DD-T-B today got me thinking... about clean 350Zs

"BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast." (boxerfanatic) 09/18/2013 at 12:42 • Filed to: 350Z, nissan

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Is there such a thing, and how rare would that be?

We seem to like the 70's, 80's, and 90's era Nissan Z, but not a tremendous love for the re-appearance after the coupe-crash of the late 90's, when CAFE and the SUV surge killed most of the coupes out of the market.

Everybody goes gaga that Subaru/Toyota brought a RWD car to the market... but Nissan did long before, with V6 power, and your choice of 2-seats/hatchback, or 4-seats/trunk (G35 Coupe)

The stock 350Z could use some spicing-up, appearance wise, and some of the detailing (door handles, and all the little embossed squares) are a bit dated/tacky... (and 370Z only got worse, as a fanged frog... perhaps beyond saving via modification)

By and large, the modified ones seem to be a heavy dose of what most call "ricer", in a derogatory term.

But are there well modified ones, that come out looking good, like resto-modded classic Zs look good? Feel free to post em in replies, if you find them.

BTW, more info and additional pictures of the one above:

http://www.ob-photo.com/2008/08/

Z_Stig > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 09/18/2013 at 12:47

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I think with a slight drop, tasteful wheels, and possibly the addition of some of the NISMO body parts, the Z is a nice enough looking car.

But I definitely agree; most mod's are way too 'ricey' for my tastes.

William Byrd > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 09/18/2013 at 12:47

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Oh definitely. A LOT of people bought them for cruisers or daily drivers. I bought the one I owned from a buddy who never modified it, never raced it, just drove it to work once in awhile. It was a nice enthuisiast model with a 6spd, got it for $16K many years ago and it was a great car to own.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 09/18/2013 at 12:55

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Strangely enough, I don't mind the fully blacked-out roof and hatch. It kind of minimizes the slightly severe arch at the top of the roof.

MountainCommand > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 09/18/2013 at 12:55

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There are tons of mod free clean examples ripe for the picking. The 350 just isnt old enough yet to where good examples have dried up.

My neighbor has a super clean black one which just sits in his driveway. I never see it on the road. Im almost half tempted to go up and ask if he'd ever sell it to let me know. Those cars just look really slick in stock form. But ive never been in one to see if i liked the cabin...

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 09/18/2013 at 12:56

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lol, there's no such thing. Considered grabbing one for a while, and aside from not being the hugest fan of the driving experience, clean, non-molested examples are near-impossible to find.

feather-throttle-not-hair > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 09/18/2013 at 13:01

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Blacked out headlights look cool but kill your high beams.

The thing about the 350z is that it's 10 years old, Old enough to look dated but not so old that you don't see them everywhere. In 20 years they will once again look nice, just as they did when they first came out.

I'm not a big fan of any body kit, but I agree with you about the door handles, some owners paint them to reduce the visual impact. I just ordered my car in metallic looking silver instead, so they blend in a little better.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > feather-throttle-not-hair 09/18/2013 at 13:25

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Weren't there some years of 350Z that had active high/low projectors? Maybe not, I don't recall...

Most of the body kits are ridiculous, but a simple, clean one could be good.

If I had one of those car's, I'd be tempted to pull a TVR, and shave the door handles completely, and put poppers in, with a button on the bottom side of the mirror, and a keyfob or RFID proximity tag.

feather-throttle-not-hair > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 09/18/2013 at 13:54

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Yeah shaved door handles would be badass.

The car pictured does have the nicer projector headlights, but I think blacking them out still affects high beams. I could be wrong though, whoever told me that could've been talking about the older non-projector design.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > feather-throttle-not-hair 09/18/2013 at 14:00

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If the high beam, or any other lighting element uses a reflector, it would be affected.

If the high beam uses the HID projector, and a cutoff gate just folds down to uncover the other half of the projector's pattern, then it wouldn't be affected, as the internal reflector in the projector fixture would not be blacked out behind the projector lens.

However, if the turn signal, or other light uses a reflector that is blacked out, it would be affected, unless the reflector part was masked and left unpainted, while the rest of the housing would be blacked out.

feather-throttle-not-hair > MountainCommand 09/18/2013 at 14:01

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It's...uh....not pretty in there.

Nissan's priorities when making the 350z:

Good performance (powerful engine, a stiff chassis, an aluminum hood and good driver feedback)

Low price (well under 30k new)

Other stuff (a trunk that is somehow both huge and totally useless, no sound deadening, and an interior that was clearly an afterthought.)

feather-throttle-not-hair > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 09/18/2013 at 14:14

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Interesting, I don't know a ton about headlights, but the cutoff gate sounds right. When I turn on my headlights there is a very distinct line above which they don't really shine. High beams basically raise this line (I have the same headlights as the one pictured.)

I...might have to research this further.

TeamJeep > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 09/18/2013 at 14:49

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Not as rare as an unmodified Supra, but then again what is!

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > feather-throttle-not-hair 09/18/2013 at 15:16

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Yup.

Most high/low (sometimes called Bi-Xenon) projectors basically do that.

Low beam projectors do, too, but their cutoff gate is a fence that doesn't move, and half of the parabolic reflector inside the projector assembly, is basically wasted. The shape of the edge of the fence/gate is what gives the projector beam it's cutoff line, to avoid blinding oncoming drivers on low-beam setting.

High beam on a dual-mode projector drops the gate, and uses the other half of the parabolic reflector, and the rest of the projector lens, to put the remaining light output down-range on-center, and above where the cutoff line would be.

The precision and greater enclosure of the light source by the parabolic reflector, and the focus of the projector lens make it more efficient at light management than other free-form or faceted reflectors behind an open bulb, with no focusing lens. Coupled with the likely use of a much higher light-output HID 'bulb' than a halogen light source.

Bi-Xenon projectors are getting more and more common. Newer Ferraris, newer higher-end Fords, Lincolns, Jag F-Type, and others that have slim or small headlight fixtures with one moderate size projector, rather than two smaller ones, or a smaller low-beam projector, and a high beam reflector-type fixture.

feather-throttle-not-hair > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 09/18/2013 at 15:27

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This is awesome! Thanks for the info.

Wonk Unit > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 09/18/2013 at 15:31

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i like the 350 and seriously considered getting one a while back, but its stuck in the middle of things i'd want/need. its not fast enough to be my fast car, but its not fuel efficient enough to be a good daily. once they drop in price i'll probably reconsider.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 09/18/2013 at 16:17

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Something just occurred to me...

I wonder if anyone has taken a Copper colored 350Z, and turned it into a homage to the old black/gold 280ZX limited edition?

Imagine this car, with the horizontal surfaces, the whole roof, and most of the rear liftback, and maybe most of the front end blacked out... just the sides left as copper, with some custom painted wheels to match.

MountainCommand > feather-throttle-not-hair 09/18/2013 at 17:36

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Well, theres always the though of just gutting it all out and putting in racing seats. Its not like youd loose anything?

I dont like their steering wheels now that i look at them....

Well, at least they didnt flaunt the Z as a comforting, enjoyable living space on the edge of grip. Come to think of it, did they even advertise the Z at all? I cant recall a single ad...

Union of Smog Techs of CA > MountainCommand 09/18/2013 at 18:49

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I painted the silver things on the steering wheel black, really alot less irritating that way. There's also some Momo airbag wheels that were a JDM option floating around Yahoo.jp auctions.

Union of Smog Techs of CA > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 09/18/2013 at 19:03

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Stock LSD sucks, $2500 for good one installed.

Stock shocks suck, Bilsteins or better $1000

If you want to go low, you need at least front upper adjustable control arms and rear camber arms plus the toe eccentric bolts. Good parts=$1000.

Bushings may be needed to stay aligned, also make this car feel completely different, $500-$2000, maybe more.

Oil and PS cooler for track use if desired= $500

The interiors alot better on 07+08, engine too, but car is heavier. My 2003 was around 3300 with me in it.

Engine has timing chain, super reliable if basic maintenance and common sense followed.

Can stuff 285 width Hoosiers tires all four corners.

Lots of cool mix and match stuff you can do to interior and exterior from other trims.

Base is best to start with, only thing that sucks is no HID's, and no TCS (TCS sucks)

feather-throttle-not-hair > MountainCommand 09/18/2013 at 21:09

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Well they made this

But yeah I think most of their advertisement was through product placement (watch fast and furious 3, it's the official car of Tokyo based villainy!)

The steering wheel is kinda ugly, but to nissans credit, it feels very nice. Like the shifter, it's leather wrapped and fits my hands very well.

feather-throttle-not-hair > Union of Smog Techs of CA 09/18/2013 at 21:12

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The LSD is okay for stock power and stock wheels. But yeah any mods and you'll want to upgrade. Ok, maybe you're right....

Union of Smog Techs of CA > feather-throttle-not-hair 09/18/2013 at 22:03

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Diff was most fun mod, then bushings, nice suspension is great but makes me cry when we hit bumps. I see no need for more power in this car unless its total track toy.

feather-throttle-not-hair > Union of Smog Techs of CA 09/18/2013 at 22:21

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Hmm, my car is stock. I have the viscous unit and it locks up in the dry enough to get the tail out nice and progressively, hence my comment. I'm kind of curious how much better an aftermarket one would be and weather or not its really necessary. Can you elaborate on your experience with the new LSD?

JasonStern911 > MountainCommand 09/19/2013 at 00:34

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QFT on this. Once used models hit the $5k price range, I wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised to see them go the way of the 240SX (sans motor swap).

Union of Smog Techs of CA > feather-throttle-not-hair 09/19/2013 at 00:51

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It O.S. Giken, it's super smooth and awesome. It's very confidence inspiring. Even at low speeds the car is so fun to just play with the throttle and it's actually harder to break the tires loose in a turn. It's more likely to spin if you get it wrong though, slightly harder to catch too.

feather-throttle-not-hair > Union of Smog Techs of CA 09/19/2013 at 00:53

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Awesome, this is exactly what I wanted to know. Thanks!

Union of Smog Techs of CA > feather-throttle-not-hair 09/19/2013 at 00:59

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No problem!

If you get one, ship the box to your house and get the tshirt out:

Cause SOME installers or vendors take the shirt if you don't see it!

MountainCommand > JasonStern911 09/19/2013 at 21:13

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i have the same theory about the brz/frs. Once they drop into s2k price ranges, the flood gates will really be open for insane modification.

I welcome both of these things. Id take a beat up 350z to have fun in any day.