New look with ASM/ChargeSpeed/SSR/Nismo
04-19-2009, 09:06 PM
#1
New look with ASM/ChargeSpeed/SSR/Nismo
Project has begun giving my 07 a new look. Thought I'd share with everyone here the progress along the way. Also give a little info on some of the vendors and places that take care of some Z owners.
First vendor I've dealt with in the past and highly recommend them. Z1 Performance Inc. has always been the first place I'll stop to see if they have what I'm looking for when it comes to my Z. I asked some questions on a particular item that I was looking for and unfortunately they did not have that item in stock. Disappointed I looked for other vendors and was able to find that item in stock. A little over a week past by and I was contacted by Adam informing me that they had what I was looking for in stock and at an awesome price. Unfortunate timing but just goes to show the lengths Z1 will go to get their customer what they are looking for. Great place to deal with and highly recommend them. Their shipping is super fast too.
They were able to supply my current project with the ASM vented hood, front bumper and canards.
Second vendor I dealt with for this project was Vivid Racing. This was the first time dealing with this vendor and after interacting with Michael, Vivid is a definite place I'd recommend people check out when looking for items for their ride. I was in need for a rear bumper and knew what I wanted. Unfortunately I couldn't locate any and ran a Google search which led me to Vivid. Nice to find out that they were vendors here on my350Z.com. Michael had to bring me some bad news that the rear bumper I wanted had been discontinued for awhile. He further added that he wasn't aware of any being available for quite some time. Cool thing was that he actually tried calling around to see if one could be located. Unfortunately I couldn't find any and neither could he. I checked the rest of his site out, and found an alternative rear bumper that managed to make these slanty eyes open wider
. I also was able to snag a set of the SSR type F wheels to provide the Z with new shoes after the face lift and butt tuck 
. Michael's customer service has managed to convince me that this definitely won't be the last time I deal with Vivid Racing.
Vivid has supplied my project with ChargeSpeed's rear bumper and SSR type F wheels.
After a ton of calling around for authentic Nismo side skirts with only one hit on the west coast I managed to find out that there was one set at a local dealership in Virginia.... ok, well maybe not too local but it was in VA and would pretty much be worth a hike to cut out the shipping fees. A call to Pohanka Nissan landed me the skirts I wanted to finish off the project. Funny thing is that when I called there, they had no idea that they had the skirt's in stock. Didn't even know they were there. I told them that a database, told to me by another dealership, has them listed with Nismo side skirts. They looked and found them. Apparently they had been sitting there for quite a long time shown by the dust that had accumulated on the box. They checked and there were no customers or workers assigned to receiving them so they were mine if I wanted them. I was told they just wanted to get rid of them and they'd give me a decent deal. Snagged the skirts for a steal!
Now I needed to find a place to put this puzzle together for me. Since the place I intended to piece this together is no longer in business, Car Toys II (R.I.P.
) I did all the internet searches, searches here on the forums, asked around VA. and one place kept coming up with high recommendations and praises. That place was D & V Autobody. I had a few places I wanted to check out prior to D & V but I found out that they were only a few miles away from where I live. So I stopped out to check the facility and discuss my plans on the project. I met Kevin and was shown around the place. The facility is quite huge. Everyone greeted me and was extremely professional. After being impressed with what I saw and Kevin's consultation I knew D & V was where the project needed to come together. I had arranged to send all the items to their shop and an estimate was drawn up. The project was on it's way. Unfortunately a snag came along. I was informed by Kevin that there was a mistake on the estimate and that the project was going to be more than expected. I came in to discuss that matter and a resolution was made and I believe all parties are happy. In my opinion what makes a good business a great business is how they handle their customers. Mistakes will be made, by anybody and everybody, and owning up to it is honorable and to further work with the customer to ensure that they will be happy with the outcome and resolve the mistake, shows that D & V is not a good business but is a great one.
Enuf talking let's see a few pics:
Z before going into surgery:
ASM Hood!
ChargeSpeed rear bumper:
ASM front bumper:
ASM canards:
First vendor I've dealt with in the past and highly recommend them. Z1 Performance Inc. has always been the first place I'll stop to see if they have what I'm looking for when it comes to my Z. I asked some questions on a particular item that I was looking for and unfortunately they did not have that item in stock. Disappointed I looked for other vendors and was able to find that item in stock. A little over a week past by and I was contacted by Adam informing me that they had what I was looking for in stock and at an awesome price. Unfortunate timing but just goes to show the lengths Z1 will go to get their customer what they are looking for. Great place to deal with and highly recommend them. Their shipping is super fast too.
They were able to supply my current project with the ASM vented hood, front bumper and canards.
Second vendor I dealt with for this project was Vivid Racing. This was the first time dealing with this vendor and after interacting with Michael, Vivid is a definite place I'd recommend people check out when looking for items for their ride. I was in need for a rear bumper and knew what I wanted. Unfortunately I couldn't locate any and ran a Google search which led me to Vivid. Nice to find out that they were vendors here on my350Z.com. Michael had to bring me some bad news that the rear bumper I wanted had been discontinued for awhile. He further added that he wasn't aware of any being available for quite some time. Cool thing was that he actually tried calling around to see if one could be located. Unfortunately I couldn't find any and neither could he. I checked the rest of his site out, and found an alternative rear bumper that managed to make these slanty eyes open wider
. I also was able to snag a set of the SSR type F wheels to provide the Z with new shoes after the face lift and butt tuck . Michael's customer service has managed to convince me that this definitely won't be the last time I deal with Vivid Racing.Vivid has supplied my project with ChargeSpeed's rear bumper and SSR type F wheels.
After a ton of calling around for authentic Nismo side skirts with only one hit on the west coast I managed to find out that there was one set at a local dealership in Virginia.... ok, well maybe not too local but it was in VA and would pretty much be worth a hike to cut out the shipping fees. A call to Pohanka Nissan landed me the skirts I wanted to finish off the project. Funny thing is that when I called there, they had no idea that they had the skirt's in stock. Didn't even know they were there. I told them that a database, told to me by another dealership, has them listed with Nismo side skirts. They looked and found them. Apparently they had been sitting there for quite a long time shown by the dust that had accumulated on the box. They checked and there were no customers or workers assigned to receiving them so they were mine if I wanted them. I was told they just wanted to get rid of them and they'd give me a decent deal. Snagged the skirts for a steal!
Now I needed to find a place to put this puzzle together for me. Since the place I intended to piece this together is no longer in business, Car Toys II (R.I.P.
) I did all the internet searches, searches here on the forums, asked around VA. and one place kept coming up with high recommendations and praises. That place was D & V Autobody. I had a few places I wanted to check out prior to D & V but I found out that they were only a few miles away from where I live. So I stopped out to check the facility and discuss my plans on the project. I met Kevin and was shown around the place. The facility is quite huge. Everyone greeted me and was extremely professional. After being impressed with what I saw and Kevin's consultation I knew D & V was where the project needed to come together. I had arranged to send all the items to their shop and an estimate was drawn up. The project was on it's way. Unfortunately a snag came along. I was informed by Kevin that there was a mistake on the estimate and that the project was going to be more than expected. I came in to discuss that matter and a resolution was made and I believe all parties are happy. In my opinion what makes a good business a great business is how they handle their customers. Mistakes will be made, by anybody and everybody, and owning up to it is honorable and to further work with the customer to ensure that they will be happy with the outcome and resolve the mistake, shows that D & V is not a good business but is a great one. Enuf talking let's see a few pics:
Z before going into surgery:
ASM Hood!
ChargeSpeed rear bumper:
ASM front bumper:
ASM canards:
)
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04-20-2009, 06:19 AM
#15
This is going to be a great looking car...
A few suggestions - Hold onto your stock parts and don't sell them...
Trust me, they'll come in handy. Check on the car regularly during paint -
IE every other day. Take your time when receiving the car post paint.
Don't take it until it is 100% perfect. Make sure the install both sets
of bolts on either side of the front end. Check all of your seams for
consistency. Make sure they do a test fit on your hood prior to paint.
I have read your praise of the shop, but corners still get cut.
I am really excited to see how this comes out. Good luck!
A few suggestions - Hold onto your stock parts and don't sell them...
Trust me, they'll come in handy. Check on the car regularly during paint -
IE every other day. Take your time when receiving the car post paint.
Don't take it until it is 100% perfect. Make sure the install both sets
of bolts on either side of the front end. Check all of your seams for
consistency. Make sure they do a test fit on your hood prior to paint.
I have read your praise of the shop, but corners still get cut.
I am really excited to see how this comes out. Good luck!
