Jayyyrah Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 I'm building my first project car ever. Chose a 78' 280z black pearl and although havn't been able to drive it, i love it. I want a clear engine bay with not so many wires, so i'm choosing the VQ35de because they're relatively cheap for the power you get. Now my concern is i'd like to make everything plug and play/bolt on as much as possible with the obvious exceptions. So back to the title of the post, Would the stock tranny work? if it matters its a 78' 280z black pearl and has a 5 Speed in it. I'm just looking for the simplest swap that i can do as well getting somewhere in the 300hp range. Thanks everyone, i appreciate everyone's help. Hopefully i don't get ripped a new one on this, since i wasn't able to find anything through google or the search tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannyvig Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Short answer, no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 (edited) I want a clear engine bay with not so many wires, so i'm choosing the VQ35de because they're relatively cheap for the power you get. These are not good criteria for choosing an engine. Edited January 12, 2014 by NewZed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayyyrah Posted January 12, 2014 Author Share Posted January 12, 2014 These are not good criteria for choosing an engine. What would you recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannyvig Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 What would you recommend? Quite a bit m Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannyvig Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 What would you recommend? Quite a bit more research to start. -Figure out what you want to build a car for -figure out a realistic budget -find an engine that you "think" you can swap for half of said budget Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayyyrah Posted January 13, 2014 Author Share Posted January 13, 2014 Quite a bit more research to start. -Figure out what you want to build a car for -figure out a realistic budget -find an engine that you "think" you can swap for half of said budget - Will be Drifting the car - Driving it 2-3 times a week - Would like 300+ hp - Can be turbo'ed later down the line - budget 3-4k - I can fabricate my own mounts for motor and tranny if necessary I can find a vq35de with tranny for $1000 in the junkyards near me. Comes with ecu and harness as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Well first go read my primer on the VQ swaps here in this V6 Forum, there's a lot of questions that it'll answer for you. Then like Manny said really think about the budget. It can be done for $3-4K but that will be tight. If you're going with a VQ, then why not take the 6 speed tranny with it. The Stock Datsun 5 speed, though, nice will not mate the VQ in any way. Though you may be able to have an adapter built, but why? Just take the 6 speed. $3-4K probably won't include any tuning or NATS removal services. So you'll need the BCU from the same car along with the Harnesses. The McKinney mounts are probably your best bet. Read about drifting an S30, There's a lot to but it's mostly skill. The lack of steering radius is the biggest issue with drifting. Some people cut and fab the suspensions out of an S13. but that blows your budget right there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astroboy Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I'm a bit perplexed as to your situation. I'm my experience, the drifters I've known across Europe and in Japan are usually very technical and would know what route to head down. I would cross reference this forum and driftworks.com for information. For setting up the VQ35DE I'd stay around here, a number of fellas have done the conversion and can offer advice but always try to dig about first. The last thing people want to do is repeat info already here. In regards to setting it up for ultimate lock and suspension for drifting, head to the driftworks for further info. Pharaohabq has written a large amount of information in regards to the conversion which is also pretty extensive. The thing is do you want NATS or not? Who is going to do your conversion? The fabrication of your own mounts is easy since there are autocad diagrams are already available on here. Have you considered uprating your fueling system when launching the car sideways? New brakes? Since you're a drifter, no doubt you'll have to install a hydro brake and you'll also have to replace the drum on the rears. Roll-cage? Have you thought about this? The s30 is mega old and isn't the strongest shell about, would be worth thinking about safety! Wheels. I doubt you'll be wanting to roll about on the wolfrace slotmags? Factor in cost for your footwear of choice. Suspension - drifter = decent coilovers/ custom setup. Please also remember that you have to get the camshaft from the 350z aswell as the gear box. Cut it (made of carbon fibre) and mate it to the exsiting on your machine. They'll also be the custom exhaust system that you'll have to get sorted too. Unfortuatnely I don't think it's the case of getting the engine, 'make everything plug and play/bolt on as much as possible'. "I want a clear engine bay with not so many wires" This can be done to any car - think of the Veedub scene. They push to have the cleanest bay that have just the engines in where the other parts are tucked away under the metalwork. Pharaohabq mentioned that $4k would be tight and you haven't even mentioned the above and you're already suggesting boost powas! lol. Remember you've also got to sort out the cooling system too. New rad or cut and weld the current one? Also, if you're not doing the install yourself, think about labour costs too! A lot me research is to be done me thinks. It'd be great to hear your thoughts though. Talk to us... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proxlamus© Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 - Will be Drifting the car - Driving it 2-3 times a week - Would like 300+ hp - Can be turbo'ed later down the line - budget 3-4k - I can fabricate my own mounts for motor and tranny if necessary I can find a vq35de with tranny for $1000 in the junkyards near me. Comes with ecu and harness as well. Whats wrong with a boosted L28 again? Itll meet your criteria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayyyrah Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 I'm a bit perplexed as to your situation. I'm my experience, the drifters I've known across Europe and in Japan are usually very technical and would know what route to head down. I would cross reference this forum and driftworks.com for information. For setting up the VQ35DE I'd stay around here, a number of fellas have done the conversion and can offer advice but always try to dig about first. The last thing people want to do is repeat info already here. In regards to setting it up for ultimate lock and suspension for drifting, head to the driftworks for further info. Pharaohabq has written a large amount of information in regards to the conversion which is also pretty extensive. The thing is do you want NATS or not? Who is going to do your conversion? The fabrication of your own mounts is easy since there are autocad diagrams are already available on here. Have you considered uprating your fueling system when launching the car sideways? New brakes? Since you're a drifter, no doubt you'll have to install a hydro brake and you'll also have to replace the drum on the rears. Roll-cage? Have you thought about this? The s30 is mega old and isn't the strongest shell about, would be worth thinking about safety! Wheels. I doubt you'll be wanting to roll about on the wolfrace slotmags? Factor in cost for your footwear of choice. Suspension - drifter = decent coilovers/ custom setup. Please also remember that you have to get the camshaft from the 350z aswell as the gear box. Cut it (made of carbon fibre) and mate it to the exsiting on your machine. They'll also be the custom exhaust system that you'll have to get sorted too. Unfortuatnely I don't think it's the case of getting the engine, 'make everything plug and play/bolt on as much as possible'. "I want a clear engine bay with not so many wires" This can be done to any car - think of the Veedub scene. They push to have the cleanest bay that have just the engines in where the other parts are tucked away under the metalwork. Pharaohabq mentioned that $4k would be tight and you haven't even mentioned the above and you're already suggesting boost powas! lol. Remember you've also got to sort out the cooling system too. New rad or cut and weld the current one? Also, if you're not doing the install yourself, think about labour costs too! A lot me research is to be done me thinks. It'd be great to hear your thoughts though. Talk to us... Before I even get the drifting or anything going, i'd like to have a running car. That's why i'm inquiring about the engine along with some other things first.. I do understand that its going to be a lot more than just engine work as you stated. I feel as though if i can drive it, it won't end up like a lot of other project cars, just sitting. My main goal is to get the car up and running drifting/other things can hold off. Whats wrong with a boosted L28 again? Itll meet your criteria Maybe its best to just get my L28 up and running, just the task of having a mess of wires scares me a bit. I'm not very experienced with rebuilding any cars as this is my first one. My L28 did run when i purchased it, but ran very poorly. Was un-driveable that's for sure. Gas pedal sticking down, engine would turn but would cough and die at low rpm. After removing pieces i realized there was not much fuel in the tank, nor was there barely any radiator fluid. Maybe seeing the engine in such poor shape drifted me away from actually getting it running healthy and also megasquirt scares me as well. I'm more scared/worried about electrical + wiring than anything and that is the main reason i was seeking something close to plug and play. I have no experience soldering anything. Transmission does go into gear but car rolls even in first, not sure if its supposed to be like this And also im not able to find a f54 block near me whatsoever nor do i have the space for a donor car. I feel maybe turboing the N42 block is the best idea but again like i said, there are certain things that scare me away from that. Advice/guidance as to what would be best for my application/goals is very appreciated Thanks, Jaysent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astroboy Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Ok cool. It sounds like you've got your budget in mind: $4K. Once you buy the engine you've got $3k left. It also sounds like you haven't much experience in car restoration or building (like myself at first but slowly getting the hang of things) Therefore, have you looked into who would be doing the engine conversion for you ableit you can do the metal fabrication work? It would be worth speaking to them to see if that $3k can cover the engine conversion/wiring loom (special no wiring in the bay style)/fabricating the cam shaft/exhaust/cooling (Rad) and fuelling system to get your car rolling back on the road. I would look into seeing if you want NATS or not and go on from there. Again, it would be great to hear your thoughts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Hey if you can get a good VQ35 + tranny for $1000, that's be great, but that needs to include more than just the engine. If you read my primer, you'll see you need the harnesses, ECU, BCU and NATS (key and sensor ring) along with the Main body(dash) and engine harnesses at the minimum. The NATS delete is about $1000 bucks, so it's cheaper to just get the BCU etc from the donor car. If you can't weld, or your mod skills aren't so good, then you're going to have to use outside help for the Mounts. (McKinney sells a VQ mount kit incl tranny mounts for about $650) Separate from that, there's misc components like hoses and belts which you'll need. so you can't discount that. Astro said Camshaft, I believe he meant Driveshaft, which you'll need to have fabbed using a stock VQ yoke. Additionally you'll need to buy or make a shifter relocator for the gear shift handle. Unless you go with the Auto/manual tranny, which is a drive by wire, but you'll need the tranny harness too. As I said in my Primer, the best way to do it is to buy the whole donor car and pull parts as are needed, rather than trying to find piecemeal. That and fine the FSM's for BOTH donor and target Cars, so you know what goes where. If you're not familiar with the systems, then you shouldn't even start the project. It's easy to mess things up if you start in the middle. I will try to help you as best as I can and try to help you stay in your budget, but you need to tell us what you want to do. Phar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayyyrah Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 Hey if you can get a good VQ35 + tranny for $1000, that's be great, but that needs to include more than just the engine. If you read my primer, you'll see you need the harnesses, ECU, BCU and NATS (key and sensor ring) along with the Main body(dash) and engine harnesses at the minimum. The NATS delete is about $1000 bucks, so it's cheaper to just get the BCU etc from the donor car. If you can't weld, or your mod skills aren't so good, then you're going to have to use outside help for the Mounts. (McKinney sells a VQ mount kit incl tranny mounts for about $650) Separate from that, there's misc components like hoses and belts which you'll need. so you can't discount that. Astro said Camshaft, I believe he meant Driveshaft, which you'll need to have fabbed using a stock VQ yoke. Additionally you'll need to buy or make a shifter relocator for the gear shift handle. Unless you go with the Auto/manual tranny, which is a drive by wire, but you'll need the tranny harness too. As I said in my Primer, the best way to do it is to buy the whole donor car and pull parts as are needed, rather than trying to find piecemeal. That and fine the FSM's for BOTH donor and target Cars, so you know what goes where. If you're not familiar with the systems, then you shouldn't even start the project. It's easy to mess things up if you start in the middle. I will try to help you as best as I can and try to help you stay in your budget, but you need to tell us what you want to do. Phar Thanks alot, i'll check with my local junkyard that does have the combo available to see what comes with the engine and what additional cost it would cost me to include the rest of the parts you listed. I know for sure i'll get the wiring loom/ecu as he called it included. I'll keep you updated as soon as i get my tax return back! should be soon! And since i'm also going to be moving within the next month I will actually have an actual drive-through to park the 280 without any problems! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proxlamus© Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Before I even get the drifting or anything going, i'd like to have a running car. That's why i'm inquiring about the engine along with some other things first.. I do understand that its going to be a lot more than just engine work as you stated. I feel as though if i can drive it, it won't end up like a lot of other project cars, just sitting. My main goal is to get the car up and running drifting/other things can hold off. Maybe its best to just get my L28 up and running, just the task of having a mess of wires scares me a bit. I'm not very experienced with rebuilding any cars as this is my first one. My L28 did run when i purchased it, but ran very poorly. Was un-driveable that's for sure. Gas pedal sticking down, engine would turn but would cough and die at low rpm. After removing pieces i realized there was not much fuel in the tank, nor was there barely any radiator fluid. Maybe seeing the engine in such poor shape drifted me away from actually getting it running healthy and also megasquirt scares me as well. I'm more scared/worried about electrical + wiring than anything and that is the main reason i was seeking something close to plug and play. I have no experience soldering anything. Transmission does go into gear but car rolls even in first, not sure if its supposed to be like this And also im not able to find a f54 block near me whatsoever nor do i have the space for a donor car. I feel maybe turboing the N42 block is the best idea but again like i said, there are certain things that scare me away from that. Advice/guidance as to what would be best for my application/goals is very appreciated Thanks, Jaysent Im a little hesitant here saying this.. but take tackle one thing at a time. I know cars are quite overwhelming, but you cant be afraid to work on the car. You will learn so much during the process. Sure youll make mistakes, but all of us have made mistakes. You can boost a N42 with no issues. You will read dozens of threads about "which is better?". Well... depends on your goals. If you are pushing the ragged edge of the L28.. yes cylinder head and blocks make a small difference. But for your goals, you have little to worry about. Trust in yourself, do one thing at a time, do your research and enjoy the journey my friend. Its much easier to first learn how to work on the car and do "add ons" to the L28 rather then swapping in a whole new engine and new wiring harness. Trust me its a pain. I couldnt imagine doing it as a first timer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astroboy Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Yep, thanks for addressing my mistake! I'm in the situation where I've got the engine, ecu, bdu etc. Basically everything needed to run the car include the key and the go faster pedal. At the moment I'm taking my time sourcing the right parts for the conversion. I've already talked to Abbey Motorsport in the Uk in regards to the loom/Nats removal (they used to look after the Motul 350z drag car -http://www.youtube.com/user/BramsRacingTV?feature=watch) so they have more than enough experience. Question is, who is doing the sparks work for you? Astro said Camshaft, I believe he meant Driveshaft, which you'll need to have fabbed using a stock VQ yoke. Phar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m1ghtymaxXx Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Maybe its best to just get my L28 up and running, just the task of having a mess of wires scares me a bit. I'm not very experienced with rebuilding any cars as this is my first one. My L28 did run when i purchased it, but ran very poorly. Was un-driveable that's for sure. Gas pedal sticking down, engine would turn but would cough and die at low rpm. After removing pieces i realized there was not much fuel in the tank, nor was there barely any radiator fluid. Maybe seeing the engine in such poor shape drifted me away from actually getting it running healthy and also megasquirt scares me as well. I'm more scared/worried about electrical + wiring than anything and that is the main reason i was seeking something close to plug and play. I have no experience soldering anything. Transmission does go into gear but car rolls even in first, not sure if its supposed to be like this If you can't easily sort out these issues, doing your own VQ swap will be way over your head. Do you drift competitively? Any sanctioned events will require a roll cage which will mean you no longer have a street car, unless you don't mind driving on the road with a helmet on. It say you get to work on getting the car in tip top shape. It won't be all that expensive and it will give you the opportunity to hone your wrenching skills and learn your way around the car. Once you've learned to sort out electrical gremlins, fueling issues, valve clearances, fixing rust, then you'll know what you can realistically accomplish. If an L28ET swap has you nervous about wiring, then you shouldn't even thinking about tackling a VQ swap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 That's quite true, You should probably look at getting the L28 running first so you can get user to the car and know what it's going to need, Brakes etc before looking too much into the swap. A lot of places will sell you the engine and engine harness, but you also need the dash harness along with the ECU/BCU for a VQ35DE to run. I'd really suggest you look at making the L28 go with maybe megasquirt or the OEM injection. I also mentioned that so far as drifting, you're going to need to look as some serious mods so, you really might want to look deeper into that, before heading down that road. It's likely going to be out of the budget you'd set forth. Not to mention Paint alone could possible blow that budget, depending on the quality. But if you do go VQ, I'll certainly try to help guide you along. Again though it'd probably be a good idea to try to get the L28 going so you can get to know your car better. The L28 is a pretty strong engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.