I decided to finaly start the build page of my 3rd Max and share the story of the Max that I've been literaly searching for over a year.
Previous owner seemed very passionate about the Max also and has done quite a bit of maintnance, as well as repairs and included a pile of receipts. He was really amazing to deal with. Even shipped items to me after the purchase that he had laying at his house, and did all that at his own cost. Very honest and the most pleasant car transaction I've ever have been a part of.
According to the paperwork, I'm the forth owner of this Max.
Car has been a work in progress and has not been plated yet.
Last edited by BurntOrangeAppeal; 09-29-2012 at 12:48 AM.
He had pics up at first, but they were tiny. He's working on it!
Get them pictures up .
Thats correct Sir, but seriously im struggling here. Why does photobucket put these pics so small. Ive never had that problem. I upload them into photobucket large then i link the image here and they look tiny?
No idea. I don't have any issues with Photobucket.
and so with that happening, I was left with the option of rebuilding from bottom up and cleaning all the catalytic material out the tired motor, re-ring the bottom end and put new timing components and heads....I opted for option "B" as the damage was too extensive.
This called for a heart transplant. '04 motor out '07 motor in with just over 5800km on the motor Im unsure if it made the first warranty oil service to the dealer and crashed on the way out or perhaps it never made it. The replacement motor was very expensive, but its was clean, cylinder bore crosshatch patterns were as good as new, as if the bores were honed yesterday, and compression was all goooooood.
Last edited by BurntOrangeAppeal; 06-14-2012 at 11:07 PM.
Damn, this maxima is sure keeping you busy huh.. It'll be well worth it in the end bro.. Keep up the good work..
Damn, you really took on a project, but that's just more reason to love it after you're done with it.
The donor car was 250 miles each way....road trip.
The entire roof (Including curtain airbags headliner and compass mirror) was cut of the donor car at the pillars via sawzall and a portable generator. Rear door was also removed.
Last edited by BurntOrangeAppeal; 02-24-2012 at 08:33 PM.
Man you are getting down and dirty , I need to get off my hight horse and do the 6 speed swap .
It has been a lot of work considering my 10 hour a day schedule. By far WAY more then I expected.
I just wanted to fix this Max up and make it a "DD" as I already have toys that are modded and fast....Ive driven plenty of 6gens over the years coming to the shop....so I knew what was offered. The plan was not to make this one faster but rather for the enjoyment of the amazing blend of luxury & performance that the 6 speed offers right out of the box.
The initial plan was to do only a few mods. These included.
Once I got the donor car pieces back to shop it was time to start disassembly. (while the disassembly process continued after work hours, on a few days I didnt work late at the shop I was working on the headlights and tailights at home.
Tailights were sprayed with Tinted Clear....2 coats.
Headlights were split, painted and 2 amber led strips applied ( one for park and second for turn indicators, along with a White 3156 bulb in the parking light, and an ember turn signal 9 LED puck. Also a White 3156 For the Daytime Running Lights. Also 6000K HID fogs to match new 6000k headlights.
Last edited by BurntOrangeAppeal; 10-28-2013 at 12:06 PM.
Windshield and rear window removed. hood getting sanded and primed..
Roof getting reskinned. Drilled all the spotwelds out and remove the cancer.
Last edited by BurntOrangeAppeal; 02-26-2012 at 01:26 AM.
Those headlights are insane! Good work!
Going for a two-tone look?
Yes, I like the way Deadbolt went with the "Panda" I Took that idea and kind of ran with it....exept not running black into the bumper, it will end at the grill.
Last edited by BurntOrangeAppeal; 03-30-2012 at 11:39 PM.
For added strenght/piece of mind I riveted the roof skin to squeeze out all the epoxy and give it a serious bond.
Last edited by BurntOrangeAppeal; 02-26-2012 at 01:24 AM.