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Bought that Stillen intake manifold, now I’m heavily and very seriously considering an engine swap. Happen to have found some folks in Florida who have done several swaps before in the VQ platform. Really considering it at this point.
LS3. The clear winner. Weight, power, ease of maintenance…it’s the whole enchilada for me. It appears that it also sits lower and further back in the engine bay vs the VQ37. So instead of adding additional weight on the nose of the car and more points of failure, a naturally aspirated LS3 with some headers and a street cam will do the trick for me and actually improve the balance of the car. I want low-end torque without adding weight or complexity. It was designed as a JDM muscle car, so I don't think I'm doing it an injustice.
With the availability of LS3 swap kits & pre-made wiring harnesses from several top-notch companies, it just makes sense. I’ll be keeping the OEM transmission and rear end if I go this route. It won’t be as easy as a supercharger build, obviously. But that’s not the point… I want this car to be rowdy, fun, and a little unique/different. The blueprint crate ls3 engines are really catching my eye lately, but might just build one from the ground up to get everything in it I want from day 1. Build goals are only to keep it as clean and simple as possible.
My next question I’ve been asking myself, if I go the swap route- do I sell the VQ or keep the VQ and find a donor car to drop it in? If so what car- something different, or maybe another G37 that just needs a new motor? I’ve thought about buying a second G37 coupe to turn into a full blown drift car, since I’ve had a growing urge to get into the motorsport. Decisions decisions.
Update- I'm going to supercharge the OEM motor and run it until it dies. At that point I'll consider dropping in a v8. Would be a waste of a healthy motor, and I'm not wealthy enough to dump $20k+ and have downtime on my car, for now.
Basic cost breakdown of an LS3 swap below (using a new crate long block for reference). I may or may not hunt down a mint used LS3 if I do this, but would rather buy a new long block and add the remaining goodies over time as I can afford them. I’ve heard the factory hot-cam options aren’t the best so if anything I would drop in a different cam later down the road. I would stick with the Sikky kit since it is the most inclusive and they claim to have the lowest and furthest-back mounting point without requiring removal of the secondary firewall. LOJ Customs does make a nice kit also, but needs a lot of supporting parts still- their kit does include custom Kooks LS/G37 headers though which is something I’d consider purchasing separately vs the Sikky LS/G37 headers. I would also set everything up via Haltech. My current Braille battery is more than enough to handle the LS3, and the MIshi radiator should provide enough flow too which is great to have in my back pocket. It looks like the Sikky kit will work with HR clutches so I should be able to keep my Southbend Stage 3 daily, but will check on that.
This excludes sales, labor and tuning costs- if not DIY, expect at least around $2-5k in labor from a quality shop, depending on what is needed
->LS3 long block (PN#19434644) $6045
Excludes:
+Intake manifold
+Throttle body
+Fuel rail
+Injectors
+Headers - Incl. in swap kit
+Dipstick - Incl. in swap kit
+Dipstick tube - Incl. in swap kit
+Steam vent pipe - Incl. in swap kit
+Controller kit (PN#19354330)? $1945 - not included in price, may not be needed with Haltech but might still run a corvette pedal so I can heel-toe more easily
->Sikky LS front drive kit $2250
Includes:
+LS3 water pump
+LS3 crank pulley & bolt
+SD7 mini compressor
+120amp alternator
+Power steering pump
>Need:
+AEM or Holley EFI smart-coils $700-900
+Ignition coil remote mount bracket $?
+ID1050x injectors $1075
+NGK ruthenium spark plugs $120 for 8x
+Intake manifold $1000-1300, depending on which manifold used
+Radium engineering fuel rails $380 - included with some intake manifolds
+Radium engineering surge tank $750
+Aeromotive stealth 340lph fuel pump $140ish
+ATI super damper (PN#48-ATI917266) $480 - check fitment w/accessory drive kit
+ARP pressure plate bolts $40
+Haltech ECU - will talk to my tuner and installer to see what will work, cost unknown but expected $2000-3000
So there you have it - It’s around $15k for a crate long block, accessory drive kit, and swap kit alone. That still excludes a very good amount of extras you’d want to/have to install with the swap, which I listed above as “Need”. So one can safely say it's $20k for a new crate LS swap, excluding a tune, if going about it this route. Now if you have a shop that specializes in custom work or happen to be an amazing fabricator, and choose to use a used engine with factory parts (ie coil packs, injectors, damper, fuel rails, intake manifold), you might get lucky and save half of that cost on the swap kit, or more. This is an estimate for doing it right, not missing any pieces, using parts that are already out there and have been proven. This estimate also takes into account the fact that my transmission is already "built", so I didn't consider that in the estimate above. You will also need a new clutch and either a Tilton or Wilwood HD clutch master cylinder, and more stout trans & diff mounts etc.
I’m stoked, and lucky I never sold my spare pair of Work wheels!
I did a brake flush real quick at work this afternoon (Motul RBF600), and finally was able to test fit my 19x10.5+30 wheels on the front (currently on the rear) and put my Project Kics R40 Iconix lug nuts on. The R40 classic finish matches perfectly with my wheels…and even better I found out I can indeed run a square setup after the test fit. There is a few mm of clearance (barely got my finger between the rim and steering knuckle) but the 10.5” +30 fit and passed the scrub & turn radius test. They fit with a 285/35/19 tire too!
The 19x10.5+30 front setup does poke out about an inch past the fender, but it’s almost an identical amount of poke my 19x10.5 +23 wheels had when they were mounted on the rear. So they should look even front to rear with the 10.5+30 front and 10.5+23 rear setup. I might run 275/35 tires all around, but want to try 285/35 first for the extra tread on the rears. I might need to truly roll my fenders to make everything fit better and look cleaner.
Pics of the 10.5+30 285/35 front fitment, and 2nd pic is of the 10.5+23 275/35 rear fitment when I had them mounted. The 285/35 is a Yokohama and the 275/35 was a General- first shot of the rear was a bad shot but all I can find of it when I had that setup.
10.5+23 275/35 General Gmax RS 10.5+23 275/35 general gmax RS
Camber for front and rear is set to -2.1 IIRC, the last alignment was about 2 years ago now. I need to put it on our alignment rack in the shop to check everything; when I do that I'll be sure to share the actual specs.
I need to get some upgraded FUCA's (SPL or Z1's new forged fuca's) so I can lower the front 1/4" more and stay around that spec. It's been great for handling/in the corners, but tramlines badly in a straight line (on bad roads) with the 9.5/10.5 staggered setup on stiff coils and the Z1 front sway bar. Part of the reason I want to go to the square setup is to help with the tramlining effect. The track folk over at the370z forum say that this is the way.
I was wondering if there was camber to play with that would pull in that poke, but -2.0 is about as far as I would go, and with your freakish attention to detail (respect), I'm guessing the same for you.
Years ago, when I was first messing around with my wheels and offset and camber, there was a brief moment where the rears were cambered in at -3.0. And while the top-of-fender fitment was perfectly flush, the camber looked rather ridiculous to me, and probably would have shredded my rear tires. Soon after I got some adjustable rear coils to replace the lowering springs, in order to fine-tune the drop, and had the rears dialed in around -2.0.
From your pics, I think it looks fine, or at least good enough. The tire sidewalls have just enough stretch to them to make the lines work, even if the wheel lip isn't flush with the fender.
Oh man, you've got paint damage in your rear bumper. That must be driving you nuts.
I was wondering if there was camber to play with that would pull in that poke, but -2.0 is about as far as I would go, and with your freakish attention to detail (respect), I'm guessing the same for you.
Years ago, when I was first messing around with my wheels and offset and camber, there was a brief moment where the rears were cambered in at -3.0. And while the top-of-fender fitment was perfectly flush, the camber looked rather ridiculous to me, and probably would have shredded my rear tires. Soon after I got some adjustable rear coils to replace the lowering springs, in order to fine-tune the drop, and had the rears dialed in around -2.0.
From your pics, I think it looks fine, or at least good enough. The tire sidewalls have just enough stretch to them to make the lines work, even if the wheel lip isn't flush with the fender.
Oh man, you've got paint damage in your rear bumper. That must be driving you nuts.
Yep, you got it. I like to keep it around -2 for the street. Anything more than that looks goofy IMO; I've just never been into the cambered out look, and have always followed the function-over-form train of thought. So far with -2.1 all around I'm seeing even tread wear too. I would hate to eat up tires or damage rims on a cambered setup, and losing out on a ton of usable tire tread width & grip, but to each their own.
And yes, unfortunately that paint damage that has been there since a week after I bought it, years ago now. Someone leaving a restaurant parking lot managed to swipe my bumper that first week of ownership. They were angled parking spots too, still not sure how they managed that (too many drinks at the bar I'm guessing). I covered it with some OEM touch-up paint at the time, but should have had the rear bumper re-painted back then. There's a few cracks stemming from that larger chunk that got taken out. I'm still considering having the rear bumper repainted but would rather repaint the entire car in one appointment- kind of waiting to see what I decide with the LS3 swap or supercharger situation. If I go the LS3 swap route I'll have the entire car repainted while the motor is out.
The car won't nearly be worth the amount of money you're going to spend on it, or already have spent, but that's not the point. The end result could be freaking awesome.
Kids today put band-aid decals on what you've got there. Don't do that, LOL.
The car won't nearly be worth the amount of money you're going to spend on it, or already have spent, but that's not the point. The end result could be freaking awesome.
Kids today put band-aid decals on what you've got there. Don't do that, LOL.
Bingo, you go it. I've learned that some things in life don't hold real monetary value to us, despite us spending very real money on these sort-of things. This is one of those things for me, especially over the years dealing with various personal and family matters, like a lot of us here. It has been able to put a smile on my face when nothing else has been able to. Just staring at it, starting it, driving it. It's very fulfilling and rewarding, as frustrating as it's been sometimes. Every single person who has seen the car tells me not to ever sell it- and that's my plan. It's very sentimental; it becomes part of who you are. Maybe I'm just a weirdo who is way too into cars, but anything with a motor and wheels moves me, pun intended. It's the entire experience for me. The car community has been there for a lot of us when we need it most - even here just being on the the forums. I love the car community and wish this younger crowd would man-up, grow-up, and act like mature decent humans so they don't keep ruining the fun for all of us (talking about you "takeover" losers if any of you are reading this!). The car community can flourish again. It's such a shame to see though...and we have to sit here while more race tracks are being shut down, not being built. I'm very self educated and self taught with a lot of things, so I really don't understand how most (key word, not all) of an entire generation with the world at their fingertips can be so blatantly stupid.
And agreed on the decals lol, no decals here! Built for me and my enjoyment alone- no need to advertise anything, and I'm not much of a show-off. If I were a professional driver with a sponsored track car, that's a different story- slap as many sponsors on there as I need
LS3 or VK56VD? Pretty sure the Nissan V8 would fit with minor hammering only.
LOL that you say that, there's a mint VK56 from a wrecked Titan sitting in our dealership yard I investigated yesterday...my only problem with that motor is it's weight. I'm having trouble finding an exact number, but I've read 433 lbs to 496 and even 500+ lbs with accessories. If the block is 433ish it would make sense its 496/500+ with accessories. The LS3 is a confirmed 418lbs with accessories, so it's hard to beat with the power it produces. I'm not sure but would guess the VK56VD is heavier than the VK56DE due to VVEL etc.
The VK swap would be really, really cool and unique though. Curious how it would sit in the g37 engine bay. If it's low and far back enough, it's something I'd definitely consider. It sounds like with a cam, intake, exhaust, and tune one should be able to net an additional 80-100whp on that platform (apparently) - "headers, cai, bpipes and uprev you can expect 60-80 rwhp gains"- from the Titan forum. Either way I'm going to find out what's happening with the wrecked one. I do think it's an older VK56DE, but then I wouldn't have to worry about VVEL.
LOL that you say that, there's a mint VK56 from a wrecked Titan sitting in our dealership yard I investigated yesterday...my only problem with that motor is it's weight. I'm having trouble finding an exact number, but I've read 433 lbs to 496 and even 500+ lbs with accessories. If the block is 433ish it would make sense its 496/500+ with accessories. The LS3 is a confirmed 418lbs with accessories, so it's hard to beat with the power it produces. I'm not sure but would guess the VK56VD is heavier than the VK56DE due to VVEL etc.
The VK swap would be really, really cool and unique though. Curious how it would sit in the g37 engine bay. If it's low and far back enough, it's something I'd definitely consider. It sounds like with a cam, intake, exhaust, and tune one should be able to net an additional 80-100whp on that platform (apparently) - "headers, cai, bpipes and uprev you can expect 60-80 rwhp gains"- from the Titan forum. Either way I'm going to find out what's happening with the wrecked one. I do think it's an older VK56DE, but then I wouldn't have to worry about VVEL.
I actually checked that kit out also when I was first looking into LS swap kits. Their kit is honestly really nice looking but ends up costing more $$$ vs the sikky kit, since it needs additional components not included (as of now). The Sikky kit is the most inclusive right now it looks like. I see LOJ has plans to launch more advanced kits so maybe by the time I’m actually ready to swap motors it’s worth checking on their other kits.
LOJ did work with Kooks to make some beautiful LS3 headers designed to fit in our engine bay. That’s something I’d definitely consider as an option vs the Sikky headers if I go the LS3 route. Apparently Sikky has top-notch headers also though.
There was at the 2021 Z Nationals a 300ZX (Z31) IMSA with VK56DE and it put 800HP+ to the wheels.
Didn't idle worth crap, but holy giggle machine...
Funny you say that, I just discovered that beast the other day and was watching any videos I could find on it. That twin turbo VK56 is pushing close to 1000whp now, pretty unbelievable. It looks real rowdy and like a whole lot of fun.
08-12-2023, 02:32 PM
That must be driving you nuts.
