FS (Seattle area): Parting 1981 Maxima Wagon LD28

[asavage]

I bought an '81 Wagon from a local JY. It is very rusty (perforation in tops of doors). Others have been robbing parts from it, so it is not complete any more -- missing the rear window, all fusible links, fuel filter/primer pump assy., WW reservoir, and some wiring is hacked in the engine bay. It does have original battery cables, uncut, with the original lead terminals in usable condition, a rarity.

182k miles showing.

(click on any image for larger)


I got the engine running, can't drive it due to missing fusible links but the engine sounds good. It's complete, though the crankcase ventilation hose from the valve cover to the oil separator is missing. The starter was the wrong starter and the pinion was too small to engage well, so I swapped in one of my spare starters. Cranks up fine (manual glow plug control), didn't see a lot of smoke, but I haven't run it more than ten minutes either.

$550 if you pull it, $600 if I pull it. You can pull at my shop if you do all the work. I can deliver within 400 mi. for a buck a mile. I am at ZIP 98368.

There's a Glow Plug Controller, but it's been bypassed, so there's no knowing if it's "good", but it goes with the engine if you want it, along with as much of the wiring harness as you want, and the glow plug relays.

Or I can deliver (on my tow dolly) the whole Wagon, $700 plus mileage. Minus the windshield, unless we can negotiate it -- see below.

I also now have a spare EGR Controller, so if someone needs another tachometer driver setup, I have a spare I can mod and ship. $55 without a core, or $30 exchange.

The interiour is pretty bad, but it's blue. Bad glovebox. Bad console. No jack, no hubcaps. It does have the roof rack option though.

The windshield is spoken for, Mark Hartz needs one.

Fenders are OK, but paint isn't great. Pass. side headlight bucket missing. Front bumper not good. Corner lamp assys. missing.

Ask about anything else. Trans (AT) may work, fluid is typical light brown.

Again, this is not a car I would normally invest in to make a driver, but I suppose anything's possible.

[asavage]

Cold start was flawless. This one seems to run really well. I grafted in an old 12 micron GM diesel filter to replace the missing OEM filter.

Trans is the 3N71b, non-lockup 3-spd. It goes into R and D.

I vacuumed out all the broken back window glass. No inside rearview mirror. All the fuses are missing from the fusebox, so I need five fusible links and a handful of fuses before it can be driven.

Just made a new key too. Driver's door lock button is missing? At least, it's not poking up from door panel, and operating the key makes it feel like it's still there under the panel, just jammed.

After vacuuming, the seats are stained but not rotted nor ripped. Carpet is solid if very stained/dirty.

I don't know . . . maybe it could be made back into a driver after all. It's ugly though.

[asavage]

Still no fusible links, but I drove it up & down the two-block stretch of our business park last night, when all the businesses are closed and nobody's around.

The first few full-throttle runs yielded about what you'd expect: lots of brownish smoke, old soot and rust. Surprisingly, after a few passes up to the governor, the smoke largely cleared up! I think this is the least-smoky LD28 I've driven (four).

Pretty good oil leak at the oil line banjo bolt for the oil pump line to the vacuum pump, which means pulling the manifolds I think, to get at it.

I vacuumed it out, found paperwork on the front tires that indicates they were new at 180k in 2003 -- that implies that the Wagon's only been driven 2k miles in the last five years.

See the pics above: someone painted "This engine rebuilt" on the hood. If so, not recently.

Trans go through all the gears well. No brake pull. No rattles. I'm beginning to think this really might be somebody's driver, if someone wanted to go to the work. I think I'll put it on CL.

[later]
Yup, on CL now.

[goglio704]

Al, I could scrape up the parts to put headlights and a marker light on the right side if that will help the cause. Unusual rust patterns on that car to my way of thinking. Looks like coastal salt air stuff to me. How is the car underneath?

[asavage]

The engine has been sold.

[goglio704]

How does the steel filler strip above the front bumper look? In my experience they are rare to find in straight and sound condition. Probably too awkward a piece to mail or ship though unless it would fit in a shipping tube?

[asavage]

It looks great, no dents, no rust bubbling, but this is a pretty rusty car and I don't know what it'll look like when pulled. But it does look like it'd be worth pulling. Paint is pitted, of course, but other than that it's fine.

It appears to be over 8" wide, so I don't think a shipping tube will work

[asavage]

Mark Hartz & I pulled the engine/trans last Saturday, then hauled the remains to his house, spent half of Sunday finding the ground level of his yard, still haven't pushed the Wagon down into the backyard, but at least we can see where it will go.

Pulled the fuel tank "just in case" someone needs it later -- much easier to pull when the Wagon in on a concrete slab and it's not raining. Just set it in the back.

(click on any image for larger)

First, dig the english text on this '81! If you can't read it, click on it, it's hilarious!



Here, you can see the oil leak from what I believe is the metal tube feeding the flexible line to the vacuum pump. Note that this was pretty much oil-free prior to maybe 20 minutes of runtime, so that is a pretty good leak. Manifolds will have to come off to fix that one.

[rlaggren]

Al,

Any chance you could weight that thing? Maybe ask the guy who picks it up to do a before/after on the scales?

Rufus

[asavage]

I can't ask Keith to do that, because there's no good public scalehouse around here. If he uses one far away, you have to calculate the weight of the fuel used between the before and after (gasoline ~6.1 lbs/gal; diesel ~7.3 lbs/gal). It becomes less and less accurate the longer you drive.

If you want, contact member "cab" and ask him directly.

[rlaggren]

Yes, it gets troublesome if the scale's not nearby. Oh well.

Rufus

[odie]

if no one has spoken for the power window switches I'd like them as well at the two control stalks on the steering column. name a fair price and I'll take them.

I've been under gound a while, here in afghanistan. Lots of neat diesel SUVs and trucks that we will never get back home.

cheers,
Tom

[asavage]

if no one has spoken for the power window switches I'd like them

The '83 has different PW switches than the '81-2. The '83 has them on the doors, the earlier have the switches in the console in a single panel. Do you still want them?

The console switches' escutcheon breaks often.

. . . as well at the two control stalks on the steering column.

AFAIK, this should work for all years. Mark's computer is down/broken. I'll phone him and ask what he wants for the MultiFunction Switch ("MF Switch")., but I think $15 + shipping would probably do it.

[odie]

my 83 has both the doors switches and the consol in the middle.

The pics of the parts car looks to have door window switches and the console swithes. I'd be wanting all 4 door window switches and the console switch cluster. and the steering column MF thing.

I'm looking to keep my baby on the road a long time to come. And I'm having PW switch issues.

I'm due back home in a couple weeks. Will be driving my wagon again soon!!!!

cheers

[odie]

bump on the switches if still available.