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Z centre cap installation


jep350z

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I've decided to make my Nissan a pure Z-car by removing all the Nissan branding. First job was to replace the Nissan-branded centre caps on the Rays alloy wheels.

 

ZCaps%20001.JPG

 

Replacements were purchased from eBay and are a perfect match for colour and finish.

 

ZCaps%20002.JPG

 

Installation means taking the wheels off. Loosen the wheel nuts, jack the car up using the Nissan jack at the correct jacking points (two little indentations mark this roughly underneath the front and back of the car door), and then remove the wheel nuts to take the wheel off. Good opportunity to use some wheel cleaner to thoroughly clean the wheels where it's usually difficult to reach when they are fitted.

 

The centre caps are held in by a broken circle of stiff wire, which you can see in the back of the new one here:

 

ZCaps%20003.JPG

 

Fron the back of the wheel, press inwards a couple of the tabs and you can push the entire cap straight out. To refit, simply line up from the front of the wheel, and press into place.

 

If you're paranoid about breaking a tab off the caps, you can remove the wire (which is how I did the first two wheels until picking up Wayshot's advice - I used the simpler method above for the other two). If you want a more complicated way, then from the back of the wheel, carefully use a flat screwdriver to unclip the wire at one end, and then the other, and lift it out. It clips in three places. The centre cap will then press out from the back. Fit the new centre caps by pushing them in from the front, and then from the back fit the clip back in place. It's tempting to use the old clips because they are already bent in but I decided it's worth persevering with the new firmer clips just to ensure no-one can ever prise them out from the front. Pull the clip in to a tighter circle and ease into the back of the centre cap. Get the bottom bit secure first, and then bend in one side and then the other to catch into the other two places.

 

Wheel with new Z centre cap looks like this:

 

ZCaps%20004.JPG

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  • 6 months later...

 

I'm liking those, looks like a relatively cheap mod to. Off to ebay immediately, just worried about longevity of finish though, more laquer applied as per previous poster sounds like a plan.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Yeah, I'm looking at getting the Z centre caps too (especially as I've just ordered the Z badges for front and rear). Contacted the eBay user I bought the badges from and he informed me he should have more in stock mid-May. His eBay user name is "k2hks0". Hope that helps.

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Yeah, I'm looking at getting the Z centre caps too (especially as I've just ordered the Z badges for front and rear). Contacted the eBay user I bought the badges from and he informed me he should have more in stock mid-May. His eBay user name is "k2hks0". Hope that helps.

 

I bought one of these for mine. On the second one now in 2 years. The finish is not as durable as stock. Same supplier too. Ready for another new one. Thinking of going back to a stock Nissan one.

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Yeah, I'm looking at getting the Z centre caps too (especially as I've just ordered the Z badges for front and rear). Contacted the eBay user I bought the badges from and he informed me he should have more in stock mid-May. His eBay user name is "k2hks0". Hope that helps.

 

I bought one of these for mine. On the second one now in 2 years. The finish is not as durable as stock. Same supplier too. Ready for another new one. Thinking of going back to a stock Nissan one.

 

What I am planning on doing once I receive the Z badges (front and rear) is to coat them in a few layers of clear lacquer before applying to the body. Hopefully this will protect against the elements and give better durability. I will also do this for the Z centre caps when I order them. Has anyone else tried this? Feedback would be appreciated on the results.

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Yeah, I'm looking at getting the Z centre caps too (especially as I've just ordered the Z badges for front and rear). Contacted the eBay user I bought the badges from and he informed me he should have more in stock mid-May. His eBay user name is "k2hks0". Hope that helps.

 

I bought one of these for mine. On the second one now in 2 years. The finish is not as durable as stock. Same supplier too. Ready for another new one. Thinking of going back to a stock Nissan one.

 

What I am planning on doing once I receive the Z badges (front and rear) is to coat them in a few layers of clear lacquer before applying to the body. Hopefully this will protect against the elements and give better durability. I will also do this for the Z centre caps when I order them. Has anyone else tried this? Feedback would be appreciated on the results.

 

Yeh when I had the caps colour matched to the smoked chrome on the wheels they were lacquered and I've had no problem 2 years on.

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  • 1 year later...

Got the same tarnished issue here to. Bought them from this site, they looked real good on.

 

Fitted then for Le Mans last year so been on 9 months ish, despite frequent poorboys application wish I'd lacquered them more now, looking very tatty.

 

They weren't expensive so I guess will replace shortly.

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I did a real dastardly thing when I swapped my burgers for zeds, I was too bleeding lazy to jack her up and drag the wheels off and knowing I was gonna chuck the burgers away I heated a screw driver up and just punched em through from the front. Levered them off without damage to the wheel and popped the new zeds back in ..................voila ............ a lazy bloke always finds the easy way.

 

Please don't think bad of me, I'm just a bit of heathen :boxing:

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