, after a few more months, and needing something to “pick me up” I decided to get in touch with a couple of close friends who would be involved with modification parts, mainly suspension and alloys.
After a chat with Matt @ Arez Air and Mike @ Performance Alloys and a lot of head scratching and research I decided along with them the route to take (awaits the groan from the purists).
Anybody familiar with Arez Air knows their line of business. If not, keep reading J
I wanted to make the car stand out a bit more. The thought of coilovers came to mind, however with the mx5 I had installed coilovers and it was lowered so much you couldn’t have a practical driving car, ie crashing over the back roads to a stomach churning sound as your underside of the car scraped over anything higher than a coke can..
This resulted in Matt and I having a long conversation. Ive known Matt circa 8 or 9 years if not longer and before he went into his own business. We decided that Airlift’s 3P Air Ride Performance system was the way for the car thus allowing the ability of a practical driving height for making use of the 3.5 V6 engine and also allowing for the “stanced” look at shows or car meets etc. We initially chose a 1 gallon slimline seamless tank as I wanted to hide it and be subtle, after a short while this was upped to 2 gallons to allow for higher capacity and quicker airing up
After decided air was the way forward, or down I got in talks with Mike. I’ve known Mike for about 5 years and again is a very knowledgeable man in his line of trade. Again a lot of head scratching, calculations and use of Vernier callipers were put into play to make sure we got that desired look I wanted when selecting the new wheels for the motor.
What was chosen, eventually, were Japan Racing JR20’s 19x11 ET40 for the rear and 19 x 9.5 ET35 for the front. When we went to test fit the wheels, after coming straight from a factory build we realised the front offsets were not high enough so after a 40 minute phone call to Mike we got spacers ordered up to sort things out. All about that fitment eh?
As the car needed some paint work, mainly the two rear arches repaired and the front number plate plinth removed and holes smoothed. To get the work carried out I got in touch with Simon Maynard of Carnnoiseur/Automanic in Carrickfergus. After a chat with himself and Derek (his painter) I was more than confident to give them the trade. The paint work and workmanship was great and the customer service 2nd to none. A knowledgeable friendly company with the same passion for cars as myself
I was hoping to initially attend Carryduff’s Annual car show, but due to delays in parts (usual life issues) I missed the car being entered the way I wanted it.
After the air and wheels where fitted it was time to do something with the rather plain and boring boot. Getting a friend to help we started fibre glassing 2 speaker mounts in the boots alcoves. My dad assisted in the Pioneer monoblock amplifer being recessed into the newly fabricated false floor. It was great fun doing the build as the last one I done was in my Hyundai i30. Anybody who knows me know I enjoy my music with a bit of dynamics.
To add to the exterior finishes a veilside type splitter was ordered from Tarmac Sportz and a roof spoiler also purchased
The first show so far this year I have attended was Car Cultures Japan indoor event at Titanic Exhibition centre. The response was fantastic and on a whole very positive.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums...50z/Photo 05-07-2016 21 15 17_zpsyixrcjhg.jpg
The ability to sit back and admire what you have created is always something special, regardless of your preference. So for now I will leave of the car in it’s most recent state… and no, I don’t know what im going to do next!
Since the demise of the mx5 (that blue thing with a turbo) I had been keeping an eye out for something different and fun to keep me occupied and put a smile on my face once in a while.
Everybody, meet Nina!
A 2004 Nissan 350z GT (Uk specification)
Standard spec to include, heated electronic leather seats, brembo brake system, xenon headlamps, cruise control , bose audio system etc etc.
I had my eye on this for several months as I passed it every day on my short commute to work. It had been with the dealer, who was selling it on behalf of a gent, for a few months (Time to make a good offer)
After the test drive i couldn’t get over how solid a car it was to drive and the smoothness of delivery of power, not to be mention the sound of the exhaust ( I think its a milltek system fitted by previous owner).
It started its ownership in Scotland for 5 years (i think) before ending up in Norn Iron...
The car overall was in good enough condition being 2004 with 90k. Unfortunately it had been painted by the previous owner and this was evident. Not to mention a couple of Japanese beauty spots (rust bubbles)
This all helped with the buying price
I wasn’t planning on doing much to the car except enjoy it.... then that bug hit me several months later.
The first thing of annoyance was the standard bose casette/cd player. It had stopped fully functioning, allowing me to justify changing the head unit to my double din pioneer with bluetooth and DAB capability. This required bypassing the factory bose amp, easy enough done. Although a lot of stripping was required to get everything installed. I upgraded the rear speakers (situated neatly behind the head rests) to a pair of Rockford Fosgates, great job! Whilst maintaining the use of the steering wheel audio controls.
As time went out I stuck to my guns of, I’m not doing anything to it.
However, after a few more months, and needing something to “pick me up” I decided to get in touch with a couple of close friends who would be involved with modification parts, mainly suspension and alloys.
After a chat with Matt @ Arez Air and Mike @ Performance Alloys and a lot of head scratching and research I decided along with them the route to take (awaits the groan from the purists).
Anybody familiar with Arez Air knows their line of business. If not, keep reading J
I wanted to make the car stand out a bit more. The thought of coilovers came to mind, however with the mx5 I had installed coilovers and it was lowered so much you couldn’t have a practical driving car, ie crashing over the back roads to a stomach churning sound as your underside of the car scraped over anything higher than a coke can..
This resulted in Matt and I having a long conversation. Ive known Matt circa 8 or 9 years if not longer and before he went into his own business. We decided that Airlift’s 3P Air Ride Performance system was the way for the car thus allowing the ability of a practical driving height for making use of the 3.5 V6 engine and also allowing for the “stanced” look at shows or car meets etc. We initially chose a 1 gallon slimline seamless tank as I wanted to hide it and be subtle, after a short while this was upped to 2 gallons to allow for higher capacity and quicker airing up
After decided air was the way forward, or down I got in talks with Mike. I’ve known Mike for about 5 years and again is a very knowledgeable man in his line of trade. Again a lot of head scratching, calculations and use of Vernier callipers were put into play to make sure we got that desired look I wanted when selecting the new wheels for the motor.
What was chosen, eventually, were Japan Racing JR20’s 19x11 ET40 for the rear and 19 x 9.5 ET35 for the front. When we went to test fit the wheels, after coming straight from a factory build we realised the front offsets were not high enough so after a 40 minute phone call to Mike we got spacers ordered up to sort things out. All about that fitment eh?
As the car needed some paint work, mainly the two rear arches repaired and the front number plate plinth removed and holes smoothed. To get the work carried out I got in touch with Simon Maynard of Carnnoiseur/Automanic in Carrickfergus. After a chat with himself and Derek (his painter) I was more than confident to give them the trade. The paint work and workmanship was great and the customer service 2nd to none. A knowledgeable friendly company with the same passion for cars as myself
I was hoping to initially attend Carryduff’s Annual car show, but due to delays in parts (usual life issues) I missed the car being entered the way I wanted it.
After the air and wheels where fitted it was time to do something with the rather plain and boring boot. Getting a friend to help we started fibre glassing 2 speaker mounts in the boots alcoves. My dad assisted in the Pioneer monoblock amplifer being recessed into the newly fabricated false floor. It was great fun doing the build as the last one I done was in my Hyundai i30. Anybody who knows me know I enjoy my music with a bit of dynamics.
To add to the exterior finishes a veilside type splitter was ordered from Tarmac Sportz and a roof spoiler also purchased
The first show so far this year I have attended was Car Cultures Japan indoor event at Titanic Exhibition centre. The response was fantastic and on a whole very positive.
The ability to sit back and admire what you have created is always something special, regardless of your preference. So for now I will leave of the car in it’s most recent state… and no, I don’t know what im going to do next!
