Silverthorn's MB 370z GT

[Silverthorn]

Hi All,

 

Figured I'd start a little project thread for my relatively recently purchased Magnetic Black 370z GT.

 

I purchased the car in March 2018 on only 34,000 miles with a FNSH. The car was completely stock besides a HKS Super Sound Master cat back exhaust system.

 

Coming from a completely stripped Fiesta ST track car (half of a dash, no heaters, no head unit, no carpet etc.) to a car with such a vast amount of luxuries was very strange and almost slightly boring to be honest. Obviously the car was hugely faster than my previous car but it always felt a little too comfy and clinical. So with that in mind i almost immediately started modifying it, even though like always i said i was "keeping this one stock"...

 

First on the list for me was a set of BC racing coilovers which i purchased brand new from H-Tune. I had previously purchased a set of Tein Springs but after a week or so i decided they weren't for me. It was the first time i tried springs after always being an advocate for coilovers. It's fair to say i won't ever bother with springs again...

 

Around the same time i purchased a set of Hardrace rear camber arms and some Tarmac Sportz 20mm & 25mm spacers also.

 

Fast forward a month or so and i had all of these fitted as well as a few little miscellaneous bits and pieces but i just couldn't get myself to like to stock RAYS wheels.

 

Personally I've always been a fan of slightly smaller wheels on cars and thereby opted for a set of RAYS Gram Light 57DR's in 18 x 9.5 et15 for the front and 18 x 10.5 et25 (with a 20mm spacer) for the rear. I absolutely love the look of the new wheels and much to mine and other peoples surprise, i have not had a single issue with catching the bottom of the car on the floor while driving about. I don't even bother trying to negotiate speed bumps though...

 

And that's pretty much where i am today. Progress is a little slower than i initially hoped but parts for these are absolutely extortionate and seeing as I'm only 20; Insurance, Tax and fuel is an absolute KILLER!

 

Anyway, here's a couple of pics of the car so far as it has progressed in my ownership:

 

 

Edited October 19, 2020 by Silverthorn

[nissanjuke]

nice  let us know any  other mods you have planned  

[Silverthorn]

On ‎10‎/‎07‎/‎2018 at 18:37, nissanjuke said:

nice  let us know any  other mods you have planned  

 

Cheers mate 

 

As far as plans go for the car i really want to get a duckbill spoiler on the rear so that'll probably be my next purchase.

 

After that i would like to change the front bumper to a facelift Nismo one and possibly the rear bumper to the pre-facelift Nismo. Further on in the future I'd like to go down the route of a lightened flywheel, sports cats, Sparco buckets and a few other bits and pieces. Nothing too crazy really but we'll see how it progresses.

 

I have a tendency to say I'll take it steady and then spend an absolute fortune on a car in about half the time i planned to do so 

Edited July 24, 2018 by Silverthorn

[Humpy]

Zeditis for sure

 

Looks great and welcome to the greatest forum. Get to some meets! 

[Nso93]

Looking good mate. Like the wheels

[Silverthorn]

13 hours ago, Humpy said:

Zeditis for sure

 

Looks great and welcome to the greatest forum. Get to some meets! 

Cheers mate! If any meets pop up nearish Bristol then I'll be there for sure 

12 hours ago, Nso93 said:

Looking good mate. Like the wheels

Thanks mate - I was initially set on getting a set of Work Kiwami's but after seeing these pop up for a good price i couldn't say no 

 

[Silverthorn]

Popped out for a few photos last night. Car was a little dusty so I'll need to redo them once the car has had a proper wash... Pretty happy with them none the less!

 

 

[davey_83]

Looks just the ticket, low and static!! Bold choice to go a size lower for the alloys, but it works. Smart pictures also, keep em coming

[Payco]

Interesting move to 18's. Interested to hear your view on what differences you feel they have made. What offsets are the 18's versus the stock 19's ?. Seen a great deal on some 18s I like but not sure I could pull them off on my Nismo.

[Silverthorn]

36 minutes ago, davey_83 said:

Looks just the ticket, low and static!! Bold choice to go a size lower for the alloys, but it works. Smart pictures also, keep em coming

Cheers mate! I absolutely adore the car now it sits on 18's   I wasn't too sure if it'd pay off or not as i have heard some people complaining about scrapping with 18's etc.

 

I think as long as you're careful and watch out for big bumps in the road then there won't be an issue whatsoever. My work commute mostly consists of large main roads though so they're generally very smooth.

 

Definitely need to give the car a real good polish and pop out for another couple of photos soon!

30 minutes ago, Payco said:

Interesting move to 18's. Interested to hear your view on what differences you feel they have made. What offsets are the 18's versus the stock 19's ?. Seen a great deal on some 18s I like but not sure I could pull them off on my Nismo.

 

Driving the car is does seem to feel alot more responsive and turn it seems a little more immediate. Sticking with the same tyre profile and not going up from 35 to 40 has helped that i believe. It does feel alot more 'go kart' like with them on which is something i have missed since moving to this car. 

 

How much of a difference it realistically has made though is questionable. It's probably just feels different to me as i know there have been some changes made.

 

These wheels are 18 x 9.5 et15 front and 18 x 10.5 et25 with a 20mm spacer for the rear. Stock i believe is 19 x 9 et47 front and 19 x 10 et30 rear. It works out as the equivalent of running a 38.4mm spacer on the front and a 31.4mm spacer on the rear with stock wheels i believe.

 

It's a tough one with a Nismo i think. I think the Nismo suits the 19's perfectly, but it's all down to personal preference i guess. I've had numerous people say to me they love the look of the car with 18's on since i changed them over but others have said they preferred the 19's... 

 

One big advantage of the 18's of course is the larger range of tyres available, the cheaper tyre prices and of course the much larger array of second hand 18's for sale compared to the 19's.

Edited July 11, 2018 by Silverthorn

[Payco]

Thanks for the feedback mate, appreciate the time you have taken to share your experience. Saw some work emotions CR2Ps new for less than half price in 18's which was tempting. Don't think the offsets will work tho.

[davey_83]

For me the Nismo has too much lower bodywork to pull off smaller wheels. 

[Silverthorn]

11 hours ago, davey_83 said:

For me the Nismo has too much lower bodywork to pull off smaller wheels. 

I agree, the addition of the huge rear bumper and skirts definitely tailors the car towards 19" wheels.. I'll be going with the FL Nismo front bumper but I'll be giving the skirts and rear bumper a miss purely for that reason

[jollyranchers]

nice car , any weight saving with the gram lights v stock ?

[Silverthorn]

10 hours ago, jollyranchers said:

nice car , any weight saving with the gram lights v stock ?

The new wheels are definitely lighter than stock but i never weighed them unfortunately. The new wheels with tyres are still relatively heavy though.

 

After having a scan through online I've seen one person weight a Gram light 57DR in 18 x 9.5 and it came out at an even 10kg, whereas a stock RAYS front wheel is ≈ 10.7kg i believe... Not that great of a weight saving really

[Silverthorn]

Not exactly 370 related but figured some of you may be interested anyway.

 

I entered a raffle thing on Facebook to win a Clio 197 in Liquid Yellow with a Megane 225 conversion. Needless to say i somehow managed to fluke it and win with only 1 ticket out of 500! 

 

I am still in shock! Picking the car up on Sunday!

 

Fair to say it has been a very good day....

 

For anyone that is interested, spec is:

 

Megane 225 Engine (274 bhp)
Forge intercooler
Megane 250 turbo
Full piper Exhaust

Megane 225 Gearbox with Quaife LSD .
Short shifter
Helix flywheel
R26R Clutch

H&R coilovers
Oz ultraleggeras with Avon ZZR tyres

Renault sport front splitter
200 rear diffuser 
Brand new 200 clocks
Half Cage
Sparco Grid II Seats
Harnesses
2010 1.2 rear lights

 

 

[Silverthorn]

Removed the rear 20mm spacer and went up to a 275 tyre in the rear. Also had an alignment done to remove most of the camber on the rear and get the front toe sorted out.

 

Rear toe bolts are seized though, so i will be purchasing a set of SPC rear toe bolts and installing those relatively soon.

 

Hoping to get the mk2 Nismo front bumper, duckbill wing and a set of TS Sideskirt Extensions all ordered in the next few weeks. Also trying to get hold of a mk1 Nismo rear bumper soon, although that's seeming like an impossibility at the moment. Cannot wait till it all get's fitted! 

 

Anyway, here's a few pictures i managed to grab the other day:

[nissanjuke]

nice one very stealth like   

[Silverthorn]

51 minutes ago, nissanjuke said:

nice one very stealth like   

Cheers mate 

 

Hoping the addition of the bumpers etc. should add to that stealth look! Need to get my headlight internals sprayed black soon as well 

[nissanjuke]

I thought I was bad with zeditis, but you have it bad as well  

[Killick.z]

Looks awesome all black. I can imagine its great fun trying to keep it looking clean though (stunning when it is)

[Silverthorn]

32 minutes ago, nissanjuke said:

I thought I was bad with zeditis, but you have it bad as well  

Considering my plan for the first year of ownership was only a set of coilovers and spacers, It's not going too well  I've only had it 5 months...

32 minutes ago, Killick.z said:

Looks awesome all black. I can imagine its great fun trying to keep it looking clean though (stunning when it is)

Cheers mate  And yeah, I cannot stand keeping it clean! Looks good for all of an hour or so before it's back to being dusty again. Either that or It's the water marks from the condensation overnight 

[davey_83]

Hey result on the raffle!!! You keeping it? 370z looks amazing, any pictures of the engine bay? 

[Silverthorn]

5 minutes ago, davey_83 said:

Hey result on the raffle!!! You keeping it? 370z looks amazing, any pictures of the engine bay? 

Yeah i can't believe it! To think i only purchased a single ticket makes it even more amazing 

 

The car will be going to my girlfriend as she has a 197 in LY already. Then we will be selling her old car and i will be getting the majority of the cash from that sale. Then the cash from that will no doubt end up being spent on the 370, even though i keep saying I'll put it in an ISA or something 

 

No pics of the engine bay unfortunately. Completely stock, besides some HKS panel filters, so nothing to look at 

[sipar69]

15 hours ago, Silverthorn said:

Removed the rear 20mm spacer and went up to a 275 tyre in the rear. Also had an alignment done to remove most of the camber on the rear and get the front toe sorted out.

 

Rear toe bolts are seized though, so i will be purchasing a set of SPC rear toe bolts and installing those relatively soon.

 

Hoping to get the mk2 Nismo front bumper, duckbill wing and a set of TS Sideskirt Extensions all ordered in the next few weeks. Also trying to get hold of a mk1 Nismo rear bumper soon, although that's seeming like an impossibility at the moment. Cannot wait till it all get's fitted! 

 

Anyway, here's a few pictures i managed to grab the other day:

 

I think you'll struggle to source a mk1 Nismo rear bumper. 

 

Some jerk dented my rear bumper when I had a mk1 Nismo and it needed replacing. The body shop made enquires about a replacement, but because the mk2 had been released it was going to be a long wait and cost an absolute bomb for a Mk1 bumper. I went with the mk2 instead. It was a lot cheaper and immediately available.