Installing the VG 30 in a 510
Thinking about an engine swap? Tired of seeing L16-18-20B’s everytime
that you open a 510 hood? Want to have a reliable, powerful 510? Consider
the VG30, Nissan’s 3.0 liter V6 engine.
There have been many requests for an article about installing the Nissan
VG30 V6 engine into a 510. I have done this conversion, and have been
very pleased with the results (see photos of Michael’s VG30 installation).
In this multi-part article, I will review what I did to successfully install the
VG30 into my 510.
But first, some background information about the engine. The VG30 was
introduced in 1984 in the new 300ZX. Reviewers raved about the V6’s
power, torque, and smoothness. In normally aspirated form, (which I
installed), in stock trim makes 165hp and 175ft-lbs of torque @ 4000rpm. In
turbo form, it makes 200hp and 227ft-lbs of torque at 3600rpm.
Another advantage of this engine is that it is very lightweight. When it
was introduced, Nissan engineers boasted that it was the lightest three
liter V6 in the world.
Another advantage to the VG30 is that it is a very common engine. Nissan
has used the VG30 in the 200SX, 300ZX, Maxima, truck, Pathfinder, and the
Quest minivan. The version of VG30 that I choose was the fuel injected
300ZX engine. I choose this engine because it creates the most horsepower
in stock form, and it is quite common. The 200SX V6 is also a popular
choice, but they are harder to find since they were only made for two
years, 1987-1988. The front wheel drive versions could also be made to
work, but would require a different intake plenum, exhaust manifold, and
oil pan.
I choose the VG30 because I wanted a massive power gain without relying
on a turbo or higher compression. I have had several `built’ L20B’s, with
carbs, flat top pistons, SSS heads, etc., but could never get the
horsepower that I yearned for without building a very expensive engine.
How much does it cost to build a 175hp L series engine these days?
With early 300ZX’s becoming quite common in wrecking yards, I decided to
do some investigating to check prices for the whole setup. I found that
the VG30 is not in very high demand as a used engine. This is true for
several reasons. Most people think that the only place a 300ZX V6 can go
is in another 300ZX. Unlike a L series engine from a 510, 610, 710 etc.
the VG30 engine is not `swapable’. Most 300ZX owners take really good
care of their vehicles, maintain the engine, and do not blow them up very
often.
Another advantage of using this engine is the fuel injection system. I
never liked playing with carbs, setting chokes etc. With fuel injection,
you get in the car in the morning, start the engine, and you get a
perfect idle at 1200rpm. Once it warms up, the idle drops to 900rpm. No
messing with a choke cable, burning too rich or too lean, just a perfect
running car, from idle to redline.
A myth about the Nissan V6 is that “its too heavy!” Lets compare some 510
vehicle weights. A stock L16, 4 speed, 2 door 510 weighs 2078lbs. A
friends L20B, Z 5 speed, 2 door 510 weighs 2270 lbs. My 1970 2 door with
the stock VG30 and 5 speed weighs 2210 lbs.
Another reason that I choose the VG30 is that I wanted to keep Nissan
power under the hood. I have heard all kinds of wonderful claims about
Mazda rotaries, but I wanted to keep my Datsun, a Nissan. What you get
with the VG30 is is a reliable (at least 200k) engine that will produce
good horsepower, (with an open exhaust, and a K&N intake, I would guess
around 180hp), has great torque, require a tuneup every 30,000
miles, and gets great gas mileage. Last year I got 27mpg driving home
from Mt. Shasta, better than all the other 510’s in our convoy.
Installing the VG30 is NOT like swapping a L18, L20B etc, into your 510.
It requires some fabrication skills, money and patience. This swap is
not for everybody, but it is another alternative to the L series engine.
In the next article, I will describe local costs of the VG30
engine/transmission and what to pull when getting your V6 from the car.
Part II
Last time I talked about the advantages and disadvantages of using the
VG30 V-6 engine in your 510. I will now discuss buying the engine and
transmission and what other parts you will need from your donor car.
Again, I used the 1984-89 VG30 from the 300ZX, and this is what I will
cover, however these guidelines will work for any of the VG30 equipped
vehicles.
First, start calling around your local wrecking yards, or locate someone
parting out a 300ZX. Get an idea of how much the engine, transmission,
ECU, and other electrical components will be. The ammounts will vary
from yard to yard, but will give you an idea of what the local market is
going for.
Once you have established a general price, look at some of the donor
cars. Idealy you want a car that still has the engine and transmission
still in it. Check the externals on the outside of the engine, check to
see if it is complete, with no major oil leaks. The VG30 is a very tight
engine, and oil leaks are uncommon, so be wary of a wet engine. Also
check to see if the injectors are leaking gasoline in the intake
manifold. One of the few weaknesses of this engine is deteriorating
injector seals at the manifold when they get older. Check to see how
many miles the engine has. Again, these engines are very reliable and
can go 200,000 miles without a rebuild, but obviously try to find one
with low mileage.
When you have found a suitable power train, and have negotiated a fair
price, it is almost time to pull the engine. But before attacking the
car with wrenches and wire cutters, do a little more research. Find out
what year the donor car is and go visit the local Nissan dealership. Go
to the service department (try to visit them at a slow time) and ask if
you can see a shop manual for the year and model of your donor car.
In the back of the manual there is a section that covers the wiring
harnesses and the major electrical component locations, (Section EL).
Politely ask if you can photocopy the pages that show the engine
compartment wiring harness. The EFI system has a its own wiring harness
that connects to the ECU. You will also want to copy the engine harness
page as well, as you will need some of those components. Study the
component locations, and take the photocopies with you when you pull the
engine. Workshop manuals by HAYNES also contain this information and can
usually be found at most used bookstores. The part number for a the
HAYNES manual is 1173.
Whenever possible, I try to pull the engine and transmission with the
wrecking yard employees. Most yards around here do not mind and will
sometimes give you a break in the price. I also do this so I can see how
everything fits together, and to make sure that nothing gets cut or
removed incorrectly.
To remove the engine and transmission follow the normal steps. Bring
along a cardboard box, masking tape, and a pen to mark components as you
pull them out. Keep all the hardware, it is useful for reattaching
components in your car and makes for a cleaner installation.
Unhook the engine compartment wiring harness from the alternator, oil
pressure sender, starter, etc. There is NO need to cut any wires! On the
EFI harness, DO NOT disconnect the connectors from the engine. I found
that it is much easier to disconnect the harness from the ECU, which is
located in the kick panel on the passenger side of the car.
Now, this is the ONLY time that you should cut any wires. There are 12
wires that connect to the ECU from the under the dash and the rear
harness. Follow them about a foot down and cut them, this way you will
have enough wire to rewire them later. Feed the EFI wiring loom through
the firewall and lay in on top of the engine.
These are the things that you can leave in the donor car. The cruise
control unit, air conditioning components, power steering pump and lines,
radiator (its too tall for the 510), drive line (we will reuse the 510
unit), and the exhaust pipe.
Now that you have pulled the engine and transmission, be sure that you
take these components; ECU, motor mounts, wiring harnesses, air flow
meter, ignition coil, intake plumbing (before the plenum), all hardware,
all relays and fuseable links, (we won’t use most of them but grab them
anyway.) Also grab the fuel pump relay, and wiring that is located behind
the quarter panel on the passenger side of the car.
Next time we will clean the engine up and install it in the car!
Part III
Now that we have our engine and transmission home, it is time to clean
and inspect it before diving into the project. Get a pad and paper to
start making lists of what needs to be done. This project seems
overwhelming at first, but if you make a list and do ONE project at a
time, the task becomes much easier.
Remove the engine from the transmission and mount the engine on a
engine stand. This is an easier way to get at everything. If you do not
have an engine stand, use an old tire to set the engine into to keep it
upright. Clean the engine with your favorite degreaser. Be careful to
keep the degreaser and water from the electrical components, as they
could get damaged. Working with a clean engine and transmission is much
nicer than a grimy unit.
It is now time to strip some of the parts that we will either not use, or
that are going to be changed. Remove the motor mounts from the engine.
Remove the bracket on the right side of the engine that holds the
alternator (and used to hold the A/C, PS, pumps). Also remove the
exhaust manifolds and crossover pipe from the back of the engine. We are
going to use different exhaust manifolds so they will clear the steering
box. On the transmission, remove the crossmember, as you will need to
modify the existing 510 mount.
Remove all components in your 510 engine compartment. Leave the steering
box and linkage, and the front crossmember. I also suggest removing the
front fenders and hood, so you will not damage them during the install.
It is much easier to work in a stripped engine compartment, than working
around all the other components. This is also a great time to remove the
battery tray and move the battery to the trunk for better weight
distribution. You should also remove the existing 510 engine compartment
harness. Clean the engine compartment and all components.
Before installing the engine in the car, remove the front crossmember and
cut off the existing motor mounts. Cut the crossmember flush so you have
a wide flat surface to fabricate to. Reinstall the front crossmember.
Using an engine hoist place the engine and transmission into the 510
engine compartment. Rest the oil pan on a 3/4″ piece of wood on top of
the crossmember to provide enough clearance. Slide the engine as far
back in the engine bay as possible.
This is where some of you will have to improvise. I converted my car to
rack and pinion steering when I did my conversion so I did not have to
mess with the steering box and linkage. You many want to remove the cross
rod assembly to clear the existing oil pan. Once the engine is mounted
you can mark where the steering rod will need to cross below the oil pan
and be able to build a new oil pan as necessary. 300ZX oil pans are rear
sump (like a stock 510) but do not have the clearance to clear the
steering rod. 200SX oil pans are a rear sump and will clear the steering
linkage, but a new front crossmember and sway bar will need to be
constructed to clear the oil pan.
This is where people who are using the 200SX VG30 are going to have an
advantage, as their intake plenum does not hang as far back as the 300ZX
version does so they can get their engine back an additional 2″ without
firewall modifications. What ever version you use, it will still sit
farther back than any stock L series engine will, so handling will not be
affected.
Once you have the engine slid as far back as possible, note your
clearances. I did a little firewall “massaging” and was able to gain an
additional 1/4″ without doing any cutting. You will want the intake to
just clear the firewall and wiper motor. Measure both sides of the
engine to ensure that it is centered in the car. The other factor that
you must consider when installing the engine in you car is the bottom of
the bellhousing on the transmission. The overall height of the engine
will be decided by the bottom of the bellhousing. Sight along the bottom
of the engine crossmember and make sure that the bellhousing is not lower
than the front crossmember. You want the engine as low as possible, but
not lower that the front crossmember. To decide the correct angle of the
intake plenum, use an angle indicator on top of the intake plenum and
measure the angle. On a 300ZX engine the plenum should be at about 6
degrees. Raise or lower the back of the transmission to get the correct
angle. You will need to modify the hole in the transmission tunnel to
clear the transmission shifter. Be sure that your brake lines are clear
before cutting the transmission tunnel. Use your hand to make
sure that you are not touching any of the body or transmission tunnel
with the engine or transmission. Finally, carefully test fit the hood on
the car to make sure that you do not have the engine mounted too high. I
believe that I have about 1 1/4″ of clearance.
Ignore the fact that the oil pan sticks down too low, you will need to
modify the existing one to raise it above the front crossmember for
ground clearance. Mark the sides where the bottom should be, I believe
that I took one inch out of mine. The pan should be modified to make up
for the missing capacity.
Once you have the engine exactly where you want it, and you have triple
checked your measurements and clearances, it is time to make motor
mounts. First, find an appropriate piece of metal that is about the same
thickness as the original mount. The first part to building the motor
mounts is to do make the plate that mounts to the block. Make that plate
the same size as the original leaving enough room to mount another
another plate for the sides. On the left side of the engine the
clearance between the oil filter and the motor mount is tight, so be sure
to leave enough room to get the oil filter on and off.
Next, build the plate that the FACTORY VG30 rubber insulator will mount to
the crossmember. The rubber insulators that Nissan used on the VG30
engines are liquid filled to absorb vibration and to shear in case of an
accident. If your insulators are broken or are seeping a fluid replace
them! The VG30 is a VERY smooth engine and does not move much, so
clearances with the body can be very tight. But I HIGHLY recommend using
the factory insulators. Yes they are expensive, but they are designed for
this engine, and you will have a VERY sooth engine with no vibrations if
you use them. The rubber insulator has threaded studs that come out
each side, and a small dimple to ensure that they are installed the
correct way. I recommend building a mount that the threaded stud can
slide into, and can be tightend from underneath the 510 crossmember. You
will need to cut a hole in the crossmember to get to the bottom stud.
After the rubber insulator is mounted to the crossmember, build the plate
that attaches to the top of the insulator. Again the insulator has a
threaded stud that will fit through the hole in your plate with a dimple
to ensure that it is seated. Be sure that your plate has enough
clearance to clear the nut for when you want to attach it.
Now that you have the plate for the engine and top of the motormount made
and attached, use a piece of cardboard to figure out the piece that will
need to fill the gap. Take your time and make the piece fit exactly,
also check that it will work the same way on each side. This is a backup
to make sure that you have the engine square in the vehicle. Trace out
your pattern on your metal and cut and grind until it fits. Test fit the
piece on both sides to check for its fit and once you are satisfied that
it will work, tack it with your welder. Be sure to do lots of small tacks
to make sure that it will not come apart when you take it out for its
final welding. Remove the motormounts from each side and make gussets
for both sides of the mounts for additional strength. Weld all gaps and
reinstall on the engine.
To build the transmission mount, use the factory 300ZX insulator rubber,
and cut off just the pieces that are necessary to mount the rubber to the
transmission itself. Then cut off the ears of the 510 transmission mount
and attach them back in the car. Again using cardboard for patterns, fill
the gaps with new steel. I used a section of large pipe (approx 4″ in
dia) to get the curved angle to clear the exhaust that would be alongside
the transmission. Be sure that your new mount does not interfere with
the speedometer mount.
Part 4
Now that we have the engine and transmission mounted in the car, it is
time to start the seemingly endless list of details. I will start at the
front and work towards the rear for what I did on my car.
- Radiator The 300ZX has its water outlets on the same side unlike most
cars. I considered a VW rabbit radiator since they are designed this way,
but thought that its capacity would be too small. I used a Chevy S10 3
row, crossflow, radiator with custom tanks. It keeps the engine very cool
and I have not had any problems with this setup. It fits the stock 510
opening perfectly and looks OEM. I installed a temp sensor in the tank
of the radiator to turn on a slim electric fan that is mounted behind
the front grill, to cool it when it gets hot. The setup works perfectly.
- Stock fan and clutch Remove the stock fan and clutch assy, they are no
longer needed because of the electric fan, and the water pump pulley
reattaches with the old hardware. This makes for a much nicer looking
engine compartment.
- Timing Belt Nissan uses a rubber timing belt that MUST be changed every
60,000 miles. If this timing belt brakes, you will bend at least 2
valves and maybe all 12. Since you do not know when your belt was last
changed, do it now. It is cheap insurance. I also recommend changing the
tensioner at the same time. While you have it apart, change the
thermostat as well.
- Exhaust manifolds I used the 87-88 200X exhaust manifolds. These allow
you to move the engine farther back in the engine compartment. I also
highly recommend changing ALL exhaust studs out of the heads, as these
seem to be a weak point of the VG30. If you change to the 200SX
manifolds and are using the 300ZX plenum, also get the stainless breather
tube from the 200SX that connects from the exhaust manifolds to the EGR
valve. - Intake Tubing I used a K&N air filter which eliminates the factory air
box and gains some horsepower. The filter that I used connects directly
to the air flow meter, but there are many kits out there that use an
adaptor to fit over the air flow meter. I shortened the intake tubing,
which is made of grey plastic,) a few inches to fit in the 510 engine
compartment and it keeps for a clean factory look. - Alternator I used the turbo 300ZX alternator bracket which moves the
alternator to the passenger side of the car (like a stock 510.) This
eliminates the large bracket that the stock car comes with, and makes the
engine compartment look much cleaner. - Radiator overflow bottle I used a Mazda 626 radiator overflow bottle
which is mounted to the passenger side of the car. This bottle combines
the windshield fluid bottle as well and fits the contours of the 510
inner fender perfectly. - Battery tray I removed the battery tray using a spot weld drill, to provide more room
and to make the engine compartment look cleaner. I also removed the
bracket that held the 510 windshield washer bottle, since it was no
longer being used. - Throttle Cable The 300ZX uses a throttle cable, so I found one that was
the perfect length from a 1980 200SX. - Driveline Have your stock 510 driveline shortened to fit the 300ZX
transmission. The splines on the end are the same. - Exhaust There are lots of ways to go here, I used 2 inch pipe from each
exhaust manifold which then join together behind the transmission using a
Flowmaster collector. The rest of the exhaust is 2.5″ mandrel bent
tubing which goes through the modified rear crossmember and then to a
Flowmaster muffler. The Flowmaster is quite loud however, I would
recommend another brand, perhaps a Borla next time. It sure has a banshee
wail to it at WOT though! I also installed the O2 sensor in the
collector, which is farther back than stock, but seems to work fine. - Oil Pan As noted before you will need to modify as necessary. Be sure
that it does not stick down lower than the front crossmember, and to make
up any displacement that you remove.Remember, this is a big project, but if you take your time, and make
lots of lists, it becomes one small project at a time. I am not claiming
that this is the only way to do this install, but this is what worked for
me. I am also at the advantage that we in Oregon do not need to have smog
checks (yet). I think that my car would pass most smog inspections as it
is mostly stock and is running all emission devices except the cat.Again, any questions or comments can be sent to me directly at
[email protected]Michael Spreadbury