I know this a topic that isnt brought up a lot in the FWD area but its matches the idea.
I want to make my 93 Altima unquie, so swap engines right? But i keep hitting a road block on to what. I mean i do have all the newer 6 Cylinders 3.0 (which according to a nissan tech, is bit on the weak end) and the 3.5 kicking into most of them now. The 2.5 from the spec V with it’s very special oil leaking problem.
I’m not sure what i can do with it and frankly i dont want to get a new car… yet. So any crazy thoughts ideas or suggestions, let them flow … as long as they arent get a Spec V…
honestly the FWD SR20DET would be a very good choice! It’s small, easy to fit in your car. Comes with what…like 250HP and 220ft/pounds STOCK!! then the fuel system and turbo can handle like 300HP right!!! So it wouldn’t even cost over $4,000 for you to have it in your car and pushing 300HP! Sounds like a great choice to me! That would double your cars current output!!!
And most people know the Pulser GTiR has a habit of chewing up trannys when driven hard, but that’s becuase of the AWD system and the huge amount of grip putting larger torque loads on the tranny. And the FWD SR20DET was also available from the BlueBirds. I think(Am not 100% sure) it is available from the Bluebirds/JDM sentra’s, with a FWD only tranny and alittle lower power output. It’s probably even cheaper!
From my half-arsed research, Bluebirds are an quick and easy swap… since they share the same chasis as the altima (U13) and appearently a cheap engine too, however then i run into my second problem… how do i make my auto an manual? anyone have a parts list for that kind of swap?
Are you wanting to do it yourself?? Or have a shop do it for you?
I haven’t dealt with them but everyone always recomends autodream to install and maybe even source the engine for you. That way you know they will get everything you need to do it right.
I searched around and it looks like you would need a fair amount of custom parts in order to do the swap and I can’t see it being that cheap. I think for less money you can buy this turbonetics ka24 turob kit and call it a day.
Since the JDM cars came with FWD SR20DET’s, and maybe they were even available in your exact body style, I would get a front clip. It will be cheaper in the end, you will get everything you need, even the exhuast manifold and downpipe, motor and tranny mounts, ECU, wiring, fuel stuff except pump, and maybe you can even get some larger brakes or something, maybe some clear headlights or marker lights, maybe a slightly different front facia, ect…
I would look into the price of one of those, bet it’s cheap!
Well, you could do that, but have you really looked into the VQ swap?
If you can get it cheap enough, buy a VQ35 + trans and you’ll have more power than the turbo motors, N/A reliability, and huge torque to drive the thing around with all day without needing to beat the piss out of it.
Plus, if you care, you’re keeping your Altima all Altima by swapping in a VQ instead of a JDM motor it never saw. But hey, just a suggestion, the turbo stuff sounds just as good.
BTW, I’m curious which QR25 oil leakage problem you’re referring to? I’m not familiar with it and I’d like to know more about what info you have on it. It is a QR powered Altima problem only? Or are you referring to oil burning due to the precat breaking up (which can be fixed very easily with an aftermarket header prior to damage being done).
from what i have heard and asked about, it is not a direct bolt in. you have to mod the engine mounts to accept the engine. that is what i was going to do, so i have spent the last year searching about it, and found out that it would be easier to just turbo the ka we have. that is what im goin to do.
Not sure whats causing the oil burning… i working at Mills this month and the tech i’m with says they keep having to do engines because brand new Qr25 keep burning oil… on most spec v’s it seems to be the high flow exhaust (aftermarket) thats manages to suck oil pass the rings… i mean i’ve seen several different platforms (Xtrails, sentras, altimas) and they seem to be burning oil. It seems that american plant they are coming out of are having a bitch time with making decent engines and other parts… But thats the info from behind the scenes… Also, watch out for newer altima subframe bushings… Appearently they can absorb water and fissure when frozen. Nothing structurally wrong when this happens but a poor ass design. This american plant seems to be shitty…
I understand that a Turbo kit would be easier, and i see the point where blowing 4k (american?) would be worth it and yes appearently the kit puts out something like 66% more power than stock at something like 7psi on pure stock internals. I did research into it, however i do want something different, this my swap idea…
The final rammbling from me is how the hell am i going to fit a whole VG35 in my little car… slight size difference…
Don’t want to sound rude, but seriously how much money doyou want to spend on that car?? No options is going to be cheap. Any VQ engine would be a good choice. (You where told they where on the week aide for the 3.0L, funny how that engine “VQ” has been top 10 engine produce for 11 years now). I would say the easiest would be an SR since the same car (bluebird) was sold on an AWD. A lot of mods would need to happen though.
At this point i… i have no idea how much i want to spend. To be honest i’d love to have a nice 3.0 or 3.5 in there but something tells me i’d have to adjust a lot of weight to make it work, but i’m not snubbing the idea, the engine is great and with a few upgrades it’d be perfect. But does anyone know if the mounts line up or is it another custom job?
Not sure about the mounts man, but a guy in the US has developed a VQ35DE mounting kit for the Spec V, and he says that the weight of the VQ is practially equivalent to a QR25 that has a turbo kit installed on it, so really weight isn’t as much of a concern. I could understand if you were swapping in a motor that had an iron block (Chevy V8? :D), but weight wise you shouldn’t worry.
Mounting would probably entail custom work though, you’d probably be better off making friends with a welder.
Well, if you consider the fact that a VQ35 makes about 230-260 to the wheels depending on the ECU/exhaust/intake you pair it with, I would go that route. Then, if you decide in the future that you want more power, swap in some new cams and so on to bump up the power while keeping the reliability intact.
That’s what I’m going to do with the Spec V, and I’d encourage you to do it too. No one is going to expect a VQ powered older Altima, and just think of the look on the Mustang driver’s faces when your four door family sedan puts an ass whooping to them.
