I own a '84 Maxima, stock. Thinking about doing an engine swap, transmission swap, and many other mods just to be concise. I currently go to college but would like to start up this project as soon as possible. Any ideas as to how much this would cost? Also, is it even possible to find the parts for this car anymore?

 

engine parts are easy to find, remember that 280zx's are similar to the RWD maxima engine and i can find plenty of parts for my 1979 280zx, if you see one at a junk yard alot of the parts should work on the maxima motor but do some reasearch because somethings just wont. transmissions are the same i think some may need custom drive shafts due to the legenths but i think thats not a biggie because it may be better replacing it with a drive shaft with replacable u-joints as some one told me the z cars of this era dont have replacable u joints and i wouldnt be supprised if the maxima shared this.

interior parts are going to be hard to find in good condition, remember if its in a junkyard its usually in there for a reason and generaly trashed throughout

 

I own an 83 maxima. As said above engine parts a somewhat easy to find... just flattened a lobe on my cam and cant find one anywhere. but otherwise easy to find parts for

 

how did you manage that?

 

what do you mean talks

 

fuel level is low
lights are on
brake is on
door is open

all warning chimes are spoken

 

man that would be a nice lil mod for 3rd gens.

 

and wouldn't really be that hard to wire in next trip to the junkyard grab the box (not sure what one it is but could check for you) tap your speed sensor wire, door light, e-brake, fuel gauge (not sure if that would work right) low fuel light. and enjoy your car yelling at you.

 

yea my 87 talks tells me everything

 

bro!..you just read my mind!!! i have a 1987 max that i need a front spoiler for...!!

 

Hello guys, I'm new here and just want to let you guys know that US 1st and 2nd gen. are still around and going strong. Just want to share my 81 turbo maxima. Enjoy guys and thanks for this great site, Rommel


http://s459.photobucket.com/albums/q...maximus003.jpg

 

i've seen that some place else other than at the JCCS place with all the pictures from the show, god i cant think of words to use

 

to anyone reading this i have an 87 max

parts i need and want are...

auto tranny
front and rear spoiler
4 lug z31 300zx rims ill even trade my 17inch falkens with tires for them

ill think of the rest later

 

the tranny you could pull out of a 3rd gen, it might have a bit shorter gears

 

really??? because i asked a few mechanics if i could put a newer tranny in my 87 and they said i couldnt...but im not sure and im not a mechanic...

 

got pics???

 

a VG is to a VG is to a VG

 

I think My 83 is going to the Junkyard soon. Just had to rebuild the head Got it all back together and now I have No spark... in the cold weather I broke a wire in the harness somewhere... I'm just done with it. I guess the time will go to the 86

 

I have an '88 that I've just loved for the last four years. Just two mondays ago it broke down (pretty much for good). Has had a transmission that doesn't switch when cold for the last 1.5 years now and had to take it to much too high RPMs in the morning to drive it to work. Guess all those miles revving it too high when it was too cold wore it out too fast and now when you run it you hear a clanging noise every revolution of the engine and it is leaking oil.

Funny thing, it still starts and idles fine and I even drove it home slowly when it happened. Very reluctant to give the car up because I love it, but I just don't have the knowhow to work on the engine or the transmission. I was actually only coming here to list it in the classifieds as I figured if anyone would appreciate it or the parts off of it, it would be you guys, but I don't have the required posts. :\

 

Sorry to post here instead of classifieds, but I can't start a new thread yet (not enough posts I guess)...

We have an '87 wagon with 207k miles. Runs, automatic transmission is starting to slip. Power steering leaks like they all do. Electricals are not bad at all. The unibody is rusted out and not worth fixing, but some of the wagon-specific parts (rear bumper) and some of the common rust parts (rear crossmember) were replaced with southern metal over the last few years and are still quite usable.

Only asking $300... we just want to save this guy from the crusher, or at least save another Maxima from the crusher with his parts. My mom drove this off the lot of McDermott Nissan 21 years ago, brand new with delivery miles only. I already miss him terribly...

BTW if anyone can put a link to this in Classifieds, I'd greatly appreciate it! I'd do it myself, but again, I can't start my own threads yet.

 

83 maxima getting parted out... If anyone needs parts let me know. Its still got the l24e the only things it wont have is the ecm and the engine wiring harness

 

From your '83 Max, I need a show-worthy rear bumper. If yours is nice, let me know.

 

well im glad to see that you guys are keeping those cars running. and i thought my 97 gle was from the stoneage. even with power heated leather seats, auto climate control, make me think twice when i think of my car as WAY OLD. i guess its not as old as i think. LOL

p.s HOW OLD ARE YOU GUYS..LOL. jk

 

oh haha thats cool but I could see it bothering me after a while. anyone wana post a vid of this?

 

i have an 87 and im 23

prety hard to get all of them but i can easily get:

door is open
keys in the ignition
parking brake is on
and fuel level is low


might take a while tho..

 

i have an 87 and im 23

prety hard to get all of them but i can easily get:

door is open
keys in the ignition
parking brake is on
and fuel level is low


might take a while tho..

 

I realize this post is a month+ old, but wanted to comment on the 4 lug Z wheels. These are a dime a dozen. A guy over on Nissanclub had 2 sets of these. I picked up a set off e-Bay for $75 delivered to my door. I wanted them for my '97 Altima, perfect fit. Just beware, you'll need the factory lugs for the Z wheels. Either the factory Z lugs will work or the lugs that came with the six spoke wheels that were part of the ST package on the 720 pickup.

 

pleeeeeease dont junk it!!! theyre WAY to rare!!! thats why no one can find one nowadays...

 

heres a cool pic i found...

http://forums.maxima.org/members/dia...s-2nd-ugly.jpg

 

before you do that look at this pic!!!

http://s459.photobucket.com/albums/q...maximus003.jpg

 

Well I was hit head on last winter so the front bumper, grill and passenger fender are trash. I have a complete l28t conversion ready for it. Mega squirt engine management Kit assembled and ready to go but with the front end looking like it does its not worth putting it all in. so i guess I find another one or I just but it all in a 240z.

 

I bought a clean 84 sedan. I am in process of converting it to a manual transmission. I bought an entire maxima, just for the clutch pedal. I would contact ebay sellers, when they would list a 1st gen Maxima part. Multiple salvage yards told me that was their only part, and that they crushed the 1st gen maximas.

 

That does not surprise me. There are not too many people out there restoring 1st gens...or repairing them. When one goes to the junkyard, there are not too many parts that will get picked for a different Max. It is getting harder and harder to find parts for these. I have been driving mine daily for almost 15 years and the change has been significant....from "go to the local yard for any part" to "search on-line for any part" to "struggle to find specific parts at all".

 

i actually snagged this last weekend at the junkyard, both are now crushed but the 1st gen had not a single part taken off it i think

 

Its depressing. Not just Maxima though. Im madly obsessed with 80s cars, and its just difficult these days to find parts. I mean, thats what happens. They get bought, thrashed, and scrapped when people get tired of them. Its worse in the city, everyone wants a newer car.

Today in traffic, a guy in a 84 Max pulls up along side me in the 2nd gen. Asked if he wanted to sell it, but he said nah. Seemed to be very happy with it.

Ive wanted a 2nd gen Maxima since I was 5, when I started looking for one last year and partly this year its almost impossible to find a decent one in goo condition. I got lucky with my SE, finding it parked in a driveway.

Right now in the Allentown craigslist, theres an ad for 2 Maximas, a 88 Se 5 speed, and a 87 GXE Auto. Guy wants 900 for both. I really want the SE but its not running and he suspects a slipped timing belt. Same color as my car too. =(

I hate that I cannot find parts for my Maxima easy. And it sucks, cause it was such a popular car in NYC back in the day.

This was taken in Maryland earlier in the year. We found a 87 SE in the yard, car was clean. No idea why it was scrapped. We pulled the spoiler for my buddies Cressida.

 

Why don't you get the SE and do a 5spd swap?

 

Around here I still see a quite a few 2nd gen 85-88's roaming around and some are in pretty good shape, most of them are GL/GXE's. I hardly ever see a 1st gen although .

 

Talk about dredging up a thread from the grave! This thread was originally started in Jan. 2008!

Anyway, my '82 Diesel Sedan has 67k original miles on it, was garage kept it's entire life, has no rust here in CA, great paint and gets driven to work in San Francisco at least once every couple of weeks. I'm planning a turbo swap from an '83 280ZXT that I just pulled the motor on last weekend.

The diesel motor is getting turbo charged and swapped into a '72 240Z!

 

im looking for a 1st gen

 

Hey... how rusty is your wagon? I am trying to find a good donor body (no, I won't cut the body up and swap panels, but transfer parts from my rusty one to the prettier one, and most likely do all of the necessary bodywork on my rusty wagon to make a good shell)

I have been looking for quite some time now. Damn over-salted roads here in Michigan has taken a toll on the body of this car.

I won't scrap it, and won't sell it either... there are those few people that love these first gens... and I am one of them. Never seen another one my whole 19 years of life here in Michigan. Hell, a Maserati or Lotus is a more common sight than a first or second gen Maxima. Seen three Maseratis in the past three years alone. And a few months ago, two different Bentley Continentals...

As for finding taillights, good luck... I had a hell of a time finding one (driver's side) for mine when someone smashed it when they couldn't stop in a parking lot. (winter and a welded rear diff on an 80's Toyota 4wd pickup don't really go hand in hand...)

Came from a yard in Idaho, and cost me 55 bucks plus shipping... the other yard I called up had one, but broke it when they tried to remove it.


Worst comes to worst, I still won't give her up. I'll have to clean out the barn and do a total resto. It'd be a major PITA since the rockers near the fenders are basically gone, and the rear bumper mount needs to be fabbed, and the bottom of the lift gate also needs to be fabbed...

It'd be like this project... WARNING: Long @55 thread, make sure you got food and drink handy... lots of good reading and info in here though, and worth the time to read...

http://retrorides.proboards.com/inde...t&thread=70135

Problem is I haven't found anyone that sells Zintec steel here in the US... and I honestly don't know if I have the patience to go through with so much body work... my Max is structurally sound, but still needs rockers, bottoms of the doors, and many areas repaired in order to look proper again. And a paint job...

176,000 miles, and she still hauls *** to red line... pretty fast little wagon. (115mph...) Handles pretty good now that the springs are sagging so much that it doesn't take much to hit the bump stops...

Still idles so smooth that a glass of water wouldn't hardly show any ripples if set on top of the valve cover.

I love this car to death. I regret not taking better care of it.