Old Lady to Young Lady Part 7

Previously when I had my Momo steering wheel on my Nissan Fairlady Z installed at Redsun, there was a gap and would cause unnecessary honk when I touch the bottom of the wheel. Instead of sending the car back to Redsun, I decided to get some tools and apply some elbow grease to do it myself. First I had to get a Torx key set for the screws holding the horn and airbag assembly. I realized that the horn is always not in the center. I suspected it could be the spring holding the airbag was not strong anymore. So, I opened up some more parts to swap the top and bottom springs but it is the same as before. It could be that the design is like that. I then put everything back together and instead adjusted the position with the 2 screws. Somehow I manage to lock it correctly and now it would not horn even if I pressed the bottom of the steering wheel but there is still a gap at the horn.

 

During the same visit to Redsun, I also had them remove my gear knob as I wanted to change it. It was difficult to remove and also the new STI gear knob I bought would not fit. It would be a waste to throw the beautiful gear knob I bought and buy another one. So, I went to my friend and asked him to help me make an adapter to fit the gear knob. The adapter must have a screw hole for the shift shaft (10 mm) and a screw bolt for the gear knob (12 mm). It took a week to have it done and he attached the gear knob to the adapter. It was well done and fit like a glove with the STI gear knob. When I screw it on the shift stick it was so tall that it have the same height as the original gear knob. However, the shape of the STI is better to grip and shifting feels much better. I love how it looks way cooler than the original one. You can also notice that the shift boot has fallen, revealing a bit of the shift shaft. There is a plastic at the end of the shift boot that supposedly hold on to the original gear knob so it would not fall. I planned to have that modify so it could cover the adapter.

I also bought two Nismo parts for the engine bay of my 350Z. These Nismo parts were the engine oil cap and radiator cap which were bought new from Japan. I asked my friend who works there to buy and bring back to me. It was a small and an easy change from the stock ones to the Nismo one but it makes a whole lot different. The stock engine oil cap is a regular plastic like any ordinary car while the Nismo has a silver finish and has a quick lock style that only requires one full turn to lock. I was worried about the pressure produced by stock radiator cap because it is 15 years old and would be a good time to change a new one. These are usually one of the first mod any enthusiast would have done and I am no exception to this. 

Both Nismo parts in action.

Originally the petrol cap is tied to the body of the car by a plastic cable. However, the cable on my 350Z is broken and every time I pump petrol, I had to find a place to put the petrol cap. When I found a cheap petrol cap still attached to the cable, I had to buy it all the way from Japan. I have received it but I do not have the time to change it myself. That will be a task for next year.