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 - VQ35 S13 - Tuning At UpRev - YouTube

iamtheyi

I'd be interested. I want a CARB legal VQ in my s14 lol.

__________________

erict90

I would be very interested aswell for my s14, im always searching up info on the swap

__________________
Instagram: @erict90

zooopreme

Hm, I'd be interested for my S13. Question though, who do we turn to when something in your write up doesn't work?

__________________
For Sale #1 | For Sale #2

FattyMcBaggins

Well, with a swap like this, obviously there is always a chance of something going wrong, and according to my experience with cars, something will. That happens even when people are doing SR swaps, which have been (nearly) idiot proofed by forum write ups at this point. But, part of the package will be e-mail-based custom support and troubleshooting help. A few freebies that will come with the book will include basic tutorials on soldering and also on how to properly use to multi-meter to diagnose electrical issues. I spent weeks trying to figure out why my fuel pump wouldn't work with the new swap and then realized a previous owner installed a security system that was not cooperating with the changes in wiring.
As people start to use the guide, and find any sorts of issues, the book will be promptly updated and improved upon. But, I am confident that there would be pretty rare instances of this happening.

PureRush

Why did you swap a VQ35 in your 240? No hating I'm just wondering why you chose to do that

Zenki_516

I'd do it if I were you... could probably help out a lot of people, and its an awesome swap. Good luck if you go ahead with it!!!

__________________

Still Thug.

GrimDrifter

I'm highly interested. My vq35 is mounted in the car now but not near enough to running condition.

FattyMcBaggins

I went with the VQ for a variety of reasons.
-I wanted an engine that could easily be sourced here in the US, so that I'd be able to find parts easily.
-I wanted to stay in the Nissan family
-I wanted motor that was built after 2000, mainly because I felt it'd be easier to find something in good condition, or atleast something that hasn't been sitting in a junkyard for 20 years. I also knew that in the long term, a newer make engine ensures that Nissan will continue to make parts for atleast another 10 years
- I was very impressed with the power curve of the VQ. It's very strong in the mid range, which in my opinion is where the fun tends to be. It's a nice compromise between a small displacement turbo motor, and a big V8. Torquey, yet still somewhat rev happy. I also liked the reliability offered by a non turbo motor.
-Massive after market
-It's a different than the mainstream. But then again, in the 240 scene, just having a clean build is different than the mainstream!

Boorito

I love the idea of mainstreaming the VQ, but if your not running a stock computer for the OBD smog inspection part, wont it not pass the initial inspection in Cali to get its Bar cert? I thought I read on here or nico your running a aftermarket ECM, but I could have missread.

I would love to pay for a book that helps walk me thorough the process of properly swaping a VQ if I can get a Cali Bar cert.

FattyMcBaggins

I am running the stock ECU. Mind you, I personally have deleted the cats, and I believe to stay completely legal you would have to retain both sets of stock cats from the Z/G35, but I'm not sure on that. In Cali would you have to pass the rules for the Z? Or for the OEM S Chassis? If it's the S Chassis, then you could easily put in high flow cats, and delete the heated cats from the Z.

markfitz14

Yeah that thing sounds do bad as#. I just started looking for a 240 myself. And have seen a VQ in a s13 in person and was amazed at how tight the fit in the engine bay was. I thought wow I could never make that fit. Well my question is wheter it is economical to do this swap over an Rb or SR? I hear yah about it being a newer engine and agree. But what do you think the overall cost of the swap would be? 3-4k or what?

REVGASM

Post up your estimated cost for a running vq set up.

__________________
ProceeD:Final-Bout:RVGSM SPL

rb25crazy

i'd buy one just because i'm curious and for knowledge. Do it.

upsdude

http://zilvia.net/f/chat/241510-yet-...st-thread.html
http://zilvia.net/f/s-chassis/374604...-pic-hevy.html
http://zilvia.net/f/engine-tech/3890...ur-95-s14.html
http://zilvia.net/f/s-chassis/377492...s14-build.html

some links regarding the vq swap that have been posted on the forum. from what i've read from dave (drift freaq) getting the vq to pass bar inspection is no easy task. I pm'd him about it a couple weeks ago but i don't know if he's abandoned the project or not. the other guy who
posted the diy on wiring spent about 10k on his swap since he upgraded the internals, etc.

so just like any swap this one can get very expensive depending on what you want to do. my impression is that getting it bar'ed and legalized here in califorinia is doable, but for the money and time you're going to put into it, you might as well just buy a 350z IMO.

markfitz14

Yeah I saw some shop from Florida on ebay charging 8k for the VQ engine and swap. Thats a Freakin lot for the average person.

FattyMcBaggins

It's definitely a more expensive swap. It's almost impossible to rival the affordability of SR swaps. I haven't looked into RB's, but last time I checked (which was years ago), in order to really do it right, it cost around 6k for an RB25 and 9-10k for an RB26. Feel free to correct me if that number has changed.
Now, I didn't do the internals on my motor, but I did absolutely every single bolt on I possibly could, including spending $1200 on custom headers. My costs were around 9k. When I bought my engine, I couldn't find anything for under about $3500, but now I seem to see them going for just over $2000 all of the time. I'm pretty sure prices will come down even more as Z's get older.
I think, if you did the work yourself, you could pull the swap off for somewhere in the 5-6k range, maybe less depending on how much time you spend searching for deals. Still expensive, but I think it offers a value in the reliability department, and the power delivery. Also, stock S13 and J30 diffs have a shorter gearing than a Z, so it's a TON of fun to drive! With bolt ons, I'm running a 12.8 1/4 mile. I've been told that's about what Z06's throw down (?)
Like I said, I have no clue about making it Carb legal. I've seen a few builds that used the cat setup straight out of the Z, and I can't imagine how that would not pass, but I am not familiar with the intricacies of the laws, I'm just spit ballin'!
Yes, you could just buy a Z, but you see those all over the place. And with the weight advantage, any Z has to have about 50hp up on me to beat me.

@Markfitz
The shop you saw on Ebay is probably ZFever. They're one of the so called "experts" on the swap. They are the only ones that offer the ECU service right now that let's the ECU work without having all of the other modules from the Z (Security system and a bunch of other crap). They are also the ones who did my wiring and didn't solder a bunch of it together, used liquid electrical tape. They also tried to screw me out of almost $3500 a few years back when I tried to source all of my swap parts through them. They had my money, but sent me no parts for 4 months, and wouldn't answer phone calls. Finally called my credit card company and the bank refunded me, and then went to do battle with ZFever. 2 weeks later I got a sudden phone call from Zfever asking me if I'd like to send them money for shipping so we could sort it out! HAH!

upsdude

so are you say zfever is a place to stay away from? if i were to do a swap i'd have to have someone else do it-wiring is not my thing. if i were to do a swap i want something that retains the a/c, cruise control, all the normal stuff i had with the stock motor :P the vq swap looks perfect for a fun to drive dd car, but for the cost one might as well look into the 1j/2j or ls swap

markfitz14

Thanks for answering. Well I just watched all your ebay videos. Well done my dude. The engine has a nice growl. Well my suggestion is to make a dvd bc for someone like me it would be a lot easier to see someone showing me. Or at least a lot of pictures

FattyMcBaggins

Yes, definitely stay away from ZFever. I had to go back and fix a ton of the wiring that they did. If I go through with this I'll be speaking with UpRev about having them do the ECU service themselves. I also plan to offer PROPER wiring service to those that are interested. But, my first goal is to arm people with the knowledge they need to complete a project like this. Electrical ANYTHING was voodoo magic to me before I started this swap. I hated all of it. But now that I've learned how to troubleshoot it and learned how to solder properly, it all makes sense.
And yeah, cost wise, there are plenty of other viable options. I almost went with a 2jz, but I love how much space there is to work on the VQ in my car. I can stand in the engine bay in between the engine and the radiator! Good luck reaching a hand in with an RB or 2jz. And my only reasoning for not doing an LS1 swap is I feel like it's the go to engine for anything and everything. Hot rodders, resto-mod's, and now even all of the imports. I've always liked the idea of taking down a big domestic with an import power plant, especially in a car they'd never expect it from.
As far as A/C and cruise control go, I've seen some guys keep them both, and it doesn't look to be TOO complicated, but I'm still shaking things down on my car, engine-wise, so that's another days project all together. It will be included in the book though once I figure it all out!

FattyMcBaggins

@markfitz
Thanks dude, I love the way it sounds. It definitely turns heads when I leave a stop light! I would probably go with a book with tons of pictures before I'd do a DVD, only because you can sit in the garage with a big manual and scribble notes in it and such. Sitting there with a DVD player/laptop would quickly become a pain IMO. Also, it would be incredibly time consuming and expensive for me to do a DVD. I'd essentially have to pay to do the swap all over again in order to do a film of it. We'll see, this is still in the planning phase, so things could change once I get rolling on it.

FattyMcBaggins

@HokeClay
I think I've explained most of my reasoning in the above posts. I'm not saying that it's the swap for everybody. There are great redeeming factors about most swap offerings, and this is one of them. People interested in this swap don't have access to as wide of a span of information as those looking to do an SR or RB swaps. I'm ok with people not wanting to do the swap, but I also think alot of people would like to, but shy away because of all of the "unknown" factors and bad information out there.

reallygood101

im down to get a book, ive been trying to find more info on this swap for my s14 i love the fact that is n/a v6 with a 6spd the reliability is there the torque is there and a good amount of power is there, i just wanna do the swap so i can drive an hour to the track with no problems and under the radar with the cops, track it for a day and then b able to drive it home, there r acouple vq35de for sale close to me but with no info out there im not gonna jump into anything like that

KansaiDrifter

I did mine myself, but I've been around the block with s chassis and at the time new swaps haha, I think the biggest secrets are the wiring. You can buy bolt in mounts, driveshaft, etc so most of the swap is self explanatory, but the wiring is a headache lol. I did the Zfever, got my ecu and wiring back (late) but it did fire and run everytime. I love the vq, won the 2011 Grassroots Drift Championship (and 3 of 4 rounds) and am currently going crazy with rebuilding it for boost. Here's a link to my thread,

http://zilvia.net/f/chat/337935-350sx-nw-build-up.html

__________________

drift freaq

Ok guys, yup I am actually posting. First off doing the the DE swap is not hard. Doing it legally, is somewhat harder.
For certain reasons that indeed have been outlined in other threads.

Doing an HR swap is even more involved as you get into the whole crossmember modification due to the engine being a fair amount taller and not fitting in the S chassis engine bay height wise.
Not saying it can't be as some have done it( not legally) . Its just not worth the trouble in my opinion.
You might as well buy a Z

You also have to deal with the hassles of the problematic concentric slave cylinder and NIssan's short sightedness in the name of costs of using plastic in it.

For me I feel the sole reason for doing this swap is for legality. These are my reasons.

I have seen many out of state people posting about the swap were they did not have smog laws to contend with. That to me does not really count because its an easy swap to do if you don't have the smog laws to contend with. Flash the ecu to eliminate Nats,BCM and IPDM and its like wiring a SR.

Though I can say I do like SR's and if I could put an SR in the car legally I would have done that and called it day. LOL
Or perhaps I might have just tossed in a VQ already. LOL

Am I doing the swap? Yes, though its not a priority at all at the moment. I have other things going on business wise that are more important.
Oh and ya its not car business stuff.

__________________
"Having a lot of tracks on a song is like putting stickers on a car to get more horsepower"

New Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uebV1OnbRsw
Buy my mounts!
http://zilvia.net/f/sale-items/51531...ns-mounts.html
http://zilvia.net/f/tech-talk/317539...e-mouts-6.html

FattyMcBaggins

Thanks for the input driftfreaq. I feel like the wiring is probably the most straight forward part. The biggest issue for me was the alternator wouldn't put out a charge. At all. After replacing it and trying to fix all kinds of other things, I finally realized that one of the wires on the alternator plug wasnt wired to an ignition source. So the alternator was spinning, but didn't know the car was on, so the solenoid stayed shut. I wish I had decided to wire it myself in the first place instead of sending it out, but what's done is done. It was the power steering and fuel system stuff that screwed with me for awhile, partially because of shady information. Also had to do with troubleshooting issues with parts that ChaseBays made. In hind sight, once I solved any problems that arose, most of it seemed pretty obvious. But when you're frustrated and in th middle of it all, it doesn't seem that way. I'll definitely do some searching to read up on your posts.

stefano260z

Hi my name is stefano Begazo from Peru and i have a vq35de and also 260z so i have a question for the swap can i used the oem ecu and throttle body electronic because i dont know if i need a haltech or anther one open ecu thanks for the help

if i can use only the oem ecu NOT FLASHED which another things i need to use

ecu harnes
bcm
fuse box
throttle body
ecm
somethings else''?

grimm199

From all that i've read, the 350Z has about 4 or 5 separate ECUs in it. Pretty much everything the car wants to do has to go through multiple ECUs to verify it before it actually does anything. And if one is gone, nothing will work. Probably best to just go with a whole new computer system, like AEM or such. But I am in no means an expert so don't take this 100%.
Also Is there any updates on this? I would be very interested in buying a this manual as well.

Bushido

contact Z fever in Tampa FL, they sell an unlocked ECU.

__________________

stefano260z

i need the names of all the ecus that i need to use