why not turbo the U20?
Not trying to kill your idea or anything but a ka24de-t would be the better route to go. . .not worth the pain swapping in a vq. . .most of the guys in the states are doing it so they can have a bit more power and be SMOG-compliant. . .otherwise it’s a waste of money. . .
Before anyone assumes that the price of a VQ swap is too much they should check on the cost of building this 40+ year old rare nissan engine. The U20 is not like an L series, which are almost as cheap as KAs. The costs between a VQ swap and a fully built U20 are basically a wash. Another thing in my OP that may have been missed is that I am not concerned with “cheaper”.
I have no problem with KA-Ts. In fact, I have pretty much decided that is what I will put into the 510 but I am absolutely NOT putting a KA in my roadster. I have a KA-T plan for the 510 and don’t want to do the same thing in the roadster. I will build the U20 to keep the car original or go completely nuts, i.e., the VQ.
Lee, I have NEVER heard of a VQ being put in a roadster so not sure I follow you? (…and this is part of why I am curious about it.)
^^ I was referring to VQ swaps in general. . .i.e. s-chassis. . .
I had one in my S14 last year and it wasn’t worth the time and effort … .
You ever figure out a plan on this Dave?
The U20 is at the machine shop right now. If I can get the shitty head fixed up then it will go back in. If I can’t I may swap in a KA or not…Very likely not going to bother with the VQ.
you can come and measure mine if you want dave.
Eitherway Dave I look forward to seeing this out on the road and at some meets. Just curious as what road it will lead you for engine. When its doen are you going to take it out to do some autocrossing?
I will have a VQ35 sitting on the ground by Saturday…I hope. it will be at Lightspeed Innovations in RedDeer PM me if you still want measurments. I could maybe do it or if your wanted we could arrange with the owner of Lightspeed and find a day for you to do it.
Looks like I will be able to find a head for my car so the original engine will be going back in! This was the original hope so I am glad for that.
I won’t be taking autocrossing if only because the roll bar doesn’t meet WCMA’s regulations. I can always make an appearance.
That said, when the roadster gets back on the road (pun intended) I’ll turn my attention to Project Autocross Beater 510 and that car will definitely hit the course!
What about FJ20ET? They were legendary in there time, and seldom seen here. I would assume one would fit…
From Wikipedia: “it has a rev-happy over-square bore/stroke, combined with a stout forged bottom end, and wide bore spacing, the FJ20’s strength is legendary.” 4cylinder, but fun!
Plus, I remember in the first Freeway Speedway movie, the exhaust note they made in the DR31 skylines was awesome!
You would be running a standalone EMS right? You should be able to make any engine sing with a proper tune 
Are you just looking for rare and unique, or special qualities from your engine? Because usually the best method is to pick the best style of engine for the car for proper driving characteristics and to suit your tuning style.
Maybe try finding the engine bay dimensions for a 350z… They do seem to stuff a lot into the 350’s engine bay compared to older nissans! It looks tight in there! You can probably find the dimensions of the bay directly from the service manual. I’d recommend finding the section that shows the body dimensions for the purposes of straigtening the frame… Usually they show the size of the x-member as well as from strut tower to tower etc… That should give you a good starting point, I hope!
** d’oh after all that research i read you’re putting the old engine back in. Good luck! **