Project 914n6 -> the infamous Nissan V6 swap, new motor buildup Options

[Chris914n6]

Logic, according to my brain...

In 2000 I installed a Nissan VQ30, 3.0L from a 97 Maxima. 190hp 205tq and it was great. Then things happened (rusted battery tray). Then it sat for a decade (recession). The engine now overheats the cooling system like a bad head gasket. Likely from aluminum erosion from sitting too long (other signs). Fixing that requires complete disassembly down to a short block.

Soooo....

I decided to move up to a VQ35, 03 Maxima 3.5L +80hp!!! (that's 42% more)

Here's the rub. To get the VQ30 to fit I moved everything forward 1.5". Renegade sbc trans blocks, shortened shift rod, small hole in the truck. To fit the VQ35 as-is I would need to move it back, likely to stock location, to clear the variable cam timing stuff. That means a new cross mount, new shift rod, redo exhaust, plus new harness and ms3pro ecu ($$$$).

Turns out the gearheads at Maxima.org like to upgrade too. They created a VQ30/35 hybrid. It's a VQ35 engine with VQ30 ecu, harness, timing components and accessories. I lose the variable cam timing but I get to reuse all my custom swap bits, which saves a bunch of time I don't have before RRC22. But it requires some new custom parts.

If one or more of our great fabricators has time and tools I'd love to toss email money your way. @mueller @tygaboy @mb911

First is the Throttle Body adapter. Replacing the factory e-gas with cable. I currenly have this partially drawn in CorelDraw and design is not absolute (still searching hardware). 96mm x 99mm. TB (red) bolts to piece_1 (blue) which bolts to piece_2 (green) which bolts to IM (yellow).

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-431-1658826257.1.jpg)

Second is cam gear adapters/spacers in steel. I need 2 @ 178* and 2 @ 180*. 4 total cuz 4 cams of fury. 6mm dowel pins look to be readily available.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-431-1658826258.2.jpg)

Third is a pair of aluminum block-off plates for the VVT cam adjusters. 1.5" x 3.5" Also drawn in CorelDraw, which can be exported as .ai or .dxf. Actually I might make these by hand.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-431-1658826258.3.jpg)

Gratuitous PartsFinder pic

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/live.staticflickr.com-431-1658826258.4.jpg)

[Chris914n6]

Alright Alright Alright (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Not much going on. Been having neck issues for a while, finally looked into it and discovered Degenerative Disc Disease in my C5-C6-C7 plus L5-S1. Untreated injuries from car accidents 25-32 years ago have been taking their toll, delayed by a decent gym regiment. We'll see how good PT was in mid January. Seeing improvements but the day-to-day with PT is rough.

In the mean time...

I like to stick to actual progress updates because, well, I've been bouncing back and forth on the next steps, and you might get an clinical example of ADD.

1- Fixing the 3.0 makes sense, but the teardown didn't reveal the cause of the overheating issue. Buying a replacement is, long term, moola in the wrong direction.

2- The 3.5 is practically a whole new swap with the placement moving back 1.25" to trans stock location. So if I'm going that far, might as well adapt the Suby trans at the same time, which tops out the time/budget factor.
rick 918-S new 928/box6 adapter got me inspired to re-engineer my Suby adapter. Knocked about 10mm from the thickness to a more reasonable 22mm.

3- This weeks compromise... not kidding!
Keep the 914 trans.
I simplified the new mounts down to 'I think it's good enough' (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)
I'll need to cut 1.25" out of the exhaust.
Make a new adapter to mount the 3.5 timing ring on the flywheel.
Redo the wiring, but it was never that pretty anyways.
I need to 3dprint a section of the intake and relocate the battery. Will probably 3dprint the air filter box too.
Honda makes a simple cable to eTB pedal sensor.

Over the shelter indoors blistering hot summer I found a cheap PnP ecu by RusEFI. Drawback is it's canbus to gauges, soooo Arduino with a canbus shield to the rescue. Then if I add a Raspberry Pi with an LCD I get digital gauges. Not costly, but extra steps. TunerStudio (ECU tuning) just added a dedicated dash program so that works out well.

Not on the list. Better exhaust system using 4L manifolds and a 2 in muffler. WRX trans swap. Cable shifter. Tilton pedals & Box calipers. Fatter rear tires.

In a later post I'll show you what I spent this year's car budget on (IMG:style_emoticons/default/chowtime.gif)