My VQ35DE Nissan V6 swap!

[mshort07]

Hard to find rust free (or minimal rust) on the east cost. Mine didn't look as challenging as your frame but keep in mind it's the journey why we're doing it. Anything can be fixed. With that being said, I don't have any interest in starting this my project over again. I'm happy to be near the finish line (of course it will never be truly finished).

The body of mine had many issues, but that allowed me to customize it. The advice given to me years ago from someone on this site was "cut cut weld weld".

[gnoplos]

Actually did a little planning tonight. Going to start with a cross brace similar to how Jeff started (this is his car. shout out-very helpful!)

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With the exception of trying to make this structure removable.

This is just about where it’s gonna sit. I wanna lower the front 1/2” or so and maybe raise the tail shaft a bit.

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I want the crank to sit just a bit lower than this. I’ll also be trimming the crank since I won’t need the double pulley.

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[gnoplos]

I think this is what I’m gonna go with. Green is removable and red is welded. It will also help put a little more weight on the rear.

[gnoplos]

I got a little creative with my phone lol. If you squint it doesn’t look half bad

[gnoplos]

For the first time, the new engine and transmission were supported in the frame! (A little bit lol)

So first thing was the trans crossmember. It’s basic shape is cut to size but I need to notch it where the trans will sit by 3/4”. This is because it’s currently sitting 1/4” too high, and I have a 1/2” sheet of rubber that will be the bushing.

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Second thing is I’ve begun motor mount construction. The wood blocks leave the engine exactly 1/2” too low, so I’m building them to sit on the frame exactly so that the 1/2” rubber will set it to the perfect height.

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[2mAn]

at this point all I can say is keep it up!

[gnoplos]

I’ve got a few minutes of free time so here’s a little update.

Motor mounts are done

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Transmission crossmember is done and I’m fairly pleased with the way it turned out! All bolt holes have a pipe welded in to take the load of the tightened bolts.

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And here’s Penny’s grumpy face when I try to get her to go inside when it’s freezing cold outside!

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[gnoplos]

Back to work on the frame. Stiffening up where
1. The front body mount is
2. The trans crossmember is
C. The “X/K” crossmember will be

[gnoplos]

Made some good progress today

Hard to see but I welded plates that go parallel with the top and bottom of the frame, similar to the factory style.

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Finally got around to finishing the back patches.

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And something that I have not been looking forward to: getting the flanges on the passenger side frame rail ready for the top plate!

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[gnoplos]

So I had this GENIUS idea to weld the top plate to the frame by slicing length-wise down the frame so that I could lay a nice long, semi-pretty weld and also seal that seam from moisture. Welp, it didn’t work at all. The penetration wasn’t good so as I worked one side to the next, I could hear my welds breaking.

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So I ended up just doing plug welds which appear to be much better. I started with 1/4” holes but I much prefer a 5/16”. I grinded down the welds and painted while the metal was fresh. I still need to go back and grind the sides so that both pieces of metal are uniform and pretty. But I’m pretty excited to be at this point!

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[gnoplos]

I made custom body mounts to almost stock specs. The width is the same, though a different shape.

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Another CAD template

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This was actually fairly quick and easy to whip
Up

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On to the driver side of the frame! This only had a hole toward the back of the rail, where it turns upward. Took care of that and installed the gussets and glopped as much Por-15 as possible. Used this little death wish to assist!

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And the metal going parallel with the top and bottom.

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[gnoplos]

You know the drill by now:
CAD

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Metal

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Installed

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You may or may not be able to tell from the pictures but after I boxed in the second side of the frame, I realized that I didn’t pay much attention to the width of the frame rail. The passenger side is nearly an inch too thin. I don’t think it will be a problem but we’ll see.

[theunz]

Wow, and I thought you were brave taking on that rusty frame...but that oversized cutoff wheel on a 4” grinder.....just hope you have a pair of steel gloves!
Looks like you have a fun project going. Fabricating you’re own ideas is both fun and gratifying.
Looking forward to the finished project.

[gnoplos]

1

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2

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3

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4

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This was actually quite time consuming. The rear ones had a lot of complex angles and the front wasn’t much better.

I also hatched an idea to stick another removable brace under the engine for more strength. That’s the next step after I finally tackle boxing in where I cut out for the crank pulley.

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[TurboRagtop]

Love those mad CAD cardboard skills! You’re doing great, pedal down.