DTA (UK)

Nismo, You can fit 6.5" speakers in the doors but you may need to custom make an MDF bracket as the fixing points may be different to the original ones. Also, remove the metal casing that is fixed to the door as this will give you more room for bigger speakers. 6x9's fit in the rear but you'll need to create custom brackets and bash down the passengerside wheel well as this gets in the way of the speaker. I just fitted the first phase of my ICE install last week (got toasted in the process ... too much sunshine :)) comprising of an Alpine CDM-7893R headunit, Alpine R-type 6.5" component door speakers (with 1" flush mounted tweeters) and Alpine R-type 6x9 speakers in the back - thanks to SMW for the brackets. Fitting 6x9's in the rear took some custom made brackets and a lot of "masaging". The Alpine speakers I got are in fact too wide and I now have a tiny protrusion in the plastic boot surround ... :o The 6.5" door speakers were easy-ish to fill. Major consideration to take into account is the depth of the speaker. If it is too deep then the window won't shut any more. Another thing I found was that the passenger door is less deep than the driverside door (perhaps it is only my car). I fitted a custom cut 9mm MDF bracket to the door card and in turn fixed the speaker to it. Flush fitting the tweeters just above the door vents was a bit of a bugger as there is a very strong bit of metal on the inside of the door card that needed to be cut. It must be the strongest bit of metal in the door so in case of any of you having an accident hold on to the door card - this little bit of metal may just save your life ... :D;) LOL! Everything said and done, the speakers fit nicely, sound awesome and if only I can figure out why the arial isn't coming out anymore I will be very satisfied! Phase 2: Alpine 10" R-type subwoofer, 2 Alpine amps, Alpine DVD/GPS Navigation system with motorised DIN screen. Need to rob a bank first :) HTH. Danny

Hi Steve, Try http://www.cel-direct.com, a company based in Leicester but they also do mail order and I recently got my Alpine headunit & component speakers from there at a very reasonable price. Good luck. Danny

Thanks guys! I'm aware that I'm asking a lot for my money but times are hard and I still want the best I can pay for so perhaps I need to compromise somewhere along the way. I will have a good look around the sites you suggested and may ultimately build one myself (have done so in the past). However, having looked at places to source parts I always end up with a bigger bill than when you buy a "package" ... another case of the sum of the parts being dearer than the whole ... Thanks also for the tip re: XP Pro vs. XP Home. I will require the full MS Office suite so that'll be something additional to budget for. Cheers! Danny

Morning all! My trusty old PC has become decidedly less trusty over the past few months and I now spend more time rebooting than booting my Zed. Have decided to save up some money and buy a new PC in the coming month(s) but would like to ask any of the forum's resident IT/PC gurus for purchase advice. This is what I'm looking for: - minimum 2.4MHz processor (preferably AMD Athlon XP) - 512MB RAM (expandable to 1GB) - 80~120Mb HDD - CD/RW drive (not bothered about DVD drive but if included in a package must be separate drives) - 64~128MB Grafics card (not bothered about TV-out) - reasonably good sound card (don't need any speakers, etc) - multiple USB ports - 56K Modem (not bothered about network card/ADSL as I can't get broadband in my area anyway) - preferably Windows XP preloaded (Professional edition) - keyboard/mouse (preferably cordless) - Not bothered about a monitor as I already have a 17" CRT but if the set comes with a 17" flat panel TFT then I wouldn't say no! I'm looking to spend between £450-£650 and would obviously like the best/quickest my money can buy. So, apart from the obvious (PC World, The Computer World, Evesham Computers, Novatec, etc.) where else do you suggest I look? Is there anyone on this forum who could put the above together for a reasonable price? Any and all suggestions are welcome and thanks for your feedback. GreetZ, Danny

Yes, the TPS influences shifting points for the autobox. ;) Danny

Hi Pete, Hmmm, Chicken McNuggets will do that to the best of us ... but in all seriousness, the advice offered above (PTU connector, Throttle bodies and while you're in the cleaning mood take some time to clean the temp sensor - big yellow connector on top rad hose) is good and you should start there but one thing that sticks out is that neither of those would produce a strong smell of petrol. Have a look at all the clips on the petrol hoses in the engine bay and tighten them up. Next I would look at the fuel filter (may have been temporarily clogged) and then at the fuel pressure regulator and fuel pressure dampner - perhaps change those for new ones. Fuel pump would be another one to look at if the above doesn't help. If none of this helps get back to us and I'm sure someone can perhaps shed more light on the matter.

Yep - got one left over from the Billing show: £120 plus postage and it's yours. If interested, send me an e-mail with postage details to sales@zaat.com and I'll e-mail you payment details by return (will be tonight now). Regards, Danny Zaat DTA-motorsport

Hey guys! Just an FYI: I'll be running the DTA-Motorsport stand demoing and selling ConZults for the 300ZX, 200SX (S13-15) and Gti-r's at JAE Billing this weekend. I'm hopefull we won't need our wellies or a submarine to get around the field but please drop by for a chat. We will also be featuring our special show vehicle (a heavily modded 300ZX) in the afternoon (when it gets in from Holland - fingers crossed) as well as selling a few Apexi induction kits and kit. Hope to see you there! Regards, Danny PS - I will not be able to check the forum for replies this afternoon but for any queries please send an e-mail to sales@zaat.com.

Yep - I'll be selling them from the DTA-motorsport stand (next to SE Nissan & opposite the 300zx.co.uk plot - I think). Will have one to demo so time permitting can hook it up to your car to have a look see! Cheers! Danny

Will hopefully have a few Apexi induction kits available tomorrow at Billing. Come and visit the DTA-motorsport stand (next to SE Nissan and across from the 300zx.co.uk plot - I think). Price will be in the region of £120 and we should (hopefully) have a few available in the afternoon. If not then can send them out to you after Billing. Ta! Danny

Hmmm, just seen your last posting. The auxilary fan coming on definitely points to a faulty temp sensor and/or wiring. Have a look to see what the replacement sensor does. If it doesn't make the problem disappear then you've got a cable break somewhere along the way. Hope this helps! Danny

Jim - resetting the ECU when changing petrol octane rating is not strictly necessary but couldn't hurt as there may be some intermittent fault codes stored (unrelated to petrol of course). Resetting will clear the memory but also means that the ECU is in "learning" mode for the next 100 miles or so. So the car may feel "unsettled" for a little while. Nothing to worry about unless it doesn't go away after say 200 miles or so. Cheers! Danny

Hey Jim, Don't worry too much about Code 34 - Detonation circuit. A lot of cars have this and in the worse case it puts the car back into safety boost (~ 7psi). That won't cause the hesitation you speak of. Code 13 - Temp circuit: check the yellow temp connector on the top radiator hose. Try pulling it off and cleaning the contacts and when putting it back on make sure it is securely fastened. After having done that reset the ECU by disconnecting the battery for at least 30 minutes to an hour and then try the car again. Hope this helps, if not perhaps some other people on this forum will have more things for you to try. Good luck and hopefully see you at Billing - pop by the DTA stand and say HI! Regards, Danny

Hey guys, It's been a while since I was last on the forum but thought it high time to let you all know that as of 2pm tomorrow (Sunday 25th) I will have the provervial "ball-n-chain" fitted! :D All kidding aside - I will be marrying the most wonderful girl who, after some persuasion and a couple of drinks, sees the logic of me spending bucket loads of cash on my Zed! Can't ask for anything more really. The getaway car will, of course, be the Zed so now I'm praying to every God to make sure nothing happens to it between now and tomorrow. At the rate I'm going with all the last minute things that need sorting out I'll be washing and polishing the car in the middle of the night - sad ... ;) Take care all and happy Zedding! Danny

Hey guys! Thanks a lot for your replies - as with most things "Zed" there seems to be no one set answer. Fortunatly (for my finances) my stock exhaust is not yet in need of replacing but having said that here it is now probably going to go tits up in the next couple of weeks ... ;) In any case, when I do decide to replace it I want something like Eric's B&B Triflo because it sounds awesome but also something that will produce one hell of a howl at high rpm's. Looks like it is back to the drawing board ! Cheers all and enjoy the weekend/weather! Danny

Hi everyone - happy Easter! This may be a daft question to put on here but I thought I'd ask it any way. What is it, in an exhaust system, that produces the distinctive tone? A friend of mine just changed the exhaust on his Fiat Stilo to a run-of-the-mill stainless jobbie but added Remus back boxes and now his exhaust sounds fabulous! I was wondering if the sound is in the tubing (i.e., diameter and/or bends) or the back boxes. I'd love to change the exhaust tune of my Zed to make it sound like a Ferarri 355 - IMHO the sweetest sounding car on the planet! :) Silly question but I hope one of you knows the answer. Cheers! Danny

Pete, Give Jeff at Zedworld a call - he's going to be sorting out my car which failed the MOT on exactly the same steering rack problem - it doesn't seem to be as costly as Nissan quoted. HTH Danny

Hi Mark, I was thinking a bit about your problem and came up with the following. It's nothing I've tried before and am not sure it will even work but it's worth a try. If you have the crowfoot on the offending nut try and get a long bar extending from it towards the ground. Now very slowly move the car forward until the bar hits the ground and continue until either the bar breaks (in which case it's back to the drawingboard) or the nut is loosened. Again, I'm absolutely unsure if this will work but it's just a thought. Hope you get it sorted mate. Danny

Exactly the same symptoms as on mine: diagnosed it with my ConZult and I have a knackered right side O2 sensor (reading a constant 2.55 Volt). Disconnected it and all is fine. Have placed an order together with someone else at Courtesy Nissan in the States and hope to receive the goods after the weekend. I've just had an MOT done on the car (this morning actually) and although the right hand exhaust readings were slightly higher than the left side, they were both well under the legal limits. My suggestion is clean the throttle bodies (always a good idea) but do an ECU diagnostic for the O2 circuits before buying a new TPS. Alternatively, disconnect them one at a time and take the car for a spin. This will tell you if it is the O2 sensors. Good luck! Danny

Cheers guys, I know, Sod's Law and me are very well acquainted so don't think I'll be driving for a while ... I spoke to the director of licencing at the DVLA and he "assures" me that this is the only way to go about it and that I am the unfortunate victim of an EU law change (last year March) which requires me to obtain a UK licence rather than renew my Dutch one. It is almost the equivalent of making someone stateless and both the DVLA and Dutch issuing authority have told me to write the the EU in Brussels. I'm too angry at the moment to be diplomatic so I'll do that some time later but for the time being I'm well and truly fooked! Thanks Andy for the link ... I can't find much on there either relating to this particular incedent but will keep looking. If it comes to putting L plates on the Zed I'll send you a pic but just think of the attention it will attract from the coppers ... Thanks guys! Danny

Thought today was going to be a good day but was proved wrong yet once again. Here's the story so far: I'm the holder of a Dutch drivers licence, which I've had for 13 years. During this time I have not had an accident, not been fined for any reason and been an all round safe driver. I passed my driving test in the USA and three years later exchanged it for the above Dutch on. There is a nice stamp on my Dutch licence stating I also hold a US drivers licence. This Dutch licence is due to expire on 9th March this year and I sent it off to the DVLA one month ago to have it exchanged for a full UK licence (as required by UK law). Thought all was well until this morning. All application documents were returned with a nice letter stating that because I passed my drivers test in the US and exchanged that licence for a Dutch one they (DVLA) can not exchange it for a full UK licence. WTF?! Called the tossers up to ask for a more elaborate explanation and was told that my Dutch licence is not considered to be a full EU licence - which is a load of bollox according to the issuing authorities in The Netherlands. It would appear that both the UK and Spain are the only countries in the EU who have this problem with exchanging licences. Getting on with the now useless conversation with the DVLA, they advice me the only way for me to get a UK licence (as required by EU law) is to apply for a provisional licence, apply for a theory test and then a practical test. If you add up all the lead times for these I'm looking at being fooked for the better part of 8-10 weeks! Oh, and while I have a provisional licence I need to have "L" plates on my car and am only allowed to drive when there is someone in the passenger seat who's held a full and valid UK licence for three years! Can you imagine displaying L plates on a Zed?! I don't fooking think so! I spoke with the DVLA equivalent in Holland to see if there was another way around it and basically there isn't. Even if I could get a new Dutch licence (which I can't because I now am resident in the UK) there will always be a note on it stating I did my drivers test in the US so that doesn't help me. I don't think I have ever heard of such a rediculous way of getting a licence renewed. Basically, as of Monday it is illegal for me to be behind the wheel of a car and I can be fined for driving with an expired licence. The law is forcing me off the road, thereby affecting my livelyhood, forcing me to pay a lot of money for tests and generally taking away my freedom and mobility. I have driven accident and fine free for the past 13 years, I even have a racing licence (although that expired last year as I didn't get a chance to do any racing) and I am now treated as someone who has never driven a car before in their life! WTF!!?? I'm sorry for going on a bit but I'm so extremely angry and pissed off at the moment and needed to get this off my chest. I'm now off to the post office to get a new D750 & D1 form to send off for my provisional licence. As this is a public forum I will not speak of my intended "business as usual" attitude as of next Monday ;) What is the worse that can happen when caught driving with an expired licence - a fine? And then there are of course the insurance implications ... We'll see. Thanks for listening ... Very disgruntledly yours, Danny

Nope, different shape (slightly more curved than the 2+2 targa's). D.

Not wanting to throw a spanner into the works here but the auto boxes on Zed are, shall we say, very temperamental. We've all heard of reconditioned boxes going tits up within several weeks/months. Anyone who is in the business of reconditioning Zed auto boxes had better have a very good understanding of them. I personally would not hand over my transmission to someone who is not a Zed specialist. However, this is just my personal opinion. Danny

The one sitting directly in front of the secondary (leccy) fan is for the airconditioning. If there is another one positioned in front of this one (i.e., closer to the front of the car), it could be a transmission cooler (if your car is a J-spec automatic). HTH Danny

Hi fella's (and gals) I haven't got access to the general chat forum where this probably belongs so please bear with me ... it'll be a short one. I'm trying to design a webpage that has a static background image, i.e., you can scroll the text over it while the image remains unchanged. How do you do that? I'm using (for the most part) MS FrontPage 2000. Many thanks for your input/feedback. Ta! Danny