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Sep 24, 08, 12:56 AM
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#1 |
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G20.net "part-time" Janitor
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Featured Member of the Month - October 2008
David's (thefultonhow) CH0 1992 Infiniti G20  G20.net: How, when & why did you first acquire your Infiniti G20? thefultonhow: The car was originally my mom’s. She bought it new in 1992 – the final decision came down to it or a Honda Accord, and boy am I glad that she chose the P10. I was six at the time, and I remember sitting in the back seat while my parents test drove it. Their comment was, “This is way nicer than the Accord, but it’s so expensive!” Well, she got a super good deal at the end of the model year, and brought it home.  click image(s) to enlarge I grew up with the car – when I went someplace, it was either the P10 or my dad’s old Subaru Impreza, and the P10 was bigger, so guess which one I liked better? When it came time for me to learn how to drive, the P10 was the car that I learned on (by then my dad had a new car and the P10 was the “crappy old car”). It was also the first car that I drove alone once I got my license, and I managed to get into my fair share of tight spots with it (hitting a curb, spinning out and mashing a guardrail, etc.). But I loved driving it for the same reasons that anyone falls for a G20 -- great handling, high-revving engine, smooth shifter, and it’s just a nice place to spend time in.  click image(s) to enlarge I left home to go to Utah to work in an AmeriCorps program in mid-2005, and couldn’t bring the car with me. I eventually got my grandparents’ Subaru Legacy and drove that out, but the P10 was kind of hurting mechanically at that point and probably wouldn’t even have made it out there. My brother started learning to drive on it, but in April 2006, he was on the expressway and it developed the dreaded rod knock. The battery was dead, it had no compression in one cylinder due to the bad rod, and it had a bunch of other problems... it had pretty much had it. I tried to sell it, and the best offer I got was $200; I tried to contact the guy who offered that much and he didn’t respond back. I thought about parting it out but realized that would be a lot of work. But then I realized that the FSM was still in the trunk (my mom had never used it; she always went to a mechanic) and I could get a JDM SR20DE for cheap. I had little mechanical experience, but I decided to try to fix it up and just learn as I went along.  click image(s) to enlarge The swap took me three and a half weeks of bumbling along, but at the end, the car ran when I started it up. It’s been pretty smooth sailing since then, but recently I decided I wanted a bit more.  click image(s) to enlarge G20.net: What were your original plans for the car and have they changed? thefultonhow: My original plans were to get it running right and then use it as my primary car and park or sell the Legacy (the Legacy was super practical but it sucked to drive). I had started autocrossing with the Legacy and wanted to keep on doing so with the P10. To that end, I was going to keep it stock mechanically and run it in the H-stock class. For a while, I was planning on going on to greener pastures after college and buy a newer, high-power, RWD or AWD car, but toyed around with the idea of a VE and said that if I did the swap, I’d no longer have an excuse to sell the P10, so I’d save money.   click image(s) to enlarge G20.net: What performance modifications have you made to your car? thefultonhow: There are kind of two stages here – non-running to stock running condition, and stock to higher-performance. As mentioned previously, I put in a JDM SR20DE that I picked up on the way back from Utah from Soko in Chicago, along with a number of other parts (Key Value clutch, rear motor mount, radiator, AC compressor, passenger-side axle, and front pads and rotors, battery, and starter). Since then, I’ve replaced a number of AC parts, the alternator, and the driver’s side axle.  click image(s) to enlarge Along with a bunch of other things that got replaced in the 10,000 miles before I got the car from my mom, I think the only mechanical parts that are original 180,000-mile parts are the transmission and steering rack/power steering pump, so hopefully I'm in good shape for a little while reliability-wise. But I’ve always wanted a bit more power, so it was time for a VE swap. The JDM DE came out, and the VE went in around the middle of August. The cam switching is controlled by a Summit 830452 digital RPM window switch, and the ECU will be a Calum, although that’s not in yet. I am running a ghetto WAI (not by choice; the VE intake piping didn’t line up properly with the bottom of the airbox, so I had to tape the filter onto the top), and an SSAC-style 2.5” header. I’m still working out all the kinks, but it’s going to be great once it’s done! G20.net: Do you have any dyno numbers? thefultonhow: I would like to once I get the VE completely tuned, but right now it’s way slower than it should be, so that’s kind of pointless.  click image(s) to enlarge G20.net: What suspension modifications have you made to the car? thefultonhow: Right now it’s all stock, but next summer I am planning on Agility coilovers. An Addco rear swaybar and maybe a RSTB may be in the cards as well. I will also have to replace those tired 180,000 mile bushings eventually…   click image(s) to enlarge G20.net: Any cosmetic modifications to the exterior? thefultonhow: Right now it’s got a bunch of speed dents and a bit of aerodynamic surface rust. In the future, I’m looking at fixing a few of the most egregious problems with the paint, but I’m going to keep it mostly stock. I do plan to get some wide 15” wheels, but that’s more for performance than looks (although it would be nice to get rid of the curbed-up stockers).   click image(s) to enlarge G20.net: How about the interior? thefultonhow: The interior is one of the great things about the P10. The seats are super-comfortable and there is plenty of head and legroom -- it’s a good place to spend an entire day driving. Even the rear seat is big. The one major issue I had with it was the stupid motorized seatbelts, so I replaced them with manual 3-point belts from a P10 that came with airbags. I really like my cloth seats, so I won’t be switching them out for slippery leather, that’s for sure. Since I recently steam-cleaned them, they are looking pretty good now.   click image(s) to enlarge G20.net: Have you made any upgrades to the stock sound system? thefultonhow: At this point, the only modification is an Alpine CDE-9852 headunit, which replaces the stock tape deck. I love being able to plug my iPod in and just stash it in the glove box (I drilled a hole in the side of the glove box to route the cable through, so it looks like a clean install). I need to buy 6.5” components for the front doors to replace the buzzing, falling-apart 4x6es that are in there now, and later on, I’ll replace the rear speakers too. I’d like to convert the center console to a double-DIN space by relocating the HVAC to the bottom bay and combining the top and middle ones, but that’s a pipe dream for now.   click image(s) to enlarge G20.net: Any future modifications we should look out for? thefultonhow: The engine is pretty much done for now. I will be getting a cat-back exhaust, done right so it’s quiet, and I might replace my ghetto WAI with a real one, although that’s not a priority. I may go for SR16VE cams or even N1 cams in the future, but that’s a long time down the road. A Fidanza flywheel will also go on if I ever get around to fixing the bolt holes for the pressure plate.   click image(s) to enlarge Suspension-wise, as I mentioned earlier, I have my eye on the Agility coilovers. If I don’t get those, I’ll probably opt for Ground Control sleeves and AGXes. I may also go for an Addco rear swaybar. I’ll be getting those wide 15” wheels with sticky summer rubber -- I’m tired of all-seasons. And as I mentioned above, I will be getting the speakers; I also want to install a keyless entry system, but that’s lower on the priorities list. And finally, I’ll build a new floor in the trunk so I can use a full-size spare and have a bit of storage space for tools.  click image(s) to enlarge G20.net: How and when did you first find G20.net? thefultonhow: I don’t remember exactly, but my very first thread was posted when I was out in Utah, needed a car, and had the delusion that my mom would let me buy it and that the car would make it out there without breaking down. I then tried to sell it on here when the engine died, and luckily nobody actually bought it. After that, I started the swap, and the rest is history!  click image(s) to enlarge G20.net: How has this site benefited you? thefultonhow: It started with help with the JDM DE swap, and then I kept asking questions and gaining knowledge, until finally I was one of the ones answering the questions. And when I have a question about something obscure that I don’t have any experience with, chances are someone has the answer. I think it’s safe to say that without G20.net, my P10 would have gone to the crusher. And on top of that, it’s a great community and a lot of fun to hang around.  click image(s) to enlarge G20.net: Any last comments you would like to make? thefultonhow: I’d like to thank Mike (p10det) in particular, for checking out the car after the first swap, back when I had no idea what I was doing. He found a number of problems that would have puzzled me for months, and he really added to my knowledge of the car. Even now, he helped with troubleshooting the VE swap when it wouldn’t start right away. I’d also like to thank Jensen (jen36, who is less active on here than on the Dash) for letting me use his shop for the VE swap, and G20-Budo for providing a ton of info on the VE swap. And I’d like to thank all of the other regulars who have put up with my questions over the two and a half years that I’ve been a member, and the mods, who run a tight ship. I’m a mod on a computer forum, and I know how hard it is to keep members in line and clean up all the spam. They do a great job!  click image(s) to enlarge If there had been no G20.net, my car would likely have gone to a junkyard 2.5 years ago. Instead, it’s still on the road, running great, and will be running better than when new in the future. I sometimes wonder what I would do if my P10 got totaled, and I think the answer is that I’d get another P10 – there’s simply nothing under about $12,000 that even comes close to comparing. It’s a good thing that sixteen years ago, my mom chose this car over the Accord!
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-Kyle 96' G20-VE 04' Nissan Quest (Family Truckster!!) My Gallery My Feedback New quote!! Ok, who said THIS in a movie?? "We have a piper down, I repeat, we have a piper down" Who said this in a movie?? "Drop that stereo before I blow your goddamn nuts off, asshole!" One more, who said this in a movie?? "Oh, the silent majesty of a winter's morn... the clean, cool chill of the holiday air... an asshole in his bathrobe, emptying a chemical toilet into my sewer..." |
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Sep 24, 08, 12:59 AM
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#2 | ||
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Why yes, I am a Moderator
Feedback: (59) (100%)
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Saigon Vietnam
Posts: 8,924
Vehicle: I can has a P10
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1st!!!
Congrats David, Looking good. 
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Sep 24, 08, 01:13 AM
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#6 |
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G20 Guru
Feedback: (18) (100%)
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: los angeles, ca
Posts: 1,746
Vehicle: 02 sport x2
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congrats, nice clean p10,
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 HELP buy cf hood/trunk molds http://www.g20.net/forum/showthread.php?t=103364 Wings West lip GB #2 http://www.g20.net/forum/showthread....91#post1415791 |
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Sep 24, 08, 01:18 AM
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#7 |
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I Gots More NISMO Then U!
Feedback: (26) (100%)
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: nismOville, WA
Posts: 2,753
Vehicle: '99P11t~'00P11
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clean clean p10!!
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Where my stalkers go. http://www.g20.net/forum/showthread....light=1999+g20 TRYING TO BE THE #1 G20 W/ THE MOST NISMO STUFF IN THE WORLD!  
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Sep 24, 08, 01:46 AM
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#10 | ||
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Highport FTW!!
Feedback: (15) (100%)
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Chandler, AZ
Posts: 2,379
Vehicle: 1999 G20 M/T!!
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congrats man. can't wait to see the dyno numbers on the ve.
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Sep 24, 08, 07:16 AM
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#19 |
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drunken master
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congrats david. i enjoyed reading the story of the life of your p10.
I am glad i was able to help you out before. and thanks for mentioning me(i think i shed a tear) i will look forward to seeing ya at the dyno. will you be running the real time ecu and getting tuned? contact me ahead of time to set up apointment |
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