New member here, old member elsewhere - been at this for 20 years.

same name. "methods"

I have done many builds over the years, this will be my first Infiniti. The goal of this post is to Qualify myself. . . so that the limits will be pulled from my new account.



The last time I did a forced induction build was on a 2001 Honda Prelude. Without talking about it for an hour.... that is a fully built, supercharged, H22A4. I was running 12PSI non-intercooled via a highly modified JRSC kit. Out of the garage it was fierce but once intake temps crossed 200F... meh.

So... I... Will be intercooling this build.

* Air to Air
* Air to Water
* Thinking about running a heat exchanger (never seen anybody do it)



That is my datalog from my tune while I was driving. Hondata is what we used back in the day on OBDII. I started with chips (that I flashed and then inserted into an ECU that I modified) and that evolved into a ROM Emulator. No big deal these days... but back then it was sorta a big deal.

That is my 145MPH and Y E A, I ran out of brakes... so... when people ask how fast I can go, I ask them how fast they can stop*

Anyhow - I am an Electrical Engineer (of 20 years) by trade, I run a small Engineering outfit, and I wrench for fun. Most of what I wrench is... different.



Never laugh at a bicycle. That thing RIPS HARD - lol - and you have to ride it on 2 wheels to bend corners faster than 42mph. I have thousands of miles on that, still own it today, and happy to help folks (offline) who are interested in electrifying *anything*, especially bicycles.



Anyhow - check the Ghetto Blaster above to date the post. I spent most of my time on the Endyn forums, way back in the day. Since - been doing many other things. Eh.. to further qualify.... eh...

Here are some things you should buy
* Ratcheting box-end set
* Set of crows feet
* Extra set of box ends that you can bend at random angles
* 20A 120V Welder
* Obviously a full size jack and an engine hoist.
* I use Lithium Impact now, but I still have an air setup
* Full set of long needl-nose, 45 degree, 32 degree, 15 degree (And yes, the 90 degree)
* Magnet on a stick
* I now use a cheap bore scope with an LED and a camera - got it off Amazon for less than the price of a plumber
* If you are going FI - WBO2 is a first, you must have the ability to tune, and you will want Datalog and gauges

Note... all this assumes you WANT to wrench and not pay someone else to build a car for you. If you dont want to wrench.... just buy a V8 Corvette and call it a day. I am here to wrench :-)

Here are some tips

* I use Liquid Wrench first on all gnarly bolts - especially those that are rusty or heat damaged
* Buy used tools. They sell for 50% of new value and they retain that value forever (assuming you dont break them or let them rust)
* Set up a good work area. . . because the job is going to take longer than you thought :-)
* When you tear a motor down, piece by piece... put each part in a numbered bag. Install in reverse order!
* Buy the Factory Service manual (or these days, download it). Best modification you can make to your car (upgrade to your knowledge and skill*)

Ok -
So ... why am I here?

well...
I once put a G35 on the Dyno at Modacar in Livermore. . . and. . . that thing crossed 400hp. At the time, that was a pretty big deal for a kit on a stock motor. That was - eh - 15 years ago, and it has simmered in my mind ever since. I have always wanted to do a turbo build, and now is the time.

Budget
$10,000 cash in hand
(Yes I know I will end up spending far more - lol - but that is where we are starting)

Resources
I wrench every last fastener
I tune every last cell
I pay no one... except for parts

I have 1 of 2 paths to follow. . . and that is why I am here
1) Blow my initial $10k on a nice ride. Maybe a G37, maybe a G35 with some work into it... put the Turbo off until later (meh)
2) Spend as little on the ride as possible (like $5k) and put the rest into a kit (HELL YEA)

I have the following Requirements
1) Wife says it has to be a Sedan (fine)
2) I have to be able to smog it (at least once) in California - has to be registered... as I am going to daily it
3) Has to survive 200 miles a day over a pretty gnarly and steep hill. I commute over 2hrs a day thru blood alley.

That is pretty much it. So... here is what I am thinking:

FIRST
I find the kit
THEN
I find a car to match the kit

Eh?
Pretty smart right?

* Kit = hard to find used
* Car = dime a dozen around here

So...
That is what I am doing here. Pretty well committed to this course of action... so... if you are reading this in the future, go look for my Build Thread. I will title it something like "Triple B 8psi Thread", where Triple B stands for "Broke Budget Booster" or something to that degree. I dont do flashy builds, I buy all used (greasy) crap, I spend no money on aesthetics, all i care about is how it feels to drive.

* Has to be low (ok - aesthetics in part, but COG at root)
* Has to have gnarly sway bars
* Has to have good rubber (that lasts - I am on a budget - so compromise rubber)
* Has to be reasonably quiet (no... I dont want EVERYBODY to know how I roll - lol)
* Has to run a CAT (Even if I have to run a cat out of a Pickup truck - Not going to run straight pipe this time)

Ok
Qualified
Now I am going to go over and poke the button over and over... so I can put up a WTB ad... so I can start figuring out who wants to sell me a kit... so I can pick a car to go with it.

* Supercharger - Fine
* Belt Driven Turbo - Fine
* Single Turbo - Fine
* Twin Turbo - Cant afford it

So long as it is intercooled. 5-6PSI is plenty fine to start with. Best to start slow, lol

* Not going to spray on it
* Not spending a bunch of time at the track
* Not going to run MT's, lol... not even street slicks

* 91 Octane all day, every day
* Street tires all day every day
* On the street

Yea -
So... that is what you are about to see me do.

-Schindler

 

Right...
So, I am a mod in several other forums. We have various levels of filters. Many forums just require that you complete an arbitrary number of postings before you post in the Market section to filter out

* Spammers
* Scammers
* Etc

Makes sense to me. I am just trying to post enough to show that I am not a Robot, not a 17 year old scammer, not a FlamTard from another forum looking to come start trouble, no a dreamer who is going to tire kick for 3 months and vaporize. I do what I say I am going to do so - here we go

* Identify a Kit for sale
* Identify a car to match it
* Convince the wife
* Execute both transactions
* Start the build thread

If... someone here (who is more experienced with the VQ35 / VQ37 platform than myself) would be willing to part with a scratch-ding kit for a reasonable price, I will gladly repay with a nice, long, picture-filled Build Thread. Lots of pictures. Lots of learnings.

I...
Am totally fine with a kit that has some problems. Forced Induction is nothing BUT problems, even with a "Perfect Kit" - so - yea... if you have a kit that you dont want to sell

BECAUSE

You dont want to deal with some nOoB asking you 420 questions and crying... well.... sell that kit to me... and... so long as the deal is good, you never have to hear from me again. If you dont completely roach me (like short me pipes or sell me a Turbo missing 5 blades - lol) then I will be stoked.

Ok
2 posts down

-methods

 

Broken Shift Cable?

Had that happen to me once. I fixed it with a hose clamp



Rubber hose as a guide
Spacers to make an oversized hose clamp work

Cant remember how I tied in to the sheered cable. I am 99% sure I took a brass pipe and crushed it onto the cable with a pair of channel locks. Then.. shown above... was how I got the brass pipe to mount to the shifter.

Anyway
3 posts down. Hopefully I have qualified as a non-Russion-Spam-Bot and I can sooooooon post in the Market.

I will go look around and noob a few posts.
I really know NOTHING about the Infiniti platform so... I dont have much to add... UNTIL (drumroll) I build one.

-methods

 

Ok
Sleepless nights of readings posts.

Ruined it for myself by starting to see the little tips that come up with reading. ...
* This year forward has this transmission
* That year had this issue
* Sigh

Sometimes it is almost better not to know how deep or fast moving the water is. . . but to just jump in and start swimming.

With every project I have ever completed, I had to flub one first
* Buy the wrong car
* Go the wrong route
* Learn all the lessons

Then, do it over (over) kill.

Then on to the next lesson

... This time
Budget is the driving factor. I rattled the wife's ear for an hour on the phone last night. Talking about this transmission and that turbo kit. She was pushing for a plan of
* Get the most car possible for $10k
* Be happy with that while saving for a real big build

She has only been my wife for a few years. . . so... I figure, that she figures, that I will "forget" or "Get over it" and ... we will end up with a newer car with less issues and no Tubro. Lol... I can understand, as she has only see me do maintenance on cars. In the last few years it has been
* Water Pump on an 1989 4Runner
* Master Cylinder on same
* Slave Cylinder on same
* Valve cover gasket on same (one side only, dont ask)
* Alternator on a Scion
* Various tuneUps on Honda,, Toyota, Jeep, VW, Audi
* Shift cables on an 01 Prelude
* Fuel pump on same
* Fuel pump on a Turbo Audi Wagon (THAT SUCKED! In tank! Special tools)
* 2 engine fires on same, rats nest in the turbo
* Endless troubleshooting on $500 cars... like a 6sp VW wagon with a shot fuel pump relay
* ....

Ack - better stop with that list or I will balk

Anyway, Wife figures I will look at the 40hrs of Install Time and balk. She may be right... but... she has never seen me Feverish to learn a new platform
* The fastening system
* The conventions
* The reliable components
* The unreliable components
* The valve timing mechanisms
* The connectors
* The IP67 Engine Compartment solutions
....

So much to learn tearing down a car. I have never owned a Nissan (that I remember). It was Chevy, Honda, Toyota, Jeep, Ford, Audi... others... but no Infiniti

...

Ok
Back to reading

The most is learned by reading others posts, the responses to those, and how advice played out.

-methods

 

Welcome to the forums.

The G35 DE / HR or G37 is a question you need to decide quickly to narrow down your search.

The G35 coupe has a very timeless style to it, imo the best looking chassis.

However some folks are really into the sport sedan and personally I think it's a toss up between the chassis style, the V35 (2003-2006) has it's own look, the V36 (2007-2008) has a smoother more modern look and if you paint that silly chrome spoiler and add a front lip spoiler they do look very nice.

The G37 I'm not a fan of in either the coupe or sedan incarnation, they look much better with a front lip spoiler but still not much of a fan.

Engine wise, the DE motor (2003-2007 coupe, 2003-2006 sedan) will get you almost anywhere you want to go, since it sounds like you'll be tearing it down anyways you'll be replacing the stock rings which were problematic (premature wear and oil consumption) so that will be a non issue.

However, the HR (2007-2008 sedan) is a far more robust engine, it all depends on how big your build is going to be, if you are SERIOUSLY thinking of getting into the 600whp range I'd suggest an HR, it's super super stout from an engineering perspective. Yes you CAN swap the HR over into a V35 chassis car, engine, tranny, ecu, harness. There are a few posts around about doing the HR swap

The G37 (2008+ coupe, 2009+ sedan) came with the VHR engine, I haven't had much experience working on any G37 and I rarely see them, they got sort of ugly looking in the body styling, the 370Z however looks fantastic so if you were set on a VHR I would DEFINITELY recommend getting a 370Z car.

Just to clarify, the DE engine is fully capable of making 1000+whp, many folks have done this and the engine can be an absolute beast. It's just that the HR has some better crank/rod geometry (taller deck, less rod angle) that is more suitable for big big power. In NA form it also has the benefit of the dual intake allowing for much more air into the engine.

However it also has more moving parts... like two throttle bodies/MAF, etc. It's also prone to blowing the galley gasket but again, since it sounds like you're planning a full teardown you will be replacing with the very robust aftermarket galley gaskets so that's not really an issue.

There are also two variations of the DE engine, all 5AT came with the regular intake cam timing only version, there is also the "rev-up" version which has exhaust cam magnet retarders that came on 6MT equipped 2005-2007 coupe and 2005-2006 sedan.

The 2006+ coupe also came with some extra goodies like projector headlights, nicer looking fascia, taillights, etc. If you are looking into the V35 chassis coupe you should probably try to find a 2006/2007. Also available on that car was rear active steering, if it's equipped you'll see the steering rack mounted behind the rear differential as well as a light on the dash during the POST test that says "RAS".