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Engine Swap


RayRay
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Im wantong to do an engine swap on my 93 SE but im sure what o want to put in it. Can someone give me suggestions on what i can swam inand how much work will I have to do?

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3.3 from an xterra or frontier drop right in, but with a 3.3 front another path, you need to swap and make brackets to fit the accessories

Edited by Bubbley11
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Im wantong to do an engine swap on my 93 SE but im sure what o want to put in it. Can someone give me suggestions on what i can swam inand how much work will I have to do?

 

Are you looking to stay with a Nissan swap, or considering something bigger

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  • 2 months later...

I'm no stranger to motor swaps... I did a RX7 Turbo into a Suzuki Sidekick a few years back. But after replacing my VG30 with a VG33 I must say I'm not sure much else would fit without changing to a SAS setup. The Nissan oil pan drops between the axle and transmission. I'm sure lots of motors would physically fit. But the oil sump would create issues.

 

I did a VG33 swap in mine on the cheap and couldn't be more pleased.

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Could I swap my 3.0 with a Chevy 4.3 vortec?

You can pretty much swap in anything you want short of a big block Chevy or Ford. What it will take some "Mad Fabrication" skills and some ingenuity. There are kits out there for small block Chevy and ford swaps I believe. It can be done without too much issue. I plan on at some point swapping in a GM 5.3 at some point.

 

 

Bubba.....

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From what I've read, the main problem with a motor swap is which side the transfer case ends up on. The Pathfinder has it on the driver's side, and I guess most rigs have it on the passenger's side. If you've got an adapter, or want to do a solid axle swap anyway, then it's no problem, and you've just got the size of the engine bay to worry about.

 

V8path is running a 5.7l from a Trans Am with an adapter that let him mate the 4L60E auto trans to the stock Nissan transfer case.

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Im wantong to do an engine swap on my 93 SE but im sure what o want to put in it. Can someone give me suggestions on what i can swam inand how much work will I have to do?

 

There are a few things to decide if you decide to swap to a Chev V6 or SBC.

 

Do you want to retain the Nissan t-case? Are you running the OEM front suspension or do you already have a SAS? If you retain the t-case and in its original position, then you don;t have to consider front and rear drive shaft modifications. These type of things can add to the budget very quickly (after the fact).

 

What is your budget, and how much more HP / torque are looking for? If you're looking for ease of parts etc. after the swap, SBC is the way to go.

 

There's enough room in the engine bay for a SBC, and depending how far you want to, or need to, position the engine will determine how much work has to be done as far as radiator/fans etc up front. Where you place the engine will depend on your suspension and what you need to clear, which is why the question of OEM or SAS. The main issue is the oil pan, but there are a few options there.

 

There's a lot to consider, and it depends on your experience, or whether you're confident you can to gain that experience by just doing it (after some care thought as to what needs to be done). It's almost impossible to fully answer your question, when the question leaves a lot more questions...

 

Let me know if you want some help with the questions :)

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  • 6 years later...
  • 2 weeks later...
On 4/24/2021 at 10:37 PM, Slartibartfast said:

The Pathy VG33 will fit, yes. The X or Fronty VG33 is preferred because the accessory brackets they come with fit the engine bay better, but it's the same engine.

Whats the easiest and economical route?

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Not sure, I haven't done the swap myself. If you want to keep V belts (to use your old accessories), you'll need an adapter for the crank pulley. if you can use the donor's accessories and brackets, you don't need the adapter, so that's one less thing on the parts list (assuming the accessories came with the engine and didn't cost extra). The usual recipe as I understand it is VG33, VG30 cams (not required but recommended), VG30 intake/exhaust/distributor, and mod the oil pan (and possibly the oil pickup) as needed to clear the front diff. I would plan to do the timing belt and just about every seal I could get to while the engine is out, as well as engine mounts, given what happened the last time I went into an engine swap without new mounts on hand.

This thread goes well beyond a simple VG33 swap, but if you skip the bits about porting the heads and fitting larger pistons, it's still a good look at what you're up against.

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