Wow, that custom parking brake setup looks fantastic. Love it.

 

Appreciate the kind words, and thanks for the heads up. Did some digging and alas the G does have a parking brake setup (the more you know!). Edited the previous post.

 

That touch of aluminum on the brake accents the Carsmo ***** so wonderfully. Great job

 

Your interior is very nicely put together. Enjoy it.

 

Let's take care of that blank switch Deepan. Being that your console is similar to the Z it can use one of my Z switch bypasses.

 

Looking at his interior, I was thinking that same exact thought.

I was also getting nostalgic, remembering when Compact Flash was a thing. Seems today $100 can buy you a 128 gigabyte CF card... more than enough for all the music anyone can possibly own. Compare that to the paltry 9g capacity of the Infiniti Music Box. Not that I'm complaining, I'm happy to have the Music Box feature.

 

Thank you! That was exactly the plan, and seeing it come together is pretty rewarding.

Appreciate it! Still a bunch more things to come, but I love where it's headed. Definitely leagues better than the original worn out G35 interior I began with.

I agree the blank switch is annoying, but candidly I hate the 07-09 style buttons as well- the 2010+ ones just feel much more premium. Eventually, I'd like to mod the 2010+ buttons (already have a set from the junkyard) to a simple 2 way switch, and then grab a newer style console that's wrapped in leather. I've got plenty of other projects to tackle first however, so I'll have to live with the current setup for awhile.

 

I tried to do this a few years back when I swapped center consoles but for some reason there was a roadblock and I just kept the '08/'09 switches. I'll pull out my notes and see if I can remember what the issue was. IIRC, the 2010+ switches have resistors built-in which complicate things... I know in the end I gave up as it was going to be more hassle than it would have been worth. I'll double check...

 

Keep me posted! It's definitely a "down the road" mod for me, I got the 2010 switches for $5 so I won't be too hurt if it doesn't work out. But it would be a welcome touch to finalize the interior.

 

More boxes arrived today for the build




We've got the following:

• RedlineGoods Padded Leather Armrest- Wasn't a fan of the minimal OEM padding, so I opted for the optional thicker foam padded armrest.
• New Hood Latches/Locking Assemblies from Z1- My original ones were rusted out, and with a CF hood on order it was the perfect time to refresh these components
• Tein Street Basis Coilovers

I agonized on the suspension choice for a couple months, debating on Air, Koni+Swifts, or the two Tein offerings (flex/basis). In the end I chose to go with the basis for the incredible reviews here on the forum, as well as the very attractive price point. This is my daily after all, and while the utility of bags was interesting I didn't want to deal with the maintenance during the winters. Koni + Swifts were a strong contender, however the price point of those would but me near upper Coilover territory. I'm very much a "set it and forget it" kind of guy, so I believe the Basis should meet my needs and provide a similar to OEM ride comfort. For reference, here's how the car currently sits:




Definitely in need of some attention. I recently sold my old set of older Coupe wheels to a local, so the "fun funds" are replenished to get my 2010+ Sports Bumper with molded lip refinished in Obsidian Black. I've got the rest of the parts for the conversion already- just need to settle on a grille design. I LOVED the painted slats look I had on my old KAD Sedan, however black really lends it self to 2 options (I'm not a fan of mesh grilles): All black or "Midnight" grill style. I'm currently leaning towards the latter to tie in with the black chrome wheels I'll be installing, but curious to hear your opinions!

 

Took a visit this week to Nguyen Automotive and got the following installed:

• New Thermostat (had some overheating issues last summer)
• New Hood Latches and Locking Mechanisms (originals were rusted out causing the hood to get stuck)
• Tein Basis Coilovers

Here's a look at how she sits now:




Much better. The ride very comfortable, and feels much more planted and I no longer feel "squishy" when I go over speed bumps.. Overall, I'm about an inch lower than the Tein EnduraPro + OEM Spring setup that came with the car. I also attempted to have the shop install the Seibon CF Fenders, but fitment issues prevented the install as the top of the fenders are a bit too bit and overlap with the A-Pillar:




Always something with aftermarket parts- but I knew that going into it. Time to find a good body shop to make the necessary adjustments to get the fitment dialed in.

 

Been a few weeks since the last update. The G was in a minor accident (rear end got clipped while parked)- so I took advantage of the situation and had my rear bumper repainted as well as the quarter panel damage fixed. Nice to finally have that refreshed. I need to have some door dings taken out of the passenger rear door, and coupled with new fenders, hood, front bumper the exterior will finally be where it needs to be. Thankfully most of these parts are ordered, just a matter of getting paint and having them installed. But more on that later...

The big update is that I've converted the Infotainment system to the 2010+ utilizing @OWC excellent "plug and play" harness kit. Huge shout out to Chris for the quality of the kit, and the impeccable customer support he provided. Installation was a breeze, the hardest part was getting the rear camera to work. My '07 with the tech package was the only trim for the year that offered a backup camera, and Chris's kit makes it so the OEM camera can be utilized without having to run additional wiring. However I ran into issues as the Nav unit I originally purchased from eBay, while having the correct part #, was actually from a vehicle with "All around monitoring" - which locked the rear camera from being able to be used. Once I was able to source a unit from a confirmed G37; the backup cam worked with no issues.



Same part #s, different result. The box at the top is from a g37, the bottom box was most likely from a Murano. ugh.

Nice to have the splash screen again

So the question, is it worth it? Given that I'm coming from a '13 G37xS; I never could bond with the older 07-09 infotainment. The lack of Bluetooth was a big issue, and the grainy graphics were an annoyance as well. I'm also planning on adding the Nifty City module in the future to add CarPlay- and those really only work with the 2010+ infotainment.

The parts I was able to acquire for about $120; so the majority of the cost is the OWC Conversion harness at nearly $400. From a time perspective- it was worth it to me. Given my work and family commitments, I just don't have the time to source and splice and work through wiring diagrams. I'm very pleased with the upgrade, and will be swapping the '07 camera to a '10+ to upgrade the video quality.

 

Well, last week the wife and I welcomed our second child (daughter)! So begins paternity leave for the next 6 weeks, and in the hours between daddy duty there's time to dream (err buy) more car parts. I mean if the ladies get "push presents" dads should be able get stuff too right? Anyways...

I had been hoarding some parts to refresh the Alibaba "Z1" style intakes I purchased for my last G build. Overall I was pleased with them, but the supplied filters were rather garbage and the T-Clamps were cheap and had already rusted out (despite being on the car for only 6-7 months). After researching on the forums I pulled the trigger on some K&N filters, Filterwears Socks, and P2M clamps:




These components upscaled the intakes nicely, and the filter socks are a definite must after seeing how dirty the original intakes got. Plus it'll be nice to be able to go through a touchless car wash during winter as needed.



Quick mockup. Don't worry all the P2M clamps are aligned the same way on the actual install. Didn't bother with a P2M clamp for filter as it'll be hidden.

Install was rather easy as I've done it before, although I ran into complications (that I should have foreseen DOH) with running a VHR CAI on a HR motor- namely the PCV hoses supplied with the kit don't work for the HR. Unfortunately I couldn't find any "off the shelf" solutions for adapting it- so after some quick research on the 350z forums I decided to delete the PCV system with the Concept Z PCV delete kit. Car is down until it arrives... but thankfully I don't have to drive anywhere at the time being (outside of grocery trips, and the Nismo or wife's CRV can handle that).

While I was in the process of swapping intakes, I took the opportunity to install a TYC Radiator fan assembly that I had purchased from Amazon a few months back. I had suffered some overheating issues last summer, and had tested that one of my fans didn't work. This mod coupled with a new thermostat should hopefully solve my issues. Plus given the age/miles ('07, 133k) on the car, it's nice to see some refreshed components for peace of mind. Install was rather easy with the intake and front bumper off, just had to rock it back and forth to sneak it out.



Trashed OEM on left, new replacement on right


To complement my new coilover setup, I wanted to get camber/toe into spec as I'll be purchasing new tires to install my Coupe wheels. I'm also tackling the BBK upgrade at the same time On order are the following:

• SPC FUCA/RCA
• SPC Toe Bolts (x2)
• SPL Front/Rear End-links
• R1 Concepts Carbon Geomet Slotted Rotors (they were running a 30% EOM sale)
• Stoptech Front/Rear Stainless Steel Brake Lines
• OEM Infinti Wheel Caps (current ones are trashed)
• Infiniti Decals (eBay)

It's been an expensive week, and a little mind boggling to juggle it all. I've still got to pull the trigger on pads and tires as well. For pads I'm most likely going to run the OEM Akebono, and for tires I'm leaning towards Continental DWS 06 Plus. These should provide a good compromise between daily driving and performance, while also providing acceptable winter performance. My current OEM G35 wheels aren't compatible with akebonos (at least without spacers) and I'd like to avoid purchasing separate winter tires/wheels this year to stay within my allotted budget for car mods.

Speaking of budget... last summer I acquired a set of Powerstop calipers off JEGS for ~ $350. I had originally planned to powder coat these, but quotes were putting me in the $400-600 plus the time required to dissemble. I couldn't justify the additional costs as my 15 spoke wheels will hide much of the brakes while parked. Given this, I opted to simply DIY paint them after seeing @iCrap 's results in one of the threads here.

Here's one of the calipers after a light sand with 320 grit:




The cheap coating came off pretty quickly, still need to do the other 3 and clean with some mineral spirits. These will get painted with VHT "Burnt Copper" with black INFINITI decals to bring in some GT-R vibes to the build. Very excited to get this phase completed! With new wheels/tires, BBK, and completely overhauled suspension this should offer a much more sporty and precise driving feel.

 

Save that fan module. I usually look for these for my VHR swaps.

Trade you a YAW bypass for it.

 

I probably posted my full painting steps somewhere, can't remember. But, yea they are still looking brand new to this day (2 years later?)

Did your JEGS ones come with pads? Mine came with pads for the rear but not the front. I went with StopTech pads and have been very happy with them. No noise or dust.