toffeeman Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 I thought I would write a little update on Louis old car to show the bits and bobs I’ve been doing to Ayesha. 1) Front and rear geometry / tracking checked. This showed that the rear wheels were pointing to the left and the fronts were pointing right. Both sets are now true. 2) Front right wheel was badly kerbed so got it refurbished. It was no fun driving around for two days on the spacesaver spare wheel. 3) Fitted my private reg plate. 4) A service including Motul 300V Power Racing oil. Now for the fun bits…. 5) I removed the front bumper to fit the new clear reflectors that I had to get from the states as Nissan UK are having trouble sourcing them from Europe. The job was surprisingly easy and it is a one man job to remove / refit the bumper. The picture below highlights why you need to remove the bumper due to the huge coolant tanks sighted just below the headlights. They are right in the way of both reflectors. The highlight of the job for me was finding the massive Aluminium girder that sits behind the bumper. I had no idea that it was there and to say I was impressed was an understatement. I wouldn’t fancy being on the end of that!! Here are the fitted reflectors 6) I also decided to replace my brake pads and got some EBC RedStuff pads from BigPhil. These were also a doddle to fit but I haven’t tested them properly yet as I don’t want to glaze the pads over so I’m waiting until they are properly bedded in. 7) My favourite mod so far was fitting the K+N Typhoon intake kit. The kit was massive but was also very easy to fit and the results are fantastic. It comes with a 10BHP guarantee of which I’m aware that the general consensus is that the self learning ECU will erode away any BHP gains however the sound it produces on hard acceleration is absolutely awesome. It has a deep resonating roar that eventually tails off as you stop accelerating so it’s not intrusive on the motorway. The only problem is that the sound is very addictive and I have the petrol bills to prove it. The strange thing about this mod was that I scoured both sides of the Atlantic trying to find the cheapest price for this kit and it ended up being a company 4 miles down the road from me. Handy. I also took the throttle body assembly off to give it a clean but it was clean anyway and didn’t really need doing. 8) I have also fitted a new stereo. It is a JVC KD-AVX2 DVD player. This presented my biggest dilemma as I had settled on a full 7” display DVD player. However, I was concerned about leaving the unit on show whilst parked out and about. I eventually decided to go for the JVC as there is some sort of security with the removable faceplate. I got an ISO wiring harness and double din adapter fascia plate online. I’m just waiting on a PAC SWI-JACK to arrive from the States and then I will be able to use my steering wheel controls with the stereo. 9) I also decided to fit a Garmin Nuvi 310 SatNav unit (preloaded with the Good Pub Guide ). I housed it in the cubby hole as I didn’t want it stuck to the windscreen on show. I made my own housing from plastic and metal and covered it with aoustic cloth then hardwired it behind the centre console whilst fitting the stereo. Here is the housing. Here is the Garmin fitted to the housing. Here are some photos of the two items fitted. Here is Ayesha as she looks now. I’ve not gone over the top with any of the jobs just improving the areas that needed it. The Zed is quite an easy car to work on and I really enjoyed doing it. I’m going to get Toyo Proxes T1-R’s all round just before winter, probably around October time. I’m also mulling over a leather retrim for the seats. I think that will be it then. My favourite mod is the K+N Typhoon kit which I can’t recommend enough. I was hoping that someone would be able to make me a signature banner using the following... 1. The last photo of my car above. 2. The Everton crest below......Gun Metal of course! 3. My username - Toffeeman. Many thanks, Craig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 nice one, looks like the start of a modding frenzy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beavis Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 Nice pictures and nice write up. Must get my clear reflectors fitted they have been in the boot for months A bit worried about the cars name though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polarbear Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 Very nice. Gunmetal is my fave colour for that model year. You've done a neat job with the Garmin. I've done the same with my Navman, but nowhere near that tidy. What did you use to fabricate the bracket??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trev-the-Rev Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 Looking Nice pics and good write up. Louis will have a tear in his eye when he reads this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toffeeman Posted July 29, 2007 Author Share Posted July 29, 2007 Nice pictures and nice write up. Must get my clear reflectors fitted they have been in the boot for months A bit worried about the cars name though The name was inherited from Louis....I didn't want to change it incase it brought bad luck like with boats!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toffeeman Posted July 29, 2007 Author Share Posted July 29, 2007 Very nice. Gunmetal is my fave colour for that model year. You've done a neat job with the Garmin. I've done the same with my Navman, but nowhere near that tidy. What did you use to fabricate the bracket??? The plastic was just something I had lying around the garage for years and I reinforced it with a little bit of aluminium. It turned out a lot better than I expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 Good work with the sat nav PS Your garage is a tight fit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toffeeman Posted July 29, 2007 Author Share Posted July 29, 2007 PS Your garage is a tight fit You're not kidding!! Thats why I have carpeted (with underlay ) my garage columns. Well worth doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 PS Your garage is a tight fit You're not kidding!! Thats why I have carpeted (with underlay ) my garage columns. Well worth doing. I've had to do the same Although Mrs sarnie now wants a new house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GC350z Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 The picture below highlights why you need to remove the bumper due to the huge coolant tanks sighted just below the headlights. By the size of them you'd think they're coolant but it's the washer fluid. Over kill some might say. How do you get into the car in that garage??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toffeeman Posted July 29, 2007 Author Share Posted July 29, 2007 The picture below highlights why you need to remove the bumper due to the huge coolant tanks sighted just below the headlights. By the size of them you'd think they're coolant but it's the washer fluid. Over kill some might say. How do you get into the car in that garage??? The photo is a bit of an optical illusion. There is actually about 12" of space which is more than enought for a slim jim like me!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 Good stuff chap. Glad to see someone else is mad enough to remove (even if I did it partially) the bumper! I guess you didnt have too much trouble with the headlight washers? Mine were a sod and right in the way as I only partially removed the bumper, leaving it partly attached at the top all the time. Looks excellent though. How do you find the K&N on the motorway? Is it noticable? I quite fancy one, but do a lot of M-way miles a week (~300) so need it to be quiet at around 70MPH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toffeeman Posted July 29, 2007 Author Share Posted July 29, 2007 Good stuff chap. Glad to see someone else is mad enough to remove (even if I did it partially) the bumper! I guess you didnt have too much trouble with the headlight washers? Mine were a sod and right in the way as I only partially removed the bumper, leaving it partly attached at the top all the time. Looks excellent though. How do you find the K&N on the motorway? Is it noticable? I quite fancy one, but do a lot of M-way miles a week (~300) so need it to be quiet at around 70MPH. I would definitely recommend a K+N Typhoon for you Chris. The intake roar is brutal while you accelerate hard but as soon as you trail off and hit a steady speed the roar completely disappears. This is the perfect combination for me and makes it suitable for motorways. I travel on A roads to work and you wouldn't know it was fitted until you the go pedal . Its worth the money for the sound alone. Craig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M13KYF Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 nice work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 Good stuff chap. Glad to see someone else is mad enough to remove (even if I did it partially) the bumper! I guess you didnt have too much trouble with the headlight washers? Mine were a sod and right in the way as I only partially removed the bumper, leaving it partly attached at the top all the time. Looks excellent though. How do you find the K&N on the motorway? Is it noticable? I quite fancy one, but do a lot of M-way miles a week (~300) so need it to be quiet at around 70MPH. I would definitely recommend a K+N Typhoon for you Chris. The intake roar is brutal while you accelerate hard but as soon as you trail off and hit a steady speed the roar completely disappears. This is the perfect combination for me and makes it suitable for motorways. I travel on A roads to work and you wouldn't know it was fitted until you the go pedal . Its worth the money for the sound alone. Craig. Good stuff. Time to start saving the pennies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickya Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 Good work mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beavis Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 Nice pictures and nice write up. Must get my clear reflectors fitted they have been in the boot for months A bit worried about the cars name though The name was inherited from Louis.... That explains it all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sl114 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 Woooooooo looks great dude. Nice work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toffeeman Posted July 30, 2007 Author Share Posted July 30, 2007 Nice pictures and nice write up. Must get my clear reflectors fitted they have been in the boot for months A bit worried about the cars name though The name was inherited from Louis.... That explains it all Speaking of Louis.....is he on holiday or something!! Beavis, I see from your location that you are from my neck of the woods. I'm from Birches Head near Hanley. I currently live in Plymouth due to being a Gas Turbine engineer for the Navy. How is Stoke nowadays!! Craig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toffeeman Posted July 30, 2007 Author Share Posted July 30, 2007 Woooooooo looks great dude. Nice work. Hi Louis, Ha ha...the timing of the posts is bloody typical. Glad you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beavis Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 Beavis, I see from your location that you are from my neck of the woods. I'm from Birches Head near Hanley. I currently live in Plymouth due to being a Gas Turbine engineer for the Navy. How is Stoke nowadays!! Craig. Pretty much the same i am afraid But a bit better now the A500 mods are done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sl114 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 Woooooooo looks great dude. Nice work. Hi Louis, Ha ha...the timing of the posts is bloody typical. Glad you like. Its very good work mate. Are you thinking about any kits for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toffeeman Posted July 30, 2007 Author Share Posted July 30, 2007 Woooooooo looks great dude. Nice work. Hi Louis, Ha ha...the timing of the posts is bloody typical. Glad you like. Its very good work mate. Are you thinking about any kits for it? Nahh, no kits. I'm not into big kits. My philosopy is to just improve or replace bits. I can return the car back to standard whenever I like. I'm just thinking over the leather retrim and I might get some of them concentric spacer hubs from Bigphil to fill the arches a bit better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H5 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 Nicely done mate! Did you just pull the washer caps off the extending nozzles to get the bumper off? Or do you have a guide? I started mine but gave up as didn't want to break anything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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