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OEM cats? Anecdotally, I'm going to guess 5 hp under the curve.
And this thread is about puppies... can't you tell?
Thanks for making me smile today with the puppy comment! I needed that...
Originally Posted by ocie
Likewise to Akira - she's a spitting image of Maggie. I had never seen a black GSD in person until I rescued Maggie. Then I saw 3 within 3 months lol. I weighed her at the vet yesterday after her final blood draw/kidney check and she was 93. I'm bringing her down to 88 and keeping her there, she's large for a female, but she was packing on winter weight due to us not running in the winter (oops).
I would love to get another GSD, but it'll be a few years. You'll have your hands full with 3 pups!
Anyway, sorry for being so off topic. Anyone have any quick advice for painting my center caps to match my wheels?
I'm thinking I'll need:
220ish grit sand paper
400-500 grit sand paper
Matching automotive paint
Clear coat
This is my desired result:
The caps I have are chrome, seen here:
I'm probably not the best person to be giving painting advise , but I do have lots of experience in prep work. In addition to what you've listed above, I would also suggest finishing with a 1500 or 3000 grit foam sanding pad to eliminate any sanding marks when you start applying your paint. Something like this one from AutoZone should work well: Finish 1st/Sanding sheet 8323-036 - Read Reviews on Finish 1st #8323-036
Our first dog was a black shepherd/border collie mix and she was one of the smartest, well trained, and best behaved dogs you would ever meet... We have been GSD lovers ever since. We had to put down that dog along with our Doberman over the past several years (both were around 15 years old, so it was their time), so my wife finally feels it's time to "replace" them. Akira was the first "replacement" and now that she's acclimated my wife is trying to adopt a 3rd dog. Our other dog, Dakota, is a Shepherd/Belgium Malinois mix and was a "foster fail" from about 5 or 6 years ago. Thankfully she's a little older now and requires very little work... however, if I had my way we'd stick with 2 dogs and be done with it. I guess she lets me have my cars and I let her have her dogs.
You want the Fuji to remain chrome, but the surround to match? How are your masking skills? Hand painting will leave brush strokes (unless you're good at it) so I'd suggest taking LOTS of time and masking the Fuji perfectly.
Do you have access to a media blasting cabinet? Intricate sanding in the nooks and crannies will pose a challenge.
Originally Posted by ocie
Correct. I figured I would go that route since that's how my gunmetal rims are currently (matching caps with chrome Fuji). It'd match the chrome Fuji and chrome borders on my Midnight Black grille.
I believe I'd be able to mask it well, but the brush strokes would be a different story. Off the top of my head, no, no access to a media blasting cabinet.
Just sanding the entire cap and painting it entirely to match my rims is an option too, though.
I would suggest using a liquid mask film for the mount Fuji emblem. I used to use this stuff all the time when I was racing R/C cars. You can apply it with a paint brush and it makes a very clean masking line and then you just peel it off.
Most of your exhaust gains will come from high flow cats. Are you AWD?
I picked up 16rwhp and 13lbft with a cat back and drop ins. Added test pipes and made a whopping 6 more horse power. This was on my 370 though. Still same engine and same cats as you already know. I'm staying stock cats for now. Then going resonated TP over the summer bill let you know how much additional hp it adds.
I'm probably not the best person to be giving painting advise , but I do have lots of experience in prep work. In addition to what you've listed above, I would also suggest finishing with a 1500 or 3000 grit foam sanding pad to eliminate any sanding marks when you start applying your paint. Something like this one from AutoZone should work well: Finish 1st/Sanding sheet 8323-036 - Read Reviews on Finish 1st #8323-036
Our first dog was a black shepherd/border collie mix and she was one of the smartest, well trained, and best behaved dogs you would ever meet... We have been GSD lovers ever since. We had to put down that dog along with our Doberman over the past several years (both were around 15 years old, so it was their time), so my wife finally feels it's time to "replace" them. Akira was the first "replacement" and now that she's acclimated my wife is trying to adopt a 3rd dog. Our other dog, Dakota, is a Shepherd/Belgium Malinois mix and was a "foster fail" from about 5 or 6 years ago. Thankfully she's a little older now and requires very little work... however, if I had my way we'd stick with 2 dogs and be done with it. I guess she lets me have my cars and I let her have her dogs.
Good thought, thanks!
A Shepherd/Belgium Malinois eh? I haven't actually seen a Malinois in person. A collie/GSD mix is also a great mixture of temperament, alertness, and both breeds are "eager to please" so I can see how she would solidify your fondness for GSDs.
I grew up in a GSD family, having one when I was very young and a second later on that was put down while I was in college (both lived to be about 14 years old, so a full life lived indeed). Maggie is my first dog, so i had to adopt a GSD. I'd love to foster but I know i'd end up just adopting the dog anyway, so i'll be waiting awhile.
Originally Posted by 2GoRNot2G
I would suggest using a liquid mask film for the mount Fuji emblem. I used to use this stuff all the time when I was racing R/C cars. You can apply it with a paint brush and it makes a very clean masking line and then you just peel it off. Amazon.com: 3010 Liquid Masking Film 16 oz: Toys & Games
Yea he’s only about 2 months old. his paws are growing faster than he is lol
but its actually kinda sad. he ended up giving the little guy to his girlfriends family because he pussed out. feel so bad for it but i don't have the money or time to raise a pupp right now. and no him and his girlfriend are splitting up after 7 years and her and her family are keeping the dog. i miss the little **** haha idk what the *** is wrong with people my age and younger. no one commits to **** anymore. everyone just gives up now lol
I picked up 16rwhp and 13lbft with a cat back and drop ins. Added test pipes and made a whopping 6 more horse power. This was on my 370 though. Still same engine and same cats as you already know. I'm staying stock cats for now. Then going resonated TP over the summer bill let you know how much additional hp it adds.
Well yeah, if you have the catback first. But I'm sure if you would've dynoed your car with just the HFC/TP, it would've yielded roughly the same gains as a catback exhaust. HFC/TP is a better bang-per-buck modification.
On another note, does anyone know if the MXP Y-Pipe will clear the transfer case on the AWD Sedan?
Well yeah, if you have the catback first. But I'm sure if you would've dynoed your car with just the HFC/TP, it would've yielded roughly the same gains as a catback exhaust. HFC/TP is a better bang-per-buck modification.
On another note, does anyone know if the MXP Y-Pipe will clear the transfer case on the AWD Sedan?
I have that Y-pipe part of my MXP catback , but I do not know if it clears
Damn squeaking is driving me BONKERS! Anybody with Tein Basis have any squeaking in the rear? No its not my Sways. I greased them with heavy silicon grease the other day and as soon as I pulled out the garage I heard it again. Think it could be the rear top hats?
I had a similar squeak for months. Sounded just like when my Hotchkiss sway bar bushings need to be lubed, so I tried lubing them and that didn't fix it. Next I tried replacing the sway bar bushings and that was a no go as well. Then I tried some upgraded sway bar links and still had that damn squeak! Finally after pulling half the suspension apart I discovered it was a torn bushing on one of the control arms. Replaced the control arm and voila, all fixed! I doubt it's the top shock mount, but the easiest way to "try" and isolate the squeak is to use some silicone spray (silicone, not regular WD40) and start spraying each individual bushing one by one until you find the one that makes the noise go away. The silicone is only a very temporary fix but should help you isolate the source of the noise.
As for the puppy's I don't have one so I cannot contribute. I do however live with this little monster. And I luh him to death lmao
Wow, what a cutie! Definitely still has some growing to do judging by the size of those paws.
Originally Posted by ocie
Good thought, thanks!
A Shepherd/Belgium Malinois eh? I haven't actually seen a Malinois in person. A collie/GSD mix is also a great mixture of temperament, alertness, and both breeds are "eager to please" so I can see how she would solidify your fondness for GSDs.
I grew up in a GSD family, having one when I was very young and a second later on that was put down while I was in college (both lived to be about 14 years old, so a full life lived indeed). Maggie is my first dog, so i had to adopt a GSD. I'd love to foster but I know i'd end up just adopting the dog anyway, so i'll be waiting awhile.
That's a really great idea too! I appreciate it.
No problem. Good luck with the center cap project!
The Belgium Malinois is a great breed. They have a very similar temperament to other Shepherd breeds, love to work (ours always carries a backpack when we go hiking), are typically very intelligent, and tend to be a bit smaller than you typical German Shepherds. Dakota is considerably shorter than Akira and only 60 or 65 lbs. They are also great protection dogs if properly trained... Dakota "accidentally" took down a roofer working at our house one day and he was 6'3" 250 lb ex-Marine... Oops. Thankfully she didn't hurt him and just took him down to the ground and kept him pinned in a corner. Luckily he had his phone on him and was able to call us so we could get him free. Suffice it to say, he no longer does any work at our house.
Fostering dogs is definitely a roller coaster ride of emotions. It is wonderful to be a small part of these dog's lives and help them find new families (forever homes), but you can definitely get attached which makes it tough to let them go. I do highly recommend fostering to anyone looking to adopt a second or third dog, because it allows you to help find homes for these dogs while finding a dog that gets along well with your other dog(s) and also meshes well with the rest of your family. We fostered and successfully placed 6 or 7 different dogs before we finally "failed" and adopted Dakota. We knew right away that she was the proper fit for our family and with our other dogs getting older at the time, we were ready for another permanent addition.
Great dog pics, here's an older one when our mixed pit/lab/? & our Rottie were sleeping, a couple years later and he still sleeps on the big girl, lol.
Well yeah, if you have the catback first. But I'm sure if you would've dynoed your car with just the HFC/TP, it would've yielded roughly the same gains as a catback exhaust. HFC/TP is a better bang-per-buck modification.
On another note, does anyone know if the MXP Y-Pipe will clear the transfer case on the AWD Sedan?
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I agree!! But I'll have 250 bucks in my exhaust. Paid 100 bucks for the nismo H pipe and mid pipe and going to spend another 150 on two mandrel bends and two resonated tips. I'm all about that bag for buck. Hopefully I get the bang I was expecting lol. Going from a normal 370z Y-Pipe and mid pipe setup to the nismo H pipe and mid pipe setup normally nets 7rwhp on average. Since the 370 already flows more than our stock setup I figured the nismo exhaust should make some decent gains over stock.
As for test pipes I'm going to upgrade them as well. But I'm just curious to see how the nismo exhaust will perform over my journey exhaust.
03-31-2016, 12:57 PM
, but I do have lots of experience in prep work. In addition to what you've listed above, I would also suggest finishing with a 1500 or 3000 grit foam sanding pad to eliminate any sanding marks when you start applying your paint. Something like this one from AutoZone should work well: Finish 1st/Sanding sheet 8323-036 - Read Reviews on Finish 1st #8323-036
Haha, awesome. Paws like a Great Dane.
