Funkysi

Time for a bit of 'hidden tech' today! Not very exciting, but a great deal of satisfaction in doing this. :) Because I don't want the interior of my car to look like the ICE department at a branch of Halfords, I am always very conscious of how I install things and what I install. I've just gone back to single DIN and have bought myself a rather nice Alpine head unit. The new headunut has bluetooth connectivity and USB interface....we'll come to the USB side of things in weeks to come. Because it has Bluetooth, it also has the facility to pair phones and make hands-free calls. The thing that was bugging me however was where the hell do I put the microphone!? I didn't want it clipped or glued to an A-pillar trim or hanging down from somewhere. I've been hunting for a while for the right solution which I have now just modified, only slightly, but it might give others the idea also. So, I bought this, it's the microphone from a new Mercedes A-Class. Obviously this wasn't going to fit anywhere in its current state, however the grille is small enough for it to be mounted on the roof light panel. There is some unused real-estate between the ridge behind the map lights and the mount point underneath where the little climate control fan is. I'll cut a hole into this and clip it in eventually! Well, I had a good look at what Alpine sent me (the microphpone) and the Mercedes one and I 'could' have un-soldered the wires, however there may have been different resistors and impedance values, so I thought maybe I should try and modify the whole lot. Fortunately, the Mercedes microphone was in a small plastic enclosure that snap fits into the microphone grille. You can see here the big bulk of the Alpine microphone above it. Time for some butchery! With all the over-molding and end cap now removed, we're left with really quite a small little component. Time to take the Mercedes microphone apart to see what we're left with. Handily, none of it was bonded it, so it all pulled apart nicely. You're left with a rubber grommet, a small enclosure and the little circuit-board with the microphone on it. With that all in bits, it was clear to see that the microphone was a perfect fit into the enclosure! Modified the grommet to fit, also, on the Alpine lead, there was a little metal collar under the over-molding which I could now use as strain-relief. Grommet back on!

Tried that - waaayyyyyyyy too complicated and stressful! :lol: I'd sooner have corns than kids! :lol:

Worth a shot! Stupid shit like that seems to be going on.

.....and again! Very insignificant part but I have 2 new button screws for the glass, these are what the top roller screws into. Wanted new ones for cosmetic reasons, they're still available in the US, but the little plastic $2 washer they sit on isn't......but Nissan UK can get them!

Not sure I want to be running wires through the bulkhead unless I have to. I'll probably spur off the switch, just need to know the wiring diagram.

Since I never use them, I think I'll just wire them directly to the front fog light switch. I only have them working for MoT time as having 2 reverse lights is far more beneficial to me. I swap out a bit of harness and a bulb. Now to find the wiring diagram for the switch pod! Anyone know which colour to use?

What are the legalities behind using the main fog light switch which controls the fronts? Can you not spur off of that so that when you press the switch, both front and rear come on at the same time. As far as I am aware, front fog lights are not tested for at MoT time, it's just the rear. If you want to avoid having to drill through dash plastics and/or have an ugly rocker switch staring at you, wouldn't it be a nicer way of doing things? I'm asking as I don't actually know and want to do away with the rocker switch in my car. I never use my fog lights, but when I do on the Merc, I use them both at the same time.

Best wishes mate! Keep us updated with your progress please!

Do please enlighten me, I'm all ears! :lol:

The best place for plasti-dip: in the bin! :)

I guess you didn't read that I'll be going for a NISTUNE and full map. ;) Potentially breather mods, I haven't ruled it out, it's more a suck-it-and-see thing. I'm probably going to take it to Protune, the guy who did Howard's car - but thanks anyway, if anything changes, I'll let you know.

Really must put mine up! When the car is out of the garage next week, I'll have no excuse not to!

Yeah, they'll be fine. That's the max I could expect. Realistically, 420/430. Plenty in the US have exceeded that and some over here have. The stock turbos limitations are about that. 17.5PSi is pretty much their max, however they are a responsive turbo and there's nothing wrong with mine at the moment. Bearing in mind that it isn't just wacking the boost up to 17PSi, there's a map/Nistune involved, cams, a Selin translator, injectors etc etc. Steve300zx managed 400bhp on stock injectors and stock turbos and I think he was only running 14/15PSi. It's all doable....and if it isn't, there's a planned turbo swap and other bits in the pipeline. I'm just keen to push the envelope on a very healthy engine and turbos. At the end of the day, as long as response is there and drivability is there, I am not too fussed what figure I achieve.

RPS Max Street Clutch and lightened flywheel to start with! Enginewise - JWT S1 mild cams, Selin Translator, 740cc injectors and adapators + pre-written SpecialityZ chip to suit. Eventually Nistune ECU then to Protuner for a day. I won't be chasing numbers, it'll be purely about power delivery and response, but 17PSi should see about 450bhp of reliable responsive power. The injectors might seem like overkill however Greg Dupree recommends them and supports maps for this setup. Just because they can flow at that rate doesn't mean they have to, they are modern pintleless injectors so there's a bit of futureproofing also. With the Speciality Z kit, I can just fit it all and run it. He has a number of different maps suited for various different options. It'll get me running at least until the Nistune goes in and it goes for rr mapping.

Not standard. Interior is series 2 (US rear quarter panels), wheels are BBS LM, brakes and Brembo R33GTR disks and calipers all round, Meister R suspension, UK blue glass, back roof bars, Nismo suspension bushings all round, Veilside exhaust system, Z1 intercoolers......it'll never be standard, but visually, I want to go back to a bodystyle that was more inkeeping with the original manufacture year.....AND have genuine stuff on it, not replica products etc. I love the fit, finish and feel of original equipment. It'll be having a number of performance upgrades towards the end of the year too. :) NEVER going back to the original colour. :)

You wouldn't be able to get a brand new original replacement anyway. ;)

They do, but it has nothing to do with being winter - there's is a design flaw that can be rectified. The issue with the original spoiler is over time moisture finds its way through the the recesses where the clips are sited, this then corrodes the steel support bar and it all blisteres through and retains all the moisture. When the spoilers were fitted from the factory they were also not sealed correctly when fitted to the body. The 'fix' for brand new spoilers is to weatherproof the recesses under the spoiler and correctly seal the leading edge of the spoiler to the boot. Nissan simply applied a body tape. So when you see spoilers that have rotted in the corners it's because water has found its way into the clip recesses and when you see them rotted along the leading edge it's because water has bypassed the useless body tape applied from the factory. Lastly, I don't drive my car in the rain or leave it out in the damp. AndrewG could probably explain it a little better.

Happy Christmas mate!

Just an afternarket 'accessory' key from Super Autobacs or similar. Nothing to write home about I'm afraid. Super Autobacs is a Japanese car accessories store, similar to Halfords over here but a higher calibre. They have a few stores in Southern California too and some of the stuff in there is pretty good, but they sell all sorts from neon lights to forged wheels.

Don't need to with those tail lights! :wack: Yes I am. South of France, Monaco, San Remo and Turin in Italy then through Switzerland.

Well they do and they still fit better than your eBay rear lights by a country mile! :lol:

Probably!

My point being - my head was messed up so I did silly things to my car that I'd not normally do! Yes - I am the fussiest person you're likely to meet!

Then there's no need for 3D printed parts is there! :lol:

Interesting - thanks! I already have the Zeta-S......but....hmmm. Maybe sometime toward the end of the year. :)