Cool story intro (use cntrl+f parts list to skip this)
Going to try and hop back in the forum game and
stop keeping everything to myself lol. I made dashes to upload photos at a later time when I'm not on my phone binge watching Netflix. I've detailed the 6mt swap poorly in the 6th gen section but this will detail the whole build.

I purchased a 2008 Maxima SE with a blown radiator for pennies.


​​
​​The vehicle had some issues I'm not going to discuss on a public forum but amongst those it was also in a decent front end collision that was repaired absolutely horribly (home Depot screws, spacers, extra nuts and bolts that barely held the front end together.

I had purchased two maximas in anticipation of this vehicle... A 2006 6mt







And a 2004 elite

*coughItsonksportcoiloversbecausesomeoneboughtthes tocksuspensionfrommecough*



And you guessed it, were going to build one ultimaxima.

The 2006 Mt was a decent car just had 270k on the odo but I thoroughly enjoyed everything about the 2008 and it was the car I fantasized about in high school which is why I didn't stop at 2 6th gens.

So first things first I did the 6mt swap


Then I made my attempt into body work. Let's just say I won't do this for anyone else but at least the fender and core support is actually bolted to the car now.




Got the front end on and fixed some other random problems including the door lock actuator reading the key in the unlock position causing the windows to continuously roll down



And here I am.....



BTW I can't believe I never mentioned this.... The plan for this car is to be a re-incarnation of my black I35......

This car will look like a typical beater on the outside but will have a full battery of mods and parts underneath. With a very enjoyable interior. But the peeling clearcoat? Curbrashed rims? Stock looking height? All to help this wolf stay in hiding.

That's why the extra effort in trying to make the exhaust extra quiet and the car looking as stock as possible.

Parts list (will be continuously edited throughout the life of this car - will link to specific post when possible)

Currently on vehicle
-Unknown Mileage vq35de transplant from the donor vehicle
-unknown Mileage 6mt transmission from donor vehicle
-stock flywheel with an unknown eBay upgraded clutch from donor vehicle
-Stock air intake
-cheapest eBay headers available $97
-True Dual 2.5" Exhaust
-Mishimotor Radiator
-D2 Coilovers
-350zTouring​​​​​​v1 18's
-Haltech
-racingline front strut tower bar

Purchased and waiting to be installed
-aluminum front and rear motor mounts
-hybrid 1.2gen vq35 build with JWTs C2 cams.
-Z1 Medium Weight Flywheel
-full akebono brake setup
-g35 sedan brake master cyl
-Racingline Traction Rods
-Zspeed Aluminum splash shield
-Altima SE-R Front and Rear sway bars
-McLeod Racing Full Face Racing clutch
-HLSD 4.1 trans

Planned purchases
​​​-Suspension nonsense (adjustable rear arms and poly bushings)
-flex fuel conversion (AEM fuel pump and r35 gtr injectors with GM flex sensor)

 

There be no pictars for this post

 

Ficksed

 

Subscribed

 

Welp while I wait on parts to arrive for mah FIF gen, motor swap, I stabbed the old FIF gen motor in another one of my cars to get on the ball on having that other car move under it's own power soon..... But we're here to talk about mah SIFF gen(s).




Started with stripping the elite interior out of mah 04.



Then well install is reverse of removal right? Well ran into a problem already, my 08 and 04 are bose but the rear speakers are COMPLETELY different, while both being 6x9s they are just... different. I had to make a slight modification to my rear deck speakers to get the sunshade to sit properly as pictured below.


-Just flattening one of the sides to allow more clearance for the sunshade, it's more obvious when you're doing it yourself, I just have not had anyone say anything about this, maybe because I'm going from 04 to 08, idk.

Anywho, I got the rear package tray all squared away and now before I put the rear console in I have to attack wiring



And because I love you guys here is my gibberish of a wiring diagram!!!!! If it doesn't make sense then well go look at a FSM

I have to run to the electronics store later today to finish wiring some things, going to run 2 different power wires from the front as listed above also I need more bolt anchor thingies to make grounds also the wire tap thingies to tap into the illumination circuit.

My exhaust was delayed, one of my 2 resonators came in, and I'm still waiting on the exhaust tips to come in. Depending on how long that takes I may go ahead and install my D2 coilovers in my 08 so I can put the stock suspension on the 04 and scrap it. (My 04 is on ksports because I sold the stock suspension off of it )

 

Goodness, what's so special about the Elite interior?

 

Its a 6th gen thing, you wouldn't understand.

 

This.

The wiring went like a breeze, I did not take a picture because I was not in the mood to make it pretty for the internet, however I have 100% confidence in my wiring job, unless the cabin gets filled up with water, but then I'd have other problems....

I like to use a fresh source for my 12v sources & grounds whenever I'm doing stuff like this. In this case I used those handle add-a-circuit thingies that go into your fusebox, real handy, real easy, I kept it OEM and reused the sunshade fuse for.... The sunshade.... And I used a blank spot for the Rear cig lighter and heated seats. I wired everything as I drawn out in the previous post and surprise surprise.... all switches work perfectly. There is a video on youtube of someone attempting wiring.... And well.... I am quite unsure what that guy is doing in the video.... Anywho after following my wiring gibberish chart and running a few wires from the front console (Illumination wires, and running the 12v around and downnn)...... We have working rear heated seats, sunshade and 12v plug!


Well after wiring, I figured that was the hard part.... WRONG! I ran into anooother small problem with the 04/08 difference. The rear vent trim piece is slightly different up top.

The 04/06s have an armrest that opens towards the driver, the 07/08s armest opens like a normal armrest. This small difference would not allow the rear vents to clip into the 08 center console and NO changing the center console is not an option here. A crazy bastard once told me "...with a dremel and patience anything will fit." Well I was short on patience but I did make it fit.... If you look extremely close at my vehicle you'll see my woopsie marks and imperfect fitment but no one will be able to tell unless I told you like I'm telling you now.

After all of that struggling with a dremel and belt sander I took my frustration out on the front end of my 04 and started to pull the motor for my 03 then realized I haven't taken any photos today so I went back to my 08 and bolted and snapped some things in just for this fancy photo.


missing a few small things here and there but at least now it looks like I accomplished something and it's time for bed.

 

Welp i'm like 90% finished now with the elite swap, I have to clean the C-pillar trims and do something about the wood trim peices and add a few little screws here and there but it's there! This car is finally coming along now!



In other news... FINALLY all of my exhaust parts came in today.

Keep in mind I'm building a true dual setup, but here is my dilemma.... G35 Coupe resonator or the 20" Yonaka resonator. Due to the space constraints, 2 yonakas would fit quite easily, but they're small (2.5 in/out, 3.5 overall diameter, 20" long) and I am not too sure about the sound.... The problem with the G35 resonators is the size.... putting two under the vehicle means I have to rotate them 90* and have the wider ends go up and down, i'm just not sure about my ground clearance with the G35 resonators. I will find out when I roll up to the exhaust shop later this week.

Anywho here's a pic of the components: Resonator Option -> Jones Muffler -> Dual Tips

 

I always liked the elite package because I have never had 3 people in the back seat. I hate it because sometimes you just need to haul something big.

Don't you hate finding out Nissan changed little things from year to year?

What's the deal with the G35 master cylinder?

I can't wait to see and hear the exhaust.

 

The 6th gen's trunk is plenty big, I think in the last two years I've had a max 4 passengers, but I carry a lot of stuff for Lacrosse and in the Kia Forte it's a little bit of a struggle. My 5th gen carries all the lacrosse stuff in the trunk no probs.

Ugh. Just found out i35s and Maximas have different ABS sensors.

Master Cyls you say? 23.81mm cylinder (most maximas) vs. 25.4mm cylinder (V35 / Z33 non brembo), not the full 27mm cylinder the brembo models are but the Akebono vehicles are 25.4mm cylinders with the same brake booster specs soooo it should work nice and stock, eh? eh?

Exhaust in a separate poast.

 

So what's so good about the Jones mufflers? Are you using straight through, turbo-style, or chambered? How loud/quiet are you trying to make this? Can one of those larger master cylinders bolt onto a 4th gen, or is this only a 6th gen thing?

 

Yes, read the title, version 1, I have to actually swap in the 2nd gen motor before I start making changes but at least the basic idea has been laid.







Full Exhaust Specs:
-2.5" Crush Bend piping
-$97 Ebay altima headers (BTW I need to do a thread on these, these are NOT the bolt on cheap option for us, the DNA Motoring $150ish option is the bolt on option for 6mt/4at vehicles, and no there really isn't a difference on flange thickness or piping diameter, I have the more expensive SRS ones too and with a digital caliper tool you will NOT be able to spot the difference).
-Last minute decision to go with a stamped X-pipe, it was cheaper than fab time for an H pipe (This is definitely one of those things that will get shuffled out as time goes on)
-Yonaka 20" 2.5" in/out resonators - These are the smallest OD resonators I have found Measuring @ 3.5" OD Anything larger, imo, would require the heat shields to be removed and some hammer time on the chassis to get decent clearance to not have any issues w/ vibrations.
-Jones Max Flow 2.5 mufflers (offset inlet, center outlet) - MF1256 - 18" length body, you really can't stuff anything longer than 18", you can do 20" but the muffler body would have to become really good friends w/ the rear bumper cover.
-Black Horse Racing dual 3.5" exhaust tips, cheap af.

I think this exhaust cost me under $600 total. Can probably be under $650 total if I thought this was going to be my final setup, but this is just the first version.

The car has a misfire and in my opinion the sound will probably change once everything is running well... but I KNOW you're going to ask for it so here it is, misfire and all. First run on the street.

You Tube

If the misfire is something basic like a coil pack I'll attend to it and retry making a video, if it requires anything else.... Then it's not gonna get fixed.

My opinion? It's not as quiet as I envisioned.... But I do like it.... A lot.... I like the random moments moving around my shop when it's not missing it's *** off, and 1st and 2nd was spinning w/ only 5 cylinders so the car is actually very happy with it.

 

$46 each. That's what's so good about em.

Straight through perforated. So Turbo style?

Quiet AF, didn't achieve that yet. To be honest I'm not sure how I am going to with the space constraints. It's not terribly loud though.

Uhhhh No, the lines are on different sides on the 4th gen and same sides on the 6th gen. Your bolt in option is the Z32 iirc.

 

Dam 6th gen is a boat! That thing gotta be heavy. Why a 6th gen? I see alot of them in the junkyard and some are usually all burnt up as in they caught fire.

 

As much as it pains me to say this after being on the org for over a decade and tearing apart and modding too many maximas... I've learned that the 6th gen is a better car overall. Inside and out top to bottom. A 6mt 6th gen is the embodiment of what a Maxima should be.

The 4th gen is just only a lighter car.

Also I have no idea why people call it a boat.

​​​​​​​My 6mt that I scrapped came out to 2740lbs.... It was only missing a hood, front seats, motor and trans, that's 500lbs at most.....

 

Its got alot more benefits then just being a lighter car, i could go into detail but that would be a never ending debate lol!!!! To each there own, my boy has a 6th gen, we were suppose to 6mt swap it, but got delayed. Theres nobody who rocks a 6th gen out here. I do like how it looks though its a sweet looking ride. Especially the front end with fogs on the bottom. And the dual tips in the back.

 

 

The true dual exhaust fits well under that chassis. Fix that misfire, post more vids when you get a chance.

Is that shop yours?

6th gens ride and handle well. The seats are very comfortable. The steering is nice and firm. They can be ugly, especially 04-06, but so can 95-96 and 00-01. People like to complain about the automatic transmissions as well.

 

That true dual routing is very cool. Interested to hear a non-misfire run and any follow on version of this setup. Stainless/mandrel would be more of a PITA but it would sound different.

 

I'm up for it... I've had my 99 since 2009, one 4th gen since, I'm on my 3rd 5th gen and 2nd 6th gen that I've driven (4th 6th gen I've owned)

Actually pics?

99 SE-L (Current)


96 SE w/ Cold Weather Package DE-K 6MT (long gone)


03 I35 6mt, 2nd gen swapped, w/ Cold Weather Package (ILL MISS YOU BABE!)


02 I35 Base model, 6mt and 2nd gen swapped (parts car now)


04 SL w/ 5at and built VQ35 (gone)


03 Titanium Edition 6mt, currently getting a motor swap



Lets start front to back shall we?
Lighter front end overall, aluminum hood, composite core support, ease of pulling motors, and now on to the aluminum control arms that weigh considerable less than previous gens. Less work for the suspension.... I say this gives the 6th gen it's superior steering feel over previous gens, I may be wrong but for damn sure this car's confidence in steering even while stock is superb and no, none of my previous cars were worn beat to **** either, all of them had completely refreshed front chassis compenents. I think the Subframe design helps supports this as well, which gives more lateral support to the control arms (Subframe connectors were needed on previous gens). Also a bonus the subframe allows for plenty of exhaust playroom, so if I were to go max effort I can route 2.5" piping way easier with less sharp curves. Which may be in play next year.... I'll discuss at another time.... Rear independent suspension supported by an aluminum subframe. This is awesome because guess what? unlike previous maximas... Toe and Camber are adjustable in the rear (not much from factory but camber arms are a thing for 6th gens and not previous gens) So I can dial in the suspension to my liking.... Oh brakes? Yes. Brake upgrades? Oh we all can do the same front brake upgrades but lets talk about the rear... With a separate drum rear from the factory that allows A LOT of brake options to come into play but lets keep it simple.... The 350z rear braking setup is bolt on.... So anything a Z does in the rear... I can too..... Oh like those Akebonos I have sitting in a box..... And I keep the parking brake.... *woot*...
That's the scientific part of it... now for the opinionated fact... This car just looks more current and has not aged as poorly as previous gens, keyless entry and start were always cool features to me and I am so glad I have them now. I thoroughly enjoy my interior from front to back now, these seats are only exceeded by infiniti models (V36 Sedan Sport seats are my dream seats, air inflatable bolsters... drool...). The way the car rides and drives is amazing. I was working on getting my I35 to the level of road confidence at high speeds the 6th gen has but it's not close, I'm not sure if it has to do with the track of the tires or suspension but I do not feel like if I blink my eye above 120 I'm going to die. The I35 towards the end of it's life was very stable, smooth and confident till you got to those silly speeds at 130, 140, 150 where it was just telling me... "dude no". My first 6th gen I was unaware of the trips above 140, it was more of a look down "oh man, i didn't think this ol girl had it in her". I have yet to take a 6th gen on a track or following the local Z club when we terrorize the roads but I feel like this car will match my confidence level much better.

That's about the gist of why I think this car will epitome the ultimate ****box daily plans. Just wish it was quieter.

That's your opinion

Again, opinion... But boats are sexy too

I'll try a few things, but I'm not devoting time to it. I may 2nd gen swap it as quickly as June.

For now, I'm moving out at the end of June.

I have a unicorn 6th gen, 4AT but it's on it's way to going to heaven right now, just need to put on the stock struts, pull seats and a few small things here and there and I'm done with it.

Indeed, around a $1100 cost difference.... Not worth it. Especially on a car I'm not set on getting every whp available (red car is for that).

 

I hear you on the price difference. That's the only option anyone in the salt belt would have if they wanted it to last more than a couple years.

I really wish the 4th gen had IRS as wasn't so much of an econobox build. I might have kept my i30 if that were the case.

 

Honestly that's where Maximas shine, econoboxes. Going max effort on a Maxima is only going to lead to dissapointments. Unless you're just bat**** crazy like me.

Plus you have my fave gen M5, I love that quad tipped boaty box. If I wasn't chest deep in nissan parts and knowledge I'd prolly have a similar car collection as yours (sans bikes)

 

Well damn, yeah, all that aluminum sounds pretty awesome, no argument there. Is the steering rack quicker ratio, or just less encumbered by a heavy front end? And yeah, IRS sure would be nice. My panhard rod "helps" but it's no substitute. I really wish I could adjust rear alignment specs. I'm happy with my Fastbrakes rear BBK that uses Accord rotors, but that really is the only bolt on option, and more choices are always better. I don't know where you're doing 120+ on a regular basis, but I'm a little jealous. It's been a long time since I've been much above 100, although the car does feel rock solid doing that. I was planning on doing some track days this year, but the virus has gotten in the way of that.

Related question- You've had some awesome cars in the past, specifically the two 2nd gen swapped I35s, why did you get rid of them? Do you just get bored quickly?

 

steering ratios per Google:
Z33 = 15.9, l31 Altima = 16.1, 6th gen = 16.2, 5th gen = 16.6, 4th gen = 16.7 - this is weird it says all 4th gens are the same when I know for a fact my 96 SE felt different from my 99 SE-L and 03 i35.

It's actually Honda Pilot rear rotors and I'm following suit with my 4th gen mod wise too.

Local Z club used to hoon every Weds or Thurs night.

The black car, I wrecked, funny story, it wasn't actually hooning just someone stopped in the middle of the road around a blind corner.

Silver car, someone paid a decent price for the under hood goodies so I parted it out with haste since I had a g35 coupe at the time and was interested in HR swapping it and getting the red car running.

Then someone hit the g35 while it was parked totalling it.

​​Soooo then I got the 03 drove that a bit while I figured out what I wanted in life, which then I decided leads me to 3 Maximas. Track, car meet and daily.

 

Yeah, the 97-99 SEs definitely had a different rack than all the other 4th gens. I put one in my car and liked it. I have an SE-R Spec-V rack in my attic waiting for me to take the time to see if it can be swapped in. The slow steering is probably my biggest gripe about my car. There's no slop, it's just too damn slow.

Maybe Pilot rotors are the same as Accord? Because they were definitely sold as being Accord rotors. What makes you say they're from a Pilot?

Sucks to hear about all your cars getting wrecked I've tried to put your 3 car ideas into my single car. It....kinda works.

 

I figured the bigger the number the quicker the steering, meh, the more you know.

No. Think about it.... Why would a similar vehicle have 2 in larger rotors? There isn't a midsize sedan on the market w/ 12 in rear rotors. I think the biggest rear rotor the Accord has ever gotten in the US is like 11in?

Meh, live and learn, that's why I only buy $500 cars now. Looooool I tried too... Figured it was easier to keep them all separate. Even though I am probably going to put this car on the road course from time to time just to troll people.

 

Installed the coilovers. Wheel gap went from a First to about 3 fingers, I may raise the car a hair in the rear.
-insert side profile pic I forgot to take today while I was at the shop.-

Springs are the default 8.7k/f 7.2k/r that come on like all coilovers.

Further suspension plans are.... Sourcing an original SE-R front sway bar (24mm vs 22mm on the rest of the altima/maximas... This is going to be a PITA because Nissan superceded all the part #'s to the 22mm sway bar or I'd just buy a new one). Progress rear sway bar. Full battery of rear lower control arms (adjustable camber arms, adjustable toe arms and spring bucket delete) and probably new front lowers if Red Lion Racing decides to do another group deal on control arm bushings. There's a few chassis mods planned but I don't want to get into that yet.

 

This is not a new discovery at all, but I had recently learned about this mod Monday and I am glad I had managed to get them while I was super motivated to get my hands on them before I swap motors.

I can't believe I had sourced these after only one long night of messaging ppl and crawling fb groups till 6am!
24mm front and 27mm rear sway bars (vs 22mm front and rear) are on thier way towards me!




7/8ths (basically 22mm) wrench attempting to go over SE-R front and rear sway bars. To show a visual comparison.



And here they are, awaiting packaging and then I will wait patiently until I get the chance to install them next month or so when I put the 2nd gen motor in the car.

I may or may not be too excited for sway bars. I'd like to see any other gen have FRONT and rear upgrades 🧐

Also happy Cinco de mayo

 

I'm jelly of the big FSB....

 

It's pretty nice exhaust Aaron, but I noticed that there's no flex couplings nor cats in your exhaust system...I also would have used even longer 4" resonators and staggered them that's just me being CMAX. I love big Muffler and resonators I use 22" long mufflers on 3rd, 4th and 5th Gen so I know less tip means more muffler in your case. I'm a Magnaflow guy due to their seamless internal design and enhanced flow characteristics. I'm not into welding in too many locations cause it increases internal exhaust turbulence which in turn directly reduces torque and hp. Great shopping list Aaron those headers are gonna be the option most of us need to use when adding headers to a car. Very creative choice and design Aaron...

 

I'm just typing here to reference cost, because it's too much to keep in my head.

base cost is what I'd be spending no matter what to keep the motor reliable.

Option 1 is using a 2nd gen motor I have in storage that snapped a cam, will install jwt cams.

Option 2 is using the block from option 1 and the heads from the current motor in the car with bc 282 cams.

Base cost: $660
-rod bolts, bearings, gallery gaskets, oil pump, gaskets
$150 head gaskets and head bolts

Option 1
$1500 cams, springs, shims, hardware,
$340 hr swap parts
​​​​Potential machine shop trip $565 (mill, valve job, hot tank, clearance set for cams)

Option 2
$1000 tomei 282 cams, jwt springs
$250 head porting for 2nd gen manifold (I have a 2016+ manifold lying around, minus whale put it to use)
$565 definite trip required to the machine shop to refresh these heads.

 

Forgot to update. The bag was secured.


-Yes duplicate image from my other build thread, but as you see... there's two haltechs....

The piggyback style unit is for this vehicle.

Also acquired some wheels.... Keep in line with the whole "stock" look.... Visually they are literally basically older SE wheels but..... 18x8 by 30 (Vs 18x7.5 by 40... All 6th gen 18s are the same spec regardless of design).
This will help handling dramatically (increasing front track and sidewall stability of the OEM tire size, all in all means turning will be better, also increased high speed stability... all while looking stock).



I actually paid $200 so score!... OH FORGOT TO MENTION! FINAL, ULTIMATE BONUS! WHILE LOOKING 100% STOCK THEY CLEAR AKEBONO BRAKES (something VERY few OEM 18s can do).

https://conceptzperformance.com/wiki...heel_Clearance

I already own 350z v1 Track Edition wheels, G35 Coupe 18's and believe it or not they really don't work. Altima SE-R wheels work with akebonos, but the offset, availability and cost of these Z wheels are better in every category. SOme people may prefer the look of the SER wheels but I literally have less than no regards for how this car looks. The more beater box, the better.

 

BTW I can't believe I never mentioned this.... The plan for this car is to be a re-incarnation of my black I35......



This car will look like a typical beater on the outside but will have a full battery of mods and parts underneath. With a very enjoyable interior. But the peeling clearcoat? Curbrashed rims? Stock looking height? All to help this wolf stay in hiding.

That's why the extra effort in trying to make the exhaust extra quiet and the car looking as stock as possible.

Endgoal is to hopefully land 320ishwhp but have the external looks and feel of a total beater.

 

nice updates! =)

 

What's the weight on the 350z wheels? Are there any brands stamped on the back like Enkei?

Sleeper status should mess with some heads.

 

26ish lbs via interwebs (I know loading them I didn't think they were anything special), nothing to write home about, same weight as any stock wheel, and IIRC, yes, I will double check this weekend when I drive a certain red car into my shop... Woops... that was a secret....

Yes, the looks on people's faces when they ran my black i35 (Car had a stock G35 exhaust setup, the only thing you could hear was the intake screaming @ 7600rpms) thinking it was just some old guy trying to get home lolol.

-What 280whp (depending on the dyno) looks like... Yes it's on coilovers too, it's damn near close to stock height.

 

Well I was bored today, I decided to make some moves and get this car on the road.

First step was to fix that attrocious misfire..... Lets just say I'm glad the cheap easy fix was the problem.... I pulled the first spark plug and it was obvious...



Tomorrow morning I'm going to install the condenser (I forgot to put back when I 6mt swapped it), and give the A/C a shot.

Then tires as late as Monday, I'm doing some shopping, I figured I should be able to find something similar to ebay prices locally installed (being cheeeaaap).

Then I have to find what's leaking from the car, it's either oil or power steering fluid, I hope it's PSF because it's right behind the passenger wheel and welll..... An oil leak back there can not be an easy fix if it's not the VC gasket.

Then some final pieces here and there I just left out because I thought I'd be swapping motors by now, but heck if it runs, Imma send it until this unknown mileage motor falls apart, the timing is falling apart though, it's making that diesel sound lol. Maybe the timing will go first.

 

A wolf in sheep clothing i can dig it, you should take off the 3.5 and replace it with 2.5 now that would throw'em off completely! Lol!!

 

Not much excitement lately, the misfires came back... I'm going to order new coil boots and see if that works.... In other news the Haltech works?



Anyways I'm going to give that a shot and then try injectors next, once it's running smooth I'll put the A/C in and actually start driving it.

It will need... A/C recharged, Tires, Alignment and the full battery of mods in the trunk actually put on the car.... Gonna have some fun times the next week or so....