Got me a body saw today, and couldn't help myself. I had to begin cutting into the parts car to experiment.

The plan is to install a '99 Q45t trunk finisher, and spoiler onto the max....alot of custom work, which i haven't done a whole lot of in my life, but it is already plenty fun.

of course, these pics are just examples, as i haven't modified the trunk or the finisher enough to fit perfectly, but i will update these as i make more progress.

Here's the license plate section.


Here's the reverse light section (which i am removing the flare up top and the keyhole before i finish.)



And here's a general example of what the finished product will look like, only the reverse lights won't be touching the plate holder, and the side will also be cut to match the cut on the license plate section. (sorry for the bad pic, was hard to take the pic and hold it together at the same time.)



now don't forget, this is the parts car that's all cut up, the finished products' cuts will be much cleaner and precise.

 

if you can't tell, the entire section before i cut it was almost as wide as the entire rear taillight section of the maxima.

edit: btw, i'm still not sure if i'm going to keep the reverse lights from the q45 or not....if i don't i'll just be using the side piece for fillers, as they have the same body curve as the maximas tailpiece did.

 

looks interesting - keep us posted...

 

already had this convo

 

yeah yeah lol


as far as covering the old license hole, i decided to just cut part of the old bumper to use as a kind of "patch" so i'll be able to keep the same lines across the bumper without too much custom fab work.

got it cut out tonight, i'm about to go and get the patch down to about the right size, and then work a little bit more on the trunk finisher panel

(what is it called anyway?)

 

so, for a few of you who aren't really seeing where i'm going with this....i've got the finisher almost finished, and i've taped it together to show you guys the purpose.


and for those wondering what happened to the bumper, i am using two pieces of this one to fill my old license plate hole, so that it matches the rest.

 

... it kind of looks like a 2004 sentra ... i dunno if i like it

 

hmmmm....



reminds me more of that actually. Not sure if I like it yet since I kinda like License plates down lower.

 

a little like a sentra i guess.....but the only similarities are that there's reverse lights and a license plate on the trunk. same as the crown vic.

if i end up not liking the final product....at least it'll be already close to being totally shaved lol....and i can always fill in the reverse light holes too, instead of using those reverse lights.

goon mentioned to me not to put this on my driving car until i find a good set of taillights to somewhat match it....i found that to be a good idea, and am now searching for other tails.....any ideas?

 

Got one side almost fully complete, while i was bringing it together last night, i noticed that my fiberglass resin had already partially cured in the can (already starting to turn that burned brown color) and was setting up way too fast. so when doing one side, it cured before it could fully adhere, and just peeled right off....mesh and all.

So i used fiberglass mat, with a woven side, on the back section, and the resin, of course. then i used bondo-glass to fill in the front for added strength, and will use straight bondo on the face for the final smoothing, since it's easier to spread, and smoother.

as you can see, theres still a few imperfections, i haven't finished the final smoothing of the product, so i primed it so i could easily see imperfections and get it finished. also, the edges arent fully flush, and you can still see a little gap on the very edge where the cut was...but all i need to do is a little more grinding

Here you can see the cut:

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Here you can see how the bottom edge is a little off:

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edit: i still have to build out the bottom corner as well, to square it off to match our trunk.

 

i wanted to do the same, but without the reverse lights. i think it'd look better if the license plate was inline with the rear lights. it'd be a little more aesthetically pleasing.

edit: whoops, if you change your rear lights, i guess that wouldn't matter. where's your new key hole going?

 

eh if you are going to mess with doing body work at least invest in a MIG welder. Doing it the way you are is not correct and will not hold up in the long term. MIGs are not that expensive and worth every penny.

I give you props for doing something original but just think you are going about it the wrong way.

 

i don't like that car. based solely on the fact that the turn signals are integrated into the brake lights. that gen Crown Vic had orange blinkers resting just above the bumper on certain years, but apparently, all fleet cars were bought in either the early/late years of that gen. but that's just a major pet peeve of mine, is cars that blink red. there's no excuse why automakers can't put on a 10cent piece of plastic over a light for the turn signal. Especially when they have it on some cars but not others (3.0 gen altima has red, 3.5 gen altima has orange..., or the other way around...) </rant>

 

i definately want a welder for other projects.... but for plastic work, i don't see a better option other than my choice of fiberglass/body filler? or do you perhaps know of a better way to join abs plastic? (serious question, not a smart remark )

keep in mind that i am trying to make the finished product more of an independent assembly that can be removed in a simalar manner as our trunk finishers. there will also be alot less metal removed from the car it's actually going on....and there's really no need for a welder here as i'm in no need of joining any metal for bracing or otherwise.

by the way: friday is payday, and as the cards fall, i've decided it's time for a welder, and shortly thereafter, a torch.....just an old timey torch baby, not a plasma torch.....but i've always loved stick welders, never much used anything else, is the cost of supplies for both stick and MIG comparable? is MIG easy to work with/control?

 

OK I just looked at it real quick and didn't realize that it was plastic. I thought it was metal.

But yeah to connect ABS plastic you need a plastic welder because I am pretty sure fiberglass doesn't stick well to plastic. you may not have a problem since you live in TN but if you were in a colder climate it would eventually separate and crack.

also I think JBweld has a plastic epoxy that might work better.

anyway carry on...I just thought you were connecting metal with fiberglass and thats just not the way to do it.

 

haha i would never do such a thing..... that's something for honda guys (joining metal with fiberglass.)

I was reading about ABS plastic and it's properties to see what the best option might be, and found out it shouldn't flex at all in our temperatures.





also, i've never actually seen such a welder, that makes me curious as to how they work.

 

OK just making sure you werent doing that.


basically a plastic welder works just like a regular welder. You have a plastic rod that feeds through a piece that melts the rod and the pieces of plastic at the same time and connects them together. There are different kinds but thats the general way they work.

 

nice, would love to have one of those for stuff like this. would be easier, lighter, and more 'proper'

micheal = PM.

 

finished connecting all three pieces, finally. only one grind to completely level the thing on top and bottom, and a few more low spots that will only take a quick bondo to fill.

ALTHOUGH i am starting to really dislike the reverse lights, so i may just eliminate those all together. also, i think i've decided on some aftermarket WRX tails, or some lancer tails..... of which, i'm not sure yet.


curvature=


face=

face2=

 

cant wait to see how it'll look. personally not liking the fact that license plate will be higher than tail lights but nonetheless I give you props for going through with the project

 

in the end, they should be about level....depending on what tails i go with.

 

go ZR-1 tails!

 

lol why? because you have a set?

lol you could set them in a setup like a mock skyline r34 with the edges molded, lol.

 

not my cup of tea.....but good luck. hope it turns out good.

 

Definitely different.. good luck!

 

sorry, didn't see your edit....no keyhole. gonna install a lexus or similar type electrically actuated push button release thingy thing on there. up under the lip above the license plate.....

 

GXE's have a push button release. Button is in the drivers door.

~Alex

 

just get one and see if you can make it like a Benz, to where you can push the button and open it as long as the doors are unlocked. There's probably enough info in the FSM that you could find a wire indicating doors being locked or unlocked, and thus using a relay or something to control that button.

 

My SE has the button just ahead of the courtesy light on the driver door, but i was speaking of the trunk door itself.

caped.......ya, the lexus has a similar thing on the RX400's it's just under the lip above the license plate where you would naturally lift up on......but i won't be holding the trunk like that, so it wouldn't be natural. i might just get teh actuator, and install my own button where you push on the license plate or something to lift.....

another thing about this trunk deal of mine, is that i cannot lock my doors because the security system is jacked up and the key hardly ever disables the system unless it's 90+ degrees outside.

 

lock the doors from the inside, then shut the door WHILE HOLDING THE HANDLE. the guys i bought the car from told me that after i called them, freaking out, because i couldn't lock my car 30 min after buying it. plus the speedo had already dropped to 0 just after i pulled off the lot. worked during the test drive tho...

see i have a GXE so i have the keypad, so it's a little different to me. but my trunk garnish (black VG-SE type) is falling apart and i may have to put my other one back on (original 89-91 GXE type).. unless i can have yours? from that parts car you're working on? what is it a 89-91 SE right?

 

it's on my daily driver right now, but i have beautiful 92-94 SE (red style) garnish to install until i finish this mod.

the one from the parts car is the black upper, white lower style....i'll get some pics in the daylight tomorrow and send to ya.

 

both gxe and se have the one inside on the door by the courtesy light. i think Alex was referring to the one on the keypad on the outside of the door on GXEs

 

No I was referring to the button by the courtesy light, I forgot the 92+ SE's had it as well, and I thought he needed an interior button to open the trunk. But that wasn't the case.

~Alex

 

nope, thanks anyways bud....had i had the older pull/push lever, i would have been inspired immediately by your idea. lol

 

FTW, project = scrapped. was going good, but i changed my mind....the look of the project grew against me, so i, with outside opinions, decided to just shave the trunk.

just so you guys know it's not another un-finished project....just never updated before on my decision.

 

nice work

 

Knock off the post whoring foo.

 

yeah, i like the nice work content after i scrapped the project......thats like painting a car, then stripping hte paint, THEN someone telling you good job. i don't even think anyone liked my idea, only appreciated the work put into it.

 

i can't say that i did or didn't... you didn't get far enough for me to make a decision. And if you were going to use the high mount reverse lights would you have had 4 or removed the bulbs from the main cluster? That would have been a pain IMO to use the reverse lights on the trunk. I kinda like Q45s though. Not my bag of tea as far as driving one (too big... too.. automatic) but I like the look.

 

The VH45DE is probably too much power for you anyway