I think the VQ is a really good choice for this Nick. The VQ37VHR would be potent no doubt, but you’ll need to shorten and widen the oil pan to allow it to sit low enough to clear the VVEL solenoid without chopping into the hood.
Good notes! I planned on modifying the cross member for mounting but will have to look at modifying the oil pan too I guess, nothing I can't handle! Funny enough I was bidding on a wrecked R33 skyline sedan this morning with an Rb25det and manual trans. I was thinking if I could get a deal on it, I would run that...but it got too expensive....continue the search for VQ!
@@EndMotive you know how I feel about the RB (God’s engine), but they are WICKED expensive now and tough to find new parts for quickly. Truthfully, I think the VQ35HR would be unbelievably fun in this platform. Great horsepower to weight and stellar power band. The S30 with ~320whp would be a controllable rocket!
Almost exactly my hp goal! I wouldn't mind a 35hr or 37hr, both are great and will get me near low 300hp with some minor bolt ons and great reliability. @@Inner_Sanctum
I think it is a cool motor don't get me wrong, but I can get a vq motorset for sub 2k which has more power and better reliability. If this car was cleaner I would be running the L28 for sure though.
Keep the L28! Do a fresh rebuild. Build the engine, swap out for triple webers or aftermarket fuel injection system, these engines are capable of 300whp NA. I was able to pop out 200whp with the stock fuel injection system and pulls hard and I only did minor headwork and a rebuild. Not to mention these are some of the best sounding engines ever and sound very similar to V12 classic Ferrari with the right exhaust setup and helps make the L28 feel like a very special motor especially if you build it to be a high revving L28. The automatic is also a huge reason why it feels sluggish. Manual swap will fix that. And last thing, these engine are bullet proof and very reliable.
I am really torn on this. The L28 is really cool and it has a hard to beat sound, but just doing a modern transmission swap (CD0#) and handful of mods will put me way over the cost of what I am seeing for a VQ swap. Modern reliability and ease of replacement parts is very appealing to me with seeing the cost of Datsun parts rising.
@@EndMotive Understandable. There is always the 5 speed option. I drive my Z on the highway all the time. 80mph has rpm right at 3000 rpm with OEM 5 speed. I believe the 6 speed swap would only have it at 2800 rpm. Gearing is definitely better though no doubt. I'm just a sucker for the L series but you can definitely make an affordable build with the L series. My rebuild only cost me $900 with just the engine. Machine shop included with headwork. Eitherway, looking forward to seeing more of the build and progress!
@@AnthonyCessor It is definitely something I will think about since I am waiting for a motor either way I guess. Yes the 5 speed is an option but I have had transmissions fail on me before so I just hate the idea of swapping in an old and unknown one....just to do it again...CD009 is a bit of peace of mind.
@@EndMotive You can always rebuild the Z transmissions. I rebuilt my 5 speed 3 years ago even though it ran fine. The rebuild kit was less than $200 and was pretty easy to do.
