snicker

I'm not removing the transmission at all. I've heard the horror stories about it. I only need less than 3 inches of movement of the transmission in order to get the engine out. I'm aware that the driveshafts have to be removed and the extensions required for the top bolts. I'll keep the 17mm bolts in mind when attacking the diff. I am not going to be able to finish this today (friend stopped by and we changed the clutch on his Z31) but I knew it was an ambitious project. I don't think anyone says "engine swap? no big deal"

Have you guys got sources you could point me to for these parts? Wouldn't the VG30E that was already in the Pathfinder have that? Unless someone around here has a 5 speed transmission I could get pro-bono, I'm probably not going to replace the transmission right now I just had the transmission overhauled maybe 5,000 miles ago.

The Z was manual, the Pathfinder is auto. Didn't think about the oil pan but it's a definite "duh" now. Check on the manifold gaskets. Yup, not a non-interference double negatives get confusing. I figured if I had a free engine, it was probably better (and cheaper) than redneck fixes. The VG30E with the snapped belt had 180,000 miles on it, the '86 is still under 100k.

Late last year, I was doing about 70MPH on the freeway in my Pathfinder when the engine suddenly died. Turned out that the timing belt snapped. Being that the VG30E is not a non-interference engine, I surmised that most, if not all, of the valves would be damaged. Bummer. So it sat in my garage until I decided what I wanted to do with it. Fast forward to a few months ago. I also have a 1976 280Z and hang out with a good number of the Z club locals. My friend's Z31 got smashed up and totaled, but his engine remained undamaged. He bought another Z31 as a body-donor for a fair price and told me if I got the engine out of it, I could have it for free. So today, the work actually starts. I've never pulled an engine out of a Pathfinder before, but from some brief reading on the forums, it sounds like the easiest way to remove the engine is as follows: 1. Remove the driveshafts 2. Unbolt the transmission from the mount and engine and slide it back as far as it will go 3. Remove the radiator 4. Drop the front diff 5. Lift the engine straight up and out. Seem right? The next step is swapping things that are different from engine to engine. From some non-very-thorough inspection, it looks like at least the following has to be swapped from block to block: 1. Intake 2. Valve covers 3. Fuel rails 4. Distributor Anyways, I'll be updating the thread with pictures. I hope to at least get the engine out this afternoon.