bewbews.com

Another fairly straight forward write up, but I figured at least one person may be interested in it (I was looking for one to no avail these past couple of months). This is a rear bumper exhaust heat shield install onto an aftermarket 240sx coupe rear bumper, but should be applicable to fastbacks, s14’s, oem/aftermarket, and other cars.

The motivation for creating this heat shield came from my exhaust warping the stock rear bumper - and melting/bubbling the paint on my aftermarket rear bumper. This was mostly due to the overly rich tune from the ecu install, but it was easier for me to temporarily install a heat shield, which may be useful later as well, than to tap the downpipe & tune everything now.

I bought a sheet of aluminum (.090″ x 12″ x 24″) for just under $20 delivered via eBay. I got this thickness because I read about how some were too thin - this may actually be a little too thick for some applications, but worked fine for me. I held it down via 5/32″ long aluminum rivets & 1/8″ medium & short aluminum rivets (you may also get away w/ medium, and possibly short, 5/32″ aluminum rivets).

Total Project Time:
This took me about 2 hours taking my sweet ass time with the hand / hack saw & 30 minutes of which was spent going to Home Depot to pick up rivets since I forgot where I put my other pack of rivets from way back when.

Tools:
- Dremel, jigsaw, hack saw, or any other cutting tool you prefer
- Drill w/ 5/32″ & 1/8″ bits, or whatever size rivets you want to use
- Rivets & riveting tool
- Cardboard/paper for creating a template
- Aluminum sheet (again, mine was .090″ x 12″ x 24″)
- Dry erase marker or something to trace the template onto the aluminum
- Optional: I also used a section of aluminum heat shield barrier with adhesive (used for protecting areas in the engine bay from turbo installs)

Step 1:
I found it much easier to remove the rear bumper than to work with it on the car.

Failed attempt of using purely aluminum heat barrier with adhesive (ripped off @ Horse Thief Mile & took some paint with it).

Step 2:
Create a basic template of what you want your shield to look like with cardboard or paper.

(more…)

I finally had time to do this mod - as it turns out, it’s VERY simple. Looks tons better than the plug in single led bulbs, and also costs significantly less than the “custom made-to-fit” led boards, which seem to be only available for higher end cars anyway.

To get started, I purchased an led interior dome light panel (3×6 leds - 18 total) off eBay. My particular light came from bliss-star for just under $13 shipped to my door. On to the write up w/ pics!

Note: I also test-fitted this same led panel into the 240sx convertible trunk light - fits perfectly w/ no modding at all!

Tools:
- Philips and flat blade to pry off the dome light and remove it.
- Dremel w/ sanding disc or equivalent tool to cut the plastic in the dome light
- 18 LED Dome Light w/ 194 bulb adapter (the one I bought comes w/ several adapters), or whatever size you like

Total Project Time:
I believe it took me about 15-20 minutes, most of the time moving from my car to the house, setting up the tools, and going back to the car.

Step 1:
Remove your old dome light
- Use a flat blade to pry the plastic panel off, be careful as the cover is probably pretty old & brittle
- Use a philips screwdriver to remove the dome light; unplug the connector & remove the 194 bulb at this time.

Step 2:
Trim the plastic panel so that the led light can fit comfortably with the plastic cover on. I had to trim off about 5-7mm either side of the housing for the light to be able to recess far enough into the housing so the plastic cover cover slip over. YMMV. (more…)

I know, it’s fairly simple, but I figured I’d do a “write-up” anyway. We just finished installing Chris’ exhaust on his 350z, he loves it! His personal review is basically @ idle, it is much quieter, but once you get on the throttle, there is a much more deep and “racey” sound to it.

Total Install Time: 2.5 hours (being very relaxed & taking our sweet ass time). This install should be doable in 30 minutes - 1 hour for those who are motivated.

QV: “Hey Chris, I think I can fit your muffler on my 240.”

Equipment Required/Recommended:
- Nismo (or whatever you bought) exhaust
- Replacement exhaust gaskets (2 for cat, 1 for mid-pipe, and 1 ring gasket for mid-pipe to muffler) & bolts or a Nismo exhaust gasket kit
- Jack
- Jack Stands
- PB Blaster (especially handy for the exhaust hanger bushings
- Metric socket & wrench assortment (mostly 10, 12, & 14mm)
- Long screwdriver or something to help pry the hanger bushings
- Breaker bar to make removing old nuts easier
- Possibly a Ford Wrench… just in case something gets stuck
- Metal/Aluminum polish if you wish to make things shiny
- Pimp Khakis & a Dress shirt because 350z guys work on their cars in style (optional)

Step 1 - Prep
(more…)