This thread will be dedicated to the upcoming project of swapping by motor. I plan on making a detailed diy and It'll be filled with tons of pictures and info that I hopefully can provide by doing this.

Any and everyone are welcome to add any tips or tricks to make this go easier and hopefully help people out in the future! So post away!

 

Sub'd if this is an RB26 swap!

 

Unfortunately it's not even close to being that awesome

 

G56????????????????????????

 

Tesla P100 electric motor swap!

 

Small update.
​​​​​​Went to see a motor with 102k on it, we spoke before arriving (it was in PA) and when I got there the price that we agreed on had magically gone up. After a small debate he wouldn't budge but the a**hole in me wouldn't just let it go because I drove from MD to see the engine and inspect it and hand crank it. After a larger heated debate he subsided and agreed to take the previously offered amount.

So after informing him I needed to do a visual inspection of the engine and at the very least check the plugs he adamantly refused and told me I couldn't check anything unless I paid him first.

So of course I left empty handed but that's fine. The entire situation rubbed me the wrong way and there's more engines in my area to check out. Including one in VA that's not to far but he wants more than I would like to spend.

Anything else i should look for while checking the engine out? I'm sure they won't let me pull a valve cover of course but anything else?

 

Compression test will tell you all you need to know. I would NEVER buy a used motor that didn't get a compression test. Every reputable wrecking yard gives you two pieces of info for a motor, compression for each cylinder and miles on the motor. Without those two items it's a very large gamble.

 

Thanks for the tip! I'll be sure to ask for the numbers when I go to the next place

 

Replacement engine acquired 😊. 105k for 750.00.
It comes with a 6 month warranty and it's being dropped off on Monday.

Question for you guys. What can I use to clean it up a bit? Not looking for showroom polish more like a light polish. Dremel? Wire wheel?

 

The only parts that you really see are the upper intake and the valve covers. Valve covers are simple since it's a smooth enamel finish that wipes down easily. Intake is a bit trickier because it's a semi porous cast finish. If I was in your situation and wanted to dress it up a little I'd just look into some primer/paint for aluminum upper intake and go that route.

A piece of advice on painting engine bay.components, do some research into the products, needs to be resistant against fuel and oil and cleaners. Like most paint jobs it's 99% prep / 1% product, use the proper surface cleaner to remove all traces of existing oil.

​​​​​​Sounds like you got a good deal on that motor also, glad to see your project moving forward.

Google is your friend for surface prep tips!

 

Put it on a stand, get yourself some good degreaser and hot water, spray and scrub. Rinse it off and repeat as necessary.

Good luck with the swap. After my G35 sedan blew up a few years ago I sold it for parts/repair. Really wish I kept it as I would have done an LSx/6spd swap. I really liked those sedans.

 

l guess I didn't really answer your question about POLISHING the intake... I love the look but man it takes SO many hours to polish aluminum that I typically avoid it since I'm not really into building showcars You definitely want to use power tools for most of the work, various different size sanding drum wheels, cone wheels, multi-tool to get into crevices, start with 80 grit on a power tool and work up to 600, then you sand by hand with a piece of sandpaper, for a mirror finish you need to work to about 2000-2500 grit. Expect to spend 8-12 hours of ACTUAL WORK TIME doing this.

The worst part of polishing aluminum is once you start you are COMMITTED to finish the project or it will look like *** if you settle for anything less than a mirror finish... set up a little water drip (or spray with those little garden mist sprayers is even better) for the hand sanding, you'll get more life out of the sandpaper because it won't clog up with aluminum dust.

WEAR A MASK or set up a fan outside to blow dust away from you, fine metallic powder is terrible for the lungs.

I'm committed to never polish another engine component for as long as I live, after you've done a couple you will feel the same, if I do ever decide to polish again I will either pay someone else to do it or invest in a vapor blasting cabinet. Not a huge fan of glass blasting because of how it embeds so much crap in the surface as well as the amount of material it removes but it's great for extremely corroded parts that have a lot of rough work needed. Vapor blasting leaves the best finish imo.

 

Like said above, if you want a polished intake it's probably best to pay someone to do it for you.
http://baidpolish.com/

When I bought my used engine, prior to fitting it, I removed the sump, checked for any solids, removed the pickup and cleaned it and checked the seal. Then once it was fitted I ran the new oil for a couple hundred miles then changed it (oil and filter). Just to "flush" out anything from the engine.

 

It begins. Slowly lol. Detailed notes are being recorded so I can make a very detailed diy

 

sub'd! Looking forward to seeing your progress!

FWIW I glass blasted my upper plenum and am pretty happy with the 'matte' finish. Running without the engine cover it's stayed clean for ~30k miles.