[Fediej]

This is really just a history of modifications as opposed to a legit "build" thread but I digress...

For those that like lists:
2015 Milano Red EX 6MT.

Interior:
White LED swap for cargo, passenger map, and courtesy lights
Red LED swap for door/puddle lights and driver map
EBAY striker plate covers(Thanks @Defiant )
Black pleather w/red stitching weighted shift knob (Ebay), "FedieWorks" red anodized aluminum accent ring on knob/shift boot retainer
Piano Black Shifter trim ring swapped out for matte black
Silver trim bezel painted to match OEM red stitching
American Sniper/Chris Kyle foundation tactical seat covers
Aries 3D front floor mats
OEM Cargo tray
Black leather w/red stitching steering wheel cover(MotorTrend/Ebay)
Zeta center armrest
Dealer Tinted windows
Mugen key fob
BIAO Bluetooth receiver Dongle.
JDM Red Hazard flasher button(pending)

Exterior:
"FedieWorks" machined T6061 aluminum front license plate mount
Black door edge guard on hood, doors and trunk
OEM splash guards front/rear
Mugen style window visors
White LEDs for rear license plate
Red LEDs for rear corner markers
Red Insight rear diffuser reflectors
Curt class 2 hitch(previous owner installed, strictly for a bike rack, I'm sure)
Autobot Thin Red Line lighted hitch plug
Yellow(NOT Amber) H8 fog light bulbs
OEM style Milano Red EBAY spoiler (Hooray for Christmas!)
Yellow Angel Eye/Yellow LED projector lens fog lights (plan to do the swap this spring/summer)
Webasto sliding sunroof(future purchase/project, not giving up on that)

Under the Hood:
K&N Typhoon Air intake
Braided stainless steel coolant line sleeve
Anodized red Aluminum Autobot oil cap
Red silicone throttle body coupler
White LED cowl strip
"Spoon" upper Intake manifold(Fit GE8 painted w/Duplicolor Textured Metallic)
( https://www.crzforum.com/forum/do-y...t-intake-manifold-30-mins-13.html#post1370411 )
Cherry red metallic (Duplicolor) accent work on the EGR valve, manifold sandwich plate and radiator stays
"FedieWorks" machined T6061 Aluminum Battery strap(painted Duplicolor CRM)
Megan Racing fender brace, painted metallic blue and Milano Red. Mugen, CBRN (74D) and CIB (11B) emblems, TGL(Military), TBL(Law Enforcement), TRL(Firefighter) decals. https://www.crzforum.com/forum/cr-z...-s-considered-build-thread-2.html#post1372767
MaxBore throttle body swap to be completed this summer. Need to send in the one I bought from @Ironbeard
Forced induction of some form(maybe... someday... budget depending...)

Wheels/Tires:
Spring-Fall 2018(sold): Silver 16x7 MSW Type 14 alloy wheels w/Honda Motorsport center caps. 215/50-16 Nexen(Front)/Firestone Firehawk(rear) tires, Black acorn lug nuts, Black Autobot valve stem caps.
Winter(2018-19): OEM 16x6 black alloy wheels (plastidipped Graphite). Red Anodized aluminum center cap trim rings, Honda "H's" painted San Marino Red
195/60-16 Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 snow tires
Autel 315mHz programmable TPM sensors with Autel MaxiTPMS PAD scanner/programmer. ( https://www.ebay.com/itm/USA-Ship-A...288096&hash=item4b54877697:g:kecAAOSw-cFbjfFQ )
Current(Spring-Fall 2019): Black Redline 15x6.5 Motegi Racing MR116BR alloy wheels (Saves apx 2 pounds per wheel vs 16x7 MSWs) with Retro Honda Red "H" center caps, chrome splined lug nuts and Autobot Valve stem caps. 195/60-15 Prime Well tires (cheapos that came with wheels, at least they were new).

Exhaust:
Keeping it stock unless I can find a hell of a deal on the full HPD exhaust (or some other really similar Borla system).
So much for that ^ idea...
https://www.crzforum.com/forum/afte...peed-2-5-inch-race-test-pipe.html#post1374875

And for those that want the loooong version:
The starting point was a CVT 2014 DVP EX-Nav. 1st additions were some back window decal work, Aries front floor mats, OEM cargo tray and a black leather w/red stitching steering wheel cover. But my 1st real "mod" was the K&N Typhoon intake. Then the DIY 2013+ OEM spare tire kit, my first meeting with @pongoro87 (Frankin). Shortly after that I went LED crazy with a full interior swap(including glovebox), the DIY drilled footwell mod, rear plate lights, amber fog lights, red rear markers, reverse lights and iJDM rear diffuser lights. The Armcik flip open/sliding top armrest from Ebay was a great addition. Then came the Mugen style window visors and the OEM front and rear splash guards. 16x7 MSW Type-14 silver alloy wheels mounted with the stock tires were swapped in at some point. The pangs of denial of driving an automatic pushed me to do the manual shift boot/CVT coverup, Thanks again to Franklin, it did add a touch of class. Winter brought on my adventure with plastidipping my stock wheels, mounting Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 snow tires and testing out the Autel TPMS cloning system. Spring brought the biggest mod ever though, unbolting that entire car from my winter rolling stock and replacing it with my MR 2015 EX 6MT. Had to take a road trip to Iowa to make this happen but it was the easiest transmission swap/nav delete/paint job ever! Our road trip included a stop at Antique Archeology, since it was only a few minutes down the road from the dealer. Some mods had to be re-purchased and done: Visors, decals, interior and exterior running LEDs, center armrest(Zeta this time, yay Ebay!). The splash guards were already on the new Z. Others I just transfered over: Typhoon kit, floor and trunk mats, steering wheel cover. But there were some bonus items as well, the previous owner had dealer installed window tint and a Curt tow hitch (with proper light harness)! I gave up on the spare tire, taking my chances with the goop and inflator, and let the footwell, glovebox and reverse light changes go as well.
The mods didn't stop there though. With the last of the April 2018 snow melting I got new 215/50-16 summer rubber and made Honda Motorsports center caps for the MSW wheels. Summer temps forced my hand (almost literally) to a new black pleather w/red stitching shift knob. Swapped out the gloss black shifter bezel for a flat black one(Franklin again) and painted the trim ring to match the red stitching. Added Chris Kyle(American Sniper) Foundation seat covers to protect the red and black OEM fabric. Went with Insight reflectors instead of LEDs for the rear diffuser. I machined my own front license plate mount and battery strap from aluminum. Swapped out the old 710 cap for an anodized red Autobot one. Did some other accent work with cherry red metallic paint on the EGR valve, red silicone coupler for the Typhoon/throttle body connection, braided stainless steel coolant line sleeve and a well placed LED strip for dramatic effect/late night underhood emergencies. For some added mid-range power I did the infamous Fit GE8 upper intake manifold/plenum swap, painted Duplicolor Textured Metallic with more red accents. Other additions were the Megan Racing cross brace, custom Autobot hitch light and 15"x6.5" black and red Motegi MR116BR 5-spoke wheels with the Retro Honda center caps. Most recently was the OEM style spoiler, you know, for downforce in the corners. Summer/Fall 2019 will bring the red JDM hazard button, fog light "upgrade", MaxBore throttle body and KamiSpeed 2.5" cat-delete.

https://www.crzforum.com/forum/garage/10450

 

[96firephoenix]

I've heard that the Hakkepeliita tires will make you never buy another brand of snow tire... Interested to hear what you think.

 

[Fediej]

I've heard that the Hakkepeliita tires will make you never buy another brand of snow tire... Interested to hear what you think.

I'd say the Nokian winter tires are probably every bit as good as we've read and heard, if you can afford them. I got them used and cheap and I would rank them nearly as good as new Bridgestone Blizzaks, a little better than new General Arctic Altimax, a couple steps better than Firestone Winterforce, and quite a bit better than used Blizzaks. When it's time to replace them(should have one more winter on them) we'll see what my budget says. The Generals have been pretty good for us too, and they're usually much more wallet friendly.

 

[Defiant]

Pictures and a more organized/standard format will come, please bare with me.

Maybe the shirt. But the pants will cost you more money.

 

[Fediej]

Pictures and a more organized/standard format will come, please bare with me.

Maybe the shirt. But the pants will cost you more money.

Sorry, my Budget won't allow for it. Glad someone caught that! ;-)

 

[Defiant]

Meanwhile, and BOT, although installing my in-cóckpit blindspot mirrors was quite the leap, I realized my mods were finished when I put the sharkmouth stickers on my antenna fin. Fierce and menacing, they know better than to pick this Z for a challenge.

 

[Fediej]

Meanwhile, and BOT, although installing my in-cóckpit blindspot mirrors was quite the leap, I realized my mods were finished when I put the sharkmouth stickers on my antenna fin. Fierce and menacing, they know better than to pick this Z for a challenge.

Don't forget the flurry of ebay shopping sprees you started with your striker and door plate covers.

 

[CuteZ]

I think I may take the Interior LED a little further and replace the blue accent lights in the dash....not sure how easy or difficult that will be though.

 

[Defiant]

Don't forget the flurry of ebay shopping sprees you started with your striker and door plate covers.

Oh, well yeah, and the LEDs (white, I'm a bigot), the big LED in the cargo hold, dash cam mirror, Fit shift knob, 3D floor mats, seatbelt plug extension (so as to not buckle-in the tail of another $75 Hawaiian shirt [which of course came from eBay for fifteen. Probably off some dead guy]), wedge cup holder so I don't have to strain all the way into the back seat for a slaking, and a one-piece sunshade. Pimped to the palace.

 

[Fediej]

Understanding that after the Fit manifold and CAI swaps the stock throttlebody is literally a choke point, I've been talked into (mostly by myself) doing the Maxbore throttle body mod. Is there an actual horsepower bump with this or is it more just an increase in throttle response? Please direct me to the relevant post/thread if this has been addressed before. Thanks in advance!
*edit* Found some info from a multitude of sources(not just CR-Z related). General consensus is that while it won't necessarily add any power on it's own, it can help to maximize the benefits of other mods, although too big of a bore could be a detriment when combining low revs with lots of throttle(engine bogging/lugging) or only giving gains at the upper end of the rev range. And to get the most benefit, the exhaust system should be upgraded as well. Gotta be able to exhale just as effectively as one inhales(pretty much knew that already). Just about everything I read stated that given the right size, throttle response was definitely increased.

 

[Defiant]

Don't forget the flurry of ebay shopping sprees you started with your striker and door plate covers.

Yes, and quite the shock to find my buddy's Lexus came with them stock. The car business just gets stranger and stranger. I think that SAABuru WRX was one of the first outbreaks. And I don't know what to make of the BR-S FRX whatever thing. But it needs the six.

 

[Spdbump]

Yes, and quite the shock to find my buddy's Lexus came with them stock. The car business just gets stranger and stranger. I think that SAABuru WRX was one of the first outbreaks. And I don't know what to make of the BR-S FRX whatever thing. But it needs the six.

Maybe they are all one big international conglomerate and no longer separate companies?

:grin2:

 

[Defiant]

Much more so in Japan than most places. Some of the interlinking is quite odd. It's almost as though they all want to be GM or British Leyland and simply become badge-swapping lunatics.

 

[Fediej]

I purchased a Megan Racing fender brace and stock throttle body from @Ironbeard. I feel I got a good package deal from him and he shipped my order from his part-out pretty quick. I had to put my own personal touches on the brace before mounting it all up though. Sandblasted off the turquoise blue, cleaned and then primed the mounting brackets. Chose Duplicolor Honda Milano Red to match the Red Zed and it turned out even better than I expected. The brace itself had a good, thick multiple coat red of some version on it as well but it had seen some use and needed a little love. I removed the Megan Racing plate, stripped the bar down to the bare aluminum and started over. The primer I used was so white I almost convinced myself to just clear coat over that and call it good. That would have popped a bit too much though, and I would have needed to repaint the entire car. :wink2: So I went with the metallic blue and Milano red scheme with gloss clear coat instead. I don't think it turned out too bad. Polished and clear coated a new steel plate for the Mugen emblem, just because I could. I got new stainless fasteners and made nylon bushings for the bar ends to take up the slop that the 3/8" bolts in 1/2" holes otherwise had. Installed it today, mostly, anyway.

 

[Fediej]

Got less cold today so I was able to finish the Megan install. Passenger side is fairly straight forward, the 2 bolts that hold the bracket in place are easily accessible. Driver side is a different story. Pulling the battery(make sure you have your radio code) and sliding the ECU housing out of the way(2 bolts) opens up the clearance to make it much easier. Maybe not entirely necessary, but saved me a couple cramped hands and dropped nuts/bolts. Thanks to @CrzyCRZ for the advice and again to @Ironbeard for the parts. One thing to note, there is just the slightest sliver of clearance between the brace and the hood, at least on mine. There is some rubbing on the passenger side where the hood insulation is, and I expect the possibility of rubbing on the driver side as well.

 

[Ironbeard]

Looks great! Dig the creativity.

 

[Fediej]

Looks great! Dig the creativity.

Thanks! I actually really liked the red you had on it(the baby blue brackets not so much). It was so nice with solid layers/coats that I contemplated keeping it, but there were a couple of chips on the topside that I wouldn't have been able to hide so I just stripped it all down and started over. I think I did a much better rattle can job on the brace than when I did my Fit manifold. The blue matches my bike and the red stripe matches the Z(of course!).

 

[Fediej]

Took a hitch light from the big boy tow package on our family truckster and modified it to fit the baby 1.25" Curt on the Z. Machined a piece of T6061 aluminum for the draw bar, made an adapter for the lens housing, performed some electrical surgery for the bulb socket, inserted a 1157A LED, applied the Thin Red line Autobot decal to the lens, sprayed on a couple coats of gloss clear spray paint and whoop here it is:

*edit* the droplets on the lens are because it was raining that day, and yes, I am a dork.

 

[Fediej]

Switched my Autobot LED from amber to red.

 

[Fediej]

Now that I've passed the 36000 mile mark (almost 36100 by the time I got home from work this morning) whatever little concern about voiding the factory warranty I may have had is completely gone. Bring on the bored throttle-body and the cat-delete test pipe. Let the games begin! Oh, and spring, come on warm weather!