5-speed Q

[driftnomad]

Does anybody currently own such a thing?

[konatown]

Yes, but he has an RB25 in it too.

http://www.nicoclub.com/ROTM/rotmjan07.shtml

[sijoko]

How about a 6 speed for the Q? The new 6L90E trans looks very promising for our Q45s. You get a super low first gear for awesome out of the hole power and .67 sixth gear for decent mileage. It would be worth it to pool some money together and have someone build a swap kit just to get this trans.

Here are the gear ratios:

1st Gear Ratio4.027

2nd Gear Ratio2.364

3rd Gear Ratio1.532

4th Gear Ratio1.152

5th Gear Ratio0.852

6th Gear Ratio0.667

[qsiguy]

The person that purchased my Q45a has a 6 speed 350Z transmission with an adapter plate that is supposed to work on the VH45. He couldn't confirm if it worked or not but that was the claim when he bought it. I was really tempted to get it from him but it was a little too big of a project for me to take on at the moment.

A manual transmission would be one of the coolest mods I can think of for my car at the moment. It would compliment the turbo nicely

[craigztoyz]

The person that purchased my Q45a has a 6 speed 350Z transmission with an adapter plate that is supposed to work on the VH45. He couldn't confirm if it worked or not but that was the claim when he bought it. I was really tempted to get it from him but it was a little too big of a project for me to take on at the moment.

A manual transmission would be one of the coolest mods I can think of for my car at the moment. It would compliment the turbo nicely

Only better mod would be a hot blonde naked in the backseat.

[jonseyq45]

Was that male or female??????

[AZhitman]

I can't see much reason for all the fabbing and head-scratching when an LSx with a 6-speed would be a lot simpler.

My regret is not doing that to mine instead of swapping in a JDM takeout VH.

[craigztoyz]

A Hot Blonde Woman to be more accurate.

[maxnix]

I am with Sijoko. Where could the clutch master cyllinder for a manual be mounted, let alone the clutch pedal with that oddly molded floorboard?

LS is a truck engine, great for the short term and low rpm torque. With a 6 speed auto, I think one could acheive 24 mpg on the highway if lockup could be acheived (perfectly in tune VH45DE).

[AZhitman]

LS is a truck engine, great for the short term and low rpm torque. With a 6 speed auto, I think one could acheive 24 mpg on the highway if lockup could be acheived (perfectly in tune VH45DE).

Brian, you couldn't be more wrong.

LS is an aluminum-block screamer - Stock in the 'vette, GTO, WS6 Trans Am... Several 240 guys have transplanted it into their cars and it's the perfect solution.

Tons of torque and HP, same weight as the VH, and 30mpg is not out of the question.

I stand by my contention that it's better than the VH in every way.

[qship96]

Ls is just typical halfbaked GM.... 2 valve per cylinder, pushrod operated cams and all.

[elwesso]

I couldnt disagree with you more Greg. 340ish HP or whatever out of a 5.7 isnt really impressive compared to the 320-330 you get out of a 4.5L VH45DE.

Theres no way that the LS is a better motor.. Bottom line. Yeah it might be more compact and simpler, but its archaic. The VH is more advanced, stronger internally, and the epitome of Nissan motor engineering.

I dont think you'd see 30MPG from an LS powered Q.. the car's a fatty!

From a logistics stand point, it makes more sense for most people because parts are easy to come by.. But for some its not about ease.

Its by far a simpler motor and way cheaper in the long run.

Anyone can put an LS into about anything and have a fast car. Not everyone can have a fast VH powered car. To me, its not about how fast your car is, its about how your car is fast...

[maxnix]

Ls is just typical halfbaked GM.... 2 valve per cylinder, pushrod operated cams and all.

Yeah, I am in that camp, with a much weaker low end and less high end breathing capability. And I am sure a Chevy could be built in a shop to VH45DE standards, but not likely.

It's a matter of preference, but I'll take the 300K mile VH45DE. Mostly because of all theat reciprocating mass in the pushrod valvel train and 2 valve technology.

But in Greg's defense, one might look at the surpecharged LS motor in the CTS-V. That might give the C63 and M3 some real headsches if it can be made to handle. When MB went to SOHC and 3 valve retro technology, they had to go to superchargers to get those engines to breathe. They have since returned to DOHC 4 valve technology which also permits variable cam phasing.

Look at my post in Infiniti general at the dual stage tubo modified VH motor for boat racing if you want to see what the VH can handle.

[sijoko]

Greg, I agree with you that the LS small block is an outstanding engine but its main strength is its small footprint for a large displacement engine. I wouldn't mind using it for a swap but not into a Q45. Why? Because, the VH45DE is already a great engine. The only thing it lacks is displacement. So far, no one really has done any real development work for the VH whereas the LS has got tons of aftermarket support.

If you had a 6 liter VH and 6 liter LS, both having the same compression ratio and similar cam specs, which would put out more power? I think we would all agree that the VH would be on top.

Also, another thing to consider is that the LS engine is very popular for swaps, making it more expensive than a VH. You can get a VH45DE all day long for $600 - $800. You couldn't touch a good running LS for that price. So to do a LS swap into the Q would cost more than addressing the issues with the VH.

[Raxephon]

I am with Sijoko. Where could the clutch master cyllinder for a manual be mounted, let alone the clutch pedal with that oddly molded floorboard?

A '89-'94 maxima or 240sx master cylinder will fit just fine where the vacuum actuator for the cruise control resides between the shock tower and fire wall.

The clutch pedal bracket from the same vehicles will fit on the firewall after the spot-welded bracket for the parking brake has been removed.

For re-inforcement I'm planning on adding a 3-5mm thick plate where the firewall and clutch bracket meet.

The parking brake lever must be relocated and the cables must be modified , but I've always preferred a hand brake over a foot brake anyway.

[maxnix]

1.) A '89-'94 maxima or 240sx master cylinder will fit just fine where the vacuum actuator for the cruise control resides between the shock tower and fire wall.

2.) The clutch pedal bracket from the same vehicles will fit on the firewall after the spot-welded bracket for the parking brake has been removed.

3.) For re-inforcement I'm planning on adding a 3-5mm thick plate where the firewall and clutch bracket meet.

4.) The parking brake lever must be relocated and the cables must be modified , but I've always preferred a hand brake over a foot brake anyway.

1.) Smallish clutch MC for what has to be a larger pressure plate.

2.) So the pedals will be in the same plane and there is enough space for clutch travel? Are you sure?

3.) Sounds good.

4.) Me too, but in a 2 ton luxury car, I am not as opposed as I once was. Very convenient when parking. It's now a reflex no matter what car I am driving.

[driftnomad]

I was thinking ...Z32 TT TrannyZ32 TT FlywheelZ32 TT Clutch KitZ32 TT Clutch Master CylinderZ32 TT Clutch Slave CylinderCustom HardlineCustom CrossmemberZ32 TT Clutch Pedal Z32 TT Brake PedalZ32 TT Gas Pedal (Maybie for the correct pedal heights between all of the pedals)Converting to a Sidebrake:Z32 TT/ R32 GT-R or 4-door Sidebrake (I would like the cable assembly off of a longer car to begin with)

[Jeff Williams]

I think Greg has the right idea. I have a Vette with the LS engine, and it is a monster, compared to the VH.

How about 427 cubes in a small block? Can you say 500 HP/500 ft/lb tq?

[sijoko]

The LS swap is not going to be cheap. Once everything is said and done, you'll be in it for at least $10k IMHO. For that kinda loot, I can do a low mileage JDM takeout, turbo it and modify the trans. The 4 speed auto is not too bad if you've got some power to move the car.

Oh BTW, a VH45 with 10 psi will push over 500 hp easily.

[maxnix]

Oh BTW, a VH45 with 10 psi will push over 500 hp easily.

Some day we are going to talk about forged low compression pistons, twin turbos with intercooler and a few other things.

[driftnomad]

I dont care about a Q with ls1 or any of that gm crap. I'm talking about vh45 w/z32 transmission or atleast something in the nissan family. Personally i think that any american parts were sreated to waste material and clutter up junk yards. So back on the nissan track ... anyone got anything to talk about there?

[sijoko]

I dont care about a Q with ls1 or any of that gm crap. I'm talking about vh45 w/z32 transmission or atleast something in the nissan family. Personally i think that any american parts were sreated to waste material and clutter up junk yards. So back on the nissan track ... anyone got anything to talk about there?

Come on......you can't be that uptight about American cars. The LS1 is really a nice engine and I wouldn't have any problems with one in my car. But, the VH45 is already a great engine so I see no reason to swap it out. What it lacks is displacement compared to the LS series V8 from GM. So that's why put a turbo on mine.

I wish that American cars were as good as the imports. I served 4 years in the Army and don't really like to see this country go down in any way. But patriotism is not an excuse for buying crappy products. It's kinda like welfare but for rich people.

[qship96]

Purchasing a inferior GM or other crappy automobile sends the message to them that either we are too stupid to know the difference, or that we dont care about quality....either way, it just reinforces their way of doing business as usual and producing mediocre products.

I bought my last brand new american car in 1979, and will not repeat unless their quality{long term, non of this first 30-60-90 day crap they quote} surpasses the Japanese by a wide margin....dont see any signs of that happening soon

Everytime I travel and rent the latest american iron....it totally underwhelms me...from chevys to fords to cadillacs-we wont even discuss the seebring convertible on Nantucket that flexed like a wet noodle

[driftnomad]

I was working my last job at a machine shop building circle track heads... everything american. With the casting shifts and all of the bull**** defects that you see with even aftermarket parts made stateside is ****ing horrible! Let alone the oem GARBAGE that you see everywhere... even bowties and circle track mopar ford racing blocks heads everything... not acceptable by Japanese standards. Everything american needs to be modified and fixed... whatever that is just what I see. BUT ANYWAYS back to the cars.... Nissan Q-45 manual conversions WITHOUT american parts.

**Note**american isn't ever capitalized but look at Japanese

[elwesso]

I was working my last job at a machine shop building circle track heads... everything american. With the casting shifts and all of the bull**** defects that you see with even aftermarket parts made stateside is ****ing horrible! Let alone the oem GARBAGE that you see everywhere... even bowties and circle track mopar ford racing blocks heads everything... not acceptable by Japanese standards. Everything american needs to be modified and fixed... whatever that is just what I see. BUT ANYWAYS back to the cars.... Nissan Q-45 manual conversions WITHOUT american parts.

**Note**american isn't ever capitalized but look at Japanese

you are my new homey.. you win the prize!!

[driftnomad]

what now nobody has nothing to say???I am sure that you are all still interested in the idea of 5-speed G50.I have got to finish these 2 port and polish jobs i am working on and I finally get to pull the motor in the Q for a few phases of work... minor work on the motor(rebuild plus a few tricks), front end repair, finish putting on the '94 front, stitchwelding, wire tuck, remove abs, remove cruisecontrol, remove emnissions, build the multilink for the front, get everything ready for 5-speed and fitted and painted and put back together. Then I get to start on the inside... rip everything out, get rid of all the sound deadner wire tuck, side brake conversion fit the pedal's, stitchweld interior build cage, paint put back together. then pull the rearend and build the multilink and paint everything and ill be done for a while. Then PRESIDENT

[maxnix]

5 pseed, no. 6 speed manual, maybe. 6 speed auto like Sijoko suggested, definitely yes.

[driftnomad]

**smoking crack**

[maxnix]

**smoking crack**

Not a good thing to do! Put down the pipe and back away.

[ScottJackson]

I don't get why people think pushrod engines are "archaic" while OHC engines are not. Pushrods came AFTER overhead cams. Of course the old flatheads were neither, no pushrods but the valves were in the block. The VH45 extra technology of variable valve timing (although rather crude and designed to make a smooth idle, not power) is cool and all, but at what cost? Unless talking about forced induction, displacement is displacement and 2 valve heads are plenty fine for street rpm engines. Here's a little homework assignment for whoever wants to do it. Look at any somewhat modern OEM car engine, be it Ferrari, Kia, Volvo, GM... whatever. Look to see how many lb/ft of torque it makes per liter of displacement. You'll probably be shocked to see how close all the engines are to each other. You'll get a lot in the 70-75 range, not huge differences. Hp is a function of torque over rpm. So you've got displacement, so long as the heads/intake/valvetrain can efficiently feed the engine at the rpms you'll use it, it doesn't matter if it's 4 overhead cams or one in the block with ancient pushrods operating the valves. A lot of people need to get off their imaginary high horse and realize that a lot of variations work and to say one is "better" than the other or one is garbage is downright stupid. There's pros and cons of each, but most are minor compared to displacement and cost. I've never met an engine that cared what name was stamped on it.

And just because an engine is 2 valve per cyl, it doesn't mean it's destined to be a low rpm grunt engine. Check out the old Ford 351C for an example of an ancient American POS engine that would happily spin 8000+rpm with iron 2 valve heads and pushrods. Some might say, "oh but you need a huge cam with a terrible idle to get any rpm or hp out of a 2 valve pushrod engine". No, that's just what's commonly done. Build a basic 400" small block chevy (the cheapest of the cheap, pretty much) and give it a solid flat tappet cam with 240* duration at .050" lift, an aggressive lobe (asymmetrical with a mild closing ramp), and 116-118* LSA. You'll get a pretty clean idle with lots of grunt from 2000rpm all the way up to 7000+. That is, if the heads are properly sized and you use a large port dual plane intake with 800cfm or bigger carb to keep from choking it, it'll make nuts power compared to a 4.5L streetable engine whether it be a VH45 or whatever else. And yes, the factory tolerances aren't as tight for the SBC as the VH, but with decent maintenance even a warmed up performance SBC with factory tolerances will last 200,000+ miles.
Modified by ScottJackson at 7:44 AM 5/27/2008