dougal200

Very similar to the one I just bought but obviously in better condition. Not a perfect restoration though!

Thanks all. Once I get things settled in the uk setup I’ll be starting on some updates. Thinking I’ll keep it lhd as it’s a very early car. So what engine would you fit? Highly tuned l28 Vh45 1uz Vq35 S54 Tv Speed six

I love my rota lmgt4s

A quick though, I’m sure you already did this but you did replace the oil cooler and all hoses after the last engine failure? Nice build by the way:thumbup:

just dropping in to say hi to all, its been a long time since I've been on here. Lots has changed for me recently but all for the better. My daughter was born a few months ago and the three of us are now moving back to the UK in December so im going to have a bit more time to get out in the 300 and come to some meets. The 300 hasn't moved in a year so its going to need some attention. To celebrate this I decided to treat myself to a zed related present. https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C836820 Bring on the OCD restoration part 2

The sr3s are great, getting the correct rails can be tricky and most seats will be in need of a rebuild these days.

7/16-20 unf for all seatbelt on every car

Very nice, you will have to send me some details of the vinyl, I've got a couple of bit to sort out.

Looks fantastic

Bit of a bump on this. After doing some more research on this I think I'll be going with the sz 3" with a resonated x pipe and quad round tips. has anyone any experience with this setup?

I have a pair of japspeed downpipes and elbows for sale, replaced as I fitted 5 bolt turbos and 3" pipes. They have done around 2k miles if that. The elbows have heat wrap on them (needs securing). One of the test pipes has a small dent, it it right at the end and would be easy to tap out but won't cause an issue anyway. £100 posted

Looking great, Those wheels are going to look fantastic.

Am I reading correctly that you are setting the timing while starting the engine? Has the timing belt been replaced recently? Is the cas lined up near the middle of the bolt holes?

For a swb? Any pics

After fiddling around with exhausts for quite a while I have decided that I'll be replacing my cat back. For my rolling road tune I was running a hks centre section with 2.5" piping and some universal 2.5" back boxes. The power seemed ok but they were still holding the car back and also droned significantly between 2-3k. I then updated my apexi system to use the new hks centre and full 2.5" piping. The sound was great if not a little too quiet but they are too restrictive for the tune I have now so they have to go. What I want in a new exhaust: 3" performance system No drone Quad tips- square oval if possible What I've looked at. An ab flag power superior would be nearly perfect but not a viable option particularly for a swb ( I have seen the lab system on yahoo) Velside- same as above but less keen on the twin large tips B and B- seems a little over priced, the tips are perfect but the quality does not seem quite as good as others. Sz- this is looking most likely as the quality looks spot on, performance is good and they offer quad tips. Labree- seems similar but not quite as nice. Ams- a copy of the sz and I'd rather pay the bit extra for the real deal. Z1 pg- will be way too noisy. Infinity- I know a few have these and they are well regarded- not sure how they would stack up in regards to performance and droning. Any pics and an idea of cost- having it fitted would be a nice bonus. Anyone have personal experience with any of these ( funky si?) particularly with regards to noise- I don't mind a little loud but can't stand drone. Anything I've missed?

I managed to upload the final pull video, the sound doesn't really do it justice compared to standing along side at 7k [video=youtube_share;8aFPC7dg0ck]

Very high praise indeed sir, thankyou very much. I have to say that I don't think the paintwork will be up to the same standards as your's or funky Si's ( and quite a few more perhaps) that will all be sorted in time though. I was gutted not to make it to simply Japanese to see all the great cars in the club, I'll be sure to make it next year though.

Glad to see you back Craig, tried to pm you but blocked. Is there another way I can contact you?

Final little project was to see if I could find a steering wheel I liked. I have been running an old nardi wheel which I have owned for ages, it was ok but a little scruffy and the grey didn't match. I managed to pick up a used but good condition momo Nero wheel for reasonable money. I generally like this wheel as it's a pleasant shape, has a couple of silver accents that help to link a few other bits of silver in the interior and it isn't crazy modern. A few things that I don't like are the centre boss cover and that the suede is black. The suede inserts were changed over to charcoal alcantara, a simple black centre ring was added and the horn button replaced for a more subtle on with no yellow. I'd be interested in people's opinions on this as I'm still considering going back to stock.

Here are some pics of it all fitted I also managed to pop up to see slick Pete and get the swb carpet he had for sale. It really was in perfect condition and really didn't take too long to fit as I was changing the interior over. Whilst at it I also fitted my new set of a pillar trims

Final challenges for last week were to retrim my old interior to match the darker alcantara of my seats and to replace a few of the non perfect trim panels. I bought 2 linear meters of genuine charcoal alcantara. I made sure that I used the unbacked "panel" version which has a bit more give. New instrument cover I managed to buy some "as new" series 4 rear trim when I was last in Japan, the carpeted section was perfect. Th upper sections I separated and recovered. Now for the scary part, take two brand new door cards and rip off the centre fabric and try to recover in one piece. The passenger side which I did first could be better ( a few wrinkles on the return edge that may be noticeable with the door open) the drivers side I nailed and I'm very happy with it. I also did the same for the other panels which are much easier.

After all the heavy mechanical work I gave myself a bit of a break and did some work on the interior. My control pods were a little cracked on the bosses etc and were very shiny with years of interior shine. New ones are still available and not too expensive for rhd. They make a nice difference Then went on the new targa seals, not cheap at all but stocks are almost out now so there will never be an opera unity to buy new again. Making sure the black sealing gunge doesn't go everywhere is the biggest problem. Next up is the clutch servo rebuild. I used the guide from the Australian forum using the pathfinder rebuild kit. I also took the time to correctly increase the pedal travel which is advised for upgraded clutches. Having never used the booster before I have to say it really transforms the driving experience, combined with all the gearbox work I did the difference is night and day, smooth crisp changes with a light but accurate clutch. The car has gone from being a bit awkward to drive at lower/town speeds to a relaxing gt car that still feels precise. As a bonus, even after a few days of no use, the booster still retains its vacuum, which surprised me.

I assume it's wheels but I could be wrong. Not so worried about the actual numbers, fast and reliable are the main objectives.

With literally 10 mins to spare I managed to set off on the nervous drive up to see Greg at protuner in Coventry. Fortunately all was well and the car had no problems. I don't seem to be able to add any videos here unless linked to YouTube. I'll try to upload one. It was a great experience to meet Greg and I was very reassured by his knowledge and thorough preparation. Lucky really as even though I had replaced the fuel pump and have a high capacity FPR, the fuel pump controller was only giving the first stage voltage meaning as soon as fuel requirements increased, the pressure was dropping. Basically a ticking time bomb which could have easily destroyed the engine. Luckily this was noticed in the mapping process so a quick bypass was all that was needed. I also had the pleasure of meeting Dave (redwine 300) who managed to pop over and keep me entertained chatting away about zeds, was great to meet you. End results were 460 at 19psi and very drivable low end. The results of which are truly grin worthy acceleration in all gears with near stock levels of lag. The turbos have plenty more to give but Greg was worried about knock so we left it there. A full 3" exhaust and 2.5" intercoolers/pipes will be on the cards at a later date to get the most of what I have. For the moment it really doesn't need anymore anyway.

Also managed to take a day off and get down to the British GP. Not been in years but it was a great day out for me and the old man, even managed to get on TV