I just less than an hour ago procured a 1990 max se for $200.00 with zero rust on the body all she need is a tranny. Even underneath is rust free. So I'm putting it in storage until spring when I will proceed to stuff my 92 ve5 into it. I will document the whole process and will be asking for lots of help boys. I forgot it's got flawless leather interior, no cracks. I'm going to go get drunk.

 

Do you plan to just do a tranny swap, or are you going to attempt to throw the VE motor in there too?

 

might as well do both if he is up to the task

 

Wow $200 Hope do you guys find these cheap Maximas. If I got mine that cheap. I'll pour a lot of money into it without regrets. (like a new trans).

Congrats

 

90 has a different body harness than 92 so there will be serious wiring needed to be done. Someone on here did do it already (VE motor into 91 down body).

 

if he has a rusty 92 ve5 whole car he COULD (if so inclined) just swap all the wiring out of the whole car into the other one. time intensive, but at least it would be foolproof.

 

All I want is the body, I already got a buyer for the VG engine that's in it. I'm stuffing my VE5 into the 1990 body. It's going to be a lot of work, but fun. I will post step by step pics ...that's my word. Hey even my insurance will get cheaper.

 

I look forward to reading your writeup...

 

Me 2....

 

Another 5th gen guy got a 3rd gen again. Is this a trend now. Naw I'm jk. Man you got a lot ahead of you. Harness swap, ecu swap, tranny control swap. If yours is auto you have to swap in clutch pedal, linkage,carrier bracket (if you don't already have one) and axles. A few other lil things that I can't remember but you come across. But if your up to it go ahead. I was thinking about this back when I was looking for a 3rd gen but I got some good advice, that was I might as well get the VE 5spd rather than doing all that work to swap in. Its your car your project keep us posted and will give you all the needed advice and criticism. Lol

 

Yea, I agree, and I hope you take your time so it works out for you. We could all use a good VE swap writeup for grins or potential use. With pictures would be phenomenal. I'm sure each time this happens, the procedure will be fdifferent considering the amount of work/steps involved.

 

yea, no 2 people ever really do it the same way. when i did my 5spd swap i did a few things differently from how the writeup i saw said to do it.. but the only problem with my 5spd swap was a little idle glitch when still using the a/t ecu but otherwise it was great.

 

I might have to improvise a little because it looks like I'll be swapping a non ABS 92 se into a ABS 90 se. Stuff looks moved around in there.

 

Just a lil. You should be alright.

 

You probably will simply have to swap the hubs. I am in the same boat, minus the ABS. My axle from my 90 SE is for an ABS setup though...........

 

Is $200 a good price for a 3rd gen Maxima on the east coast? My '89 SE just broke the transmission and it sadly is not worth the cost of repairing. And since it has been in California its whole life - no rust. I called a wrecking yard and they offered only $120 for it. (heck, I think the tires and stereo alone would be worth that.) But I'd rather get a little more money and find someone who could use it for a good purpose - like keep another Maxima running longer.

So I don't know what a fair price for this otherwise great car (passed California smog test easily 5 months ago - never wrecked, just a busted 5 speed) And should I advertise here or Craigslist, or what?

Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks --jayhawk (in the San Francisco Bay area)

 

It's a great price............. I kinda wish it was on the East Coast! You may find a buyer here, not being able to make a new thread will inhibit you from advertising on here until you get 15 posts, but I bet you could advertise here, Craiglist, or Ebay and find a buyer.

It would be great if someone on here would be able to use it, but I know most of the people I encounter are East Coasters. It would be an incredible deal too, for $200, you could probably part it out and make more, which someone may buy it to do, but I encourage trying to sell it to someone who will use it to sustain the life of the vehicle. A fellow maxima enthusiast may wish to do so, and this is a good place to find them.

 

Well my kid brother found a 92 GXE with a slipping tranny for $150. Now we also have a 89 SE with broken exhaust manifold studs on one head but the tranny is just fine. All he has to do is flip the auto to a manual and we have a donor car right there with everything needed to make it happen. So we will end up with two VG30DE that we have no use for....the one from my 90 SE (very nice looking) and the one from the 89 SE (nice also). I'm currently trying to get a VE30DE engine harness.

 

I personally wouldn't bother with a VE swap, when there would be less trouble with a turbo (been done multiple times, with greater HP added) also having two good VG engines means leave one in, build the other for later (). can't really do that with a single VE.


If you need any help with wiring, tho, I have a '91 FSM at the house, shoot me a PM, and I'll try to help.
good luck, whichever way you decide to go!

 

I bought the body to transplant my VE into it. I much prefer the VE technology over the VG. The greater the challenge the greater the satisfaction and props as well.


I downloaded the PDF version, just before the site flopped. All the Maxima's actually.

 

well, the 94 FSM is the only 3rd gen that I have found.
afaik, the wiring for 89-91 is different than 92-94. I know that the 94 VE is totally different than the 89-90, and I am pretty sure they ran the same wiring in 91, as well.

 

My boys dropped out the engine and I wasn't even there to take pictures.