i plan on having my engine rebuilt probably here come income tax time and i was playing with the idea of having a turbo added and probably do a couple other upgrades like have the intake machined out a little to help it breath and possible upgrade the cam shaft and maybe even a 5 speed swap. i know a couple of you guys have done it successfully. now if i remember someone used the exhaust manifolds off a 300Z and that saved a lot of time i assume. now what all else would i have to get and is it that much of a pain to do? also what turbo did you use and how many lbs of boost are you running and how noticeable of a increase is it? and of course if you don't mind me asking how much did it set you back. I'm sure there is a lot more i need to ask so if there is something i didn't think of to ask please feel free to add

i know there is a lot time between now and than but i figure if i get all the info by than it will HELP a tremendous amount on wither it can been done and how hard it would be. i don't want to get started with a project like this and and invest a bunch of money to find out i need more stuff. my goal is while the engine is out to have the car down to get repainted now i just need to figure out if i want to keep it black or change the whole color

 

one question...
how much do you love your car?

 

It's tough to put a monetary value on love, but I'll tell you one thing...my love for my car right now is worth more than my love for women!

 

Donate and search for a thread by MTcookson, he did a write up on it.

 

lets put it this way.... A LOT!!!

that actually helps a lot haven't ever seen it before must have been before i joined

 

How much are you getting back? You plan to also paint the car? Forget it. If you want to slop the engine together and throw in the car, then a few thousand might get you running. By a good running used VG30ET with turbo and everything together. Lose the air conditioner and leave the turbo in stock location. You will have to have a front motor mount fabricated and work out clearance with the radiator. You can buy 2.5" intake piping on ebay for $100 a set. Extra reducers may cost you another hundred. Buy an emulator and have a socket installed in your ecu for about another $300. You do all the install work youself and no other upgrades....you MIGHT pull it off for $1500-2k once you have exhuast plumbed into old system. Hope you have a laptop. JWT ecu with 300z program will run an extra $200 to total cost in place of emulator. This is estimate with no niceties such as guages or fancy boost controller, figure a manual controller. My overall turbo cost is well over $5k and I have no intercooler or mandrell bends for piping yet. You said it best, A LOT.

 

bet i could get it all done for less.
first thing is turbo what ya got rather than buy a whole nother engine
second, screw the whole stock ECU setup and run a megasquirt only issue may be with an auto car.
there are other "short" cuts but I don't recall them all right now and those 2 are the main ones I would use on a VG (VE is a different story)

 

well as far as going and doing a compete engine swap to a completely different engine that not what i had in mind, i planned on just redoing the one i had if i remember 93turbo gxe did it to his and also did a 5 speed swap. now i am only guessing based on the pics on his car domain site but it didn't look like too bad of a mod.

as far as how much i am going to spend i figure 2-3K but can't say for sure till the money is in my hands.

so although i appreciate the mention of the VG30ET that not the way i was looking to head

and as far as the A/C planned on ditching it anyways

 

do you love it enough to put down 5K+ into something that might be sometimes reliable?

you have a very large list of items you want to get but does it make sense to throw that much into a car of this vintage?

you can probably get a decent 4th gen for a few grand more that has the 5spd you want and a lot more support for FI...also less rust.

 

are you planning on doing all the work yourself?

 

as far as rust car has none looked it over from top to bottom haven't been able to find it. as far as the 4th GEN i don't like they way they look i think the 3rd gens look best.

as far as the work no i will not being doing the engine myself i know a shop that will do it for me for a reasonable price

but as mentioned in the beginning of this thread i just need to know what all i would need to do it. i have thought it over and i appreciate every ones concern but trust me i am sure i want to spend the money to put into this car.

as far as $5,000 no it might cost half that with rebuilding the engine i am not trying to go the full race car mod with the adjustable controls and the fuel managment system and all that but if i did have to get a laptop i can get a basic one from my buddy a GREAT price

 

what you need (very short version)...

turbo
manifolds
tons of piping
additional fuel (higher flow injectors)
a fuel management
some kind of boost controller
higher flow fuel pump


the $5K wasn't just for the engine work...we're looking at turbo, tranny swap, porting the various parts.

 

Thanks Danny for clarifying that. I didn't state a price for engine intentionally. Just added up lowest prices as I've found for things and added a few hundred for peices like what Danny mentions or if you did rebuild. Nissan complete rebuild kit from Courtesy at DEALER cost 4 years ago was over $600.

Danny, I'm in Tn, but my brain calculator figures even your short list is still about $1500+?

My $5k+ was FYI, and I know I have a well put together engine that will last decades to come. Boils back down to the question about how much do you love your car? And if you've never heard this one:

You want it good and fast? It won't be cheap.
You want it good and cheap? It won't be fast.
You want it fast and cheap? It won't be good.

Feel free to supplement "fast" with "reliable."

 

i actually like that statement gregg couldnt be said ne better

You want it good and fast? It won't be cheap.
You want it good and cheap? It won't be fast.
You want it fast and cheap? It won't be good

 

well as i said it is a idea and not a requirment. honestly was only thinking on something along the lines as far as like 4 lbs of boost. like i was saying a basic set up just something to give it a little kick

 

at 4 lbs, you can pretty much avoid the intercooler.

 

the only difference is prob the IC and slightly lower parts cost but at 4lbs or 12lbs...the labor is pretty much the same...so keep that in mind.

 

well as i said just a idea. just want something to add to give it a little more MMF. beside love the sound of a turbo spooling up.

this is my daily driver not trying to get something to take to the track if i was i would go in another direction that cost WAY outside my price bracket

 

can turbo work on automatic 94 maxima? and why all the negatives about the idea? will it damage your car?...

 

You can turbo just about any car, regardless of transmission.

Maximas in general are built fairly well, BUT the AUTO for the VG30E engine was not made very well and most die with high miles and/or power upgrades.

From what I have been told the VE30DE AUTO is better built, but those where only installed on 92-94 Maxima SE's.

 

ohh another good point. while all this stuff is getting put together you'll need another daily driver to get around in. so keep that in mind.

 

who's negative about it?
it's your car...your money...you do what you want.

 

not that worries about that already have that covered

i would have to disagree with that mine is at close to 170K and still runs and pulls strong. granted as far as upgrades i still haven't really done much but i think it is one of those thing that it depends on the person that owns it and how good it was taken care of.

 

The driver is really the key factor to whether you auto will fail or not.

I seriously doubt that my black car with over 200k miles would be alive today if it was an auto.

I torture automatics

 

Not to step on peoples toes here but I installed a turbo on my 89VG over 40,000miles ago. I used the stock ECM used 370CC injectors,300ZX MAF
Grand National style turbo. Grand National intercooler used as a front mount. I drive the car every day with 13lbs of boost and last year went 13.40's at 107mph. It runs better than that now!
It's not hard to turbo these engines!!!!! I would NOT rebuild a VG... go to the junk yard and get a VG. I've got 221,000 miles on mine... STOCK ENGINE!!!!!!
I get 21mpg in town.
E-mail me if you want help... UR50SLO@aol.com
That's my openion from doing it and driving it.

 

Dude you're not stepping on peoples toes, teh VG is one hellava engine. I mean, mine's got over 200K and I red line it just about everywhere i go with a bent crank snout and a bad exhaust. It still surprises me everytime I fill it up with regular gas that this thing still runs.

 

used t3 rebuilt runs around $200
manifolds $60
piping $100
Injectors used ( 300zx turbo injectors ) $160
you dont need any fuel mangement .... just get the 300zx turbo ecu
nice manuel bc $100
Walbro 255 $80 bucks shipped

it wont cost that much , Maybe 1000 at the most....

 

have you used a Z31 ECU in a 3rd gen?

 

I'm not sure if a 300zx ecu would work. However, you would be surprised at the numerous ecu's that Nissan used that have the exact same plug as our Max ecu. In hooking up my AVC-r, I found that most of the wires between vehicles even match up. However, there is just enough difference to short and fry a sensor, or worse, the ecu itself. Just becuase it runs the VG, does not mean all the wires are the same. I second the question, have you run a Z ecu in the Max?

 

Now the Z31 and 2nd gens had very simular ecu wiring, you could even swap the NA ecu's. However on the 3rd gen I believe there are a few differences, but nothing someone with time and knowledge can't handle. Matter of fact you could probably just chip the stock ecu with a z31T base tune just to get started.

 

if that's what it cost why aren't there more FI 3rd gens out there?
have you installed one in your 3rd gen?

 

I used the "Pocket Romulator" to edit my ECU.. it's 170.00. You'll need to get the stock chip taken out and a socket soldered in it's place so the romulator will plug in or a chip can later be burnt.
I've had mine plugged in and running for almost 2yrs with no memory loss or problems.
You'll use Live Edit to change injector size and fuel/timing tables.
MaxMaxima91 has played with the Live edit and made it work excellent with the maxima ECU!
It's worth the time and effort to put it all together...
Be glad to show anyone how it's done.
~Scott

 

sounds awesome i have a vg with 85k and i'm looking at possibley turbo setup in like a year but i have to get everything together. everyone around here tunes and turbos hondas any idea as to where i could find a reputable nissan tuner who could do the work right.

 

A VG with 85,000 miles? Wow... it's not even broke in yet!!!! LOL

MaxMaxima91 is a wealth of knowledge on the program that we use to tune our cars when they are boosted. (Live Edit) he's worked the program around to where it's a snap to use on our cars.
Either he or I could help you with that. He's got programs and the ability to burn chips. I just got a chip burner so it won't be long before I can duplicate my tune for those who would like to try it.
If you've got 370cc Injectors,AFPR and a Z32MAF along with a 5spd Mine would be close...
MaxMaxima's got a great program for 550cc injectors.
You'll need a socket soldered into your ecu to put the chip into.
Hope that helps,
Scott~

 

ill have to agree thats a very low price to me i have my turbo being rebuilt at turbonetics as far as parts goes i spent so far
-300zx manifold 60$
-300zx turbo t3 80$
-z32 injectors 400$
-3" down piping (custom) 250$
-Greddy sp2 (optional) 450$
-intercooler 300$
-intercooler piping 650$ (All Mandrel Bent) <current status.................Waiting
-z32 maf sensor Free / Nada (Optional)
-Rebuilt t3 270$

Total @=2010 (- greddy sp2)

 

what are you going to do about tuning the system once you have it all together?

and what's the total cost of that $80 turbo, after you have to have it rebuilt?

Add another $1000 for both of those.

 

Arizona turbo does rebuilds for around 250 i belive.. and there very credible place to have it done at. would highly recommend them. As for tuning. doing it via the program live edit and useing a romulator. With the socket, a spare chip, and all the work to have it soldered into the ecu. it wont cost more than 300 bucks... probably more like 250.

 

sounds good to me. I was actually referring to 2Legal's post #35 just above, where he says he's doing the whole thing for $2000... there's always a million little things that are left out, and all those $10-20 things add up after a while.

 

O so true. so Very Very True

 

what like fuel?

~Alex