Mondo

That's good to hear, as I'm still debating just having the whole system be 3", rather than tapering to 2.5" partway down the testpipes....

I genuinely haven't made my mind up yet. I don't think I'll be going for quad tailpipes though... I'll see what their selection is like when I get there, I guess. That's my thinking. There are companies far closer to me who "do the same job" as Infinity, but they're unknown quantities to me. I've heard nothing but good things about Infinity and they've been really helpful with all my questions, so I figure it's worth the £100ish fuel bill to go to them :)

I considered buying the whole system "off the shelf" but it was going to turn out more costly than getting one made, Pete. This way, I at least get to decide how I want it all to look, so that's a plus for me :)

My immediate concern about the PH car would be this: if he's owned it for 2 years, why are the photos from when it was imported...? The seller says it's only covered 900 miles since import, but it was apparently last serviced 1,200 miles ago. So he (and you, as a prospective buyer) have no real idea of what this most recent service included. For that money, that would concern me a little bit as, basically, he's done nothing at all to the car since he bought it 2 years ago. I had no idea that any Z32 came with a tilting steering wheel! He seems to be very vague about the car, mentioning that there are "other modifications" but not actually stating what they are. Were they fitted when he bought it, or during his ownership? Just seems a very lazy advert to me. Without getting much more info out of the seller, I'd personally be steering clear of this one....

So, imminent plans! Mid-April, we're off to LA Autos to drop Lee's retrimmed interior off with him (thread coming soon!) and also to have my Hicas arms and balljoints replaced. That should help to tighten the back end up properly and also get rid of an advisory on the last MOT. :) Funds permitting, I'll be having a brand new starter motor fitted as well as I grow incredibly weary of the annoying and embarrassing grinding noise that the current one makes on occasion... Late April will see me heading to Bristol. To Infinity Exhausts, to be specific, where they'll be fitting the new 3" expansion downpipes and fabricating a complete system from those downpipes back. :biggrin: I'll be happy to see the back of my current Powerflow catback, truth be told. Now, as much as I'd love to have a pair of Speciality Z downpipes on my Zed, they're sadly too rich for my blood so I'm opting for a pair of AMS ones instead. Not ideal, true - but infinitely better than standard and I figure I should be able to get around any possible fitment issues by the fact that Infinity will be making everything after the downpipes from scratch. Let's hope I'm right! While I'm in Bristol, I'll be dropping in on Jimmer and we'll be attacking the underside of my car and cleaning it, then sealing it. :) Once all that's done, I'll be beyond skint so that'll be it for a while! :lol:

Disagree. I think my 19s look just right :)

Can't say I agree, sorry. :no:

Is this a new owner that's selling it? Or was it always in Norfolk...?

Ah, you like your Slicktops, don't you....

I bought the Japtek ones to fit my larger SMICs. Haven't actually fitted them yet, but still.... :lol:

This is the first time I used it (on a 370Z Roadster). I had to use a slightly different leather to the rest of the job as the stamp just wouldn't leave a proper imprint. And here's the most recent occasion, again on a 370Z Roadster: You can see the difference between the imprints as the red seats used a much softer leather and, as such, the result is much weaker.

Yep, they're expensive to have made. The two I have are absolutely perfect and perform faultlessly, but it's still a big outlay for something that you may only ever use twice (one on each seat)! The other possible issue you'd have is the type of leather you're wanting to deboss. Upholstery leather has a vinyl coating that gives it the grain pattern and some of the protection it needs for being in such a high-traffic application, and the debossing die effectively "brands" the leather as you have to heat them up to use them. Because of the vinyl finish, the die "melts" through that and helps to give the design proper definition and depth. If you heat it too much or hold it in place for too long, you'll ruin the leather around the die. If it's not hot enough or not held in place for long enough, you'll end up with a poor imprint and you'll never get the die in exactly the same place again! Something like Nubuck leather, that doesn't have the vinyl finish, won't stamp very well at all. You basically have to use the right equipment for whatever job you're planning to do, William - I'd honestly recommend sticking with proper upholstery hide, rather than using something else. Nubuck feels beautiful but it just won't cope very well with the cycle of people getting in and out of the seats over and over again.

You're looking at some expense to have a debossing stamp made, William! I had a 370Z one made (just the "Z" logo for that model) and for a 1" x 2" brass die, it was just short of £200... I'm not convinced on the Nubuck hide for the seat centres. I don't think it'll wear too well and I'd be very surprised if it has the UV protection needed to last inside a car.

Well, for a start, your ignition timing is out! It's meant to be 15 BTDC, as per your friend's Conzult readings.

Craig+2, attending meet, hotel Booked via Craig, family room, yes RichardSmith+1, attending meet, hotel Booked via Craig, double room, yes JoelyP, attending meet, no hotel, no meal (adl) phoenix, attending meet, may book own hotel, no meal. Ted+2 attending meet, book own hotel, no meal BedZee Man, attending meet, no hotel, no meal Rata2ie, Attending meet, no hotel, no meal Gaz 300 + 1 attending meet hotel booked by Craig twin room -yes Ianl meet, bed, food Mondo +1, attending meet, will book own room, yes to meal

Ali should be along presently... ;)

Very true! Danny's car is a bit of a work of art! :thumbup1: For me, the Twinz kit still looks like a complete bolt-on affair and that ruins it. Not a fan in the slightest here!

Did it previously work, or has it never worked since all the parts were transplanted?

So the general concensus seems to be that any improvements I can make to the engine's breathing - either inhaling or exhaling - can only be a good thing. :) Time to assess the pennies, I think....

As I read it, he seemed to be saying the gains for a 3" catback system were minimal.

See, that page is advocating using 3" pipework for the first half of the system at least. This is where it becomes confusing...! :lol:

I'd be happy with mid to high 400s in the end, Andrew. I know that, from a reliability standpoint, I'll be needing new injectors to compliment things like the Selin kit, the bigger SMICs, the new exhaust, etc but this will have to be a long build (as it were). I don't need to go crazy with the power levels because I still want the car to be pleasurable to drive and, in all honesty, she's pretty rapid at the moment anyway. But the snails and the exhaust (at least the front half) are all 20-odd years old now so are due for replacement. I'm just trying to find the best set-up that going to yield the best results and also allow me to use the relevant components well.

Yep, I've read that. Thanks for posting it though :thumbup1: Ok, new question (sort of): is any difference between 3" downpipes and 2.5" downpipes going to be negligible, or would it actually be quite noticable? Speciality Z 3" pipes are going to cost $786.40 plus import duty. Which is a lot of money! Z1's 2.5" downpipes are considerably less expensive, so might they be the sensible route to take instead? Bear in mind that the turbos will end up being upgraded, albeit slightly, in the future as well... :)

Yep, yet more queries from me here! In the very near future, I'll be upgrading my entire exhaust system - it's currently stock to the rear axle, with Powerflow backboxes. As I'll be upgrading the turbos a little in the future, it makes sense to have a suitable system behind them in readiness. So I'm currently debating 3" downpipes, 3" to 2.5" testpipes and the rest of the system at 2.5" - is the 3" bore likely to be overkill on what will ultimately be a fairly mildly-tuned car? I've done A LOT of reading up this morning on the available 3" downpipes and the choice seems to be limited to a pair from Speciality Z or a pair from AMS. I've come across a lot of contention regarding the fitment and quality of the AMS stuff too... indeed, Jimmer advised me against using their downpipes and testpipes last night. My original plan was to have the AMS downpipes and then have the rest of the system made bespoke, including the tapered testpipes. Is the AMS quality that bad that I should avoid that idea? Or would it just make more sense to use SZ pipes instead of the AMS ones? And if the 3" half of the system is indeed overkill, should I be looking at perhaps the Z1 2.5" downpipes and testpipes matched to a bespoke system? As I said in my turbos thread, I'm an absolute n00b when it comes to turbocharged cars so I'm needing solid advice. Hence all the questions! :thumbup1:

I'll very likely be wanting to order some bits in mid-April :thumbup1: