Yes, a number of folks know and I'm shite at keeping schtum about work being done to my Z.

 

In an ever increasing quest to have the cleanest Z I could possibly create, I have become more and more fussy with how things look resulting in me going back to a more original look. So over the past few months I have been buying up more and more original new OEM parts; dispensing with my 2-din Z Thirty Two fascia and replacing it with a brand new OEM one were the first steps, a rare DIN cubby with door from Richard Smith, all new centre console plastics, re-foaming the seats, all sorts of other things and many brand new exterior pieces.

 

Spurred on from JP's awesome example and Andrew's take on OEM+ and idealistic car plus deep knowledge, my Z is going back to the paint shop next week for some major surgery. I've been let down time and time again by poor quality workmanship from the various bodyshops I've used (which has been both stressful and upsetting) and this time around, I've decided to go all-out, get more new stuff and have the car stripped of what's already on there and repainted properly.

 

Not content with trying to find somewhere locally to me and getting let down as previously described, I've elected to use Kraftworks near Chelmsford who are some 3 and a half hours from me and a trailer is being sent next Friday to pick it up!! Some folks may have heard of these guys as they are the very same paint shop that did Joel's car who many have seen and love (myself included).

 

I was lucky to get hold of a brand new OEM 89-93 spoiler (still boxed), so that's going on....and because I thought it would be great idea to de-wiper and de-aerial my car whilst being in a terrible mental state following a nasty relationship breakdown, I made some silly mistakes and welded up stuff that I really shouldn't have, I have decided to go back to how the car once looked (my Z originally came over from Japan with no spoiler, so it's never had this fitted in my ownership) and despite liking the 99-spec, I think the original looks a lot better, at least on light coloured cars like white and silver and more befitting of the car's age (it's a 1991) and the rest of the body. Gary (GSC60) very kindly gave me a non-welded tailgate with no rust on it (VERY hard to find these days). I have a brand new wiper arm, seal and all the gubbins to go back in it. The aerial hole is being re-instated and that's going back in.

 

I argued with myself on what spoiler to go with for a while; having made up my mind on the TwinZ Type 1 as I love the style and have never seen a decent quality copy of the original, I went with what I thought was my only and best option, that was until a brand new original one was found, still boxed! AndrewG and myself, I think, took the last two available from Nissan, they've been NLS for about a decade in the US and I had thought they weren't available here either (Thanks for your help Ash). The quality of original spoilers is fabulous, they're very tactile and fit like a glove, something cheap fibgrelgass replicas just don't do, there's also a way of protecting them against spoiler-rot found in older cars (thanks to AndrewG for that one).

 

I'm very excited. The rest of the car will look almost the same....except for one thing...the paint!! I'm totally done with pearl white paints. They can look nice, but almost all of them look cream/beige in off-light situations and that has started to bug me. The rear quarter of my car is a very slightly different shade on my passenger side for reasons unknown and the previous paint shop just couldn't rectify it; some keen beans may have noticed that when they've seen the car in person! Trying to rectify damage or repaint areas with pearls is an utter nightmare as you end up chasing the paint round the car in an effort to blend.......soooooo......the new colour is going to be a metallic white which is a paint I'd not really known about but had wondered whether one existed. It turns out quite a few do and I've had the colour chips through today of those that I'm interested in comparing. The beauty of these new metallic whites is that they lay like a traditional metallic so you don't have that pearl mid-coat that is the thorn in my side. Metallic whites don't look beige or off-beige/cream out of direct sunlight, yet they still sparkle in the sun like a pearl coat, some more than others. It's almost like a modern take on QN0 which is a pearl white used on 94+ Z32s, but with half the maintenance and a better look.

 

Although mine's in good condition, a new t-top bar is going in and rear screen top trim and other new things are going on. I have boxes and boxes of new Nissan parts.

 

The colour - Jaguar's glacier white metallic as Nissan don't do anything similar. I looked at a VAG metallic white also, but this didn't have much metallic in. So the Jaguar colour has been chosen as of today! It's a stunning colour and really quite subtle. Range Rover also use this same colour code (2201/NAK) under the 'Yulong White' moniker. I thought about a straight-white, but I owe it to the car's origins to keep a special finish on it.

 

Here are a few images of the colour in various lights.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 3, 20178 yr by Funkysi

Is your moustache black Si or the stock graphite colour?

 

It's graphite like the mirror bases. The white screws up the contrast on the phone which is why it looks darker than it is. It's exactly the same colour as it used to be.

Simon paved the way for the best moustache colour on the Z32, I had mine done in the same colour after seeing his from the last repaint, it's a perfect colour for the job in my opinion.

Is your moustache black Si or the stock graphite colour?

 

Genuine Twin Turbo badge for early models. Nice subtle colour to it rather than these chrome/bright silver reproductions. Not cheap, but they do look nicer IMO.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]106690[/ATTACH]

Could you refresh my memory of this colour code please?

It's graphite like the mirror bases. The white screws up the contrast on the phone which is why it looks darker than it is. It's exactly the same colour as it used to be.

 

I thought that would be case. Couldn't see you going black after recent returns to OEM. She's looking good mate.

Could you refresh my memory of this colour code please?

 

1G3

 

Years ago I had the mirror bases from an original finish matched to the nearest metallic shade of grey and it turned out that the closest match was a Toyota metallic grey.

Looking great Si just remember to take your time fitting the weather strips and getting the sealant in the right spots or its going to leak badly at the top of the screen pillar. Its not a straight forward job the new rubbers make the t top fit really tight

I'm going to be using a product that AndrewG recommended for the rear lights rather than that horrid tar. It's a little more supple and doesn't cure. Should be able to level the rear lights out a little easier with it and use it on the corners of the seals.

I'm going to be using a product that AndrewG recommended for the rear lights rather than that horrid tar. It's a little more supple and doesn't cure. Should be able to level the rear lights out a little easier with it and use it on the corners of the seals.

 

i would recommend using a single sided foam abhesive tape to replace the tar seal on the tail lights. i did it for mine and they worked great. i can take the lights off whenever i like would the need to heat or soften the glue.

 

if u need more details i can give them to you.

i would recommend using a single sided foam abhesive tape to replace the tar seal on the tail lights. i did it for mine and they worked great. i can take the lights off whenever i like would the need to heat or soften the glue.

 

if u need more details i can give them to you.

 

You talking low density neoprene?

Looking phenomenal Si. Loving the colour.

You talking low density neoprene?

 

probably it was called truck seal lining for doors. came in a roll strip ill post photos for you this afternoon si.

Ok so its made by MoroDay and its a thick dense foam steal strip which has an adhesive backing on one side of the seal. I purchased it from a hardware shop called Bunnings over here in Australia and cost me about $12 AUD for for a 3 meter length strip which is 6.4 mm thick.

 

Here is the product

 

 

 

As I was installing the new 99spec tail lights I didn't need to remove the old tar goo that's on the back of the tail lights. All I had to do was cut the foam seal in half to match the channel the seal would be adhering to and cut enough lengths to cover the entire length of the tail light like so

 

 

Once I was ready to install the tail light I removed the paper cover on the back of the none sticky side of the foam seal and mounted the tail light into place. As the tail light is screwed into the rear chassis part of the car the seal compress's and creates a water tight seal which has never leaked on me once in now 5 years.

 

The benefit with using this foam seal is if I ever need to take the tail lights off the car I simply remove the trim panel and unscrew the tail lights and pull them off with no fuss and no mess what so ever.

 

And the finished result

 

Is that closed or open cell foam?

 

The difference between the two types:

 

During manufacture the foams are generated by forming gas bubbles in a liquid base which then

begins to set over a short period of time, and the properties of the liquid and gas determines the

final foam structure.

 

Closed cell foam – the bubbles are completely encompassed within the liquid and when it sets,

the gases are entirely fixed within each individual bubble, creating a structure that is impervious.

 

Open cell foam – the bubbles burst during the foaming process to create and interconnection cellular

network. This gives rise to softer and breathable foams (as used in air filters).

Edited June 6, 20178 yr by AndrewG
Different types explained.

Its the same sort of stuff used for fireproofing doors but not to be mixed up with plain draft excluder.

 

I've bought something like that in the past to put fresh seals on the dash when i was refitting it, keeps it from creaking.

 

 

Not sure i would use it on the lights as water can still get in at the joints, you would have to run it in one piece or overlap it in places.

I would worry about it being a waterproof seal, we have a lot of rain here Adam.

fair enough i just thought id suggest it to you all. like i said ive never noticed a single drop of water entering the truck and ive blasted my tail lights with pressure washer heaps of time and driving in flood like rain and i was more concerned with my roof leaking them the tail lights.

If it is open cell foam (which it looks to be?), it will hold water and unfortunately in the UK it will only (possibly) dry out on our 1 summers day a year! [emoji1]

 

The area around the rear lights mounting is very inconsistent in depth which I assume is why Nissan used a very thick, flexible sealant/tape (unlike the centre panel that uses a closed cell foam gasket). I've always found a non-setting sealant has worked great and makes for easy removal/installation.

 

DJ_Party_Favor, have you considered painting your tow hitches black?

DJ_Party_Favor, have you considered painting your tow hitches black?

 

i am considering doing that when i eventually paint my twinz rear diffuser and fit it hopefully sometime this year.

i am considering doing that when i eventually paint my twinz rear diffuser and fit it hopefully sometime this year.

 

Nice. Have you already trimmed the diffuser slightly to fit on around the tow hitches? A much better solution than cutting them off as many do!

yes i will be trimming the diffuser to allow for the tow hooks to remain in place.

Few photos - almost finished. Just the bumper corners to secure and still waiting on this ******* windscreen!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 2, 20178 yr by Funkysi

Looking great si!

 

Couple of questions for you, what are you doing for the swage line pinstripe. I found a good colour match but it all started to lift shortly after (eBay of course).

 

Also, do you have the original vapour barrier in the doors, I'm thinking of going with a sound deadening sheet as new vapour barriers are nla and mine are quite shabby.

I have one on order actually. Not as easy to find as they once were. The first one I tried to get ended up being a solid battle ship grey which is no good. It looks really odd without the pinstripe.

 

All the vapour barriers are are a thick polythene sheet. I've just put sound deadening in.