| Color Codes | Color Description | |
|---|---|---|
 |
A15 | Sonoma Sunset Metallic |
 |
A19 | Radiant Ember Metallic |
 |
BW5 | Twilight Blue Pearl |
 |
BW9 | Dark Blue Pearl |
 |
D10 | Green Metallic |
 |
ET1 | Green Brown Pearl |
 |
EY0 | Light Gold Metallic |
 |
EY1 | Velvet Beige Metallic |
 |
KH3 | Super Black |
 |
KX6 | Beige Metallic |
 |
KY1 | Sheer Silver Metallic |
 |
KY2 | Polished Pewter Metallic |
 |
QX3 | Satin White Pearl |
Member Credit: DeusExMaxima
Well, after all the trials and tribulations of installing a part never installed before, I’m finally finished. I took the car for a test drive. Clearly, the car does not lean at all. VERY flat handling, and very nice tracking through a turn. I like the tighter feel in a corner, yet no adverse effects on the straight. That’s the beauty of stiffer sway bars. For $91 and 2-4 hours of time, I say money well spent.
The bar weighs 1 1/2 pounds more than the OEM bar and is 2mm thicker. This may not seem like much, but its significantly stiffer when going through a turn.
Here is the installation instructions:
Tools needed – Air tools are very very very helpful. I got some 1/2″ drive hardened metric sockets and an 18″ pipe to fit on my 1/2″ drive ratchet as a breaker bar. I believe the sockets I used were 12mm, 14mm, 17mm and 19mm.
1. Loosen lug nuts and jack car up. IMPORTANT!!!—> Position jack stands behind the brackets that hold subframe. If you put jack stands in front under subframe, you will NOT be able to lower subframe.
2. Remove wheels.
3. Remove sway bar endlink using 17mm wrench.
4. Remove y-pipe. This opens up the middle area.
5. Remove the REAR bolt from each sway bar support bushing, but only LOOSEN FRONT bolt of each bushing. Remove these from the wheel well and from underneath in the middle where y-pipe was. Sway bar should be loose now.
6. Now the fun part. Use a floor jack and a small piece of wood and support the engine under the oil pan. Just make sure its supported. DO NOT raise the car at all with this jack or you will bend the oil pan.
7. Remove the rear sub frame support brackets. The two rear bolts on each bracket are 12mm and the large front one is 19mm.
8. Remove the looooong 17mm bolt from the rear motor mount. its located in the center of the subframe and its fairly high up. I used my 18″ pipe on a ratchet and it broke loose easily. Here is a shot of the mount without the bolt. Its in the top center of pic behind the tranny.
9. Now you have to pry the subframe down so it drops below the big bolt on each side. I got it down and then put in a small floor jack and pried it until the subframe cleared to two rear bolts hanging down.
10. I removed the sway bar from the side rather than out the back. Either way is fine. Take your time. A helper is good here to help snake that curly bar outta there.
11. I marked the old bar on the top passenger side and then took the new bar and put it next to it and marked it as well. That way, there is no confusion as to which way the bar goes in.
12. Snake the new bar in.
13. Now you have to jack up the subframe. Mine was a little off and I loosened the front subframe bolts and pried it until it lined up. This part is tough. Two people are almost mandatory.
BEFORE YOU GO ON TO THE NEXT STEP . . .MAKE SURE THE STEERING SPLINE DID NOT PULL OUT OF THE RECEPTACLE. IF IT DID AND YOU IGNORE IT YOU WILL DO THIS OVER, LIKE I DID. HERE IS A PAINFUL PICTURE:
LOOK UNDER THE DASH AT THE BASE OF THE STEERING COLUMN ON THE FLOOR, AND THE SPLINE SHOULD NOT LOOK LIKE THE PIC. IF IT DOES, GET IT BACK IN THE RECEPTACLE.
14. Now bolt it all back together. Subframe bolts, sway bar bushings, motor mount bolt (looooong one), y-pipe, and then end links. Sway bar support bushings are marked “L” and “R”. Left is drivers side and R is passenger side. The slit in the bushing is at the front. Make sure you lube the bushing inside and out. I used anti seize compound.
15. Put wheels back on, let it down, and fire it up.
16. FOR SAFETY SAKE . … take it easy for a bit to make sure nothing is loose. Then slowly take corners. See how flat it is through the turn??? Tracking is great.
Member Credit: mightymax
Next, take off the plastic covers a pick or small screwdriver will work
Remove 6 14mm nuts from towers
You need to relocate the service port for the A/C, very simple just pull it up out of the white clip and move the clip to the opposite side of the port. This will give you more than enough clearance to tighten the 19mm nut, and save your tech some hassle when it comes time for A/C service.
Install your FSTB, might take some finnagling to get the bolts to line up right, but it should fit, retorque the nuts and tighten the allen/14mm brass nut on each side and the 19mm adjustment nut
This was the trickiest part. Your OEM plastics will not fit over the FSTB, you can keep them off or do as I did and trim to fit. I just eyeballed it and took the dremel to it and sanded off the burrs. Reinstall your plastics and your good to go!!!
Pic with OEM cover installed
Still have clearance after spacer install, and I haven’t seen any sign of rubbing on hood 
Additional Pics by Member Scui
Member Credit: jgadlage
I wanted to give a walk-through of how to install the 2 brace setup as it is a little different:
I would recommend that you use the following when doing this install:
• Power drill with a 21/52 bit (it is 1 size bigger than a 5/16 bit- you could use a 5/16 and then just make it larger)
• 5/16 socket wrench
• Level
• Get a 1 inch 5/16 bolt (as KCMAXX currently has ¾ inch 5/16 bolts and I’ve told KCMAXX about this and hopefully he’ll change it with the future2 brace kits). This gives a little more thread for the nut to grab hold of.
Installation
Total install time took about 4 hours, but it really should take no more than an actual hour of real labor. I ate away time doing the following:
• Trying to find a good mounting position for the lower bar
• Drilling out one side to mount the bar
• Finding that the included bolts aren’t long enough
• Going to get longer bolts
• Mounting one side
• Drilling out the mounting location for the other side
• Finding out that mounting location isn’t level
• Guestimating another location based on the previous and drilling it.
• Checking the level and drilling through the brace
• Cutting the carpet where the bars are in order to pull it back into place
Suggestions: I would suggest installing the bars in the following way:
Top brace
Install with the bar from the interior of the car with the bolts on the interior side and the nut on the trunk side
Bottom Brace
Install the bar in the interior of the trunk with the bolts on the interior side and the nuts on the trunk side. This way you will be going through the same metal mounting plate as the top brace as well as the silver brace below it to increase the rigidity of the mounting holes you will have to drill out. Try to drill out a hole for the brace at 5 1/4 inches up from the folded down seatback on the drivers side 3 inches over from the seat, and 5 1/4 inches up and 2 1/4 inches over on the passangers side. This should get you in the area that I drilled out my holes, but you might need to see what works best for you.
Hopefully these pictures will help you out in mounting your rear lower strut brace. Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Shows the where I decided to drill on the metal brace that the the upper strut brace mounts to as well as the silver brace behind it.
Interior view (passanger side) of lower brace mounting pont
Interior view (driver side) of lower brace mounting point – I drilled once, missed the mark, drilled again got in the right ballpark, but the level was off, drilled a 3rd time and it was better.
Interior view (driver side) of upper and lower brace mounting points. If you look to the right of where the brace is connected you will see a hole. That is where the bar would have connected with the stock mounting point, but there was no way that the bolt would fit and be able to be snugged down with the silver brace in the way. I corrected this by drilling in the current location through the silver brace, metal, and support bar. Everything seems solid now.
Both braces installed with carpet peeled back
Both braces installed with carpet put back in place
Here are my impressions on how the car handled before and after the install of these braces:
Before
The car has more of a luxury car feel in that the suspension is soft and feels a bit floaty over bumps in higher speed sweeping corners. It has body roll (both left/right and up down). It feels kind of like a boat in that it’s comfy, but it doesn’t inspire confidence when you first go into a uneven fast sweeping corner and find out what the car does (bobbing and rolling).
After
With 1 bar the car does feel more responsive in that the chassis feels more rigid and connected. The front still seems to bob and roll when tossing it around a corner (as the front has yet to receive a FSTB), but the car seems more planted and stable. With the 2nd bar added in, the car feels like a sport/luxury car (it has crisper and more connected handling, but it isn’t harsh). The front still bobs and rolls, but the rear is more stable and planted with the bobbing now gone. A high speed sweeping corner with a bump that would once make me anxious now doesn’t as the rear of the car doesn’t get unsettled. If you are going to put in a rear lower brace, I would recommend that you take your time and plan out what you are doing as there isn’t a lot of room for mistakes.
Afterthoughts
This is a good upgrade that is well worth the money. It isn’t hard if you are doing either a single bar or a double bar. The single brace was a snap to install, the lower brace was a little more complicated but by no means difficult. I agree with Chernmax in that this is a 1 wrench job that anyone can perform, just take your time and take it one step at a time.
I also want to add a side bar that with the FSTB installed and Rear Sway Bar the car now feels more stable during the long sweeping corners. If I am going around a 180 degree sweeping onramp (I take this onramp everyday so I am used to it and have tested my car many times on it) with a posted 40MPH speed limit I can do the following:
* I can make the corner at 60 with the car holding stable (tires might be squeeling, but the car sticks and is controllable). I could go faster, but I would have to give it all its got and I don’t feel the need to go any faster.
* If I wanted to I can lift off of the gas during this corner at 50MPH and the car might start to kick out the rear end ever so slightly, but the braces bring it right back into line and keep it controllable. If I did this before without the RSB and the FSTB, the rear end would start to come around and regaining control would be a whole lot more difficult.
Morale of the story – don’t let out of the gas during a sweeping corner or brace your car to ensure better handling if you have to so that it keeps in line. At least now I know how my car will react if it does get upset during a corner (either intentional or in a case of emergency) and I can respond accordingly. I am not saying to go blazing into a corner at wreckless speeds, but if you can find a deserted place where you can test your car do it in increasing increments so you can find some limits of your car and know how it will react with your current setup. Better to know what your car will do when the need arises than hope it will react the way you think when the time comes.
Member Credit: DEADBOLT
Tools Needed: (NOTE: Socket is size 14 & make sure it’s a long socket, not short)
1) Jack up the car from BOTH sides.
2) Unbolt the outer part of the sway bar first, since the sway bar is stable. There’s 1 bolt on each side
3) Unbolt the middle section
Now you should have 3 bolts total from each side and the middle section brackets
4) Wiggle the old sway bar out and be careful. Take your time and try twisting the bar to avoid pulling any lines with you. NOTE: Notice the way the sway bar is facing before you put it in.
5) After you put in the NEW sway bar, connect all bolts in place, but DO NOT tighten anything yet. NOTE: Do the middle section first to hold up the bar because it’s heavier than stock.
6) Once every bolt is in place, tighten the outside bolts then do the middle section. And now you’re done.
Enjoy the better handling.
Member Credit: officerfrasher
Items needed:
350Z/G35 Rear Camber Arms (I bought the Ichiba ones. There are cheaper ones, but they don’t look as strong. Here’s a link for the Ichiba ones on eBay
WD-40, Liquid Wrench, etc.
17mm socket and/or wrench (my impact gun made it real easy, but it can be done without it)
19mm socket and/or wrench
Jack and jack stand
1. Jack up the car and place a jack stand under it.
2. Soak the nuts & bolts with WD-40 and let them sit for 10-15 minutes.
3. Remove the nuts, bolts and OEM arms. The lower nut and bolt are both 17mm. The upper bolt head is 19mm and the nut is 17mm.
4. Install the new camber arms.
5. Remove jack stand and let car down.
6. Take pics and post them or BE BANNED!
7. Most importantly, GO GET AN ALIGNMENT IMMEDIATELY!
No surprises really and not much to it, just get in there and get it done!
Member Credit: Scrambler68
Note: Dealing with suspension components are very dangerous, please use cautious when handling a loaded spring as harm may occur.
1. Jack up the vehicle and support with jack stands.
2. Remove the front wheels and you will see this:
3. Remove the sway bar end link from the strut (1)
4. Remove the brake line clip (2)
5. Remove the ABS line from the strut (3)
6. Remove the two bolts holding the strut to the knuckle (4)
7. Lift the hood and remove the trim above the top of the strut tower.
8. I had to remove the nut from the strut tower bar (1) to access the nut on the strut.
9. Remove the 3 nuts that hold the strut in place (2) and the strut will drop out of the vehicle.
10. Use a set of strut spring compressors to pull the spring down (1).
11. Remove the nut from the top of the strut and remove the top plate (2).
12. Remove the dust boot and cut off the stock bump stop.
13. Slide the new bump stop onto the strut shaft then slide the dust boot over that.
14. Put the Progress spring on the strut and reverse the removal process to install.
Difference between stock and Progress front springs:
For the rear springs:
1. Jack up the rear of the vehicle and support with jack stands.
2. Remove the rear wheels.
3. Remove the bolt that holds the lower control arm to the spindle.
4. Once the bolt is removed, lower the control arm with a jack. You will have to push it down by hand to remove the rear spring.
5. Install the Progress spring using the stock rubber isolator.
6. Jack the control arm up and replace the bolt.
7. Reinstall the rear wheels.
8. Go get an alignment
This article explains the various ways of resetting and/or clearing codes on your 6thgens. It should also work for any of the current generation Nissan and Infiniti vehicles. Clearing the codes will turn off any check engine lights (aka: SEL, CEL, SES, etc..). There is a table of OBDII codes at the end of this page to reference. You will need an OBDII scanner in order to pull the error codes. Some high end scanners will tell you both the code and the definition, but many simply tell you the code. If you have a scanner, you can use it to turn off the error codes. If the same code and CEL comes back, you should investigate the problem.
Clearing Codes
There are several ways to clear ECU error codes.
Scan Tool
If using a scan tool, follow tool manufacturer instructions to clear Codes.
Manual Method
Here is a quick way to reset your ECU. It is also known to clear codes thrown, and turn off the “Service Engine Soon” Light. It’s a little tricky, but works.
With Consult
Perform each diagnostic test mode according to each service procedure.
Without Consult
Member Credit: !PrjctMax!
Tools needed
-10mm socket or wrench
-12mm socket AND wrench
-14mm socket or wrench (only if you have a FSTB)
-needle nose pliers and/or pliers
-patience and finger strength for the clamps/harnesses
1.) First you have to remove the engine cover.
2.) If you have a FSTB, then you will have to remove both strut covers and the strut bar itself. 14mm socket or wrench will be needed to remove the FSTB
3.) Now you may as well start with the more difficult part…in the rear of the manifold-this will be the left side…or passenger side.
-Use needle nose pliers to slide the clamp off the hose and pull it off.
-Make sure to un-clip those two green connectors from their BRACKETS, do not just un-clip the female/male connection because it will still be connected to the bracket and will piss you off when it comes time to take the manifold off
-There is also a 12mm nut below and to the right of those harnesses’ that you will have to squeeze your hand into and be careful to not drop your wrench. It is holding on some bronze bracket.
4.) Now you will need to take your VIAS off if you have a grounding kit…if you do not have a grounding kit, then you will not have to take the VIAS off until you have the manifold off and choose to put a block off plate on it. Either way you should use a 12mm wrench here. And just carefully yank that thin black hose off.
5.) Now you will take off the little bracket on the manifold with a 10mm socket and then 2/5 12mm nuts holding the manifold down.
6.) Now take the bigger bracket off the manifold which is held on by a 12mm bolt, so a socket or wrench would do good here, and a 12mm socket for removing 2/5 bolts holding the manifold.
7.) Now you have the last 12mm nut holding down the manifold on the bottom. Then take off both brackets with a 10mm socket and un-clip the blue harness. The EGR valve has 2 12mm nuts IIRC, so remove both of those and make sure to also take off the two washers that are on each stud so that they don’t fall into the engine bay while sliding it off.
8.) Un-clip the throttle body harness and loosen your CAI hose.
9.) Use needle nose pliers to slide the clamps off these two hoses. The bottom hose will leak out coolant, so put a towel there or w/e you want.
10.) If you do not already have intake manifold spacers, then you will have to remove the bottom two 12mm nuts off the elbow so that it will be off its bracket…BIGGEST PITA besides the driver side coolant hose. The bottom passenger side bolt isn’t that bad, but the bottom driver side is pretty damn tight, but doable with a 12mm ratcheting wrench.
11.) Now you can start to slowly take the manifold off to get access to two more hoses in the rear. Lift the manifold and pull it to the passenger side so that the EGR valve can slide off because the thing is not too flexible. After you have the manifold off its studs and off the EGR valve, you should have enough room to get some pliers and take this hose off on the passenger side…
Notice how my clamp is NOT tightening the hose down too much because when I was putting everything back I did not realize that spacer would be minimal and did not feel like taking everything back off. Air blows out of that valve, so it shouldn’t be a problem and it hasn’t moved for the few days I’ve had it on…so hopefully it’s ok
Now the most PITA hose…behind the driver side on the elbow. This hose will also squirt some coolant out as well.
12.) When installing everything make sure that gaskets are in working condition and use some silicone gasket, which is what I used. I was going to use Permatex Grey, but my Nissan tech hooked me up with the stuff that they use, which is a tube of orange/redish silicone gasket that runs about $50 a tube
13.) When re-installing, make sure that you install those two difficult hoses first and then put everything back
Member Credit: prjctmax
So I purchased the “gusset,” aka the broken bracket and installed it today.
At first I thought I had to take the y-pipe off in order to do so…bad idea since I do not have air-tools and I got every single bolt off except for ONE! So I lay under my car thinking and starring at the damn bracket. And I figured out that I could squeeze my hands through there and take the thing out with a little effort and time, since the room is very minimal to work with.
Tools needed-14mm ratcheting wrench (makes it easier) and a 14mm socket with a short extension
After I got both of them off I compared and this is the “old” and the “new”
Judging by the huge crack where the bolt goes in I figured that I should put a washer and “lock-washer” (or whatever they are called) in for added surface area so that after time the bolt would not “eat” through the bracket again and snap that piece off AGAIN.
I also decided to keep the front heat-shield off that was needed to take out the front 3 bolts from the y-pipe.
Here is the final “product”
[IMG]And the noise at around 2700-3000 RPM is now gone![/IMG]
Read more: http://my6thgen.org/f277/how-fix-metal-metal-sound-gussets-2727/#ixzz4VC072nfZ