Manual swap VQ35DE parts compatiblity?

[Gscottyengineering]

Hello all. I'm considering purchasing and manual swapping a high mileage 3.5 R50 pathy with a bad automatic for a reliable Colorado mountain transport vehicle for summer and winter ski, hike, and mountain bike seasons. I used to run a VQ35DE G35 as an autocross car, and have removed its manual transmission by myself several times before so this is all within the scope of my abilities as a mechanic.

 

I found a guide for manual swapping the earlier R50s with the 3.3, here: http://www.overlandtrucks.com/system-f/NPTC.pdf

 

However that's specific to the 3.3 for most of the part numbers and while it gives an idea (pretty easy swap) it's not directly applicable.

I'm able to source the transmission itself, and I see clutch parts for a 2002 3.5 manual pathy are available new from RockAuto. This seems like a super straightforward swap according to the guide but before I dive in, want to make sure I've got it all right.

Questions:
A- Will existing driveshafts for the auto fit the manual?
B- Will the existing automatic transfer case fit the manual? Any upgrades here I'll regret not doing while the transmission is out?
C- The ECU seems harder to source than the trans itself. Can the automatic ECU be reprogrammed with Uprev or another software tool like manual swapping a G35/350z?

D- Clutch system. I was thinking I'd just grab junkyard parts off a g35 and make it work with the pathy, 3d printing and fabricating mounts as I go to avoid having to find a manual pathfinder donor car.
E- Power valves in the automatic car need to be dealt with. Do I need a whole intake manifold from a manual pathfinder, or can I delete the power valves on the existing intake? What about using a G35/350z VQ35DE intake and a CAI in order to avoid having to source parts from a manual Pathfinder?


Anyone who's been around here for awhile have any feedback for any or all of these questions?

Thanks in advance!!
 

[Slartibartfast]

 

The manual VQ R50 is kind of a rare bird, so you may have some difficulty sourcing parts. Last I heard new flywheels weren't available. The service manual does show some minor differences between TX10A (manually shifted) transfers for auto or manual trucks. The manual version has a lip under the input shaft seal and a couple of bits internally that I don't know the purpose of, and that aren't present in earlier manuals. AFAIK the auto version will bolt to a manual transmission without issue. If it's got the ATX14a transfer case (knob on the dash), looks like they only made one version of that. I have no idea if that box was even offered with the five-speed. If that's the one you've got, I would check the wiring in the service manual to make sure it's not relying on the auto trans computer for something. AFAIK the driveshafts are the same, but don't quote me on that. No idea on the computer or power valves, sorry. 

 

RE your other post, sounds like you know most of the issues with the VQ. I would also inspect the front strut towers. They rot out badly enough that there was a recall in some states, and Nissan "fixed" some of them in an alarmingly half-assed manner. 

[Gscottyengineering]

Thanks for the welcome! I bought the car, it's a totally rust-free california car and the engine ran better than my G35's even with 30k more miles... No codes even at 216k. Just needs a new transmission to be able to drive faster than 40 or so while keeping a safe RPM.

I've got the manually shifted transfer case so don't think I need to worry about that.... Flywheel, I can try using one from my old G35 and if that doesn't work that's what lathes are for!

The only thing I'm having issues sourcing now is the manual ECU, or finding a resource/guide to work with the existing ECU.