Last year I got rid of the ugly chrome grill...changed the grill to white with a clear black background to match the front lip and the spoiler trunk lip. Installed new headlights as well. Overall, it made it look a bit nicer. I have decided to keep the engine stock because it's more reliable that way.

 

My goodness, you bought the car like that? if u did, what a steal... honestly. It must have been painful for whoever had it. By the way, nice rides you have there

 

Time to wet sand and clear coat those headlights...It'll make a hell of a difference bro!

 

 

As promised, still a work in progress but I'm pretty happy with it. I'll add more pics but I gotta take more

 

Here's my 97 qn0 pearl white. I guess I'll jump on the white max bandwagon.

 

man am i late to this 4th gen maxima/infinity game! hahaha.

love the car so far (minus the automatic) and it's in mint condition minus the paint and probably some plastic rubber bits i can't see.

Looking for a list of junkyard upgrades....(ie: 2001 brakes and rotors fit and are way bigger....). have not found such a list yet which is surprising. I am coming from my fixing my girlfriend's Del Sol and these lists are common.
i log my finds in Google drive so any info i find i will probably create a website/blog for mods to the car as i plan on having it for a while...53k miles on the clock! which is awesome, but no 3.5 upgrade for me!

 

https://maxima.org/forums/all-motor/220054-vq35-internals-vq30-makes-vq33-stroker-bolt-pics-7.html

The 00vi swap (basically intake manifold and fuel injectors) is probably your best junkyard upgrade. There isiplenty of info on here about junkyard brake upgrades. Retrofit some projector hesdlights if youd like, i used new morimoto h1 minis in 1piece skyline style headlights and I didn't even have to cut anything. Warpspeed y pipe, nwp spacers(intake manifold gaskets that cool intake air and engine bay temps), catback, lower with some coilovers when the wheel gap has become too painful to look at. I believe there are upgrades for autotragics but I'm 5spd so I don't really know much on the subject.

53k with proper maintenance that car should last for a long time if the mileage is accurate keep an eye on your radiator support for when it starts to crumble from rust replace it with an oem and coat it with rubber coat or maybe even tar if you wanna go overboard.

 

Yes I just added Q45 front brakes to my 98 Maxima...I used PowerStop Rotors & pads and a set of junkyard calipers

 

I'm getting close to 19 years of messing with them. I have so many parts to put on my 99.

 

What made you choose Q45? Wheel size? I'll be installing 6th gen soon.

 

How about some of the new fancy and much more stylish mirrors from the 2007+Altima and the 09+ Maxima. Doesn't look like they all came with LED mirrors but there's a 2010 Altima at a junkyard near me with em. I love how much newer my cheap eBay k6's made my 3.0 seem but they are cheap quality and I don't like the style

 

Thinking about installing my old 18x7.5 from my 5.5th on either my 4th or 3rd Gen...

 

Because the 3rd, 4th and Q45 use the same size fastener for the Torque member to spindle hdw! The Q45 uses a twin piston caliper and a thicker 11" rotor! I have 6th Gen Brakes on my 5.5th cause they're a direct bolt on! Putting 6th Gen Brakes on a 4th Gen will require same drilling of the Spindle bolt bores for the torque member's larger 14mm bolts! Not sure how much material will remain after increasing bore from 12mm to 14mm! Sounds a bit risky!

Wheels: 17 x 7 5.5th SE wheel

 

I put 00-01 brakes on my 98. I had to drill out the knuckle which was no big deal. If there was an issue, don't you think we would know by now? It's 12mm to 14mm.

Still I completely understand why you would be hesitant. I'd rather drill for better brakes then use a dog bone adapter setup.

 

arrrgghh.

just wrote a book in reply and lost it.

short version:

you guys rock, thank you, i will be looking into all of those things!!

i just started wiring new amp for new HU arriving this week and the wire running was easy as pie....
what isn't easy as pie is the 6.5" kicker speakers that were going in the back deck (for now) have a hole pattern just slightly larger than the stock BOSE. (this car makes me hate bose even more)
also, the deck metal is formed for the bose speaker shape, which leaves gaps when the round kicker is set in. planning on rubber/foam underneath speaker to seal it.
alternatively to solve both problems at once, rubber/foam and 1/2" tall circular ring to screw up into from trunk. then down into from speaker.

anyone had this issue?

 

I moved a system from an old car into the Max when I bought it, so in the rear I have 6 x 9s that are held up into the deck with sheet metal screws. Every once in a while they rattle loose from all the bass, but have otherwise held up well for 10+ years.


I just ordered a set of smoke front bumper lights. I have a spare set of stock lights painted with VHT, but I like these better. I have wanted them forever and just recently noticed them disappearing from eBay so I ordered a set while I can. Now I need black headlights to match.

 

So wait are the bumper lights being discontinued now? If so be careful out there to those who have them installed, don't hit anything. I only have the diamonds installed and didn't take the stock orange ones with me.. I don't know where it went to be honest. I only have my clean 97-99 headlights with corners and the chrome grille with me when I did the front end swap. I don't think I will ever go back to the chrome grille because I transferred the logo onto the new one. Besides the chrome one looks so crappy. The white pearl made it look more aggressive and sportier.

 

I had my last 4th gen back in 2005-2006 - Loved the car so much that I have acquired 4 more throughout the years.

Currently i'm on my 5th one, which will be the one I stay with. I have 2 4th gens in the garage to use for "parts cars" and the Third one will be the one I work on and Modify.

I will post pictures later, but some of you may know the car if you're from the NY area. Its a Sage Green Mist 1997 Maxima SE, used to be Turbo back in the day. The Turbo VQ30 setup was removed and replaced with a VQ35 NA setup.

The car needs some work and tuning up. Since I originally wanted to buy this car in 2006, ownership of the car has changed several times (6 to my count) and it has been neglected.

 

^Sounds like you bought Sandler's old Max. Used to have a really cool and unique front bumper which fitted the intercooler perfectly. It took me years to track down that same bumper.

 

I have done a lot last year. And finally finished it last month. And i was modding this car over 10 years. Now i feel like i want to retire of this game.

Last year, i broke down my turbo 3.0 and started building up a 3.5 to put it on. Within one year i have rebuilt the 3.5 three times because of a stupid mechanic till i went to an other mechanic that i trust.

Then i got to get my E-manage tuned but i ended up putting a Link xtrem ecu and have my throttle re-located.

Here is a link of my set up. From Instagram. I hope it won't bother any admin here.

 

Did you use matching Q45 rotors?

 

We Out Here...Just in the Shadows. ****tin on all these 8ths gen with pretty wheels and paint.. Blahh

 

Gonna put my HIDs back on soon, does that count?

Gotta diagnose a cold-start gas smell issue first though.

 

Does your gas mileage suck? Is it getting difficult to start?

Perhaps you have a leaking injector.

 

 

Right? My wheels and halos are my favorite mods. I'd get one piece headlights, mine are the black "skyline" style. They have bad lighting without retrofitting projectors but they are much nicer looking than the OEM 2 piece headlights.

My wheels are 17" RPF1s with tires to keep same diameter as oem 16's. and I'm very happy with them, they are lightweight and I can definitely notice the difference in braking/handling and I think I can tell a slight difference in acceleration maybe it's in my head. They look good in my opinion

 

Swaped vq35 but engine went bad and needed a rebuild. Still trying to bring her back in my spare time

 

I decided against painting mine white so i vinyl wrapped it Glossy white instead. Got new wheels and redid my tint. Made a custom heat Shield for my Intake and cleaned the bay a little.
My main focus now is interior as i am swapping out my 03 maxima leather for a custom Kit for the 03 seats. I am thinking of doing red leather to match my Alfa.

 

Wow! It looks great with the new rims. What size are they? Look's like 19's. It doesn't look like it has aged at all because of how clean it is. Keep it up.

 

join the club, what's up man?

 

Yeah It's a few odds and ends that I'm looking for....an Addco rear Swaybar, front and rear upper strut tower brace, and maybe some headers!

 

Thank you Josh, I am trying to preserve this car because of how rare the 4gens are now a days that aren't beat to hell.
The wheels are 18x8.5 all around.

 

I agree, honestly, all the 4th gens I see or for sale are beat up to hell, body damages, paint damage, rust issues from snow areas and etc. Though I do see some well maintained, no body damage or paint issues 4th gens time to time going for $2500-3500 depending on mileage/condition these days and those are a great way to start to build a nice 4th gen again. Rather than starting with ones that are beat up to hell.

Luckily I don't live in a snow/salt area. So my 4th gen has little to no rust. Most 4th gens are getting dumped because they're either in horrible condition that needs a ton of work to make it look nice again,
but If it's in great condition, It's hard to let it go despite its condition like yours BransAm. Maintain it and keep up with it.

We few 4th gen owners in great condition must preserve the 4th gen's and keep them alive. The 4th gen is the only one that has the best styling, feeling, and looks if done right in my opinion. Sadly they're not worth much (though depending on condition...seen some beautiful 4th gens recently go for $5k-6k but junky ones for $500-2k max) but that isn't the point here. I still like them regardless. They are great looking cars. At least it doesn't cost $10k to replace a damn electronic computer key like some cars do these days! Haha...

 

to from
People still throwing money at these things?

 

Lol if you look at it that way... If the owner enjoys the car. Money isn't wasted. The 4th gens are not that expensive to maintain if you budget it. It would be different if installing superchargers, big body kits, insane paint jobs, 22-inch rims, a TV set in the trunk, air suspension, full equipped stereo, on a car this old. It's a hobby some can enjoy and appreciate. They know the consequences of doing so. I put aside a small portion away each year for this car and doesn't hurt at all.

The avg car payment is $500 a month in America...They're throwing money away too... so what difference is that. No car payment and cheap insurance on a well-built car is the best feeling. It would be different if it was a german car.. or cars that were not well built.

But I mean everyone's got their own ways of how they spend their money. Spending $5000 at an apartment would have the same effect because you're throwing money away at something you are not getting in return after you leave. When you eat at a restaurant, you're throwing money away but having a good time in return, when you pay $100 for shoes at a store that you can find online for cheaper, throwing away $70 or so. I can go on and on but there are categories that involve what results in throwing away money and area's you get something in return as an investment.

At the end of the day, humans need transportation, Mechanic's need to make a good living, it's a trade-off. That's how the world spins...helping each-other out.

 

You remind me of me when I took adderall

 

Yeah, unfortunately some people have disorders and disabilities. Not my fault I was born a certain way and same goes to others. No one's perfect.

 

I'm from Chicago and I did an auto to 5 speed swap this past summer. Woke me up. I need another 5 speed trans for a 4th gen if anyone has one that isn't leaking because of the differential bearing. Would like some coil overs. And 35th anniversary rims. If you do text mike.. 3126781044