Al's 400rwhp, Stardast Flared, Shaved Bay, Bagged Z Build Thread

[350ZAl]

I'll start off with some finished pics, then get into all the details of the build.

It was a 2 year project to get the car from the first pic, to what you see below.

The main goal for the build was to make the car enjoyable to drive again. My last wheel/tire/suspension setup looked cool, but it was a pain in the ass to drive, scraping everywhere, having to watch the road like a hawk, not being able to go places because the car was too low.

I'm happy to say, the car is once again enjoyable to drive. With the air suspension the ride quality is better than it was stock and the handling is still excellent for what I use the car for. The Vortech supercharger has just the right amount of power to make the car an absolute blast to drive. I'm loving every aspect of the car again. So much so, that I've been daily driving the car since I finished it in July.

I'll be bringing the car to Calgary next year for Driven car show!

Some quick stats about the build:

- 1000+ hours of custom body work, fab, wiring, etc
- 295/30/19 front tires, 305/30 rears
- 500+ beers & about 30 26s of whiskey & vodka
- 7kg of base & mid coat paint
- many custom & one off parts
- 407 rwhp w/ maxed MAF. Retuning soon with new MAF.
- 5" of lift from laid out to fully aired up
- Where did the gas cap go?

I'm also in a competition right now to go to SEMA, currently in the top 8. Voting starts again tomorrow and runs for two weeks. You can vote daily. Here is the voting link: www.bit.ly/350al


http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/2011%20350z/3.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/2011%20350z/3.jpg.html)

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2349wm.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2349wm.jpg.html)

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2159wm.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2159wm.jpg.html)

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2585wm.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2585wm.jpg.html)

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2313wm.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2313wm.jpg.html)

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2396wm.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2396wm.jpg.html)

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2414wm.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2414wm.jpg.html)

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_29261.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_29261.jpg.html)

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2951wm.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2951wm.jpg.html)

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2445wm.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2445wm.jpg.html)

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2431wm.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2431wm.jpg.html)

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2537wm.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2537wm.jpg.html)


If you want to cheat and look ahead of what I post here, there are more pics & info here: https://www.facebook.com/Als350Z

[JRSC00LUDE]

Holy mackeral:eek:

[relyt92]

I can't really tell if I like parts of it or not, but damn do I love the work that's gone into making this as clean as it is.

[A790]

That engine bay...!:love:

[nykz]

So many awesome Winnipeg builds I've never seen or heard of, looks awesome! Look forward to seeing the details of your build.:drool: :thumbsup:

[Fly Fishin']

Holy fuck! This is a great build.

[NoPulp]

Didn't know porn was allowed on beyond.
If only the report button worked.

[brucebanner]

Wow.

[Maxx Mazda]

Car looks amazing!

But how in the actual FUCK are you able to drive that on Winnipeg's roads?? :eek:

[beyond_ban]

Got me thinking some pretty bad thoughts with this build... So clean.


Originally posted by Maxx Mazda
Car looks amazing!

But how in the actual FUCK are you able to drive that on Winnipeg's roads?? :eek:

Air?

[350ZAl]

Thanks for the love guys!!


Originally posted by Maxx Mazda
Car looks amazing!

But how in the actual FUCK are you able to drive that on Winnipeg's roads?? :eek:


The car is on air. Airlift bags/struts front and rear, Accuair E-Level controls so it self levels to preset ride heights.

BY FAR the best money I've ever spent on the car. That was the key to making the car enjoyable to drive once again.

[bjstare]

HHHNNNNNNNGGGGG

:drool:

[01RedDX]

.

[HiSpec]

Whoa!! That's sick!

How do you take off the gas cap?

[350ZAl]

Originally posted by HiSpec
Whoa!! That's sick!

How do you take off the gas cap?

It's a 1/4 turn flush cap from a motorcycle. You push down and turn 1/4 turn and it pops up. Then it unthreads like a normal gas cap.

I should have some time later this afternoon, I'll post build pics for the gas cap.

[350ZAl]

Here is the mod list:

Exterior
- Custom Blended Three Stage Paint Color
- Stardast Wide Fender Kit (First Production Kit in the World)
- Stardast Front Fender Flares Widened ½” and Tapered
- Stardast Front Lower Flare Piece Extensively Modified To Fit Bumper
- Stardast Rear Fender Flares Shaved and Extended Lower
- Stardast Rear Lower Flare Piece Reshaped To Fit Bumper
- Front & Rear Fenders Cut & Welded for Tire Clearance
- Scratch Made Rear Wing
- Version Select Bumpers and Side Skirts
- Tucked Rear Bumper Lower Center Section
- Rear Bumper Modified For LED Strip License Plate Light
- Rear Bumper Sound Deadened To Quiet Air Compressors
- Scratch Made Front Bumper Driving Lights
- 08’ OEM Hump Hood
- Hood Extended and Molded Over Headlights
- Shaved Side Fender Emblems & Rear Trunk Emblems
- Shaved Fuel Cap & Antenna
- Shaved Rear Wiper & Sprayer
- Flush Pop-Up Fuel Filler Welded in Trunk Drip Rail
- 08’ Bi-Xenon Headlights
- STI-R Projector Lenses
- ZLEDs Headlight Switchback LEDs, Demon Eye LEDs & Ironman Mod
- ZLEDs Rear Signal Light LED Conversion (1200LEDs)
- Chromed Door Hinges, Door Latches, Trunk Hinges, & Trunk Latch
- TiBurnt Titanium Screws Throughout
- Z1 Motorsports UHP Hatch Struts

Engine Bay Cosmetic
- Shaved and Painted Engine Bay, Strut Towers & Firewall
- TiBurnt Titanium Hardware Throughout
- Hidden Strut Mounting
- Tucked Brake, AC & Vacuum Lines
- Tucked Wiring Harnesses
- Tucked Power Steering Reservoir & Lines
- Tucked Coolant Overflow & Washer Fluid Tanks
- Tucked Fuel Pressure Regulator
- Braided Stainless Coolant Soft Lines
- Shaved & Chromed Coolant Hard Pipes
- Shaved & Polished Intake Plenum & Lower Manifold
- Polished Idler Pulley, Plenum Spacer, Throttle Body
- Polished & Chromed Timing Chain Cover & Accessory Covers
- Polished Coil Pack Covers
- Painted Valve Covers, Cowl Covers & Core Support
- Chromed Hood Hinges
- The Z Store Hood Dampers

Supercharger System
- Vortech ‘Tuner’ Supercharger Kit
- 3” One Piece Polished Supercharger Up-Pipe & MAF Housing
- Upgraded 3” Intercooler Piping
- Fully Polished Piping, Bracket and Supercharger
- 2.87” Jackshaft Pulley
- 34/28 Tooth Cog Pulley Setup
- Treadstone TR1045 Intercooler
- Added Jackshaft Tensioner Pullies

Fuel System & Engine
- Osiris UpRev Engine Management w/ Map Switching
- Deatschwerks DW300 Fuel Pump
- R35 GTR Fuel Injectors
- Tucked CJM Stage 0 Return Fuel System
- Aeromotive A1000-6 Fuel Pressure Regulator
- NGK One-Step Colder Plugs
- Mishimoto Radiator
- Mishimoto Fans & Shroud

Drivetrain & Exhaust
- Motordyne ART Resonated Test Pipes
- Motordyne XYZ Y-Pipe
- MXP Cat-Back Exhaust System (#1 of 1)
- Comp Clutch Lightweight Flywheel
- Comp Clutch Stage 4 6-Puck Clutch
- Whiteline Differential Bushings

Wheels, Tires & Brakes
- 19x11.5” Work Schwert SC2 Wheels
- Project Kics iConix Lug Nuts
- Project Kics iConix Red Aluminum Caps
- Hankook 295/30/19 Front, 305/30/19 Rear Tires
- Z1 Motorsports Akebono Big Brake Kit
- Z1 Motorsports Stainless Steel Braided Brake Lines
- DBA Two-Piece 14” Front Rotors
- DBA One-Piece 14” Rear Rotors

Interior
- Relocated Cruise Control Buttons
- NRG Quick Release and Hub
- Personal Neo Grinta Suede Steering Wheel
- TiBurnt Titanium Steering Wheel and Hub Screws
- TiBurnt Titanium Shift Knob
- Suede Recovered Headliner
- Suede Wrapped Dash Panels
- Suede Shift Boot
- Black Dome Light Bezel w/ LED Lights
- Defi Gauges in factory location (EGT, Oil Pres, Fuel Pres)
- Defi Gauges in pods (Boost, Oil Temp)
- Matte Charcoal Metallic Grey Vinyl Warp Center Console
- Doors, Roof and Trunk Covered in Wirez Sound Deadener

Audio & In Car Entertainment
- Samsung Tablet molded in Center Console
- Pioneer DEH-80PRS Head Unit
- Audison bitONE Audio Processor
- Audison DRC molded in Shifter Surround
- Hertz Hi-Energy 3 Way Component Speakers
- Mid-Ranges in Doors
- Mids and Tweeters in Custom A-Pillars
- 2x Hertz HDP4 Amplifiers
- 2x Hertz HDP1 Amplifiers
- 2x Hertz HX300D Subwoofers

Suspension
- Fully Hidden Air Ride Install
- Accuair E-Level Air Suspension Controls
- Accuair E-Level Touch Pad Controller
- Accuair VU-4 Valve Block
- Accuair 3 Gal Air Tank
- Accuair Air Dryers
- Viair Air 400C Compressors
- AirLift 32-Way Adjustable Front Air Bag Struts
- AirLift 32-Way Adjustable Rear Dampers and Air Bags

Special Thanks To:
Justin and Kaylene Pryor, JP’s Autobody, Jeremy Wall, Matt Stephens, Billet Metal Works, Brett Evans, Dave Tran, Danny Dunning, Speed Factor Racing, Shawn Perdonic, David Demchuk, Rajan Khinda, Auttumn Trim, TiBurnt, Shaun Jeroski, Nirusan Jayaranjan, Alex Dixon

[thinmyster]

your hood headlight setup looks so mean!

[350ZAl]

On to the rear fuel filler. It's a flush cap when closed. Push down and turn 1/4 turn and it pops out. You can then unthread it:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1456.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1456.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1457.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1457.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1458.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1458.jpg.html)

When I bought it I had a rough idea where it was going to go, but you never know what's behind the body panels in the location you want to use. We drilled a small starter hole through the sheet metal, as well as one at the bottom and looked inside to see if we could make that location work.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1452.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1452.jpg.html)

I wanted to keep the fuel filler cap on the exterior of the vehicle, (it's on the exterior side of the trunk weather stripping) as well as keep all the fuel lines outside the cabin of the car. This location allowed me to meet both of those requirements.

Once we knew the location was good, we cut a bigger hole:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1946.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1946.jpg.html)

Then test fit the cap:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1952.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1952.jpg.html)

We ended up needing to cut into the side rail a bit too, no big deal. We formed a new filler piece to weld in. You can see some of our design work and measuring on the masking tape below:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1956.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1956.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

Cut and prepped:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_2999.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_2999.jpg.html)

Starting to tack it in:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3001_1.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3001_1.jpg.html)

Bending it into shape and welding some more:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3002.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3002.jpg.html)

Grind the welds smooth:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3006.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3006.jpg.html)

Glazed, sanded, then high build primer:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3025.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3025.jpg.html)

Primer Sanded:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3038.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3038.jpg.html)



And a misc shot of the car. This would have been some time between the end of May and the end of June this year.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3040.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3040.jpg.html)

[nismodrifter]

Woah baller, crazy build!

[B16EJ8]

Love the build man, read every page. Amazing detail looks perfect. love that wing too!:love: reminds me of the rocket bunny wing.

Keep up the good work

[eglove]

Ridiculous! Love the gas cap! I really want to flock my dash, but ugh so much work haha

[Hallowed_point]

This has got to be one of the most unique/exciting builds of seen on beyond.ca

[Errol.]

Insane build!

[HiSpec]

Originally posted by 350ZAl


It's a 1/4 turn flush cap from a motorcycle. You push down and turn 1/4 turn and it pops up. Then it unthreads like a normal gas cap.

I should have some time later this afternoon, I'll post build pics for the gas cap.

That's wicked!!

I am digging your ICE. Especially the choice of equipment to match with the 80PRS.

[350ZAl]

Originally posted by eglove
Ridiculous! Love the gas cap! I really want to flock my dash, but ugh so much work haha

The dash isn't flocked, it's actually wrapped in a fake suede.

[350ZAl]

I'm not going to post the build in chronological order because it would just take too much time to sort everything out to do that way. I'm just going to post each individual aspect start to finish in no particular order.

First up are a few pics of Stardast actually fabricating the flare kit in Japan. They didn't make the kit off of their white show car, they actually re-made a kit from scratch to sell. Because of this there are a few differences between the kit on their white car and the production kit they're selling.

I was actually the first person in the world to pre-order this kit, before it even existed and the first in the world to receive my kit. Kinda cool!

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_8631.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_8631.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_8628.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_8628.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_8627.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_8627.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_8746.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_8746.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_8751.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_8751.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_8752.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_8752.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_8882.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_8882.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_8885.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_8885.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

So the car has had the 'rough' body work done and the first few coats of primer done. These coats get sanded with a lower grit of sand paper to get everything level. The car will still get a few more coats of primer, then high-grit block sanding, then paint.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Mobile%20Uploads/image-26.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image-26.jpg.html)

Next up is clearancing the fenders for wheels and tires. I did about 95% of this work myself with some input from my buddy who owns the body shop. With the new wide fenders I'll be running a wider tire and lower offset wheel than stock. The original fender lip would contact the top of the tire when the suspension is lowered, so the fender lip has to go.

The first cut was small and rough. It was done just so we could see inside the fender and see if there was any inner structure we would have to deal with. This cut also starts to seperate the outer fender from the inner wheel well metal.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Mobile%20Uploads/image-28.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image-28.jpg.html)

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Mobile%20Uploads/image-29.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image-29.jpg.html)

I cut and test fit, cut and test fit abput 4 times to get the size and shape cutout I wanted that would allow the tire not to rub the wheel well with the suspension all the way down.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Mobile%20Uploads/image-31.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image-31.jpg.html)

You'll notice the pie cuts on the inner wheel well structure. These cuts allow me to roll the inner metal up so it meets up with the new wheel well cutout.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Mobile%20Uploads/image-32.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image-32.jpg.html)

Here we have the pie cut inner fender and the cut fender lip stripped of paint and ready for welding.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Mobile%20Uploads/image-33.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image-33.jpg.html)

We then tack welded the inner wheel well back to the outer fender making everything one piece again.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Mobile%20Uploads/image-34.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image-34.jpg.html)

This is the inside of the wheel well. I stripped off all the rubber undercoat and prepped the metal so the pie cuts could be welded back together. Once welded we will re-spray it all with rubber undercoating.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Mobile%20Uploads/image-35.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image-35.jpg.html)

After the inner was welded to the outer fender we cut off the excess metal flaps and ground down the welds slightly. In this pic the pie cuts have yet to be welded, this is why there is a small gap every 1" or so.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Mobile%20Uploads/image-36.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image-36.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

This is a quick vid of the rear suspension and Accuair E-Level operation. From full up to the 20% ride height setting. The rear still goes a bit lower when it's dumped right out. Check out how much the wheel/tire cambers in as the suspension compresses. Click the pic should open the video.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20body%20work/th_IMG_0504.mp4 (http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20body%20work/IMG_0504.mp4)

The next video is the clearance between the rear tire and fender lip looking up at the lip as the suspension compresses and extends. Need to get the car aligned at ride height, then I'm going to play with spacers (about an 8mm I think) & do a bit more clearance if required. Right now there is a 1/4" gap or so, but I want to make sure the alignment is good because the alignment will affect the clearance.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20body%20work/th_IMG_0493.mp4 (http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20body%20work/IMG_0493.mp4)

One last vid dumping the rear with the wide fender off. Nice and slow which is what I wanted.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20body%20work/th_IMG_0490.mp4 (http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20body%20work/IMG_0490.mp4)

[350ZAl]

Here are a few pics of cutting up the passenger rear. I ended up taking reference measurements every 1" from the other side of the car that was done and transferring them to this side so the curves matched. I tweaked this side just a bit where the curve goes vertical because I ****ed the other side up and it was ugly lol.

First cut, separate the inner and outer, it's a bit wavy but that gets fixed up along the way.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20body%20work/RearPassengerCut1.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20body%20work/RearPassengerCut1.jpg.html)

Second cut, pie cut the inner. I did more pie cuts this time so it would fold up nicer and have a nicer curve on the inside of the wheel well. First time doing this, so learning as I go.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20body%20work/RearPassengerPieCut.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20body%20work/RearPassengerPieCut.jpg.html)

Clean up the edge and prep for welding:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20body%20work/IMG_0474.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20body%20work/IMG_0474.jpg.html)

Tack welded & wheel put back on for some reason:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20body%20work/RearPassengerWelding.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20body%20work/RearPassengerWelding.jpg.html)

Welded the rest of the inner to the outer:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20body%20work/IMG_0489.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20body%20work/IMG_0489.jpg.html)

I'm proud to say I did about half the welding on this one so far with my buddy doing the other half. You can definitely see the difference between my welds and his, but I'm getting better lol

[riander5]

Sick build - GJ

[gretz]

Do you have a name for this project?

[OU812]

Not my cup of tea but Damn impressive craftsmanship.

Well done

Wiser Clap.

[350ZAl]

Rear bumper flare pieces were made for the stock bumper, not an aftermarket bumper so they didn't fit too great on my bumper:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1389.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1389.jpg.html)

The vertical body line between the rear bumper flare piece and the rear bumper also didn't match up.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1394.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1394.jpg.html)

Solution? Cut them up and fiberglass them back together to fit.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1426.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1426.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1434.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1434.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1423.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1423.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1440.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1440.jpg.html)

If you're wondering why my resin/fiberglass is brown/red it's because it was old. Reading the manuals for the resin it actually said that over time the resin would darken (I suspect because of the metal container it comes in). The manual said that even if the color changed the resin was still good to use. Regardless, I did a test batch before to make sure it was still good before using it on the car.

[350ZAl]

On to the front bumper flare pieces. Again, they're made for the stock bumper so they didn't fit at all with my aftermarket bumper.

These were a lot harder to make fit. It probably took me ~4 full days to re-build these pieces.

They look like the fit in this pic, but they really don't..
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2469.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2469.jpg.html)

I decided they would look better if I moved them down so the point lined up with the body line of the top edge of the bumper cutouts.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2470.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2470.jpg.html)

Then I started cutting them up to change the shape so they fit the bumper.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2471.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2471.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2472.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2472.jpg.html)

Then I drew up my alignment lines and contours on the bumper and started to rebuild them on the bumper to get the shape I wanted. All in all, I think they got cut into about 10 pieces.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2477.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2477.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2478.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2478.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2482.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2482.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2484.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2484.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

These pieces were done later on, probably April/May of this year. New resin, not red anymore lol

After a bit of fiberglass magic, we have a rough new part that is a lot closer to fitting the bumper.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2503.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2503.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2503.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2503.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2502.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2502.jpg.html)

Slightly closer to finished.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2654.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2654.jpg.html)

The hardest part after deciding on the original shape was transferring it to the other side of the car keeping everything as symmetrical as possible.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2535.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2535.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

So, the numbers are out. I made it to the Semi Finals the Performance Auto and Sound Tuner Battlegrounds Competition to SEMA. One Win away from SEMA!!


I need all the help we can get with daily votes & shares starting Tuesday at 11am CST running until Monday Oct 12th at 11.

Link to vote is here:


Vote for Al's 350Z Here (http://bit.ly/350al)

You can vote DAILY.


Also, if you want to get email reminders to vote you can sign up for our mailing list here. In return for putting up with our harassment, we are giving away a bunch of stuff including a $100 Amazon gift card!

In one week, when the competition is over the email list will be destroyed and you won't receive any other emails from us.

Link to subscribe to the mailing list is here:

http://toptierimports.com/wp/tunerbattlegrounds/

[350ZAl]

Originally posted by gretz
Do you have a name for this project?

I don't.. I'm open to ideas!!


On a side note, it's going to be a busy ass week for me whoring myself out for votes for that Tuner Battlegrounds Competition, so I probably won't update this thread. I'll definitely make sure to do some more updates next week when things settle down!

[relyt92]

Congrats on the semi finals :thumbsup:

[01RedDX]

.

[350ZAl]

Been a busy few weeks, now that things have settled down a bit I'll continue with the build thread!

Next up is the front fender flares. These were widened about 1/2" and tapered to fit 295/30/19 tires up front.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2483.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2483.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2654.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2654.jpg.html)
Top side fiberglassed:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2663.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2663.jpg.html)

I actually fiberglassed the top side as well as the inside for reinforcement. Most of the top side ends up getting sanded off anyways. It's more so to hold the shape until the inside reinforcement is done.

Here you can see the clearance between the tire and flare. It's about 1/8". A lot of time was spent clearancing and fitting things to make sure the front and rear tires cleared the flares and didn't rub when aired out. Each piece of the flare kit came on and off the car probably 50 times during the process of fitting and adjusting everything.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2650.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2650.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

Back to the rear flares.

I like a smooth look, besides shaving the antenna, rear emblems and front fender emblems I decided to shave and relocate the gas cap. This is the flare portion of the job, I'll cover the relocation aspect later.

Mask work area:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1925.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1925.jpg.html)

Fill with expanding foam:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1926.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1926.jpg.html)

Shape expanding foam:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1929.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1929.jpg.html)

Prep work area for fiberglass:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1931.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1931.jpg.html)

Put in foam "plug" to be removed after glass sets:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1932.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1932.jpg.html)

Fiberglass over top:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1933.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1933.jpg.html)

Once cured, remove foam 'plug' and prep back side for reinforcing:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1951.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1951.jpg.html)

I then reinforced the back side, no pics unfortunately. Then I block sanded the front side and added a bit more fiberglass to the edge that meets the body because it was a bit low:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1958.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1958.jpg.html)

More sanding:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1964.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1964.jpg.html)

[mr2mike]

Insane!!

Awesome work and I like the step by step pictures with you explaining them.

[350ZAl]

Going to digress slightly and get into some of the audio upgrades..

I sold off some of the old audio gear and started a new high end audio build. I picked up all my audio from the good boys Ken, Nick and Dave at Brian Remier Audio on St. Mary's road.

I made the final call that "this car will never be racecar" and I started to do sound deadener for the audio build. By the end of it, there will probably be at least 100lbs of deadener in the car. I picked up a mix of deadener from Brian Reimer Audio:

- 2x Wirez Premium Bulk Kits (Butyl rubber w/ aluminum foil)
- 2x Wirez ultimate Kits (Butyl rubber w/ aluminum foil and a closed cell foam layer)
- A bunch of Blackhole America Tile for in sub enclosures and behind speakers.

The sound deadening is still an ongoing project. I've got the trunk done with the Wirez Premium and Ultimate (in select spots). One door is done inner and outer door metal with a mix of Wirez Premium, Ultimate and Blackhole Tiles behind the speakers.

The next few pics are the inside (exterior door skin) of the drivers door. Factory sound deadener (brown), Wirez Premium Silver, and Blackhole Tiles (Thick black tile behind speaker opening).
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Misc/533023_10151996110115103_1464784505_n.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Misc/533023_10151996110115103_1464784505_n.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Misc/297650_10151996116035103_1988466623_n.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Misc/297650_10151996116035103_1988466623_n.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Misc/394446_10151996112235103_289271608_n.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Misc/394446_10151996112235103_289271608_n.jpg.html)


I plan to do the floors, as well as the roof. Looking for a quite ride and great sound. It's too cold now to get proper adhesion so I'll wait until next summer to finish.

For the audio product, again I went to Brian Reimer Audio for the following:

Source Unit 1: Pioneer DEH-80PRS (May or may not upgrade to something more high end)
Source Unit 2: Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0" (Bought this a couple weeks ago, might fiberglass it into the dash, not sure yet)
Processing: Audison bitONE digital processor
Front Stage: Hertz HSK163 running fully active
Rear Stage: None
Sub: 2x Hertz HX300D
Speaker Amps: 2x Hertz HDP4 Digital 4ch (have one, need second one still)
Sub Amps: 2x Hertz HDP1 Digital Sub Amp
Interconnects: Streetwires ZN9

Some of the gear:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Misc/319836_10151421917820103_51953558_n.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Misc/319836_10151421917820103_51953558_n.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Misc/558662_10152051715935103_886613169_n.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Misc/558662_10152051715935103_886613169_n.jpg.html)


The audio list may change slightly, I love the Hertz stuff, but I've been offered some DLS stuff, or some Focal stuff... So we'll see what spring 2016 brings. Most people don't know, but I was an audio installer/fabricator for several years, so when I do finally finish this system it will be pretty nice.

[350ZAl]

his is the inside door sheet metal covered in Wirez Premium. It's a butyl rubber base with aluminum foil like most sound deadeners, but it also has a layer of closed cell foam (the black part).

How this works is the butyl rubber and foil base adds mass to the metal panel. By adding mass to the panel you are lowering the resonant frequency of that panel and deadening/absorbing lower frequency noise. This will help reduce panel vibrations caused by bass, but will do little to reduce road noise in the car.

The closed cell foam acts as a physical isolator between two different panels and reduces the transfer of vibration from one panel to the next. It also absorbs a slight amount of higher frequencies, but its main purpose is to act as a vibration isolator.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Misc/283708_10151996256545103_220267105_n.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Misc/283708_10151996256545103_220267105_n.jpg.html)

The ultimate sound deadening is actually a 4 step process (or more) on doors.

1. Butyl Rubber
2. Closed Cell Foam
3. Mass loaded vinyl
4. Closed Cell Foam

It can be pretty hard to fit all four in a door panel though. I may take mine that far, I'm not sure.

[350ZAl]

Earlier in the summer of 2012 I think it was I ordered a body kit (bumpers, side skirts, wing). The kit has dual exhaust cutouts in the rear bumper like the stock 350Z, but being a fiberglass bumper I could not simple do a bumper tuck and keep my Agency Power Exhaust. I contemplated shaving the other exhaust cutout in the bumper, or converting my Agency Power to a dual. At the end of the day, I decided to sell the exhaust and buy a dual. I just preferred the symmetry of that rear bumper with a dual exhaust.

About half way through the winter I sold the Agency Power exhaust. It was a beautiful exhaust, but just too loud and the wrong style for the direction I'm taking the car. I wanted to go back to something a bit more modest. I went out to where I was storing the car, froze my balls off, and removed the exhaust from the car mid winter. At least the car gets stored inside, so I didn't have the snow and wind to deal with.

The search for an exhaust was definitely another one of my many hours of research OCD things and definitely a hard decision. Huge thanks to Dave @ Speed Factor in Winnipeg for the suggestions, help and legwork he did trying to see if he could get the various exhausts I wanted.

I like having something that is different, rare and that you won't see very often, but still something that is high quality. While demanding those qualities, I also wanted something more modest volume and looks wise. So, as you can see, I'm a picky SOB..

A couple of the options I considered were:

- Amuse RS-Silent full titanium. Not the full dual, but the single that splits into a dual muffler. I prefer the sound of the single into dual over the full true dual. The holdback on this exhaust was the cost. IIRC it was well over $3k, may have even been closer to $5k. I can't remember. Also, as most of you know I like the car low, the exhaust would have gotten **** kicked.
http://ismotorracing.com/motor/UserFiles/image/AMUSE/RS-SILENT.jpg

- 5 Zigen Pro Racer SP. Not the quietest, but a beautiful exhaust with a great sound. Now the problem came in finding one. Through my various channels I was unable to get my hands on one. Rumor has it that it has been discontinued, but I never did get confirmation from the manufacturer.
http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/images/5zsp350zexhaust1.jpg
http://www.z1auto.com/Images/5zigenspz33.jpg

- Motordyne true dual Harakiri, swap to rolled, burnt tips. Beautiful exhaust made by the geniuses/artists at Motordyne. Unfortunately after talking directly to Motordyne I found out it was discontinued and we were unable to pull any strings to get a one-off made. :(
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/tonyatperformance/MD%20EXHAUST%20AND%20JIC/EXHAUSTOVERSWAYBAR.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/tonyatperformance/MD%20EXHAUST%20AND%20JIC/RAINBOWEXHAUST.jpg

After getting let down on the 5 Zignen I set my sights to the Motordyne. After getting let down on the Motordyne I was really getting discouraged in the exhaust search. I looked at every single 350Z exhaust I could find online. Like I said, I'm a picky SOB.

I finally found an exhaust online that interested me. I could only ever find ONE car with pics of it on though. I contacted the North American Distributor for that brand and sure enough that car was the only car in the world with that exhaust. Cool, that's definitely a rare piece! Being the picky SOB that I am though, there were a couple things on that exhaust that would not work for me.

After about a month of back and forth between myself, my contact, the distributor and the manufacturer I finally had an exhaust ordered. But not just any exhaust, they were going to produce a one off, prototype exhaust, built with the changes I wanted.

Now, while I will have a one-of-one in the world exhaust (yay!! :D ), there is the understanding that this exhaust may go into full production and may end up being a ton less rare. Either way, I'm ecstatic to have a one of one exhaust for now, and still have the first prototype of that exhaust if it does in fact make it to production and retail.

As for hints on what it is and what brand, my lips are sealed until it gets here at the earliest. Maybe as long as until the car gets back on the road. What I can say is, the last update I had is that the exhaust is on a container on its way to North America. I'm excited to finally see the exhaust I've waited about 6 months for! :D

[350ZAl]

For those that don't know, I rewired the car from the firewall forward to tuck and hide all the wiring. I've actually got wiring running through the front frame rails at points to keep it out of the wheel wells like most guys do.

The motor wiring harness pretty much done!!! Just need to figure out where I'm putting the EVAP solenoid valve and finish the two wires there and put ring terminals on the two coil pack harness grounds.

What I've done is as tucked and hidden of a wire harness as possible. It's been completely reworked from the firewall forward. I probably have 15-20 hours into it or more. Once installed, very very little will be visible. 99% of 350Z/G35 wire tucks still have the large harness showing where it passes through the firewall, I've completely eliminated that spot and am using three different, hidden spots.

Really doesn't look like much now, but it's just one of the many small pieces to the larger puzzle.

Here is how the wiring sits nice and tight to the coil packs:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/b566732186b1dc893dca4565681a9109db4aeab0.jpg

Full upper harnesses:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/15e33788c424c89d6fe540b5a74cddb0f96b9546.jpg

AC & Driver's side cam solenoid valve harness:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/eb6e8f20cc708e8c3da8f276f05954feccfad8b9.jpg

MAF sensor harness:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/e70f4b548bd6379b103c22b2c0a8e7547b8ccf5e.jpg

Driver's side coil packs and throttle body harnesses:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/5791adcc63b7e23eef8c3b393b4b25b43bd02810.jpg

[350ZAl]

On to the rear fuel filler. It's a flush cap when closed. Push down and turn 1/4 turn and it pops out. You can then unthread it:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1456.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1456.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1457.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1457.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1458.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1458.jpg.html)

When I bought it I had a rough idea where it was going to go, but you never know what's behind the body panels in the location you want to use. We drilled a small starter hole through the sheet metal, as well as one at the bottom and looked inside to see if we could make that location work.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1452.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1452.jpg.html)

I wanted to keep the fuel filler cap on the exterior of the vehicle, (it's on the exterior side of the trunk weather stripping) as well as keep all the fuel lines outside the cabin of the car. This location allowed me to meet both of those requirements.

Once we knew the location was good, we cut a bigger hole:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1946.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1946.jpg.html)

Then test fit the cap:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1952.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1952.jpg.html)

We ended up needing to cut into the side rail a bit too, no big deal. We formed a new filler piece to weld in. You can see some of our design work and measuring on the masking tape below:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1956.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1956.jpg.html)

That's all I've got uploaded for pics of the gas cap install right now so I'll have to continue the pics of it at another date.

[350ZAl]

On to the back bumper. As I posted a couple pages back I cut out the center lower section of the bumper to give it a 'tucked' look and to show the exhaust better. Obviously I couldn't leave a cut edge like that because it would look unfinished and the bumper lost a good amount of rigidity.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1928.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1928.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1959.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1959.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2014.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2014.jpg.html)

The bumper also had quite a low spot, so I built it from the front with fiberglass to fill it in and then block sanded it out so it was level.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1962.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1962.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1965.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1965.jpg.html)

Fitting the rear lights was a bit of a pain in the ass too. I ended up having to make my own fiberglass mounting tabs inside the bumper because the ones that came on the bumper were so far off. You can see in this pic too some of the fiberglass build-up that I had to do where it meets the rear of the car to get everything to line up nicely.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1961.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1961.jpg.html)

I guess the manufacturer expected you to just cut a gaping hole to install the factory license plate lights. Not a chance!... I made my own inset bezel for the license plate light from scratch with fiberglass, and then cut and fiberglassed it into the bumper. I have a long LED COB strip installed in there now which is stupid bright:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2363.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2363.jpg.html)

Cut hole:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2364.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2364.jpg.html)

Fiberglass in new bezel:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2373.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2373.jpg.html)

Lesson learned, don't buy cheap crappy body kits even if you plan to cut them up. You spend more time fixing them than it's worth. Better off buying high quality products that fit closer from the get-go.

[350ZAl]

I took a few Fridays off work and spent the weekend out of town working on the car. One Friday afternoon in late May or early June we were at a point working in the car where it had been the most assembled yet, a couple pieces missing but we were close to a complete car.

The shop was fairly small with the car being in about a 12'x20' bay so you couldn't really see the car from more than a few feet away. I decided to throw the wheels on the car and roll the car outside.

We rolled the car outside around 6pm and the feeling was unreal. That was the first time we had seen the car together and we knew we were on the right track. We literally brought chairs outside and sat and stared at the car for an hour and a half in the 30 degree sun. There were high fives going around, beers being opened. It was a good feeling for sure.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2736.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2736.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2737.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2737.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/7476676f-950f-4d57-b6cf-2e0690c5bfad.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/7476676f-950f-4d57-b6cf-2e0690c5bfad.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2741.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2741.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2742.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2742.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

Even though the time crunch was on, I kept bring up more and more ideas to add to the car. At that point we started discussing eye-lids for the headlights. Again using good ol' masking tape we started mocking up various shapes and sizes to see how it looked.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2751.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2751.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2752.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2752.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2754.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2754.jpg.html)


Tire track in the dust the car left as we were rolling it out of it's bay outside:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2757.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2757.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

Let's digress briefly and talk about the wing.

Originally I had purchased a Vertex wing for the car. I wanted something subtle with clean smooth lines. I'm not a fan at all of giant wings or 'scaffs' and the like unless the car is going around a track.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1247.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1247.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1246.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1246.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1245.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1245.jpg.html)

It's a nice wing, but it just didn't suit the car in my opinion. It's now for sale if anybody is interested.

Next wing I got in a trade for some other parts. I wasn't sure I'd like it but I figured I'd try it out and if I didn't I sell it. Needless to say, again I wasn't a big fan so it is also for sale. It's a Lester Italy spoiler. Fairly rare piece.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1248.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1248.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1249.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1249.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1250.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_1250.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

After hours of research for wings, and unsatisfied with what I found on the market I said screw it and decided to make my own wing 100% from scratch.

Made a base for the wing off of the trunk lid:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2371.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2371.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2372.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2372.jpg.html)

Dried and rough trimmed:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2382.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2382.jpg.html)

Started to make the profile of the wing. This actually took some time to do to get the main angle of the wing right and the curves to look good. I matched the angle to the angle of the Stardast rear bumper pieces. Not sure how close it ended up after all the shaping and finishing, but there was some inspiration there from the Stardast lines for sure.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2497.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2497.jpg.html)

Then we played fill in the gaps:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2509.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2509.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2511.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2511.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2521.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2521.jpg.html)

After 11 hours of sanding and shaping we were pretty close:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2760.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2760.jpg.html)

Then it was time to prep the base and fiberglass:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2763.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2763.jpg.html)
As you can see, we crushed a few Bud Lights during that time:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2765.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2765.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2766.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2766.jpg.html)

We ended up using the factory bolt holes in the hatch to bolt the wing in like stock. No pics of that unfortunately.

Total time in the wing from beginning through paint I would estimate around 30-40 hours.

And there you have it, one scratch made wing:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/19765053841_6cb0c98a09_o.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/19765053841_6cb0c98a09_o.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

I'll continue with a few pics this morning... Contrary to what you may think, Driven 2015 actually wasn't the first show with the cars new look. We trailered the car one Wednesday night to a local car meet at a gas station in Pilot Mound.

Yes, it's actually a hair wider than the trailer...
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2828.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2828.jpg.html)

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2827.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2827.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2826.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2826.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

Now a couple pics shaving the gas filler door on the fender.

First we made a metal seal to fill the hole from the inner wheel well where the filler tube went through. We glued it in with rubber seam sealer / body adhesive. Once it was dry, we refinished the inside of the wheel well with rubberized undercoat. You'd have a hard time finding the old filler spot from the wheel well now. Looks like a factory wheel well. We also prepped the edge of the fender for welding.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3008.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3008.jpg.html)

Cut and shaped a filler piece to fit the hole, then JP welded it in, and ground down the welds:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3009.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3009.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3010.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3010.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_2981.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_2981.jpg.html)

[Dumbass17]

Wow. Kudos to you for a) knowing what you're doing b) making your own wing.

[350ZAl]

Originally posted by Dumbass17
Wow. Kudos to you for a) knowing what you're doing b) making your own wing.

Thanks lol!

I don't necessarily know what I'm doing, I just figure it out as I go lol

[350ZAl]

Next up on the hit list was extending the rear flares lower. The Stardast kit is nice, but I felt the rear flares looked unfinished where they stopped at the rocker. It totally depends on the rockers and body kit you use, on some cars they look good stopping there, on others they look unfinished. It's just too abrupt of a stop for the relatively smooth lines of my body kit.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2741.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2741.jpg.html)

I tried a few different shapes and designs before settling on a final. The first one extended the flare to the bottom of the rocker following the line of the flare. This is pretty typical fashion for a lot of wide fender kids. I found this design to look too large and bulky in my opinion.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_2869.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_2869.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_2868.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_2868.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_2870.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_2870.jpg.html)


Here are a few kits that do it similarly:
http://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/news/liberty-walk-delivers-edgiest-r35-nissan-gt-r-design-ever-photo-gallery-video-81986-7.jpg
http://www.speedhunters.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Liberty-Walk-M3-17.jpg


I think this was the third revision. I ended up angling the cutoff line back, perpendicular to the body line on the flare. This is the design I liked best. Now that I look at more pics online, the Liberty Walk 458 kit actually does something similar to this.

http://www.crankandpiston.com/brain/media/2014/02/Liberty-Walk-Ferrari-458-27.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_2989_1.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_2989_1.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_2990.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_2990.jpg.html)

Once the final shape was settled on, I did a bit more fiberglass magic:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3014.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3014.jpg.html)

I originally intended to have a couple body lines in the panel as you can see with the marks on the tape and fiberglass. Once the final piece was fiberglassed the transitions were too small and with sanding the body lines basically disappeared so we eliminated them completely. Also in this pic is one of the many, many Caesars that were consumed during the build.

This pic was at 9am on a Sunday... We worked (drinking) until probably 3 am Saturday, figured best bet was to just keep drinking Sunday morning.. Cesars are REAL good in the morning!

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3018.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3018.jpg.html)
This is after a few layers of fiberglass. The stuff is fairly transparent when wet.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3019.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3019.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3012.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3012.jpg.html)

Then after the glass cured and some sanding:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3020.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3020.jpg.html)

Total time in these from concept to paint prep for these pieces is probably about 30 hours.

Here are a couple shots of the finished product, taken with my iPhone Potato:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/IMG_3436.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/IMG_3436.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/IMG_3432.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/IMG_3432.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/IMG_3422.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/IMG_3422.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

Here are a few pics of the finished gas cap. These also show the crazy difference in the paint color under different lighting. It a lot of the pics from Driven, the car looks red. In these pics in my garage, looks like a crazy orange.

Gas cap closed and flush:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Flush.jpeg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Flush.jpeg.html)

Push down and turn a 1/4 turn and it pops up:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Popped%20Up.jpeg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Popped%20Up.jpeg.html)

Then you unthread it like a normal gas cap:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Open.jpeg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Open.jpeg.html)

[Rocket1k78]

Speechless!!!! I love the whole liberty walk style and this build is amazing with the 1 off work

[350ZAl]

Here is a part of my build that I’ve never seen done on a Z before, molded in eyelids.

I loved the look of eyelids, but hated the gap that was left between the hood and the eyelid.

The eyelids were made from scratch and bonded to the hood. They are made of West Systems epoxy resin and fiberglass matt. Before making the hood was etched with West Systems aluminum etch kit. This resin is made to bond to aluminum.

I feel that with the shape of the hood, and the way these are made that the fiberglass is actually considerably stronger than if I would have used a piece of aluminum and welded it. There is also less filler required this way than if done with aluminum.

The fiberglass is roughly 12-16 layers of cloth, I can’t remember. 6-8 layers on the top side of the hood, and 6-8 on the bottom side. Doing this way sandwiches the hood between the fiberglass making for a super strong joint.

The eyelids are roughly 3/16” thick and sit about 3/16” above the headlight. Fitment at the back is tight, but it fits. It takes a bit of test fitting and fooling around, but it all fits.

There is no noticeable loss of light output with these eyelids. They actually only cover the top corner of the projector, less than the size of a dime. We used a headlight aiming machine to check the output, and there was no noticeable difference between the hood being closed and the hood being open.

I have a pic of the underside somewhere too but I can't find it. It is finished just as nicely as the top, sanded and painted. Most people that don't know 350Zs don't even realize this mod was done, they think it's factory.

Laying out the shape on the car to get an idea if I wanted to go ahead with the mod or not.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2753.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again/IMG_2753.jpg.html)

Sanding the paint off the hood, and etching the aluminum:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3097.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3097.jpg.html)

Fiberglassing the top side. You can see there is about a 1” flange that overlaps the top side of the hood. I used a piece of thin foam between the headlight and masking tape. This created the gap that is now between the eyelid and headlight.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3099.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3099.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3104.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3104.jpg.html)

Top side cured and hood opened.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3102.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3102.jpg.html)
Trimming the top side to get the shape.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3105.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3105.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3106.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3106.jpg.html)

Fiberglassing the bottom side.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3111.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3111.jpg.html)

A skim coat of filler and finish sanding the top side.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3125.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Rebuild%20-%20Again%202/IMG_3125.jpg.html)

A couple finished pics:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2118wm.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2118wm.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2159.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350z%20Rebuild%20-%20Finished%20Pics/DSC_2159.jpg.html)

[eglove]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[bjstare]

Originally posted by eglove
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

:werd: This build is outrageous.

I would never have the patience to carry out all of this, but the end result is amazing.

[350ZAl]

Thanks guys!!

I should be out in Alberta for at least one or two shows this summer for anybody that wants to check the car out! :D

[350ZAl]

The car will be in World of Wheels this upcoming weekend. True to my style, last minute I decided to do more modifications right before a show.

My sub came in Friday and I decided I should finish a simple trunk for World of Wheels. Finished building this the next day. I didn't even have the car with me, it's two hours out of town, but still managed to build a trunk that fits nicely.

First step, build sub enclosure

Second step, build false floor
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_3259.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_3259.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_3260.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_3260.jpg.html)

Duplicate cutout. Trunk contour is slightly different from side to side.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_3265.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_3265.jpg.html)

Test fit false floor:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_3267.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_3267.jpg.html)

Start making trim pieces. A bit of contoured MDF and some Aluminum inserts.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_3272.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_3272.jpg.html)

Cut trim piece in two with a round end to meet up to the sub. Screws are too long, they're all I had, so I'll have to get shorter.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_3274.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_3274.jpg.html)

Mock it up with RGB LED lighting
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_3275.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_3275.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_3285.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_3285.jpg.html)

And put it in the trunk. Panels aren't fully installed yet, they're just sitting there and not lined up. False floor is pressure fit in the trunk and fits nice and snug.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_3300.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_3300.jpg.html)

[civic_stylez]

So rare to see actual "bulid" threads anymore. This is awesome dude. Great work.

[350ZAl]

Originally posted by civic_stylez
So rare to see actual "bulid" threads anymore. This is awesome dude. Great work.

Thanks buddy!




Here are few pics from World Of Wheels Winnipeg last weekend.

I won 1st Place Full Tuner and ISCA Outstanding Sports Car / Sport Compact.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_3411.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_3411.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_3420.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_3420.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_3429.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_3429.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_3447.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_3447.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_3439.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_3439.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_3421.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_3421.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_3425.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_3425.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_3403.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_3403.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_3419.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_3419.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_3416.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_3416.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

Alright, I apologize I did it again... I worked on something and didn't tell anyone or post build pics again lol..

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4839.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4836.jpg.html)

Trunk isn't 100%, I'm going to re-do the sub box top half, get some more volume, maybe some fiberglass and paint, not sure yet.

Also the LED strip around the base of the sub box doesn't put out nearly as much light as the ones that go through plexi, so I'm going to add a 1/4" plexi ring around the base of the sub box to focus the light a bit.

Then I'll be moving the wiring into the bottom of the trenches to show of some nice clean wiring and fusing that I'm in the process of working out a sponsorship for.

And of course, I still have to get the Utopia BE's in the front for speakers. Lots to go still!

I'll post build pics of this portion in the next few days.

[350ZAl]

First thing it to figure out how the hell I want layout these monster amps... They make my old Hertz HDP amps look like toys lol.

Me and a buddy spend a couple hours tonight tossing layout ideas around.

I'd love to hear some opinions on layouts!!

One of the big issues with this trunk is it is very deep... At shows I like to rope the car off so it doesn't get scratched. The bad part about this is people are kept a few feet away at a minimum. With my old false floor with the inverted 33KX from behind the ropes at a show you could barely see the top half of the sub, everything below that point was out of sight.


Option 1:

Single sub (or maybe two) would go inverted in the center.

Pros:
- Super clean and sexy looking. Love the continuity and from one amp to the next.
- I feel like this layout would photograph very well. Even my crappy iphone pics of just the amps sitting on the old false floor look amazing lol

Cons:
- Somewhat simple layout
- I feel like the area behind the two side amps between the amp and strut bar would be a bit awkward looking.
- I still need to stuff a couple batteries under the floor as well, with the sub in the center the batteries would be tight.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4176.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4176.jpg.html)

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4177.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4177.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

Option two

This option would have some motorization. The two top amps would sit flat as in the first pic. They would be motorized to rotate open as seen in the second pic (I would likely normally stop at a 45 degree angle, but have the option to go the full 90 degrees).

The third amp would sit below, under the floor and would be exposed when the top amps rotate open. The third amp could potentially motorize up.

Below the false floor I would have a bunch of nicely done and detailed wiring and power distribution to show off.

I would have to also make some trim panels for the bottoms of the amps. Perhaps backlit logos or something like that.

I would also have to buy a second sub to satisfy my OCD symmetry requirement lol

Pros:
- Cool install with motorization
- Lots of space below floor for batteries, power distribution, etc.
- High equipment visibility because it's all mounted higher in the trunk

Cons:
- Amps look a bit awkward when at 90 degrees.
- More difficult and time consuming install (really not too concerned about that)
- Would have to buy another sub

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4168.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4168.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4170.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4170.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4178.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4178.jpg.html)

Some side views
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4171.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4171.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4172.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4172.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

Option three


Amps would sit together normally, then open in a V to show the amp below.

Would have to buy second sub for symmetry

Pros:
- Simple, clean.

Cons:
- Amps do not open very far which does not allow access to planned location for power distribution below floor.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4168.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4168.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4180.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4180.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

And a few more layouts we tried..

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4174.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4174.jpg.html)

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4183.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Trunk%20Layouts/IMG_4183.jpg.html)

Also, I would really like to keep the area forward of the strut bar empty and available to haul bags, luggage, groceries, etc.

[350ZAl]

So, I'm about 80% settled on the first option. I have to give credit to Colin at Brian Reimer Audio though, it was actually his layout idea not mine!

I spent a bit of time taking measurements in the trunk and playing with AutoCAD. I'm working on the trunk layout just getting everything to fit. This allows me to visualize the clearances needed for wiring, placement for batteries, sub box shape and size below the floor etc etc.

I know the drawings below probably don't make sense to anyone at all besides me, but here they are lol... They're nowhere near complete, but the idea is coming together.

I remember back when I was installing years ago I always had a hard time visualizing the finished design before I started and I would just kind of wing it as I went. This caused me to have to re-do some parts, or make changes as I went. I'm hoping this method will help me plan the build a bit better and reduce if not eliminate re-doing of things.

I actually drew up the previous trunk in AutoCAD before building it. It worked fairly well, I built the entire sub box and false floor without even having the car here, it was 2 hours away! Everything fit great yet. Kind of cool lol


http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Preliminary%20Autocad.png (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Preliminary%20Autocad.png.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/Preliminary%20Autocad%202.png (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/Preliminary%20Autocad%202.png.html)

[350ZAl]

Some more autocad. I find it really helps me visualize how all the shapes will fit together without just cutting wood and seeing if it works...

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/Autocad1.png (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/Autocad1.png.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/Autocad2.png (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/Autocad2.png.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/Autocad3.png (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/Autocad3.png.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/Autocad4.png (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/Autocad4.png.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/Autocad5.png (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/Autocad5.png.html)

[350ZAl]

Base trunk piece and a couple mock-up batteries. I got sponsored by XS Power for a couple batteries and a power supply for this build. The batteries should be here in a couple weeks.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4262.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4262.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4267.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4267.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4268.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4268.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4306.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4306.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4308.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4308.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

The slots in the floor look pretty simple, but they were a ton of labour.. I put some serious miles on a 15 year old Craftsman router making each piece lol

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4309.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4309.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4312.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4312.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4318.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4318.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4319.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4319.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4455.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4455.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4456.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4456.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4476.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4476.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4477.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4477.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4478.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4478.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

I have to credit Simplicityinsound.. The idea for the trench (that's what I call it anyways) came from this thread:

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/build-logs-project-install-gallery/185274-carbon-sq-15-bmw-m4-show-car-build-product-reviews-mosconi-gladen-illusion.html

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/FTP/jessem4/carbon78.JPG

I sized mine up quite a bit from the looks of it, but I also plan to run a bunch of wiring through it so it's visible and put my fusing in it so it is easily accessible.

[350ZAl]

At this point everything's just sitting together, nothing is bolted in yet so the alignment everywhere isn't bang on..

I had a bit of time a couple nights ago and my impatience got the best of me. I wanted to see how the plexi looked with an LED string. The string is the wrong color, I'll be doing RGB and it's also too short, but the idea is there. There will be three runs of 0 gauge power wire run through this open channel that will be visible from above. If I can find fuse holders I like I'm thinking of locating the fuse holders in here as well.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_4501.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_4501.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_4504.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_4504.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/IMG_4500.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/IMG_4500.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

I used a ton of threaded inserts into the MDF and riv-nuts into the sheet metal of the car. No wood screws at all, everything uses a metric thread. Either M4 for most of the wood to wood and amp mounting and then M6 for mounting to the body of the car.

I need to go get some longer M6 screws for the stacks for the trenches tomorrow.

This is the two bases of the trenches. The two scraps of wood holding them together is just temporary to make things easier to work with. The amp back boards aren't bolted on yet in this pic.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4747.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4747.jpg.html)

Pulled out and stacked with the amps sitting on top.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4732.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4732.jpg.html)
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4734.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4734.jpg.html)

Getting everything centered in the car before I bolt it onto the base plate and to the car.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4759.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4759.jpg.html)

[350ZAl]

Starting to assemble the stack with the amps bolted in. The top piece of the stack will bolt to the amp's back plates as well to help support them.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4762.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4762.jpg.html)

Top pieces in place, as well as the bottom part of the sub enclosure. The space to the rear of the sub enclosure is for two XS Power batteries which are unfortunately on backorder but should be in in a couple weeks.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4766.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4766.jpg.html)

Loose fit without the amps:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4755.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4755.jpg.html)

I haven't cut angles on a table saw in probably 12 years, and I never was good at it before... Got this one perfect first try!
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/fsaudio/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4738.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/user/fsaudio/media/350Z%20Focal%20Stereo%20Build/IMG_4738.jpg.html)