Hypothetically speaking if you wanted to do a budget engine swap and your goals were
1. Manual
2. About 300hp
Is the VQ35 and the six speed from 350z a better value for a budget swap than an LSX?
What am I overlooking?
Why don't we see move VQ swaps?
1. Define value (resale, hp/$, reliability, ease of maintenance, etc)
2. Will you do the work?
3. What is the $$$$ amount of the conversion in your area for each choice?
In reply to Somebeach :
My understanding is that putting a manual behind an LS ups the price by at least a grand. So at that point I think the math would be:
Wrecked LS donor + manual trans - recoup from donor
vs.
Wrecked manual 350z - recoup
And see which option provides the cheapest overall cost. Of course prices for donor vehicles can vary greatly by location, as does demand for unneeded leftover parts, so it would be difficult for someone outside your area to provide an accurate estimate.
Buick 3800 with a cam.
If 300 is the goal, a VQ35 would be easy. Not sure what easy button on the electronics exist. If you want to put a manual behind an LS, a Nissan CD009 is an increasingly common option with what T56s cost now. So sorta both?
In reply to kb58 :
1. Value in my mind was getting it reliably driving with about 300hp. And manual
2.This is all hypothetical, but assuming that it would be done by a do it yourself type person not a shop.
3. Don't really know, but seems like T56 or cd009 + adaptor will be 1500-2k for the LSX.
Where 1500 would get you VQ already hooked up to a CD009 or maybe CD008 .
In reply to Pete Gossett :
That all makes sense.
In reply to Knurled. :
As in the FWD ones? What manual trans?
In reply to Somebeach :
Personally I'm doing the VQ35de but lucky for me the donor kinda fell into my lap. I'm with Pete in that by the time you put a manual behind the LS you're looking at a lot more money. Pretty sure a GM T5 would bolt up to the Buick 3800.
Somebeach said:In reply to Knurled. :
As in the FWD ones? What manual trans?
Complete 4th gen F-body drivetrain. 4L60 auto or T5 manual, your choice. PCM is thoroughly hacked and easily swappable into other chassis.
GM's PCM swap-friendliness makes their drivetrains the easy button for swapping.
How available are the 2011+ Mustang 3.7L V6 and 6 speed manual that produced 305 hp?
I have no idea how difficult the electronics are with these engines.
On car-part.com I see that engine for $650-ish. Trans for $450-ish. If those are the high end prices, there must be some deals to had via CL/FB
Left Field Suggestion:
Hyundai Genesis Coupe V6's are 300hp, and motor and trans are $400 each on car-part. Ymmv.
In reply to Stampie :
what are you going to do for engine management? Standalone?
In reply to John Welsh :
There is also the LFX from the camaro v6s. That some people are putting in miatas. About 300hp.
All these v6 at about 300hp are interesting, but what about setting them up to run in the swap chassis of choice?
In reply to Knurled. :
This is interesting, and they are a cam away from 300hp?
Solstice AR5 trans and a Fabbot adapter is the easy way to get a cheap manual LS drivetrain. I have a CD009 and a Collins Kit. I wish I knew about the AR5 when I bought my trans.
You say 300hp but is that to the wheels or at the crank? At the wheels the LS is the way to go, it's so easy to make power with even a junkyard 5.3.
Somebeach said:In reply to Knurled. :
This is interesting, and they are a cam away from 300hp?
Assuming that you're going to be putting headers on anything you install, yeah. The Series 2/3 is kind of like a baby LS, or rather the LS was designed with things learned from the Buick engine.
You'll be getting a crackly poppy big-cam idle and the choppy low-load drivability that comes with that, so you may prefer a different option like the aforementioned 3.6 options. The nice thing about the 3800, though, is that it is an anvil, and GM flooded the market with them. The front drive and rear drive 3800s are the same aside from accessory drive.
VQ35DE swap is very difficult without going full standalone compared to an LS. The stock ECM is not DIY tuneable without a really expensive software. You can swap it without flashing the ECM, but you will need every component of the anti-theft system and the complete wiring harness.
The DE power is over-advertised and not quite 300 hp, even in the 350Z, and you won't get there with just a tune and bolt-ons. It's a good stout engine though. Very capable of handling a 100hp shot of nitrous 
To get a manual, it's much cheaper to go VQ even with a paid tune and/or standalone. LS T56's are expensive.
Pentastar from a charger/challenger/ram shouldn't be too hard to come by either
In reply to Somebeach :
I have the entire car so I'm going to try and use factory. For me 280hp is good enough esp as Travis pointed out I can always spray.
Many factory LS engines are already over 300 hp, and (as long as you're not doing a T56) manuals are plentiful.
It will take some conversion parts (flywheel/clutch perhaps) but GM parts-bin shopping could probably get you there.
Buy a complete LQ9 6.0L from a truck with the harness and ECM for $750 and you're looking at a drop-in 345hp. Pair it with a WC T5 or NV3550 and you're off and running.
In reply to Curtis73 :
$750?
The one I acquired for a project was $4000! That was for a complete engine dropout with harness, computer, accelrator pedal, TAC module, all accessories, and a warranty.
Jinkys. I got a complete LQ9, 4L65E, ECM, harness, pedal, transfer case, and all accessories except alternator for $1300. Came out of a wrecked Escalade with 68k.
LS truck motors around here (complete longblocks) are $500 all day every day.
Curtis73 said:Jinkys. I got a complete LQ9, 4L65E, ECM, harness, pedal, transfer case, and all accessories except alternator for $1300. Came out of a wrecked Escalade with 68k.
LS truck motors around here (complete longblocks) are $500 all day every day.
I bought a running driving LQ9/auto truck for $1500. If it were in worse shape, it would be half of that,
I know that the vq can't fit in all the same spaces an ls can. In an rx7, the vq pan would almost touch the ground and be very close to sticking through the hood.
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