In 2002 Nissan Introduced The 350z To The World. It Would Be Another 2 Years Before The Convertible Would Be Introduced In 2004 (And It's Kinda Ugly With The Top Up). So What Is Up With This 2003 Drop Top 350z With What Looks To My Eyes To Be Cutting A Rather Handsome Figure With ITS Top Up?

I spotted this lil' gem on craigslist while just putzing around on the cars for sale section a couple of days ago.  Didn't think much of it...until earlier today when I noticed a 350z Convertible on the road, and something just didn't look right.

Exhaust, Exhaust, Exhaust... I Know. The Good News Is That It's Done...Complete...Finished. And Bonus, The Spyder Is On The Road Properly Now! So I Shot Some Footage Of The New (And The Old Raggedy Stock) Exhaust To Show Ya How It Sounds, In Case You Are In The Market. Status: Comparo!

This is an older photo, but this blog post ain't about static pics...it's about them fancy movin' pictures...and the sound associated there with.  Oh, and that "silencer" insert, it isn't getting used.

A Beautiful 65 Degree Saturday Morning And A Sh*t Ton Of Cool Cars...What Could Be More Appealing? We Took The Spyder To It's First "Car Show" This Morning At The St. Louis Cars And Coffee Event.

Now THIS is my kind of car meet!  A myriad of car styles, ages and levels of modification...much like the owners themselves.  Like Ferraris? They were there.  Hot rods?  Yup, in attendance.  Vintage tin?  There was a Trabant there, 'nuf said.  Wanna see a video I shot of some of the cars?

It's Been A Whole Month Since I Last Posted And I Haven't Had Much To Show...But I Have Been Buying Up Some Cheap Go Fast Goodies. Today I Picked Up All The Hardware Store Stuff To Build A Boost Controller. Status: Not Yet Installed.

So here's most of the kit to build a simple manual boost controller for your turbocharged car.  The only thing missing is the thread tap that I had to buy in order to install the control knob...but that's a little like saying that I'm missing the hack saw and wrenches I used to build it, right?

Well, I THOUGHT My Exhaust Was Finished When I Finally Managed To Get The SRS Stainless Catback On. Not So Much. Turns Out, The Stock Downpipe Was Toast. Let's Take Some Pipes And A High Flow Cat To The Welder!

This Megan downpipe and Random Technology 3" catalytic converter, plus the midpipe from the SRS catback system went for a little trip to the the welder with me last weekend. The results turned out pretty great! Look inside for a build video.

So Winter Happened. Haven't Done Much To The Sneaker, But We Did Go On A Road Trip! On Our Way Home We Dropped By The Tail Of The Dragon. Ever Been?

I didn't have the Eclipse Spyder ready for the trip so we took the Girlfriend's '13 GTI. It's the car that inspired me to get the GST and they have similar performance levels...and I wouldn't have had the top down anyway. Maybe we'll go again this coming Spring. I've been itching to go white water rafting and stay in the Wigwam Motel again...so we'll see!

Ok, I Finally Got That Stubborn 3" SRS Stainless Steel Exhaust All Buttoned Up...Well Almost, I've Found That I Must Now Replace The Stock Downpipe. But! Wanna Hear How It Sounds Compared To The Stock Catback? I Knew You Would!

Out with the old, in with the new...And Improved! Getting the old one out was a chore, but the PB Blaster helped. I was really careful with the cat studs so as to not break them off.

Ahhhhhh...Success!!! After Much Trial And Tribulation I've Finally Managed To Fit The SR-S 3" Stainless Steel Catback Exhaust System. After Aceepting The Inevitable, It Was A Much Easier Task Than I Thought It Would Be.

I still haven't tightened everything up or started the car with the new exhaust yet, but just getting everything in place and test fit was such a win that I just had to share.  I was even able to salvage the downstream O2 sensor!

In The Spirit Of Seeing A Problem As An Opportunity...A Great Big Fat 3" Stainless Steel SR-S Exhaust Was Delivered To Replace The Old 2" Stock Unit With A Big Hole In It.

With no experience in the DSM world and having never bought an aftermarket exhaust, I feel like I got kinda lucky in purchasing such a nice quality item.  Not that I didn't do my homework, I did a fair bit of looking around before buying this SR-S system off Amazon.

It May Be A Small Victory, But A Victory None The Less. And It Feels So Good To Fix Something Yourself. Mission: Keyfob - Success.

The Sneaker (Eclipse Spyder) came with a keybob remote for the keyless entry when I bought it, but it didn't work. Big deal? Try driving a month without yours!

Realizing That I Haven't Even Shown The Eclipse Spyder With The Top Retracted, I Thought It Might Be High Time To Shoot A Couple Quick Pics And Show Her Topless! Not The Best Staged Photos, But You Get The Idea.

The reflection of our maple tree in the front yard looks amazing on the hood of The Sneaker (the Spyder's nick name - 'cuz it's comfortable like a well worn sneaker, and with the top down it kinda looks like a shoe...right?!), but that paint job ain't that great.  It's a ten footer...looks fine from ten feet away.

So Rain. October Was An Unusually Dry Month, But We Finally Got A Lil Drizzle And I Found That The Top On The Spyder Ain't So Much Waterproof.

Not really a surprise since the top is seriously faded.  A new top would be fantastic...but that ain't happening...at least not right away.

After Pulling Out The Offending Convertible Top Motor (Making Lots Of Bad Noises) And Inspecting It, I Found That The Shear Pin Was Intact...So A Replacement Was The Next Logical Step. Found A Pair On Craigslist For $50. Will That Solve The Problem?

So, I did a little research on line and found that many of the electric convertible top motors listed on eBay for the 2g Eclipse also had them as a replacement for a couple other vehicles.  I was hoping this would be the case since there are quite a few pull it yourself salvage yards around St. Louis and I could probably find what I needed cheap.

October Has Proven To Be An Exceptional Month For Driving With The Top Down. It's Also Been Great Weather For Pulling The Car Apart To Figure Out Where That Screetching Is Coming From! Let's Find And Inspect Those Electric Motors That Raise And Lower The Convertible Top.

It didn't take a genius to figure where the noise was coming from and it doesn't take an ASE certified mechanic to figure out how to get to it...just some simple tools and about 15 minutes.  Click through to watch a video of how I got the drivers side convertible top electric motor out of my 1999 Eclipse Spyder and gave it a good once over inspection.

Things To Do. Fix That God Awful Screetch. The Top Makes A Blood Curtling Noise About 75% Of The Time. Quite Embarrasing!

When I purchased the car, there were a couple of issues that I found and was able to capitalize upon in the negotiation process.  One of these was this fearsome noise that the top made when I put it up (after the seller had put it down for us just before our test drive).  It was hard for the seller to argue against a modest price adjustment.  Click through to see a video and hear what I'm talking about.

Here We Go! October 2015, I've Purchased My First Convertible As Well As My First Turbocharged Car. Let The Fun Begin!

The short story is; I've been wanting a quick convertible for years.  I've finally got one.  Click through for the longer version.