2004 Nissan 350z

[sainz92]

Apologies for the lack of updates.

After many cold evenings and a bit of blood, sweat and a busted thumb (5lb lump hammer vs thumb) I managed to sort the rust issue and got the car through the MOT and back on the road in December. Luckily all of the rusted components were bolt on parts which were pretty easy to replace (apart from one rounded nut which caused havoc and had to be split, but was in the worst possible place with literally no access).

before

after

When the car was on stands I took the time to Kurust any signs of developing rust and then undersealed the under body of the car the prevent another ball ache.

The exhaust was also looking a bit worse for wear, so I ordered a replacement off of ebay, nothing special or too loud. The hangers need adjusting as the left side is looking a little low, but apart from that I'm happy with it... Although, it will probable end up getting replaced by something a tad louder.. Or I may have to space the back box and the mid pipe a bit to get some braps every now and then.



Not the best photo as it was a quick one, but i've since removed the diff rock guard too as the exhaust was burning through it.

Since some bright spark removed the previous W brace (or it rotted away) I ordered an ultra racing replacement and fitted it which made a great difference, although my exhaust is now rattling against the brace, so that will need to be spaced at some point.. Probably when I'm adjusting the exhaust hangers. Does anyone know if a culinary blow torch would heat the hangers up enough to bend them?



Next on the "mechanical" list is a full service, gearbox oil change, ARB drop links and Track rods (inner and ends). But, before that I'm going to breathe some new life into the interior over the weekend with a bit of a detail and repaint the scratched panels.

I will upload pictures of my progress next week and will try not to leave it so long in future.

[Welsh_Meat]

Its great to see another 350z being taken care of

It is sad to hear that rust is a common issue on the 350z - I am on my second Z and both had rust. The current one looked like it had been through the ocean. However, I managed to clean it up, treat it and seal the under body the other week (with the hot weather the waxole was lovely to paint on but messy!).

I would recommend taking off the front wheel inner arch covers and checking for rust on the chassis - check out my thread.



Peter

[Alias218]

Likewise, great to see one being cared for. I took mine out of DD duty last year and am getting the car to a standard that will keep it looking fresh - interior refresh, wheel refurb, underside protection, suspension refresh and now an unplanned exhaust replacement as mine has recently decided it would rather be two halves than a whole.

I should really update my thread too.

In any case, yours looks like it's being lavished with attention so that's good.

For interior bits, I recently had my wheel done by Royal Steering Wheels and I was very impressed. Makes such a difference. I also had the door armrest/grab handles repainted professionally as my effort a few years back didn't last. It cost a bit but again has made a huge difference - Wicked Coatings if you're interested. They do a soft touch laquer and the outcome of mine was a standard look finish with none of the flimsy Nissan quality. £300 for the lot (inc. wheel) and the interior looks so much better for it. Can post some pics if you're interested.

[Welsh_Meat]

Alias218 said:

Likewise, great to see one being cared for. I took mine out of DD duty last year and am getting the car to a standard that will keep it looking fresh - interior refresh, wheel refurb, underside protection, suspension refresh and now an unplanned exhaust replacement as mine has recently decided it would rather be two halves than a whole.

I should really update my thread too.

In any case, yours looks like it's being lavished with attention so that's good.

For interior bits, I recently had my wheel done by Royal Steering Wheels and I was very impressed. Makes such a difference. I also had the door armrest/grab handles repainted professionally as my effort a few years back didn't last. It cost a bit but again has made a huge difference - Wicked Coatings if you're interested. They do a soft touch laquer and the outcome of mine was a standard look finish with none of the flimsy Nissan quality. £300 for the lot (inc. wheel) and the interior looks so much better for it. Can post some pics if you're interested.

Are you able to upload some photos of your steering wheel? whats the quality of finish like? been thinking of re-trimming my 535d steering wheel.

What suspension work have you done? coiler or clean up?

I might be selling my Japspeed K4 exhaust system if I fail noise test at Brands on Monday (have decats fitted which make it really loud!)

[Mr Tidy]

Hope this helps Welsh_Meat.

Here is one that has been retrimmed by Royals - just in a different sort of Z! I think they charge about £130.

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t...

[Alias218]

Welsh_Meat said:

Are you able to upload some photos of your steering wheel? whats the quality of finish like? been thinking of re-trimming my 535d steering wheel.

What suspension work have you done? coiler or clean up?

I might be selling my Japspeed K4 exhaust system if I fail noise test at Brands on Monday (have decats fitted which make it really loud!)

Of course. Before:



After:





I went for black printed leather, a bit thicker padding with orange stitching to accentuate the other orange detailing on the car. Jack (of RSW) offers a plethora of options mind you.

£140 delivered if you send in your own wheel, although he does an exchange option and a drive in service if you're close. Lead time was around 2 weeks and communication was spot on. I couldn't stop smiling when I opened the box! I was dead chuffed.

Suspension work hasn't been done yet, neither has the under seal although I expect both will be done by summer's end. I'm opting for Bilstein B8 dampers and probably Tein S-Tech springs. Under seal will be clear Dinitrol by a Dinitrol centre close by. I'm putting an OE exhaust on to replace the failed rear silencer - I'm not a fan of the third party offerings.

Anyway, sorry for the thread hijack!

[sainz92]

Alias218 said:

Of course. Before:



After:





I went for black printed leather, a bit thicker padding with orange stitching to accentuate the other orange detailing on the car. Jack (of RSW) offers a plethora of options mind you.

£140 delivered if you send in your own wheel, although he does an exchange option and a drive in service if you're close. Lead time was around 2 weeks and communication was spot on. I couldn't stop smiling when I opened the box! I was dead chuffed.

Suspension work hasn't been done yet, neither has the under seal although I expect both will be done by summer's end. I'm opting for Bilstein B8 dampers and probably Tein S-Tech springs. Under seal will be clear Dinitrol by a Dinitrol centre close by. I'm putting an OE exhaust on to replace the failed rear silencer - I'm not a fan of the third party offerings.

Anyway, sorry for the thread hijack!

No need to apologise! that wheel looks amazing! I'm definitely going to consider getting that done.

[sainz92]

Well, I had a go at respraying the drivers side switch panel over the weekend and I think it turned out OK. The only part that lets is down is the recess for the window switches as they were extremely difficult to wet sand to a smooth finish.

Here's the before



And the result



So all in all, not bad, but could be better.

I used Halfords enamel primer and Halfords Enamel Rubberised black.

The rest of the interior bits will get finished throughout the week and then I have to tackle a faulty boot latch which has just decided to stop working.

[Alias218]

sainz92 said:

Well, I had a go at respraying the drivers side switch panel over the weekend and I think it turned out OK. The only part that lets is down is the recess for the window switches as they were extremely difficult to wet sand to a smooth finish.

Here's the before



And the result



So all in all, not bad, but could be better.

I used Halfords enamel primer and Halfords Enamel Rubberised black.

The rest of the interior bits will get finished throughout the week and then I have to tackle a faulty boot latch which has just decided to stop working.

Looks good - makes such a difference doing small bits like this.

However...

I did exactly what you have done a few years back. Halfords rubberised paint and a proper sand back and prime. Unfortunately, it didn't last. It's more durable than the Nissan rubbish, but it deforms under heavy use, much like Clio steering wheels if you know what I mean; looks melted. Plus, on the passenger side it reacted with the grab handle on the reverse side. Handle was fine, but made a mess of the painted panel.

I recently sent my bits off to be professionally painted (I also have photos of these!) and the finish is great. Before you go ahead and paint more, I'd suggest waiting to see how the bits you have done fairs.

As I say, looks really good but for me at least it didn't last.

[sainz92]

Alias218 said:

Looks good - makes such a difference doing small bits like this.

However...

I did exactly what you have done a few years back. Halfords rubberised paint and a proper sand back and prime. Unfortunately, it didn't last. It's more durable than the Nissan rubbish, but it deforms under heavy use, much like Clio steering wheels if you know what I mean; looks melted. Plus, on the passenger side it reacted with the grab handle on the reverse side. Handle was fine, but made a mess of the painted panel.

I recently sent my bits off to be professionally painted (I also have photos of these!) and the finish is great. Before you go ahead and paint more, I'd suggest waiting to see how the bits you have done fairs.

As I say, looks really good but for me at least it didn't last.

I agree mate, I got in it earlier and as I closed the door I had my key in my hand and put a tiny nick in it already. I'm thinking about repainting it using plastidip since that's alot more durable and hard wearing, as well as easier to apply.

[Alias218]

sainz92 said:

Alias218 said:

Looks good - makes such a difference doing small bits like this.

However...

I did exactly what you have done a few years back. Halfords rubberised paint and a proper sand back and prime. Unfortunately, it didn't last. It's more durable than the Nissan rubbish, but it deforms under heavy use, much like Clio steering wheels if you know what I mean; looks melted. Plus, on the passenger side it reacted with the grab handle on the reverse side. Handle was fine, but made a mess of the painted panel.

I recently sent my bits off to be professionally painted (I also have photos of these!) and the finish is great. Before you go ahead and paint more, I'd suggest waiting to see how the bits you have done fairs.

As I say, looks really good but for me at least it didn't last.

I agree mate, I got in it earlier and as I closed the door I had my key in my hand and put a tiny nick in it already. I'm thinking about repainting it using plastidip since that's alot more durable and hard wearing, as well as easier to apply.

Let me know how the Plastidip goes. I thought about using that too, but didn't. The jury is still out on how well my new coating will last so it'll be good to know if Plastidip is any good for future reference.

[Terzo123]

I like the 350Z's. My parent have owned theirs for 12 years and its only done 29k.

I took this last week alongside mine.


They're making noises about selling it, but i think they're off their head to consider it.

[sainz92]

So I took a look at the notorious boot catch actuator this morning since it sh*t itself on me last week and wouldn't let me open the boot. Luckily the 350z has a manual cable which can be accessed from under the rear strut brace, but, unfortunately I had to go digging for mine since it had worked its way off the mounting point and into the strut brace itself. With the boot open I removed the actuator and had a look inside, hoping to find the reason for failure (broken gear teeth, worn parts, broken spring etc.). I can't seem to find the reason for failure since all of the teeth on the gears look OK, even on the part that usually causes the failure. I'll include pictures below just in case someone can see something that I can't.







After putting it back together and reinstalling it, it worked on the 3rd push of the button, but then wouldn't work again after that.. So it looks like i'm going to have to get a new one.. And they aren't cheap

[sainz92]

Had a go at restoring the headlights tonight since the were looking tired and made the car look ancient. I used the autoglym headlight restoration kit (which I would definitely recommend). I'm well happy with the result!

Before

[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/iyvxbh1v[/url]

After

|https://thumbsnap.com/ilRYnswL[/url][url][url]

|https://thumbsnap.com/UQAVpQbO[/url][url]

|https://thumbsnap.com/eydKhtwy[/url]

Now I need new plates and a lip to knock a couple of years off her.

[sainz92]

I forgot to mention that I also fixed the boot actuator issue, I managed to get a replacement from someone breaking a 370z (same part number) and now I have a fully functioning hatch again! No more climbing into the boot through the front!

[Alias218]

Top work. Headlights look like new! Was this done by hand or machine? I'm also looking to scrub up my headlights and am looking for a decent kit.

Also, I think a number plate mount would tidy up your front end a lot. Looks like it's just self-tapped into the bumper at the mo.

Keep up with the good work, and keep the updates coming.

[Strudul]

Alias218 said:

Also, I think a number plate mount would tidy up your front end a lot. Looks like it's just self-tapped into the bumper at the mo.

Removing the plate bracket is a common mod, cos the OEM one is all chunky and ugly.

[Alias218]

Strudul said:

Alias218 said:

Also, I think a number plate mount would tidy up your front end a lot. Looks like it's just self-tapped into the bumper at the mo.

Removing the plate bracket is a common mod, cos the OEM one is all chunky and ugly.

IMO it looks better with.

Of course, to each their own.

[Strudul]

Personally I prefer an offset Jap plate so that you can barely see it from 1 side of the car - does require shaving the bumper though.

[Mr Tidy]

Why not just remove it and put it on the dash - then you usually can't see it from any direction!