evest

Hmm, I must have missed that original report - but the way this was being presented yesterday made it sound like this sort of thing was still ongoing.

Tuf tuf? I think our equivalent is Max and Paddy! If it is the Welsh police than that's a shame; the A55 coastal road is a lovely drive in the summer. Still, stick a red dragon decal on your bumber and you'll be fine...

Hi, yeah definately would not buy a new cubby just for that! Any decent plastic paint should be fine, but as with painting most things and even though it's a small job, prep it up properly before painting or you'll be in the same position again after a few months. As for colour, sorry no idea on the stock shade - but you could always custom it! Maybe match the colour of your Zed, which is..?

Yesterday, I attended a Speed Awareness Workshop to be reprogrammed (ironically enough I had to absolutely tank it to get there on time following the Stonehenge bottleneck...) Interestingly I was the youngest person there (28) with the average age being around 45. Interesting. So, middle-aged Malcolm, no doubt a Daily Mail enthusiast, had seen me rock up in the Zed so I went into his category of young hooligan who think he's invincilble...blah..rant...why do people buy these fast cars...etc... (In fact, at the time I was caught in the work's Landy) Anyway, As we discussed the placement of speed cameras, particularly, mobile units, the following info was revealed: In MOST counties, due to regulations attached to the particular budget from which speed detection equipment is sourced, accompanying signage must be displayed when they are being operated. BUT In SOME counties (and they refused to say which) a different budget is used meaning that those signage regulations do not apply. So, mobile police units in particular can operate anywhere at any time and there will be no warning. FURTHERMORE and this is the kicker... SOME police forces have even resorted to disguising speed cameras in horse boxes, accompanied by a suitable muddy range rover!!!! Country folks stopping for a brew in that lay-by? Maybe not... My new chum Malcom wasn't impressed...

Nice ride mate, good time of year to buy it too - I got mine during the winter and learned some respect after my first high speed fishtail; go steady on the right foot for a bit! Take care bud

Hi mate, yup, I know that feeling too - here is a good guide for repair, depending on how bad the damage is. viewtopic.php?f=35&t=13777&start=0 Hope you get them sorted. Steve

A guy where I work is running a modified/barely legal Peugeot 205. Old school, but it leaves me standing, 0-60mph in less than 5 secs. After that I'm going past. To be fair, he's spent nearly the cost of a decent pre-owned Zed on it! Can't see it appearing in Fast & Furious though...

Hi, Does anybody out there have any experience of either the Fujita or Takeda Short Ram Intakes systems (for a 2003 Coupe)? I like the look of both, and have read good reports on the sounds. I just wondered if anybody has a comparative opinion on the performance of them, or which they would favour and why? Cheers Steve

Cheers guys I'll post up some more pics when I have the new bits and bobs installed. For cleaning the bay I used Autoglym engine cleaner on all the exposed parts I could get at (covering up the electrical bits with cling film). I used AG bumper care on all of the plastics which brings them up really well. I find it easier to take bits of (airbox, intake pipe etc...) and clean them separately, and clean the other exposed bit they leave while they're out of the bay. An old (or new if you like!) toothbrush comes in very handy.

Hi all, I posted up a while back about my engine bay project. viewtopic.php?f=9&t=31204&start=0 It's a work in progress but here's a quick update on things are going... Engine cover complete and lacquered, painted washer bottle cap (simple job but quite effective), engine damper installed (not on in pictures) gallery bolts installed. My intention is to put in a carbon fibre cooling panel and some bonnet lifters. I've got polished coolant and power steering tanks on the way from Envy, and am looking at either a Fujita or Takeda SRI - anybody got any recommendations on that? I'm thinking of painting the battery covers or surrounds, but don't want to overdo it in there - will think on. I also want to clean up the front of the engine block, I don't think the previous owner went under the bonnet at all! - does anybody know the best way to do this? PLUS - just seen djtimo's thread on the painted cam covers - loving the RED, this could get v interesting...! viewtopic.php?f=20&t=30860&start=0 Cheers Steve

Friday 2 April Nice to see another bright clean Zed at the start of what would be a six hour drive home...! Saw you coming up right behind me - exchanged flashes and let you past.

Lovely GM roadster parked up right behind me! Unicorn Hotel in Gunthorpe, Notts. Sunday 7 March - mine was the slighty mucky GM '53

Hi mate, I'm neither of the two you mentioned but I'm just down the road in Poynton - drive through Macc most weekend ends - always fill up at the Shell garage in Tytherington! GM '53 plate.

They'll have to catch me first! Although with the Zed in snow they just might...

Thanks for the feedback guys - good to know I'm not going bonkers! The Zed; so much more than just a car... Agree it's a bit unusually but hopefully when it's finished it will look Below is a link to the plenum removal thread - good guide on how to remove and replace it: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=11091&start=0 Here is a link to another thread on polishing up the plenum: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=16755&start=0&hilit=wire+drill Shieldsie - If I'm honest, polishing the plenum myself did become a bit of a ball-ache without a proper workshop and professional tools. It will take many hours to achieve as you need to grind back the rough cast with wire drill bits, then sand repeatedly. A professional polisher with do it in half the time and get a much better result - cost I guess anything up to £100? But of course you will be minus plenum/car while they do it. If you already have the necessary tools to remove the plenum, then your only outlay for a DIY job will be for wire drill bits, various sandpaper and metal polish - I reckon less than £20 easy. If you want to get into all the fiddly bits then you will really need a Dremel and plenty of spare time! The advantage for me (as a novice) was gaining confidence working in the engine bay and knowing I can take bits off and put them back on without wrecking anything. Cheers

One year on and I can bite my thumb to all those who said the hours of loving care would just be 'a phase'... I love my Zed. A bit too much for my fiancee's liking, but then she has her cat... I dry her at night when she's wet (I'm talking about the car now); I clean her often, always slowly and with care; and I even talk to her on occasion - ok, probably getting a bit weird now. Anyway, I thought I would share what I have done to the engine bay so far - my theme is Red & Silver: Stock plus Nismo oil filler and radiator caps Polished plenum - I did this myself using the advice on this forum - it took ages and I was bloody nervous the first time I took it off. It looks quite good but admittedly still needs some more work to touch up the edges and fiddly bits. SAMCO Hose Kit Silver - again I used the guides on here to install this. Grounding kit (red) Engine cover - I sanded this down, primed it and then built up the paint layers. I used masking tape the create the striped effect. However, I got impatient between layers and ended up making a right dogs dinner of the first one, as you can see! Plus, I completely mucked up the lacquer application. I had no choice but to strip it, sand it and start again (it was here that I decided to go with the bolder red/silver theme). You can see in the first pic where the intended stripes have flooded out a bit at the sides - this is because I left the masking tape in place while the layer dried and it wicked some of the wet paint away. On my second attempt I learnt that it works better to take the tape of immediate when the paint has been applied, and this got a much sharper line. My second attempt with the bold red and slightly different strip design - this was inspired by a Mustang I saw in town with a similar exterior paint job. I'm not about to win any prizes but I think it's starting to look good (IMHO!) but need a bit of touch up as you can see, prior to the lacquer and I will replace the Nissan badge. I haven't decided whether or not to paint the V6 figures. If it all goes wrong then I know I can at least strip it down and try again! Well that's it for now - I've loved working on it so far and it helps me to learn more about the car as I go. I have an engine damper and some steel braiding ready to install, and a Stillen Hi Flow intake on it's way. Future ideas are polished reservoir tanks, new intake pipe, gallery bolts, carbon cooling plate, and a new strut bar. But all that will have to wait; got clutch/flywheel and exhaust to go in...oh yeah, and a house to buy... coming dear! ps - As I've used a lot of information on here to help me so far, I genuinely hope when I've finished the engine bay to be able to give a fuller review and offer back some help for others - but for now just wanted to post up some pics and see what people think so far. Cheers Sleechy

Thanks very much for the info - both places definitely within reach. Just got to get the day off work sorted now...

Hi all, Having done a bit of reckless January spending, can anybody recommend a garage to fit a new clutch and flywheel in the Wiltshire area or within reasonable driving distance? I usually go to L&G in Manchester (top blokes!) but can't get up there for now. I have tried to search the forum but haven't found anything so far. I have Westover Nissan down the road in Salisbury and have been there once (lost my wheel locking nut key) but don't know about their 350Z credentials and am wary of dealer labour costs. If anybody has any experiences to share I would be very grateful. Cheers! ps - a big public thank you to ZMANALEX for his assistance and advice today- top man for your clutch needs Steve

Stopping off for a quick snack? I hope you weren't eating in the Zed! I'm a Poynton chap too - GM Coupe, '53

Got the cel reset this morning using the pedal procedure - I see what people mean about it being a knack! Anyway, problem sorted - thanks for your help folks. Sleechy

Hi all, Sorry to butt in the thread half way through, but I'm quite interested in knowing more about plenum spacers. Does anyone know why Nissan didn't simply design the engine to distribute air evenly to the front cylinders in the first place? Is there any effect on mpg with a plenum spacer fitted? Sorry if I should have started my own thread with these questions. Cheers, Sleechy

Yeah I mis-read the initial instruction about turning the ignition on - thought it meant engine running which I why I didn't want to do it late at night! Don't worry - I haven't been red-lining her - just haven't got the timing right yet!

Thanks guys; I agree running engine without filter was stupid If its any consolation I spent a good 8 hours over the weekend rubbing various products on/in her, including wheels off for a full scrub and dress! As I said before - the car is running great so I don't think I've bust anything. Have tried reset a few times today with no joy, but I'm aware it's not that easy to get right so will persevere. If it's not happening I'll pop her down to my local Nissan. Thanks again for your input, much appreciated. Sleechy

Thanks mate, will do!

Hi folks, I removed the OEM air box today with a view to temporarily fitting an upgrade which a mate had lent to me, to try it out before buying one. Unfortunately it didn't fit as the piping section was too short so I put the old one back on. Unfortunately the CEL is now on. I'll try the ECU reset tomorrow (bit anti social to do it now!). My mate did rev the car a few time whilst the air box was removed - is this likely to have damaged something? Car has run just fine for the rest of today, and I'm confident that the air box has been refitted correctly. Thanks for your time to anyone who can help! Sleechy