Copper 2007 FX35 AWD build thread!

[95maxrider]

Okay, now let's make this paint shine!

I threw on a small 3" buffing pad to tackle the small areas, like the headlights, grille, window trim, and roof rails:



The black trim polished up nicely!





Shiny!







It took a few days, but this is the end result:



The grille really came back to life with a little polishing:



Previously scratched areas:









The PS rear door cleaned up pretty well, but it's certainly not perfect since the clear coat is gone in a few areas. I did 3-4 rounds of polishing in these areas since they were significantly worse than the rest of the car.



Top scratches:



Bottom scratches:



Rear scratches:



The poor transition on the PS C pillar was greatly reduced:



The muffler tips are all shiny! I still can't get over how big they are!



Debadged with no ghosting from the old badge:



Roof rails polished up:



Scratches on DS front fender gone:



And while I was in there I replaced the broken rear wiper motor with a new one. It's great having it working again!



I can't wait to see this thing out in the sun, but I'll have to wait on that. I'm just happy knowing I was able to successfully undo some 11 years of abuse. My job in the spring should be significantly easier now that everything is in good shape! I ran out of time and wasn't able to do one last round of polish with the fine stuff, which would have increased the shine even further. I also didn't have time to apply the "trim black" product everywhere, but I assume the car will look a lot better after I get that on there. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the pictures!

 

[onthemove]

Great job on the paint but wait a minute...do you have a 1/2 wood 1/2 tile garage floor? Is that a lift I see under the FX? What the hell is going on over there?

 

[95maxrider]

Great job on the paint but wait a minute...do you have a 1/2 wood 1/2 tile garage floor? Is that a lift I see under the FX? What the hell is going on over there?

Ha, yeah, good eye. There used to be a wall between the fake wood floors and the tiles/concrete, but I knocked it down so a car could fit on a lift. The previous owner of the house tried to install a bathroom in the tiled area (in the tiny garage) but she didn't get it approved so she had to remove it, and only the tile was left. The actual proportions are more like 50% fake wood, 40% concrete, and 10% tile.

 

[onthemove]

IDK about the tile but I'm diggin the faux wood. So, that's not a lift I see then. Huh. Looks like one.

 

[95maxrider]

IDK about the tile but I'm diggin the faux wood. So, that's not a lift I see then. Huh. Looks like one.

Ehh, I've gotten used to the tile. It's also great since it doesn't stain or absorb anything. But it can get slippery! I'm just too lazy to remove it all. But yes, I love my fake wood!

And yeah, that's a lift you see there, your eyes do not deceive you.

 

[Old Blue]

Lotta love you’re giving her. Looks like you have it pretty well figured out. All that damn northern corrosion .

I highly recommend searching out ceramic windshield tint. I recommend it for anyone that’s tinting in 2019. You won’t believe the difference between that and the old school tint.

High flow KN style air filter, And a strut tower brace.

 

[95maxrider]

Lotta love you’re giving her. Looks like you have it pretty well figured out. All that damn northern corrosion .

I highly recommend searching out ceramic windshield tint. I recommend it for anyone that’s tinting in 2019. You won’t believe the difference between that and the old school tint.

I don't know much about ceramic tint, care to elaborate? I was only planning on having the front windows tinted (can only do like 40% in VA) but not the windshield.

 

[Old Blue]

I don't know much about ceramic tint, care to elaborate? I was only planning on having the front windows tinted (can only do like 40% in VA) but not the windshield.

Living in Texas, heat and sunshine are major considerations in the life expectancy of our vehicles.

Tinted windows are pretty much everywhere, I’ve had a half dozen or more vehicles with tint.

Not until my latest Infiniti had I heard of ceramic tint. I had the front side windows and the windshield done sort of as an experiment once I saw how it worked on the front store glass of the tint shop. It’s frigging amazing! It’s NASA stuff!

My car feels like I got two new AC vents in the dashboard the difference is so pronounced. Since I live and drive in Texas,windshield tint just became legal so I went ahead did the moon roof, my wife’s Tundra windshield, then her mother’s. You can barely see it. I’d say 1%, but the difference in heat transfer is like 100 times better than the tint on my first few cars. It’s just a few bucks more but it’s a Paradigm shift in windshield tech. I didn’t go crazy and cover the already tinted windows but I really really can feel the difference in the newly ceramic tinted ones. The moon roof I went pretty dark but it’s 500% cooler.

(Statistics are my own Guesstimates.) but research for your self, you should be amazed.
NASA glass!

 

[95maxrider]

The FX was due for its first oil change (with us) so I pulled it in the garage and got busy. But not before taking some pics of the freshly buffed paint glistening in the morning sunlight!





I'm using Motul 5w-40 with an OEM filter:



And for the first time, I got it on the lift and up in the air! I'm so spoiled.....



I was promptly greeted by rusted fasteners all over the plastic under tray:



The oil cooler coolant line clearly needs to be replaced ASAP. Does anyone know how hard it is? I couldn't really see where it went up on the driver's side of the engine.



I replaced all the hardware with new stuff:



This little bracket sits in the center of the radiator support and has one bolt that the bumper attaches to. Of course the bolt snapped, and I had to remove it from the bracket. I got it red hot with my torch, and with my vice grips set super tight, I was able to remove the bolt. Hooray!



I put anti seize all over every new bolt:



And for the first time in probably a long time, the main under tray was properly attached and not dangling down, looking all stupid. I think the next oil change will be much smoother!



But seriously, does anyone know how hard it is to replace that coolant tube/pipe for the oil cooler?

 

[onthemove]

Delete it. It's an oil heater.

 

[95maxrider]

Delete it. It's an oil heater.

Care to elaborate? How is something that's a part of the oil cooler an "oil heater"?

 

[onthemove]

I don't know of a VQ that came with an oil cooler.
Supposedly that silly little thing is there to warm up the oil quicker upon start up, apparently to help lower emissions on the short-term. Same with the throttle body "warmer", though the t.b. warmer is something that does provide a service in preventing the t.b. from icing up in very cold climates. Many have speculated as to exactly what it's there for and the above explanation is the most commonsensical.
Consider running coolant to the t.b. to "cool" it.
Many have deleted them and so have I, including the t.b. warmer among other things.

 

[95maxrider]

I don't know of a VQ that came with an oil cooler.
Supposedly that silly little thing is there to warm up the oil quicker upon start up, apparently to help lower emissions on the short-term. Same with the throttle body "warmer", though the t.b. warmer is something that does provide a service in preventing the t.b. from icing up in very cold climates. Many have speculated as to exactly what it's there for and the above explanation is the most commonsensical.
Consider running coolant to the t.b. to "cool" it.
Many have deleted them and so have I, including the t.b. warmer among other things.

Good to know, thanks! So what do people use to cap off the ends? Any idea where my rusty pipe ends? I did get rid of the TB heater lines for the 3.5 in my I30.....

 

[onthemove]

I copied the below off my master list where I've got everything I've put on this and other VQ sites x2 as well as future plans. I think it's all here as well as the idler pulley delete but the belt #'s will be slightly too long, so if you did this, go a 1/2" shorter than the belts below.
You'll see below there's several ways to deal with the "nipples" left on the coolant hard pipes from deleting the various heater hoses. I'm fucking nutz so I went cheap and easy with JB Weld Original. It's all about the prep work. The pipes need to be off to do this and if you go this route, you'll see that due to the JB consistency, gravity plays a role in what you fill and when . I'm willing to bet it'll last as long as the engine or longer but will eventually be replaced with welded joints when the engine comes out. The HR thermostat housing is nipple-free and can be had for $20 something from Z1 Motorsports and it comes with a new thermostat BUT the bolts do not come with it. Your bolts will not be long enough, so you'll want to get a couple HR bolts and a new gasket.
I have a diagram of the oil heater from the FSM but I cannot copy and paste it for some reason. Once you remove the oil filter, you can remove one end of the heater. The hose then connects to a nipple on the driver side hard line, so you'll have to move the a/c compressor, not remove but move it out of your way. IIRC, it's just the two ends. It's a bit of work but there are several useless hoses that can be removed and between this and the idler pulley delete is a great start to cleaning up the engine bay. You get enough shit out of there and you'll be able to stand up, feet on the ground inside the bay which makes many things sooo much easier. I love that.

HEATER HOSE DELETES & COOLANT FLUSH
----OIL FILTER HEATER, T.B. HEATER, THERMOSTAT BYPASS ACROSS FRONT ENGINE
----PAINT PIPES WHILE THEY'RE OFF ENGINE
----PAINT COOLANT & POWER STEERING TANKS WRINKLE PAINT
----DO SOMETHING ABOUT BRACKET FOR RAD. FAN PLUG
⦁ T.B. HOSE DELETE - SEALANT & BOLT IN HOSE ON REAR PIPE FOR T.B. OR RUN IT TO THE OTHER BYPASS ON REAR PIPE & JB WELD THE NIPPLE ON PASS SIDE THAT'S ATTACHED TO HEATER HOSE NIPPLE. JB WELD ON DRIVER SIDE NIPPLE. CUT OTHER PIPE CONNECTED TO FLANGE ON BLOCK DOWN BUT LEAVE A LITTLE TO CRIMP, ACETONE, SANDPAPER, ACETONE THEN J.B. WELD
⦁ INSTALL HR THERMOSTAT, HOUSING, GASKET & ACETONE, SANDPAPER, ACETONE, JB WELD NIPPLES
⦁ DELETE OIL FILTER HEATER & ACETONE, SANDPAPER, ACETONE, JB WELD NIPPLES
⦁ AFTER JB WELD, ACETONE, SAND PIPES WELL, ACETONE & PAINT
TORQUE SPECS – THERM. HOUSING – 80 INCH LBS. HR OIL FILTER STUD – 25 LBS. PASS SIDE HARD PIPE (SINGLE BOLT) 18 FT LBS. DRIVER SIDE (2 BOLTS) 8 FT LBS. THERM. HOUSING 90 INCH LBS.
⦁ Oil cooler/warmer removal............. - MY350Z.COM - Nissan 350Z and 370Z Forum Discussion
⦁ Here is how I always change coolant. Drain it from the radiator, refill with distilled water, run until warm, let cool then drain again. Refill and run until warm, let cool then drain again. Usually repeat this 3-4 times or until drained fluid is looking pretty clear, may have a little color but mostly water. Then on the last fill I add exactly 50% of the specified volume of full strength coolant. Then I top off the rest with the distilled water. This gives you almost total replacement and correct 50/50 mix. Anything else besides a power flush or pulling the block drain plugs is just 1/2 a change IMO. Takes 8-12 gallons of distilled water and around 4 hours, mostly waiting time for cool down, I run a big fan on the radiator to speed up the cool down. Never add cold water to a hot engine. !!! DO 70% WATER, 30% COOLANT FOR FINAL FILL !!!

OIL HEATER DELETE/COOLANT FLUSH
⦁ HR thermostat housing ( 2120031U01, 2120031U03 OR 21200JK20A)
⦁ thermostat
⦁ thermostat gasket
⦁ rad. Cap
⦁ clamp for upper rad. hose
⦁ HR Oil Filter Stud #15213-31U00
-------idler delete-------
⦁ HR WASHER #13298-4P10A
⦁ 2 bolts for idler delete (if they exist or are necessary)
⦁ clips for wire looms to panels
⦁ black clips for body panels
"""you just need to run a short (a few inches long) hose between the 2 small nipples on the rear coolant pipe. one used to go to the throttle body & the other went to one of the other pipes. they won't be needed with the other mods."""
------- WAYS TO CAP OFF HOSES WITHOUT WELDING -------
USE "ORIGINAL TWIN TUBE JB WELD" (which, when mixed, has the consistency of toothpaste). DRAIN COOLANT, CLEAN WITH ACETONE OR LACQUER THINNER, SAND INSIDE OF NIPPLE, CLEAN AGAIN, PARTIALLY CRIMP NIPPLE THEN APPLY JB WELD.
Volkswagen Scirocco Coolant Pipe Cap Meyle 55121324 (USE SUMCO SILICONE HOSE CAPS),
1/2, 9/16, 5/8, and 11/16 is the common nipple sizes I've seen on the Z.
Use a "Yor-Lok" pipe compression fitting from Mcmaster Carr found here: http://http://www.mcmaster.com/#stan...ttings/=l9yt9w These are rated for hydraulic pressures of something like 3000 psi. Use teflon tape on the sealing threads
IDLER PULLEY DELETE
Idler Pulley Removal Mod with Pics - MY350Z.COM - Nissan 350Z and 370Z Forum Discussion
PART # 13298-4P10A $3.85 FOR SPACER TO REPLACE IDLER PULLEY BRACKET
BELT - BANDO 6PK1100 OR 6PK1108 OR GATES KO60435

 

[95maxrider]

I copied the below off my master list where I've got everything I've put on this and other VQ sites x2 as well as future plans. I think it's all here as well as the idler pulley delete but the belt #'s will be slightly too long, so if you did this, go a 1/2" shorter than the belts below.
You'll see below there's several ways to deal with the "nipples" left on the coolant hard pipes from deleting the various heater hoses. I'm fucking nutz so I went cheap and easy with JB Weld Original. It's all about the prep work. The pipes need to be off to do this and if you go this route, you'll see that due to the JB consistency, gravity plays a role in what you fill and when . I'm willing to bet it'll last as long as the engine or longer but will eventually be replaced with welded joints when the engine comes out. The HR thermostat housing is nipple-free and can be had for $20 something from Z1 Motorsports and it comes with a new thermostat BUT the bolts do not come with it. Your bolts will not be long enough, so you'll want to get a couple HR bolts and a new gasket.
I have a diagram of the oil heater from the FSM but I cannot copy and paste it for some reason. Once you remove the oil filter, you can remove one end of the heater. The hose then connects to a nipple on the driver side hard line, so you'll have to move the a/c compressor, not remove but move it out of your way. IIRC, it's just the two ends. It's a bit of work but there are several useless hoses that can be removed and between this and the idler pulley delete is a great start to cleaning up the engine bay. You get enough shit out of there and you'll be able to stand up, feet on the ground inside the bay which makes many things sooo much easier. I love that.

HEATER HOSE DELETES & COOLANT FLUSH
----OIL FILTER HEATER, T.B. HEATER, THERMOSTAT BYPASS ACROSS FRONT ENGINE
----PAINT PIPES WHILE THEY'RE OFF ENGINE
----PAINT COOLANT & POWER STEERING TANKS WRINKLE PAINT
----DO SOMETHING ABOUT BRACKET FOR RAD. FAN PLUG
⦁ T.B. HOSE DELETE - SEALANT & BOLT IN HOSE ON REAR PIPE FOR T.B. OR RUN IT TO THE OTHER BYPASS ON REAR PIPE & JB WELD THE NIPPLE ON PASS SIDE THAT'S ATTACHED TO HEATER HOSE NIPPLE. JB WELD ON DRIVER SIDE NIPPLE. CUT OTHER PIPE CONNECTED TO FLANGE ON BLOCK DOWN BUT LEAVE A LITTLE TO CRIMP, ACETONE, SANDPAPER, ACETONE THEN J.B. WELD
⦁ INSTALL HR THERMOSTAT, HOUSING, GASKET & ACETONE, SANDPAPER, ACETONE, JB WELD NIPPLES
⦁ DELETE OIL FILTER HEATER & ACETONE, SANDPAPER, ACETONE, JB WELD NIPPLES
⦁ AFTER JB WELD, ACETONE, SAND PIPES WELL, ACETONE & PAINT
TORQUE SPECS – THERM. HOUSING – 80 INCH LBS. HR OIL FILTER STUD – 25 LBS. PASS SIDE HARD PIPE (SINGLE BOLT) 18 FT LBS. DRIVER SIDE (2 BOLTS) 8 FT LBS. THERM. HOUSING 90 INCH LBS.
⦁ Oil cooler/warmer removal............. - MY350Z.COM - Nissan 350Z and 370Z Forum Discussion
⦁ Here is how I always change coolant. Drain it from the radiator, refill with distilled water, run until warm, let cool then drain again. Refill and run until warm, let cool then drain again. Usually repeat this 3-4 times or until drained fluid is looking pretty clear, may have a little color but mostly water. Then on the last fill I add exactly 50% of the specified volume of full strength coolant. Then I top off the rest with the distilled water. This gives you almost total replacement and correct 50/50 mix. Anything else besides a power flush or pulling the block drain plugs is just 1/2 a change IMO. Takes 8-12 gallons of distilled water and around 4 hours, mostly waiting time for cool down, I run a big fan on the radiator to speed up the cool down. Never add cold water to a hot engine. !!! DO 70% WATER, 30% COOLANT FOR FINAL FILL !!!

OIL HEATER DELETE/COOLANT FLUSH
⦁ HR thermostat housing ( 2120031U01, 2120031U03 OR 21200JK20A)
⦁ thermostat
⦁ thermostat gasket
⦁ rad. Cap
⦁ clamp for upper rad. hose
⦁ HR Oil Filter Stud #15213-31U00
-------idler delete-------
⦁ HR WASHER #13298-4P10A
⦁ 2 bolts for idler delete (if they exist or are necessary)
⦁ clips for wire looms to panels
⦁ black clips for body panels
"""you just need to run a short (a few inches long) hose between the 2 small nipples on the rear coolant pipe. one used to go to the throttle body & the other went to one of the other pipes. they won't be needed with the other mods."""
------- WAYS TO CAP OFF HOSES WITHOUT WELDING -------
USE "ORIGINAL TWIN TUBE JB WELD" (which, when mixed, has the consistency of toothpaste). DRAIN COOLANT, CLEAN WITH ACETONE OR LACQUER THINNER, SAND INSIDE OF NIPPLE, CLEAN AGAIN, PARTIALLY CRIMP NIPPLE THEN APPLY JB WELD.
Volkswagen Scirocco Coolant Pipe Cap Meyle 55121324 (USE SUMCO SILICONE HOSE CAPS),
1/2, 9/16, 5/8, and 11/16 is the common nipple sizes I've seen on the Z.
Use a "Yor-Lok" pipe compression fitting from Mcmaster Carr found here: http://http://www.mcmaster.com/#stan...ttings/=l9yt9w These are rated for hydraulic pressures of something like 3000 psi. Use teflon tape on the sealing threads
IDLER PULLEY DELETE
Idler Pulley Removal Mod with Pics - MY350Z.COM - Nissan 350Z and 370Z Forum Discussion
PART # 13298-4P10A $3.85 FOR SPACER TO REPLACE IDLER PULLEY BRACKET
BELT - BANDO 6PK1100 OR 6PK1108 OR GATES KO60435

You rock, thanks for the detailed post! Although, if I'm being honest, this may turn out to be more work than just replacing the rusty pipe. This is my wife's daily driver, so ultimate performance isn't really the goal here, but reduced complexity is always nice. But thanks for posting all that up, I'll see if it's worth the trouble!

 

[onthemove]

You're welcome. It is quite a bit of work. That heater can become a problem though. You might find a used one from somewhere in the south with less to no rust. I'd give you mine but I tossed it 1 1/2 years ago. I think you could also just replace that line too but then consider the condition of the rest of it.

 

[95maxrider]

The FX has been doing well, but ever since we bought it, the speaker in the PS front door hasn't worked. I went through all of the previous owner's paperwork from the dealership, and noticed the PS front door panel had been removed a few times to address some rattles, so I thought that maybe they had just forgotten to plug the speaker back in the last time they were in there. Thankfully, removing the door panel is very simple, and within a few minutes I could see the problem:



Yeah, they had bent one of the tabs over. I knew something was wrong when I noticed the connector wasn't snug on the speaker, and I couldn't make it clip in. The fix was nice and simple.



And with that, all the speakers now work! I'm still not sure that I trust the sub 100%, sometimes it seems like it's not doing anything. I've already bought the replacement relay but haven't installed it since I'm not sure it's needed. While I had the door panel off, I decided to remove these deadening strips, since they appeared to only block noise from going into the cabin.





Then it was on to the last nasty part of the car, the door jambs! When I cleaned the car a few months back, the door jambs wouldn't get clean with just a soapy sponge and my power washer. It seems the dealer techs were diligent, if sloppy, about applying lube to the hinges, but the lube dries and attracts dirt until it becomes a big mess of crap. So I brought out some Purple Power and some rags and cleaned it all up. Not a fun task, but I think it was worth it.













I finished them off with some Wurth HHS Plus lube. I still need to clean and protect the rubber door seals, but when I do, I'll use the Wurth Rubber Care.

 

[kahlilj]

I'm just now reading this thread. Good stuff! I like your preferred color combo. That was my exact same goal too when I was

Hi everyone! My name is Nick and my wife just bought a 2007 FX35 AWD! I've been a big Nissan/Infiniti fan since I was a kid, and have owned a very modified I30 since 2003. I've never liked SUVs, but I have always loved the FX. While on vacation at the beach a month ago we spotted a slightly modified burnt copper 1st gen FX parked, and I commented on how much I've always liked them, and she said she thought it was pretty cool looking. It probably helped that orange is one of her favorite colors! We weren't in the market for a new car for her, but her 2001 Escape was tired and I was tired of working on it. While I recovered from getting sunburned, I checked out FXs for sale. I was only interested in the burnt copper color, and I wanted one of the refreshed models, 2006-2008. I also had to have the cool brown interior, and would have preferred RWD. However, here in the DC area, most are AWD. Turns out finding a burnt copper 35 with the brown interior and RWD was pretty much impossible, but I did find one 10 miles from my house that was AWD. It had about 120k on it, the guy was the second owner, and he had ALL service done at the dealer! The car was in great shape aside from some scratches on the PS rear door, with none of that seat leather tearing like I saw on so many other ones for sale. The dash had been replaced under warranty, the tires were relatively new, and he had just spent $3,000+ having the 120k service done. We paid $7,000 for our FX, and we couldn't be happier! My wife is only 5'-2", so visibility leaves a little to be desired, but she's getting used to it. Even for me, it's tough to tell where the corners of the hood are! The car is pretty well loaded with Touring, hands-free, Technology, and LDW packages.
...

I'm just now reading this thread. Good stuff! I like your preferred color combo. That was my exact same goal too when I was looking for the FX35 and I eventually got the same color combo and options. It's identical to yours except mine is a 2006. Welcome to IS!

 

[95maxrider]

I finally tackled a job that I had been dreading, which was replacing the coolant pipe at the bottom/front of the engine. There was talking about bypassing it, since it's part of the oil cooler system, but in the end that seemed like more work than just replacing the damn thing, so $44 later I had the part in my hand and was ready to work.

This is what needed to be replaced:



It was wet in that pic because I had sprayed the bolt with some Kroil to loosen it up.

The pipe is only held on by two bolts; the rusty one in the front there, and one that's hidden behind the AC compressor on the side of the engine. I've got a pretty decent tool collection, but no matter what I tried, I couldn't access the second bolt, so I dropped the AC compressor:



With that out of the way, I could finally access the second bolt. Then it was just a matter of the one in the front. It was so rusty that the socket wasn't fitting on it very well, so I had to lightly hammer it on. When I applied some torque to loosen it, that was enough to crack the pipe and it started leaking!



I didn't have my drop pan down yet because I didn't think I would need it! Thankfully, I had bought and used two hose clamps for this job, and they did their jobs perfectly!



The other hose clamp was on the hose at the other end of the pipe.



They completely stopped all coolant from getting through, so I was able to complete the repair without having to drain the whole cooling system. What a relief that was!

New vs. old:



The hose clamp on the bottom fell apart as I tried to remove it. Thankfully I had also bought a bunch of new OEM hose clamps, which seemed to be a little bigger than the original ones.



New pipe installed:



Put the car on ramps and burped the cooling system after topping it off with OEM green coolant and distilled water:



And with that, the FX is now far safer to take on a long trip. The oil pan is the next rust-related casualty to be replaced, but I'll wait to do that until the next oil change, since it's not nearly as bad as the pipe was. That pipe was so brittle and ready to crack that I feel like a big enough pothole could have done it. I sure am glad I got this over with!

 

[kahlilj]

good work!