Yoshi's VK56DE 240SX Build

[andrew600]

compound question. what flywheel is that? what car is it supposed to be for? vk didnt come manual. i heard the z series had the same flywheel bolt patern but i never confirmed.

[(Yoshi)]

@BB I see the pics fine.

@Andrew, It's a custom flywheel. The flexplate bolts to the back of the flywheel. The Z's look to have a similar flywheel bolt pattern but I don't have one to compare. The issue isn't so much if it can bolt up, but the diameter and tooth count of the ring gear. If you use a 350z/370z trans the starters on those motors as well as the VK are on the engine side of the trans. This means you can't space out the fly wheel like you would need to in order to compensate for the spacing of the transmisssion with the adapter plate needed.

[Darren]

how's the cheap tig & plasma working out for ya? from everything i've read (i'm definitely no expert) it's not a good idea to get a cheap Tig... what are your thoughts?

[(Yoshi)]

Originally Posted by Darren

how's the cheap tig & plasma working out for ya? from everything i've read (i'm definitely no expert) it's not a good idea to get a cheap Tig... what are your thoughts?

I've only been in town on the weekends and the welding place in town is closed on weekends so I haven't been able to get a bottle.

The machines aren't super powerful but for tubing and car sheet metal it should be just fine to get me started. I'll be sure to let you guys know how it goes.

I have only used the Miller welders we have at Tech and I'm not expecting them to live up to the Millers but we will see how they do.

[marvlrose]

loving the build, if i had the money, time, and more than a general mechanic's knowledge I would be doing this instead of the vh45 swap into my s13 lol. good luck with everything cant wait to see/hear her running if you post vids.

[(Yoshi)]

Oh yeah, there will be vids.

[91sil80]

cool build, you put this on tennspeed. cant get to it in aghanistan. miss me some tennspeed antics!!!

[rev-em-hard]

Dont cut anything! the motor will fit the body without cutting anything out of the sheetmetal! the biggest concern you will have is modifying the shifter, oil pan and motor placement so the shifter doesnt sit too far back even after its modified. the other S14 VK56 swap everybody has been seeing around where the guy cut his car to shit to fit the motor is a hack job!you dont need to cut anything. Keep your stock exhaust mani's and make friends with somebody that can fab an oil pan. thats it. stock exhaust mani's will work best for fittment and will retain the factory heat sheilds which will be good because LS guys have heat soak like a motherfucker in the engine bay and we could have it even worse. Just trying to help you out with what i learned as I have been doing my VK swap in my XDC car.(pics below) feel free to call me with any questions. pm for my number.
old setup






My current S14 VK56 swap:

[(Yoshi)]

Okay after I type this I'm sending you a pm. I though I was going to have to cut the fire wall and noticed when I test fit everything that I wouldn't have to. I was planning on cutting the shift linkage and re-welding it to make it fit. I'm pm'ing you right now.

[S14DOOD]

I've seen you slid this car with the ka cant wait to see what you can do with more power! Great build man

[(Yoshi)]

Thanks man! I'm pretty excited too.

Talked with rev-em-hard and got lots of good advice! Hopefully have a good update by the end of the week...

[(Yoshi)]

Got my welding cart in and set up:



Later tonight I'm going to pull the oil pan off and start test fitting the motor to get ready for the mounts. Since I am going to be building a new pan from scratch I won't be limited by the stock pan and be able to set the motor pretty low.

[rev-em-hard]

yep yep! post pics man. when the motor is in the car you will feel great!

[(Yoshi)]

Well I did some work today. I had test fit the motor and found that the adapter plate hung too low and hit on my steering rack thus keeping me from lowering the motor and trans in as one unit. This would be a huge PITA. So I had to cut my adapter plate in order to clear the rack. This gave my little plasma cutter a work out but it worked like a charm. Once I got the plate cut, I painted it and put the trans back on the motor and was able to set the motor down in the bay, just about where I need it. Anyhow, here are some pictures:

The adapter plate cut, no worries I wasn't going to use those two holes any how.



The fit:



Almost flush with the trans



In the bay!







Trans tunnel clearance:



Trans



Shifter location, I need to cut that u joint off and 180 it:



Side view, can't even see the motor:



I'm going to try to pick up some material to do the mounts with tomorrow and see where I get.

I am also going to draw up the flange for the oil pan in auto cad and give it to a buddy of mine who says he can get me one cut... would be very convenient!

Getting there... slowly but surely.

[ST(I)mpreza]

thats a pretty great idea, cant wait to see when its done!

[Zenki_516]

Subscribed. Good luck dude, can't wait to see more progress!!!

[Rafa-Z]

nice im thinking about this swap too so I want to see how this turns out. In the mean time I´ve already got a vq swap since I´ve done them before. Good luck with build

[(Yoshi)]

Just got my alternator and power steering pump for the vk. Now to test fit everything and finish the mount. In the process of drawing up the oil pan flange to have it cut so I can work on that. Will be ordering my roll cage tubing here shortly. Pretty excited about the potential progress.

[(Yoshi)]

well I had a little run in with a kitchen knife and I am currently waiting for this to heal so I can effectively use my left hand again...



Until that happens, I am painstakingly trying to locate the bolt holes of the vk oil pan so I can get a flange cut but it's proving to be a pain in the ass. Getting proper measurements off the pan is a pain. I'm going to work on a solution tomorrow though. We will see how it goes.



Drawing is only for the holes, the lines are there to get the x/y coordinates. They will be deleted once I have the holes in the right spot.

[jimefam]

Hey bro great build, where did you see that VK for $600? I'm interested in one and I don't care if it's blown so long as the block and heads are in good shape as I'd be fully building the motor for drag.

[(Yoshi)]

Craigslist actually. There have been a few for sale on here for cheap as well. Just keep an eye out and you will find em.

[S130]

Update, perhaps?

[(Yoshi)]

Well nothing major. I need to find bolts for the accessories and finish the flange drawing but I may not need it... I'll know around Mid to End February because Rev-em-hard is awesome. I plan to test fit the motor again once I get bolts which will probably be tomorrow. And I'll finish up my plates for the mounts. Make sure I'm not hitting anything. I need to go ahead and order my roll cage tubing which will more likely than not be Monday.

Update tomorrow depends on if a buddy of mine finishes his friends car tomorrow in a timely manner since it will be in front of mine.

Towards the end of the week/next weekend I should have some better updates. Been slackin because I thought it would be okay to stab myself.

[cbcm2435]

throw some mole skin on your cut and get to work, i will go numb after a while

[(Yoshi)]

Never heard of mole skin haha

Well... here is a small update...

I got the power steering pump and alternator put on the block and test fit it. Turns out the stock location for the power steering pump is NOT gonna work out. It hits the frame. I'm going to try to relocate it to the driver side but I am worried about the amount of belt contact I will have if doing that. I have some brain storming to do.... on to pictures:











Poorly put together panoramic of the shop..



So far a S13 Coupe, 280Z, Talon TSI, Grand National, Z31, S13 Hatch.

The other day I helped my roommate put a Stillen intake and Cat Back on his G37.



That's all for now. Will update when I figure out what to do with the PS pump.

[hummer96]

Run an MR2 electric PS pump. Might have to do something about the alternator depending on what the VK one is rated for but you won't have to worry about belt contact, frame clearance, etc. There's a few guys running them on Z32s...among other cars. Awesome build, keep it up!

-Aaron

[(Yoshi)]

I am gonna look into that if I can't get this pump to mount up on the driver side.

[S130]

Ever thought about a manual rack?

[(Yoshi)]

Yeah I originally wasn't going to run power steering but it's way too useful at drift events. On top of that I know a lot of people want to see it done so I will try.

[onepuff]

Here's a pretty in depth thread about the MR2 pump for you. Awesome build by the way.

EHPS Redone - Honda-Tech