First of all, more props for Tony at Motordyne. After ordering the wrong spacer, I called and it was fixed immediatly. Fantastic customer service. My MD spacer is on a Fed-Ex truck to be delivered today. Ok, a couple quick questions. I dont have any wrencher friends to ask, so thats where my friends here come in handy

1. I have a 3/4 and 1/2 inch torque wrench, but Ive had them for about 8 years, and have only used them once. Do I need to have them re-calibrated? If so, where can I get that done? How much does it cost?

2. I printed out the MD spacer installation instructions already, and noticed it said to have your car cool overnight. Is that an absolute? I was thinking of driving my car home on my lunch, parking in the garage, poping the hood and putting a fan on the engine bay. So it would have about 6 hours to cool with a fan on the motor. Bad idea?

3. Lastly, Ive read about a few people stripping out bolts when taking out the strut bar. Any tips would be appreciated. I think that can be avoided by taking the tension off the strut bar. Is that simply done by turning the adjustment nut on the strut bar? (I think it was less than one turn)

Thanks in advance!

 

1. I didnt even use my torque wrench (only had foot lbs, not inch/lbs). I used the leather glove/nut driver method...no cracked parts.

2. 6 hours should be enough time. Just make sure everything is cooled off.

3. I loosened up the strut bar by turning the adjustment nut one full turn. I didnt have any issues with the bolts holding it down. I did run into some problems getting it back on. I had to work with the adjustment nut to get it aligned over the holes. Then, I just adjusted it so that I had enough clearance between the bar and the plenum. I used a ball point pen to verify there was enough room.

Good luck. Its a fairly straight forward install, just take your time.

 

Ah yes, I think mine are ft lbs as well. I may just use the leather glove method as well. I saw your post about the ball point pen, you even had a pic I plan on using that little trick in the process.

Thank you!

 

Definitely let it cool. It gets HOT and stays that way for a while. Ive installed 2 and installed 1 right after engine shut off. Just be careful.

The biggest thing for me was removing the bolts with threads on both sides. Just use some pliers and force. Its tough not to screw those up (but unless your taking it back out it doesn't really mater).

As far as torque wrench... probably dont need to recalibrate and (in-lbs) / (12) = (ft/lbs). Its tough to get it perfect but it ends up being like 6.66 or something.

 

Read my DIY thread. It has lots of pics and illustrations to make your install smooth and easy:
https://my350z.com/forum/intake-exha...-problems.html

 

Well, I just opened the box and was sent the basic one. So my order didn't get changed, but I think I am going to go ahead with the install later today.

 

Thanks VO!

 

No prob.

Just make sure to read the entire thread, because I left some steps out on the initial install and had to go back and correct them. I posted the steps I missed, later on in the thread...

 

Great write up! Funny, I have the same first steps to all of my DIY's. Gotsta have a cold brew.

 

Hey man I installed my own so if you need any help just let me know

 

That's the only way to do it! Shade tree mechanic FTMFGDWWTFBBQ!

 

1. You can always calibrate against another TQ wrench of known calibration.

2. Its not an aboslute, but it is recommended. I've installed so many spacers I lost count. Installed on both cold and burning hot engines.

What I've noticed is:
A) Stock lower plenum bolts are much more likely to snap when being UNSCREWED from a hot lower manifold.
B) Aluminum plenum threads are much more likely to be stripped when torquing new bolts into hot aluminum.

Aluminum gets soft and sticky when its hot.

Now, I've done this enough times to know exactly how to deal with it, but still, I don't recommend it.

When bolts snap or plenum threads stip out... its a problem.
And its easily avoidable.

3. You said it. Just unscrew it about one turn.

 

Install went without a hitch. No leaks (idle is normal), and the strut bar isnt rubbing on the motor or the hood (no vibration). That was probably the hardest part, getting the bar adjusted just right. Passed the butt dyno, I can feel it in the top end.

Thanks everyone for your help, love this forum. VO, your write up was VERY helpful, thank you. Last but not least, thank you Tony for the great product, and all the pieces to make it come together soothly!


I am a happy camper, now I want to go drive some more...

 

No prob bro. Glad I could help out...