calibeater Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Hey guys/gals, so as I was partying at a buddies house over new years, a interesting proposition has come up. So my buddy has a 84 300zx that he put a Chevy ls in. Well he has the Vg30e from it, now the kicker is he also has the turbo parts (minus ecu) to pretty much make it a Vg30et that was also available for his car. Well he told me I could just have the engine and all that if I wanted to use it. So that brings me up to some questions..... So IF I decide to try some sort of swap, should I just swap in the entire engine with turbo? Should I pull apart the two engines and put one together using both parts? Or just go on living my life lol. Also does anyone know what I'm lookin at as far as swapping the wiring over? And then I can just find a ecu off a turbo car and run that? I'm in no rush but I want to start getting some opinions, I mean this deal popped into my lap and the engines are so close to each other so this could be nice to put in my pathy one of these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 It'd be a hell of a project fitting it all into the engine bay but IIRC it's been done. I don't have specifics but I imagine you would want the harness/ECU out of a ZX. How hard could it be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calibeater Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 Lol well I mean I figure the engines are so similar it's gotta be a decent swap, and I'm going to get the engine harness from my buddies 300zx so I'll have a wiring harness. And then just get a ecu from a Vg30et car and run it. I'm just curious if someone here knows a little more about it so I know what I'm going to get into. I mean I'm not doing it right now but maybe start on it in like 2 months when I'm starting my new job. But I need to start doing my research now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 (edited) Might give this a read. Also keep smog regs in mind since you're in California. I dunno how strict your area is but it's not something to find out after you've done the mod. Edited January 3, 2014 by Slartibartfast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Honestly, if your engine is still good keep that in there and put the MPFI and turbo set up on that. You'll be much happier with the power from a boosted 9:1 engine over the stock turbo 7.8:1. '84 blocks have different motor mount bosses as well so modifying the Pathfinder mounts is needed. Fitting the Z31 intake is a chore as yo need to cut the firewall for clearance... using an MPFI Pathfinder intake is a better option, longer runners for more low end torque however you don't get as equal of air distribution to all of the cylinders. Upgrading the fuel pump is a must as well, don't think the stock TBI pump can keep up with the demands of a turbo engine. The stock VG30ET turbo and manifolds will not fit in the engine bay without some pretty serious work. A member on here used a modified upside down manifold to mount the turbo up high to clear the frame and steering gear. As far as wiring goes, its actually pretty easy. Mostly like a car stereo with constant and switched power, grounds, and a few other connections that need to be made to the chassis. Xenonzcar.com has FSMs downloadable for every year of the Z31 and we have FSMs on here as well so you can compare wiring diagrams. You'll be surprised how similar the Z31 and TBI harnesses are, however the Z31 harness is not long enough to reach the factory Pathfinder ECU location under the seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calibeater Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 Might give this a read. Also keep smog regs in mind since you're in California. I dunno how strict your area is but it's not something to find out after you've done the mod. I SAW THAT!!! Oh my lol, that thing is sweet. And yea I do have some smog laws here but I just passed so I have 2 years to not think about it lol. And if in 2 years its still being street driven, I can normally find a smog guy (through buddies with street cars lol) so Ill just do this and see how it goes. Honestly, if your engine is still good keep that in there and put the MPFI and turbo set up on that. You'll be much happier with the power from a boosted 9:1 engine over the stock turbo 7.8:1. '84 blocks have different motor mount bosses as well so modifying the Pathfinder mounts is needed. Fitting the Z31 intake is a chore as yo need to cut the firewall for clearance... using an MPFI Pathfinder intake is a better option, longer runners for more low end torque however you don't get as equal of air distribution to all of the cylinders. Upgrading the fuel pump is a must as well, don't think the stock TBI pump can keep up with the demands of a turbo engine. The stock VG30ET turbo and manifolds will not fit in the engine bay without some pretty serious work. A member on here used a modified upside down manifold to mount the turbo up high to clear the frame and steering gear. As far as wiring goes, its actually pretty easy. Mostly like a car stereo with constant and switched power, grounds, and a few other connections that need to be made to the chassis. Xenonzcar.com has FSMs downloadable for every year of the Z31 and we have FSMs on here as well so you can compare wiring diagrams. You'll be surprised how similar the Z31 and TBI harnesses are, however the Z31 harness is not long enough to reach the factory Pathfinder ECU location under the seat. Well the engine Im getting from my buddy is a 9:1 vg30e and he bought the stuff to turbo it from a vg30et. but my engine is still great so I could use it and thought that might be a option. so onto my next questions, so you were saying that I should use a intake manifold off a 90+ pathy cause they build more power? and this guy that put a turbo set up on one with a flipped manifold, do you you if he has a build thread? and im thinkin about maybe putting the ecu somewhere else, like higher up off the floor so it doesnt get wet so that could work anyways. Thanks for the help so far guys! this is great info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 The MPFI manifold flows a bit better especially at lower RPMs. If I remember correctly, the Z31 harness reaches to the glovebox area so you could Mount the ECU to the backing plate behind the glovebox, however you won't be able to keep it. The guy with the VG30ET does have a build thread here somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Oh yeah, what year is your Pathfinder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calibeater Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 Mine is a 87 with a 5 speed. and yea i was thinking about glove box area or something like that. Ill figure that all out when I have the wiring harness and can have a better idea about it. And Ill search and see if i can find that guy on here that did the swap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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