I spent the morning clenaning the car then I went for a nice drive around some local bayside communities. I've had the TII swap finished since July and we've been working out the kinks ever since. As it sits, the car runs really well and is very impressive to drive. The new power actually compliments the suspension much more than the old NA motor did. No more understeer when powering through a turn. The car just pulls you right through and it feels much more like a balanced package now. I had to throw on the old S4 tail lights a few weeks ago due to another condensation problem in one of my S5 tails. I'll get another set soon. The V-brace for the rear cusco strut bar was just installed last week. I couldn't feel any difference with or without it, but I got it with the front lower arm bar and it was inexpensive. The front lower arm bar IS a nice addition though as it really helped turn in feel in my car.

Anyway, here are some pics after the drive this afternoon...excuse the dirty interior...since the swap was done I've vacuumed all the crap out since we had some old parts sitting in the hatch but I have yet to shampoo the carpets. The engine bay needs a lot more cleaning as well.

 

Very nice job, here's my conversion; https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/widebody-gtc-fcroyal-saphire-pearl-d-347647/

 

What wheels are those? Also tell me about the rear brace/s

 

very cool ride! where did you get your fmic and how much?

 

The wheels are ADR Stage II's, 17X7 with 1/8th inch spacers up front, 1/4 inch in the rear. Tires are 2151/45/17 front, 235/45/17 rear Sumitomo HTRZ II. I believe they are knock offs of some OZ rim. I got them about 2 years ago...once the car is painted (hopefully this winter) I'm going for 17X8 front and 17X9 rear Work Emotions in bronze.

The rear braces are both by Cusco. The horizontal bar is their standard OS style rear strut brace for the FC. It fits perfectly and helps the rear bite down on mid corner throttle application (even with the NA motor). The V-brace is a seperate piece by Cusco that works with the rear strut brace to attach the rear strut towers to the hatch area for further rigidty. After installation, I found it wasn't really an effective addition, but it was inexpensive and looks nice. Cusco makes very high quality bars and they are very affordable. They offer carbon front/rear braces too, not worth it for weight savings but they look nice if you like the carbon look. Their titanium braces are gorgeous and very very light but they don't offer FC fitment yet. Eventually, I'll ditch the ground control coilovers and go for some Cusco Zero 2's.

 

The FMIC is the GReddy V-spec. We deal GReddy at the shop so my price is a bit different than yours Call if you are interested.

 

very interested in your price

 

Call the shop for pricing on any FC item... 631-863-8320, ask for Adam (owner).

 

I know you have answered this before, but what skirts are those, is that the factory aero package, the old kamanari( i think ) or what?

 

id like to know too, i like the lip

 

Old Kamanari skirts, mazdaspeed replica lip (corksport).

 

Im very impressed. i like everything .. the clear lenses. the kit , rims, great looking fc.

 

Absolutely cool. I'm mad tired so forgive me if you said, but what color are you planning on repainting it? Sick car.

 

I'm going to repaint it the same color which is the factory color for the car, Claret Mica, code 2H. I'm going to color match the trim, get some TII mirrors color matched, possibly a TII carbon hood (painted, I don't like the carbon look) and my RE Amemiya Type IV replica rear wing. I think I'll also go for the mazdarix rear valance.

 

Sicc!!!1!

 

awesome car!
Can your shop get the cusco bars?
I really like the rear one!

 

Yes, we can get Cusco bars for the FC. In fact, we're the #1 Cusco dealer in the US which is why they asked us to bring our 350Z to SEMA IAS this year in Atlantic city.PM me with any questions. This is from the Cusco booth @ the show...

 

Who is painting your car? Do you know what it will cost? Mine needs paint bad...

 

very nice....clean

 

One of our 2 techs is also a paint/body guy. He handles paint/body work for our own cars and has also done a few pieces for customer project cars that we had for a while (hoods, wings, etc...). He's been doing it for years and he's really meticulous. With some careful tarping in the shop, we can make a decent paint booth. With a few days of curing, you don't even need an oven. He did the 350Z pictured above...front spoiler, carbon hood, side skirts, rear valance, wing. but, as I said, he really does our own cars as well as his.

I can recommend 2 body shops I have experience with. First is Phil's Auto Body in Deer Park. He does nice work, and is reasonably priced. He is also a sponsor for our SCCA BMW race car. For a major step up in quality (i.e. showcar paint job) I can recommend Blue Ribbon auto body also in Deer Park. His client base is all high end and his shop is always full of Ferrari, Porsche, Lambo etc... as well as some classic Vette's and Mustangs.

 

Well I don't know about that second one...

 

Hehe, yea - it's really for a high end job. We're thinking of having the shop's pride and joy done there ('79 280ZX turbo, see below). Estimates are around $7K for a repaint and body work with the same colors. Plus, everything from the windshield forward we have as brand new Nissan parts ready to install which means they will fit perfectly and need no body work.

The car may look mint here, but it has some dings, a little bit of rust since the last repaint in '97 etc... Still, we're looking for a "for once and for all" paint job for this car. With the new 600hp motor and T66, we need to back up the go with a little more show

 

first i was asking myself how u got the mazdaspeed lip to fit in the S4 bumper then u realized u used a S5 bumper...lol

 

I get that a lot...with the trim section on the S5 nose painted as well as the fact that this aftermarket S5 nose has no mazda logo embossed, a lot of people get confused as to what it is. Once the car is painted, everything will be color matched.

 

Bump in case rarest/cym want to check out the conversion hehe