I would install the traction bars anyway. Once properly adjusted they help the front end feel tighter/more solid and complete the "arc" of the stock sway bar with a solid mounting point to the chassis. Your control arms will always want to "throw back" without them. ES bushings are certainly worth it too - although, some people throw on stock control arms off ebay since they already come with new ball joint and new factory bushing.

 

NICE WORK!!! But just my $.02, wasnt it proven that the 350ZIM made less power then the FWD VQ35IM?... I thought i remembered seeing a dyno print out and the FWD IM made more power across the board over the 350ZIM....

 

pretty slick setup you put together. I would definitely start putting back some money to fund a transmission build or possibly a 6 speed swap. You will be easily over 400whp and if I had to guess 350+wtq. That puney stock 5 speed will shred itself if you like driving the car. I know from experience and I was making a lot less torque than you should with the added .5l. Very nice though to see someone else pioneering a different setup!

 

Very nice setup Meximax - I always enjoy your threads because you give great info and do things the way they should be done, not the way most do them. Nice work.

 

you car is tore up from the floor up but im sure its freakin fast

 

WOW... I just caught this.
You need to up your injectors and get rid of that FMU. I would go with the eManage blue (don't mess with the EU, too many bugs in it still)
I had a lot of problems with the fuel and my Walbro was maxing out at about 65-70 psi. Pinch off your return fuel line with vise grips to see if you fuel pressure goes up any higher. If it does not replace the fuel pump. But get the 550 injectors at least to keep from blowing the motor.

Great work so far. Con't wait to see your numbers. I predict 410 hp 385 tq to the wheels. Lets see how close I get. hehehe

 

Thank you all for the compliments on my setup. I appreciate your recommendations and suggestions. I am all about sharing my knowledge and would be thrilled to see more Maximas around with a similar setup as mine...I am sure that you all will love its power and streetability. Proof to power will come in form of a dyno hopfully soon.

As proof to its steetability, last weekend I purposely handed over the keys to a lady friend of mine. My only disclaimer to her was, “don’t go WOT under any circumstances”. She drove flawlessly without asking me a thing. After about half an hour of combined city and highway driving, her response was, “All that fuzz about your car…it drives just like a regular car, it takes corners well and really really moves with a little push to the accelerator, o and its loud”

You all can call me nuts, but I wanted proof that my I had created “fast” while keeping street sanity, and I believe I have succeeded.

 

Where did you get the engine from? I need to source a 3.5 for my swap but I want to make sure I'm getting a good engine.
You have any advice or help to offer?

 

Where did you get the engine from? I need to source a 3.5 for my swap but I want to make sure I'm getting a good engine.
You have any advice or help to offer?

 

Where did you get the engine from? I need to source a 3.5 for my swap but I want to make sure I'm getting a good engine.
You have any advice or help to offer?

 

I was the one who did the comparo and posted that thread. And you are partially correct, the FWD IM makes more torque down low, but will only make more power up on top if you employ a three-stage VI system like the one I had. Otherwise, the Z33 IM will make about 20 whp more than the FWD IM at 6200rpm. Its simply an exchange of two torque curves (FWD IM) for a single (Z33 IM) broader tq curve. I personally favor the Z33s high end power and the more simplistic approach sans RPM switches, butterflies, and/or vacuum reservoirs to be concerned about.

End results: a bit less tq for less tire spinning and plenty of high end grunt… trust me, plenty.


I built my car so that I could drive me car, and drive it I do. I am concerned about the trans as well, but I do have my old shot-peened, knife-edged, cryo-treated open diff 5-speed sitting in stand-by just in case my VLSD take a poop on me, although I would much rather take a 6-speed to keep up with my desire of possessing a clean home-made luxo-sport sedan.

The current VLSD has taken quite a beating. Prior to this SC setup, I used up to a 150 nitrous shot along with my 3.5. An old dyno chart shows me hitting very close to 400 wtq with only a 130 shot, so 150 definitely took it past that. I am guessing that the 100% Red Line heavy weight shock-proof oil is doing its job well.

I attained mine from a local junkyard …..car-parts.com is the only suggestion I have for you.

 

Well, I'm local....so how much did it cost you?

 

pioneeer....

 

Very very nice set up, bit props to you! I am very jealous but happy for you. Cant wait to see some times and numbers for this car

 

Impressive
great job

maybe a stand alone ?

 

well i just caught this. really sweet job! so i dont think anyone asked much about the exhaust, did you fab it yourself or what?

 

Approximate cost for complete header-to-tips full 2.5” true dual exhaust:

$540 1- Hotshot headers
$40 1- set of Flowmaster 3" ball flanges,
$30 2 - stainless steel flex section (exhaustdepot.com)
$70 1 - Magnaflow X-pipe
$50 2 - resonator/muffler (Magnaflow)
$40 2 - pre-bent exhaust (2*90 and a U, used around fuel tank)

~ $890

Labor and straight tubing was practically free for me. A friend of mine and I did the work at his muffler shop. Total job time: ~ 10 hours. The most challenging part was cutting and installing the 3” collectors on the headers and making them fit without extreme angles and/or interference, especially on that rear bank. Other dual exhaust must-do tasks include: custom hangers, heat wrapping fuel tank sides (driver’s side), heat wrapping fuel lines (to engine, return, & fuel fill), hammering spare tire well, welding wideband O2 bung and post-cat O2 bung, relocating e-brake cables, cutting bumper for dual exhaust, and finally relocating other misc. items on the rear of the car for proper room.

 

Dyno results and a quick vid are in:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=504238

 

If you want your car to offer any kind of reliability and anything even resembling traction DO NOT waste your time with an open diff 5-speed. Open diff or VLSD differentials suck compared to the newer HSLD in the 6-speeds. Liquid driven LSD will never be as good as gear driven LSD not to mention the vicious wears out over time and becomes just as useless as an open diff 5sp.

I would start planning your 6-speed conversion and slowly buying parts and eventually sell your spare 5-speed to regroup part of the cost once the car is running with the 6-speed in it. A 6-speed can be had for like 600-800$. You can problably sell your cryo-treated 5-speed for a similar amount. You can contact BlackBirdVQ about the 6-speed swap.

You are pushing 500 horsepower at the flywheel. Your stock transmission is a complete, utter, total joke at 500 HP. A 6-speed AND 100% Red line heavy shock proof is the way to go. You got the SCd VQ35, custom dual exhaust - the whole nine yards - all you need is a stronger, smoother shifting transmission to complete the 4-door luxo thing.

The 6-speed has a longer first gear and shorter 2nd to 5th gears, providing better traction from a stop, better acceleration from a roll, and the ability to save the life of your boosted engine for extended periods on the highway without reving ridiculously high (3000+) like the stock 5 speed revs. With the 6-speed you have 2 overdrive gears: .80 and .63 while the 5th gear in your stock tranny is a .795. And I just love the 6-speed shift ****.

So true. I managed to break 2 gears when I was NA pushing maybe 230wtq. 398 pounds of torque at the wheels is so far past the stock 5-speed suggested max TQ output of 207 ft-lbs - at the flywheel - its not even funny.

I know if I were to build a 500 hp car, Id build it to be able to drive the living **** out of it.

EDIT: Forgot to tell you. Normally the 6-speed swap requires to have the 6-speed flywheel machined with the 5-speed timing ring that the Crank Sensor reads. But you can use your current 5-speed flywheel (18 lbs vs 32 for the dual mass 6sp flywheel) and a custom spacer (150$) to use your current flywheel-clutch combo. That is what I am doing on my 240. The same spacer should work on yours too.

 

jclaw, im planning that 6spd swap for my 4.5 too. so i cant just bolt up my current clutch? if not, where do i get this spacer?

 

Yeah, this is the first time I have read about a spacer.

 

5 speeds have options on the way

 

Definately listen to this man...

 

i would crap my pants if you pulled up next to me

one hell of a sleeper

 

Does this mean your keeping your car?

 

Tell me more!!! tell me more!!!

 

im a 3.0 sc 6 speed eventually gonna do another 3.5 swap sc not sure when though

 

It is used for VQ30 or VQ35 with 3.0 timing chain swaps in S13s. It enables you to use the old maxima flywheel & aftermarket clutch combo with the newer 6-speeds (FWD or RWD).

If you dont go with this spacer, you have to use a 6-speed flywheel with a 5-speed timing ring machined onto it. Not to mention that in order to get a flywheel that weighs 18 lbs or less, you absolutely must go aftermarket for a 6-speed flywheel to be that light while the maxima one is like 50$ in any junkyard and offers stock reliability.

And between you and me, if you were to buy an aftermarket VQ35 flywheel ($$$), you wouldnt want to go about machining stuff onto it. The spacer lets you use a stock 50$ steel flywheel (non dual mass) with the clutch of your choice, and no machining involved.

Talk to Fred Allen Burge about this spacer I got mine through him.

IMO what makes or breaks the 6-speed swap is HSLD. The cost of this complicated swap is offset by the fact that you would have to buy a Quaife (like Mardi) in order for a 5-speed to have a good differencial, whereas a gear-driven LSD comes stock in HSLD 6-speeds and is included in the 600-800 you pay. That is how I see it and although I no longer own a maxima, its how I would do it if I were in the same situation (boost+FWD).

 

I am considering this for a Spring project if I can get a bit more information on it. I like the idea of an LSD, but I hate the idea of spending $1300 on a Quaife and then having to have it installed.

2004' Trans is the LSD trans, correct ??
You have the buy all the shift levers for a 6spd as well ??
Explain a bit more about the Trans. mount ?? The stock "Mount fins" on the 4th gen need to be Cut off ? and then the stock 6th gen mount welded onto the 4th gen frame ??

So If I bought the spacer, I could keep my Fidanza Flywheel/Clutchnet setup ?? Spacer goes in between the Flywheel and the Motor ??

The only concern then is getting the spacer and having that mount welded to the frame.

Thanks
-matt

 

HLSD was an option in the 6MT from 2002 to 2004.

 

Spacer spaces out the throw-out bearing by almost an inch or something. The 6-speed flywheel is dual mass and thicker. So the spacer simulates the extra thickness. You just hammer it into your stock throw out bearing.

Thats what Im using:

-2003 maxima motor with 2000-2001 VQ30 timing chain, crank-cam sensors, 95 maxima wiring & ECU
-2005 6-speed 350z transmission
-2003 350z 6-speed starter (spins the old 5-speed flywheel just fine)
-1995 maxima flywheel
-Clutchnet 6-puck sprung hub for 95-01 5-speed maximas
-TO spacer
-New 95 maxima clutch slave cylinder (the one on the bellhousing, fits fine too)

Okay so its RWD but SR20DEN used a RWD 6sp aftermarket clutch on his 2k2.

 

do you have a website or an email address for the spacer?

 

but i thought that in a fwd setup and using the 3.0 ecu all of this just bolted together with no need for any spacer of any kind....just as long as you use the 4th gen sensors

 

Nice!

I just had to come in and make some kind of comment.

 

Did you not read the part about modding the vq35 flywheel?

 

Could someone here enlighten me as to how I can tell if my '02 SE 6SP has the HLSD option? Sorry for the basic question, but I just recently became the owner of one of these fun to drive maximas.

 

put it into 1st gear....do a burnout....get out of ur car and check for the signs..


if u see a l then u have an open diff

if u see a l l then u have a closed diff....


its the must fun way for u to check

 

You can easily leave two black marks without an LSD so that won't work.

Easiest way is to go look under your hood at the VIN plate on the firewall and look at the transmission code, if the transmission model code ends in an A you have an open diff, if it doesn't end in an A, you have an LSD. I assume the 02+ LSD cars end in an H for HLSD whereas the VLSD cars end in a V in the 92-2001 cars.

 

Hey meximax, are you going to Maxus 07? I want to see your car.