Check out my new grille.

Post by **sijoko** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 3:03 pm

My old grille got smashed by a rock on the highway. Anyway, I picked up another stock grille from Ebay.

So, what to do with the damaged one? I didn't feel like throwing it away, so I used it to make a new mesh grille.

I cut out the slats and used the frame to support the aluminum mesh. It was a lot of work but it looks alright.

I still have the stock one so when I get bored with this look I can go back.

-sijoko

Modified by sijoko at 6:09 PM 8/10/2005

Post by **AZhitman** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 3:05 pm

Needs a black Mt Fuji logo right in the middle.

Siju, shoot me the info on those headlights - I GOTTA have a set of those.

I figure if I do a few more mods to my Q, the "new car" bug will pass for another year.

Post by **sijoko** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 3:10 pm

Here's another picture:

Post by **sijoko** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 3:21 pm

Hitman,

I wish I could get another pair of the same headlights for a project.

Maybe, we could get somebody in Australia or Japan to buy them from the dealer and ship it to us through the post office.

I might still have the part numbers, so maybe the headlights can be ordered stateside.

-sijoko

Post by **Rex** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 3:52 pm

Looks goo, I'd liek tos ee some bigger/close up pics if you have any.

Hitman has the hook up.

I wonder how the grill would look if you "pushed" the mesh out fromt he inside, so it was more flush??

Post by **rsiwicki** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 3:56 pm

AZhitman wrote:I figure if I do a few more mods to my Q, the "new car" bug will pass for another year.

Greg...I don't know about you but my new car bug has come back after a two years and will not go away. I have been cheating on my Q for the past 2 weeks looking hard at new cars and the night that I don't look at a newer car the Q acts up on me. If I was at a dealer tonight and this had happened there would be one very happy sales person tonight as the Q would be gone. The new car bug is very tough to pass when you see what 10+ years of technology has brought into the cars these days.

btw...very nice grill sijoko....wanna by my Q?

Post by **elwesso** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 4:10 pm

I like it a lot Siju!!!

If you can get greg a set of the headlights I want a set too!!

Post by **Jeff Williams** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 4:28 pm

Rock On!.

My project grille is in the trunk, and the stainless mesh is in my office floor.

Someday, it will get on the car.

I would love to get her all gussied up for the NOPI meet.

Maybe this is what I needed to get started.

Post by **sijoko** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 4:43 pm

Here's another.

I couldn't get a good shot because of the sun.

Hmm, I wonder what that shiny thing is inside the bumper cover......

Post by **Heath** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 5:04 pm

appears to be an intercooler... Is there something you're not telling us...

Post by **elwesso** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 5:13 pm

Heath wrote:appears to be an intercooler... Is there something you're not telling us...

Hmmm.....

Post by **Rex** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 5:46 pm

In the last pic, the mesh looks much more "flush", very good. As Greg mentioned earlier, a Mt Fuji would look at home just above the middle center line.

Post by **elwesso** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 5:49 pm

Id get one of those logos that is on the center bezel in the rear, and paint it black.....

That would be hotness!

Post by **sijoko** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 6:23 pm

Heath wrote:appears to be an intercooler... Is there something you're not telling us...

Just an intercooler for now.

It took a while to get it installed. The one in the picture is the third one I had bought. The first one was too small; the second one too big. The third one was just right (reminds me of Goldilocks).

I got it to fit in there perfect. To give you an idea of the work involved; the core measures 26x10.5x3.5 inches. The end-to-end measurement is 36 inches. I have attached a picture of the intercooler.

There was a lot of cutting and chopping and fabricating. It is not for the faint of heart. I don't have a bumper reinforcement in the middle anymore. The bumper (foam) is still there so I have something.

Anyway, I wanted to get the intercooler done before I move on to finishing the turbo kit. I have already done a lot of work towards it and made plenty of space available for the turbocharger itself.

My original plan was to have everything done by the beginning of summer but as usual I didn't get the time. But it was probably better that way because the summer heat in Dallas is oppressive.

Plus, I need the car as a daily driver so I can't really have it stuck in my garage for a month on jackstands. So I decided to do everything in stages.

So far, in addition to the intercooler, I have:

-relocated battery to the trunk.-installed narrower double-pass radiator w/ electric fan.-relocated trans. cooler to the rear of vehicle.-installed BEGI FMU.-relocated oil filter to pass. side.

I have most of the parts to finish the work. I am hoping to start on the final stage of the kit by the beginning of fall.

Anyway, I will keep you guys posted.

-sijoko
Modified by sijoko at 11:41 PM 8/9/2005

Post by **sijoko** » Wed Aug 10, 2005 12:25 pm

Alright, here's another photo of the intercooler. This time from the top with the hood opened.

Modified by sijoko at 5:52 PM 8/10/2005

Post by **sijoko** » Wed Aug 10, 2005 12:57 pm

This is what it used to look like.

YouTube · Post by **Jesda** » Wed Aug 10, 2005 1:34 pm

Wow. Thats absolutely stunning! Looks like a new Jag XJR.

Post by **AZhitman** » Wed Aug 10, 2005 3:43 pm

Siju, you are THE MAN.

Lemme just say I'm real glad you hang out here.

And anyone who can work on a car in the DFW heat is either hard-core or crazy.

Post by **sijoko** » Wed Aug 10, 2005 5:13 pm

AZhitman wrote:And anyone who can work on a car in the DFW heat is either hard-core or crazy.

Hitman,

I have always been hardcore but am mellowing with age. I installed a window a/c unit in my garage to make things bearable in the Dallas heat.

Anyway, I am going to go up into my attic now and look for the original boxes that the JDM headlights came in. I will post the part numbers if any in a separate post.

____________

Jesda,

I have always had a soft spot for Jags. The new XJR is really a nice car. I just wish Jags were more reliable. If I had one, I would keep it garaged most of the time and bring it out for special occasions.

-sijoko

Post by **Falkdesigns** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 7:09 am

That looks very sharp. I wonder how an Infiniti logo would look just below the dip in the center top, kinda looks like something should be hanging off of it.

Post by **QShip** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 7:42 am

[QUOTE=rsiwicki]

Greg...I don't know about you but my new car bug has come back after a two years and will not go away. I have been cheating on my Q for the past 2 weeks looking hard at new cars and the night that I don't look at a newer car the Q acts up on me. If I was at a dealer tonight and this had happened there would be one very happy sales person tonight as the Q would be gone. The new car bug is very tough to pass when you see what 10+ years of technology has brought into the cars these days./QUOTE]Greg and Rob, you are making it very difficult for to keep my Q. First Todd sells his and then I read this!

My Q needs a ton of work to get it back to specs. That plus the fact that I have the Titan, does not bode well for the Q. I've done more mods to the Titan than the Q. Plus, there are more on the way, (long tube headers and s/c).

The only reason I have not gotten rid of the Q is because of 450TT. I talk with him quite a bit and I want to slap twin turbos on the Q. I've talked to all the places I need to talk to about doing it properly. The motor will first have to go Brockton, MA to lower the compression and have some headers built. From there it will go to 450TT. The tranny will be updated and the body will be done here in CT.

So please, no more talk about getting rid of your Q's!

Post by **pito11213** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 8:12 am

That grill looks real good. I agree that I should have kept my Q even though it would have turned into a serious money pit, but I had to prioritize. But I will be back with a Q real soon. And the next one I will go all out.

Post by **QShip** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 8:19 am

pito11213 wrote:That grill looks real good. I agree that I should have kept my Q even though it would have turned into a serious money pit, but I had to prioritize. But I will be back with a Q real soon. And the next one I will go all out.

When I walk by her, I tell myself that I should get rid of her and focus on the truck. But when I take her on the highway, she reminds me that she's still the Queen Bee.

Post by **EQwhipD** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 10:52 am

I am really not a big fan of Mesh, because of the "ricer" connotations, BUT this is hot. Very Bentley-esque as described earlier. My one suggestion would be to glue or solder the 90-93 "belt buckle" emblem into the middle of the grill. that may just set it off. But it does look amazing as-is, and updates the car tremendously. Good Job!- EQwhipD

Post by **sijoko** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 11:35 am

Thanks for all the compliments. I didn't think that you guys would like the grille that much.

It seems that non-Q owners like the grille too.

Let me tell you a story.

I had just parked my car in downtown Dallas, when this older guy (late 50s-early 60s) comes up and says, "Wow, that is a nice looking car. What kind of car is that?"

I told him it is an Infiniti Q45. He asks, "What year is it?" I say, "It's a 1994 model." He replies, "No way, I would never have guessed it."

Then he tells me how he likes the way that everything on the car justs looks smooth. One of the last things he says is, "I especially like the grille. "

I got a chuckle out of that one.

This type of grille would look really nice if it was made out of metal then chromed. Then you could use the real Bentley-type stainless steel mesh.

The biggest headache is making the grille surround or frame out of metal.

There are places that make grilles for hot rods, so maybe they could make one for the Q. But the price will be at least $500.

-sijoko

Post by **elwesso** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 11:37 am

sijoko wrote:
There are places that make grilles for hot rods, so maybe they could make one for the Q. But the price will be at least $500.

-sijoko

Indeed... I called someone and for a one off one it was like $500... NOT worth it...

Anyway, personally, i would have liked it better had you left that center pillar in the grille.

Check out my new grille.

Check out my new grille, plus some other stuff.

Re: Check out my new grille. (sijoko)

Re: (AZhitman)

Re: (rsiwicki)

Re: Check out my new grille. (sijoko)

Re: (Rex)

Re: (Heath)

Re: (sijoko)

Re: (Rex)

Re: (AZhitman)

Re: (rsiwicki)

Re: (pito11213)

Re: (QShip)

Re: (sijoko)

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