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before i start, please DO NOT tell me every reason i shouldn’t do this swap. please help me if you have any information that will help me. I AM doing this swap
i am in the process of sourcing parts for my swap, so far i have,
A 2003 g35 brembo
a vq37vhr out of an auto g37 sedan
an immobilizer, ecu and key set from a MANUAL 2009 g37s
a cd009 manual trans.
vq37vhr wiring harness.
clutch from vq35, will this work????
-i know that the cd009 will volt up to the vq37vhr.
-i have read that i can use vq35hr engine mounts to bolt up the 37 to the 35de chassis. is this true??
-i don’t care for the rev match feature that came with the vq37vhr and tbh idk if the 2009 37 even came with it.
is there anything else i would need???
thank you all so much
Last edited by shawno1143; 02-03-2019 at 05:40 PM.
Reason: adding information
I suspect the cabin wiring harness, IPDM, ABS and BCM would be different as well. Examine the wiring schematics from the two cars to determine how many sensors were used in each. My guess is the VHR ECM will be looking for many more inputs that the '03 chassis lacks.
Rev match not on automatic trans models that I'm aware of (can't imagine a need for it except maybe latest Sport/Nismo models with A/T and that depends on the year/model ECM). And pretty sure the HR/VHR won't fit under stock hood due to the higher deck height; hence entire top of engine is much higher than DE. Just speculating, don't really know, just some things to watch for.
You're probably right, but racers are dreamers in a lot of ways too, OP wanted some advice, so I nonchalantly provided some, based on what little I know about swapping VQ powerplants. We'll see if s/he comes back to this thread with any questions or updates to this project.
i’ve been building and swapping cars since i was 10. i have a lot of experience with s-chassis, and the e46 chassis. i have done a swap on a g35s, but it was just a vq35.
currently drive a 2015 genesis coupe 3.8 ultimate. it’s gonna be really cool to see both sides of the spectrum.
for those who don’t know, 3.8 and vq37vhr are sworn enemies.
im not a dreamer, i’m a do-er.
i’m 17 years old and just about everything in this swap is against me, but i’m gonna do it.
hood clearance is an issue that i am wondering if maybe i should get a custom hood made to fit the vq37vhr, or maybe hood risers #rice. this is going to be a street/drift car, so i’m not terribly concerned with look. of course i want it to be clean in order for people to appreciate the enginuity and quality of work. the interior is mostly stripped, so that will make this just a little bit easier.
this car car is going to be f/i. most likely twin turbo with some small ko3’s. those are the turbos used on 1.8 miata’s. since only 1.85 liters will push 1 turbo, i figure they are perfect size. manifolds will be made by me.
i am going to pull the dash sometime this week, delete all a/c components. and tear out anything not needed.
once i have the engine mounted, i am going to run the main engine harness to the ecu and go from there. luckily i have a local junkyard with many g35s and a few g37s. that will make it easier since i will have a buttload of parr’s in case i break something, or i need a harness or 2.
i pulled the vq35 on saturday. gonna post it up on CL tonight.
thanks everyone for your input. keep it coming! i will update with pictures later today.
I suspect the cabin wiring harness, IPDM, ABS and BCM would be different as well. Examine the wiring schematics from the two cars to determine how many sensors were used in each. My guess is the VHR ECM will be looking for many more inputs that the '03 chassis lacks.
going to the junkyard right after i mount the 37vhr. once everything i have is installed, i will go from there.
going to the junkyard right after i mount the 37vhr. once everything i have is installed, i will go from there.
also i may just create my own mounts, this way i can keep the driveshaft i already have. this will make it easy to swap out should it twist or break. also will make it easier to upgrade in the future, being able to use a g35 driveshaft.
OK, sounds good, but again, watch out for the CD009 "gotcha". The 009 for the DE motor does NOT bolt up to HR or VHR. (And vice versa of course). Best to check the bolt pattern OR easier yet, does the CD009 you have employ a CSC or external slave? You need the one with the concentric slave to identify it. (But that's not a certainty either as the donor may have converted it to CMAK - the Z Speed conversion to external slave.) Best check/measure the bolt pattern.
Give 'em hell Shawno! use this thread to track your progress.
I personally don't think it'll happen - you've got too many things against you and there were too many things different about the two chassis … but I wont be a rooster about it.
With that being said if you need anything I can help you with give me a shout.
You may be better off getting an aftermarket standalone ECU and doing your own wire harness.
Do you need/want a G35 carbon fiber drive shaft? I think it's off an automatic...let me know.
Give 'em hell Shawno! use this thread to track your progress.
I personally don't think it'll happen - you've got too many things against you and there were too many things different about the two chassis … but I wont be a rooster about it.
With that being said if you need anything I can help you with give me a shout.
You may be better off getting an aftermarket standalone ECU and doing your own wire harness.
Do you need/want a G35 carbon fiber drive shaft? I think it's off an automatic...let me know.
you just watch .
i already have the ecu/immobilizer system with keys so i think i will try and run it off of stock ecu just until i go f/i. the engine will be mostly stock up until then anyway.
gonna go measure right now, thanks for your insight!
OK, sounds good, but again, watch out for the CD009 "gotcha". The 009 for the DE motor does NOT bolt up to HR or VHR. (And vice versa of course). Best to check the bolt pattern OR easier yet, does the CD009 you have employ a CSC or external slave? You need the one with the concentric slave to identify it. (But that's not a certainty either as the donor may have converted it to CMAK - the Z Speed conversion to external slave.) Best check/measure the bolt pattern.
it is the external slave. i am going to measure right now.
Can’t seem to find any diagrams with the transmission bolt pattern for the vq37vhr. Does anyone know the measurements?
I know the 350z/370z/g35/g37 all use essentially the same manual transmission. Might call nissan just to verify.
Not quite. In addition to the bolt spacing, the VQ35HR and VQ37VHR transmissions are internally different (slightly); that is, the gearbox is essentially the same (same # synchronizers, gear ratios etc.) but uses a different input shaft bearing and a few other differences than the CD009 used on DE engines. But functionally, exactly the same. But I point this out for future maintenance/repairs. It is imperative to know exactly which box it is.
Key question: What is the transmission case (or front cover plate inside the bell housing) marked as? I presume you don't know what specific car it came from so here's how you tell...
If you have a case casting that reads CD0 or CD0#x, that is a DE transmission. Could be CD001, CD002.... to CD009 and CD00A (the latest version of the DE CD009 transmission).
CD5 and/or CD5#x is the HR/VHR transmission used on the late HR engines (through '08 I believe) and early model VHR motors. This transmission uses the CSC (internal slave). This transmission is also known as JK4 series transmission and was the first transmission used with the VQ37VHR. There were at least three iterations of this transmission in a very short period of time and were switched out to the EA series, below.
Finally, the CD8 case houses the EA series transmissions as used on the Z34 and G37s; this is likely the one you're going to need behind the VQ37VHR (although I'm pretty certain the JK will bolt up and work, so long as the input shaft is the same as the EA. This was (and is still) the 6MT used on all manual Zs and Gs starting, I think, in 2009 model year on the last Z33-HR (ZR) and first production Z34.
Why do I know this? Well, I have pics of the different case numbers from all my cars somewhere. I take underside pics of every one of my cars for future reference. CD0 on my '03, CD5 on my Z33N and CD8 on my Z34N so can confirm this is spot on.
Quick grab - My Z33N trans:
Besides the markings, you can also measure the plate that houses the input shaft bearing. It will either have a diameter of 100mm, 95mm or 90mm, respective to the case/models above.
Based on your comments, I'm still afraid you don't have the right transmission for this swap. How much did you pay for the trans? That's going to tell a story as well. A used JK or EA transmission costs much more than any CD009 for DE. Probably looking in the neighborhood of $1500+ for a used one whereas a DE CD009/CD00A costs about $1800 NEW from Nissan (and maybe $1-1.2k used in good condition.)
Not quite. In addition to the bolt spacing, the VQ35HR and VQ37VHR transmissions are internally different (slightly); that is, the gearbox is essentially the same (same # synchronizers, gear ratios etc.) but uses a different input shaft bearing and a few other differences than the CD009 used on DE engines. But functionally, exactly the same. But I point this out for future maintenance/repairs. It is imperative to know exactly which box it is.
Key question: What is the transmission case (or front cover plate inside the bell housing) marked as? I presume you don't know what specific car it came from so here's how you tell...
If you have a case casting that reads CD0 or CD0#x, that is a DE transmission. Could be CD001, CD002.... to CD009 and CD00A (the latest version of the DE CD009 transmission).
CD5 and/or CD5#x is the HR/VHR transmission used on the late HR engines (through '08 I believe) and early model VHR motors. This transmission uses the CSC (internal slave). This transmission is also known as JK4 series transmission and was the first transmission used with the VQ37VHR. There were at least three iterations of this transmission in a very short period of time and were switched out to the EA series, below.
Finally, the CD8 case houses the EA series transmissions as used on the Z34 and G37s; this is likely the one you're going to need behind the VQ37VHR (although I'm pretty certain the JK will bolt up and work, so long as the input shaft is the same as the EA. This was (and is still) the 6MT used on all manual Zs and Gs starting, I think, in 2009 model year on the last Z33-HR (ZR) and first production Z34.
Why do I know this? Well, I have pics of the different case numbers from all my cars somewhere. I take underside pics of every one of my cars for future reference. CD0 on my '03, CD5 on my Z33N and CD8 on my Z34N so can confirm this is spot on.
Quick grab - My Z33N trans:
Besides the markings, you can also measure the plate that houses the input shaft bearing. It will either have a diameter of 100mm, 95mm or 90mm, respective to the case/models above.
Based on your comments, I'm still afraid you don't have the right transmission for this swap. How much did you pay for the trans? That's going to tell a story as well. A used JK or EA transmission costs much more than any CD009 for DE. Probably looking in the neighborhood of $1500+ for a used one whereas a DE CD009/CD00A costs about $1800 NEW from Nissan (and maybe $1-1.2k used in good condition.)
Good luck. Will be a nice swap when done.
thanks so so much man, looks like i’m gonna need a trans lol. it’s alright tho!
i bought my g35 for dirt cheap because it had the worst rodknock i had ever heard. it came with the trans so i really am not losing much.
i yanked the vq35 out and am still prepping the engine bay/chassis for the swap.
im gonna look for a g37 part out that i can get the trans out of.
only thing, the vq37vhr i have was an automatic. am i going to need a whole new engine harness? also will the manual just bolt right up after the torque converter is taken off?
you are going to need a custom harness unless you are going to be rewiring and joining the two harnesses. the 03 gauge cluster will not work unless you swap in a different cluster
thanks so so much man, looks like i’m gonna need a trans lol. it’s alright tho!
i bought my g35 for dirt cheap because it had the worst rodknock i had ever heard. it came with the trans so i really am not losing much.
i yanked the vq35 out and am still prepping the engine bay/chassis for the swap.
im gonna look for a g37 part out that i can get the trans out of.
only thing, the vq37vhr i have was an automatic. am i going to need a whole new engine harness? also will the manual just bolt right up after the torque converter is taken off?
The trans may bolt up - after removing the flexplate and replacing with a flywheel - but I suspect there are other fitment issues that will crop up. No swap is ever faultless. Like, you're still going to have to plumb the hydraulics for the clutch actuation, the ECM will have to be remapped (or if you've got the ECM from the donor car, there will be plug-to-plug issues and as cakestar said, custom harness work because there are a myriad number of additional sensors going from DE to HR to VHR.) Like was said, this is not a swap for the faint of heart.
The trans may bolt up - after removing the flexplate and replacing with a flywheel - but I suspect there are other fitment issues that will crop up. No swap is ever faultless. Like, you're still going to have to plumb the hydraulics for the clutch actuation, the ECM will have to be remapped (or if you've got the ECM from the donor car, there will be plug to plug issues and as cakestar said, custom harness work because there are a myriad number of additional sensors going from DE to HR to VHR. Like was said, this is not a swap for the faint of heart.
so i have the ecu/immobilizer system with keys from an 09 MANUAL. i assume i will need the vq37vhr manual tran wiring harness.
plumbing the clutch is no problem, i’ve replaced countless slave cylinders and a few csc’s.
i figure the trans harness is integrated into the engine harness, which would mean i would need the man trans engine harness. no big deal tho, aaexports is hooking me up on the deals. hit them up if you need ANY g/z parts. they also have a plethora of bmw parts, but i doubt anyone on this thread drives a beamer.
in the process of sourcing a trans ATM, anyone think i could keep the factory length driveshaft if i mount the engine in the right spot? that would make it easier to upgrade in the future.
02-03-2019, 05:16 PM
G35 2003 vq37vhr swap
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