wstar's Journal

Equinox · 11-25-2011, 01:12 PM

thinking of trading the car in wstar, you could always trade me your seats with some cash. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Lightest but still recline able seats I could find. Sorry we never took the time to let you try them out like you wanted too at that track day. Was fed up with my terrible driving and the car fussing back at me.

wstar · 11-25-2011, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Equinox

thinking of trading the car in wstar, you could always trade me your seats with some cash. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

That's tempting actually. I think yours is a Nismo thought right? Mine isn't, they're just the leather touring heated seats. I think Nismo ones are slightly different right, at least the word Nismo stitched into the backrest or something?

gurneyeagle · 11-25-2011, 03:15 PM

Great write-up wstar!

I'd love to see your car in person at Cars and Coffee or a Z Club event.

Equinox · 11-25-2011, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wstar

That's tempting actually. I think yours is a Nismo thought right? Mine isn't, they're just the leather touring heated seats. I think Nismo ones are slightly different right, at least the word Nismo stitched into the backrest or something?

Wouldn't matter, I sold my Nismo seats to a 240 and they welded those in. Forgot you had leather touring. They'd still work.

Equinox · 11-27-2011, 11:14 AM

A little birdie told me wstar has Bride seats. Guess it's time to change my sig. lol.

wstar · 11-27-2011, 01:10 PM

Yup, new seats

.

Big thanks to Equinox. I drove out to his place today and we swapped our seats out. Nice deal all around and keeping it all in the "family" here at the370z. These Brides are the GIAS LowMax, they're adjustable and thus a little heftier than true racing seats, but it's a little more DD/girlfriend-friendly. They hug you on the corners a whole lot better than stock, and they're harness-compatible for future upgrades.

Got to try out the comfort level on the ~2hr drive home: not as comfy as the stock touring seats, but reasonable enough for most TX roadtrips. Worst case I might use a tiny pillow for a lumbar support on a long ride. Picked up a PW:JDM radiator air-guide thingy (whatever you call it, the bit that snaps to the top edge of the front bumper along the front) from Equinox as well, in a carbon/kevlar look that matches the seat-backs.

I checked weights on a bathroom scale while we had everything out too, esp since it looked obvious that my driver/passenger seats would be different, and the Weight Reduction Thread only lists one weight. Keeping in mind bathroom-scale inaccuracy, my TPH seats came in at 50.8 lbs driver and 47 lbs passenger, and the Brides came in at 42.2 lbs. So net weight drop is 13.4 lbs from swapping both.

Love the new seats, can't wait to see how they feel at the next track event. Thanks again Equinox

.

Equinox · 11-28-2011, 10:34 AM

Im now a silly Nismo with leather touring seats, lol. Never heard of that before. Seen Nismo's that the dealership reskinned the seats for leather to sell at a premium, but not an OEM swap. I got the power seats working for the motors, but I will wait to figure out the heaters. Turns out the heater relay for the seats are actually under the big pocket in the center dash. Who knew.

Thanks again for coming out and swappin Dubstar.

wstar · 11-28-2011, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Equinox

Im now a silly Nismo with leather touring seats, lol. Never heard of that before. Seen Nismo's that the dealership reskinned the seats for leather to sell at a premium, but not an OEM swap. I got the power seats working for the motors, but I will wait to figure out the heaters. Turns out the heater relay for the seats are actually under the big pocket in the center dash. Who knew.

Thanks again for coming out and swappin Dubstar.

Oh, you may have to remind me, but I could pull the relays out for you next time I pull the center dash apart. It happens pretty regularly

Scott @ RA · 12-24-2011, 02:20 AM

Nice write up.
Glad you enjoyed yourself, that's what its all about.

Equinox · 12-26-2011, 06:30 AM

Hey Thanks WStar for swapping heater switches with me, saved my *** when I traded in the Neezmo. Let me know if you need anything, owe you one

How'd the grill work go?

wstar · 12-26-2011, 09:15 AM

I didn't end up doing the grill work that day. I was mostly waiting for the paint on the mesh to dry that day, and then I didn't have enough time to make sure I finished the whole job before I needed to drive the car around for various xmas family trips Fri/Sat/Sun. I'll probably start the real work on the car tonight or tomorrow

wstar · 12-26-2011, 09:19 AM

Oh, how's the new Porsche so far Equinox?

Equinox · 12-27-2011, 06:12 AM

Pretty surprising how different two sports cars can be, because while I drove the 911 home from Houston, I just couldn't get over how smooth/fast/tight/solid of a car it was compared to the 370z. Night and day, crazy enough.

Bad thing is, it's an older car (2006), so I need to do minor maintenance mods on it. Fixed a loose door handle, ordered a replacement cup holder, replaced the radio with Nav/DVD Touchscreen, and now this weekend I just have to replace the accesory belt and I should be good.

wstar · 01-02-2012, 11:11 AM

I (finally) got around to doing the grill work Friday and Saturday. This is basically a copy of Spohn's awesome idea for a grill setup, check out the pics and explanation he had over here: Spohn's Journal.

The basic idea is: Cut out the factory's plastic horizontal grill fins completely for a nice wide open front, spray the whole center area (other than the side inner edges) with Plasti-dip, and attach a wire mesh behind the grill opening.

I used some expanded mesh from Lowe's that was probably for stucco, similar to his mesh, but I don't think they're quite identical. I sprayed the mesh w/ flat black high temp spray paint several days before on both sides in several coats. A key difference from Spohn's install is that, since I've replaced my front-under airfoil thingy once (w/ a unit from Z1), the factory rivets for it have been replaced with nuts and bolts, so I was able to attach the bottom of the mesh to these bolts instead of trying to squeeze it into the clips for the front edge of the undertray. I also plasti-dipped my towhook in red, and I haven't gotten around to cutting a hole for it in my mesh yet.

In the overall I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I suspect the Plasti-Dip isn't as tough as I'd like. It will probably chip and peel and I'll spot-re-spray it over time and it will look a little ugly up close, and I don't care

. I think the show-car types would want to use some sort of flexible, durable, actual car paint instead or something. Various pics of the process:

Most of the cut-out work done:

Masking and spraying plasti-dip:

Plasti-dipped the tow-hook receiver as well to avoid a big silver shiny thing behind the mesh:

The mesh install process:

Results:

m4a1mustang · 01-02-2012, 11:49 AM

Fixed the image a bit so it's easier to see:

11-25-2011, 01:12 PM	#1 (permalink)
Equinox Track Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Beaumont, TX Posts: 685 Drives: 06 Porsche Carrera S Rep Power: 18	thinking of trading the car in wstar, you could always trade me your seats with some cash. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Lightest but still recline able seats I could find. Sorry we never took the time to let you try them out like you wanted too at that track day. Was fed up with my terrible driving and the car fussing back at me. __________________ Check out my Albums '13 Subaru WRX STi \| '06 Porsche 911 Carrera S (SOLD) \| '96 Mazda RX-7 6.0L V8 RHD (SOLD) \| '09 Nissan Nismo #0058 (SOLD)

11-25-2011, 03:15 PM	#3 (permalink)
gurneyeagle A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Houston/Saint Augustine Posts: 2,681 Drives: '18 Audi TT RS Rep Power: 20216	Great write-up wstar! I'd love to see your car in person at Cars and Coffee or a Z Club event. __________________ Waiting on the Z35! SOLD - 2011 Gun Metallic Touring 7AT w Sports Pkg & Nav, Nismo Bumper and Rims, RC Grille, RC Brake Ducts, H&R Spacers, Painted Door Hdls, GTR Start Button, Nav By-Pass, EVO R Fog Light, CF Ducktail, CF Interior Trim

11-27-2011, 11:14 AM	#5 (permalink)
Equinox Track Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Beaumont, TX Posts: 685 Drives: 06 Porsche Carrera S Rep Power: 18	A little birdie told me wstar has Bride seats. Guess it's time to change my sig. lol. __________________ Check out my Albums '13 Subaru WRX STi \| '06 Porsche 911 Carrera S (SOLD) \| '96 Mazda RX-7 6.0L V8 RHD (SOLD) \| '09 Nissan Nismo #0058 (SOLD)

11-27-2011, 01:10 PM	#6 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3595	Yup, new seats . Big thanks to Equinox. I drove out to his place today and we swapped our seats out. Nice deal all around and keeping it all in the "family" here at the370z. These Brides are the GIAS LowMax, they're adjustable and thus a little heftier than true racing seats, but it's a little more DD/girlfriend-friendly. They hug you on the corners a whole lot better than stock, and they're harness-compatible for future upgrades. Got to try out the comfort level on the ~2hr drive home: not as comfy as the stock touring seats, but reasonable enough for most TX roadtrips. Worst case I might use a tiny pillow for a lumbar support on a long ride. Picked up a PW:JDM radiator air-guide thingy (whatever you call it, the bit that snaps to the top edge of the front bumper along the front) from Equinox as well, in a carbon/kevlar look that matches the seat-backs. I checked weights on a bathroom scale while we had everything out too, esp since it looked obvious that my driver/passenger seats would be different, and the Weight Reduction Thread only lists one weight. Keeping in mind bathroom-scale inaccuracy, my TPH seats came in at 50.8 lbs driver and 47 lbs passenger, and the Brides came in at 42.2 lbs. So net weight drop is 13.4 lbs from swapping both. Love the new seats, can't wait to see how they feel at the next track event. Thanks again Equinox . __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details Last edited by wstar; 11-27-2011 at 02:18 PM.

11-28-2011, 10:34 AM	#7 (permalink)
Equinox Track Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Beaumont, TX Posts: 685 Drives: 06 Porsche Carrera S Rep Power: 18	Im now a silly Nismo with leather touring seats, lol. Never heard of that before. Seen Nismo's that the dealership reskinned the seats for leather to sell at a premium, but not an OEM swap. I got the power seats working for the motors, but I will wait to figure out the heaters. Turns out the heater relay for the seats are actually under the big pocket in the center dash. Who knew. Thanks again for coming out and swappin Dubstar. __________________ Check out my Albums '13 Subaru WRX STi \| '06 Porsche 911 Carrera S (SOLD) \| '96 Mazda RX-7 6.0L V8 RHD (SOLD) \| '09 Nissan Nismo #0058 (SOLD)

12-24-2011, 02:20 AM	#9 (permalink)
Scott @ RA Enthusiast Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: So Cal Posts: 410 Drives: Ridiculously Fast Rep Power: 16	Nice write up. Glad you enjoyed yourself, that's what its all about.

12-26-2011, 06:30 AM	#10 (permalink)
Equinox Track Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Beaumont, TX Posts: 685 Drives: 06 Porsche Carrera S Rep Power: 18	Hey Thanks WStar for swapping heater switches with me, saved my * when I traded in the Neezmo. Let me know if you need anything, owe you one How'd the grill work go? __________________ Check out my Albums '13 Subaru WRX STi \| '06 Porsche 911 Carrera S (SOLD) \| '96 Mazda RX-7 6.0L V8 RHD (SOLD) \| '09 Nissan Nismo** #0058 (SOLD)

12-26-2011, 09:15 AM	#11 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3595	I didn't end up doing the grill work that day. I was mostly waiting for the paint on the mesh to dry that day, and then I didn't have enough time to make sure I finished the whole job before I needed to drive the car around for various xmas family trips Fri/Sat/Sun. I'll probably start the real work on the car tonight or tomorrow __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

12-26-2011, 09:19 AM	#12 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3595	Oh, how's the new Porsche so far Equinox? __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

12-27-2011, 06:12 AM	#13 (permalink)
Equinox Track Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Beaumont, TX Posts: 685 Drives: 06 Porsche Carrera S Rep Power: 18	Pretty surprising how different two sports cars can be, because while I drove the 911 home from Houston, I just couldn't get over how smooth/fast/tight/solid of a car it was compared to the 370z. Night and day, crazy enough. Bad thing is, it's an older car (2006), so I need to do minor maintenance mods on it. Fixed a loose door handle, ordered a replacement cup holder, replaced the radio with Nav/DVD Touchscreen, and now this weekend I just have to replace the accesory belt and I should be good. __________________ Check out my Albums '13 Subaru WRX STi \| '06 Porsche 911 Carrera S (SOLD) \| '96 Mazda RX-7 6.0L V8 RHD (SOLD) \| '09 Nissan Nismo #0058 (SOLD)

01-02-2012, 11:11 AM	#14 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3595	I (finally) got around to doing the grill work Friday and Saturday. This is basically a copy of Spohn's awesome idea for a grill setup, check out the pics and explanation he had over here: Spohn's Journal. The basic idea is: Cut out the factory's plastic horizontal grill fins completely for a nice wide open front, spray the whole center area (other than the side inner edges) with Plasti-dip, and attach a wire mesh behind the grill opening. I used some expanded mesh from Lowe's that was probably for stucco, similar to his mesh, but I don't think they're quite identical. I sprayed the mesh w/ flat black high temp spray paint several days before on both sides in several coats. A key difference from Spohn's install is that, since I've replaced my front-under airfoil thingy once (w/ a unit from Z1), the factory rivets for it have been replaced with nuts and bolts, so I was able to attach the bottom of the mesh to these bolts instead of trying to squeeze it into the clips for the front edge of the undertray. I also plasti-dipped my towhook in red, and I haven't gotten around to cutting a hole for it in my mesh yet. In the overall I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I suspect the Plasti-Dip isn't as tough as I'd like. It will probably chip and peel and I'll spot-re-spray it over time and it will look a little ugly up close, and I don't care . I think the show-car types would want to use some sort of flexible, durable, actual car paint instead or something. Various pics of the process: Most of the cut-out work done: Masking and spraying plasti-dip: Plasti-dipped the tow-hook receiver as well to avoid a big silver shiny thing behind the mesh: The mesh install process: Results: __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details Last edited by wstar; 01-02-2012 at 06:09 PM.

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