Need some help here
10-09-2008, 12:21 AM
#1
Need some help here
Just wanted to share what I'm doing, and looking for a few ideas.So here's the scoop: A few months ago I bought a Black 95 Max GXE after giving my little bro a bunch of **** about his. All it took was a few days and I was hooked. Since I was tired of owning vehicles that kept needing repairs just to run, and since I had a few pennies saved up from a recent vacation to Iraq, I decided that I was going to do this right. This is what I have done so far:
New:
Radiator support
Rack and pinion
Power steering pump
Alternator
Front drive axles (CV Shafts)
Hub assemblies front and rear
Sand-blasted/painted steering knuckles
Drilled/slotted rotors w/ ceramic brake pads
Russell Performance steel braided brake lines
KSport fully adjustable coilovers
Optima yellow top battery
Warpspeed Y-pipe
Thrush Glasspack
Flowmaster dual tip Delta 40 series muffler
Smoked tail lights
Single piece smoked R34 style headlights
Smoked turn signals
HID bulb upgrade kit w/ 5k lows, 8k High Beams bulbs
Injen CAI
Venom Performance fuel injectors
Venom Performance control module
Honda S2000 Push button ignition
Apline IVA-W205 Head unit w/ PMD-B200 Blackbird Nav Unit
Hifonics 6.5" amped speakers w/ twin 12" subs
GSM Custom Alarm system
Now here is where I need the help. If you either say it can't be done or it's pointless, then leave your comments for yourself. This is to be like the thing you would really want to do to your engine if you had the time/money/lack of sanity to do! I am looking to do an engine swap into it next year and I am not quite sure what to do. I am looking for a few shops in the area for some pricing ideas but first I need to know what it is I want to do. So far all i have thought of is either: 1) a vq30 or vq35, either of which rebuilt with a turbo kit; 2.) Possibly dropping in a something to turn it rwd, 3) Find some way to throw in an awd type system. Any Ideas?
New:
Radiator support
Rack and pinion
Power steering pump
Alternator
Front drive axles (CV Shafts)
Hub assemblies front and rear
Sand-blasted/painted steering knuckles
Drilled/slotted rotors w/ ceramic brake pads
Russell Performance steel braided brake lines
KSport fully adjustable coilovers
Optima yellow top battery
Warpspeed Y-pipe
Thrush Glasspack
Flowmaster dual tip Delta 40 series muffler
Smoked tail lights
Single piece smoked R34 style headlights
Smoked turn signals
HID bulb upgrade kit w/ 5k lows, 8k High Beams bulbs
Injen CAI
Venom Performance fuel injectors
Venom Performance control module
Honda S2000 Push button ignition
Apline IVA-W205 Head unit w/ PMD-B200 Blackbird Nav Unit
Hifonics 6.5" amped speakers w/ twin 12" subs
GSM Custom Alarm system
Now here is where I need the help. If you either say it can't be done or it's pointless, then leave your comments for yourself. This is to be like the thing you would really want to do to your engine if you had the time/money/lack of sanity to do! I am looking to do an engine swap into it next year and I am not quite sure what to do. I am looking for a few shops in the area for some pricing ideas but first I need to know what it is I want to do. So far all i have thought of is either: 1) a vq30 or vq35, either of which rebuilt with a turbo kit; 2.) Possibly dropping in a something to turn it rwd, 3) Find some way to throw in an awd type system. Any Ideas?
10-09-2008, 12:41 AM
#2
skimmed over it a bit...i would do a VAFC-II instead of the venom control module...and shy away from injen...if you wanna do things right cut a 3" hole in your fender and geta BOMZ CAI off ebay for $45 and upgrade the filter
my 2 cents
my 2 cents
10-09-2008, 12:48 AM
#3
I was looking for a tuner or programmer and the venom 400 is what I found. haven't tried it out yet but with what it is supposed to do it should be fun. and the intake was like the first thing i got and that may even have to change depending on the engine setup
10-09-2008, 05:41 AM
#4
I would research the all motor forum on this board before deciding on which motor to do with a turbo kit.
2) this has been discussed many time on this board... basic rundown.... the $$$ spent will greatly out weight what the car was worth brand new to complete this project. You want rwd? M45. G35C or S.
3) same thing here... if you want an awd car by a subaru. you will come out ahead on the financial side of things.
I am not saying that it can't be done... I am just saying. Throw Enough cash at any problem and you can solve anything.
2) this has been discussed many time on this board... basic rundown.... the $$$ spent will greatly out weight what the car was worth brand new to complete this project. You want rwd? M45. G35C or S.
3) same thing here... if you want an awd car by a subaru. you will come out ahead on the financial side of things.
I am not saying that it can't be done... I am just saying. Throw Enough cash at any problem and you can solve anything.
10-09-2008, 06:07 AM
#5
Jesus Christ, why does this keep coming up again recently? 
I'm just going to copy what I said in the another thread about this 2 weeks ago
Off the top of my head you will need...
Fabricate new front suspension, the current one will not work for a RWD car.
Fabricate a subframe to mount the engine to, as well as support the new front suspension
Steering, You will also need to fabricate a new steering rack, as the current position will prevent any rwd engine setup from being installed
Provide enough clearance to mount the new engine
Find some way to route the exhaust, since the exhaust tunnel will be filled with a driveshaft
Fabricate a new rear suspension
Fabricate a rear subframe to hold and support a rear differential
Have custom axle shafts made, unless you can find a diff/axle/hub setup that will fit correctly under the rear of the max, and work with your custom suspension
Chassis bracing - The maxima was not designed to handle the torque on the rear of the chassis, you will need to brace as required to prevent the rear from tearing itself apart
New driveshaft - You will have to determine the proper length and pinion angle, you will need to have the rear diff or axle housing offset properly, as well as the engine, otherwise your driveshaft will vibrate and/or tear itself out or the U-joints will fail prematurely. Driveshaft will have to be custom made.
Wiring, must find a way to integrate the new engine wiring into the car, your also going to have to find a way of reading a new speedo and tach signal
Transmission - You will need to find a transmission that will fit in the tunnel space, which was never designed to hold a transmission. You will also need to align everything so that the shifter will come out at the proper point, unless you plan on going automatic, which will be an even larger transmission, along with additional wiring. You will also need to find a way of supporting the rear of the transmission, as nothing under the car is provided, other than the thin sheetmetal of the floor.
Needless to say, this has FAIL written all over it. You could easily spend $10k+ on this and still not have a decent working car. Beyond pointless. AWD? All the same above applies, only your going to have to find an engine/transmission combo to not only fit, but to line up correctly with the front hubs. You cannot just put a transmission and axles in and expect perfect results, alignment of said items is key, which is going to require some extensive engineering knowledge to get right.
To be honest though, you lost me at Venom. It's painfully obvious you didn't do much research, your path to failure is already laid out.
Time is ticking on this thread getting locked....
I'm just going to copy what I said in the another thread about this 2 weeks ago
Off the top of my head you will need...
Fabricate new front suspension, the current one will not work for a RWD car.
Fabricate a subframe to mount the engine to, as well as support the new front suspension
Steering, You will also need to fabricate a new steering rack, as the current position will prevent any rwd engine setup from being installed
Provide enough clearance to mount the new engine
Find some way to route the exhaust, since the exhaust tunnel will be filled with a driveshaft
Fabricate a new rear suspension
Fabricate a rear subframe to hold and support a rear differential
Have custom axle shafts made, unless you can find a diff/axle/hub setup that will fit correctly under the rear of the max, and work with your custom suspension
Chassis bracing - The maxima was not designed to handle the torque on the rear of the chassis, you will need to brace as required to prevent the rear from tearing itself apart
New driveshaft - You will have to determine the proper length and pinion angle, you will need to have the rear diff or axle housing offset properly, as well as the engine, otherwise your driveshaft will vibrate and/or tear itself out or the U-joints will fail prematurely. Driveshaft will have to be custom made.
Wiring, must find a way to integrate the new engine wiring into the car, your also going to have to find a way of reading a new speedo and tach signal
Transmission - You will need to find a transmission that will fit in the tunnel space, which was never designed to hold a transmission. You will also need to align everything so that the shifter will come out at the proper point, unless you plan on going automatic, which will be an even larger transmission, along with additional wiring. You will also need to find a way of supporting the rear of the transmission, as nothing under the car is provided, other than the thin sheetmetal of the floor.
Needless to say, this has FAIL written all over it. You could easily spend $10k+ on this and still not have a decent working car. Beyond pointless. AWD? All the same above applies, only your going to have to find an engine/transmission combo to not only fit, but to line up correctly with the front hubs. You cannot just put a transmission and axles in and expect perfect results, alignment of said items is key, which is going to require some extensive engineering knowledge to get right.
To be honest though, you lost me at Venom. It's painfully obvious you didn't do much research, your path to failure is already laid out.
Time is ticking on this thread getting locked....
10-09-2008, 08:18 AM
#6
Senior Member
iTrader: (7)
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Alexandria, VA, & Central Jersey
Posts: 2,647
New:
Radiator support
Rack and pinion
Power steering pump
Alternator
Front drive axles (CV Shafts)
Hub assemblies front and rear
first of all, all that right there is NOT cheap. Why did you need to replace it all?? and if you were really doing all that stuff to the max, why not buy just the body for dirt cheap. Why buy a working conditioned car?? I just do'nt understand that fact.
If after reading what mtrai has posted, and you are still not convinced and have $10-$20k and a enormous headache, go for it. At this point, it is possible that it might be cheaper to fabricate a 4th gen body onto a different car.
I honestly think that if you are going to go ahead with this project, there is a limited amount of people who can ACTUALLY help you on here. and for those that CAN help, most likely won't because this is a project that does not seem it will conclude to an end at any short amount of time.
Radiator support
Rack and pinion
Power steering pump
Alternator
Front drive axles (CV Shafts)
Hub assemblies front and rear
first of all, all that right there is NOT cheap. Why did you need to replace it all?? and if you were really doing all that stuff to the max, why not buy just the body for dirt cheap. Why buy a working conditioned car?? I just do'nt understand that fact.
If after reading what mtrai has posted, and you are still not convinced and have $10-$20k and a enormous headache, go for it. At this point, it is possible that it might be cheaper to fabricate a 4th gen body onto a different car.
I honestly think that if you are going to go ahead with this project, there is a limited amount of people who can ACTUALLY help you on here. and for those that CAN help, most likely won't because this is a project that does not seem it will conclude to an end at any short amount of time.
10-10-2008, 03:13 PM
#8
First of all to mtrai760: Woah bro! You are waaaay too high strung about this man. If you were to read what I said in the beginning then I would not even be bothered by this as I'm looking for people with ideas on what is possible. Not people who will sit there and whine stating all of the obvious facts. You aren't dealing with a noob here. I know very well what is involved in doing these things as I do the work myself. What sort of engine set-up do you reccommend? (and I'm talking more than an intake and some overexpensive spark plugs)
On to ImmaSquashYou. I do understand your confusion. When I bought the car it was because I needed one and I had only needed it to last me about a year. I picked it up for $2K. Then I was introduced to the org and started looking around at what was possible to do, and as I said previously I do all of the work myself so I just needed the parts. The radiator support housing was a must as it was rusted thru. After that I just kept searching around seeing what was out there. I started with steering and suspension and figured that I might as well do it right. Even so, minus the sound system, it only cost me another $3K. Since I had the time and the tools, I went for it. I could very well have gotten one for $5K but where would I be on all the upgrades that I would have done anways?
On to ImmaSquashYou. I do understand your confusion. When I bought the car it was because I needed one and I had only needed it to last me about a year. I picked it up for $2K. Then I was introduced to the org and started looking around at what was possible to do, and as I said previously I do all of the work myself so I just needed the parts. The radiator support housing was a must as it was rusted thru. After that I just kept searching around seeing what was out there. I started with steering and suspension and figured that I might as well do it right. Even so, minus the sound system, it only cost me another $3K. Since I had the time and the tools, I went for it. I could very well have gotten one for $5K but where would I be on all the upgrades that I would have done anways?
10-10-2008, 04:01 PM
#10
Senior Member
iTrader: (7)
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Alexandria, VA, & Central Jersey
Posts: 2,647
Kudos to you for having that much money and time.
try to use a g35 maybe....but here's something simliar. a 350z using awd g35
http://www.functiontuned.com/customers-juan.php
try to use a g35 maybe....but here's something simliar. a 350z using awd g35
http://www.functiontuned.com/customers-juan.php
10-10-2008, 08:37 PM
#14
ftmwOP: with all the money you have/will invest you should've bought yourself a 6th gen, drop it, get a cf hood for sho and be good. i thought about swapping in a v8, doing awd and was taught it has FAIL written all over it. if you're crazy enough i heard that you possibly could use some of murano's parts to make an awd...but you'd have to jack the max up for it all to fit so why not just get a murano
do some searching because i see your thread getting closed pretty soon...after a bit more flaming
10-11-2008, 01:58 PM
#16
Just to ease everyone's worries I am going to go with the fwd. Thanks maximomo for the head-up on that. Had seen it before forgot. So in the spirit of staying unique I think I may just have to see what I can do about the hho conver.
10-11-2008, 09:40 PM
#18
Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 81
Unless you have your own shop, a Snap-on warehouse worth of tools, and an engineering degree, most of these ideas won't even be possible, let alone anything remotely easy. Drivetrain conversions are usually nearly impossible, and would usually require more money and energy than just buying a similar car with RWD/AWD. Even engine swaps are usually more trouble than they're worth for an engine not made for the car. Unless you forgot to mention that you're Jesse James from Monster Garage, then go ahead and take all that army money burning a hole in your pocket and buy a brand new Maxima, 350Z, or G35, or better yet, invest and save for your future.