620 king cab 4x4. VG swap questions

[SHARPSHOOTER280Z]

Ok, first time posting here so ill probably get internet-slapped. I recently got elbows deep into a 1976, king cab, sas 620. Truck didnt run when I bought it, infact, most of the engine was in the bed of the truck, so I threw it together and had it running within 24 hours of being home. Its been running the stock engine and trans setup with big ol' 33" tires (talk about underpowered) which was less than a joy to drive on the street, I still dailied it because what can I say, I'm determined to be a badass. Recently, I developed a light knock in the engine after a long trip and some serious snow wheeling in -14°f weather.

 

That brings us up to speed, now im looking to do an engine swap in the truck so I can drive it comfortably again, but im also looking for more power, specifically, TORQUE. my initial plan was to do a KA or an SR swap because well, easy as helllllll, but I'm not interested in a 4-banger when I travel thousands of miles for work in the summer. so that brings me to the VG swaps, which some of you will dog on as being a fab nightmare, buuut Mr.510 makes some super awesome motor mounts that bolt the VG trans up to the stock transmission crossmember and I have no crossmember under the motor because my front axle would have raped it every time I flexed out. So, $200 for the super-fancy Mr.510 mounts, cost of engine, transmission, harness, and ECM; that should be everything before a few smaller goodies.

 

I've kind of researched this and I think the o ly thing im going to have trouble with in this swap is the wiring (did I mention, I hate all things electrical) specifically, the ignition wiring, I have no idea how that is going to work out or what im going to have to do to make it work.

 

Any help for a newb? Pictures would be cool... ADHD is kind of a bitch.

[SHARPSHOOTER280Z]

Btw pictures coming soon. Computers down and my phones lame.

[SHARPSHOOTER280Z]

4x4 low is really the only place i feel comfortable with the stress on the drivetrain.

 

 

swapping a little diesel engine was my original plan, but plans change...

[yello620]

There is some VG swap info in the build thread in my signature.

 

The VG actually fits in the engine bay very nice. And will be even easier for you without a crossmember under the motor which is why I had to build a custom oil pan.

 

Mr.510 motor mounts are designed to fit the 510, He didn't list them to fit the 620 a couple of years ago when I did my install into a 620, maybe he does now though but I doubt it.

 

The wiring is actually very easy and there is a very long thread about it on this forum. Find the thread about "How to wire a KA, SR, VG into anything". I don't recommend trying to do it with an Infiniti harness though. The infiniti harness that I used did not share standard Nissan wire colors.

 

Let me know if I can answer any other questions about the VG swap. 

 

Ohhh, and the torque/power from the VG was quite fun in my 620. 

[Mr.510]

I produce a VG620 conversion kit now as well. There is far less required with a 620 conversion so it's a lot less expensive than VG510. I'll post up some pics and stuff in this thread if it's cool with Nick.  

[]2eDeYe]

I have seen this truck on the ratsun facebook page, love it. You should be able to swap in the pathfinder or hardbody 4x4 drivetrain with very few issues. The usual stuff, drive lines, cooling system will need addressed but that stuff is pretty well documented. Definitely read through yellow620s thread, lots of VG specific info there.

 

 

Mr.510, stoked to hear you got the mounts finished and available. I'd love to see some pics  :)

[SHARPSHOOTER280Z]

Post away!

[Boxcar]

I have no expertise with the Vg30 .

Will be cool to se how this pans out.

SHARPSHOOTER280Z

What is the current set up in you're truck?

IE: engine ,trans , T-case etc.

And what gearing are you running in you're diff's?

[SHARPSHOOTER280Z]

Currently running

l20b with a shaved U67

americam "full race" cam

Dual SUs and a K14

Flat top piston and different crank (motor is stroked, not sure of the internals, kid I bought it from was the second owner, he said 240Z internals and I was like "hmmmm no..." )

4 speed trans

Dana m18 transfer case

Dana 30 front end

Datsun hub and brake conversion (going disc when I get the VG)

3.73 gears front and rear

[Boxcar]

To be honest, with that T-case and gears even a VG will seem under powered.

 Before you go to the expense of swapping out the drive train. :angel: ( Now this is just my humble opinion ).....

I'd be re gearing the axles. Try 4.56 or 4.88's You might find that the L-20B is all you need.

 You can go as steep as 5.13 on the Dana 30 ( NOT RECOMMENDED ).

I ran a 521 NW ATV conversion / L-20B / Dana 20 / Dana 30 / Dana 44 / etc. with 4.27 gears for many years and had plenty of power........The truck was always on 33" tires...

 The full race cam is a bad idea ( high rpm HP ) , you want a cam that produces low to mid power.

 

 By the way. How well do the SU's work off angle?

[SHARPSHOOTER280Z]

Eh, I understand what you're getting at, and do plan to go with some axles in the mid 4.XX range at some point, but after all the problems I've been having with this bottom and top end (seriously rednecktified in my opinion) and what I've had to do just to get it where it was before I got the knock, I'm ready to start with a blank slate, a bigger blank slate with more potential power. I could downshift and beat some pretty riced out little honduhs on the flat land, but that little 4-banger really struggled on anything steep, which is pretty much anything outside of town here (Columbia river gorge).

My end plan is to swap in a VG33ER with a VG30 harness and a Z32 ECM piggybacked by Nistune, shouldn't have any power problems there! Haha

 

Side drafts perform great! I was on the brink of rolling the truck once for like half an hour while my buddy was spotting me a way out of the chaos and they never skipped a beat!

[]2eDeYe]

All that struggling is due to that 3:73 gear ratio V6 won't help that too much. What size tires are on there?

[Eagle_Adam]

quietly watching....

 

 

 

 

good lookn truck 

[SHARPSHOOTER280Z]

Just 33", wouldn't be hard to get some 4.11 gears or even 4.88

Buuuuut now that I think about it, I don't know what the gearing is, cause at 65 in 4th gear, I'm turning 3k at the flywheel so maybe the internals have been changed already.

 

 

Edit: so after some guess and check work, I've determined my ratio is somewhere in the high 4.XX range

used this page, pretty cool calculator

[SHARPSHOOTER280Z]

http://www.onlineconversion.com/bigger_tires.htm

[SHARPSHOOTER280Z]

So basically... I'm gonna need an easy wiring box from Icehouse?

[SHARPSHOOTER280Z]

Okay, some of you will hate this, others will love it.

 

Im kicking the VG out and going with an aluminum V8. Its an old school 3.5l (215) engine out of an Oldsmobile. I have a few reasons; this engine weights a total of 315 lbs, which is actually only about 45-55 lbs more than my stock L20b. My power output will be between 195-210 horsepower and about 230 ft/lbs of torque.the engine dimensions are almost exactly that of a SBC, a friend of mine who SBC'd a 620 back in the day is SUPER eager to help me do this; I'll be basically gutting the interior, I'm planning to cut into the firewall to get optimal weighting. Im also going to clean everything up and ditch the stock ignition for a keyed push putting start with toggle switches for various cutoffs.

budget wise, the 2 engines, the transmission and some jetfire turbo-rocket parts will be costing me about $400.

Appropriately, I'm naming this build "Project hate magnet"

[GRpufnstuf]

There is a thread in the 620 section where a guy bought a 215 swapped 620 4x4 and drive it to Texas.

 

I'll poke around when I get the time and see if I can't find it...

 

... There it is!

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/52016-1975-620-4x4-v-8/

 

Poke that guy for a few pix if you don't see what you like in the thread.

 

Sounds like you have then engines lined up but if you did a Rover 3.5-4.6 it'd be about the same with better parts availability. Or maybe even the bearings and stuff stayed the same?

 

I like V8s but I hate on cutting into firewalls. Should be a fun truck when it gets running.

 

Also look for the v8 620 thread in here. Sounds like there will be nice repro v8 firewall glass parts soon.

[SHARPSHOOTER280Z]

Was it this one?

[GRpufnstuf]

That's the one!

 

I was daydreaming about a nissan VK swap this morning. But that'll never happen over here

[SHARPSHOOTER280Z]

I was looking at those for a slammed truck, thats a huge engine!

[GRpufnstuf]

Lol, I know. I was envisioning valve cover cut outs in the hood...

[SHARPSHOOTER280Z]

Anyway, with a little work and some patience, my baby should be bangin' enough to drive to class and work every day. Then I can start my Z project

[Boxcar]

Actually thats a very small engine when it comes to V-8's and , I might add , a great swap. But a mildly built KA will probably out run it. And will absolutely be more economical.

[SHARPSHOOTER280Z]

Yea, I plan to build it after I get it in, but for now you can watch the build thread on my other topic. My Z is for fuel economy, I around 30 mpg in that.