K Swap S30 - "Not bad"

[ottehr]

Not too much on this if you search google. So I'll make a thread documenting my experience so far - I'll try to include prices for everyone reading, and will tally up since I know thats a huge consideration for a lot of guys. Hope this format is acceptable. I'll try to avoid chatspeak!

 

September 2019: I set out to build a K swap Z. I had no car or parts, but knew I wanted either a Jerico 4 speed or a CD009. Considering used Jericos are $4000 and up, I hopped on a junkyard CD009 I stumbled upon (didn't even know it was in the yard). Once I brought a core back I got the transmission for $170 or so. I always stress how important a transmission is to any vehicle build, and that's why it was the first part I bought, even before I had a shell to throw it in! By the end of the month a SBC swapped, disassembled 1975 280z came up on Bend Oregon craigslist for $3000. Boy was that an adventure! In a nutshell, I hit black ice and spun out with the trailer on the drive there luckily didn't crash, then once I picked the 280z up, could never get the load balanced right, so couldn't do more than 45MPH for the 767 mile drive home. Car got to my old house and sat in the driveway.

 

October 2019: Thought I found a good deal on a used K-Pro (OEM K series ECU with aftermarket daughterboard for tunability) from a facebook seller in southern california. Yeah, when you go to ask for tracking number and you find out you're blocked, that means you got scammed. Problem for scammer is, I know how to find things out. Got dudes address and showed up two days later. Got my money back in cash. Crazy how people fold when shit hits the fan. Luckily found one more local and met up with seller a couple weeks later. So I got a K-pro V4 with ECU for $650 which was a good deal then (would be an even better deal in 2023)

 

Through the rest of 2019 and in to the beginning of 2020, I started collecting more parts, uneventful: Borg Warner S362 ($750 shipped BF deal), 4130 head studs ($110), RSX oil pump (new, $100 local), RSX oil pump kit (used, $70), auto RSX engine harness ($20, junkyard), oil filter relocation kit ($40, summit), RBB K24A (full VTEC) ($700, JDM Tokyo in West Sacramento), OEM headgasket and tensioner ($100?), Skunk2 ultra street manifold ($400), FIC 1650 SS injectors ($400, used), turbosmart fuel pressure regulator ($100 ?), innovative S2000 k swap mounts ($150, used), PMC adapter plate and flywheel ($1000), eBay "stage 5" (6 puck unsprung) 350z/G35 clutch kit ($220), Ktuned throttle body ($200), eBay 8an PTFE hose/fitting kit ($100), 100an fuel filter ($20), 10an fuel filter ($100), DW400 inline fuel pump ($220), eBay inlet/outlet style catch can ($40), Bussman fuse box ($100, pins/seals another $20), Inline pro S2000 k swap turbo manifold ($1200 to my door), replica turbosmart 45mm wastegate ($100), replica tial 50mm blow off valve ($80?), Blox oil pan baffle ($100), Silicone couplers ($120), CX Racing RX7 intercooler ($240), AEM wideband ($110), 4 bar MAP sensor ($80 used), universal transmission mount ($22), shifter relocation kit ($250), Summit brand line lock ($90), VW scirocco 3-core radiator ($150), billet K24 upper coolant housing ($80), various fittings and hardware we'll say $140.

I put the car together over the course of 2020. Started out by getting the engine set up: installed new headgasket and head studs, replaced timing chain tensioner, swapped intake cam gear (got a free RSX 50* gear), and installed RSX oil pump. Did a valve adjustment as well. In hindsight, I should of pulled pistons and checked endgap, and opened it up to my desired power level, but hoping that it isn't an issue. I welded on a 10AN bung to the pan before reinstalling on engine. With engine sealed up, I set up the oil filter relocation kit and did the oil feed for the turbo as well. With the turbo mounted, I was able to make the oil drain line (10an, had everything laying around from previous projects. On the intake side, I set up the skunk2 manifold for RWD by flipping the plenum. On the front of the engine I worked out the alternator setup, and using an idler off a GM gen III that I pocketed from the junkyard I was able to get a belt routed and tensioned, but still clear my throttle body.


Off the engine, I completely reworked the $20 automatic RSX engine harness. I set it up with a recycled AMP circular bulkhead connector (off a 2013 scrapped Tesla) for quick R&R, correct injector connectors, dual B/K connectors for MAP and TPS sensors, integrated alternator/knock/starter wiring, integrated oil pressure sensor wiring, fresh braided loom/heatshrink, concentric twisting... I nerd out with wiring a bit. But the supplies are cheap and the results are very satisfactory for me.

October 2020, I bought my new house and moved in. By December I installed the adapter plate, clutch, transmission and engine all together. Factory transmission crossmember wings on the body were removed from the S30, and I dropped the swap in. Engine placement ended up putting the crank pulley right over the steering rack, and I welded up brackets directly to the frame rails of the S30 to use the S2000 k swap mounts.


Fresh in to 2021, I realized that something was off with my clutch fork - turns out I had an early CD transmission clutch fork pivot bolt instead of the later CD009 pivot bolt (different story)... so swap came out and the correct $7 bolt from nissan went in. Cleaned up the engine bay a little and got better welds in for the motor mount brackets. Engine went back in and hasn't been removed since! I built a simple transmission crossmember after welding up some angle iron for it to bolt up to my floors (no pics sorry!). Started buttoning things up, like exhaust, intercooler mounting, radiator mounting/hoses, fuel line install, throttle cable fabrication, battery tray fabrication... tons of knick-knacks like any swap would have, fabricating anything I could, if not reaching in to junk piles, to save a buck. Did the chassis side of engine wiring, which was not nearly as fun as engine harness, building fusebox, C101, etc. By April 15 2021 I did first start (91 octane) and after that I got pretty excited to get the rest together.Worked out some fittings for the brake lines and installed the line lock, bled brakes, measured for, ordered and installed a driveshaft, and got the basemap good enough to take a short drive to the gas station.



Got a boost solenoid hooked up, and tried to set up a VSS that would read the backside of the front wheel studs. This VSS worked when I tested it on a jack stand, but in the real world doesn't work at all. Zip tied a gatorade bottle up for a coolant overflow, drained fuel and put E85, did a little bit of part throttle tuning myself, and car sat for a bit. I replaced the tires since they ones on the car were at least 15 if not 20 years old. Set up a temporary android tablet as a "cluster". Installed some generic 3-point seatbelts as well - the car came to me with none. By April 2022 was able to get on dyno schedule and with fresh E85 I went and made an effortless 540hp/375lb-ft without any fight at all. Thank you to Anthony at Hybridworks in Vallejo CA !

With the car fully tuned, focus went elsewhere: There was a terrible wobble past 60MPH - bad wheel balance in front. Got an alignment. The "corvette" trailer tail lights were swapped out for 240z tail lamps. I think I already pissed off the purists with the honda 4 banger, so what the hell do I care that there's 240 lights on a 280! I wired the chassis up in a very minimalistic manner - headlamp switch is a ground signal running in a 22g wire to a relay right at the headlamps. Much better than the factory wiring. Recycled some honda main relay diodes to get the 240z tail lamps to have correct turn signal/brake function while using a 280z turn signal switch. Simple super budget stuff with all recycled wire, relays, etc. At this point the car was fairly functional and fun to drive around!

Car sat all through November and December 2022. Mid January 2023 a close friend invites me to a car meet and tells me to bring the 280z. I'm busy, but I give him the code to my front door and told him where to find the key - he took the car and had a blast, though he was quite cold (no heater). February 2023, another friend encouraged and helped me get the car ready for Test-N-Tune at Sacramento raceway. We put on a 8 year old set of 24.5" slicks from my FWD CRX, buttoned up a couple loose ends (ahem no battery hold down bracket, fuel cell exposed in cabin) and went to test-n-tune the next day. First pass, left easy and pulled through 1st, 2nd, a bit of 3rd and let off and hit the brakes - 13.8. Leaked E85 through an open fitting on the fuel cell. Capped it off and went for another pass. Left a little harder and ran all the way through 1-2-3-4 but was stunned when I ran out of 4th gear around the 1000' so coasted a 12.2 @ 101mph. Went for a 3rd pass but pulled out from the burnout box when I was made aware that my front alignment was toe out on both sides - LCAs to FSF came loose somehow. Was a fun day and the car seems pretty promising. Looking in to getting a 2015+ mustang rear with 3.15 gears to stretch out my gearing a bit - i'm still on the original open 3.54 R200/U joint axles. 26" or 28" tires will help a bit too.

There might be some omissions, but adding up everything here puts me at $11,569. This includes the $3000 280z. I also sold the T5 that came with the Z for $500 so let's just count that towards fluids and fuel, haha. If I didn't turbo it, easily knock off $4000. In my correct opinion, an N/A K swap (stock engine like mine) should never be more than $6000.

FULL ALBUM

Edited February 18, 2023 by ottehr

[calZ]

Great write up and car. That's a hell of a shell you got for $3k.

[manimal]

Cool build, I plan on doing a full writeup of my k swap in a month or two once it is on the ground and running. It's the perfect engine for the car, turbo if you want reliable hp or NA(what I did) for a light weight high rpm screamer. 

[rags]

This will be my next swap

[jessejames]

Hi ottehr, 

 

I'm in the middle of the same swap. I've got a build thread on the forum thats out of date. I was wondering how you managed to avoid the steering shaft interfering with the accessories. Could you post some pictures of that area? My CD009 is now the lowest point on my vehicle. The way it hangs bothers me, but I'm just curious what yours looks like.

 

Thanks,

 

Jesse

[manimal]

On 2/20/2023 at 9:30 AM, jessejames said:

Hi ottehr, 

 

I'm in the middle of the same swap. I've got a build thread on the forum thats out of date. I was wondering how you managed to avoid the steering shaft interfering with the accessories. Could you post some pictures of that area? My CD009 is now the lowest point on my vehicle. The way it hangs bothers me, but I'm just curious what yours looks like.

 

Thanks,

 

Jesse

Looking at his pics he only has the necessities, water pump and alternator. I'm doing the same and I made my mounts to clear the stock steering shaft. I'm running the stock oil pan and it's basically dead nuts even with the factory pan location/subframe. I'm using a S2000 trans and I had to notch the transmission tunnel "gusset" hoop for the S2000 transmission shift tube. 

The factory location for the AC compressor sits where the steering shaft lives unfortunately.

[ottehr]

On 2/20/2023 at 9:30 AM, jessejames said:

Hi ottehr, 

 

I'm in the middle of the same swap. I've got a build thread on the forum thats out of date. I was wondering how you managed to avoid the steering shaft interfering with the accessories. Could you post some pictures of that area? My CD009 is now the lowest point on my vehicle. The way it hangs bothers me, but I'm just curious what yours looks like.

 

Thanks,

 

Jesse

Steering linkage: I cut it, added a support bearing, and another yoke to go around the engine mount. I’ll get a picture next time it’s convenient, but there isn’t much to it. Yoke came off a civic at the junk yard.

 

Small update, shop that did my alignment originally realigned the car for free since they didn’t torque the lower control arms to front subframe the first time. Haven’t had a chance to drive it since then, it’s been raining.

Edited February 25, 2023 by ottehr

[Iiro]

On 2/18/2023 at 12:56 PM, ottehr said:

Not too much on this if you search google. So I'll make a thread documenting my experience so far - I'll try to include prices for everyone reading, and will tally up since I know thats a huge consideration for a lot of guys. Hope this format is acceptable. I'll try to avoid chatspeak!

 

September 2019: I set out to build a K swap Z. I had no car or parts, but knew I wanted either a Jerico 4 speed or a CD009. Considering used Jericos are $4000 and up, I hopped on a junkyard CD009 I stumbled upon (didn't even know it was in the yard). Once I brought a core back I got the transmission for $170 or so. I always stress how important a transmission is to any vehicle build, and that's why it was the first part I bought, even before I had a shell to throw it in! By the end of the month a SBC swapped, disassembled 1975 280z came up on Bend Oregon craigslist for $3000. Boy was that an adventure! In a nutshell, I hit black ice and spun out with the trailer on the drive there luckily didn't crash, then once I picked the 280z up, could never get the load balanced right, so couldn't do more than 45MPH for the 767 mile drive home. Car got to my old house and sat in the driveway.

 

October 2019: Thought I found a good deal on a used K-Pro (OEM K series ECU with aftermarket daughterboard for tunability) from a facebook seller in southern california. Yeah, when you go to ask for tracking number and you find out you're blocked, that means you got scammed. Problem for scammer is, I know how to find things out. Got dudes address and showed up two days later. Got my money back in cash. Crazy how people fold when shit hits the fan. Luckily found one more local and met up with seller a couple weeks later. So I got a K-pro V4 with ECU for $650 which was a good deal then (would be an even better deal in 2023)

 

Through the rest of 2019 and in to the beginning of 2020, I started collecting more parts, uneventful: Borg Warner S362 ($750 shipped BF deal), 4130 head studs ($110), RSX oil pump (new, $100 local), RSX oil pump kit (used, $70), auto RSX engine harness ($20, junkyard), oil filter relocation kit ($40, summit), RBB K24A (full VTEC) ($700, JDM Tokyo in West Sacramento), OEM headgasket and tensioner ($100?), Skunk2 ultra street manifold ($400), FIC 1650 SS injectors ($400, used), turbosmart fuel pressure regulator ($100 ?), innovative S2000 k swap mounts ($150, used), PMC adapter plate and flywheel ($1000), eBay "stage 5" (6 puck unsprung) 350z/G35 clutch kit ($220), Ktuned throttle body ($200), eBay 8an PTFE hose/fitting kit ($100), 100an fuel filter ($20), 10an fuel filter ($100), DW400 inline fuel pump ($220), eBay inlet/outlet style catch can ($40), Bussman fuse box ($100, pins/seals another $20), Inline pro S2000 k swap turbo manifold ($1200 to my door), replica turbosmart 45mm wastegate ($100), replica tial 50mm blow off valve ($80?), Blox oil pan baffle ($100), Silicone couplers ($120), CX Racing RX7 intercooler ($240), AEM wideband ($110), 4 bar MAP sensor ($80 used), universal transmission mount ($22), shifter relocation kit ($250), Summit brand line lock ($90), VW scirocco 3-core radiator ($150), billet K24 upper coolant housing ($80), various fittings and hardware we'll say $140.

I put the car together over the course of 2020. Started out by getting the engine set up: installed new headgasket and head studs, replaced timing chain tensioner, swapped intake cam gear (got a free RSX 50* gear), and installed RSX oil pump. Did a valve adjustment as well. In hindsight, I should of pulled pistons and checked endgap, and opened it up to my desired power level, but hoping that it isn't an issue. I welded on a 10AN bung to the pan before reinstalling on engine. With engine sealed up, I set up the oil filter relocation kit and did the oil feed for the turbo as well. With the turbo mounted, I was able to make the oil drain line (10an, had everything laying around from previous projects. On the intake side, I set up the skunk2 manifold for RWD by flipping the plenum. On the front of the engine I worked out the alternator setup, and using an idler off a GM gen III that I pocketed from the junkyard I was able to get a belt routed and tensioned, but still clear my throttle body.


Off the engine, I completely reworked the $20 automatic RSX engine harness. I set it up with a recycled AMP circular bulkhead connector (off a 2013 scrapped Tesla) for quick R&R, correct injector connectors, dual B/K connectors for MAP and TPS sensors, integrated alternator/knock/starter wiring, integrated oil pressure sensor wiring, fresh braided loom/heatshrink, concentric twisting... I nerd out with wiring a bit. But the supplies are cheap and the results are very satisfactory for me.

October 2020, I bought my new house and moved in. By December I installed the adapter plate, clutch, transmission and engine all together. Factory transmission crossmember wings on the body were removed from the S30, and I dropped the swap in. Engine placement ended up putting the crank pulley right over the steering rack, and I welded up brackets directly to the frame rails of the S30 to use the S2000 k swap mounts.


Fresh in to 2021, I realized that something was off with my clutch fork - turns out I had an early CD transmission clutch fork pivot bolt instead of the later CD009 pivot bolt (different story)... so swap came out and the correct $7 bolt from nissan went in. Cleaned up the engine bay a little and got better welds in for the motor mount brackets. Engine went back in and hasn't been removed since! I built a simple transmission crossmember after welding up some angle iron for it to bolt up to my floors (no pics sorry!). Started buttoning things up, like exhaust, intercooler mounting, radiator mounting/hoses, fuel line install, throttle cable fabrication, battery tray fabrication... tons of knick-knacks like any swap would have, fabricating anything I could, if not reaching in to junk piles, to save a buck. Did the chassis side of engine wiring, which was not nearly as fun as engine harness, building fusebox, C101, etc. By April 15 2021 I did first start (91 octane) and after that I got pretty excited to get the rest together.Worked out some fittings for the brake lines and installed the line lock, bled brakes, measured for, ordered and installed a driveshaft, and got the basemap good enough to take a short drive to the gas station.



Got a boost solenoid hooked up, and tried to set up a VSS that would read the backside of the front wheel studs. This VSS worked when I tested it on a jack stand, but in the real world doesn't work at all. Zip tied a gatorade bottle up for a coolant overflow, drained fuel and put E85, did a little bit of part throttle tuning myself, and car sat for a bit. I replaced the tires since they ones on the car were at least 15 if not 20 years old. Set up a temporary android tablet as a "cluster". Installed some generic 3-point seatbelts as well - the car came to me with none. By April 2022 was able to get on dyno schedule and with fresh E85 I went and made an effortless 540hp/375lb-ft without any fight at all. Thank you to Anthony at Hybridworks in Vallejo CA !

With the car fully tuned, focus went elsewhere: There was a terrible wobble past 60MPH - bad wheel balance in front. Got an alignment. The "corvette" trailer tail lights were swapped out for 240z tail lamps. I think I already pissed off the purists with the honda 4 banger, so what the hell do I care that there's 240 lights on a 280! I wired the chassis up in a very minimalistic manner - headlamp switch is a ground signal running in a 22g wire to a relay right at the headlamps. Much better than the factory wiring. Recycled some honda main relay diodes to get the 240z tail lamps to have correct turn signal/brake function while using a 280z turn signal switch. Simple super budget stuff with all recycled wire, relays, etc. At this point the car was fairly functional and fun to drive around!

Car sat all through November and December 2022. Mid January 2023 a close friend invites me to a car meet and tells me to bring the 280z. I'm busy, but I give him the code to my front door and told him where to find the key - he took the car and had a blast, though he was quite cold (no heater). February 2023, another friend encouraged and helped me get the car ready for Test-N-Tune at Sacramento raceway. We put on a 8 year old set of 24.5" slicks from my FWD CRX, buttoned up a couple loose ends (ahem no battery hold down bracket, fuel cell exposed in cabin) and went to test-n-tune the next day. First pass, left easy and pulled through 1st, 2nd, a bit of 3rd and let off and hit the brakes - 13.8. Leaked E85 through an open fitting on the fuel cell. Capped it off and went for another pass. Left a little harder and ran all the way through 1-2-3-4 but was stunned when I ran out of 4th gear around the 1000' so coasted a 12.2 @ 101mph. Went for a 3rd pass but pulled out from the burnout box when I was made aware that my front alignment was toe out on both sides - LCAs to FSF came loose somehow. Was a fun day and the car seems pretty promising. Looking in to getting a 2015+ mustang rear with 3.15 gears to stretch out my gearing a bit - i'm still on the original open 3.54 R200/U joint axles. 26" or 28" tires will help a bit too.

There might be some omissions, but adding up everything here puts me at $11,569. This includes the $3000 280z. I also sold the T5 that came with the Z for $500 so let's just count that towards fluids and fuel, haha. If I didn't turbo it, easily knock off $4000. In my correct opinion, an N/A K swap (stock engine like mine) should never be more than $6000.

FULL ALBUM

Great write up and plenty of good info. Down this route as well, however with BMW 6-speed, which are plentiful here in Europe