shi man, im not even in paradise and i get charged just as much as you, so dont feel all that bad. thats got me thinkin' now...what can i buy to have my parents bring w/ them on the plane??? hmmm...

 

i like everything except the tail lights.. to APC'ish

 

The JDM OEM taillights are the proverbial "not for everyone."

Anyways... even more presents! Presents to myself

Welp, here's the Kics Project R40's:





Now I just gotta find the time to get the stuff on.

 

nice stuff!! but wouldn't it be easier to order it from hawaii? I mean japan is only like 5-6 hours away ??

 

Congrats on the Kics, but why not the NeoChro for the balla effect? Would've looked nice against the gold RG's .

Take care

 

I thought about it. But I think the neo-chro would have clashed big time with the gold. With the dark graphite... it's guaranteed to match. Plus I got them super cheap... $165 shipped.

Here's the oddball shot of my brother's dog, super hyper Jack Russel, exhausted from playing fetch. "Super Hyper" is actually a tame description.


And lastly, more shots of the GT Shift ****. I was looking for this **** for the longest time, and if supply does run short again, you can get the 12mm Titanium GT version from CourtesyParts and the more available 10mm Urethane rubber GT **** and switch out the internal fittings. The finisher is the much documented toilet washer, or ballcock shank in the hardcore plumbing circles. The original piece is too big for my taste, so I just sanded it down by mounting it on a hole punch and drill, and used it sorta like a lathe by spinning and pressing it against some sandpaper laid down on a table. You have to sand the height down by hand. I'm going to add a pvc or metal pipe to extend the ****'s height roughly 10mm.





Wanted to make it like the Nimo RS's ****. Was looking for forever for just the collar portion of a pull-ring type reverse mechanism. Looked at the SE-R's transmission exploded parts list, and you have to buy the entire shaft.

 

OK, first things first. Getting a Nismo Exhaust, all the parts, on a plane without paying extra for baggage ($80 for additional pieces, $25 extra for a box that is between 50-70lbs... 70lbs MAX, $80 for pieces that are oversized- over 60 linear inches: L+W+H, 80inches MAX) is impossible. What you see here is the end result of a lot of time packing, and a whole bunch of tape (3 rolls of duct tape) and packing material (foam pieces and rolls); including a whole wooden frame to in that normal looking box to ensure the cannister and tips was not dented. Thankfully all the parts came out unscathed, and I didn't have to pay a dime! I was expecting to pay $160 for the oversized boxes, but the guy at the check in line was a newb . The "Y" pipe, Kics R40 lugs, and Project Mu B-Force pads is in the odd shaped box. The taillights and my clothes were handcarried in the duffel bag.



Unfortunately, the Blitz wing and Nismo Mid-pipe could not make the trip, so I'll have to wait even longer to hear that exhaust note. Would have had to paid up the ying-yang. Fortunately, my brother's headed over back home in late June and he's gonna haul it over.

Here's my Nismo GT Ti **** installed with a custom finisher made, again, with the infamous Toilet ballcock washer, and extension made with sprinkler pipe... don't like the look with the boot flush to the ****, obviously. This is the most comfortable **** that I've ever had the pleasure to get my hands on, especially since I like to pistol-grip. The extenison helps with comfort. Without the extension, it's too small.





... and some pics of the OEM JDM clear taillights. I realize "altezza" pops into mind for alot here... so I'll give the "it ain't for everyone" line . But do realize, these are OEM, and JDM only. IT's NOT eBAY stuff. And it's being run by alot of Z racing cars in JDM land... enough of the excuses! Anyway, I like it.

 

All I can say is that you will love the Nismo exhaust. To me, it sounds perfect; not too muted, and not obnoxiously loud. Get a Nismo CAI for a truly killer combo.

 

lol! thats great dude. glad you didnt have to pay extra. thanks for the PM.

 

I love you car and I love the JDM lights on a PPW I can't wait to get mine!

 

+ 1 Those lights look great on that car.

 

Wow bro. Your car looks awesome. I really like the tails with your combo. could you pm how much you paid? You bought them from Jeff correct?

My next question is what camera are you using. Your pics look so good. I am looking for a nice beg. camera nothing 2k something I can learn on, that doesn't suck...

Thanks again Advan brother

 

i've never liked the lights but somehow it works great with this color.....nice looking car.

 

PM'd! The camera is a Canon Rebel XTi, aka 400D (name given in other markets). This camera is not $2K, but realize when stepping into the digital SLR world, that you're pretty much buying a body (the XTi), and buying parts to fit on the body (the lenses, flashes, remotes, tripods, filters, etc.) Buying the body is really maybe the cheapest part. The lenses can kill you... if you let them.

The XTi body w/ stock lens goes for $809, and body only for $675 from B&H Photo. I suggest getting the stock lens, along with I consider an essential lens for the begginner- the 50mm f1.8 prime lens from Canon. It's only $69 or something really cheap. Also, get a tripod... Manfrotto Bogen is really popular, and not too expesive, otherwise, get a cheapo from Wal Mart... just get a tripod for low-light or night shots, it's essential.

Why get the 50mm prime? It'll show what limitations the stock lens has as far as aperture and low-light performance. The auto-focus is weak, but again, with time, you'll realize you can take a picture easier with a better lens. Then you'll want shots the lens just can't take, like super wide angle and super telephoto. Then you'll notice blur, and say, "damn, I need Image Stabilization". That's when it becomes expesive.

But rarely a shot, a nice digital shot, was not tweaked in some way. A nice shot is almost always worked on in post process, and that's what really makes the dSLR world so great... some shots can be saved, and rarely is a shot unusable. I recommend to everyone to shoot in RAW instead of JPG... it'll allow you to fix and tweak the pic, without introducing noise and it does it "non-destructively," meaning that you can do all types of adjustments and save, but later can revert back to "shot settings."

 

Watch out for Dell deals though, every now and then the XTi dips into low 600$ territory.

 

its not even x-mas yet...nice parts...

 

Slowly getting the parts on. Just installed the Project Mu B-Force front and rear brake pads. Hated the insane amounts of brake dust the OEMmers produced. Thanks to Andy at Performance Nissan.

Installation was really simple. Total install time was about 6 hours for all 4. Took my time getting to know the brake parts.


Front brake shim and retainer set. According to the tech manual, these need to be replaced each time the pads are changed. But unless your shims are rusted, you really shouldn't need to spend the $30+


Shots of the pads along with the rear shim/retainers ($20 )


Install was really simple. Only one bolt to remove. Hung the upper caliper via hanger.


The rears are just like the front, remove one bolt, though I just let the upper caliper hang.


You can find this tool specifically to push in the piston at your local Sears.


The final product! I feel ashamed to be riding on stockers with the kit. This guy at Wal Mart asked when I was going to get rims. The Advans are off... letting the 3rd coat of Zaino dry. Chnaging the pads was the perfect oppurtunity to clean the wheels. Took it to the third degree, even clay barred the suckers. Side skirts are off until I can install the Advans. Car is too low to get the jack under the axles. Need LDS ramps. And the side skits get in the way of the side jack points.

Next up: the Kics Lugs .....

 

Glad to hear you got most of your stuff back without a problem! The pic at the airport is funny haha! I never much liked the JDM tails, but you've pulled it off nicely. Keep up the good work! Lookin' hot as usual!

Take care

 

Got the stockers off... and after deep cleaning with dishwashing soap, steam cleaning, clay bar, and 3 layers of Zaino, along with a swap of the brake pads to ensure a long life for these wheels, the wheels go back on... amazingly, the wheels show extremely little wear. Fine scratches are negligible.

Finally got the Kics R40's on. Neo Chro woulda clashed with the gold IMO. Next up, the Nismo exhaust and Blitz wing... the wait is killing me.





Before: Trust short closed lugs

 

niceee. looks awesome man!