Need help finding a VK45! or help modding a VH45! also need some dimension help

[darktalon]

Alright, i'm doing a v8 swap into a secret project of mine, and I'm looking to do a VK45..but cant find them anywhere, and would prefer to NOT spend like $5000 on a stock engine... I've thought about doing a vh since they're pretty easy to come by...but I dont like the intake manifold they have... I'd like to have something like this http://superstreetonline.com/f...z.jpg under the hood of my project, and yes i KNOW that's gonna be alot of work.....

If I cant find a vk, i was wondering if I could do an intake setup like that one has on a vh... now, my last question, I KNOW a vh will fit in what I have planned...but is the VK the same width and length wise, or is it bigger? smaller? and am I insane for wanting to attempt to mate it to a z33 6-speed transmission?

[elwesso]

Man youd really be spinning your wheels (not literally) to use a VK instead of a VH.. WHY OH WHY WOULD YOU EVER CONSIDER DOING THAT??

The VH is much more highly engineered, and will hold up to big power better than the VK... And how can you NOT like the intake on the VH.....? Tuned port equal length runners, same thing RACE CAR MOTORS use on a stock engine!!!

the VK is an UGLY *** motor with that plastic thing removed, the VH is a beautiful motor.....

You can bolt the Z33 6speed to it, youll just need an adapter plate and all that fun stuff....

[darktalon]

i thought it was a version of the VK they used in their INDY car, or am I confused? Also, I'm just not a fan of that spider-looking intake on the vh... it just seems to me like the dual throttle type setup the vk pictured has would be more effcient than that, again i could be confused...... however, I really would rather use a vh honestly, mostly due to availability, but would like to find something slightly more aesthetically pleasing to my eyes(i'm big on symmetry...dunno why..) as far as what you see...that and it'd make the hole i'm gonna have to put in the hood of my project alot more bearable if I could have a nice pair of polished pipes running parallel, than that sideways thing poking out(even if it is effective..I like form AND function, not just one or the other)...

[elwesso]

NO it was from the VH they made the indy car motor, at least thats how it was as far as I know... however its so far from either that it really doesnt make much difference... The VK wasnt around when they did the indy car motor (in the late 90s).

Maybe im crazy but I love that spider intake manifold.. it just reeks of design that most other manifolds simply dont... Its the only engine in a stock car that has something like it.. Its what seperates this motor from most other motors.. I wasnt aware the VK had a twin TB setup, in fact that is not correct... The VK has a goofy crappy looking intake with a TB in the middle...

zer...D.jpg

What motor is in that car?? You guessed it, the VH!!!

[elwesso]

I did some research on the Infiniti Indy motor, and even though its kinda based off the VK, its designation is VRH35ADE, which would mean (to me) its based off the VH (maybe the R in VRH means Racing?)

[darktalon]

hmm,so mr. nagata didnt give all the details of his engine in the r35 then..because everywhere states it's a vk..but as you can see from pic linked in my first post..it's appears to haveg dual intake runners, and 2 TBs...good thing I enjoy custom fabrication... and the whole reason I'm wanting to something like that is that I'm wanting to a TT setup as well, and it'll be a little easier/cleaner to plumb that with dual throttle type setup...

[elwesso]

Well OK, but you made it sound like the motor came like that stock... I misunderstood you there...

Its not really effective to get on semantics on wether the indy motor was based on the VK or VH, because its so far away from either motor that it doesnt matter anyway..... At any rate, the VK does not have a proven track record for holding up to big power, the VH does.. If you can do it to a VK thats fine... go for it, we'll be here to support you, but most the guys here woudl recommend getting a VH.. Remember the VH was equally or greater engineered than MB AMG motors... Its amazing that we can get such piece of engineering genious for 1500 delivered.. Not to mention, if you blow it, you can just get another one... 3 VH's for the price of a VK, and its a superior (IMO) motor..... Seems too good to be true.

[Mettler]

I totally agree with Wes on this. That top secret skyline is awesome, but it's had top $$$ spent on every single aspect of it.

The whole thing's custom, you could even take a dirty old chev smallblock V8 and fabricate an intake system like that. It doesn't matter what the engine has from factory if you're going to change it anyway !

A VH engine is a hell of a good piece of kit. Nissan really overspent on this motor, it's quite probably the strongest factory engine I've ever seen... comparable to the standard of a hotrod engine built for over $10k with all the topshelf parts.

Just look at the following juicy list of factory goodies:

- Hypereutectic pistons- Forged steel rods with built in oil squirters!!- Billet steel crank- Deep skirt, 6 bolt, crossbolted, one piece mains girdle- Big, thick, rigid block to handle big power- High flowing head design- Titanium exhaust valves, sodium filled- Cam timing chains (duplex on the Y32 VH41DE)- Mechanical roller rockers

The above is just the basics, I haven't even gone into some details which are engineering marvels in themselves... like the highly efficient intake manifold design, or the well designed sump... how about the engine periphery which is all top gear ? Biggest factory Nissan AFM, 110amp alternator, powerful oil pump chain driven off the crank etc.

Then there's the 32 bit ECU with multiple fuel maps, all changeable with a bit of easily affordable gear... heck, I wish I had a VH motor. Oh wait, I do!

[defrag010]

crank isn't billet, exhaust valvs aren't titanium, and lash system is hydraulic... but it's still good nonetheless

[riu]

VK hasn't proven itself to be very tuneable without spending big bucks like the factory tuning shop or a big name tuning shop would be able to do.

not enough support for it. sure you can find a 6.1 liter stroker kit out there from impul, but thats really all you'll find

also VK is rediculously tall. all in all, its a good motor, but its going to suck to work on it. What are you going to put it in? and what are the chances it will fit? Yeah a Z33 6spd should mate with an adaptor plate, Chris Forsberg of Formula D has a Nissan Factory built Z33 roadster with a VK in it. So its do-able.

BUT consider this. VH is a proven engine with a variant of it used in Indy cars. Its been proven to run 800 hp while remaining NA, its been proven to run 1000 hp with twin turbos. And although i didn't like the spider intake at first, it's grown on me, and it is incredibly well designed for its purpose. Theres a ton of support for it on these boards, and its a helluva a lot cheaper than searching around aimlessly for a VK motor. Where are you going to find it? its too new, best chances are a junk yard IMO

Go with a Z32 transmission though, it should be a stronger transmission, that and there are people making adaptor plates for it already.

[elwesso]

The sump for the oil isnt bad, but its not real good for extended HIGH RPMs or lots of turning... you will get into some oil starvation... If you kept the same front sump but made it about 8 quarts instead of 6 quarts, itd be golden...

The valves arent titanium as far as I know.. Maybe you're right though.

[Mettler]

crank isn't billet, exhaust valvs aren't titanium, and lash system is hydraulic... but it's still good nonetheless

Is the crank forged, cast, or machined out of a solid billet ? The information I've read said these things, maybe someone had their information confused with the VK ?

Perhaps I used the wrong terminology with the rockers, but mine have roller bearings in the rocker arms that rest on the cam lobes... or is this not what a roller rocker is ? *googles* Ah I see... roller cam maybe, but not roller rockers ?

[defrag010]

I'm no metallurgist, but the crank is definately not a billet unit as it has flash. It's either cast or forged. Machining each crank from a block of billet is something you won't ever find in a mass produced engine.

for the rockers, the follower is a roller bearing unit but the lash adjuster is hydraulic (commonly called hydraulic roller system). If the lifters were solid, it would be a mechanical follower, which is what threw me off.

[darktalon]

Well, as far as what it's going in, it's been done a few times..but I'm looking at actually getting some clearance with my dual intake runner setup so I dont have to hack up the hood so much.... and here's part of the story of what has pushed the project a long way in 2 days.... yesterday I was at an old guy's shop/junkyard and was just telling him what I wanted to do... and he took me out back where he had a NX2000 with a VG30DETT under the hood and made to RWD... and beside that was a 97 hardbody with a VG30DE out of an infiniti...

Then he told me that he had about 8 VH engines laying around...ranging from $250 for one that needed the crank replaced, to $1500 to one that was ready to go.... and then told me he has a z33 6spd laying in storage that he was gonna use on a z32, but it wouldnt fit..and that I could get it for $500....

So yea... once I get a lil more funding...I think I'll have alot of sleepless weekends...lol..

[Ezekial]

Then he told me that he had about 8 VH engines laying around...ranging from $250 for one that needed the crank replaced, to $1500 to one that was ready to go....

ENVY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[darktalon]

ENVY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yea...after these guys straightened out my confusion, I feel like I walked away from heaven..lol... but what do you guys think I should buy...one ready to go.. or one that needs a crank(machined crank anyone? ) or head work?...

[Mettler]

Get a mint one, pulling motors apart and rebuilding them is fun, but adds months and months to a project... and will make you more likely to cancel your big plans halfway through once you realise the amount of work you're taking on !

Oh, and if you like symmetrical engine setups so much, take a look at the car at the bottom of this page... VH45DETT

http://www.zparts.com/showcase....html
Modified by Mettler at 10:21 PM 7/4/2006

[riu]

ultimately $1500 for ready to go motor is a great deal. I'd hit it, and if you have an extra 250, i would get the extra engine just for parts and what not, or maybe just to have another for another project down the line, i mean, c'mon its $250, thats really not very much money when it comes to car parts.

$500 is a pretty good price for a Z33 transmission. Depending on how much power you're planning on putting down, I may get it. I'm not sure if anyone knows if that transmission has proven itself to go past 600hp. If it has then hit it, thats a great price. You'll need a custom adaptor plate to mate it to the VH, which is really what that guy needs to mate it to his VG as well. You can probably get one of those machined for rougly 500-700ish, or just find a Z32 transmission and get a plate made by John Dixon on these boards for about $550.

in any case, this old guy's shop/yard you're getting your parts from sounds like a gold mine, don't take it for granted

i'm still very curious to see what you want to put it in.

[darktalon]

Get a mint one, pulling motors apart and rebuilding them is fun, but adds months and months to a project... and will make you more likely to cancel your big plans halfway through once you realise the amount of work you're taking on !

Oh, and if you like symmetrical engine setups so much, take a look at the car at the bottom of this page... VH45DETT

http://www.zparts.com/showcase....html

Modified by Mettler at 10:21 PM 7/4/2006

I've had that bookmarked for ages, that was the gas on the fire for me wanting to make such a thing I'm just not sure how to make an intake setup like that, anyone got any tips?

[CNBRacing]

Im in the process of building a manifold for my VH45 right now, basically it will consist of twin plenums with twin throttles mounted at the front. Will post up pics as i progress.

[darktalon]

yes please! because as much as I love to fab. stuff myself...if you can do it better and in less tries than I know it's gonna take me, then please do

[darktalon]

after re-reading the article in super street about top secret's skyline... and it gives info. about how they built up the engine.... so here goes for anyone interested... http://www.superstreetonline.c..._gr_r/