taras

I had an interesting conversation with Octet the other day. He showed me pictures of 350Z carbon interior from the US and asked if I could do it. As it happened, I was in the process of having my interior skinned in carbon fibre. Note: We are talking about REAL carbon fibre here not vinyl. So after looking at them, I pointed out that they where covers which fit over the panels. My thoughts on this are: They're quick to make for mass production but fit will vary ever so slightly and will stick up approx 3mm. It is reversible meaning you can take them off if you change your mind or when you sell your car. However if you skin an original part, it'll be flatter and would have very little fitting issues. But it would be a permanent change and also takes much longer to make. Why not make new replacement parts in carbon? Well because it's simply too hard to replicate all the small fixings which holds the complicated interior together which is why many companies makes covers instead. So if cost was about the same, which option would you go for? Ray

Seriously though Adrian, will be one sick looking car with all of those shiny polished and red goodies under the hood We should email Joe at Banzai when all is done.

Octet, are you blind in one eye?! Lucky you did't pay to get it polished, good learning curve! I'd definitely let you do mine For free...

Ardian, why not do a mix of matte red and matte turquoise? We can wrap one side in one colour and another in other... Or in two tone stripes.. or diagonally in two tone

Special thanks to Marco in the Netherlands who races in the Time Attack for the pics of his install. He's yet to fit the front 2 rods and to adjust his suspension but as you can see it works well in combination with our front lip on his GT4. We'll be getting some more feedback from his trial runs soon.

Yeah, thanks to Wasso that is the only Chargespeed copy in the UK. We have made adjustments to 4 prototypes until we were happy with it. However fibreglass bumpers/skirts will never fit as nicely as OEM parts, all require extra work for perfect fit and finish. That's why bodyshops charge on average £100 more for aftermarket kits. And it is essential to have the car on site to adjust the bumper to a specific body. End of this month we will be re-fitting genuine Chargespeed for one forum member. We'd have to cut the top of the bumper off, as the boot lids hits it and then re-figreglass it back in place... Fiddly custom work.

Since December 2011 i think.

Spraying is a gift. I have changed 4 sprayers in less than a year until I found THE ONE. My guy is a GOD in what he does It is not just applying the paint and lacquer, a good sprayer needs to foresee the whole process from when the car comes into a bodyshop. Prepping is crucial for the final result, it reflects final finish. My sprayer manages the prep work also, so it's up to his standard. And then you have materials... It is crazy how different components affect end result, the way a lacquer cures for instance, curing times before polishing, UV protection or not.. We are using a lacquer that will never change colour within time, it has 40% less chemical additives in it causing a more "gentle" reaction, compared to other products. I'is like Belvedere compared to Tesco Vodka.. you still get drunk but latter murders you the next day Also, whether paint is dusty or covers well. We use Standox paints. All these come at a cost which sometimes is difficult to justify... Basically spraying is a mix of talent, technical knowledge and practical imagination.

Now need to think of a colour that would match with all the gloss black parts! Adrian knows what I mean

I'll burn those tyres over few weekends

Jay, matte red sounds good actually Hexis recently launched matte silver, matte blue and matte brown pearl Latter looks ridiculously cool Hmmmm...

Another excuse to prioritize the purchase of new rims and tyres Handles were sprayed in gloss black btw

As most of you know, I have sold my matte white HR roadster back in March 2012. This left an emotional and fun emptiness which no other car could fill. So, after long hunting, hungry for a great project car, I've come across a damaged 350z with low mileage and nice potential. The damage was to a O/S rear quarter, where the panel has deformed in few places, many underbody brackets bent, inside body panels in need of replacement, new bumper, lights, etc. No structural or chassis damage though Since pictures always say more than any words, here's a small display of a process that took 4 weeks to complete (never fully completed though i guess ) Arriving on a recovery truck to RT Performance bodyshop Looking very standard.. All these damaged spot-welded panes have to be removed and replaced It's amazing how far away from the point of impact the metal gets deformed Not looking good... but nothing that can't be fixed Pulling with hydraulic jig in right directions for specific time brings the metal to place. Too much pull and you're in worse situation than before All bends on rear quarter are nearly gone now New panels welded replacing damaged ones Successful use hydraulic jig and talented panel beater and you'll end up with minimal filler work Time to de-badge the boot, remove the spoiler and windscreen wiper. All holes have been fibreglassed to create a strong base for the filler. If this is not done to a hole or large indentation (like a badge on front bumpers) then the filler will sink in eventually, leaving a nasty mark in bodywork. "Z" badges have to go too. Also, indentations here to be fibreglassed first, to reduce amounts of filler needed. Welding is another option but we found fibreglassing to be a better way here. Time to loose an OEM bumper and test-fit RT made Amuse style bumper. Fits nicely Flushed means flushed, aerial has to go too! It has been relocated in a boot area, hidden under plastic trims All filler worked parts are now ready for primer, together with RT made Chargespeed style rear bumper All primed Everything has now been rubbed down and masked up for a respray Not the matte look! After the second coat of paint actually.. Freshly lacquered here I decided to go for black and grey theme so far, and the diffuser part of Chargespeed bumper together with a "mouth" of Amuse front were done in black.. Nice Accident? What accident??? Going on a ramp to apply under-body anti-gravel protection. Old exhaust has been removed to gain better access to hidden areas New exhaust and de-cats arrived just in time! This kit is soon to be available from RT Performance at affordable price. I will post some clips of it in action later This was probably after midnight... Luckily no bolts/studs snapped, so I was motivated to carry on Mean if you ask me Gloss black roof wrap to be added to the black&grey theme. Hexis stuff rules! This was latter complimented by dark shade Llumar window tints, can't find any pictures of it being done though A big servicing stage... engine oil and filter, Cosworth panel filter, gearbox oil, rear diff oil, spark plugs, brake fluid, Hel brake and clutch lines, hydraulic fluids... Huge thanks to ZMANALEX for efficient service once again When changing spark plugs I noticed engine oil on some of them. Unfortunately this means rocket covers must be changed to stop oil leak into plug wells. Whilst plenum was off, a quick call to Abbey and a spacer arrived next day. Thanks guys! We also sprayed the plenum cover and throttle body in titanium silver for a fresher look Now with the bumper fitted, exaust looks like it sound - ace!!! And finally some pictures of finished work (not fully finished actually, this is straight from the spraybooth, car still has to be polished when I give a rest having fun ) The project continues and I will try to update this post whenever i get a minute to breathe. So far, next in line is a set of coilovers with adjustable front arms, anti roll bars, a remap, Rota GTR 19" rims, and a crazy a** wrap we have some ideas in mind but not 100% certain yet. Any suggestions? Will keep you posted. Thanks for looking guys Taras

we used to have this problem all the time. Many new sports cars now come with low profile tyres and normal machines simply can't remove them without denting or makring the alloy. I remembered getting fed up asking all the garages "can you take my tyres off without scratching my alloys" and many say no or cant assure it. Saying that now there are ever more new workshops with new machines which can remove low profile tyres or use alloy protectors to stop scratching. But shockingly many people don't have new machines and still depend on old techniques which will break your heart.

Nice and quick repair. PMed

Oh oh oh, interesting. Any teasers on this? Some say... there was a jet fighter in surrey... all we know is that it's coming soon.

Hold out for the RT-Performance exhaust

Very nice. But can you tell us what tablet you're using? Specs? Also where is the on/off switch? Normally they're hard wired to the edge so how did you over come that? How are you boosting the sound? Pre-amp?

Just found it, p42 http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/350Z/coupe/2004.5/em.pdf

Doing the same thing now any indication as to where the pdf workshop manual can be found? Or at least a pictures showing where sealant should be applied to?

And knowing Dubai, the word "efficiency" isn't even in the language. Just big!

We're currently working on offering a full decat system

Pete, car looks spectacular! I'm impressed how well our kit looks fully flushed! Need some large pics for RT-Performance website

Tom, How much for 20mm spacers posted? Taras.