Team Stampie $50 Q45 Challenge build

Living the dream!

Great project there. I had to wonder: would a paint place tint your paint for you (auto paint mixer or hardware store) - but what adventure would be in that?

Some days you just get your behind kicked. We started late but got the passenger rear apart before hitting lunch. We then spent way too long making this upper mount for our new spring.

This is where I spent most of the day asking for tools. 

Ended up getting the passenger rear done. Next we move to the driver's side but I needed a beer.

Yesterday took us 5 hours to do the passenger side rear. Today it took us a hour and 15 minutes to do the driver's side rear. Official picture taker wasn't here so limited photos of Chris working. Let's call it our safety day pictures. 

Welding on top of a plastic trash can?

BRILLIANT!

Safety Nag ---switching now to the "off" position.

Kudos in reducing the rear suspension mods per side from : 5 H to 1.25 H. It's like many jobs, once you figure out how to do it you won't do another for a while. But from the rest of us: thanks.

Indy-Guy said:

Welding on top of a plastic trash can?

BRILLIANT!

There's always that one guy wanting to nitpick.  If it helps it was just a couple of half inch stitches and the metal was in the vice.

Indy-Guy said:

Welding on top of a plastic trash can?

BRILLIANT!

I welded a gas tank mostly full of water on top of a plastic 55 gallon barrel full of trash.

I only blew up a little. 

Stampie is actually very safe in most of his practices. Except for the flip flops. 

In reply to Dusterbd13 & Stampie:

Sarcasm doesn't come across real well over the world wide web. In case you missed the pie in the sky update, Indy-kid #3 was following your example:

In reply to Indy-Guy :

That kid will grow up to be a leader of men.  Or just get metal splitters in their foot.

Had some time between school letting out and a Tex Mex dinner. We got the new to us calipers mounted and new pads on. Still need to bleed them but ran out of time. No pictures so here's one of me going to dinner. 

In reply to Stampie :

I see boogers...

In reply to Pete Gossett :

You're blind if you don't see my nose hairs also .

Good morning today. We got the brakes bleed and got our 15 inch Jeep wheels fitted with minium grinding. We dropped it down and I did a quick lap around the block. Turn in is much better than last year. Steering effort is also much better. Don't want to jinx us but 5 weeks before the Challenge I think we have a car we could actually run. No pictures cause I suck and Pete makes fun of my appearance. 

I kinda like the sound of 'Team Boogerhedd'

Or perhaps a more south of the border  bent 'Mocos con pelo' 

Dont let us down, stampie. You've still got time for breakage and thrashing before the challenge.....

In all seriousness, happy to hear you're successfully ahead of schedule. 

In reply to 759NRNG :

As we say in the South, you're touched. 

A week ago we notice the Q45 wasn't running well.  Yesterday she wouldn't stay running for more than a few seconds.  Seemed like a fuel delivery issue so my first thought was put 5 gallons of gas in her. That didn't help so then we pulled the fuel line to the rail and using my calibrated thumb over the line I determined we had enough pressure.  Thought for a few minutes and said MAF!  Unplugged it and she started and idled fine.  Go for a test drive and she won't go over 2500 rpm. Berk!

So during our pizza lunch I search the junkyards.  I swear there were 3 Q45s of this gen in them a week ago but no go.  We decide to go look at G35s and 350zs just to see.  Found a 2003 G35 that the sensor looks the same even though the housing is different. Pull the sensor out and head home.  Comparing the two they are the same so threw it in and test drive says we're good to go.

Here's some pictures of her new wheels and Hoosiers.

Front camber

That's sexy like a pigeon toed girl walking at you down the street. Yowsa. 

In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :

Does your wife know you have strange fetishes?

By far one of the more entertaining builds.  I now know what you and GRM mean.  "Good Role Model"?????  Best of luck,and have fun. 

How is the gearing with the little wheels? 

In reply to Dirtydog :

Thanks!  If your not having fun it's not worth doing. It also helps to have a DGAF attitude about hacking up a $50 car.

In reply to Andy Neuman:

That is a concern but we're aiming for quicker response with the lighter smaller tires.  Right before the Challenge last year I was amazed at how much 275/35/18s weigh. I need weigh them to show the difference.

We were discussing dropping the Q45 down a couple of more inches since the wheel wells have the extra space with the smaller tires.  The cats are the lowest point right now.

Nope ... I think it's low enough.

I work Sundays so we didn't get started until 5pm.  I humbly present a unknown Chrysler fan with a rednecked GM TBI harness plug currently hooked up to our horn button. All free except for one spade connector.

The ground for the electric fan has been bothering me. You see we grabbed a bolt from our free bucket to ground in an existing hole. I kept having visions of Andrew Nelson looking at it and it's 5 grams of weight as he walked away shaking his head in discuss. So here's the new ground using an existing nut. 

Next we started stripping. That bedliner is tough on the discs. Overall I think we got a lot done for a week night.

Stripping ain't easy. We've got about two hours, three of the paint stripping disc, and several sandpapers in and this is all we've stripped. 

We're going to try some chemical stripper this afternoon. 

Have you tried a razor blade? Putty knife?

Sometimes it just falls off that way.