engine and tranny

The VG30 I'm using is from an '85 300ZX. A local shop, H&H, went through the bottom half and I rebuilt the heads with all new components. A custom oil pan was fabricated by Steve Handy, a local fabricator and good bud. Steve modified the bottom to be flush with the frame and added a side reservior to make up for lost capacity. I'm using the exhaust manifolds from an '89 200SX, since they hug the block very closely. I had the manifolds ceramic coated by Swain Technologies. It is a great looking finish and is very durable. The pipes will dump over the frame and down the side. Injectors and related components have been replaced. The EFI will be controlled by a custom computer called the Megasquirt. It was built by my father from a kit. We'll use a custom wiring harness as well. I'm using a starter from an early 90's Pathfinder. It is compact and fits inside the frame rails after a little massaging. A custom alternator bracket had to be built around the constraints of the engine bay.

Here are 2 shots showing different intake plenums on the VG30. I tried to take these from identical horizontal positions to see which sat higher. The photo on the left is the setup from the 200SX while the right photo is the 300ZX setup. The 300ZX has a slightly lower profile where the 200SX will allow you to position the engine back slightly more. I chose the 300 ZX for the hood clearance. It is going to be snug but the hood should clear if my measurements are correct.

Here is a front setup of the engine with the alternator barcket. I built a non adjustable bracket setup for the alternator and chose an adjustable idler pulley to get the belt tension. The idler also helps pull the belt up to clear the body frame rail. With the body on , the alternator will sit above the body rail in the engine compartment. Here is the tranny and custom driveshaft installed. I'm happy with the fit. The shifter will be about 3" forward of the stock position. The body tunnel has been modified to match.