Thread: FWD to RWD

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Hey
I own a 1990 Nissan Maxima (FWD). I want to convert to a rear wheel drive car. So the first step is a frame. There is a front subframe, otherwise it is a unibody car. So...I need either guidance from you or else some sites to help.

Basically, I want to either build a frame or use an existing frame and mount the body and such on. However, I'd prefer to go all out and custom build a frame. Also, I need to know how I should integrate it to a unibody car - should I mount the uni right onto the frame, or mount it some other way.

I have already been critisized for this, such as "why bother?" Well, because I want to. Sure I could buy a camaro (ok, no I couldn't, too expensive inurance wise), but then I'd have a camaro like everyone else...have not seen a single 3rd gen Maxima with RWD.

Thanx in advance, and sorry if something like this has already been posted.

We are a hot rod site and not an import site but, I'll help ya. You gennerally can't do anything like that because you would have to remove the whole steering, unibody subframe and everything then, you would have to build the frame, modify a rear end to fit your track width and then get a new front end like a Mustang II IFS and mod it also, your steering colum would need replaced. You would probably even need to cut out the unibody and make your own body mounts on a custom floor. you have to ask yourself " Is it worth it? ", most sain people would say no. It's going to cost a lot of money like 10,000 - 20,000. all your suspension would have to be custom. I tried putting a V8 in a 1983 MB 240D because I wanted to be diffrent, I was going to use a Chevy 350 but it woulda ended up costing to much so I gave up and bought my '51 Chevy and I'm rodding that right now. You could build a compleatly custom hotrod that no body has 1 like it, there all diffrent.

Never did say anything about ricing it out. More of a pro stock approach.

I agree this is a Hot Rod site, but why condem his idea, just because its not easy, alot of things arent easy and people try to do them all the time


Jonney

It's Jekyll into Hyde as we transform our 2000 Automobile of the Year, Ford's good-natured Focus, into a rear-wheel-drive, V-8-powered beast.





The first question everyone asks when we tell them that we dropped a solid-axle, rear-wheel-drive powertrain, complete with a 302-cubic-inch V-8, into a Ford Focus is, "Why?"—to which we usually answer "Why not?" Truth be told, gutting the drivetrain of a compact, front-wheel-drive car and turning it into a modern-day hot rod was a bit insane. The V-8 Focus is a beast, and we still have to take it to finishing school to iron out the rough edges. Keep you eye on automobilemag.com and Automobile Magazine in the near future for an update on our progress.

I'm not dubbing you a ricer. It'd be really costly and not really worth it if you want it as a pro stock car or anything. If you could build a frame with suspension and drive train, you could cut the floor out, make body mounts and everything else, the 2 peices could bolt togther. It would probably be barly street legal if that. You'll need a fairly large engine like a 350 chevy W/ weiand 6-71 blower to earn respect with that kinda car as a pro stocker. I wouldn't recomend doing it because of cost and safty issues because they have many plastic parts which, yes makes them flimsey and dangerouse and even more so because those bodies gain support through the unibody and even though the car would have a frame, the same amount of strength may not be there than when it had the unibody. If you think about it, yeah there's no RWD Maxima but, maby there's a reason for that. I'm not saying don't do it, if it's what you want to do, do it.

240SX's come stock with RWD...

Knuckledragger: thanx! Will hunt that down

It is to be a street car, I simply said "same idea as prostock" to let you know what I am going for....beasty car underneath an everyday body. And you can't deter me

Originally posted by heheheha
240SX's come stock with RWD...

Knuckledragger: thanx! Will hunt that down

It is to be a street car, I simply said "same idea as prostock" to let you know what I am going for....beasty car underneath an everyday body. And you can't deter me

Not gonna deter you ither, as I said, if that's what's gona make you happy, that's what you need to do. I thought 240Sx's come stock but wasn't shure. you wan't a sleeper from your description of what you want.

Yes, a sleeper Just something about them....I knew a guy who ran an old Volvo station wagon with a big ol V8 (I was like 12 at the time so I don't remember what size). Nothing was cooler than pulling up beside someone in what looks like a ma and pa car, and then waste them...
Oh, sorry if we aren't allowed to say anything about street racing...I'll remove that if it needs to be...

And older 240's also came with some queer 4 wheel steer thing...

A 240SX was a rear drive car from the factory so it isn't impotant to this discussion. Not sure if you really need to "clip" the front. It would be necessary to fabricate a crossmember to mount the engine to. It also would probably be necessary to modify the firewall and transmission tunnel (or to fabricate one). This doesn't include the modifications to the dash panel, air conditioning system, and center console.

The front strut suspension would work as is (pulling the axle wouldn't change the way the suspension is mounted) but installing a V-8 (maybe a 340 HP, 4.5L from a Q45?)would probably require stiffer springs and struts.

The rear is open to your imagination. You can hang a S-10, or Mustang live axle out back but you'll probably need to narrow it as required. Depending on the donor car for the axle (or modifications), you can either use leaf springs or coil-overs. A four link would not be out of the question either.

You could either modify the OEM unibody structure as necessary, or make a subframe to mount to the unibody.

Is this an easy job? Nope. Will it be expensive? Depends on your metalworking skills. If Ford can shoehorn a Mustang Cobra driveline into a Focus, you can put a V-8 (or V-6) in a Maxima.

Began doing tons of research on that Focus....There is a kit to bolt a rear end on the car.

All the mounting brackets needed to bolt the new axle and rear diff to the stock Focus shell will be supplied in the kit.

I found this. I have however not been able to find very detailed doc's on the actual installation, IE did they reinforce the shell? And also how long can this last? The focus can be converted to RWD for under $60, 000...However, seeing as how I am going with a smaller engine (that can pull a Buick to 10 seconds and less), and won't have to do suspension upgrades to the front right away, things should work out cheaper...

So any thoughts on bolting directly to the unibody? Can't find if they used a sub frame or not...
Oh, and here's the RWD kit for the Focus....maybe useable?
http://www.kugelkomponents.com/focus/focus.html

Again knuckledragger, thanks for finding me the idea.

It can be done, but it will take alot of skill in knowing how to build a car.
there are a couple of ways of doing it , build a full tube chassis then cut floor out of car and build a new floor around the tube chassis like a PRO stock , or strip body down to bare nothing, then build a 2x4 steel frame through stock floor boards, and building brackets to bolt to body to frame.
Might take a look at how guys connect the front sub frame to the rest of the body on camaros, to get the idea of how its done.

These cars are usually done on a JIG to keep everything square, a car that isnt built square , is
a scarry thing when launced with any type of horse power, ask some of these guys that actually have some nicely built drag cars here. Its not a matter of welding in some strong steel and bolting in a rear end , tranny and motor !

I always wanted to build my wifes GEO storm into a pro street car many years ago when she had it , been a cool little turd with a blown 90.deg V6 . To much work , and didnt have a hydrolic tubing bender.

Wasnt it Kugel Komponents that built that V8 Focus? I may be wrong though.
Spray

Kugel supplied pretty much everything for the conversion. Ford's FRPP division built it.

Thanks for the tips; will look at the Camaro front ends. Think I'd prefer to build the second one you said (frame up through the floor), keep is mostly stock looking (Like Monster Garage ). I have a friend who works in a metal shop, so what I can't do I can get him to do

Here's what I'm thinking:
Build a frame up. Raise the floor to make up for the extra height of the frame, reinforce the uni along where the frame will run, and just drop the car onto the frame, similar to a truck. I've been looking at just pics of general car and truck frames, and they don't look THAT complex...obviously alot of work would be involved with building a custom frame, but it doesn't seem like that big of a thing.

You got to have the frame straight and to do that you need a jig, goto build that. The frame is the biggest step you'll take.

you try and find a 240 sx and take the front clip and back half to use as templets for your maxima.. they should be similair, its worth a shot instead of trying to go with out any kind of idea..

Jonney