Hey guys I am going to be getting custom SFCs fabricated for my 5.5 gen soon and my only concern is resale value. I am hoping that in the future I will be able to sell to an enthusiast who would appreciate a modification like this but I'm a little nervous that people would stray away from a customized car. I was originally going to copy Warpspeeds design for stage 1 and 2 SFCs but the shop suggested they could make the chassis more stiff if they ran the SFC right next to the frame rail and ran a bead the entire leangth of the frame rail. This would also increase ground clearence. The only thing was if I had trouble reselling the car I was planning on grinding off the SFCs and re coating the welds with undercoat to protect against rust. If I were to run a bead the entire leangth of the frame rail it would be a permenant thing. I dont think I would really be able to ever grind it off.

So seeing how when I sell it years down the road it will probably be on this site I wanted to ask you guys. Would you stray away from a car if you were told it had custom SFCs?


p.s. I told the guy I never want these things rusting out (and my car sees quite a bit of salt I live in MA) so he is going to use round tubing (like warpspeed) cap the ends of the tube seal the welds on the cap with an automotive sealent (that is permenant) and than weld the capped end to the underbody of the car and seal that weld with the same permenant automotive sealent and than spray the entire area with 3m undercoat as directed by Warpspeed. Basically it will be better than when it came from the factory in terms of rust protection.

 

In my opinion, if you are thinking of selling your car for a good price, don't mod it. I personally would never by a car with any traces of power or handling modifications (unless it's a very rare vehicle like Supra or RX7.) The main reason is that if you do those mods chances are your car was driven hard.

Some other reasons why I would not get a moded car:
Questionable part quality, questionable work quality, will it really not start rusting, how good was it welded (was structural rigidity compromised because of high heat,) is it still as safe (SFC and RSB,) and probably many more.

I'm not expecting to get alot when I'll be selling my car, I just want to enjoy it for 4 years or so and then trade it in.

 

why do you want to increase ground clearance? and if you keep the reciept from the job nobody can really say its a sub par job since it was done by a pro.

 

The question you need to ask yourself is, are you looking for a car you can have fun with for the next 2 years, or are you looking for a good resale value. Mods never make for good resale.

 

Hey, i also live in MA, where are u getting this done, and how much? if you dont mind.

i would say if thats one of your only mods, than resale wouldnt be too much of a problem.

 

i would not buy a car with any mods. this is true for newer cars. if you plan to sell yours 4 or 5 years down the road, many people will not pay so much attention because of the age anyway. if i was looking at a car older than 6 or 7 years, i would not be too conserned with any mods on it.

 

Yeah no prob! I am having it done by Nakutis Custom Rods and Choppers in Hyannis, MA. I will post pics of his work when they are done so everyone will see the quality of the job, as well as a review.

These guys seem to know thier stuff. They make completly custom choppers, that compete with Orange County Choppers, and they also make custom hotrods so they have a lot of experience bending tube and welding.

He said SFCs would be 300, which in reality is the same as the Warpspeed ones because WarpSpeeds SFCs are 200 plus it would be another 100 to get them installed.

And no this is not gonna be my only mod...lol I am probably thinkin about makin one of the wildest (performance wise) cars on this board. I want to drop 10-15k into the car all on performance. Less than 1k of that will be spent on appearence.

 

max resale value sucks anyway. my sticker on my 02 was almost 31K. they are in the paper for as low as $12K. im keepin this POS till it dies!

 

did they start the work yet? maybe i can join you and he can they can give us a small group discount. you arent to far from me (Andover) ive prob seen you drive around


About you droping that much money on that car, why not savce it and sell the car and i bet you can get a g35C, or even a 350Z foir that much.

(i shouldnt talk since ive droped over 13K on looks and performance)

 

My chief concern is with the metallurgy of the Nissan metal that the SFCs would be welded to, and by what process. Not all automotive steels are happy with being continuously welded as in a seam. IIRC, when High Strength Steels are welded, it's by spot-welding techniques. Something to do with heat, carbon content, embrittlement of the heat-affected zone, stuff like that. It would definitely be a good idea to make sure that the shop really knows what kind of metal they're dealing with (ideally, with a material spec or test report) and that they are qualified (certified?) to weld it.

As far as the mere presence of SFCs is concerned, I suppose that you could argue it the other way just as easily. That with an unknown amount of hard usage anyway, at least with SFCs you've got a slightly better structure resisting said abuse. You really have to look at the whole package for other clues, including the driving habits of the people who used the car.

Me? I would not dismiss the idea of buying a SFC-equipped car out of hand, but I would pay particular attention in the areas where the SFCs end, as that's where any damage is most likely to show up first due to the sudden change in structural cross section. The loads picked up by the SFCs don't just disappear; they have to fully transfer into the Nissan metal.

Norm

 

HAHA no **** you live in Andover!! I grew up in Andover. I'm 21 now but I lived there till I was 18. And as for investing into the max VS buying a new car this is how I see it. If I build my engine and tranny which I plan to do, the car should run for a long *** time. If I were to sell my car 3 or 4 years down the road it would be worth probably less than 10k. If I were to sell it and put 10k into a new car I'de only have 20K to play with. Thats not a whole ton of money for a car. If I took the same 10k and put it into my own car, I could put darton sleeves on the block and bore it out as well as other things add some No2 I would get anywhere from 350-500whp depending on how crazy I want to go with the No2.

For 20k I dont think I could beat that performance package with another car. Of course I could always buy an 80s stang with half the body rusting and get a big block and some nitrous and get the same 1/4 mile numbers but thats no Maxima in terms of comfort, reliability, sexyness, and even handling (not saying you couldent make a mustang handle well, you could actually make it handle much better than a max but not on a strict budget)

 

Actually, I wouldn't buy a car with mods on principle; however, were the only modification SFCs I would JUMP ON IT since SFCs are such an amazing mod and shows that the previous owner knew what they were doing (as opposed to just ricing out the car with intake, exhaust, etc.). Further, the typical buyer wouldn't even notice the SFCs unless you pointed them out, all they'll notice is how solid the car drives. If you're going to make your car a performance beast but say you're worried about resale value, don't think twice about installing SFCs; worry about the performance mods.

BTW, it was my understanding that the Warpspeed SFCs ARE tubular and ARE right next to the frame rails, though they probably don't instruct you to seam weld the entire length:

 

Well I'm also hoping, being one of the first to do custom SFCs that people get to know me a little and become a little more comfortable with me. Hopefully by the time I am looking to sell my car this community will know about me a little better. Right now I'm still a newcomer but I have had a screen name on here for a while because years ago when I was 17 and lookin for a first car I came very close to purchasing a 4th gen. Turns out that probably wouldent have been a bad purchase even now. I probaby would be one of the guys droppin a VQ35 into a 4th gen.

 

Maxima resale value SUCKS anyways....so don't worry about it.

Besides, most people wouldn't even know you have them...

 

"First, do no harm" . . . or something like that.

So SFCs in general, yes. SFCs improperly welded to HSS, run the other way. Are there any materials engineers or Nissan body shop guys listening in on this?

FWIW, what are arguably the best SFCs in the Fox/SN95 Mustang world involve cutting strips completely out of the floor and fitting the connectors into the slots thus created. Partly, that's because the floor isn't flat. But you can't get better integration of the SFC's with the existing chassis without going to a whole lot more work (and weight).

Norm

 

I wouldn't buy one. Yes its a great mod but typically anyone who would do this mod drives the car hard and I don't wanna buy a car that's been driven hard..............I also wouldn't do this mod unless I raced/autocrossed my car other than that it seems like overkill to me......

 

It's not just about handling. It makes for better ride quality and fewer squeaks and rattles.

Plus, the solid feeling you get from a firm chassis is infectious and can be felt in almost everything the car does. It's a big part of why the BMW 3-series has been so successful -- not just to fast drivers, but to yuppies, execs, and housewives alike.

 

Definitely worth it even if you're never gonna auto-x or road race.

Considering it typically only runs between 200-300 bucks and based on the reviews that many have given, IMO, its probably a better suspension mod than the FSTB/RSB combo.

 

Don't believe the hype. BMW have squeaks and rattles too. It's not so much a solid chassis that effects sqeaks and rattles. The way they mount accessories on the chassis is what controls rattles and squeaks.

 

Well, he did say "fewer" squeaks and rattles and not "no" squeaks and rattles. Basically, the guys who have had SFCs installed on 4th and 5th Gens have posted that there is a significant improvement in that department and that its a world of difference compared to the Maxima experience without SFCs.

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....highlight=sfcs

That's just one of the many threads out there with positive reviews.

 

Oh, I don't doubt that the SFC is great especially at stiffen the chassis, but going thru the expensive and labor to have chassis reinforcements welded to your car isn't overkill for someone who doesn't race/autocross there car just seems foolish to me. Just my opinion and like azzholes everyone has one................. But i'll never knock anyone who believes other wise and like I said it is an awesome mod

 

Norm, in the picture I posted above, do you see any glaring flaws with the structural design? Any suggestions? (Keep in mind the red bar at the rear is an RSB, nor part of the SFCs.)

Wanna design your own and make a mint selling it on the Org?

 

Expense and labor?? Its usually 300$ fabricated and installed.... If you think that is expensive you shouldnt mod your car at all

 

I completely understand, the Max is pretty good as is.... but the 300+ bucks for improved ride quality and handling even if just for everyday driving is worth it to me, and that's my opinion.

 

Lucky 5th genners....

 

HAHAHA, i thought about selling mine, but its not worth it to sell it, id be losing alot of money. so i guess im stuck with it until it dies.damn nissans....

 

No flaws, per se. But there are a couple of details that are giving away some of the bending stiffness available from those diagonals. IOW, it could be made stiffer without adding any metal (weight).

:dunno: I do have a couple of ideas for the truly hardcore, though . . . most likely not involving floorpan cutting like those Mustang pieces.

Norm

 

Stock Maxima frames are about as stiff as a decent block of cheese. $300 and a couple of hours out of your day isn't really much to correct that shortcoming, especially since you and your car will both be grateful for it as long as you own it.

 

go ahead and do it.. have fun with it and forget about the resale value.. anyway at the end of 5 years the car is worth less than 3/4 of the original price...... so why bother.....

 

The tabs that go over the frame look like the weak point to me. also the fact that the crossmembers are bolted rather than welded. The argument is that's supposed to make it easier to remove and replace the exhaust, but it looks to me as though it could be done even if they were welded.

Well unless you're seriously going to make and market your own design, let's hear 'em! I definitely consider myself truly hardcore, at least when it comes to chassis stiffening. After SFCs I will be foaming the frame rails.

 

Me too! Perhaps for different reasons, but nonetheless...

 

i would buy a car with SFC's just dont expect extra for it when selling

 

I wouldent expect extra for any of my mods, I would most likely part the car out and get it back to as close to stock as possible.

I think what Norm Peterson is talking about is what the first 2 shops were talkin to me about when I came in to get SFCs fabricated. They were the type of shops that build 8 second mustangs. Both of them wanted to cut the floorpan out and put round tubing in there and than put the floorpan back on and weld the floorpan to the round tubing, and I dont meen spot welding I meen they wanted to run several beads. This would require taking out most of the interior of the car (so it doesnt catch fire) and is, in my opinion, over kill for this car. If you want more rigidity you could always just foam the frame rails with the 8lb/ft density polyurethane foam. That foam scares me though. I dont think I will use it on my car, I think instead at some point I am gonna build a miata for weekend racing and canyon cruising and I would foam that chassis, but the max is my daily driver.

 

I'm thinking in terms of all-welded construction (meaning freight charges for something the size of a pool table top) that is almost certainly going to be more visible. Attachment to the car itself is still an open item. Maybe I need to build a lift and go into business, though doing it at all would be based on a halfway decent structural analysis showing a stiffness gain worth the effort - as in I wouldn't add 75 lbs of metal if it was only going to give my a 5% stiffness increase.

Norm

 

perhaps, some of you would be interested in this thread:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=449420

 

How in the world are you going to get 500whp from nitrogen dioxide?