Unloaded all the crap out of my trunk.

[1992Q45A]

Tranmission/TCActuatorsCross member

Some other stuff I didn't recgonize. Damn that transmission was heavy!

Question: I noticed the dash on the 92 is still soft to the touch. It has a nice rubbery'esque feel to it, when you touch it in pushes in a bit. I noticed on my 94 it's hard, and doesn't push in at all.

Are any of your guys dash's still soft to the touch? I Don't remember if my 91 was.. I don't think they did anything to the dash, but it's definetely softer then my 94.

Wasn't able to get any pics. Ordering all the brake stuff, active suspension fluid, spark plugs, new fuses.. having it all put in over the next few weeks.

I found the Jim wolf technology TCU in the trunk. Thay may explain why the switch wasn't working LOL.. Not sure what is in there now, I am assuming the oem tcu.. have to check that out. Also located the centercaps for the rims

Still not sure on the active suspension. I'm going to change the fluid, and see if that makes any difference. I don't think it should be sitting this low. I know stillen lowered it, but I doubt it was this low.. Relieving all that crap out of the trunk lifted it a little, but I am still thinking it has flat actuators, or something else..

Once I get the brakes on, I am going to limp it to Euro Imports and have them do a full consult diag test on the suspension. I am hopeing these spare actuators are still charged, but I don't know how to tell... Probably end up swapping them in.

That's it for now... Had the guy explain how he would remove the cage, it will definetely be useless after it's cut.. the only way the interior would be guaranteed not to be damaged by the torch..

I'll try to get up some pics soon.

[HeavyDuty]

Had the guy explain how he would remove the cage, it will definetely be useless after it's cut.. the only way the interior would be guaranteed not to be damaged by the torch..

Right, useless is bad, structural integrity is good.

Wheeewwww!!! Good thing you won't have to be talking to him again.......right Ryan???

Ahem....

Uh,

Nancy?

Hello?:pface

[elwesso]

YOu might just drive with the cage in and see if its REALLY that bad.!

My 94 dash is still very soft, and I can push it in somewhat.....

[1992Q45A]

Ok, I'm taking a poll

Let's say you were a potential buyer of this car. Would you consider the cage a POSITIVE or NEGATIVE.

Not even this Q, but any Q. If you looked at a Q with a cage in it, would that want to Make you buy it more, or less

I can't even install my leather sun visor covers, with this damn cage in the way..

That's cool your dash is still soft... Compared to the new q/m hard plastic dash, it's definetely a step above.. I guess the sun probably kills the softness..

[AZhitman]

No offense, Ryan, but your car w/o the cage (and other kickass upgrades) is a liability, not an asset.

Unmolested, low-mileage active Q = Top dollar.

Modified, well-tested, hard-driven, active Q = Hard-core enthusiast only.

Enthusiasts say keep the cage.

[AZhitman]

I can't even install my leather sun visor covers, with this damn cage in the way..

I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that.

[1992Q45A]

No offense, Ryan, but your car w/o the cage (and other kickass upgrades) is a liability, not an asset.

Unmolested, low-mileage active Q = Top dollar.

Modified, well-tested, hard-driven, active Q = Hard-core enthusiast only.

Enthusiasts say keep the cage.

That confuses me. The cage is definetely a liability. The cage is the only the holding the car back from being restored to the condition it was profiled in mags, and built by stillen. I can fix up the rest and restore it to reg spec.

Who, but only the most hardcore of enthusiasts would appreciate something that terminates the back seat, detracts from all the money spent on the interior, makes your seat unmoveable, adds weight etc etc

Maybe its just me but I think this cage kills any value this car has

[elwesso]

You bought this car as an enthusiast, I am very surprised you OF ALL PEOPLE are thinking about the cars value!!

I would restore everything else and THEN decide if you still want the cage.... In 30 years or so, if you were going to auction this car off, and you were on Dennis Gage's car show and you were telling him that you restored this and it has like (insert low mileage) miles on it, and I removed the roll cage that stillen put in, it would take it away from the value, ebcause at that point ONLY collectors are going to want it.

You have plenty of stock Qs to choose from, there are nearly none with a roll cage and all those cool things you got. Keep it like it is!!!!!!! The money you spent on removing the cage and doing all that crap your talking about you could ahve another nice 1st gen Q....... With no cage!

[AZhitman]

OK, don't freak out, but wasn't it built for track duty? Didn't you know it had a cage?

All I'm saying is, it's an enthusiast's car, not a show queen.

I'd be more worried about differences in the paint color under the decals (assuming they've been on the car for a while). Especially as awesome as that color is.

[Jesda]

I never use the back seat! The car is worth little in terms of dollars, the value is defined by how much you enjoy driving it.

[1992Q45A]

The car was driven hard, but probably not for that long. It was raced in one 24 hour endurance race. After that it served pace car duties. I'm sure it was driven aggressively when it was being put together, and I'm sure Geoff had his fun in the car as well..

I need to get this thing dynod and see what happens. That dyno Q45tech posted of a stock first gen putting out 298 hp to the crank is definetely promising.

Anything short of 300 hp is a disappointment.

Greg,

Do you know anything of Intense motorsports reputation? I am considering doing my dyno testing there...

Personally I don't think the car being driven hard is much of a negative. The only time it was driven espically hard was on the track. I figure I probably drive my regular cars as hard as the time it saw on the streets. The only thing that didn't stand up to the track was the transmission, and that was replaced. I guess someones own personal perception would make up their own thinking on this matter. I'd still rather have a low mileage car then a high milage one. My 91 and 94 were higher milage, and not in nearly as good condition as this car.

[AZhitman]

Sounds like a consensus is building...

Ry, shall I dredge up some of your prior posts (back when you were a "hardcore" enthusiast?

[1992Q45A]

The car wasn't built for the track. I'm not getting offended, I think this is just a point worth noting when talking about removing the cage.

The car was built by stillen, not kryder racing. Saying the car was meant to have a cage is like saying it was meant to have the AC gutted.

Kryder performed race car modifications on the car.. Gutting the a/c, putting in a cage.. etc etc... It also wasn't titled or registered.

I could see if stillen put a cage in it.. then maybe it would be different. I guess I'm the only one that sees it like this

[AZhitman]

Intense has a good rep. A little snotty perhaps, but good people to my knowledge.

Wish we could get them aboard.

[1992Q45A]

You are right jesda. I'm not trying to define the cars value. Just saying as a potential buyer of any Q (not just mine) I don't think a cage would make many people go hey now thats the one thing that is going to make me buy this car

You don't need to bring up those posts

what can I say I changed my mind when I saw the work they put in the interior

[AZhitman]

The car wasn't built for the track. I'm not getting offended, I think this is just a point worth noting when talking about removing the cage.

The car was built by stillen, not kryder racing. Saying the car was meant to have a cage is like saying it was meant to have the AC gutted.

Kryder performed race car modifications on the car.. Gutting the a/c, putting in a cage.. etc etc... It also wasn't titled or registered.

I could see if stillen put a cage in it.. then maybe it would be different. I guess I'm the only one that sees it like this

Ah - I wasn't aware of this.

That makes SOME difference, but it's still cool, and probably adds to the rigidity significantly. Check out the F50 Indy Q - that cage is MONEY!!

Wasn't the titling / registering issue related to the car's origins?

[AZhitman]

You don't need to bring up those posts

what can I say I changed my mind when I saw the work they put in the interior

LOL - Snared by the sumptuous pleasures of the Lady Q. She's a wicked one, ain't she?

[1992Q45A]

See, that's what I'm saying. Stillen built up this Q as a real nice street car. Why Kryder racing purchased it and decided to race it, I really have no idea.. They are a nissan shop and probably wanted to have some fun.

I feel lucky that they didn't do more.. Like gutting the custom upholstered leather seats or gutting the interior...

Car had no title. No registration No anything.. straight up race car.. I have to go through the process of reregistering it, retitleing it, reinspecing/emissioning it.

Everyone I mention this to people (on and off this forum) they are under the impression it was built this way, but it wasn't. It was just built as a way for stillen to showcase his available modes on the car. Why he custom upholstered the whole interior, redid the carpeting and stuff like this I dunno.. I guess because he can. Hell I would do that to all my cars If I could.

When I originally put the deposit on the car, I envisioned it as a race car.. a car with a crappy interior, a car with one function only. When I saw it, I thought something totally else..

Greg.. Would you put a cage in your Q if someone offered to do it up for free? Detracting from quellas finely maintained zaino leather, losing your rear seats, and not being able to adjust your seat anymore

[1992Q45A]

I'm going to drop off some stuff with the car tomorrow, and I'll take some pics. All this debate is hypothetical until you guys can see some pics.

Remember BE OBJECTIVE, not just hardcore

[AZhitman]

Greg.. Would you put a cage in your Q if someone offered to do it up for free? Detracting from quellas finely maintained zaino leather, losing your rear seats, and not being able to adjust your seat anymore

No, I wouldn't.

But I have a wife and 3 kids, and we use the Q as a family car as well as a source of enjoyment...

I think your point of view makes more sense now that we know more of the history of the car and such.

Still, a cage *would* be cool...

(OK, I'll shut up now, I'm not helping matters any. )

[MiniMan]

Ryan, I think what you need to do with the cage is have it modified. Modified so that the back seats are still accessible. So that you can still use the sun shades, etc. IMO, that would be the BEST solution for your car. You keep the cage, and the functionality a stock Q would have... as if the cage weren't there. Honestly, if I were you I'd probably remove the cage too if you're going to be using it as a daily driver - it simply detracts too much functionality as it is. Though if I removed it, I'd cut it up by hand so that I could have it rewelded back into the car at a later date if I decided to do so.

Corey

[1992Q45A]

Quote »I think your point of view makes more sense now that we know more of the history of the car and such.[/quote]

Nice to know someone thinks I'm not totally nuts. If stillen put this cage in, I don't think I'd consider removing it. I want to restore it back to the condition Stillen put it to. Even if it has no value to anyone else, my goal is to restore it to the condition Stillen built it to.

It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling in the sub cauckles to know I saved and restored a G50

I'm getting that RX7 itch again. I just can't deny it for much longer.

[Jeff Williams]

Ryan, I understand your position 100%.

Your concernes and comments sound like you are restoring a hotrod, to a specific era. This is very common, with old Hotrods from the 1960's. It ususally goes along with a lot of people agreeing with you, and a lot of people thinking you are crazy.

The car mans more to you, restored to Stillen's mods, than it's current configuration.

If the car meant more to you, as an SCCA racer, then you would want to leave it like it is.

It may cost you $10,000 to get the A/C working, the active suspension working, and all the modifications back the way Stillen had it, but it is a labor of love, not an ecenomic decision.

I might suggest taking the cage out carefully (not with a torch, but with a saw), so you can sell it to another Q owner, or put it in you next Q.

[rsiwicki]

My vote is to take it out....unless the car is going to be used heavily on the track.

[HeavyDuty]

I, too, just realized Stillen didn't install the cage. That does make a difference as far as I'm concerned.

For historical value, the way it was shot for the magazines would bring the most interest & value, IMHO.

However, you could modify it like Miniman said where it wouldn't be intrusive, yet add safety & function.

Have you ever had two identical cars side by side & just let the butt test tell you how much more solid (safer) the car with the cage is when you just sit down in it?

Granted, we're not talking Civic hatch or Miata here, but if nothing else, God forbid if it came down to a Q45 vs Escalscursion...........

[elwesso]

I didnt realize that stillen didnt put in the cage, I guess that changes thigs

I agree, take out the cage and make it so you could at least put it back in if you wanted to, or sell it to a Q owner....

HOWEVER, id worry about restoring everything else before I started worrying about the cage. Get the active suspension, AC and all that other stuff going first, then worry about it.

[1992Q45A]

Agreed. I think Stillen not installing the cage, makes the difference. Glad you guys think I'm not that crazy..

Trust me had stillen envisioned the car with a cage, I definetely would not have gutted it. I'm ordering my brakes this friday, and then I'm going to limp it down for some serious active diag.

Elwesso I know you're going to love my seats

[maxnix]

Even if Stillen didn't instal the cage, it is there now and removing it will only detract from the function and perhaps value of the car. If the cage renders the car non-functional on the street, then that is a serious problem. Quite frankly, repairing the damage from the removal of the cage may cost more than the car is worth, and it is not the Stillen car when you're finished as it has already been altered. If you want the Stillen car, it may be better and cheaper to buy a clapped out 1992 Q45a and transfer the bits over, even if it is not the same color.

Just my thoughts. Good luck.

[1992Q45A]

Yea, you may be right. Based on my conversations with this guy, he seems to believe he can remove the cage, without any interior damage. He is going to take out all the seats/headliner etc..

I am not sure how to repair the frame where the bolts will be removed. I'm sure there is something for this.

[maxnix]

I am not sure how to repair the frame where the bolts will be removed. I'm sure there is something for this.

Well, to do it right, you would have to strip the car (ugh!!) and weld the custom plates. The problem is, none of the repairs would have the excellent double sided zinc coating of the stock metal. Not a big problem in AZ, but a big problem on the underside of the car anywhere else. Paint and undercoat the repairs.

It is very expensive and time and labor consuming to do it right. Hence my suggestion to find a clapped out Q45 with a good body and transfer the stuff over and have a Stillen car, if not the original Stillen car. It would still be a one off.