Reading though your Z thread, I'd say you're already pretty comfortable with the platform, and making that 1/2 second concession (or thereabouts) for the 4-door practicality of a family sport sedan. But I have to say, yours is the first educated "meh" comment I've ever read about aftermarket sways. You must live in a big world of nothing but straight roads. Interesting.

I didn't read anything about a STS on your Z. Something else you're not interested in?

And on a positive note, the gold painted aluminum dash & door trim... that looks brilliant. With the carsmo *****, red-stained stitching, and dark metallic wrap, you've nailed that interior. Only thing left to a tasteful mod are the shift **** and the fugly vinyl boot.

Oh and hey, here's a tip: if you get around to replacing the boot, keep the old one and move it to the p-brake handle. It works OK there... not perfect, but our p-brake really isn't designed for a boot, and if you're patient with the fitment, it will look just fine.

Double-Posted here for context, just because it's so damn pretty.

 

Wow very nice write up man! I love what your doing to your sedan! Keep up the good work sir

 

Yup. That's central Indiana. North south and east west roads. With very little elevation changes.
There are some nice roads just to the south of Indianapolis but I never get down there.
About the most fun I get is going through a round about or a highway exchange.
I did have the eibach sways on my Z. I'm sure the result is far more dramatic on the G.

As for the STS, I was hesitant on the Z due to the transmission troubles I was having. I had two dealers refuse to replace the trans under warranty saying that abuse was the cause of my syncro issues. Keep in mind this was before the turbos.
I did get a dealer to see my point and it was swapped. Then I sold the car before doing one.
I seem to remember that there were some issues with certain brands. Difficulty in getting into reverse and first if I recall.

Apparently my G has had two trans swaps as well. The last one coming right before I purchased it. I can only assume that the previous owner got cold feet after the second swap and traded it in. It was very well taken care of.
I just put Redline MT-85 in and WOW! That's a bang for your buck upgrade. Shifts feel so much better. Could be placebo effect but I seem to remember the same after swapping it in my Z as well.

I've always wanted one but shied away due to those issues. If you're saying that the early issues with them are fixed then I'll have to look into it a little further.
There's nothing like a nice short click into gear.

Thanks for the kind words about the interior. I like to think I still have the eye for that stuff. I was a car audio installer for many years and did a lot of custom fabrication on interiors. I learned that sometimes a little is a lot. It's very easy to get carried away when making accent pieces.
I thought long and hard about painting those parts. In the end I decided that if I didn't like it I could always paint it again or vinyl wrap it the same as the radio.
I just knew I didn't want to do the same ol carbon fiber accents that is popular.

 

How did you dye the stitching? I'm digging that.

Planning on a custom steering wheel and the OEM sport seats and would like to do something similar.

 

Still absorbing some of your latest pics/updates. Agree w/ John on the interior accent choices, just top shelf there! *****As far as painting those trim pieces, did you sand them or just clean them up and shoot them, also did you clear coat as well? Really looking great, and again, those square Nismo wheels really compliment the G to perfection and provide a nice window for viewing those sweet calipers. Hell-ya!

 

I used an Elmers acrylic paint pen. I don't reccomend it. The stitching resists the paint and it has to be redone periodically to keep it looking good.

If you don't mind redoing it once a year then go for it. It does look good.

 

Oh, okay. Thanks for clarifying. I wonder if there's a viable option for that. I'll start searching on Google.

 

Thanks! I sanded them lightly with about 200 grit. There were some small dents in the one on the drivers door from the seatbelt being flung carelessly off. I used a glazing putty to fill them in and then a lite sanding again. Then two coats of primer and four coats of color. I decided not to do a clear coat. I didn't want them to possibly reflect the sun in my face.

 

I've read where some people with the B&M shifter have had that problem with reverse, but AFAIK it works itself out as it wears in, which I believe means either the lock-out pin or the plate is off by a few microns. No big deal.

The B&M comes with its own nylon cup, whereas the TWM reuses the OEM cup. Both cost about the same. There's a TWM design twin out there for half the price... don't really have an opinion on that. I just went through this STS mod this past Spring, and still appreciate it every single time I drive the car.

Here's the thread: https://www.myg37.com/forums/g37-sed...ion-mount.html


I'm on my original transmission, but my second CSC, currently at 32K miles. At 19K miles, I swapped out the transmission fluid for Red Line MT-85, hoping to enjoy the change the same way I did in my old Maxima... however, I got nothing. The original fluid was spotless clean, and the new MT-85 made zero difference. So it was a proactive, early-maintenance thing for me.


Spot-on about the little mods. It looks to me like you've certainly got the skills. If I had black leather instead of Stone, I'd do exactly the same thing, or I'd hire someone like you to do it for me. But I love the Stone Leather... that was my one hard-stop requirement when getting the car.

I was trying to figure out the model year of your 6MT. You didn't actually say it anywhere here, until I found the title in your video as 2012. Now you need a sig-line, LOL.

 

Really great thread, I love everything you've done so far and can't wait to see what the future holds!

I too traded in my Z for my sedan when my wife and I started talking about having children so I totally relate to the practicality aspect.

 

I didn't realize that omission in my original thread. I'll make an edit.

I will definitely check into the STS again. Thanks!

I totally forgot about he sig. I'll get on that too.

 

I also tried fabric dye pens from hobby stores. They seem to hold up a little better but they don't seem to stand out as good as the paint.

 

Yeah you did tell me about that I just wasn't very active on facebook at the time. I am now though so I'll check it out. Just found out my girlfriend is pregant so modding the car is going to come to a halt for awhile. We've been shopping around for our first house as well. Anyways, amazing job on the car, keep up the good work!

 

You should put some matte or satin clear on those trim pieces.. it ll help with fading down the road

 

Did a little poor mans dress up bolt. Also painted some of the brackets.