Infiniti Q45 Flagship Luxury Sedan, Track/Autox/Drift Build!

[subtledriver]

Sneak peak of the finished product:

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Thank you for checking out the continuing build log of this beast of a track car! Please dont hesitate to ask any questions or post comments!


"Autocrossing" my Q45 at Last Year's International Zcar Convention hosted in San Diego, CA. My passengers loved it!



Last year I brought out my Subaru WRX and took a very strong 2nd place against a modified GTR in AWD at Optima Ultimate Street car Challenge . This year I am returning with a RWD car for the over 3,000 lb class. (keep in mind, a stock first gen q45 can range from 4,100 to 4,300 lbs..... thats curb weight!)

I am building my 1995 infiniti q45 for multi-duty. So far she's been to autocross and drift competitions a few times. I want to retain the luxury and streetable aspects and at the same time make it capable and durable at racing events. MY overall goals are to increase awareness of this g50 chassis/vh45de v8, and help make it more mainstream. I am building it to do some damage and show up on national TV this coming October on MAVTV
Goal is to have full HVAC and interior and keep it sleeperish and streetable and reliable.

I will need financial help, and parts. I am doing this on a small autocross budget and will take all the help and discounts I can get and I can return the favor buy posting here and on my other social media accounts and if you provide a sticker I can post it for the cameras to shoot for boob tube on national tv.

So far I have gotten help from:

Xcessive Manufacturing http://www.xcessivemanufacturing.com
they sell manual conversion parts, and suspension/ seat brackets etc... for our g50 chassis. buy from them and support them!

San Diego Custom Paint

https://FaceBook.com/SanDiegoCustomPaint

https://SanDiegoCustomPaint.com

Fender Rolling, Fender Pulling, fender cutting and welding, body kit install, Custom paint, body work, classic car restoration, Custom Motorcycle work, "racer paint and body work" and full show quality restorations, they can work with your budget and make your dreams come true.


Optima Batteries http://www.optimabatteries.com
Petteys Auto Service petteysrb.com
K&N Filters http://www.knfilters.com
and RESTYLE PROS https://www.facebook.com/90876680586...755704/?type=3
Iraceautosports.com discount code JGOEN5
"YOUR NAME HERE"


The things I need done and stuff to buy or get:

purchase and install oil cooler,
Purchase and Install Coil-over system from Xcessive
Purchase set of 18" Cosmis wheels with 200 treadwear sticky tires,
fix all leaks,
build custom 3" strait through exhaust with electric cutout, and dual "magnaflow" inline mufflers,
Paint, and custom livery vinyl from Ethan Hollander Designs,
Brake Ducting,

time permitting:

Aero,
alternate differential options for more traction,
tear out and redo the tint,
convert to e85 ethanol,
supercharger,
replace clutch with new oem unit or better,
accquire spare z32 transmission and q45 diff


Stuff I already did/have:

need new stock oil pan (mine is cracked and dented)
acquire and fabricate a parking/emergency hand-brake setup, Lexus sc300
replace all cooling hoses, fuel, and heater hoses in engine bay,
Purchase racing seat and 5-point harness,
Installed Flex-a-lite Radiator cooling fan,
Power Steering Cooler,
ARP Extended wheel studs and spacers,
Xcessive Racing seat braket,
converted to z32 5-speed using elwesso adapter plate,
3" thick crossflow aluminum radiator,
Subframe spacers,
adustable ruca's
Adjustable tension rods,
one-piece drive shaft,
Nissan Skyline r32 aluminum brake upgrade with Hawk HP+ Pads,
Stainless brake hoses,
Custom flowmaster dual 2.5" exhaust with turndowns,
Xcessive Manufacturing upgraded Engine and transmission mounts, NO MORE BROKEN OEM MOUNTS
Xcessive Manufacturing Skid plate, LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!!!!
I NEED WHEELS and 200tw tires!

I will post pics of my progress here, please if you have any suggestions, race car wisdom, parts/tires/brakes/fluids you want to send for me to use or try, or have ideas for the race vinyl livery please post here. thanks!

Also check out my instagram page @SubtleDriver follow me and I'll follow you back.

[subtledriver]

There aren't too many racing application pads for the stock q45 calipers. So I decided to convert to a set of aluminum calipers from a r32 skyline gt/z32 300zx, the 30mm ones.... (edit) I ended up with the wrong calipers. 26mm. I just made due with what i had. I took off some material to clear the rotors.

Parts list for front:
1996 300zx tt rotors,
1996 300zx tt stainless braided hoses,
skyline/z32 30mm aluminum calipers imported from japan from a wrecked skyline,
spacer/washers to offset caliper to fit rotor properly,
line fitting or custom hardline to attach 300zx hose to my caliper, (was missing)
hawk hp+ track/streetable pads, z32 tt or subaru wrx 2006-2007 limited same application






check they are 30mm


check rotors


they fit ;-p












as you can see, not much difference or major advantage over stock.
my reason, was lighter, and race compounds are available. there is no real good reason to swap over to these brakes if your running street pads, unless you want race pads or for looks. IMHO....


Stock front g50 calipers.


stock hoses.


oem calipers off


calipers need more room,


time to cut backing plate and make room, I also plan to weld on a brake cooling duct to the backing plate later.


need a washer with this thickness to center the caliper on the rotor, 2mm or 2.2mm is good.


install washer between caliper and bracket to move it outboard.


yay it fits!


I had to make brake lines to adapt to my z32 brake hoses.


new adaptors and hoses attached, Planning to reinforce the hard line adapters with a custom bracket.





sweet deal. just install pads, bleed, and check for clearance issues and leaks.


needed some spacers to clear the wheels.

I need to buy some extended wheel studs. What part number is the correct stud from arp? i want longest ones available, and i am going to use some pbm spacers...

[subtledriver]

]Xcessive Seat bracket install!

http://www.excessivemanufacturing.com Sells Q45 parts!


Old Seat





I got the Bracket for no carpet, but decided to leave the carpet so i had to cut some out, no big deal.
But if you want a nice seat installed with the factory carpet, they carry two versions on hand, one for carpet, and one without. As you can see, the carpet and material is quite thick.



I was given a good deal on a really nice Carbon Kevlar Racing Bucket seat and Simpson Harness. I Am very thankful for the good price. It will help me finish this build in time for the race. Thank you James!


Stock Seat weighs in at 76 lbs! holy crap!


Xcessive mount lined up!








I love this setup, im not sliding around on the stock leather seat, and its much lighter and much safer to drive.
I am using the stock seatbelt for now, and I will be making a 5-point harness bar later for racing use.

Thank you Xcessive Manufacturing for The awesome seat bracket, its absolutely beautiful and it saved me hours and hours of time!

[subtledriver]

a quick video of the Xcessive Manufacturing seat mount and the radiator/fan/controller installed.

xcessivemanufacturing.com

[pejsa]

Yay post a video of the car in action

[subtledriver]

I will, hopelfully this weekend I am going to do some shakedown at autocross. test the cooling system.

[subtledriver]

Time to upgrade the front wheel studs to ARP. I want a strong fastener to hold my wheels on. This car is really freaking heavy. I opted for the increased thread count, and went for the Forged Steel, rather than some weak aluminum nut. I don't need a wheel to fly off.

Part number is 100-7716 ARP, this is a kit for subaru, but it works perfect for the front of a skyline r32, z32 and my g50 infiniti q45.


Comparison, the original is weaksauce in comparison.


High thread count, almost 3x more holding strength. Dont want anything to fail at high speeds.


Use the old crusty nut to bash the old studs out!


Using the correct tool for the job, this is a thrust bearing stud installer.




All done!!!! I used anti-seize to lube the threads for install.


Old


All done!


Have enough time to flip the tires, too much drifto and tire carnage. we shall see how she holds up this weekend at autocross.


My autocross Camber setup....
jk.

[jazig.k]

Awesome write ups. Keep up the details

[SnazzyQ]

Jesus this thing is super dooper cool.

Definitely subscribing to this thread.

[subtledriver]

Thanks you guys! I'll keep posting more stuff as I have time. Be patient and thanks for the support! I appreciate it!

[subtledriver]

Next Project was to address the same problem we all face at some point with most of the nissans/infiniti's of the 80's-90's, with aggressive driving, the power steering system tends to over-heat to the point of boiling over and leaking all over the exhaust and it will eventually kill the pump, the seals, the hoses and make a mess.

Another thing to think about, Power steering fluid or ATF is more volatile (more flammable) than engine oil. Basically if it gets on hot exhaust manifolds or turbos it can and will catch on fire. Another thing, your performance of the p/s system goes down hill.

I can do about 2-3 laps at autocross or 1-2 laps of drifting before the power steering overheats. especially on a 80-100 degree day.

I opted for a double pass heat sink style cooler. It doesnt require constant flow like a tube and fin cooler. it stores the heat and the "coolness" and works very well in low airflow conditions, like drifting or autocross.
here are some pictures of my setup;;;;;

I decided to mount it in the fender liner in front of the passenger tire. so it wouldnt cause more heat soak in the engine bay.







took an extra qt of full synthetic atf over stock and turned the wheel baclk and forth a few times while adding fluid to the reservoir. then turned on the car and added fluid while turning the wheel lock-to-lock to get all the air out. was bled in a minute or so. if you are having trouble bleeding, you have air leaks in the suction hose or the return hose.

more about the rear brakes, custom radiator, and fan and skid plate, and suspension and other goodies later. if you want to see more, or encourage me, or help me out with parts please let me know.

I need a 300zx stock hand brake assy and front cable, and a good shape oil pan. just send me an email. my email is my screen name and yahoo.com after it. thanks.

[subtledriver]

A video of this car in action at autocross last weekend. I'll upload more media soon.



Some notes I took when driving.

Race notes.
Front rotors overheating, two solutions, install rear hawk HP plus pads, build brake cooling ducts, test... Then try early brake master cylinder with more aggressive rear bias.

Center console arm rest gets in the way when steering, removed and had more control.

xcessive seat bracket/bucket improved handling and confidence many times over. No more sliding and holding on to steering wheel to anchor myself.

Hawk HP+ pads bite hard and cause early lockup, do not over-heat early. Higher braking confidence however, need to iron out proportioning and rear effectiveness.

Power steering heatsink worked well. 8 laps back to back (co-driven), only raised level slightly. No longer boiling over and causing loss of power assist/air in lines. Could improve effectiveness with small cooler fan.

Stock limited slip is overheating and lost most effectiveness after a few corner exits. Need to find a solution. Not vital at this moment. Will revisit.

Engine Cooling system works flawless. (Upgraded radiator, and electric 2,500cfm flex-a-lite fan
Relocated fan control probe to lower radiator. Doesn't stay running aimlessly there. Temperature stayed steady and performed perfect in these conditions. Fan cooled motor efficiently and turned off quickly. Dual driver/75-80° ambient temp.

Slight under steer from front. Current -2, Rec go -3 or -4 total degrees. Retest with new tires. Rear camber is good. -1.5

old z32 suspension causing unwanted drift/sway bounce, dampening/valving is too soft for q45.

Felt need for oil temp/pressure, and voltage gauge. Possible AFR gauge.

[pejsa]

Nicely done sir. Looked like a ton opposite lock lol. Post a picture of your z

Hope I can help you in august

[subtledriver]

The photos came in! Thanks to LateApexPhoto.com

If you want to see the skyline, click on the recent photos via the link above.

[subtledriver]

Nicely done sir. Looked like a ton opposite lock lol. Post a picture of your z

Hope I can help you in august

Thanks brotha! What are you doing in August?

You want a pic of my z?

here is the ka24de z that made over 550 tq that I built on a $1,000 budget.






or you want my current z? lol