My new ugly betty, '84 Maxima, not diesel.

[captaingamez]

Yes, but I think there are some that do not though, or they come with it and you have to install it.

[HRH]

They do, cut to fit. You can carefully undo the collar and put line on them but more pain than its worth.

[HRH]

Still working on her tonight, here we go!

 

 

[captaingamez]

Where did you find  new rack? Power or non?

 

Your frame is actually fairly rust free, nice.

[HRH]

Reman from NAPA, A1 Cardone special order.  I love it how all the old parts for vehicles that have long since rusted away on the east coast, are on the east coast at the factory.  Frickin' retarded.  The steering rack is finally in, the fucker is being a real pain to bleed.  Finally got the fluid to go down some.  And somehow I grabbed Dextron 5 instead of Dex 6.  Not replacing the pump, don't need expensive synthetic fluid that might exacerbate the potential for a leak.  Then again, I may do the pump too.  I did grab a new one, but hoping this one has enough life left to use.

 

Anyway, I'm freakin' tired, going to sleep.  Going to go get some ATF in the morning and go at it again, then attempt to get the struts done since that didn't get down today.  Working in the cramped part of my garage without a lift makes for large annoyances.

[ggzilla]

Dexron 6 is the replacement for the original spec Dexron 3 is it not?

[captaingamez]

I believe it is, but 6 is synthetic, and can increase the potential for leaks.

[HRH]

Yep, and since I'm trying to just use the original ps pump because it seems to be in decent condition, don't want to take any chances.

[nismosilvia]

280zx rear sway bar should be a bolt on deal.

[HRH]

Sweet, good to know, I'll have to grab one.  Here's the update for now.  Struts kicked my ass today.  Had to use three washers to get the bearings to work with the camber plates.  The springs are a little loose on full droop.  The passenger side wasn't too bad, but the the driver's was a little more than I'd like.  They don't reach full compression when installed due to the control arm and tension rod being attached.  I may still put a strap at the bottom like the Ford Ranger's have just to make sure the spring can't walk out if I jump it over a railroad track or something.  Definitely better, and definitely lowered.  Only drove it around the yard at the moment, but the tires from the 510 fill up the wheel wells pretty decently.

 

Also note the customer enclosure for the KN filter drop in element!  And the camber plates!  (Pilfered from the 510, sorry baby. :( )

 

 

 

[HRH]

Did I mention finding brakes for this car is a pain in the ass?  I'm getting front calipers for Maxima application through NAPA, only 6 left on the east coast at the manufacturers.  Can't find rears, getting 200sx rears after confirming the rotors are the same in the rear, figure the bracket might be slightly different, but 200sx rear SHOULD work on the Maxima bracket, we shall see.  Trying to find pads, can only find bullshit soft crap, no good pads.  Found some places online that have pads for 200sx which should also work for the front calipers either 200sx or Maxima.

 

Think I'm going to see if the brake rep has a number to see if the factory would run me a good UP hard material on the TS backing plates, but I highly doubt they will.  All premium line pads have been superceded to the lowly TS bargain basement organic pad.  Shopped the competition too, nobody has squat for '84 200sx or '84 Maxima.  No wonder these poor cars end up in the wrecking yard.

[HRH]

Oh, and I found this, wow what a crappy ad, but sooo 80s!  Lol, reminds me of the 6000SUX.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICA6oct21v8

[captaingamez]

LMFAO!!

 

"AND I WANT SOMETHING REALLY FAST THAT GETS REALLY SHITTY GAS MILEAGE"

 

"HOW BOUT A 6000SUX

 

"WE'LL EVEN THROW IN A BLAUPUNKT"

[HRH]

Still have lots to do before the first autocross April 6th!  Two more weekends to go nuts.  I ended up ordering the sway bar set from the Z store a couple days ago, that should be here next Tuesday.  Also waiting on one lower control arm with balljoint.  The one I installed on the left side is incorrect.  Thought I just had extra slop in my balljoints and went to all the trouble to notch the strut tower and move the camber plate back since I couldn't get the camber I wanted without balljoint bind, and then put on the right side which installed fine.  Sooo, ordered another one, we'll see if this one works.  Pisses me off, now it looks like I don't know what the fuck I'm doing with the strut towers.  Oh well.  It's only a couple notches I suppose.

 

Anyway, here's what she looks like now, with the new struts and Eibach prokit from Motorsports Auto (The Z store)  The rears have settled just a smidgeon more, but it's definitely raked to the front, which of course is good for high speed stability!  The springs seem to work well, but bigger sway bars will definitely make an improvement in body roll.  The rear also seemed too loose squirreling it around, as in tires lifting on hard cornering.  So a bigger sway bar ought to keep the rear end flatter around the corners.  Might increase tail-happiness, but I'm all for that as long as I can keep it under control!

 

If anyone has any 15" turbine wheels in 510/Maxima bolt pattern they want to sell, send me a pm.

 

[captaingamez]

Do you not have any play in your rear end? My car sounds like an S30 with a bad mustache bar when I shift. I am fairly sure the subframe and diff bushings. I am working on a solution for it since the stuff is basically 30 years old and probably not in amazing condition on anyone's car.

[HRH]

I haven't really flogged it hard enough to find out yet, although the rear bushings may be okay simply because it was a more docile daily driver.  Not sure.  I have a long laundry list of shit to do tomorrow on it, I'll check those out.

[HRH]

I just took Betty for a drive, damn that straight 6 L motor is just pure sex for sound! :D  To make it even better, Dad got me a GoPro for my birthday!!  I used the first adhesive mount for a video in the hardbody, need to get another to attach to the Maxima.  Just did front calipers tonight, still need to fix the tach, reseal the rear diff cover and swap fluids, and redo the rear calipers as well before autocross on the 7th.  Lots to do, think I'll have most of it done.

 

FYI:  280zx swaybars DO NOT WORK for the Maxima.  They are different.  I have part numbers now and will be getting the corresponding bars to stiffen it up.  It's still pretty soft, but with the camber it actually turns just fine, so that's a good thing.  

[HRH]

Today was the first autocross.  I have title this photo "Maxima wolf among sheep." :D  Whupped up, but need better tires and the big swaybars I didn't have time to get.  Ugly Betty isn't slow however.  I got to within 7 tenths of a second in pax time to Harold's '86 Corvette, and he's a good driver and the car is well sorted with full aero.  Pretty sure with swaybars and tires I'll be able to catch him.  And that is a Viper peeking from behind the rear quarter on the Maxima.  It was quite nice, but didn't see it running.  The guy with the new Stingray got something like a 46.8.  I got a 48.6.  Not too shabby.   ;)

 

 

Looks like Dad's picture is better!  You can see the Viper!

 

[HRH]

And as luck would have it, my fastest run just finished uploading!

 

[ArchetypeDatsun]

That's a speedy maxi, if you want sway bars get the addco sway bars they still sell the, I found them for my 79 810 on amazon and on swaybars.com

[captaingamez]

Dude, Fuck yes, thats all I have, that was too awesome.

[HRH]

Yep, got the Addco sway bars coming.  That's probably all I'm going to do for a while, except fix the intake/exhaust gasket leak.  What a nightmare, they stuck 8 million heat shields everywhere and I can't even fit an extension in to get at the bolt for the exhaust manifold.  Book hours are 4.5 to replace that gasket.  My L20B it was about 15 minutes.  Think I may need to change a few things, like using an older manifold with regular web runners, not the all in one piece that's on the motor now.

[captaingamez]

Yep, got the Addco sway bars coming.  That's probably all I'm going to do for a while, except fix the intake/exhaust gasket leak.  What a nightmare, they stuck 8 million heat shields everywhere and I can't even fit an extension in to get at the bolt for the exhaust manifold.  Book hours are 4.5 to replace that gasket.  My L20B it was about 15 minutes.  Think I may need to change a few things, like using an older manifold with regular web runners, not the all in one piece that's on the motor now.

This is what I will be doing shortly when I go MegaSquirt.  If I cant fix my current running like dogsh*t issue, its going to be getting done very shortly........And a 60mm 240sx TB.

[HRH]

In case you haven't ever done it, changing the intake/exhaust manifold is a bitch of a job.  It took me two hours of grinding, heating, torching, dremeling, drilling, and burring to get a stud dug out of the head where it broke off for the exhaust manifold.  Ended up helicoiling it (went too big, should have just tapped it) and putting in a 10mm stud.  I have pics, too tired to post.  Spent all day, got the intake back on just now, going to go at it again tomorrow and finish up all the peripherals.  Think I started at 9:30, minus a couple hours for lunch and loading a 240, still way over the 4.5 book hours to replace the intake/exhaust gasket.  Definitely should be quicker at it if there is a next time though.

[HRH]

Alright, car is back together except for the heater core project.  Main thing is no annoying exhaust leak.  Still seems to be leaking from under the car, probably need to weld it up.  Anyway, no leak at the engine.  Don't forget to heat cycle the motor then re-tighten the manifold bolts!  So in spite of the heater core, I took the car over to the Datsun guru's shop and get her corner weighted.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

For posterity should the pics go down:

 

Car by itself:

 

LF: 760  RF: 814

LR: 580  RR: 594

 

Total: 2748 pounds.

 

Car with me in it:

 

LF: 817  RF: 827

LR: 634  RR: 614

 

Total: 2892 pounds.

 

3/4 tank of fuel.  Multiple areas of rust weight reduction. :)  Non-sunroof car.  Full trim, exhaust has been shortened (cat and dog free) and out the side, probably 10-30 pounds of weight savings.