Build Thread: 2004 Nissan 350Z Theft Recovery, Sold on 4/11/2012 Options

[dustin15brown]

The passenger side seat is in, bolted down, and plugged in!

The driver's side seat is in too!

The entire center console is in!


sitting in the driver's seat, looking at my gauges! I'll be honest, it felt amazing. So many hours and it is finally going

I even have my hazards back!

The car I'm driving until the celica is back on the road and the Z is done

*well ok, it's my little brother's car.... haha*

That's all I have for today, but I am starting work on the front end tomorrow morning. So HOPEFULLY I'll have a big update tomorrow night!!

[Batman722]

nice project D, mad props !

[95celgt]

congats man, there's no better feeling than finishing a car you put together, even when its new-ish

[mneal2_92788]

lookin good d, lookin good

[dustin15brown]

more to update
Ok welllll here we go! We started off on the Red Z today. First we had to drain the radiator


Once that was done we undid the transmission fluid lines
And we here we had the reclaimer hooked up to the AC to properly undo things


And there is my pops helpin me along

Fluid Tanks either gone or drained

[dustin15brown]

Tell me what you notice?


And here is where we sat that chunk so I could switch out the radiator and make sure everything was ok.


They are TWINSSSSSS

hahah but now comes the crap part, some of the hoses and one ac line that was broken off is going to be a total pain in the a$$ to replace..... They are in VERY tight areas and I haven't figured out how I will get to them yet
Sticker from the car I found in the paperwork..... hehehe




Today I ordered some new Goodyear Gatorback belts to just go ahead and replace them while everything was easily accessible. Also picking up new metal clamps to replace the cheap plastic one along with new upper and lower radiator hoses.
annnnnd I went ahead and ordered a JWT Popcharger today so that should be in next week. I'll be in Florida next weekend, but the following weekend I will FINISH the car with the interior and engine stuff and then start putting on the panels to go to the paint shop!!!!!!! I am so excited!

[95celgt]

Thats friggin sweeeet, good thing you have a parts car eh?? you have a spare motor/tranny to build

[Cutrara]

glad to see some progress on this thread dustin.... you know what you're missing? ELECTRIC SUPERCHARGER!!!!!!!11

[samir0189]

wow. the Z is very spacious inside. I never noticed before..

Good work

[blu94gt]

Lookin good man! You'll have it on the road in no time!

What would you want for the factory exhaust resonator from the red one?

[dustin15brown]

OK so I went home again this weekend and got sooo much accomplished..... but as we are winding things down, I'm finding a few little problems here and there which i'll fill you in at the end of the post. Here we go!
I ordered a JWT Popcharger a few weeks ago, and it was in, so I took a pic!

The new belts

The new belts are on

The old cut wires, that I am pretty sure control the TPS.

and the new ones on


Ok so while replacing the hoses and moving them from one side to the next I had to get to remove a hose from here and put one back on.... the TINY tube down in the middle... it blows getting to honestly

It's hidden way back there

The two AC lines that were busted are moved over and ready to go

Taking a step back

The old radiator

And the new



What do you notice?! What do you notice?!?!




The entire harness is hooked up and routed properly except the two headlights. So after tightening all the nuts and bolts and making sure all the hoses were on..... we move to startup video! Well, I will show you guys that here in a bit when it finishes uploading
So here's how I finished my day..... BROKEN BOLT IN THE POPCHARGER!

It broke by tightening it with a 10mm wrench that was TINY.... I was so mad and confused at what happened.

So the issues:
For some unknown reasons to me the horn and radio aren't working so far. And then you I will update here in a bit again with a movie and the rest

[dustin15brown]

Attempt 1:

I'll be honest, I got kinda scared when the damn wiper started goin as well as the fan.
Note to sell, make sure to charge battery before starting
Attempt 1 = Fail



Attempt 2



Again, a failure- It wanted to start dammit... it just wouldn't..... so, now we have to figure out why it wouldn't start
and yes, my dad really thinks that little can fixes everything....

[playr158]

haha "Stop lookin at me"

keep up the work Dustin you're gettin there.

[Fastbird]

You'll get it man. Have you verified you've got fuel and spark?

[dustin15brown]

Thats friggin sweeeet, good thing you have a parts car eh?? you have a spare motor/tranny to build

ummm the other tranny is an auto, and i dont really plan on building anything.... i think the car is going to be fast enough for me as it is.... I mean, I've been driving the celica for 6 years! And it's an ST!

glad to see some progress on this thread dustin.... you know what you're missing? ELECTRIC SUPERCHARGER!!!!!!!11

I am going to go ahead and ignore that comment

Lookin good man! You'll have it on the road in no time!

What would you want for the factory exhaust resonator from the red one?

I'll be selling EVERYTHING on the car once the other car is done!

haha "Stop lookin at me"

keep up the work Dustin you're gettin there.

I didn't post another video because of what i said. Dad started laughin and said 'it's just not your day is it?'
my reply? "Fuc* you old man, I will stab you!" dad: "*laughin* I think you're done working for the night. right?"

You'll get it man. Have you verified you've got fuel and spark?

I can't hear the fuel pump going, which should be pretty easy to do, so that's where I'm going to start. And I'm still super new to engines and stuff so I'm honestly just trying to learn as I go on this one and taking every bit of help I can along the way!
Sean, you should come up soon and lets get this going!



Current issues with the car:
Bose cd player not working *I am just going to pull it back out and plug in a different bose one i have laying around and see what happens*
The fan wants to kick on every flipping time I turn the key
No horn
And then obviously not starting
so far.....

[Batman722]

stick with it db, looking great so far, just a couple of bugs.

[Consynx]

for the fans i'd be looking for a coolant temp sensor. . .
if the gauges work, see what it reads in there.

getting the motor started you'll figure out
Hopefully it's just something like the fuel pump ECU being disconnected, or the fuse being blown.

[cheeco]

the reason the fans stay on is because the IPDM (white computer behind the battery) is running in failsafe. the most common reason for failsafe mode is that the IPDM cannot see another computer (ECM, TCM, ABS, etc.) over the commincation network. Also you can check the IPDM pins for corrosion, if it was exposed to rain for any period of time this may also cause various problems since none of those connectors are insulated. As for the no start, when the key is in the on position does the red security light stay on solid? if so there is either an error in the antitheft device (NATS) or the ECM/BCM has lost key programming. Only the dealer can program keys. The NATS system employs fuel cut for antitheft, so if you have no fuel id start there.

[Consynx]

wow, dude knows his Z's.
you should have him on speed dial.

[Fastbird]

the reason the fans stay on is because the IPDM (white computer behind the battery) is running in failsafe. the most common reason for failsafe mode is that the IPDM cannot see another computer (ECM, TCM, ABS, etc.) over the commincation network. Also you can check the IPDM pins for corrosion, if it was exposed to rain for any period of time this may also cause various problems since none of those connectors are insulated. As for the no start, when the key is in the on position does the red security light stay on solid? if so there is either an error in the antitheft device (NATS) or the ECM/BCM has lost key programming. Only the dealer can program keys. The NATS system employs fuel cut for antitheft, so if you have no fuel id start there.

Good stuff right there. Great informative post.