VQ35 Swap Bible!

[FattyMcBaggins]

Hey guys,
I just wanted to pitch an idea. For those of you who haven't seen my car, I've spent the past few years building a VQ35 swapped S13. Originally it seemed as if there was a good bit of information regarding the swap. But, once I started trying to really map out what I would need to complete the project, I found that most of the information was either inconcise or somewhat conflicting. I also CONSTANTLY worked with shops that were supposedly “experts” on the swap, and I couldn't believe how horrible the quality of their products were. I sent out my wiring to the “pro's”, and then, after spending months chasing wiring gremlins, opened up the wiring that the shop did, only to find wires that hadn't even been soldered together. I bought powersteering and fuel conversion setups from another so called swap expert, only to have to fix, or order extra parts in order to ACTUALLY make them work. So, after having to solve almost all of the problems with this swap on my own, and ALSO having to fix most of the parts/services that I received from the so-called experts, I now feel like I have a pretty comprehensive knowledge of how to do this swap, THE RIGHT WAY.
So, I'm strongly considering writing a book, that details the entire swap, part by part, wire by wire, including any little modification that has to be done to the car to make it fit/work. I would include a COMPLETE parts list, including any and every tool that would be needed. I was inspired once I bought a manual for an FFR GTM (kit car) and saw how absolutely idiot proof they had made most of it, and they're explaining how to disassemble a Corvette and then assemble a whole car! I wholeheartedly believe that I could produce a manual, and possibly any custom parts that are needed, to help make this swap more accessible. I'll also include information explaining how to make many of the parts, including pictures, dimensions, etc. For those that want a more visual experience, there will be a deluxe addition that comes with a DVD with how-to videos for some of the more complicated parts. I think this swap is going to become increasingly popular as SR/RB's get older and harder to obtain parts for.
I'm hoping to sell it as an “e-book” of some sort for anywhere between about $30-50 (depending on whether or not . I know it seems steep, but it would save you THOUSANDS in runs to Autozone or Home Depot, trying to solve problems. Not to mention, you would save COUNTLESS hours with this book. I would happily pay $50 to have everything spelled out for me. But, before I dive into a project of this magnitude, I'd like to get some feedback from people. I know there are swap DVD's out there (not for this swap), and people have done scattered writeup's and the such, but nobody has gathered all of the info into one place, and done it with offering a true value to the customer. Anyways, let me know what you think guys!




Dyno Run Video - http://youtu.be/EwYaod6VFJs

[jbracy7]

Agreed but I would prefer a paper back, to a ebook,its just my preference.but great swap are you gonna modify the hood, or leave it spaced out

[FattyMcBaggins]

Depending on where I decide to set the price point, a print copy would be viable. I know it'd be nice to have something that can sit around the shop and get dirty while you work through things. Currently we're planning to make a sweet custom hood. But, we're also looking into intake manifold options that might work, or modding the Mckinney Mounts to seat the engine a little bit lower. If we end up modding the mounts, then we will probably produce a few sets for people interested. Thanks for the feedback!

[jbracy7]

How is the clearance of the oil pan

[FattyMcBaggins]

Th oil pan on the VQ is front sump, and rises up a few inches, right behind the sump, so it settles quite nicely over the cross member. I'm having clearance problems right now, but they will be non existent next week after I remove the AAM oil pan spacer that's on there. It came with the motor when I bought it, but is putting the pickup and such far too low to the ground. Otherwise, clearance is good. Removing the spacer also eliminates any sway bar clearance issues. There is currently a little bit of wriggle room to cradle the engine a little bit lower, but I haven't explored those avenues yet.

[simmode1]

Man, I remember when you first started this swap! Congrats on coming all this way! Your idea sounds like a great idea for the community. But you know these forum b*tches always want stuff for free. Finish the car up, make it look magazine worth, get a feature somewhere and then fanboys everywhere will be throwing fistfulls of money at you for your expertise on this topic.

I was always a big fan of the VQ as a great swap option. But my time in the 240 community is about done. I am so ready for a newer car that doesn't need a swap or DIY turbo kit to be fun...

[FattyMcBaggins]

Thanks Simmode! I understand how you feel about moving on to something new! And yeah, 240 forums have the worst rep as far as everybody being cheap, but I guess that comes with a car that is an entry level RWD import. Some of us still aspire to perfection though!
Hopefully, I will have the interior finished up before July, and then after that it's supercharger time. Once that and the custom hood are done...I can't think of too many reasons why it couldn't be in a magazine! We're working on buttoning up all of the details at this point. It'll be in a magazine soon enough! Thanks dude

[pepesilvia]

damn dude. how much different do you think this swap would be for an s14?..... even so... if you made an ebook i would definately buy $$$$ one question though. how about ground clearence? would i have to worry about my engine bottoming out if i had this thing in my car?

[FattyMcBaggins]

I'm not sure how different an S14 would be, but I can imagine that there would only be a few differences really.
You shouldn't have any sort of clearance issues. I'm having problems right now, but ONLY because I have a spacer on the oil pan. I'm in the process of removing it, and once it's gone, the oil pan will be at about the same level as the crossmember

[pepesilvia]

sounds good. write this thing already so you can take my money haha

[AgoniesFury]

I know this a bit off subject but im doing a vq35de into my hardbody already have drivetrain. I want this to be a drop in swap, so that i might even market this to d21 enthusiasts. My question is with all these front sump problems that ive read through the fourms, why hasnt anyone just swaped a rear sump from the 02-04 pathfinders? i just checked prices and everything i need would come out to $190 which sounds better than cutting my crossmember or fabbing an all new idler arm. What would be the problem if any? btw the engine and trans are out of a 04 z.

[orangeNblue]

I would definitely be interested in something like this...$50 for a hardcopy that includes an idiot proof guide to the VQ35 swap would be great. But I think it should include everything step by step with pictures, specs, etc. This way it is truly idiot proof for those of us who need the extra help.

On a side note, I won't how much different it'd be to swap the VQ35HR instead of the DE?

[FattyMcBaggins]

It would definitely be step by step and with oodles of pictures. Everybody seems super interested in putting the HR in, but the HR has more fundamental issues with getting it to fit. The starter on the HR is on the opposite side compare to the rest of the engines. It ends up having serious clearance issues with the steering column. I haven't looked too much into it, but the posts I've seen where somebody got it to work, he decided the easiest route was to do a RHD conversion, and weld in the firewall and everything from a RHD car...so as of now, I strongly discourage going that route unless you're incredibly smart with an acetylene torch and welder. The RevUp and DE engines have more reasonable prices right now, and the RevUp make pretty good gains on stock. I will be upgrading to a RevUp (either just the heads or a whole motor), just so I can document the process for the book. Also, so I can test that my wiring writeup in the book is good! Thanks for the interest, I've been working quite alot on getting organized for the book. Hoping to have it all done later this year.

[orangeNblue]

yeah the gains between the two are moderate at best, so if its going to be a hassle to get it to fit then DE it is...do the turbo or supercharger kits fit? I know there isn't too much room to fit things in there. Also, how did you get the speedometer to work or are you using a whole different unit? Just curious.

[FattyMcBaggins]

Pieces of the turbo a supercharger kits will fit, but if you want to go that route, you will need to customize a few things. I'm going with a Vortech supercharger kit because it mounts on the front of the engine, and eliminates my need for custom turbo manifolds. Essentially all I need to make is custom IC piping. Not difficult at all. And there is TONS of room between the engine and the radiator, so if you wanted to go turbo, you could always make custom manifolds that come to the front, and then have a single front mount turbo. But, that would require a lot more fabbing. Here's a pic of me kind of holding my vortech in the engine bay. I'm just holding it there, so it's not in position really, but it's in the ball park!

As far as gauges go, I did all of the wiring and had 350Z gauges running for a little while, but I found out that you can't get them to illuminate without running the Body Control Module (BCM) and steering column switches from a 350Z. Plug in the BCM and it puts the engine into failsafe mode because the BCM controls the Nissan Anti-Theft System (NATS). Anyways, I'm back tracking now and wiring up the stock gauges using 2 Dakota Digital signal converters, one for speedo and one for tach. If you want the water temp gauge to work, you need to drill out the water neck coming off of the back of the VQ, and insert a water temp sensor from a stock S13/S14. Wire it directly to the gauge (super simple). Otherwise, everything will work except for the Check Engine light.

[Mitch C]

Hi, I've just read with interest your idea as I'm researching fitting a VQ35 from a Z33 350Z into a 180SX or my Autech convertible. I think the main issues I'm going to come across will be getting the ECU to work without having to wire in the entire 350 engine loom with all the modules and NATS etc but I guess that's what you've done. I haven't read your build thread as yet, but will do as my search goes on. I also need to look into whether it would be easier to fit a Haltech standalone ECU and loom and start from scratch, and maybe a cabled throttle assembly.

As the 180SX is RHD, will I have issues with the starter fouling on the steering column? You mentioned that the HR would foul on LHD so I guess it would be the same in reverse?

Anyway, if you do end up selling the info, I may well be interested if this goes ahead. What sort of timeframe would you be looking at? I don't get back home until Christmas so I'm not in a rush, just trying to gain info while out here so I can get ahead of myself.

Many thanks

[FattyMcBaggins]

It's not too difficult to make it run with the stock ECU minus the modules. It's mainly just confusing if you don't know where to start. There are a handful of people running them with AEM's/Haltech's, but I believe you lose VVT in some cases. And, you'll end up spending oodles in tuning and such to get it to run as smoothly as the stock ECU does. I could be wrong, but I'd think that this could be just as big of a pain.
And yes, you might run into problems with the VQ starter not clearing your RHD steering column. In that case....get an HR! They're a little pricier, but much fresher, and a good bit more powerful/tuneable.
As far as a time frame goes, I work on a cruise ship, and so I disappear for 6 months at a time. As a result, I'll be gone until January or February of next year, so it won't be finished until sometime around then. I'm trying to gather info now and get it all written out, but it's a time consuming process, especially since I want to make sure the product is Idiot Proof. I'll try to keep posting updates for those interested.

[Mitch C]

Many thanks for the reply. Getting an HR isn't an option as I've been offered a car for a good price and was just weighing up whether to repair the body and use it as is or fit the VQ35 into an S13 as I don't think anyone in the UK has done it yet. I looked into Haltech etc and it would take the project way over budget as a stock ECU would be fine for now.

Actually fitting the engine shouldn't be too much of an issue as I've done a couple of 1JZ into S13, SR20DET into S2000 and GC8 and making mounts is no problem, but having skim read a couple of US projects it seemed to be quite a mission to wire in the VQ35 with all the modules and electric throttle etc. All I'd need is to have it up and running, I've no emissions to comply with as it would be for a drift car and don't want aircon etc so maybe it'd be a fair bit easier than some of the posher efforts on here.

I'm currently in Afghanistan til Christmas so it would be then at the earliest.

[1993ka24det]

I am looking at doing the same setup but in a NA Miata. The engine room is about the same between the s13 and Miata since I've owned both, but the problem I am dealing with that the s13 doesn't have to is the rear sump. I was told that I could have enough room to use a 01-04 Pathfinder rear sump oil pan. The other big hurtle that I know nothing about is the ECU and how to make it work in other cars. The Miata will be a track only car with the weight around 1800 lbs and a 330 hp VQ, so it should have enough get up and go.No one has ever done this swap yet that I know of. I know the engine and trans will fit with out much modification and I will be ordering a 04 350z VQ in about a week or so.

FattyMcBaggins-- what took you so long to complete, what gave you the most problems?

[NismoXxIi]

I'm going to keep it simple, I have a full car an 03 350z that was rolled has a vq35de and 5at that runs what can I pull off the z to make the swap work in a D21 pickup?? Can I use any of the suspension/driveline rear diff etc. as well? And will the auto trans from the z fit in it or is there a way to match it up to the 5sp in the D21 pickup and would it even hold the 280hp?