Hola! Newb here...

[Haitian_King]

Uh, what's MDF?

[GseaQ]

Uh, what's MDF?

Medium Density Fiberboard - similar to what's found on the back of bookcases and dressers, but that's only 1/8" thick and only finished on one side. In 1/4" it's really good sturdy stuff and easy to work with. The Home Depot stuff I bought is finished on both sides.

[maxnix]

I am used to driving a Jeep with no A/C so I really don't care. Heck, this is HotLanta, down here we're always hot!

Jack

Sweat, heat, solar radiation and hot air are real leather eaters.

Man, if its a rust bucket, better address the rust first so your efforts are not in vain. Mechanical rehabilitation is much less expensive than rust remediation.

[Lifted79CJ7]

Hi Jack,

You're like a breath of fresh air here. I enjoy reading your exploits!

Thanks! I'm just glad I haven't bored you all to death with my shenanigans and tom fooleries yet!

I put 6.5" Alpines in the doors of our '92. I didn't bother trying to use the original Bose enclosures, though. I bought some 1/4" MDF at Home Depot and used the Bose enclosures as a template to mark and cut the MDF. I mounted the Alpines in the MDF using the spacers that came with the speakers to be sure to have minimum depth. There's lots of room behind the original grills for the speakers.

Yeah, I am doing something similar. I have busted out the dremel tool and picked up some 1/4" MDF as you did. I have carved off the front and back of the pod and will try attaching the MDF to the front. I dunno, might stick out too far, just gotta measure and see. It was kind of hard to cut apart the way I did - using a dremel and a sawzall. Don't worry, pics to come!

Don't even waste your time with the AC compressor. They were a known weakness and break internally. I bought one on eBay last year from a seller down your way for about $85 - rebuilt with a 1 year warranty. That one replaced one I paid $600 to the AC shop that did the conversion for me 5 years previous. The year's about up and it still works. Even if I buy one from this guy every other year it's a good deal (less than $100 to have the R134a done after I install).

Thanks for the heads up Glenn, I will be crossing that bridge soon enough, needless to say. I will have to replace a lot of hoses as well. The previous owner replaced the condensor about two years ago. I dunno, haven't really looked at it all that much - will just have to wait until it warms up some before I want to dive into it - lots of other things to address first!

Today was fun because I got to drive her to work for the first time - 25 miles in Atlanta traffic. Oh, and did I mention it was pouring down rain? Good thing I rain X'd the windshield the other night in my drunken stupor (forgot about that!). I was really nervouse for it was going to really test my sunroof repair. I didn't think it was going to work, but guess what? NO LEAKS!

I also had the power antena removed, so I just slapped a piece of duct tape on the inside of the trunk to cover it up, and wa-la! Problemo fixed!

Now for the bad. I think I am going to have to get new tires, these things are awefully bumpy at certain speeds. All seems to smooth out over 90.....errrrr....I mean 55 - you know, the posted speed limit?! I definitely want wider tires on this thing - this car is too heavy for these types of tires - plus I am used to being able to throw that tin can of a civic around corners without a worry....

I also think I have an exhaust leak as well. Oh well, good excuse to build an exhaust system and use those two 2.5" flowmasters I have sitting in my garage! I love a low rumble!

Unga-bunga - free car turning into expensive car quick!
Modified by Lifted79CJ7 at 9:41 PM 2/26/2008

[Lifted79CJ7]

Sweat, heat, solar radiation and hot air are real leather eaters.

Man, if its a rust bucket, better address the rust first so your efforts are not in vain. Mechanical rehabilitation is much less expensive than rust remediation.

Amen to that! The guy I got the car from had it sitting in his driveway for a year in the Altanta heat and never touched it. It definitely did it's number on the interior. I have been working hard to restore the leather (which I am continuing to learn about), but as you know, there is only so much you can do. I'll get the A/C fixed when time and the funds allow. Right now I just don't want to keep throwing money at this thing unless I have to.

As for the rust - I couldn't agree more. Priority #1 is to get it back on the road - completed (that is until I find the next weakest link). Now I just need to fix a few small things, then I can attack the rust. I actually made it sound a lot worse than it is, but there are a few areas I want to address. You can see the rust in plenty of the engine bay pics when looking up from the bottom. I have had a lot of smaller bolt heads break off instead of backing out - necessitating drilling them out, taping them and using new bolts. I still need to reinstall my splash gaurd for that same reason.

On a side note, I did finally get to put a fresh full tank of gas in her and boy what a difference! She just keeps getting better and better. I still need to have some more fluids changed though this week.

I did also see another Q on the road this morning and noticed the tail lights - hmm, looks like two bulbs per side. Sure enough, I got home and checked and one bulb out on each side. I changed out all 4 brake lights with Sylvania bulbs, and WA-LA - no more error messages on the dash! I guess my buddy and I some how overlooked this, but I could have sworn we looked at them. The little computer now reads OK!

I did also treat her tonight to a leather steering wheel wrap as well. It is the kind you have to sew on, and my fingers feel like all the skin is about to fall off. IT turned out pretty good, considering it only cost $16.99.

I didn't think it was going to fit at first, but I spent almost 2.5 hours working on it, and the leather continues to stretch, and you have to keep pulling the string tigher, ring by ring by ring, over and over and over. I was almost done when I broke the string! So all looks perfect except one spot. Oh well, it's towards the bottom of the wheel. Now the steering wheel feels like new again and isn't falling apart in my hands!

Anywho, it's late, so I'm off to bed!

[Issac]

I am very impressed with your work and your passion. You are fearless about getting in there. That model, as the guys who really know will tell you, is a super car. It will be great.

i cannot help you with any mechanical stuff, but have a litte experience on the leather situation you are in. I had the same car, same problem.

I tried the standard options to restore it, but none worked to swell and really get it moist and thick. In the end... it was mink oil. I soaked them, rubbed it in, and they came back so well.

Saddle soap was the cleaner, and then mink for the repair. There is a easier and cheaper way, which is the shoe mink oil (Kiwi) with additives in it. not as good as the motor oil pure type though.

It will rub off on clothes somewhat at first, but I doubt it will bother you. I put special attention into cracks and folds.

It will leave a haze on your windows too. But if you want to solve the problem...

[Lifted79CJ7]

I cannot help you with any mechanical stuff, but have a litte experience on the leather situation you are in.

Hey Issac,Thanks for the compliments and the tips! The wrench turning isn't that hard - you just have to get in there and do it is all. Plus I've worked on enough vehicles were I am pretty confident in my work and know when I am in over my head and know what jobs I don't want to do.

Prime example - just had the transmission fluid and rear diff fluid changed tonight! Woo hoo, another two items knocked off the "to do" list! I chose to have someone else do it for I don't feel like messing with 10.6 quarts of oil all over my garage floor.

I must say I am so glad I did it for she shifts like a new transmission now. I still need to get a transmission cooler installed, for I have seen some blurbs here and there that the 91's need one to help keep the transmission cool. That's an easy project, just have to do it. Maybe I will by a remote transmission filter/temp gauge at the same time. I put these on my Jeep and it made a world of difference in keeping track of how your transmission is running.

Tomorrow I plan on finishing up with the front speaker install, for I am sick of having no door panels in the front! Plus I might work on finishing up the alarm install so I can put the dash back together as well.

Oh, and yesterday I ran it through the car wash, and MAN what a difference! I still need to run it through maybe two more times (we are in a drought in GA and can't wash cars at home) to get all of that dirt out of all of the nooks and crannies, but man - this thing looks a thousand times better!

Question - does anyone know off the top of their head what light bulbs go behind the dash computer read out? One of the two bulbs looks like it's out.

[Haitian_King]

I thought it was an LCD? You can replace the bulbs? The right corner of mine is going out. About the transmission cooler, it's like 50 bucks. I think all G50's need it. There was a transmission cooler added on to 94-96 models, but it still isn't as good as the B&M coolers I'm told.

Speaking about trannys, mine was a BEAST today. I was SO HAPPY!

I pull onto a local 3 lane state road. At the red light, this G35 sedan with 22's looks at me and I look back. I made a point to smirk. The rest goes without saying. He got murdered. There's an APB out on my Q for automotive homicide.

[maxnix]

HK has at least read some of the previous posts, but like all young people and a few old ones, still has illusions which he feels necessary to maintain. It took us a while and it will him also.

Back to leather care, on of the substances I would encourage any one to not use is anything alkaline, expecially saddle soap. If is impossible to remove entirely, and will age a crack your leather. While mink oil is an excellent restorative, it also will transfer to any material to which is in conatact. It also will darken lighter leather several shades.

[Haitian_King]

One of the keys to success is projecting a sucessful image. Imagine two doctors in front of you. Identical in knowledge. Same classes and marks all across the board. Totally equal in the way they practice medicine. One however is sharp dresser and has a nice office in a very nice part of town. The other practices from a hole in the wall located in a safe, but aesthetically unappealing strip mall. There is no difference in cost or care.

Which one would you choose?

In my line of work, there are many people who claim to be, but in fact are not proficient in music composition and recording. Yet, they may get more attention than a person of equal or greater skill, simply because they "look the part".

While it may not apply to you, it may to others. We're from completely different eras. Either you get it or you don't.

Looks like S&P made a stop through here.

[Haitian_King]

HK has at least read some of the previous posts, but like all young people and a few old ones, still has illusions which he feels necessary to maintain. It took us a while and it will him also.

Back to leather care, on of the substances I would encourage any one to not use is anything alkaline, expecially saddle soap. If is impossible to remove entirely, and will age a crack your leather. While mink oil is an excellent restorative, it also will transfer to any material to which is in conatact. It also will darken lighter leather several shades.

So we know what you don't advocate for leather care. What DO you recommend? Would it be best to just re-upholster and start over? This time taking better care of the leather?

[Lifted79CJ7]

Ordered me up some goodies today from Jegs....

Transmission filter kit (opted for the one without the gauge for I know I will be ordering gauges soon enough and I want them all to match).

And I ordered up a cooler also for the trans....

Jack

[Lifted79CJ7]

I finally made more progress on the stereo today. I finally realized that I was doing things the hard way by trying to use the stock speaker pods, so I junked them and started from scratch with some baffles. I am not going for any sound quality competition, so this should be fine for me.

1 - I took some 1/4" MDF and traced out the speaker pod location.2 - I rolled the window down and test mounted the speaker. It needed another 1/2 inch, so I used some 3/4" particle board I had laying around.

3 - Drilled some holes and waa-la! Finished!

And the finished product!

I am a little worried about water moister, so I may put a little plastic over the back of the speaker (took it through the car wash with the door panels off and watched where water runs down and its right where the speaker will be). Oh well, I park in a garage at home and work, so I am not too worried right now.

Overall, it sounds decent. I think once I get my subwoofer in there, things will be much better. So to answer the question, with some finagling, you CAN fit 6X9's in your door.

[Haitian_King]

Wow! Great F-ing job! It looks good too. Any rattling? From the pics, everything looks really tight. I'm impressed.

Aww shucks. It looks like I'm going 6x9 all the way around. You powering everything off the head unit? If you do decide to use a new amp, where do you think you'll mount it? I've been racking my brain trying to find a location to place an amp without it being dangerous or conspicuous.

[Lifted79CJ7]

Hopefully I can answer a few Q's for ya...

a) No rattling! Again, just worried about moisture, so I want to hang some plastic over the top of the speaker to let water run off it.

b) I am powering everything off the headunit. I got a killer deal on the ALPINE CDA-9883 from Best Buy. It has everything I could want to expand on - bluetooth, 50watts X 4, iPod controller, CD changer controller, Sirius and XM capatible,,,,the list goes on. It powers them really well.

c) For amp placement, I think the trickest would be in the trunk above the spare (below the floor) with a cooling system. You can hand fab one up for cheap on just about any set of amplifiers - you just have to think outside the box and be prepared to modify your amplifiers housings. One trip to Home Depot, and you're set! On my Civic, I mounted the amp on the bottom side of the rear deck in the trunk. I haven't really dug around above the gas tank yet, so can't answer around that space. All I would have to say is SAFETY!

Now to figure out what to do for an EXHAUST for my Cat's started failing today and started rattling, mount the CD changer in the trunk, and fix the antenae once the parts come in.... Bye bye bank account!

Jack
Modified by Lifted79CJ7 at 9:07 PM 3/3/2008

[maxnix]

And I ordered up a cooler also for the trans....

Jack

Ummmm.... the B&M stacked plates like 70264 or 70268 are more efficient and have a high viscosity (cold ATF) bypass.



But almost anything is better than nothing.

Your energy and dedication is to be admired, but you could learn a lot by reading some of the old posts.

[Warspite]

Jack- I'm in Stone Mountain, and have a '94. Someone in the local Craigslist (www.craigslist.org) under Auto Parts is selling the original 10CD Sony changer, I think for $65. And, I pulled my original '94 head unit, so it's yours for a song. I also have extra stock wheels (BBS) for the Q.

I need to clear my garage out as well. At least I can shoehorn the Q in, so it doesn't have to sit in the sun, or this nasty rain we just had.

The door speakers have their amps piggybacked, so when you remove the speaker from the door (and rear deck as well) they come out as one assembly. A blown speaker usually won't squel, or do anything for that matter, so either the head unit was toast, sending just that squeal to be amplified, or both door amps are shot.

[Lifted79CJ7]

Ummmm.... the B&M stacked plates like 70264 or 70268 are more efficient and have a high viscosity (cold ATF) bypass.

But almost anything is better than nothing.

Your energy and dedication is to be admired, but you could learn a lot by reading some of the old posts.

It's basic - surface area and airflow = cooler. I chose the slim line version on purpose for where I want to put it. You also forgot to mention the need to do a BTU rating comparison as well in regards to your transmissions heating trends and size, and then decide what your needs are. The cooler you are reffering to is only 13% more efficient but costs 52% more. Hmmmmm. I will admit that the B&M is a better constructed product, though.

This cooler is more than enough for what I will ever need with this car. Plus I live in Atlanta, so it rarely dips below freezing, so I am not worried about my viscosity getting too thick. Oh, and speaking of viscosity, you forgot about the two schools of thought of putting the cooler before or after the radiator. Trust me, I know the ups and downs and do my research. Plus, this isn't my first time turning a wrench - I've stripped plenty of vehicles down to the frame and built them back up - big blocks, imports, it's all the same principles.

Just b/c I am smart with my money and b/c I am not following what the crowd is doing, doesn't mean my car won't run just as well. Sometimes it's good to break the mold. Can't wait to hear your comments on the exhaust I have planned.

I do appreciate your comments though, without different points of view we will never expand our horizons.

I guess my view is that this is a $1500 valued car, so I would be a fool to dump serious money into it.
Modified by Lifted79CJ7 at 9:32 PM 3/4/2008

[Lifted79CJ7]

Jack- I'm in Stone Mountain, and have a '94. Someone in the local Craigslist (www.craigslist.org) under Auto Parts is selling the original 10CD Sony changer, I think for $65. And, I pulled my original '94 head unit, so it's yours for a song. I also have extra stock wheels (BBS) for the Q.

Hey Warspite, Thanks for the heads up! Don't happen to have some exhaust manifolds laying around do ya? I'm happy with the new system, but thanks for the offer!

The door speakers have their amps piggybacked, so when you remove the speaker from the door (and rear deck as well) they come out as one assembly. A blown speaker usually won't squel, or do anything for that matter, so either the head unit was toast, sending just that squeal to be amplified, or both door amps are shot.

Yeah, I pulled the entire system - from head unit to all the speakers. I did some messing around on the test bench, and sure enough, it was the front two amplifiers that were shot. The speakers in the front were ok, just had bad amps. The rear speakers and head unit were in great shape. Speaking of, if anyone needs the back speakers, let me know for they are in the trash right now!

[ddrumman]

Nice job on the stereo stuff. I wish I were a DIYer.

[Mark Linkous]

Hello,Well played sir. Your car seems to be coming along quite nicely. Don't feel bad about going 90, in Atlanta, you will get run over driving anything less when traffic is moving. Hope you find tires soon.Props,M.L

[Lifted79CJ7]

Thanks for the votes of encouragement! All I can say is that having the right tools can make or break a job.

On the way into work this morning, I had a rear brake pad go out. I drove home, but slowed down via down shifting and driving like a grandma. I picked up a new rear caliper while I was at it. Heck, it couldn't hurt! The bad thing is that bleeding brakes by yourself really stinks and I still have a little bit of air in the system. I think I will drop it off at the local brake place if I can't talk someone into helping me.

I also took a stab at my power antenae. Speaking of, do you ever have one of those words that you NEVER know how to spell correctly? Yup, antenae, antanae.....whatever it is, is one of mine. ANYWHO! I always wanted to know how those things worked, and now that I've taken one apart - it's all really simple! I picked up an extra mast kit off ye ol' inter-ma-net and got it in the mail today (along with my transmission cooler - filter will be here later in the week). I gave it the old college try, but man are those tricky little devices!

I got the new mast in, but I think I need to trim it a bunch. I don't have a reference point since someone had already tinkered with it and removed the old broken geared part of the original mast. This also was a two man job. It's hard to explain, but after conditioning the plastic geared rod that pushes the mast up into shape, I was just too much force and kept getting stuck and stipping on the teeth.

Talk about a dissappointing night on the Q! Nothing like working your tail off on two different projects, only to realize you need to be an octopus to complete them!

I'm pretty tired tonight, but I will post up some pics and more details tomorrow.

to ya motha,Jack

[Warspite]

Jack-

No such luck on the manifolds. And THANKS for the play-by-play, especially for the 6x9 mods. Necessity is the mother of invention! I was working up that stock replacement post, when your "re-engineering" pics appeared.

You may want to revisit those door speakers with foam baffles (6x9 is common) and then use the waterproofing sheet. The baffles would eliminate any annoying noise from the plastic waterproofing "sheet." Your workaround literally blows the doors off!

Great Show!

Terry

[Lifted79CJ7]

Well kids, I am afraid that I have some bad news - I have sold my Q45. I kept her running as best I could, but she just got to the point where I needed to spend serious money on her due to lack of maintenance from the previous owner. The final straw was two injectors went out as well as needed a new tire, replace the entire exhaust system, fix the A/C and replace some of the leather interior. The injectors was the final straw, so I went out and picked up a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a V8, 4X4, Navigation and tinted windows. Needless to say, I am a happy camper to be driving a car that doesn't need $5g in repairs! I was sad to let her go for I love reading this thread, and will still hang around for that fact. Anywho, here's a pic of my new whip:JackPS - My alternator still ran like a champ, as did all the other parts I replaced with "junk/non Infiniti brand" equipment.

[maxnix]

PS - My alternator still ran like a champ, as did all the other parts I replaced with "junk/non Infiniti brand" equipment.

But you will never know for how long, so what's the point?

You seem more like Jeep guy; solid cast iron axles and leafsprings all around. Worked for the Conestogas 150 years ago!

[RAP]

End of story ?

Well at least, as opposed to our government, you know when to cut your losses and move on.

Can't help it. I always see a political angle.

As far as the Jeep is concerned, good luck.

Jack

[Q45tech]

Some cut and run and some are so stubborn, that they spend 18.5 years fighting a winless series of battles. Man against machine and machines win in the end.

[maxnix]

Man against machine and machines win in the end.

One must choose his machine well! The best advice for a newbie on this board is how to buy the correct car.

Second for those that ignore the first is how to select and rehabilitate a JDM replacement engine.

[paranoidjack]

On a side note, I did finally get to put a fresh full tank of gas in her and boy what a difference!

Man you're getting into more money with this car than you bargained for...what's that, another couple hundred bucks now?

rear diff

Damn Jeep guys

[Lifted79CJ7]

But you will never know for how long, so what's the point?

Who gives a ****? It was a free car that I put ~$1500 and drove for half a year. Lord you really are the definition of Debby Downer from SNL. And if you have forgotten, all the parts had lifetime warranties, so kiss my grits if I know how to turn a wrench and spend my money wisely? I chose the car b/c it was FREE. If I wanted to, I could have put $5g in that car and it would have been in awesome condition and lasted another 100k miles. I simply chose to something that is way more versatile and looks a whole hell of a lot better. Don't get me wrong, the interior of the Q beats the Jeeps by a million, but hell, I have a factory warranty, so the only wrench I'll be turning is for upgrades. The point? I'm smart with my money. Take your half empty glass view on life and stick it up your tailpipe.

End of story ?

Nah, most of you guys are great and I love reading these builds! You can't get rid of me that easy!