Found an excellent Infiniti/Nissan specialist shop in Baltimore!

[qship96]

Frank Hill, a Certified Nissan Master technician who has worked in various Washington D.C. area Nissan dealers for 15+ years, and at Nissan/Infiniti custom tuner shop "Altered Atmosphere" in Gaithersburg, Md building high performance engines for G/Z models has branched out and opened his own small shop{ HILL'S GARAGE} in Baltimore specializing in Infiniti/Nissan general repairs, maintenance, and custom engine/suspension!

I had Frank replace my leaking front crank seal on my Q today, and have to say ,I was impressed with Franks knowledge, shop, and most importantly, customer service { and I am a picky Q owner- picky enough to drive 1400 miles round trip last year to have T3 in Atlanta do my plenum job} My job was completed on time, on budget, and car was returned to me clean and free of the typical grime inside/out left by most shops.

Frank has a small, clean, well stocked one man shop where he is the only tech working on your car....no trainees learning on your car! Frank took the time to check everything under the car and point out areas that may require attention in the near future. Frank was knowledgable of the early Q and has performed many chain guide and plenum jobs, and obviously well versed in stock and highly modified G/Z cars. You should have seen the VQ 3.5 he was building in the corner of the shop!

It was a pleasure to be in a shop where the tech actually enjoyed interacting with the customer throughout the job and talking everything cars....the kind of guy you feel comfortable leaving your prized posession with, a fellow enthusiast{his daily driver is a 550HP twin turbo 350Z}!

I will post Franks contact info for all Nico members living in the area that are looking for a great shop with reasonable hourly rates{$75/hr labor}

HILLS GARAGE Nissan/Infiniti SpecialistFrank Hill4700 Belle Grove Rd #15Baltimore Md 21225410-636-5554

We can add Hills Garage to the short list of Keith Vanmeters/Jerry Tuckers/ T3 for owners looking for outstanding service for their Infiniti/nissan in the USA.

[96'er]

Good to know we have an option in this area instead of the stealerships.

[maxnix]

Frank took the time to check everything under the car and point out areas that may require attention in the near future.

Nice find. Care to share what he found?

[qship96]

Brian, he said my oil pressure switch was beginning to weep along with possibly my power steering hose {hard to tell for sure due to oil mess created by the leaking crank main seal} Frank used a couple of cans of brake clean to remove all traces of oil from underside of car so we can get a true look the next time I am there. Frank showed me a little movement in steering rack due to wearing bushings also{he was surprised they were still original at 223,000 miles and advised I may want to change out next visit.

Plastic fan{attached to fan clutch} is cracked already{I put a brand new one on about 3-4 years ago}

He was ok with me ordering parts from Joe and bringing them with me to repair above items during my next oil change.

[maxnix]

Probably the hose from the reservoir to the pump.

Just replaced my fan also. Fractured to the hub core in more than one place. Only the not too deep metal collar was holding it together.

Oil pressure sender, huh? Wonder why that leaks, although I have seen it on the board before.

[qship96]

From what I understand, the oil pressure sender leaks exactly like the turbine sensor- through the top of sensor wiring, not where it screws into the block.

Fan cracking so early is disappointing- wonder if you could use some type of glue/silicone to fill cracks without disturbing balance?

I was poking around a classic Z site yesterday, reading a article about oil leaks in early 240/260/280Z......things have not changed much since 1970 era.......valve covers,oil pressure sender,front main seal were top 3 in that order

[maxnix]

Fan cracking so early is disappointing- wonder if you could use some type of glue/silicone to fill cracks without disturbing balance?

Wouldn't work. I'll see if I still have your email and send pictures of it. Scary.

[BLACKonBLACK98]

We can add Hills Garage to the short list of Keith Vanmeters/Jerry Tuckers/ T3 for owners looking for outstanding service for their Infiniti/nissan in the USA.

jack @ larue automotive in houston should definitely be added to this list as well imo. he has something like a decade under his belt dealing with q45s, owns several g50s himself, and got mine running extremely well.

[qship96]

Can we have a moderator post these shops and contact info/mini writeups of member experiences in a sticky, maybe by region of the country for future use by all Nico members and title it recommended Nissan/Infiniti shops?

[Trumpkin]

Fan cracking so early is disappointing- wonder if you could use some type of glue/silicone to fill cracks without disturbing balance?

I agree with Brian.Good time to go electric fan. BTW-nice find. I can't believe he is willing to put on your parts. Must not be doing it for the money!