Jeff's FSTB install pictures!

[elwesso]

I bet your wondering why I am posting them, well someone ( ) is a taco short of a combination platter, so Im posting them here...

It looks really good, Jeff has a beautiful Q...!!!

Jeff, please post more info on how you did it.....

[jdmfreak]

Nice Q!

[AlabamaDan]

That is a really great looking Q. Does that sway bar make much of an impact on how it handles?

[rsiwicki]

Jeff.....what brand of sway bar is that? Is that the long awaited BRM model? Just curious if it was the modified maxima bar or some other model? I already have a Stillen FTSB.

The FTSB reduces flex when cornering or turning hard and inturn improves the steering response. I had never used one before and was very skeptical, but after installing it....I was impressed and now will probably be buying one for any future car I get.

[AZhitman]

LOL - I got it, Wes. Dammit. Put your Dad on the phone, he needs to smack you boy!

I just picked up the strut tower braces this morning from the fabricator. Feel free to take a number, NICOmom will be handling all orders and shipping out starting Monday.

Impatient little.....

[Rex]

So this means, the FSTB is now available?

Where do I send my money?

[MiniMan]

Amazing car Jeff. Looks very well put together.

I'd kill to see an MK2 grill placed on the front of it .

Corey

[AZ94Q]

Count me in. I just to make sure there wont be any fittiment issues with an active model.

After speaking with texasoil, I don't think this will be a problem. He modified a maxima bar for both his 94/92 active Qs..

Why stillen doesn't list this as being available for the A, is besides me.. maybe it's just because stillen sucks

[AZ94Q]

Corey,

No love for the Mt. Fuji logo, over an ancient japanese plant?

I like my emblem, and improved aerodynamics..

Another great thing about the Q. There is generation 1 and 2 for the grill/non grill lovers!

[MiniMan]

Touche AZ. You bring good points to the table. I'm glad to see there are differing points of view on the looks of the Q as it keeps them away from blending in with the rest of the cars on the road. I'd hate to see every Q have a grill! Likewise I'd also hate to see every Q not have a grill!

All the best,

Corey

[AZ94Q]

I'm with you 100%

My first Q was a 91, and I loved the non grill

The I bought my current 94, and love the grill

Then I started reading about the production/early engineering of the car, and I went back to loving the emblem..

Apparently the emblem was much larger when the first concepts rolled out.. The U.S. press hated them, so they made it much smaller.. Of course it was still pretty much hated..

I think the 90-93 has the "I'm all about hauling as much arse as possible, and looking mean while I'm doing it"

I think the 94+ is all about "Look how luxurious I am, and look how fast and luxuriously I can transport you"

I think the 94 has the bling/luxurious edge.. Although it really chaps my hide everytime I see a volvo from that period.. Is it just me or do volvos of that period, have almost the EXACT same grill as our Qs.. Maybe we stole it from them, or maybe they stole it from us.. Either way we probably stole it from Jaguar, so it doesn't matter

I would like to see a 94+ with a blacked out grill, and the blacked out rear tailights..

[AZ94Q]

It would be interesting to use the president trunk on a 94+

It would really give it a 7 series type look in the rear.

It would get rid of all the lightning, and replace it with a chrome strip.. of course just about every luxury car has this, including the y33.. but it would look interesting on the Q

The chrome strip also says "president" which you may or may not like

[HeavyDuty]

I really like that color, Jeff. I know that bar has added an instant 'on center' feel. Your car is very clean & straight.

I thought all 1st gens were IPQ.

After all the hubbub of wanting something else, I looked at my car Fri night and asked myself:

"Self, what more could you ask for or *need* than what you already have?"

[AZ94Q]

Heavy,

Good decision.

[rsiwicki]

sorry for the hijack...but while I was at the salvage yard they had just brought in a 2003 5 series and I was looking at the headlights and wondering how hard it would be to modify them to fit the Q. It looked like with a little fabrication you could get them to work as it looked like two seprate lights behind the glass casing in the bimmer and I would just need a glass casing to fit the lines of the Q and then attach the 5 series light behind it. I wish I had the time, tools, and place to experiment with this mod, but I don't so it will not be happening for me. I like the 5 series lights with the circular outline of the lights at night.

I got the idea from a Jap website where they took the new q's projector headlights and fitted them into the Lexus GS430 headlights....looked really awesome. Now ain't that some $hit...and a little respect...A Lexus owner using the Q's headlamps.

[rsiwicki]

Ahh heavy...this board and you would just not be the same without you and your Q...besides...I am looking forward to a little friendly racing after I get my mods done against your NOS system.

[AZ94Q]

Wow, I bet that looked neet.

I wish our car had more aftermarket.. Unfortunately it's main purpose in Japan was to transport extremely rich salarymen and executives, in 80,000 + luxury and comfort... This isn't the best combo for extreme aftermarket..

I really like the 5 series lighting.. I really like the 5 series.. It's such a classic..

When the 540i sport came out in 1997, it was such a godsend..

BMW is still the only company to really offer a real drivers sedan with a 6 speed manual sedan and a v8..

I love bmw, you can really see the passion behind their vehicles in any of their cars.. My mom has a new 325i auto.. Even with 190 hp, it just keeps up accelrating, never feeling to slow, and never feeling like it has accelreation dead spots (like on my Q)

There is an overall vault feeling as well.

They need to fix those gremlins, and get themselves near the top of the list for initial quality..

[HeavyDuty]

I love bmw, you can really see the passion behind their vehicles in any of their cars.. My mom has a new 325i auto.. Even with 190 hp, it just keeps up accelrating, never feeling to slow, and never feeling like it has accelreation dead spots (like on my Q)

Having spent a lot of :bshake time in CrashGordon's 01 330ci (my business partner & good friend) I gotta say I admire the engineering & all, but, that thing has monster torque off the line, peters out midrange, then pulls slightly towards the top end. BTW, this is a Dinan chipped, intake(d), AA catback (stock cat, stock exh man).

However, my 91 (JWT ECU, TCU, POP), decimated him from a 60 mph roll with him having the jump on me.

I know he's going to read this & gripe about it, but........

Now my buddy's 04 SMG M3 is another story, I'm sure. :pface

I'd like to spend a couple days in a 7 series, like an 00-03. (2?)

[Altiman94]

I love that Q. What tires are those? Looks mean!

[Jesda]

I'm with you 100%Is it just me or do volvos of that period, have almost the EXACT same grill as our Qs.. Maybe we stole it from them, or maybe they stole it from us.. Either way we probably stole it from Jaguar, so it doesn't matter

When I see the mid 90s Volvo sedans, I always think its the Mercedes C-class from far away. But now that you mention it, the C70 nose looks very much like the 94-96 Q.

LONG LIVE THE ELVIS PELVIS! (Belt buckle)

[AZ94Q]

The 330s really do jump off the line.. They made them basically as quick as the older e36 m3 engines.. Very nice, espically in a lightweight package like the Z4..

My moms 325i is not fast.. but it doesn't feel slow... No doubt a 91 would pummel a 330.. My stock 91 raced countless e36 m3s and never lost an inch (70+)

My Q espically on a hot day, just feels like it has accelration dead spots.. If you come out of a corner at 20-30, and you punch it (without activiting the kick down into 1st gear) the thing crawls.. When it has to accelrate from 20+ in second gear, it just feels slow.. Sometimes it feels allright, but usually it feels like it has a dead spot between 2-3k.. maybe this is my car only, I dunno..

All I know while my moms 325 isnt accelrating fast, it doesn't make me think to myself COME ON LETS GO DAMNIT, WHAT THE HELL IS THE PROBLEM, ARGH!!! like my q does..

Granted less weight in the 3, but not that much, and plenty less hp/torque..

It also has a 5 speed transmission.

The 2004 XJ8 I drove with the 6 speed transmission was very nice.. If our qs had this transmission, it would be over!!! Thing is so damn responsive from any rpm, but it only revs to slighty over 6k.. I really like the high revving nature of the VH, it's trully unique..

At the same time i wish I had the instant response that continusoiuly variable valve timing and 5-6 speed auto trannys bring.. Oh well

[rsiwicki]

I have got the same problem in my 95 Q when accelerating. At any speed between 30mph to 40mph...I can't get the damn thing to go into first (even if I manually do it..still stuck in second). The cars speedo has to be at or below 30mph to go into first...I don't know why as I have heard others can shift into first manually up to 35mph...my car has never been able to do it. I can select 1st manually at 45mph...but it will not actually go into 1st until my speedo says 30mph. Drives me insane!!!! Especially coming out of a corner autocrossing or even worse...cruising around town and somebody wants to race me in my "dead zone"...30-40mph. I either wait till I get up to 40 or just don't race unless I can get them down to 30mph where I can get it into 1st.

[AZ94Q]

That's nutty rob..

30 was the limit for my 91, 35 is definetely the limit for my 94

I can't gun it and downshift into 1st at 35, but I can manually downshift at 35, and it has no problem ripping into 1st gear..

How strange

[rsiwicki]

that $hit ain't right. Everybody else can do it except for my car. Only at 30mph and less will it go into 1st. you have no idea the agony & pain of not being able to get into 1st until 30mph...

When I go to T3, I will have them check it out. I have tried just about everything...even using a 93 TCU on my 95 transmission...still no go. I have not tried my new transmission yet....got to break it in.

Got a new digital video camera...now I can have some fun and also tape my funny rpm drop and upload it so that you all can see the problem. Q45tech can probably diagnose the problem in a second after he sees the tape. Damn thing is a real pain in the a$$ to set all up and learn. I need to get married and have kids soon so they can do all this $hit for me like I do for my folks when they get a new electronic toy. :pface

[AZhitman]

Hmmmm.

I'll double-check tomorrow, but I think i can get 1st up into the high 30's...

[rsiwicki]

thanks for checking Greg...and please post back your results. I had a discussion about this on the Infiniti Mechanic thread with Q45tech and a couple others and they all could get their car into 1st manually at 35mph. Dennis said that it was a function of some sort....torque, speed, etc. as the transmission can only handle so much hp..rated at only 300hp so the factory limited where you could downshift into 1st to prolong transmission life and fuel economy....but my car has never been able to get into 1st gear until 30mph no matter what I do and it drove me crazy when I was autocrossing as I would come out of corners in mid to lower 30's and just sit there stuck in 2nd gear.

I got a digital video camera and will be posting tomorrow what is wrong with my car and the mysterious rpms decrease under acceleration....maybe somebody will know what the problem is.

[HeavyDuty]

Ahh heavy...this board and you would just not be the same without you and your Q...besides...I am looking forward to a little friendly racing after I get my mods done against your NOS system.

Thanks so much, but I'm still such a neophyte when it comes to these cars, it'll take years for me to be able to hold my own.

(Although I have at least 25yrs experience in that department.) :naughty

I really appreciate your approach to your car. "Whatever it is, I'm gonna throw money at it until it's a damn fast pristine example of what it is, certainly no less, but much more."

Oh yeah, and the friendly race will only be fun & fair sans n2o.

I'd like nothing more than a pair of tanks (or more) converging on Orange County Speedway (Bithlo), whooping late model Mustang or Civic/Integra butt.

Make mine with three (count 'em, three) babyseats in the back and a set of clubs in the trunk for good measure.

[rsiwicki]

all sounds good there heavy. I will be paying you a visit this summer. I got one free pass to Universal...so got to go. We will get your butt dyno on the road with your babyseats and the clubs and definetly go have some fun. I hear that you put all the "cry babies" in those seats of yours after you whip their a$$

Greg....I tested my car last night with the new transmission as this was driving me nuts and the new transmission will go into 1st manually right at 35mph. Thank God.....Now I can have a little more fun with some street racing and now maybe autocrossing

[rsiwicki]

so you like my approach to me car do you

well what started out to be a little project and was only going to be $5k...then $10k...now $15k is something I would rather not think about...but I have never modded a car before and I am having fun chatting/learning with you all on this stuff...so as long as I have fun the $$$ are okay. This modifying cars is addictive...I just keep finding more things to do. I am a man on a mission....to build one of the damn fastest NA Q's

[HeavyDuty]

Yeah, it's fun, just do yourself a favor. Kinda like how your broker told you NOT to look at your IRA statements for the past 24 months, put all the car receipts in one place, but please don't total them.

Ever.

Until you sell the car.

Off-topic:

PS, my wife is moving out of the house this weekend......first time I've seen my clubs in 6 years!!! I think the house has raised up about two inches out of the ground with all her Gra-Doo getting out of here.

Her boyfriend boy/friend, whatever, is helping her, but it's not like you might think, he & I have a better relationship than myself & my wife have had for 3 years. I just keep smiling as I'm loading up his truck with enough stuff to fill a barge, again and again, and again, and again.....all the while his eyes are as big as saucers. He must have said "OMG, OMG, HOW MUCH MORE?!?!?" a hundred times. LOL LOL LOL

ROFLMAO!!

My house is getting huge!!

I told him he was welcome to her, (take over payments) but I get the house, and residential custody of our children, which she has finally conceded.

Buh-Bye!