before you say anything... i know, i know, im "downgrading".

heres my situation, I'm going to be out of the military in half a year, so an my engine is pushing 186xxx miles i figured I would swap it out before it dies on me. now because im going to be going to school, i wont have the spending money that i have now, and idk how much im going to be blowing on gas. I love the look of the G25, but i cant afford it... so i figure ill just do a swap, i know you can throw a VQ35 into the altima but i havent seen it done in the reverse. i figure the engine, ECU and starter will have to be taken from the altima. this way i can keep the looks of me G(as well as the work I've done to it) and the suckers almost paid off! so any input on this would be appreciated

 

Well i'm interested on what the folks say. Just my 3 cent, if u can stay in the military i would because it's NO jobs out here.. Don't the military have a plan that u can goto school and still be in the military? Also, i know they have jobs in the military that does not have to do with fighting/war.

 

well the Marine Corps thing is "every marine is a rifeman" meaning, we are all trained in combat tactics, more-so than soldiers. we do have infantry but every job field recieves more training in combat tactics. As far as i know, the army just does boot camp and the rest of the soldiers who have support job fields just do their job field. we are small but effective because of that. yes, we have tuition assistance, we get to take 1-2 classes a year for free. i already have about half a semester knocked out(I was lazy n started late) but my mom works at Temple U in Philly so im going to be getting 4 years free tuition there, then im going to use my GI bill for another 36 months(discouting the summer months you only need about 36mo for a typical 4yr BA/BS). and since i will be getting out of the military with > 20% disability then ill be getting another 4 years from the military. so im looking at a A LOT of school paid off for free! We will only be paying for my wifes schooling. so we have a plan, im not just jumping out blind into the world but i know the military is a steady(and for the most part guaranteed) paycheck. n yeah theres a lot of BS in teh military, as in any job, but i see people that are in for like 20+ years and their bodies are falling apart before they even hit 40 :/ and the military is all they know also. It was a great experience, I got to see the world and do other things i have literally only dreamed of, but my wife and I want to move on.

 

You can but why not just get another vq motor

 

TrickStyle, bro that's great u got a plan bro.. I wish u the best and get a degree that is in demand this way u can jump right into a job when u get out.. and just a side note.. if u get offered an internship while in school TAKE IT!! u have a lot better chance getting hired by that company than joe som since u have already worked with them..

Good luck on the enjoy swap bro

 

from what i gathered, it seems he wants better mileage with the other engine.

Good luck, dude. I'm curious how this turns out.

 

yep exactly, ima go on some altima forums n see if anyone there has any input or experience on this, ill keep you guys updated tho!

 

They're downsizing the military; people getting kicked out, becoming harder to re-enlist, the possibility of losing retirement pension.......its not like it used to be.

 

Thnx for the advice

very true, i was thinking of staying reserves just to keep my foot in the door. Keeping tricare wouldnt hurt either...

 

You can swap virtually any engine into virtually any chassis with the right amount of fab skills and the right amount of money. However buy another VQ35 when yours dies and save the thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars and time it will take to do the swap, it will pay for years and years worth of gas. Not to mention due to the weight of the G the little 2.5L will have to work alot harder than the 3.5L so you will not have the same fuel economy as an Altima. Also what do you plan to do for the transmission? ECU? wiring? driveshaft? AC? If you cant answer all of the questions you might consider other options.

From the quick look I took looks like the only QR25 that is rear wheel drive is from a frontier and it has about 150hp so close to 140hp less than you have now you will get blown away by smart cars on the freeway

 

wait so your VQ has 186xxx miles and you are afraid it wont last longer?


Or does it have problems and you NEED to replace. To me this seems like a i Want to replace it. All the $$$$$$ spent on the swap would be years and years and years of the gas savings at BEST CASE


So to really save your money. DON'T do the swap. If the motor needs replacement get a stock replacement and your good to go.




Spending ~3-5k on a engine swap to save gas????


Spend <1k to replace motor



And its not like your mileage will double,triple, it will be a increase of MAYBE 6-8 mpg?

If mileage tripled for 3-5k i MIGHT could see it. but no you will not get 60mpg with a QR in your G







/lock it up

 

very true, and good points. thnx

Edit: no, i dont think its gunna go soon, it runs like a dream and i do my oil changes every 3.5k miles. i just know that if it goes while im in college idk if ill be able to afford a swap/replacement. its not only easy to get a loan in the military but i have the time and a steady paycheck, as well as the resources to get it done. seems like you can find ANYTHING you need in SoCal.

 

i have a buddy with a complete VQ laying around, he bought it for a project car but i think hes kinda given up on it, i dont remember the miles on the motor but its a complete long block, and it had pretty low miles if i remember correctly

 

Yeah you definitely DO NOT want to swap to the QR. Not only more expensive but the QR is a POS compared to the VQ, both in performance and in reliability.

Now how do I know that? I own both cars... 06 g35 5AT and a 02 Spec-V 6MT. I bought the Spec with 60,000 miles on it and within 17 days, a rod punched through the block. Had to spend an additional $2500 to put in a new motor. Found out later about some major issues with the QR - oil consumption, CAT breaking down, etc.. Especially if you buy it used, there is a high chance that it has been damaged due to the stock CAT's used with the motor, they break up and get sucked into it causing major oil consumption and eventually a violent death. Not to mention potential inhaling of butterfly valve screws and an erratic throttle body, MAF, and ECU. It's light and smaller, but trust me, you will get better gas mileage in the VQ. I use my Spec for winter driving since it's FWD and even at the best of times I get maybeeeee 20mpg's. Since getting the newer engine I've babied it with the best fluids, regular changes, and light driving.

Plus the fabrication and modification will cost you thousands just to get it working. I like where your head's at but stick with the beast!!

Sorry for the bump, but I'm very passionate about hating my QR haha