December Update #3 on PROJECT INFINITI!

The I35 model was only used for a few years, and maybe you can tell we replaced the numeral 5 that was missing with a freebie from the salvage yard?

NMS hopes you had a great 2025, and we wish you an even better 2026! One of our top projects this year was working on a 2002 INFINITI I35 to give a young relative a working car when they get their learner's permit.

The hood is up to adjust the belt, and the wheel is off to check on any drips underneath. 

This time we'll highlight the new Di-Lithium Crystals that the NMS Engineering Crew installed in the Warp Core, the new Traction Propeller Drive for silent running underwater, and of course our conversion of the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE, or "gas engine") into a full Hydrogen powered car! Oh, and if you believe any of that, you are TOTALLY overestimating our engineering abilities!

Step one: clean that carpet. 

After cleaning up the interior a bit, which included using what mechanics call a "vacuum cleaner" on the carpet and then applying some rug cleaner, we splurged on new Rubbermaid floor mats! Yeah, that's got to be worth about 5 more horsepower per cylinder! My math says that five horsepower times 6 cylinders equals exactly 30 more horsepower! OK, minus some fraction of a HP for adding weight to the car, but I bet that's offset by how much stuff we cleaned out of it!

Step two: Throw in some new Rubbermaid floor mats to keep that 23 year old interior nice!

Up front in the engine bay, you know, where the warp core/hydrogen powered engine lives,  the car had been making a squealing sound on start up. Our team of crack-pot mechanics (or just crack-pots for short!) diagnosed this as a loose belt, so, we tightened the belt! Guess what? No more squealing! Just to be sure, we moved our new family of piglets out of the trunk and let them live out in the barn with the rest of the livestock. At least now the squealing doesn't come from the car. 

Inside the highlighted area, you can see the tensioner pulley at the bottom, with a 14mm bolt that holds it in. Loosen this first, and then to adjust: Above that, also in the highlighted area, is another 14mm fitting that can loosen or tighten the pulley. Not hard to reach if you have the right wrench. Make the adjustment, then tighten the lower bolt. BANG!

For the exterior of the car, we cleaned up the paint with some help from a Mother's Polisher machine, and while it didn't make it look like new, the paint at least looks shinier than before! We focused on the trunk top, top of the car, and the hood. The Mother's kit came with three levels of rubbing compound, sealer, and wax, so hopefully that helps keep the car looking OK too. 

The new rear floor mat is a one-piece unit that goes right over the center floor hump too!

This view is from the passenger side door. 

On the drivers side we cleaned the carpet and then...

Inserted a new Rubbermaid floor mat.