Dipper

I realise I'm jumping around a bit. A few half finished jobs on the go But currently the car is on axle stands with a few plans for winter fixes. So i picked up the ultraracing front brace and I'm halfway through removing the old rusty one. It was going ok untill I rounded a bolt. (Despite being really carefull, using 6 point sockets and a gently gently approach) Anyway, I had some extractor sockets from when I was doing the kidney brackets.(didn't end up using them there) and with out much expectations I hammered one on. Have to say I am soooo impressed. Hanging off it with the breaker bar. It held fast and removed the bolt. 100% my new favourite tool.

Looking sweet my man!

So I bought an ALMOST set of coilovers. A set of BCs for the 350z. They were going really cheap. But are missing some parts. Ie. the rear dampers! (Lol) I've got the adjustable rear springs and seats. Now I contacted bc to see if i could buy separately and they were looking well over 500 pound just for the rear damper assy (non true coilovers) So I was exploring other options, For rear damping. The Tein enduro pro plus seem to have a a rear damper that you can adjust too. And I can get a pair for like 300 euro. So I might go down this route. Any thoughts? Unless some random is breaking a set of BCs. ?

Yeah I'm in northern ireland so slightly different mot set up here. But I failed mine on the rear cross member mentioned. I bought a new one. But seen that it would be a mare to fit. So I just ripped the old one out and never replaced it. Fitted new kidney brackets and a whiteline w brace. And took it to a different mot test center. They have a look. They see shiny new parts. It's passes. Even if they've mentioned "rear cross member" most mechanics are not familiar with 350z. They can just see if it's rusty or not. If it ain't present. It ain't rusty. And it won't fail. Every 350z owner bins them.

Heat gun might work better. I didn't have one. The glue however runs the entire perimeter of the lens. So I'm kinda thinking all the glue would need to be heated in unison to get the lens moving at all. So yeah maybe someone with a heat gun can try. But oven worked well. No melting of plastic or browning of the clear lens.

Yeah same here. It scared me a bit. But now having a spare light made me less fearful. Little to lose. Glue doesn't need long in the oven at all to soften. So risk of things melting is low as long as you leave it in for a minute at a time. My process I had it in and out maybe 5 times. The glue would get hard again quickly once out of the oven.

Next mod on the list: Rear red lens fog light removal. After following a previous "how to" guide on this site. I stuck the rear bumper light cluster in the oven. And using some trim removal tools.pried the lens away from the black housing. Once opened and clearing away the sticky glue. I took out the red lens and the mirrored backing. Both of which came away easily. Back in the oven for a minute to make the glue tacky again. And resealed the unit. Confession. I was worried about wrecking my lights. So I bought a cheap 2nd hand unit off Ebay to try this mod. Since it was successful. Next I just gotta get a red bulb to replace the affected fog light, take off the rear bumper and fit the new clear lens. Which hopefully add some symmetry to the rear of the car

Another sneaky little mod. The black Zunsport grill added. Still a little bit unsure about it. But will leave it on and see if it grows on me.

So popped up the gearstick surround bezel. Disconnect the ribbon style harness wire connecting them. The dials are held in by a single black screw and clips you have to pry back. Two on top and two on the sides. (I didn't spot the side ones at first.) Lever them out with a screw driver and they pop out. I did a quick function test before reassembly. All the controls seem to work so I reassembled them and voila. A little more bling added to my interior.

Oh good question. I know there is 3 types of heating controls. The ones that came in my early 2004 350z. Then the one with the slightly larger silver rear bezel. (I assumed this was a rev up change. But maybe it's a japan import thing) And then the ones that come on the interior facelift models on the HR and such with the silver rotating parts and black rear housing. The 3 types I know of pictured here:

Yeah some wet wipes, q tips and then some tissues to dry it off and reassemble.

Next up on the list is the heating dials. Mines an 04 so has the 1st gen dials. A little flatter and wider. With a smaller chrome bezel. So I snagged some of the newer dials off Ebay. They felt a bit gritty to turn and not smooth. So a quick rebuild and clean out was on the cards first before fitting them. I'm doing all this assuming they work once fitted.

No stress. Il get something yet. Lol

Did the carbon engine cover survive? If so I'd be interested

Mot passed and the red zed is back on the road. I think changing rusty kidney brackets is basically a rite of passage for a 350z owner...you should get a badge or something