In keeping with replacing bolts you never really see, I used two Titanium dress-up bolts on the hood latch. However the latch itself is looking a little grungy. Oh well.



And notice that the noise reduction panel is missing from under the hood. Long ago, it was scratching my FSTB, and muffling the sound of the air intakes at WOT, so I ditched it. (Actually, it’s up in the attic collecting dust.) Some people think this panel is for heat, but I never agreed with that because the 370Z doesn't have one. So in keeping with the luxury brand, I strongly suspect it was there to reduce noise. Either way, it's easy to remove, just a dozen or so large plastic clips.



Lastly, some years ago I had a few decals made up, including a “ROCHESTER” decal I was intending to use on an inside window facing outwards. I never actually pursued that idea, and with the decal left over, I just put it on the underside of the hood. And obviously, if intended for the inside of a window, it's actually a mirror image. Kind of goofy, but I like it.



Keeping the underside of the hood clean is absolutely no big deal. Wipe it down periodically with cleaner and a microfiber.

 

Putting this thread together made me look at the engine bay with a more critical eye than I typically do. One of the things that always bugged me was the coolant overflow cap, which is a chrome plated plastic piece from Z-Toyz (long dead). Seems I just couldn't get rid of it, seeing as how it's aftermarket and shiny. However, it just doesn't look right. So I put the original black cap back in. Much happier.

 

Something else got under my skin with this project, and that's the FSTB. I've always wanted it to share the same finish as the intake mid-pipes. However, those pipes are electroplated in Black Chrome. And it seems sometime over the last decade, electroplated Black Chrome has fallen out of favor. I believe the chemicals used are super dangerous, so most states now prohibit their use.

I found one shop in Tennessee that still does genuine Black Chrome plating, but they wanted $475 plus shipping for a 9 month turn-around. I found another place in California which does a "hybrid" Black Chrome, but that's just a traditional chrome plating with a layer of something like VHT Night Shades, and then a clear coat top layer. And they're expensive too, but less at $360 plus shipping for a 6 week turn-around. But if it's just paint, then I might as well hit up my powder-coater, which would be much less expensive, professionally done, vetted and local.

So before taking the FSTB to the powder-coater, I wanted to eyeball what it would look like. I dropped $10 on a roll of vinyl wrap with a Black Chrome finish, and I wrapped the bar.

Imagine my shock thinking that it looks absolutely fine. Better than fine, it looks great, IMO. I was kind of dumbfounded, but here it is.