MadMaxBrent

To those that have carried out the conversion (or those that have thouroughly investigated) how easy to you consider a RH-Drive 5-spd conversion would be? My concern would be with the setup of the clutch, everything else would be the same I think. Now, I am assuming that the transmission on US cars is on the drivers side (LHS sitting in the car) which is what I have. We never got 3rd Gens with a 5-speed so have nothing to compare against.

Any thoughts?

Brent.

dmontzsta

iTrader: (8)

Dont do it,Dont do it...Just buy a 5 speed the conversion will be mickey mouse.And your car will never be the same.

MadMaxBrent

I can't source a 5 speed Maxima. They never produced any for our market.

Brent.

dmontzsta

iTrader: (8)

?...There are lots of 5 speed Maxima's out there.

MadMaxBrent

In the US yes, in Australia, New Zealand (and even Japan) no.

ekul

I know how u feel man, im an aussie that wants a five speed, its just something i can't have, maybe one day when im rich enough

its sux that they never came out with a 5 speed in them

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

since the clutch is hydraulic, it solves a lot of your problems. you still have to screw with mounting the master cylinder and such, but it won't be as bad as if you had a cable type clutch. the tranny will still be on the same side of the engine and all that fun stuff. there would simply be no point in reversing the entire engine bay.

The Sleeper

well i'm not from Australia, but i have snooped around at the offerings from down under. i find that the Holden Commodore SS would suit my needs perfectly. it is basically a 4-dr camaro with the 3rd generation LS1 Corvette engine. even is available with a 6-speed manual. http://www.holden.com.au/sc02_vehicle_showroom/
if you have seen, driven or know anything about the SS, let me know. in america, there is no such thing as a V8 manual sedan, excluding BMW.

about converting your maxima to a 5-spd, i'm afraid that it would be more worth your time and effort to find a manual sports car instead of converting. if you search, you'll find many GXE drivers asking about it, but the engine mounts differently and custom work would be quite expensive.

C-Dawg

I wasn't aware that there was that much of a difference in these markets.

MadMaxBrent

Yeah there is. Its all to do with marketing. Maximas are aimed at the executives and families. Apparently they don't need an option of a 5-speed. When it was offered in the 4th Gen it was in limited numbers and I beleive it didn't sell well in comparision to autos (probably because it had just the base model features). We get plenty of used JDM 4th gens in 5-speed but they are either the 2.0 or 2.5L.

As for the Holden, enough said. They are however very pricey for the features that you get. For less money I could buy a Skyline GT-T or an EVO or an WRX, perhaps an R33 GT-R. That sounds like more fun to me!

If you like V8's check out these bad boys:

http://www.v8supercar.com.au

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

MaxBrent. It looks like you would have to source all the parts from the USA. Not that would be a problem but here's the problem.
1) Not alot of these swaps have been done. And the people who have done them are either fairly tight-lipped or just had a shop do it and don't know.
2) The mechanical stuff would not be that hard but it's the ecu that's tough. I don't know if you need a 5-sp ecu or if you just need to jump some of the connectors on the auto tranny. ie... the in gear start disable etc...
3)And becuase these parts would be used(to be cost effective) and the uncertainty of the swap actually working, it would be really BAD if someone sold/sent you the parts and it didn't work out. (ie.. lotsa $$ wasted)
4) Sometimes, the brake pedals are different for autos/5-speeds. In autos they make the brake pedal larger becuase there is more space. And sometimes the 5-sp brake level is bent to make more space for the clutch pedal. I did an auto to 4-sp swap in my old Datsun 510 and the pedals were different.

The Sleeper

prices on the holden are that high?
i did a AUD (Australian $) to USD conversion and the holden commodore ss came up to be $26,000 Usd which is less than a loaded maxima.

what else you got down there?

MadMaxBrent

Converting the dollar doesn't quite show you the whole picture. There are tariffs etc that you need to factor in but here's a quick comparision of cars in NZ$:

Skyline GT-t $64, 495
WRX sedan $52,990
EVO VII $74,500
Misti VR-4 $65,180
Honda S2000 $69,000
Maxima $44,495
Holden VT R8 $72,000 (used)
Holden SS $58,900
Ford FTE XR8 $77,000

Thats assuming you go through the dealers. If you go used ex-Japan then its a whole different ballgame. Also the features offered in the Holden and Ford camps don't even come close to the Japanese cars. Hence the prices initally look good until you add on the "extras".

Brent

The Sleeper

wow... skyline turbo for that much? i only wish they would bring them to the US. do you have links to any pics of the cars listed? i didn't see the Holden VR8 on their website. Holden being a GM distribution company, i wonder if they could make left hand drive versions... another thing to write to GM about...

Thanks
Gavin

MadMaxBrent

Try www.hsv.co.nz to see the R8.

HSV are the special vehicles division of Holden.

Brent