Rochester

iTrader: (9)

If I ever bother with it, I know exactly the cost. $50 for the leather, and $50 for the professional fitment. It remains to be seen how I live with it before dishing out another $100 to fix the pattern.

However, I'm not blowing smoke when I say you really don't see the 6MT armrest lid. You don't notice it getting in or out of the car because the seat is in the way. And you don't notice it while driving, because it's mostly behind you. But when you do look at it, the quality of everything trumps the goof of the pattern.

IDK, man. We'll see. Someday I might have $100 burning a hole in my head.


It's Redline Goods "Charcoal". That's all I know.

FWIW, the pics above are actually a really good representation of the color. It looks just like that.

After the shift boot arrives, I'll take whole photos of everything on the car.

2GoRNot2G

iTrader: (5)

Can't wait to see the final pics with everything installed. I'm interested in having a two-toned one made with gray and black leather to match my seats.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

Meanwhile, I started in on this odd Arts & Crafts project over the winter, and just wrapped it up a few days ago. It's a custom panel over the back of the engine bay, with a single length of aftermarket trim-seal stretched all the way across. I really think it cleans up the visuals there.

It's not perfect... few things are. But I think it works. Time will tell later this year if the engine heat gets to be too much for the plastic material I used. (knock on wood)

https://www.myg37.com/forums/g37-sed...ack-panel.html

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Nice job John, I vinyl wrapped the Infiniti emblem on the engine cover a few years back and it's still fine, so I think you'll be ok w/ those pieces holding up.

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

At first, I thought you were referring to the carbon wrap on the back trim pieces, but you must mean the new center section. Are you going to carbon wrap that as well? When did you carbon wrap the engine bay trim? I never noticed that before.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

I don't think I'm going to CF wrap the connecting piece in the middle, because it looks kind of clean the way it is. I've considered putting the INFINITI letters from the trunk there, but I'm not sure about that either... might be too blingy. And yes, I'm well aware of the irony in that statement.

CF wrap on those two curvy sections was a winter project the year before. As a general rule, I'm not really into CF... real or wrap. But those two pieces seemed like a really good candidate to play with, and I'm pretty happy with the results. Here's a pic from this time last year:

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

Haha!

That carbon wrap looks nice. I might consider that if I ever feel I need a little more engine bling. Your picture reminded me that I also have yet to get a strut tower brace. Not sure I will notice much if any difference in handling since the strut towers are so close to the fire wall and it is triangulated, nonetheless. But it would definitely earn me some much needed engine bling points- YO!

You know Rochester, I think we kind of go for the same types of mods- understated, sort of sleeper. But seeing that bright orange engine cover reminds me that we are not quite exactly the same. (Don't worry, I know you didn't like my carbon wrapped chin spoiler idea.)

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

Thanks. My only advice came from Hexotic: get some Adhesion Promoter.


There's a distinct benefit, regardless of your other mods. And that's when you launch hard from a standing start directly into a turn. The FSTB will reduce the immediate body roll, which translates into better control on the turn-in.

But otherwise, yeah, mostly bling.


And watching you talk yourself into some ricer hood makes me think otherwise. But overall... sure. Same-ish.

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

I'm actually trying to convince myself that I will be ok without the hood because I think they are all damn ugly and stand out too much. Odd timing as my new radiator just showed up. I really hope it is enough as this car has some serious heat issues with the engine and rear diff on track. Believe me, the new hood would only be to get rid of heat, because wow, they are all pretty fugly.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

I spent this afternoon swapping Vossens & Contis for the duckfeet, spacers & snows. OMG! I love love love that springtime moment when you rediscover how awesome it is to have wide, high performance tires on this car. What a god damn animal.

Probably barely drive again for a couple weeks, until temps get better. But today it was 50F, so I did it.

hexotic

I cant wait, were still getting negatives here. Few spring days here and there, but probably a month away at least.

Nico-derm

My goal is to pull it out the 14th... we are still calling for snow next week but then it should start to warm. As long as I can get it to my buddies shop so I can do oil and brakes it’ll be a success.

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

I was starting to think about swapping the summer wheels/tires over too and then it snowed pretty hard Sat. morning. It warmed up so nothing really stuck around, but it sure made the drive to work interesting. This Tue. we are supposed to get 5-8 inches of snow?!? Hopefully, that is the last of it. It's only fun roasting your snow tires on dry roads for so long.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

From what I've read, you don't want to drive on summer-onlys at 45° or lower. So it's going to be a while, and that's fine.

A day later, and I'm still feeling the rush of first-day performance tires back on the car. It's amazing how going from one tire extreme to the other can be such a dramatic difference. It really changes the whole character of the car.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

I make reasonable plans to mod the car throughout the year, but I make one big mod plan every Spring. I've been doing this since I got the car over six years ago. And every god damn Spring, I start to second guess my resolve. The argument is always other bills, other debt, job security issues, taxes, whatever. It's always something.

This year it's the cost of college that's keeping me up at night. For the immediate 2018 consideration, it gives me pause for plans to get the car dyno tuned. For the long-term perspective, I'm going to be living with Cost of College Anxiety for another 7 years, at least.