Yup! it sure would! your going to have to heat gun or remove covers! thats for sure!

 

Great Work!

and ........

THANKS for taking the time to share your very cool DIY Hood Damper installation with us!

 

No offense to trying to do it yoursefl, but I recommend the hood dampers made by CTD in Germany. They are first class and easy to install using existing mounting points. You can get them from Courtesy Nissan http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchan...t_Code=314-001 Or you can order them directly from CTD by emailing them at info@ctd-germany.com The dampers are $165 if you get them directly from CTD.

Here is a link to some pictures of my Z both before and after the dampers were installed.http://www.zcar.com/forums/read.php?...65497&t=165497

 

Correct! There is no question that the hood damper package being sold by Courtesy Nissan (or exact same item from CTD) is an absolute easy install. And so are the dampers from Top Secret. They both allow the customer to add this great MOD without having to cut up his/her battery & fluid covers. However, these easy install items don't come cheap. $230.00 for the Courtesy version and over $300.00 for the Top Secret brand is pretty steep for this mod

I didn't want to purchase the TEIN dampers because I refused to carve up my battery & fluid covers. A very good alternative to the said version would be the hood dampers from NRG. I'll be installing these more reasonably priced NRG versions ($85.00) next weekend. No cutting involved!

BTW: Your ride looks GREAT!!!

 

Thanks for the compliment! Where did you get your NRG hood dampers? I haven't seen them before. I'm like you I didn't like the TEIN dampers either.

 

For most, it can take a while to bring their Z up to the level you have brought yours up to. That's why whenever anyone posts pics looking like that ...........well ............it's WOW! I usually add mods when I have the extra funds to spend, so to speak. Eventually, I'll get there.

Speaking of funds, that's why I wanted to share the affordable alternative - NRG damper install. I'll take some pics of my (install) event if anyone is actually interested.

As you know, there are a number of sites selling aftermarket 350Z parts. The prices typically vary form site to site. My next search will be for a reasonably priced JIC polished strut bar. I know, Good Luck.

Believe it or not, aside for the many web sites offering the NRG hood dampers (chrome or carbon fiber) these hood dampers can also be had at this online eBay store!

http://stores.ebay.com/01-Aftermarket-Connect

For anyone wanting to purchase this kit - check it out!

 

Frankmusic,

Thanks for the info on the NRG dampers. Even though I have my dampers I would be interested in seeing your install pictures and what the finished product looks like. In my opinion the Z should have come with hood dampers. Did you get the chrome or carbon fiber?

I had seen the NRG dampers on EBay before I purchased the CTD dampers, but I didn't know anything about them and couldn't find anyone who had them. I decided to bite the bullet and buy the CTD dampers since I had heard good things about them.

FYI I have had my car since January 16, 2003 and it has taken me from then until now to get my car where it is today. I have tried to have an overall plan, but I had to take it one or two mods at a time as I had the money and the time to do it.

Again thanks for the props. I like how my car has turned out and I am glad others appreciate it.

 

One of the most positive aspects of the CTD design is the obvious clever hood bracket. It keeps the damper away from your covers! Hence, maintaining the original look is achieved.

I will definitely post those pics. You never know who else might want to engage themselves in a fairly quick weekend project (or a good excuse to mess around under the hood of their Z).

I've done the pillars and Z emblems in CF (and the center console was next BUT - will have to wait on that one). However, I went with the NRG chrome hood dampers. It will go nicely with the existing pi-thon polished hose clamps and fluid caps (from ZeeToys) and the polished intake tube (from Unlimited Tuning).
My future JIC polished strut bar should also compliment that particular look as well.

I bought my Z in July 2003! Earlier, I had ordered a (Brickyard) Z from another dealer. but that sale never went through because of discontinuance of that color and the basic stupidity of the salesman.

(That's another story for another thread)

Keep up the GREAT work that you're doing with your Z. Seeing cool set-ups are definitely inspirational - - - and contagious!

 

those are nice, ive seen them. but i didnt have 200 plus to spend on them, and being that im an Engineer im up to any challenge!

I love mods mainly because of the install.........

 

Okay. I was thrilled to receive my NRG hood dampers in the mail. When I opened the box all the necessary parts seemed to be included. Looking briefly at the small set of instructions, the install seemed to be pretty straight forward.

I began this task by removing the black plastic covers and proceeded to cut out the half circle with my Dremel tool that covers the fender bolt. The factory fender bolts will get replaced by the threaded ball joint. That is supposed to simply pop into the ball socket of the hood damper rod. There isn't any need to cut that circle too large.

After installing the hood bracket the dampers should just pop on to their respective ball joints, RIGHT? Well, I really leaned on these ends. No amount of pressure seemed to join these two items together. I finally got out my rubber mallet and with one quick whack I made these stubborn ends snap into place.

Here is where the initial 'open & close' test began and so did the clearly obvious problem. The last line on the instruction sheet states: "This item is not for Carbon or FRP Hood or non OEM Hood." ........and they're not kidding! I could see how a CF hood could crack or even snap in half. Out of the box, these things are rock solid.

Once everything had been installed, it was time for the moment of truth. From the fully open position, the hood refused to close. Not only would it NOT close, it wouldn't even budge. I carefully began to apply a little more pressure. However, this didn't work either and I started to notice that the hood was about to flex and bend. STILL it would not budge close. According to the HSPN TV NRG damper install video, http://videos.hspn.com/?videoid=9&catid=14
........it is recommended to initially depress the damper rods back and forth to ease each shock and this will help to promote better functioning.

I've replaced the hood dampers on my SUPRA and performing damper depressions was never a required step prior to the actual install. Well, since I had started this alleged quick job later in the evening, I thought that I would tackle the multiple damper depressions on the following day. I'll post the eventual outcome with some photos .......if these dampers finally cooperate.

 

A few tips to employ when you are installing the NRG hood dampers.

1. You don't have to cut that semi circle hole in your plastic covers very large. Keep it on the smaller side as shown. Use a Dremel tool to create that neat cut. It makes an overall neater visual appearance.

2. Straight out of the box, these dampers almost seem to be frozen. To loosen these up a bit, completely compress the hood dampers about 50 times each. If you choose not perform this step, you may run the risk of damaging your hood hinges or even the OEM hood itself. The factory hood is fairly light and more than likely flex before the extremely stiff hood dampers actually retract.

3. I used a healthy dab of wheel bearing grease inside the fittings before I popped all four of the ball joints together.

4. Contrary to the included instructions; Pre-assemble the hardware parts (extender, hood bracket and ball joint bolt) onto the actual dampers. Using this method will greatly ease the arduous process of successfully press fitting the ball joints together AWAY from your vehicle.

5. As shown, first bolt the rod stem end (with ball joint fastener) to the fender with a supplied washer. Then tighten it down.

6. Remove the upper hood nut from its bolt and place the hood bracket over the bolt. Tighten that nut.

7. Do perform the same sequence thing on the other side.

8. Now perform a careful test.

 

Here's what they will look like holding up your OEM hood.

 

Sorry to bring up an old thread, but frankmusic, how are the NRG hood dampers doing? I'm looking to get a set soon and would like to hear how they are hold up. These seem very reasonably priced and look great in the polished finish!

 

I must have opened and closed my hood hundreds of times since the install. They're still functioning GREAT as if it were an original OEM part. You will never regret adding this well designed, perfectly matched item to your Z.

They look and operate so well, that you will tend to forget that your car came equipped with a metal rod hood prop.

 

I saw that this thread had some activity again so I thought I would post some pictures of the CTD hood dampers that I have in case anyone is interested in them or seeing what they look like installed and the mounting points. Here you go.

The entire engine bay including the dampers.


Lower mounting point and plastic piece that has to be trimmed.


Entire damper.


Hood (top) bracket.


The entire damper from another angle.

 

Nice. Good to hear that they are still working well. And I want them to look OEM too.

Thanks for posting that...I thought I was set on the NRG, but now I'm not sure which one I want!


Hopefully either of you may be able to answer this: but do you know the differences between the NRG, Top Secret, CTD, and courtesyparts.com hood dampers? After searching around, some people say that the NRG is basically a replica of the Top Secret dampers, while others say that the courtesyparts is a replica of the TS dampers. I'm also hearing that CTD = courtesyparts (i.e., both are selling the same product). So I'm really unsure what to get now. I just don't want my hood to be WIDE open--I want it only to open up as much as the stock prop holds it up. I'm wondering if I can just get the NRG dampers made of CF hoods, and use it on OEM aluminum and maybe it will hold it up a little lower?

 

CTD makes the dampers that Courtesy Nissan sells. I bought them from Courtesy and later found out that I could have bought them directly from CTD in Germany for less money. I posted an email for CTD in a previous post in this thread. Here it is again mailto:info@ctd-germany.com

I don't know about your other questions. I don't know who makes the NRG dampers. My concern with using the dampers made for a carbon fiber hood is that it wouldn't be able to hold the hood up. Also as the dampers begin losing some of its lift over time will it continue to hold the hood up.

 

Thanks for clarifying the CTD/Courtesy relation. Do you and frankmusic have side angle pix of your car? Below is how wide the the Top Secret dampers open your hood. I like how it doesn't go too high:



Also now that I think about it, using a damper made for a CF hood probably wouldn't be what I want. I think what matters is how long the damper is in its fully open position. I'm thinking that the TS damper may be slightly shorter than the rest when full open?

 

My hood now opens slightly higher than it does with the hood prop in place, but not that much higher. Here are the best two pics I could find. Neither are directly from the side. I'll try to take some more pics and post them later this week.

 

Here are two more picutures I found with side views. BTW I finally remembered how to post the pictures rather than a link to them.


Damn that is a good looking Z.



You can compare my hood in this one with hoods of other 350Zs with hood props. Sorry the picture was taken from the wrong angle and has shadows.