Another Infiniti G20 Racecar on a Budget

***This project has changed A LOT over the year and will no longer be a challenge car. We realized with could build a better car for cheaper if we didn't have to follow the rules! For the sake of the story Im not changing how the project started. Thanks for checking out this build. 

I bought a $300 complete and running Infiniti g20 and started a challenge team yesterday! Well when I say team i mean it's just me at the moment. (now accepting teammate applications haha) The plan is simple. Get this to the $2017 Challenge that is just a 15 minute drive from my house and have some fun for under $1000 the first year. Car needs some TLC after a front end collision, but these cars handle decently and have the potentially potent sr20de motor in it as well as factory VLSD. Add in some random left overs i have laying around and I may just surprise myself. I'm not a mechanic nor am I an engineer. So this car won't blow anyone away with creativity or engineering excellence but Im sure it will be a good time. Then $2018 Challenge plans will include a turbo and many other go fast parts. Stay tuned for more. Im picking up the car in two weeks. The MotoIQ guys have built a nicely prepared G20 Racecar there are also a few guys that road race them as well. I hope to follow their lead and come up with something that I can be proud of! I look forward to keeping everyone updated and joining the esteemed ranks of those who have competed in this challenge before! <img src="" />

Great and Welcome.
I fully support your efforts for a low cost Infiniti!

Welcome to the Infiniti Challenge Club. I think there are four of us?

$300 your lucky to find just fwd vlsd trans for that money!

Plenty of money for 300 + hp turbo setup... And if you're only 15 mins away from home why not make it 400 hp?... Oh the joys of an unmodded sr

Welcome...last year was or first year and we're not engineers either but we had a ball for $984!

Welove and look forward to seeing you in october!

Thanks for the kind welcomes! I am very excited to get this build moving. I purchased a b13 Se-r to build for the challenge but I uncovered some gremlins that pushed me out of challenge money. I have had many FWD Sr20s and this will be my 2nd Infiniti. I had a VG30ET powered convertible M30 for a while. My Dad (and I) founded NICO Club back in the day (later handed it off to greg who has taken it and run with it!) and we are hard core Nissan/Datsun/Infiniti enthusiasts. The old man even had the worlds fastest q45 for over 10 years that was know for pulling wheel stands with full interior. As well as current ownership of some very rare Nissans and Datsun from around the world. Can't wait to dig in and get to work. Parts are pretty inexpensive on these things and I hope to make this G20 one for the books!

I of course naturally settled on this livery for the car. Cheers! <img src="" />

In reply to Stampie:

I am stoked to know their are so many Infiniti represented. Great cars. I have been following your Q45 build for a while. It is awesome and I look forward to seeing yall in Gainesville soon!

In reply to B13Birk:

Unfortunately I've followed Stampie's Q45 but not in a good way...as in seeing his taillights pulling away from me in the drags!

But I'm sure he will be happy to tell you about it and even provide photographic evidence

In reply to B13Birk:

Hey, we met at $2014, the year that I brought the gold-bling, Q45 #1. I'll see you there again this year. I still have Q45 #2 that took 10th at $2015. I don't intend to bring a car to compete with this year but I'll be there.

Will your dad be there? I want more info and learnings about the wheel standing Q45. Is that a Gen1 (G50)?

Nice!

I have a thread on our European version of this, a Nissan Primera P10 2.0 GT. We race it in a local 4-hour endurance racing series.

One of the best things we have done is to shorten the front upper control arms, and lower their inner mounting point (the old Shelby or Guldstrand modificiation). This gives the car a much needed camber compensation curve in the front suspension, and means we now have even tyre wear and front end grip.

We race BMW e36's and generally beat at least some of them :-)

Gustaf

In reply to B13Birk:

Thanks. John is the leader of the Infiniti Challenge cars. In fact he's programmed in my phone as "John Q45 Godfather".

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem:

Want a rematch this year?

In reply to John Welsh :

John! Of course how could I forget! Man i wanted to buy that from you so bad. It just wasn't good timing. In fact there have been 4 other G50s that i have been soo close to snagging but just haven't. I look forward to seeing you again this year. If there are any parking lot builds or if anyone wants to fly and drive and needs a car in Gainesville let me know. Im here and will help however.

Yes the Q was a first gen q45t he purchased new off the show room floor in 95. Off the top of my head i know it had Jim Wolf Cams and a tune. Headers and exhaust, as well as a shift kit from Level10. Every bit of suspension upgrades that were available for that time. He would later Run race Gas and 100 shot of NOS on center lines with race slicks at the drag strip. Wes Stinson bought the car off of him in the mid 2000s when my dad bought his Skyline. We swapped in a 300z 5spd and loads of other stuff. I know that wes in the Q45 guru. There was only two supercharger prototypes ever built for that car my dad had a company called BRM (they still make after market exhausts today) that built a roots style blower for the VH. I think the Q ran low 12s i believe 12.3? Cant remember. But yes my dad will be there at the challenge. Im working to convince him to build the g20 with me.

In fact as I'm about to post this i found the webpage for the car! Wes sold it a year ago to a q45 collector in MI. I have contacted him and he knows that if he ever wants to sell it again that im all in. One "BAD" Q45

We started this site many moons ago and its a little out of date but you will find tons of great info here: Q45 Website

Everything you could ever want to know about modifying a G50 Q45: Click here for more HP!

Heres to the car that made me a gear head! <img src="" />

Cool.
I had not seen the Bad site. Otherwise Q45.org has been my personal recipe book choosing what will fit in budget.

I did not realize Wes had sold. I spoke with him before $2014 and again before $2015. He had a NOS/ECU kit he wanted a ton of money for (and I could not fit into budget.) I wonder if he still has it or if it went to the current owner. I'm seeing low 15 second drag times. No where near the 12's. How cool would that be!

In reply to therealpinto:

This is awesome! You guys got all the good motors over there i bet you are tracking down some E36s! I have sr20VE swapped b13 sentra it's a blast. Do you have a writeup anywhere of your build? If so I would love to see and follow it!

In reply to John Welsh :

Right on im glad you have seen the page. Wes is great guy. I think he was trying to part out the Q at one point but then sold it. Im not an expert but im pretty sure you could run something like an Apexi SAFC and then run 100 shot. 12s in a Q is crazy i loved that car it was so unsuspecting. And back then 12s was a big deal for a street car.

In reply to B13Birk:

Here's what the unsuspecting Ivory Pearl Q45 was up to last weekend.

In reply to John Welsh :

Love it! I want another Q bad!! I may be picking up a QX4 here soon as well. I may have more Infiniti than i know what to do with before I know it haha.

I may have found some Ksport coilovers for the g20 today with the tracks spec spring rate springs not the street springs for $300... Fingers crossed they are as advertised and he will take less than 300.

B13Birk wrote: In reply to therealpinto: This is awesome! You guys got all the good motors over there i bet you are tracking down some E36s! I have sr20VE swapped b13 sentra it's a blast. Do you have a writeup anywhere of your build? If so I would love to see and follow it!

Thanks!

There is a thread, GRM thread on the Primera

Perhaps not so much of a build since our regulations means basically stock cars. But the racing is for real :-)

Gustaf

That's a great price to get into G20s at. I'm really interested in what you can do with the headroom.

I thought it was only the G20t that has the VLSD - is that what this is? There's no little spoiler.

In reply to therealpinto:

Awesome Gustaf thanks for sharing. I loved checking out your thread. Door to door racing is always a blast! Headed to Orlando to finally pick up the car next weekend. its been crazy busy at work and at home and I haven't had a chance to go get it. Decided not to go with the coil overs. They were super Fubared... I have been reading up on how to modify the stock struts by cutting the tops off and adding heavier weight oil. May try that. Who knows. Used performance parts are east to come by on the SR20 FB pages but not suspension parts. Im going to have to get creative. The multi link suspension is both a blessing and a curse since its not the same as my b13 sentra but does improve stock handling. Maybe Ill just throw some lowering springs on it and call it a day. Thoughts anyone?

A little image for those who dont know the difference between multi-link and MacPherson setup.

<img src="" />

In reply to ssswitch:

They didn't start having the rear spoiler on the g20T until 1994. All the g20s up to that point (1991 - 1993) all came with the vlsd standard. After that you are correct it would have had a spoiler and been a g20T

Today I snagged my tire for the car. I wasn't planning on getting them yet but they popped up on TireRack $90 dollars a piece discounted from 160 a piece. So i couldn't resist getting 4 Pirelli P ZERO TROFEO R . I wanted 225 but at 205/50ZR15 they will still get the job done and for the price I couldn't resist. Trying to figure out the diameter of the strut so that I can find some coil over sleeves for my modified factory struts. There is nothing great out there. Its either tein lowering springs or $1400 coilovers over the counter. So its time to get creative.

<img src="" />

Wow...how have I not seen this thread yet? I am a big fan of the G20. I was partial to 99 P11s, butI can appreciate the P10 too!

Not sure how familiar you are with these, but cheap aero for the front is to find another P10 bumper, and cut the top off at the crease in the mold (the upper grey part of the stock bumper in the image below). Then, bolt that to the bottom of the stock bumper. BOOM - instant splitter/chin spoiler that fits perfectly.

Also, I did not make that meme, but it illustrates my point about the P10 bumper on a P10 bumper mod...

In reply to 4cylndrfury:

Awesome man! I didn't know that about the p10s I have had a few FWD sr20s but never a p10 I have always wanted one tho. Im really excited about this one and turning it into a track car.