William Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 (edited) With the BFG 33x12.5R15 tires on, I started to feel a considerable decrease in performance on the highway (esp. going uphill) Friends of mine recommended an Engine Swap into a CHEVY or a GMC V8 with nearly 350 HP (as opposed to our modest VG30E delivering 157 when they were first manufactured - I don't know about its condition now after so many years or service and nearly 100K on the odometer). I saw the pics of the VG30DETT twin turbo intercooled 350HP engine swap post. It is quite impressive but the wiring seems quite complicated. How about a V8 5.7L HEMI off a recent model JEEP? I am basically looking for a recent model engine that I can take off a recent model scrap car with very low mileage and with as little swap hassle as possible. William Edited December 1, 2011 by William Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 If you want newer, GM LSx V8. All aluminum, put out a lot of power, very reliable, and are able to get 30+MPG highway in the right chassis. They are narrower than the stock VG, lighter, and only a few inches longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 I understand that the Chevy 4.3l V6 is a popular swap too... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 (edited) Could always drop in a VG33E (96-00 pathfinder or 00-04 xterra) which makes 180hp and more if you do I/H/E. Or build a VG34. These would be more bolt on than a gm or jeep swap. The VG33 should be pretty easy to find what with nissan scrapping so many r50s due to strut tower rot. Edited December 1, 2011 by adamzan 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nismothunder Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Anyway you go you will have too run a stand alone engine system and e-fans, the sbc isnt as wide as a vg but it sure as hell is a lot longer. 4.3 is a decent engine and is shorter then a sbc, but your not gonna make the same power. New hemis, what about them? They go 300k and make decent power . No buddys ever done a hemi wd plat form swap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 (edited) I know chevy swaps are always popular one bad thing is the distributor if the engine has one is in the rear and you normally will have to massage the firewall to make clearance for it. Ford distributor is in the front so no problems with that. Infiniti Q45 engine swap 317 HP (factory underrated at 287) Edited December 2, 2011 by ahardb0dy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heloflyboy Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Maybe you should look at your axle gear ratio first.It would be alot easier in the long run.If you only have 100k on engine it would probably make more sense.4.90's would work great. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1994SEV6 Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 With the BFG 33x12.5R15 tires on, I started to feel a considerable decrease in performance on the highway (esp. going uphill) Friends of mine recommended an Engine Swap into a CHEVY or a GMC V8 with nearly 350 HP (as opposed to our modest VG30E delivering 157 when they were first manufactured - I don't know about its condition now after so many years or service and nearly 100K on the odometer). I saw the pics of the VG30DETT twin turbo intercooled 350HP engine swap post. It is quite impressive but the wiring seems quite complicated. How about a V8 5.7L HEMI off a recent model JEEP? I am basically looking for a recent model engine that I can take off a recent model scrap car with very low mileage and with as little swap hassle as possible. William only 100k miles?!?!??! WTF? When you do the swap, mind, uh, letting me take that off your hands? Free of charge. Usually, I charge $50 for scrap removal, I'll do you a favor I know chevy swaps are always popular one bad thing is the distributor if the engine has one is in the rear and you normally will have to massage the firewall to make clearance for it. Ford distributor is in the front so no problems with that. Infiniti Q45 engine swap 317 HP (factory underrated at 287) That would require the most fabrication I've ever seen. There is a guy on another Nissan forum who did that. the fabrication... If you want to put a VH45DE (Q45) in your Pathfinder, then check this out http://nissantrailriders.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=1063&start=60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 There's a word for a 100k VG... well, two words. Broken in. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1994SEV6 Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 There's a word for a 100k VG... well, two words. Broken in. nah. there is A word for it. that word is "new" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 and timing belt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Posted December 2, 2011 Author Share Posted December 2, 2011 (edited) and timing belt Actually it has around ~110,000 KM (not Miles even). The engine is in a great condition. Never had a problem with it. I only replaced the 3.0 Injectors a year back with the ones from a 3.3 engine (VG33E) while in the process of doing some injector cleaning. I thought maybe the 3.3 injectors will give me a little more power but I was wrong. It did not help at all. The only reason I am considering swapping it is due to the lack of power after the S&B lift+33" tires. There is obviously many routes to the swap with many alternatives and options. Someone told me that the new engine has to be a HORIZONTAL block and cannot be a VERTICAL one to match the layout of the current VG30E. Is that true? How do I tell which one is which? William Edited December 2, 2011 by William Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Posted December 2, 2011 Author Share Posted December 2, 2011 Maybe you should look at your axle gear ratio first.It would be alot easier in the long run.If you only have 100k on engine it would probably make more sense.4.90's would work great. I believe my current AXLE RATIO is stock at nearly 4.66 (I believe). What would the 4.9 give me in return? More Power? How to do that? William Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewebster Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 The engine has to run longitudinally, i.e. with the crankshaft axis parallel to the long axis of the truck. I'm not sure if that's what the person was saying when they were talking about horizontal and vertical. To change your gear ration you replace the gears in the front and rear differentials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Posted December 2, 2011 Author Share Posted December 2, 2011 The engine has to run longitudinally, i.e. with the crankshaft axis parallel to the long axis of the truck. I'm not sure if that's what the person was saying when they were talking about horizontal and vertical. To change your gear ration you replace the gears in the front and rear differentials. Yes. I believe this is what he was referring to. Thx for the clarification Right now, I am running the stock R200A (Front) and H233B (Rear). My current gear ratio is: 4.625 What would be the benefits of increasing the Gear Ratio for the front and rear by installing new RING & PINIONS? The following options are available on ruggedrocksoffroad.com * 5.143 Front R200A Ring and Pinion Gears $496.95 * 4.875 Rear H233B Ring and Pinion Gears $496.95 * 5.143 Rear H233B Ring and Pinion Gears $496.95 * 5.571 Rear H233B Ring and Pinion Gears $496.95 * 5.857 Rear H233B Ring and Pinion Gears $496.95 Do I need to match the front and rear Ring & Pinion gear ratio? William Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewebster Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 You need to match, yes (except in unusual circumstances I guess). Changing the gear ratio is going to change how your engine speed is related to your vehicle speed. With a higher gear ratio your engine will spin faster to go the same speed. This is "good" if you want to be able to drive very slowly while crawling, or get more power at low speeds. It's bad for being able to drive fast at a low engine RPM. Depends on what you are looking for. Usually if you go to bigger tires you would consider going to bigger gears. Seems like the option is only 5.143, which, if you consider "stock" to be 29" would give the same ratio for a 32" tire. But there a bunch of factory options (29", 31", 4.3 gears, 4.6 gears) so it's really a personal thing. I have 31" tires with 4.3 gears and a manual transmission and it seems fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nige Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 hi william, i had 33's with and auto trans and 4.625 gears around ontario a lot. As long as it isn't too windy, and you gas it down hills, you get decent mileage out of that setup. As soon as it gets windy, the truck might have to drop a gear to keep up with highway traffic. You don't want it buzzing away on the highway too much because it drinks fuel and heats everything up too much. It was fine on the trails, but if you get into the harder trails around here, you might want the 4.9's instead. Basically, go wheeling with what you have and figure out what would work better after. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJSquirrel Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I think you mean longitudinal vs. transverse. Most front wheel drive cars have transversely mounted engines. You need an engine intended for longitudinal mounting. Cheaper ring and pinions can be had by swapping them from xterras or from other (W)D21/D22s. WD22 xterras came with 4.90s, and should work fine with 33s. its a direct swap in the rear axle, and not too bad for the fronts. You will need different halfshafts and hubs for the different spline counts in the later units. bigger injectors aren't needed if the engine isn't moving more air. Injector upgrades are only necessary if going with turbos or superchargers. If you want more power,headers, and performance cams will help greatly. If you want more, head porting / vG33 swap / VG34 build or VG36E build is more what you need. If that still isn't enough, add turbos and superchargers. with 110k kms on your engine, its time to change the timing belt. You might not like 153 hp, but with busted engine from a blown timing belt, you'll have 0hp to play with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Actually it has around ~110,000 KM (not Miles even). The engine is in a great condition. Never had a problem with it. I only replaced the 3.0 Injectors a year back with the ones from a 3.3 engine (VG33E) while in the process of doing some injector cleaning. I thought maybe the 3.3 injectors will give me a little more power but I was wrong. It did not help at all. William They have the same flow rate because they are the same injector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nefarious Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 (edited) I would go vg33e... it swaps right in, u can add headers intake and exhaust for about 200hp and 220+ ft lbs. throw your old 3.0 cams for even more power they are higher lift. u dont need to worry about wiring or ecu then as your old ecu will run the 3.3 just fine... that's what im doing anyways! mostly working myself ive done almost the entire swap including custom exhaust/headers in about a week i have another day or 2 to go. really not a bad swap difficulty wise! add some 4.9 gears from an xterra and u will be bangin with 33s Edited December 3, 2011 by Nefarious 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejin4499 Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 except get a set of jwt cams if you have the cash after all the other upgrades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchdiggerjcf Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 How about the pre v-tec honda v6 engines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nefarious Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 You sound like you are looking for a boat load of work for no reason when you have the better suited engine with much less work..... You are not going to get that low VG torque grunt from an early honda v6. I also doubt it would be as reliable as the VG. Have you driven any early honda v6? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 How about the pre v-tec honda v6 engines. Say whaaa? That's about the worst idea possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 (edited) How about the recent PF Engines: 2001-present Nissan VK engine — 4.5/5.0/5.6 L — VK45DE, VK45DD, VK50VE, VK56DE, VK56VD The specs are Nice! Or the recent XTERRA's engines. They are powerful: Variable Valve Timing fitted 4.0 L VQ40DE engine, it produces 265 hp (198 kW) Would they fit? Will the wiring to the new ECU be a nightmare? William Edited December 5, 2011 by William Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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