wstar's Journal

wstar · 08-14-2009, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by travisjb

gosh, that really does suck...

if you can figure out a way to ship them without breaking, i just pulled both my side windows

The thought crossed my mind, trying to grab a window from one of the racecar builds on here. Dealership says 2-3 business days to get the glass in, so no quick fix there. The install looks pretty dead easy, there's like 2 bolts to attach the glass, so I could do that myself. But yeah I don't know what the ins and outs of shipping auto glass safely are. I imagine UPS doesn't throw them in the back of their regular trucks, etc. That's probably why the dealer has to wait 2-3 days too.

I've got calls in to a couple of other auto glass shops around here to see if they can get the glass in quicker, as ideally I'd like to be able to drive outta town tomorrow night, but it's looking unlikely.

While I'm on this subject, I'd like to rant about dealers not stocking parts. You would think in a major city like Houston, even if not every dealer stocks everything, that between them all they'd have just about every common replacement part in stock and trade parts cross-town in a couple of hours. Yet no rear tires in stock, and no side window in stock. Both of which I imagine aren't very uncommon parts to order, given road hazards, theft, and collisions.

FuszNissan · 08-14-2009, 12:01 PM

Side windows are very uncommon. They are usually specail order. Front windshields are a dime a dozen just because they break all the time. Side windows break due to collision, so they order all the parts when it's in for bodywork. No need to stock them, unlike windshields. Hope that helps you relax a little. Still sucks though

semtex · 08-14-2009, 12:28 PM

Ugh. I feel for you man. I actually keep all my guns' serial numbers listed in a note file which is on my computer and Blackberry, precisely for such a situation.

wstar · 08-14-2009, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semtex

Ugh. I feel for you man. I actually keep all my guns' serial numbers listed in a note file which is on my computer and Blackberry, precisely for such a situation.

Mine was down in a pile of paperwork in a file folder in a safe, took me about half an hour to figure out where I put the number at heh.

wstar · 08-15-2009, 04:14 PM

Got the tire replaced under the road hazard deal, I think it was around $30 at ~9200 miles. Glass is ordered, but won't be in until late this week, probably Thurs or Fri. Gonna let the dealer install it since his rate isn't too bad, and then I don't have to deal with digging the broken glass outta the bottom of the door and trying to get the glass aligned perfectly

wstar · 08-25-2009, 06:52 PM

Just a quick update since I've been slacking here lately. Window glass was replaced and tinted Friday at the dealer. Turns out they didn't align the glass perfectly though. It's shifted towards the rear of the car by about 2-3mm comparing it to the driver's one when they're both rolled up with the doors open. This results in wind seeping in at highway speeds, and a solid "thunk" when rolled up with auto-up that doesn't happen on the driver's side (I assume that's because the curves don't match up right and it's landing on a single point up there). Not sure yet whether I'm going to bother with taking it back to them again or just tear open the door guts and figure out adjusting it myself.

FI exhaust was supposed to arrive today, but UPS had some kinda screwup and it comes in tomorrow.

wstar · 08-26-2009, 12:43 PM

FI exhaust came in, and I should get to install it this evening

theDreamer · 08-26-2009, 12:47 PM

When are you going back for the dyno, if I am free I might meet you there to hear the exhaust.

wstar · 08-26-2009, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theDreamer

When are you going back for the dyno, if I am free I might meet you there to hear the exhaust.

All things considered, I'll probably try to schedule it at EngineLogics sometime next week during the weekdays.

wstar · 08-26-2009, 10:58 PM

Status update on the FI exhaust install. I got started late, as usual for a weekday I guess.

Removed the Stillen system, did a little prep work regarding heat shielding, etc. Cleaned up the mating surfaces on the rear flanges of my HFCs. Installed all of the FI parts per the manual, with all the bolts and gaskets in place, but the bolts just on loosely with my fingers so far everywhere.

The thing that has had me the most nervous about this is fitment at the crossmember, given the past issues with the Stillen kit, and the fact that I'm running Stillen's headers and Berk's HFCs (neither of which FI has been tested with, and some people have raised question marks about whether the rear of the HFCs comes out at the correct spot with this setup, too...).

Removed the temporary shim I was using at the crossmember to hold up the center just to see how bad it sags and how much play there was in various directions before I tighten, and.... <drumroll>.... it clears the crossmember easily, even with all the bolts still loose just hanging there

So I'm very happy. Taking a little break here before I go back down and finish this up, but so far everything looks great

RCZ · 08-26-2009, 11:06 PM

awesome, take some pics and you cant go to sleep without posting a video...and a dyno. Dont whine, just do it.

wstar · 08-27-2009, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCZ

awesome, take some pics and you cant go to sleep without posting a video...and a dyno. Dont whine, just do it.

I torqued everything down. Clearance is great throughout the underside of the car, even with the Stillen Headers, Berk HFCs, and the thicker rear swaybar from Hotchkis. Gave it a test-fire for a minute or two on the jack-stands. Sounds really nice, at least at cold idle for a minute. We'll see tomorrow how it sounds in general.

The only issue that's bugging me a little at this point is that the exhaust tips came out a bit high. They're right on the verge of touching the bumper plastic, or maybe they are touching it just slightly, but not with any force (you could probably slide a piece of paper into the gap easily, but nothing else).

So I opted not to fully heat it up tonight, and to leave the car on the jackstands while I think about this. Maybe I need to make slight rotational adjustments at the rearward 3-bolt flanges to correct it, I donno. It's really not a big problem, not compared to the underside fitment issues I had before. I'm only concerned about whether that might cause my bumper to melt and/or become blackened in the long run.

In any case, here's some pics:

I'll get back on this tomorrow and sort out whatever can be done about the fitment of the tips during the day.

bmarcinczyk14 · 08-27-2009, 01:53 AM

are those the carbon fiber mufflers?

wstar · 08-27-2009, 02:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmarcinczyk14

are those the carbon fiber mufflers?

Either that or it's really funny looking steel

Yes, I bought this exhaust with the CF muffler option as well as the 18" resonator option (as opposed to 12"), to hopefully keep the noise level a little more manageable, given how free-flowing everything is now (headers -> HFCs -> this CBE, and maybe further down the road I might even swap the HFCs for test pipes).

semtex · 08-27-2009, 09:15 AM

Looks real good!

08-14-2009, 12:01 PM	#272 (permalink)
FuszNissan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2009 Location: St. Louis Posts: 14,275 Drives: Pure Sex Rep Power: 541	Side windows are very uncommon. They are usually specail order. Front windshields are a dime a dozen just because they break all the time. Side windows break due to collision, so they order all the parts when it's in for bodywork. No need to stock them, unlike windshields. Hope that helps you relax a little. Still sucks though __________________ Mods: Too Many to list! LouFuszNissan ZDAYZ 2012

08-14-2009, 12:28 PM	#273 (permalink)
semtex A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Behind enemy lines Age: 53 Posts: 5,995 Drives: People to drink Rep Power: 32	Ugh. I feel for you man. I actually keep all my guns' serial numbers listed in a note file which is on my computer and Blackberry, precisely for such a situation. __________________ "There are no small accidents on this circuit." -- Ayrton Senna 316.8whp & 248 ft/lbs (Dyno Dynamics) \| 319whp & 256 ft/lbs (DynoJet) (04/23/10) Stillen G3 CAI, CBE, Pulley / F.I. LTH / GTSpec Ladder Brace / Setrab Oil Cooler / UpRev-tuned by Forged Perf.

08-15-2009, 04:14 PM	#275 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3594	Got the tire replaced under the road hazard deal, I think it was around $30 at ~9200 miles. Glass is ordered, but won't be in until late this week, probably Thurs or Fri. Gonna let the dealer install it since his rate isn't too bad, and then I don't have to deal with digging the broken glass outta the bottom of the door and trying to get the glass aligned perfectly __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

08-25-2009, 06:52 PM	#276 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3594	Just a quick update since I've been slacking here lately. Window glass was replaced and tinted Friday at the dealer. Turns out they didn't align the glass perfectly though. It's shifted towards the rear of the car by about 2-3mm comparing it to the driver's one when they're both rolled up with the doors open. This results in wind seeping in at highway speeds, and a solid "thunk" when rolled up with auto-up that doesn't happen on the driver's side (I assume that's because the curves don't match up right and it's landing on a single point up there). Not sure yet whether I'm going to bother with taking it back to them again or just tear open the door guts and figure out adjusting it myself. FI exhaust was supposed to arrive today, but UPS had some kinda screwup and it comes in tomorrow. __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

08-26-2009, 12:43 PM	#277 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3594	FI exhaust came in, and I should get to install it this evening __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

08-26-2009, 12:47 PM	#278 (permalink)
theDreamer A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 30,879 Drives: 370z Rep Power: 4210	When are you going back for the dyno, if I am free I might meet you there to hear the exhaust. __________________ theDreamer's Z // Fast Intentions // Uprev // GTM // HKS // TEIN theDreamer's Silvia // URAS // GREDDY Houston Zs // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

08-26-2009, 10:58 PM	#280 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3594	Status update on the FI exhaust install. I got started late, as usual for a weekday I guess. Removed the Stillen system, did a little prep work regarding heat shielding, etc. Cleaned up the mating surfaces on the rear flanges of my HFCs. Installed all of the FI parts per the manual, with all the bolts and gaskets in place, but the bolts just on loosely with my fingers so far everywhere. The thing that has had me the most nervous about this is fitment at the crossmember, given the past issues with the Stillen kit, and the fact that I'm running Stillen's headers and Berk's HFCs (neither of which FI has been tested with, and some people have raised question marks about whether the rear of the HFCs comes out at the correct spot with this setup, too...). Removed the temporary shim I was using at the crossmember to hold up the center just to see how bad it sags and how much play there was in various directions before I tighten, and.... <drumroll>.... it clears the crossmember easily, even with all the bolts still loose just hanging there So I'm very happy. Taking a little break here before I go back down and finish this up, but so far everything looks great __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

08-26-2009, 11:06 PM	#281 (permalink)
RCZ A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Miami Posts: 6,403 Drives: '09 370Z Rep Power: 1118	awesome, take some pics and you cant go to sleep without posting a video...and a dyno. Dont whine, just do it. Last edited by RCZ; 08-26-2009 at 11:09 PM.

08-27-2009, 01:53 AM	#283 (permalink)
bmarcinczyk14 Track Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Chicago Posts: 505 Drives: 2010 370z 6spd Sport Rep Power: 16	are those the carbon fiber mufflers?

08-27-2009, 09:15 AM	#285 (permalink)
semtex A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Behind enemy lines Age: 53 Posts: 5,995 Drives: People to drink Rep Power: 32	Looks real good! __________________ "There are no small accidents on this circuit." -- Ayrton Senna 316.8whp & 248 ft/lbs (Dyno Dynamics) \| 319whp & 256 ft/lbs (DynoJet) (04/23/10) Stillen G3 CAI, CBE, Pulley / F.I. LTH / GTSpec Ladder Brace / Setrab Oil Cooler / UpRev-tuned by Forged Perf.

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