Lowering kit, rust, rims. Anyone ever lower there max???
08-13-2010, 02:15 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Rhinelander WI
Posts: 217
Lowering kit, rust, rims. Anyone ever lower there max???
I have a 89 max, and its kinda rusted out. So i figured id just make it look pretty on the out side for high school and make it a fun nice lookin daily driver.
So first off, I allready painted the car red.
The left rear door is missing the bottom corner, and the right rear door has the corner but is missing the back to it.
The left rear wheel well is rusted about a quarter inch in all the way around.
Both side skirts are rusted really bad.
1.Should i just buy to rear shells and paint them and put um on?
2. What would you think about buying wheel well trim, and using bondo to make it form into the car and look nice? and posibly buying a body kit later?
3. Where could i find side skirts? posibly some good looking aftermarket ones. And how do they come off lol i couldnt figure it out.
That should take care of my rust problem on the out side, if anyone has any ideas thatd be great. Also when i painted it i forgot to bondo a few small dents i couldent see before the paint, could i still bondo them and shoot a coat of red and clear over it on my quarter panel?
I just orderd a lowering kit to add some style also. Im thinking about how im going to put um on. Id imagin for the front just take the 3 bolts off the top and compress the spring and slide it off??? But i have no idea for the rear. All i bought was springs. If anyones ever done this let me know what you had to do.
Also i dont think my stock rims will look very good with a body kit and lowering kit. I dont have enough for rims and tires, so im going to have to buy 15 x 6.5 inch rims to fit my old tires. I dont have any idea where to look for rims. If anyone has some good resources let me know.
Thanks!
So first off, I allready painted the car red.
The left rear door is missing the bottom corner, and the right rear door has the corner but is missing the back to it.
The left rear wheel well is rusted about a quarter inch in all the way around.
Both side skirts are rusted really bad.
1.Should i just buy to rear shells and paint them and put um on?
2. What would you think about buying wheel well trim, and using bondo to make it form into the car and look nice? and posibly buying a body kit later?
3. Where could i find side skirts? posibly some good looking aftermarket ones. And how do they come off lol i couldnt figure it out.
That should take care of my rust problem on the out side, if anyone has any ideas thatd be great. Also when i painted it i forgot to bondo a few small dents i couldent see before the paint, could i still bondo them and shoot a coat of red and clear over it on my quarter panel?
I just orderd a lowering kit to add some style also. Im thinking about how im going to put um on. Id imagin for the front just take the 3 bolts off the top and compress the spring and slide it off??? But i have no idea for the rear. All i bought was springs. If anyones ever done this let me know what you had to do.
Also i dont think my stock rims will look very good with a body kit and lowering kit. I dont have enough for rims and tires, so im going to have to buy 15 x 6.5 inch rims to fit my old tires. I dont have any idea where to look for rims. If anyone has some good resources let me know.
Thanks!
08-13-2010, 11:02 AM
#4
08-13-2010, 11:18 AM
#5
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Rhinelander WI
Posts: 217
figured id make it solid and look nice before i turbo it. I dident realize all the custom work. some night ill sit down and draw out a manifold and plans for it. but for now, rust, lowering, rims, and body kit.
08-13-2010, 02:24 PM
#7
I've done a fair amount of rust repair on a VE that I had shipped down from Pennsylvania. It really wasn't all that hard to fix properly (welding in new sheet metal, etc.), and I had never dealt at all with rust before being in Texas. Alot of people here are quick to say "junk the car", and I'm kind of on the opposite end of the spectrum after my experience and realizing that it's really not THAT hard to fix a fair amount of rust damage.
But, even at that, IMO, if the rust is any "deeper" than the sheet metal on the doors and fenders, it's really, really, really not worth the trouble.
Go into your trunk and take out the paneling. If the area around where the rear selt belts mount are rusted out and/or the rear strut tower areas are rusted out (or close to it), then you're really honestly looking at a pretty daunting repair
*edit* How about posting some pics of your rust areas? We all love pics
But, even at that, IMO, if the rust is any "deeper" than the sheet metal on the doors and fenders, it's really, really, really not worth the trouble.
Go into your trunk and take out the paneling. If the area around where the rear selt belts mount are rusted out and/or the rear strut tower areas are rusted out (or close to it), then you're really honestly looking at a pretty daunting repair
*edit* How about posting some pics of your rust areas? We all love pics
08-13-2010, 02:41 PM
#8
James, the reason we usually say "junk it" is because most people don't have the skills (or money) to properly (again: PROPERLY) fix rust. bondo over holes is not "fixing" rust (it makes it worse). you know, I know, we all know the only way to fix rust is to replace the infected metal.
based on the way the questions are presented, Rob doesn't have the skills to properly repair the amount of rust his car has. (not knocking, I don't have those skills, either).
based on the way the questions are presented, Rob doesn't have the skills to properly repair the amount of rust his car has. (not knocking, I don't have those skills, either).
08-13-2010, 03:42 PM
#10
If your rust problem is bad all over the car then you have no other option than to get another shell, dealing with rust is a nightmare and like said above can only be fixed by using new sheet metal, welding it cleanly, and filling the rest with filler...Im sure everythign youve done to the car you have now can be takin off and put in the new shell its just a matter of how long you plan to keep the car, a couple years or a decade...
08-13-2010, 06:16 PM
#11
Yeah rust is like cancer and it will keep spreading from the inside out, my Max is almost rust free, except for the exhaust parts which can be replaced. there was one small spot also by the passenger front splash guard underneath and that was all. Even underneath yo ride matters, if it's really as bad as you say I would just sell and look 4 another body. Why put all that chedder/wrench time you plan on doin' to a fuuckin' rust bucket that look's like shizzle. Think about it before you fall into a money pit wit yo ride.
08-13-2010, 09:20 PM
#12
Also i dont think my stock rims will look very good with a body kit and lowering kit. I dont have enough for rims and tires, so im going to have to buy 15 x 6.5 inch rims to fit my old tires. I dont have any idea where to look for rims. If anyone has some good resources let me know. Thanks!
First, if you don't know how to find rims (as quoted above), then clearly you are moving in the absolute wrong direction with this car and going turbo is way out of reach. There is nothing shameful in admitting you don't know or have the skills for something. Clearly you're young and don't have a lot of knowledge and skill. But if you already have too much money in the car, then stop burying yourself with pointless mods. You might actually be able to work toward something nice by just sitting that money aside.
Second, you've done at least one thing right, you're asking questions. The next thing right you should do is listen. The final thing right to do is actually follow through with the guidance you're getting.
Third, given you don't have these skills OR the finances to fix your car properly AND you indicate you already have too much in this car...you should STOP doing anything to this car to make it "look" nice. So you drive a beater...so what? If your car is in such a drastic state of rust and disrepair, it's like driving a Monkey. Now, put lipstick and make up and clothes on the monkey and now it just looks like a retarded Monkey that is just going to fling poo at you when you turn your back! Getting crapped on is the equivelent of you continuing to waste money on a car that you clearly will never get back.
Fourth, if your school has an automotive class, you could talk to the teacher to see about donating your car for the rust repair and painting. Be without a car for a while, but would actually help your situation if you truly want to stay in that vehicle. Could car pool in the meantime.
08-13-2010, 09:46 PM
#13
Senior Member
iTrader: (11)
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Cherry Hill, NJ / Hoboken, NJ
Posts: 1,325
So?
One thing breaks. You spend money fixing it, fine. A second thing breaks. You feel like you have money 'invested' in the car, so you spend money fixing that. A third thing breaks, and since you already have so much money put into the car, you fix that too.
Don't let the money you've already factor into deciding whether to keep/sell/junk the car. It is not a smart way to make car decisions.
I probably won't be the most popular guy for saying this, but at some point, it just won't be worth it any more.
You tend to build up sentimental value on a car you've done a lot of work on, especially since it sounds like this is your first car, and you tend to develop sunken cost bias.
There are some guys on this website who have some awesome 3rd and 4th gens with every mod imaginable, and a huge amount of work. It's very easy to get carried away, and forget what you're working on. You could drop $10k on your Max easily. Set of coilovers, turbo setup, and nice wheels. But those aren't going to solve problems that are already there. If your car has a crappy DIY paintjob, or lots of rust, or burns oil, that's not going to go away. Then the car breaks, or becomes unreliable, or starts to have serious problems, or just becomes too expensive to continue operating, and you end up selling it. And it sucks because you have sentimental value, you've become attached to it and learned to ignore its shortcomings, and you forget what it was and think about what it could have been. And you've realized that you've spent far more than the car is worth trying to improve it.
Don't get caught in that trap. If your maxima has bad rust that you aren't capable of fixing, either sell it or stop wasting money on mods and just drive it until it rusts out. Fix the stuff that's wrong with it before worrying about tackling a huge performance-improving project that you have no idea where to begin on. If you didn't realize how much custom work there was in adding a turbo, I doubt that you're equipped with the tools and knowledge to do all of that custom work.
One thing breaks. You spend money fixing it, fine. A second thing breaks. You feel like you have money 'invested' in the car, so you spend money fixing that. A third thing breaks, and since you already have so much money put into the car, you fix that too.
Don't let the money you've already factor into deciding whether to keep/sell/junk the car. It is not a smart way to make car decisions.
I probably won't be the most popular guy for saying this, but at some point, it just won't be worth it any more.
You tend to build up sentimental value on a car you've done a lot of work on, especially since it sounds like this is your first car, and you tend to develop sunken cost bias.
There are some guys on this website who have some awesome 3rd and 4th gens with every mod imaginable, and a huge amount of work. It's very easy to get carried away, and forget what you're working on. You could drop $10k on your Max easily. Set of coilovers, turbo setup, and nice wheels. But those aren't going to solve problems that are already there. If your car has a crappy DIY paintjob, or lots of rust, or burns oil, that's not going to go away. Then the car breaks, or becomes unreliable, or starts to have serious problems, or just becomes too expensive to continue operating, and you end up selling it. And it sucks because you have sentimental value, you've become attached to it and learned to ignore its shortcomings, and you forget what it was and think about what it could have been. And you've realized that you've spent far more than the car is worth trying to improve it.
Don't get caught in that trap. If your maxima has bad rust that you aren't capable of fixing, either sell it or stop wasting money on mods and just drive it until it rusts out. Fix the stuff that's wrong with it before worrying about tackling a huge performance-improving project that you have no idea where to begin on. If you didn't realize how much custom work there was in adding a turbo, I doubt that you're equipped with the tools and knowledge to do all of that custom work.
08-14-2010, 03:42 AM
#14
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Rhinelander WI
Posts: 217
I've done a fair amount of rust repair on a VE that I had shipped down from Pennsylvania. It really wasn't all that hard to fix properly (welding in new sheet metal, etc.), and I had never dealt at all with rust before being in Texas. Alot of people here are quick to say "junk the car", and I'm kind of on the opposite end of the spectrum after my experience and realizing that it's really not THAT hard to fix a fair amount of rust damage.
But, even at that, IMO, if the rust is any "deeper" than the sheet metal on the doors and fenders, it's really, really, really not worth the trouble.
Go into your trunk and take out the paneling. If the area around where the rear selt belts mount are rusted out and/or the rear strut tower areas are rusted out (or close to it), then you're really honestly looking at a pretty daunting repair
*edit* How about posting some pics of your rust areas? We all love pics
But, even at that, IMO, if the rust is any "deeper" than the sheet metal on the doors and fenders, it's really, really, really not worth the trouble.
Go into your trunk and take out the paneling. If the area around where the rear selt belts mount are rusted out and/or the rear strut tower areas are rusted out (or close to it), then you're really honestly looking at a pretty daunting repair
*edit* How about posting some pics of your rust areas? We all love pics
08-14-2010, 03:44 AM
#15
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Rhinelander WI
Posts: 217
James, the reason we usually say "junk it" is because most people don't have the skills (or money) to properly (again: PROPERLY) fix rust. bondo over holes is not "fixing" rust (it makes it worse). you know, I know, we all know the only way to fix rust is to replace the infected metal.
based on the way the questions are presented, Rob doesn't have the skills to properly repair the amount of rust his car has. (not knocking, I don't have those skills, either).
based on the way the questions are presented, Rob doesn't have the skills to properly repair the amount of rust his car has. (not knocking, I don't have those skills, either).
08-14-2010, 03:55 AM
#16
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Rhinelander WI
Posts: 217
Alright thanks. Ill put up a bunch of pictures tomarrow of my rust and car, and maybe you could all see what im dealing with. It has some bad rust SPOTS, but the car is a solid great running machine. There is nothing wrong with it at all. The only thing that dont work is the speedometer. I fixed eveything on it to make sure it ran nice. but anyways, i dont have my oil pan or valve cover gaskets yet, and the springs came today. So i started to put in the springs. I got the front left strut out first, and the spring was snaped in half! but was still holding. before i noticed that side of the car sat a little lower but dident think anything of it. so i went and put in the new spring and putit back together. Same for the other side. Im going to do the rear tomarrow, unless my oil pan gets here. I cant set it down to see how it looks since i got it jacked up and the motor hangion from the hoist. So far so good. Go on face book, and look up Robert Zeromski, i go to hempstead and live in dubuque iowa, in case you find more the 1 robert. add me and look at my pics on there. i have a LOT of the before and after project.
.
08-14-2010, 07:50 AM
#18
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Columbia SC
Posts: 2,284
So?
One thing breaks. You spend money fixing it, fine. A second thing breaks. You feel like you have money 'invested' in the car, so you spend money fixing that. A third thing breaks, and since you already have so much money put into the car, you fix that too.
Don't let the money you've already factor into deciding whether to keep/sell/junk the car. It is not a smart way to make car decisions.
I probably won't be the most popular guy for saying this, but at some point, it just won't be worth it any more.
You tend to build up sentimental value on a car you've done a lot of work on, especially since it sounds like this is your first car, and you tend to develop sunken cost bias.
There are some guys on this website who have some awesome 3rd and 4th gens with every mod imaginable, and a huge amount of work. It's very easy to get carried away, and forget what you're working on. You could drop $10k on your Max easily. Set of coilovers, turbo setup, and nice wheels. But those aren't going to solve problems that are already there. If your car has a crappy DIY paintjob, or lots of rust, or burns oil, that's not going to go away. Then the car breaks, or becomes unreliable, or starts to have serious problems, or just becomes too expensive to continue operating, and you end up selling it. And it sucks because you have sentimental value, you've become attached to it and learned to ignore its shortcomings, and you forget what it was and think about what it could have been. And you've realized that you've spent far more than the car is worth trying to improve it.
Don't get caught in that trap. If your maxima has bad rust that you aren't capable of fixing, either sell it or stop wasting money on mods and just drive it until it rusts out. Fix the stuff that's wrong with it before worrying about tackling a huge performance-improving project that you have no idea where to begin on. If you didn't realize how much custom work there was in adding a turbo, I doubt that you're equipped with the tools and knowledge to do all of that custom work.
One thing breaks. You spend money fixing it, fine. A second thing breaks. You feel like you have money 'invested' in the car, so you spend money fixing that. A third thing breaks, and since you already have so much money put into the car, you fix that too.
Don't let the money you've already factor into deciding whether to keep/sell/junk the car. It is not a smart way to make car decisions.
I probably won't be the most popular guy for saying this, but at some point, it just won't be worth it any more.
You tend to build up sentimental value on a car you've done a lot of work on, especially since it sounds like this is your first car, and you tend to develop sunken cost bias.
There are some guys on this website who have some awesome 3rd and 4th gens with every mod imaginable, and a huge amount of work. It's very easy to get carried away, and forget what you're working on. You could drop $10k on your Max easily. Set of coilovers, turbo setup, and nice wheels. But those aren't going to solve problems that are already there. If your car has a crappy DIY paintjob, or lots of rust, or burns oil, that's not going to go away. Then the car breaks, or becomes unreliable, or starts to have serious problems, or just becomes too expensive to continue operating, and you end up selling it. And it sucks because you have sentimental value, you've become attached to it and learned to ignore its shortcomings, and you forget what it was and think about what it could have been. And you've realized that you've spent far more than the car is worth trying to improve it.
Don't get caught in that trap. If your maxima has bad rust that you aren't capable of fixing, either sell it or stop wasting money on mods and just drive it until it rusts out. Fix the stuff that's wrong with it before worrying about tackling a huge performance-improving project that you have no idea where to begin on. If you didn't realize how much custom work there was in adding a turbo, I doubt that you're equipped with the tools and knowledge to do all of that custom work.
Very well said man! I totally agree with you!
08-16-2010, 07:54 PM
#27
Anyone ever lower there max???
...
Anyone ever lower there max??????????????????
seriously, HOW MANY members signatures have mod lists and you actually have to ask that question?
just go get a bicycle. you're not ready for cars yet.
...
Anyone ever lower there max??????????????????
seriously, HOW MANY members signatures have mod lists and you actually have to ask that question?
just go get a bicycle. you're not ready for cars yet.
08-17-2010, 10:14 AM
#29
08-17-2010, 08:38 PM
#31
OP, saw your post in the other thread. if you think Maximas arent worth the time, im done helping you. i thought you were willing to learn from the mistakes you made, and turn a beat 3rd gen to something nice like some of us are trying to do but guess not. awaiting the usual flame, "Maximas suck, screw you guys im getting a real Nissan. im moving onto a 240sx" 
08-18-2010, 01:46 PM
#33
you dont know what you have til its gone, see the problems other cars have. lots of people sell their Maxima, get another car, and in the end get another Maxima. Bijan had a Maxima, bought a Z33, and ended up right back with a Maxima
08-18-2010, 02:23 PM
#34
3rd gens to today standards are low, but back in the early 90's 160hp and 180tq was actually good. the biggest thing these cars have going against them is FWD and horrible understeer, but having a Z31 engine and good technology for the day made these things good
you dont know what you have til its gone, see the problems other cars have. lots of people sell their Maxima, get another car, and in the end get another Maxima. Bijan had a Maxima, bought a Z33, and ended up right back with a Maxima
you dont know what you have til its gone, see the problems other cars have. lots of people sell their Maxima, get another car, and in the end get another Maxima. Bijan had a Maxima, bought a Z33, and ended up right back with a Maxima
08-18-2010, 02:45 PM
#35
now the driver, on the other hand... If he is as stupid on the road as he is here, he should not have a license.
1) asks a question, gets all pissed off at the answers.
2) makes a new thread, similar question, same answers, same response to answers.
3) see 2
4) see 3
5) repeat 2, 3, and 4.
08-18-2010, 02:51 PM
#36
OP what do you mean "nice for school"? just keep it running for school and afterwards take a year or two off and work and build it. thats what i did, in high school i worked enough to keep it running, afterwards went to school mornings for a year and worked 6-7 days a week, and saved up a few grand and now this summer ive been able to build everything with the money i saved.
if you dont really want the car, sell it to someone on here who can use it and get a S13 for $1000
08-18-2010, 02:54 PM
#37
I don't know about all that, I haven't seen the real safety spots. it should be fixed, yes, but I can't tell if it's really dangerous.
now the driver, on the other hand... If he is as stupid on the road as he is here, he should not have a license.
1) asks a question, gets all pissed off at the answers.
2) makes a new thread, similar question, same answers, same response to answers.
3) see 2
4) see 3
5) repeat 2, 3, and 4.
now the driver, on the other hand... If he is as stupid on the road as he is here, he should not have a license.
1) asks a question, gets all pissed off at the answers.
2) makes a new thread, similar question, same answers, same response to answers.
3) see 2
4) see 3
5) repeat 2, 3, and 4.
08-18-2010, 03:02 PM
#38
Yea im guessing his opinion of maximas is a little biased because he has never actually seen a clean, well modded 3rd gen before.. If i started out with his car i would probibly hate maximas also because that car is garbage...Alot of people still love these cars and think they are cool, i get a good comment about my car pretty much everyday, like just an hour ago on my way home from work i stopped by a store and a guy asked what year it was and that it looked good...Everyone is entitled to their own opinions but robert i would definitly keep ur opinions of maximas to your self because i doubt anyone will be giving you anymore good info...ITS TIME TO SEARCH...
08-18-2010, 03:11 PM
#39
Yea im guessing his opinion of maximas is a little biased because he has never actually seen a clean, well modded 3rd gen before.. If i started out with his car i would probibly hate maximas also because that car is garbage...Alot of people still love these cars and think they are cool, i get a good comment about my car pretty much everyday, like just an hour ago on my way home from work i stopped by a store and a guy asked what year it was and that it looked good...Everyone is entitled to their own opinions but robert i would definitly keep ur opinions of maximas to your self because i doubt anyone will be giving you anymore good info...ITS TIME TO SEARCH...
once you see a properly build 3rd gen, its amazing like Joe Boost's. i dont think hes on the org anymore