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As I am sure
most of you know if you are reading this there is very little in the way of
aftermarket products for the 2003-04 Infiniti M45's (as of September 2005).
I can only hope that as more and more Infiniti's with the 4.5liter V8 hit
the road (New M45, FX45, Q45, etc) the aftermarket sees a big enough client
base to support even a few products for Nissans 4.5liter V8.
As unique as the First
Generation M is, as always I have to make my ride, just that much more so.
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LATEST MODS |
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2006 |
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2006 |
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June 30, 2006 |
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Cosmetically I am
happy with things, although I would love a fresh paint job, but the
M45 with the FX 20's and upgraded brakes is a joy. |
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June 2, 2006 |
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WHEELS, TIRES &
BRAKES - The process of modifying
a car with few or no aftermarket parts is difficult. As you can see
in some instances almost impossible. While still stock under the
hood at this point, Project M45 Sport is nearly complete. With a lot
of luck and a few really good breaks, not to mention a lot of
wheeling and dealing. The project is near its completion. Check out
the photos, here and check back for
the final update coming soon. |
What's Left:
- Window Tint
- Scratch and body
repair
- Stereo completion
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May 2006 |
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Audio System Version
2.0 - Link |
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January 21, 2006 |
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AUDIO VERSION 1.2
- To know me is to
realize that A.D.D. is real. Rarely when it comes to my cars can I
leave well enough alone. Even a comprehensive project like the Audio
installation which produces good results is safe from the ever
present need to do more. In this case, an acquisition of new
equipment has motivated me to revisit the audio installation. . |
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October 28, 2005 |
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M45 AUDIO SYSTEM
COMPLETE - After weeks of work and
design, the upgraded audio system is ready for public consumption,
almost. At about 95% complete one could say this has been a
successful project, even with the trials and tribulations which
occurred during the project overall it was a success. Check out the
write-up for the whole project and see for yourself what a full OEM
replacement installation takes. M45 Audio
Install |
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September
13, 2005 |
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Wheels and Tire
- Don't get me wrong, I
think the 18x7.5 wheels that come on the M45 from the factory look
great, but my goal with this car is to create what appears to be the
rarest of rare, Infiniti Factory tuner car.
You know something inline with the BMW M's, or
Mercedes AMG's. I am not looking for flashy ground effects like the
Junction Products, but rather a car that when one looks at it they
know it is special,
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Infiniti M45
Specific Web pages or forums:
http://www.infinitiowners.org
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but in a very understated way. My first
thoughts
 were
to switch out the wheels. After doing some research I was pretty
sure I wanted to use the 20-inch wheels off of an Infiniti FX45, the
bolt pattern is the same, the wheel design is very similar and with
the right tires I could do it with out lowering the car. I even went
so far as to track down a set
at a salvage yard in great shape for under $500 for all 4 wheels,
but it was when I started looking at tires that I changed my mind.
In order to have a 20-inch wheel/tire combo that was the same
overall diameter or close enough to stock not to raise the car and
have it look like a 4x4, or effect the speedo, I would have to go
with a 255/30-20 tire, of which there are not very many made. The
255/30 is almost double the cost of a 255/35 and the ride on such a
low profile would be almost unbearable. So after some deliberation,
I decided that the ride quality of this car was much more important
to me than looks. So what next? Well I am still in the planning
stages and can always change my mind, but I am thinking of sticking
with the stock |
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wheel/tire combo for now, and simply add a set of
wheel spacers, like the H&R +Trak's.
 These
great hub centric devices will allow me to ever so slightly push the
wheels out 5mm in the front and 15mm in the rear giving the car a
wider track and the appearance of wider tires, for less than an 1/8
of the cost of wheels, (or more) I can always look into wheels and
tires later if it doesn't work. With the money I save, I can look
into replacing the stock rotors with the Brembo Cross-drills/slotted
versions and upgrade the factory pads to ceramics.....
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August 2005 |
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Audio System Design - As most of you probably know, I am one
who finds it very difficult to call a factory, or OEM audio system
"high quality" an
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even thought Infiniti has done a lot of work on the Bose system in
the 2003 Infiniti M45, it still doesn't hold up as to an
audiophiles requirements. Thus over the next few months I am
setting out to build and design an upgraded audio system for the
"M", one which will provide superb sound quality and still
maintain the factory integration and controls that Nissan built-in
to the Infiniti. The biggest challenge will be to continue to
utilize the dash mounted display which controls all aspects of the
cars systems, including radio, CD and climate controls. As a
result the standard installation of an aftermarket head-unit will
not work, thus requiring some creative solutions.
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Through much
research and planning I have decide to try a new product on
the market which allows for OEM integration but is suppose to help
produce sound quality on par with some of the worlds best sounding
audio systems, that product is JL Audio's CleanSweep. This little
device takes the output from the factory CD, Radio, etc and
processes it to a perfectly flat frequency curve, one which is
without any compensation or manufacturer creative adjustments,
thus allowing the user to adjust the system through a different
means, in this case an external full octave EQ will be employed,
allowing for fine tuning of the sound at every frequency. The
remainder of the system has not yet been determined but it will
revolve around several components that I already have, including
MB Quart amplifiers and speakers. Details to follow.
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