PART 1

ENGINE SWAP WRITE UP - *BEWARE* THIS IS A LEGTHY POST AND I TAILORED IT FOR A FACEBOOK GROUP SO LIGHTEN UP FRANCIS



Middle aged white guy here. Totally new to the G world. I kinda feel like the minority in this group. Not because of my skin color(I’m not a racist) but because I have no idea what most of you are saying with your text slang and abbreviations. Plus, I’ve never seen the word BRO used so much anywhere ever.



First off, this is a lengthy post so don’t get half committed then run off. I swear, some people now a days have the attention span of a goldfish. Grab a seat, leather or porcelain and absorb this #1 best seller of the year.



Second, let’s establish some ground rules. Please don’t bother PM’ing me or friending me for more info on this. If you can’t figure it out from here then this isn’t for you. I literally knew nothing 2 months ago and I used google and the search function everywhere to learn. Now I’ve got an HR swapped G. If I can do it, maybe you can too.



Third, if you have an automatic and plan on keeping it or want to swap your manual for an auto...please stop reading this and move along until your ***** have dropped. We’re doing man **** here.



So here we go!



I bought my G35 for $2,500 with a blown DE revup with a 6MT about 2 months ago. Honestly, she was fast becoming a **** box. Neglected and abused but still plenty of potential.



If you aren’t familiar with Engine and transmission tech and why this would really benefit you, this would be a good time to fire up your google machine like I did and start learning. Because let’s face it, those DE engines are eventually going to need to be rebuilt or replaced. Especially the Revup version. Plus, most of you young guys love abbreviating words so learning this should be right in your wheel house (old person saying. Look it up)



For those of you who don’t know what an HR swap is, it’s basically the same engine (3.5 liter) that’s in your G35 coupe (all years) or your 06 or older 350z (referred to as a VQ35DE or DE for short) but it’s the next generation of that engine platform and nissan/Infiniti fixed/eliminated a lot of issues that the DE had and also made the HR a better breathing/ performing engine in stock form. From my research, the HR is also capable of handling more hp then a DE in stock form. Now, the HR is not w/o it’s own potential issues but they are far and few between compared to the DE. If you find a high mileage HR to swap in, I would recommend inspecting/testing it and changing out gaskets, plugs and fixing the known common issues like gallery gasket and camshaft cap failures.



Btw, notice how I didn’t list any sedans above for what the DE came in? 4 door cars don’t deserve this swap. It’s not “4 DOORS MORE ******” Bro. It’s sell that **** or PART OUT! Leave this swap for the coupes. They be the only cars allowed in the cool kids club.



I decided to not put a DE Revup back in mine. Why go through this twice!? And I also didn’t want to install a non revup DE (why go through the trouble of pulling out the revup and spend the money when there are better options?) and I wanted an engine in this car as close to factory as possible. I also didn’t want a bigger heavier engine like a V8. Yes great power but also more expensive and time consuming. Plus I don’t want to change/kill the cars awesome handling.



After doing a bunch of research on forums (finding these forums through google) and having access to a couple locals who are savvy with the Z/G platform help educate me, I decided after weighing all the pro/cons of the 4-5 most popular engine swap options out there for these cars, that the HR swap was right for me. Probably right for most of us G & older Z owners.



VQ37VHR & LS we’re close seconds. In fact, the VHR is quickly becoming a better option than HR due to the availability of parts but the wiring is more complex and the time and money to do the swap is higher. How much higher? Well, on the low side another $500-700 for wiring and for labor/time you’re looking at removing more of the dash to gain access to more of the dash wiring harness. So another 4-8 hours depending on your experience level. Keep in mind, if you’re updating the serviceable replacement parts in your AC system you may not be much more labor or effort due to how much parts on the dash you have to remove to get the expansion valve replaced. So altogether for a VHR upgrade another $700-1,000 on the low side and up to another $2,500 (above an HR swap) depending who does the wiring and install and where the parts were bought. But keep in mind the VHR swap in a DE car is not as efficiently done as a HR swap yet. Pretty soon, it might surpas the HR swap in popularity. Especially since HR's are not as plentiful as VHR's.



Plus, another benefit to the HR swap over other engine swaps. Once done, the car will look, act, feel very factory but it can also retain its resell value when done professionally and my budget (not counting my time) will allow me to recoup all my money if I decide to sell. Ya ya, all that is great but we all know what you are really after...reliable power and performance! Well...a few of you are at least.



I decided to do this HR/JK(wait what’s a JK!? It’s the more modern manual trans that swaps in with the HR) swap as close to factory as I can other than intake and exhaust. I wanted to install high flow cats to keep the exhaust note quiet and less trumpet like but they are expensive and I’m on a budget so I got some good quality used non resonated test pipes instead. Be warned, this setup is annoying compared to stock exhaust. Also remember, you cannot use your DE trans with the HR engine.



I found a wrecked 07 350z with 66k miles being parted out by a salvage company about 800 miles away from me with a great reputation. When this engine & trans arrived I thought it was new it was so clean! The car also has carfax but I was able to search the VIN through google and find it to be a legit car with accurate mileage w/o paying for the carfax report.



Keep in mind, you can source these HR engines from other cars but the 07-08 350z is the best candidate. More info about why this is can be found from the company that specializes in a few key parts for this swap, Guilty Garage - https://guilty-garage.com



PART 2 BELOW AS A REPLY - I ONLY GET 10,000 CHARACTERS IN 1 POST AND I NEED 17,000

 

PART 2

Now, If the front end isn’t caved in, here is what you will want to extract from it and I also included the price I paid

-engine $1,250

-manual trans + shifter assembly $1,450

-shifter assembly appears to be the same as what came in the G but grab it and keep your CD009 (DE manual trans) complete. Remember, a DE manual trans will not bolt to a HR engine.

-engine harness + bulkhead grommet & rubber boot $250

-ECU $100

-freight to ship engine/trans plus a few other goodies $325

-main dash harness $75

-engine harness + ECU rework fee $700 done by Guilty Garage

-AC & drain lines from firewall to compressor to condenser. I only got the ac lines from the compressor to their first disconnect point so I had to rework mine and graft the old to the new. It was a headache doing it that way for me but others experience may be different.

-starter/alternator power wire - no charge

-all ground straps - no charge

-hydraulic clutch line from bulkhead fitting at frame to side of trans. This may not work. I don’t know because I didn't get the factory line I ended up making my own - see below

-both heater hoses to firewall (DS DE hose works) - no charge

-motor mounts (DE work fine too but replace if old and worn out)- no charge

-exhaust manifolds (DE can swap over but the collector is a half inch smaller in diameter then HR which means you’re restricting the exhaust and at high rpms, this would kill good HP numbers- no charge(typically comes with donor engine)

-cats/test pipes $150 (can be free or up to $500)

-intake pipes + maf sensors $150 (this can vary from no cost if it came with the donor car up to $600+ for new, not including maf sensors. I am local to Guilty Garage and got to guinea pig the new Z intake setup on my G. It will have its own install instructions. Cost is unknown right now.

-I also added Filter wears water and other contaminants resistant pre filter. Part# F103 $40 total (need 2)

-lower radiator hose - no charge



OTHER ITEMS TO CONSIDER FROM DONOR TO MAKE SWAP EASIER - I DID NOT BUY THESE PARTS SO I DO NOT KNOW THE COST

-Hydraulic clutch line and fitting at body and trans ( I ended up making a line for $20. Mine had to be 15.25” long. Both sides are M10 1.0 inverted flare. Male on trans side and the other side is female with provisions for a horseshoe clip.

-AC condenser

-Air intakes and filter boxes

-PS reservoir bracket and return hoses - might not need these

-battery hold down will not work with new harness (it sits up higher) unless you trim the in cabin air inlet box to allow the harness to move back and out of the way of the battery attachment point just enough to let the J hook clear.

-LP AC line from firewall to compressor - both pieces - mentioned above

-Coolant Over flow reservoir

-Engine top cover - I ended up customizing a 07/08 350z cover. The 07/08 G35 sedan also has an HR and that cover will possibly work too but it is different then a Z HR cover.

-Some people have also swapped the rad and fans into a G. May be worth grabbing it just to have and see how it fits compared to the G’s parts. I did not do this.

-Z core support - big “IF” here, may be a waste of time but still good to have close by and study because if it does work you can save time and have less headaches in other areas.

-I chose to update the exhaust at the same time for $350. I went with a Spec D dual exhaust kit with non resonated test pipes. It is loud and obnoxious. May add high flow cats or better test pipes and an X pipe further down stream one day but for now, loud pipes save lives and #becauseracecar

-The clutch pressure plate and flywheel were resurfaced for $220 local. This included a new clutch & pilot bushing. I inspected the throw out bearing and slave and reused them. I didn’t grease my throw out bearing and maybe I should have. I did grease the pilot bushing and pilot shaft. These wear items mentioned above may normally be replaced but the low miles on the parts allowed me to reuse them. If you have the budget, upgrade the flywheel, clutch and slave now. The factory internal slave are known to leak/fail. You will have to replace the clutch master at the same time which is a crappy job. May as well update your clutch pedal while you’re at it if you want to add some more performance goodies to the car. It’s a no brainer if you plan on tracking the car.

-also, if you do reuse the oem slave, be sure to reverse bleed it before hooking it up to the clutch lines. I had black liquid come out of mine for a second. Anything nasty like that can kill your clutch master and slave.

-Check rear main seal for leaks. Mine was leaking and I replaced it when I removed the flywheel to be resurfaced.



-Engine oil, filter, gear oil and coolant $100

-AC lines modified can be done 3 ways. I chose to graft my G lines to the Z lines for a cleaner more factory look but I did it with AC barb fittings for $10. The more conventional method costs $250. Others just use the Z lines at no extra cost and make them work which I didn’t care for. Sources tell me that using the LP Z line from the firewall to the first connection point and the Z condenser and drain line along with the lines mentioned above will give you the most factory look and not require modifications like I did.

-AC refresh kit includes new dryer, expansion valve, o rings, caps, valve stems and oil $80

-Recharge AC - not sure yet. I was stupid and didn’t get my system evacuated before starting the swap and let all my oil and Freon drain out so I’ll have to pay for more Freon plus the service fee. I drank a whole can of dumb **** juice that day.

-I ended up modifying my factory PS reservoir bracket. I may not have needed to modify it if I had just redrilled the holes properly that move it over and out of the way of the PS intake charge pipe.

-I recommend grabbing the reservoir, reservoir hoses, bracket, cooler and cooler lines from the donor car but I’m not sure if you need any of that. Just might make the swap go smoother but maybe not.

-I ended up using a coolant reservoir from a 2011 G37. It required cutting, drilling, grinding, welding and painting. You can avoid all this if you use the parts off the donor car. Plus it will look even more factory.

-the w. wiper reservoir filler neck did not want to go back in with the Guilty Garage 3” intake pipe kit. I made it work but it was creative. You can avoid this too if you stick with stock components or a different air intake pipe setup but I wanted straight true 3” intake pipes. Nothing sand and heat couldn’t fix.

-no issue with starter clearance at the steering rack but it is tight. Not sure how feasible it will be to change out the starter. We’ll find out eventually.

-the steering slip shaft is close to the drvr side manifold flange. I wrapped mine with heat wrap so it doesn’t cook it.

-The brake booster air line & one way check valve requires modification. You’ll see why. I chopped up my old line, bent some metal tubing and made it work. Came out pretty good and works fine. There are other ways to do this. No wrong or right way unless you’re a dumbass. Just do you.



Add all that up then I’m selling all my DE parts. Some of them are pretty valuable

-6MT trans + shifter assembly in great condition

-engine parts - block is toast

-wiring harness

-ECU

-2 stage launch control - aka Phkboi flame thrower

-motordyne exhaust from exhaust manifolds to resonator behind Y pipe.

-misc items I didn’t reuse that I haven’t inventoried yet. Figure that is about $2,000-2,500 that can go back in my pocket



So figure $5,000 for the swap then about $2-2,500 in parts off the car (in my case) that can resell.



I’ll be in it about $2,500-3k once it’s all done. You can’t even do a DE swap for that! Ok some of you have found those Revup unicorns cheaper but the rest of us gotta deal with reality & move on from that nightmare.



My labor to do the swap...priceless...



The extra things I did while I was there and just want the car to function and look it’s best while balling on a budget? The list is several items deep. Remember where I said this car was on the brink of becoming a **** box? Just keep a list somewhere like email, print it out, tape it to the car and keep crossing off and adding things as you go. Then update your email list from time to time and re print it.



All in all, the swap was very straight forward. I chose to spend extra time in areas I didn’t have to. The ac lines, ps reservoir bracket & ww reservoir filler neck can all be bolt in with no mods. You just have to get the right combination of parts like I’ve listed & discussed above.



Now that it’s all laid out, you might be thinking, why don’t I just spend a little more money & give this list to my mechanic. Well, you can do that but I recommend finding a shop that specializes in working on these cars and doing these swaps WITH A SOLID REPUTATION!

There’s a few of them out there and if they are close to you or you don’t mind traveling, I highly recommend going that route for a quick painless experience.



Now for what all of you are waiting for...HOW DOES IT DRIVE!?



well...AMAZING!! Best money and time I have spent in a long while. The car is fun, fast and has a nice strong pull through all the gears. Ya, she’s loud and annoying but that’s why I made a Phk Böi sticker for the back window Bro.



PS: I'll get some pics uploaded if y'all cry loud enough. remember I'm old and now I'm hungry and sleepy so I gotta go.

 

Pics or it didn't happen

 

Nice project man.. post up those pics!