JJCRU23R - NISSAN CUBE3

[JJCRU23R]

Gday all... in case you havent seen me round the forums in a while, here are a few of my fave pics from my previous car... 2003 1zz corolla.

[JJCRU23R]

Few more..

[JJCRU23R]

This is the car I owned before the 1zz.. TOYOTA BUNDERA LANDCRUISER 1985

The car that replaced the corolla after I sold it..

Beat up Rav4 which I brought back from the brink!

The Lambada (toyota crown?! stainless steel!) which got me around the Philippines for a few weeks last xmas..

AND NOW...

My first leap into something legitimately JDM.. and I'm sorry to say, its not a TOYOTA.

NISSAN CUBE3 / CUBIC!

How can so much great design fit into a box so small?!

1.4L + 7 seats!?!

Storage space galore and its been turning heads wherever we've gone and its only been a few hours since taking ownership.

[JJCRU23R]

1 last look @ the 1zz..

Its been a long journey to get to this point after passing my 1zz to its next owner.. just looking back at those previous cars, you can see similarities between all of them when you compare it to my new Cube.

I must have a thing for boxes!?!!

Great to be back in something silver and has automatic windows and so many other awesome bits that I dont know where to begin.

This Cube will inherit some of the awesome bits I kept after selling my corolla..

* 8" KICKER SUB AND AMP! (need to sort out a way of being able to use all 7 seats and keep the sub in the car. Not much space left after the 3rd row of seats is upright.

* DVD HEADRESTS! (Need to remove from the wifes 1998 corolla.. would now be the third car it has been installed in)

*AIR HORN! (Really miss the sound of the trumpets! Theres probebly room for it if I look hard enough)

The previous owner put these 17's on the cubic but also let me keep the stock tires and alloys which is awesome!

[ToyotaFreak]

Nice! Is that a 2WD or e4WD Cube?

I have a soft spot for the Nissan Cube, or any one of those tall JDM light/ compact cars too (As a design student, I just love the unique styling of those cars!).

How can so much great design fit into a box so small?!

That's efficient (Probably not the right word I'm looking at.) Japanese design for you. I just like how they manage to maximize space in such a compact package (The 660cc Kei-jidosha (Those JDM-only Daihatsu, Honda & Suzuki.) & tall compact wagons like the Cube are great examples.).

[JJCRU23R]

BEAUTIFUL DAY IN WESTERN SYDNEY!

I guess this is where you connect it for charging?!

Its got a really nice DIY sporty exhaust.. will show more and explain after I've fixed a few things

[JJCRU23R]

17" RIMS

[JJCRU23R]

D INTERIOR DESIGN

[JJCRU23R]

Discovered today that the horn already sounds like a trumpet?! so much plastic panels in the hood I cant see everything. I know there is an after market Nissan "sports" type horn. Must check if thats already been installed. So many optional extras in the car however I don't have a service manual - not even a Japanese one.

[JJCRU23R]

I was cheering when I saw that these were also added in with the sale of the car

But it turns out that the tyres are for snow, and wont last long on Aussie dry roads! Sucks!

[JJCRU23R]

Checked out the fold down and storage of the cubic today while giving it a thorough look through.

Perfectly flat for loading up the back!

UNDER SEAT STORAGE!

UNDER FLOORMAT STORAGE!

And finally, put the wiring into the DVD headrests.

Took a long time to get the best wiring configuration because of the hack job the stereo installer did behind the stereo. Can't believe they cut the stock wiring!

I took the time to fix it proper before reassembling the dash.

Now the kids can Shoosh up in the back!

[JJCRU23R]

Also checked the fluids and after checking the air filter, I think it's a good idea to have the oil and air filters changed. Meanwhile, I topped up the oil and looked underneath for some unexpected surprises.. Will update on the progress as things get sorted out.

[JJCRU23R]

There are a few things that I noticed while installing the headrests.. A lot of what I had learnt from modding my old 1zz is that the plastic bits around the door pull out much the same way with my Cube, which makes it feel familar when I was moving wires underneath the carpet to connect the dvd headrests.

The only thing I thats really limited in this car is the power that the 1.4L engine puts out.

I give the car an 11/10 for form and function inside the car, but the real challenge is gonna be what I do with whats under the hood of the car!

I am thinking NA, not wanting to go supercharged or turbo, although Impul have made superchargers for the 1.4L cube..

but before I go about swapping the engine (and breaks etc for that matter)

here is the (short term) shopping list:

*extra keys and key fob.. 2nd

*new oil and air intake and cabin filters (more urgent).. 1st

*tint the front windows to match the tint on the rest of the car.. 3rd

[Cee-Lo]

The Cube's are interesting vans, they can look real good too with a bit of work.

Amazing how it has so many hidden storage compartments, talk about making the most of space, and may be good for hiding things from thieves xD.

[JJCRU23R]

Looks like I could fit my kicker amp in the compartment under the seats.. Lack of ventilation isn't ideal for it though :/

What's got the cogs in my head spinning is how to fit my 8" kicker solobaric in the rear even with 7 people in the car!

Here's the sub box I built for the corolla. I'll be using this same sub for this project... Which means the custom box I first built for the corolla will be parted out for my new box.

[JJCRU23R]

Right now it looks as though the amp may as well be bolted onto the box, which will make it difficult to remove when taking the box out of the back of the car..

If I can find a well hidden, ventilated location for the amp, I'd only need to remove two wires for the sub if I need to take it out for whatever reason.

[JJCRU23R]

Oil change a success!

Drift oil filter for easier removal when the time comes, plus a disposable ryco air filter installed.



Not sure what the previous owners drove through, but the old filter is BLACK where it was once red/white.

Must find a cabin air filter to suit, since I have a feeling we have an old one behind the glove box.

[JJCRU23R]

another thing.. i tried avoiding asking for nissan cube parts and just asked for nissan micra filters... bit wierd but it all worked!

[JJCRU23R]

I've got a kicker sub that i had in my 03 corolla that will soon make its home in the cubic!

Perfect fit, no?

[JJCRU23R]

Just spent the last few days in Melbourne.. Drove the cube and although the fuel economy was great, the struggle to maintain 100-110km/hour was a big struggle!

Not to mention the number of odd stares from Victorians as they overtook us going down there! We left sydney on Thursday 2.45am. Arrived at our destination approx. 3.30pm due to several necessary toilet breaks and the GPS malfunctioning as soon as we hit metro Melbourne! Glen Waverley and Chadsone are awesome places to be! But we're glad to be home now.

We shaved off about 20 mins on the trip home, less toilet breaks but the breaks we took were pretty long.

[JJCRU23R]

I was expecting to save closer to an hour if it weren't for some unknown 4wd club (I'm assuming) with 4 4wds trying to stick together from Goulbourn to the Campbelltown driving 80kms an hour, swerving in and out of the left lane and it was already near 0 visability. We HAD to overtake all 4 4wds at the same time and this was still about 50kms out of campbelltown

[JJCRU23R]

Damn just realized my pics don't work anymore?! I moved them into their own folder. Will fix ASAP but for now just some pics from my first sydney cube meet @ Liverpool Harry's cafe de wheels last April!

Mine!

[JJCRU23R]

It's awesome how no two cubes are ever really exactly the same.. Seems there's so many different options that they all have individual differences in fabric, windows, heaps of factory options- that's before the aftermarket parts like the rims really make each cube stand out. My cube was pretty plain compared to the autech rider models however mine was the only cube with nissan roofracks.

[JJCRU23R]

http://youtu.be/reWe9X8mW68

My son makes an appearance in this.. Although I didn't plan it that way!

[JJCRU23R]

We backed into a tree..

tail light broke into 2 pieces!

DIY FIX = $0.

All you need to repair are these.. + extra plastic thats exactly the same type as the original tail light.

Melt mesh into plastic with flattened soldering iron.