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Background:
Not too many people know and I dont necessarily mention it too much but a buddy and I have launched a boutique performance line here in south denver under the Unknown Performance name. Our bread & butter has been rear-mount turbos and we've had some success with selling kits, other fabrication work, material sales, and other automotive work.
One direction we want to take this brand is having a track presence and we'll be driving this car at local track days (High Plains Raceway and Pikes Peak International Raceway).
A few months back a G35 popped up on FB Market Place and we kept an eye on it. We completed a few turbo kits and dedicated the cash to this chassis.
The car is a 2003 infinti g35, caged, seem welded, with 350z shocks/struts tein springs, we picked up a transmission from the same seller along with a ACT 6 puck clutch & flywheel package. The car will need painted or wrapped but the body is in pretty good shape. There was no engine with this car which is ok because we have components for a built block ready to go and 3 engines to source parts from. Over the next few months we'll be putting the car back together and track-prepped.
Good to see another race/track car in my neck of the woods. As you know, I do most of my racing with the Colorado SCCA and there's plenty of track day and time trial activities for 2021. If you need any advice or suggestions on getting started, hit me up!
Good to see another race/track car in my neck of the woods. As you know, I do most of my racing with the Colorado SCCA and there's plenty of track day and time trial activities for 2021. If you need any advice or suggestions on getting started, hit me up!
Thank you DK - we definitely will! we will need help with this setup. We need to get the cage tech'd / certified. I think our main objective is to get the VQ in the car and everything hooked up and running. I have a colleague that is part of the PCA and we intend to get certified ro run at HPR, break the car in, and attend a few of their lapping days.
Originally Posted by Freise
In as well. Where would someone find more information about your rear-mount kits?
Thank you DK - we definitely will! we will need help with this setup. We need to get the cage tech'd / certified. I think our main objective is to get the VQ in the car and everything hooked up and running. I have a colleague that is part of the PCA and we intend to get certified ro run at HPR, break the car in, and attend a few of their lapping days.
Among the roles I currently have is as the Rocky Mountain Divisional SCCA Divisional Administrator for Tech. As such, I'm a nationally-licensed tech inspector. So, if you want me to come tech your cage, I'm your raspberry (but really if you intend to club race the car). Why don't you consider one of the SCCA track nights run at HPR and other Colorado tracks?:
Among the roles I currently have is as the Rocky Mountain Divisional SCCA Divisional Administrator for Tech. As such, I'm a nationally-licensed tech inspector. So, if you want me to come tech your cage, I'm your raspberry (but really if you intend to club race the car). Why don't you consider one of the SCCA track nights run at HPR and other Colorado tracks?:
They're cheap and usually straightforward to gaining some track time. Let me know how I can help!
We'd love that DK and if we can informally use your guidance to get the car up to SCCA standards we'd happy take your opinions too.
We do want to do as much as we possibly can and we'll definitely get looped into the SCCA crowd. I have ties to the PCA group and it seems like the first initial step but ultimately we want to run in SCCA.
Tincy bits of progress with this car … I just feel like building an engine. I have most the parts needed and the white z is a few weeks out from being machined so I might as well get on it.
Nothing crazy but I have a set of 10:1 pretty standard wisecos that are going in with Brian Crower rods. Had a chance to gap the rings and get them sorted, then labelled, and weighed components.
Spent the early evening re-watching some HPA course content on balancing pistons and rods and decided to re-weighed everything according to HPA method. I did include the wrist pins with pistons when I weighed them and only took off material off the pistons.
I’ve been wanting to purchase a rod balancing table and I think I’m gonna pull the trigger on it and balance the rods next - might need a week or two to have it come in.
Been meaning to document the tear-down / rebuild steps on the DE after making a few assembly errors back on the white z. I’m sure this will get honed through the years.
START:
Install oil squirters
Install pistons/rods/rod bearings
Install 1st main bearings / crank shaft (leave main caps & girdle off for now)
Install 1st thrust bearings
Install rod cap bearings, rod caps, hardware
Install 2nd main bearings and thrust bearing in main caps,
Install main studs, main caps, girdle, torque main studs waster/nuts
Install head studs
Install head gaskets
Install heads
bolt down heads / tighten head studs
Install secondary timing chain tensioners (driver side MUST have the plunger installed before the rear timing chain case piece is installed)
Install camshafts
Install front camshaft caps / 2nd/3rd/4th camshaft cap
Install rear timing chain case cover
Orings between rear case & block / case & 4th cam cap (check)
Orings between front timing chain case & rear case (check)
Ordered a better digital scale and found about a .2gram discrepancy between my heaviest and lightest pistons and took them all down to 455.25g (+/-.02grams). Need the rod balancing table to come in and I can balance the rods and they can go in the block.
I need to find a set of ARP main studs (they’re backorder until June 2022), a clean crank, and the dynosty girdle. I’ll be focusing on the white z over the next few weeks.
Some movement on this … As the story goes and as it needs updating - threw the towel in and got married as of December 2022 and not earth shattering the (now) wifey have been dating for 2years and we enjoy each other enough to put some rings on its … so, that cues the bachelor party … and dont want vegas, dont want strip clubs, dont want late nights … but something I’ve never seen is a bachelor party track day. My best bud and best man Larry is no stranger to the track and has 3 vehicles that would be extremely fun to drive on a track (well, maybe two) a K20 swapped Lotus Elise, a 1965’ish?? Daytona Cobra tribute/rep car, and a laptop (tesla model 3).
So we have at least three cars … Larry calls me up and says get that g up and going so you have something to drive on the track day. We thought about renting cars? Or doing a driving school? Or doing a driving experience but 3 of the 5 of us have track experience.
Long story short - been going batshit crazy getting the car into the garage, emptied out, cleaned, organized, and get rolling on the build…
I have a built block going into the car and it’ll have a small turbo in the 500 to 600hp range … likely a front mount where the OEM airbox sits and want to focus on fast spool and peak torque, not wildly looking for high hp numbers.
The block belong to JDV-V35 and he gave it to me (minus heads and few other things) after he dropped a sleeved block into his g … the block was extremely clean, bearings looked new, no issues with the crank. Running OEM oil bearing clearances. Bearings are hard / impossible to get right now and I have a few sets of OEM sized bearing sets in the closet … also think I shot myself in the foot on the white car by opening up the bearings too much.
Will also be looking at upgrading to very capable coilovers and a full SPL setup - I speculate this will be a $5k to $7k adventure and I can’t swing it now. Currently the car is on Tein springs and OEM?? Shocks/struts.
Cant find a decent set of headers, have a line in for a set of tomei but may fabricate my own at some point. With time and money being a concern getting the car up and going, I have a set of OEM headers that will go on for now.
Will run a koyo 38mm radiator and a small to medium size intercooler for the turbo setup.
Intend to use 91octane but have ID1050x going in and will have a AEM 340lph pump - maybe e85 in the future. Will run a basic return fuel setup.
I have a Haltech Redbox piggyback that I will be tuning with for the time being. I may upgrade to Link at some point.
Would love to crack the code and AWD swap this but not sure how that works with a 6speed MT and the MT is more important than the AWD.
With all this being said … get ready for a massive photo dump - I’ll do my best to narrate as I go along…
As it sits at 11pm tonight … engine in but need some thinner mount hardware and waiting on a transmission bracket and shifter assembly -
Ran a initial compression test after I bolted on the transmission and starter … pretty happy with the numbers - it should be noted that I am running 10.0 : 1 compression ratio and this is cold and not-broken-in.
Running the compression test (incase anyone was wonder how I did it?)
Picked up a set of decent heads from a drift guy up about 1.5hrs north of denver - these spun a bearing and it shows some wear in the cam shaft seats. Was having issues getting heads and these arent amazing but pretty clean and aside from two valves needing re-lashed they cleaned up alright. I did disassemble power-wash and then put them in an heated ultrasonic cleaner for a night and then re-powerwashed. I took a brass wire wheel on a low power dremel and dusted off the valve seats and valves of any carbon build-up. Everything came out well with the exception of two valves that needed a short valve bucket and another round of cleaning. But was able to knock it out. I kept the OEM valves, swapped in Brian Crower springs, retainers, locks, and race cams (272degree).
I dont know whats up with drift guys but this car had a complete sub / stereo / deck setup … sorta reminded me of the weight-loss days of the white z…
Pretty - not sure why the orginal owner put some much time into the engine bay??
Picked up some Planted seat brackets and that’s the interior after an evening of unloading everything left in the car and vacuuming up the interior.
Upper oil pan … not sure why I uploaded this?? I dropped my original RevUp oil pump into this engine (after upgrading to a boundary engineering pump in the z).
Got a -12 oil pan fitting welded on for the turbo drain.
Poor-mans pathfinder cooling mod coming…
Dynosty’s main girdle and ARP 2000 main studs …
Beginning to really enjoying setting timing on these engines -
Brian Crower cams … sorta worried they are too agressive but will need to de-tune intake VTC … but no interference
Front of engine w/revup pump … dont forget those orings.
Heads installed and couldnt get ARP L19s head studs so had to settle for ARP 2000s … so, really gotta limit hp/tq to the 500hp/tq range…
Wiseco 10:1 pistons, Brian Crower rods … I have a set of Pauter rods but I thought they were overkill for this setup.
**** - was in the hospital for a few days when my innerds got all tangled and they needed to get some robot hands inside me … lost about 5days due to this…
I’m far right (incase you wondered what Iooked like)…scary Larry is front & center…
Got a new shop coming … got HOA to approve the layout and waiting on structural drawings to come in …
Chris Franco is a customer of EverythingVQ and the guy that we bought the car from … he is a really cool guy!
Needed to get into the trunk and everything lighted up
looking forward to the build! If you want to be fast on track you need good brakes and tires, have you thought about just staying NA and go with nasty cams and high rev? Im debating on ditching the TT setup and going that route. A lot less weight and more reliable. Also, you should move the thread to the autocross section, I didnt even know you had this going!
looking forward to the build! If you want to be fast on track you need good brakes and tires, have you thought about just staying NA and go with nasty cams and high rev? Im debating on ditching the TT setup and going that route. A lot less weight and more reliable. Also, you should move the thread to the autocross section, I didnt even know you had this going!
All good points -
I will be upgrading brakes at some point in time. I dont know why but I speculate that I am going to run out of cash before the event so I am strategically budgeting. I considered finding a set of 350z/g35 brembos or (more likely) going with AP Racing (further my love affiar with AP). And the car doesnt have to be 100% perfect on day one. Brakes and suspension (as I’m learning from you) will be upgraded.
The plan is to use my RPF1s with the R888s for the May event. I’d like to go with a narrower wheel (the ones I have are 10.5”) but we’ll cross that bridge when I get there.
I want to stay with a small front mount turbo and I dont necessarily want to over-rev the engine. Also, these are lower compression pistons (compared to stock - only a little lower in reality). But all valid points. NA cars are stupid slow here. But you make a good indirect point of if you can’t drive it slow, then you wont be able to drive it fast!
12-29-2020, 11:28 PM
The EverythingVQ.com G35 Dedicated Track Car
