The "2JZX" Project
12-29-17, 01:28 PM
#1
The "2JZX" Project
Before I get flamed for this....I know this is a Lexus forum. However, I know some of you have asked to see the progress of this build and some probably don't care. I respect every type of car out there regardless of it's make and model.....just as long as it has a 2JZ in it ;-)
Well guys, as most of you know I sold my rusty 1995 SC300 5spd that had no end to it's repair problems....I purchased a mint 1991 Nissan 300ZX NA 5spd 2+0. Long story short, I could not justify the cost of fixing up the SC300 any longer as the cost of the body work alone would have made that project way too expensive (afterall, the real money will go to a future car ;-). After selling the SC300 (made a nice profit on it), I searched online for a new project. I came across this 300ZX in Indiana that was posted within an hour of me searching online. It looked too good to be true in the pics, and so I called the seller and asked for more close up shots. It was legit! One owner, clean carfax, no rust, no damage, mint condition, 71k mile 300ZX NA 5spd! I drove next day to Bedford Indiana, and purchased the car cash from a 73yr old attorney. She is now the new foundation for my "2JZX" project. I picked up a 2JZ-GE VVTi motor from my buddy's wrecking yard, and ordered some go-fast-goodies for it as well as some left over parts from the SC300 build. Here are some pics of it and the motor, hope you all enjoy...im pretty excited about this project.
Couldn't resist...lol:
Home, safe and sound:
2JZ-GE VVTi....will be a beast when done:
Cylinder head off to machine shop...prepping block for machining:
Mocking up the GE flange to the GTE lower runner for welding.
Im surprised just how close the two GE & GTE flanges are near the head, I know the holes are way off on the center runner section.
Flange all welded up and port matched...looks good, ready for powdercoating.
Back side was much easier to weld as there weren't too many crevices.
Goodies from my SC300 build that I decided to keep (272 cams, manley rods, springs and retainers, valve seals, and valve guides.
I was told these were neccessary if using 272 cams.
Machine shop prepping the block before machinging....welding the steel ball plugs to a rod.
Removing oil galley steel plugs.
Well guys, as most of you know I sold my rusty 1995 SC300 5spd that had no end to it's repair problems....I purchased a mint 1991 Nissan 300ZX NA 5spd 2+0. Long story short, I could not justify the cost of fixing up the SC300 any longer as the cost of the body work alone would have made that project way too expensive (afterall, the real money will go to a future car ;-). After selling the SC300 (made a nice profit on it), I searched online for a new project. I came across this 300ZX in Indiana that was posted within an hour of me searching online. It looked too good to be true in the pics, and so I called the seller and asked for more close up shots. It was legit! One owner, clean carfax, no rust, no damage, mint condition, 71k mile 300ZX NA 5spd! I drove next day to Bedford Indiana, and purchased the car cash from a 73yr old attorney. She is now the new foundation for my "2JZX" project. I picked up a 2JZ-GE VVTi motor from my buddy's wrecking yard, and ordered some go-fast-goodies for it as well as some left over parts from the SC300 build. Here are some pics of it and the motor, hope you all enjoy...im pretty excited about this project.
Couldn't resist...lol:
Home, safe and sound:
2JZ-GE VVTi....will be a beast when done:
Cylinder head off to machine shop...prepping block for machining:
Mocking up the GE flange to the GTE lower runner for welding.
Im surprised just how close the two GE & GTE flanges are near the head, I know the holes are way off on the center runner section.
Flange all welded up and port matched...looks good, ready for powdercoating.
Back side was much easier to weld as there weren't too many crevices.
Goodies from my SC300 build that I decided to keep (272 cams, manley rods, springs and retainers, valve seals, and valve guides.
I was told these were neccessary if using 272 cams.
Machine shop prepping the block before machinging....welding the steel ball plugs to a rod.
Removing oil galley steel plugs.
12-30-17, 03:54 PM
#3
You are right, many machine shops don't attempt this as they either don't have the tools or the experience to do it (Apex Auto Machining in Bensenville knows how to do this). However, the steel ***** can be removed, and in most cases need to be removed when machining and cleaning the block thoroughly. In my case, the motor was gunked up bad, and while I was able to clean most of the engine from the outside, the inside galleys were very hard to get into. The process requires welding some rod to the steel ball and using a slide hammer to remove it. Since the steel ball is "softer" than the cast iron block, it becomes oval and slides out of the hole...at this point the steel ball is unusable again. The machinist then drills and taps all four openings (two front of block, two back of block) for a npt plug. When machining is done, and the block is cleaned thoroughly, the npt plug can be screwed in along with Toyota fipg on the threads and its good to go.
Last edited by LexIS007; 12-30-17 at 03:58 PM.
01-21-18, 01:18 PM
#4
Got the block back from the machine shop and masked/painted it. The block was honed to standard size (no boring), ARP main studs installed, oil galley plugs removed and tapped NPT plugs, and hot tanked the block. I gotta say, it came out pretty nice. Waiting for the head to come back and some new oem parts, and assembly will start. Here are some pics:
01-21-18, 03:56 PM
#6
Yeah, I will definitely meet up with the crew when all is done. If all goes as planned, I should be done with the project at the end of this summer (August/October 2018) to have the car driveable. However, the company that is designing and fabricating my swap kit (mounts, adapter plate, cross-member, etc...) gave me an ETA of late Spring so it really all depends on how soon I can get those parts to get the car at least driving. In terms of being completely done with 99' bumper, skirts, paint, wheels, and tires that will probably be until early to mid 2019. One of my family members' works for Honeywell, so they will be waiting for their discounts on the Gen2 Garrett turbos to be posted soon....i'll be traveling to Arizona this Spring to pick that up :-).
Last edited by LexIS007; 01-21-18 at 04:11 PM.
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97-SC300 (01-21-18)
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01-27-18, 04:06 PM
#10
Driver School Candidate
Im surprised just how close the two GE & GTE flanges are near the head, I know the holes are way off on the center runner section.
Flange all welded up and port matched...looks good, ready for powdercoating.
Back side was much easier to weld as there weren't too many crevices.
02-02-18, 03:03 PM
#11
Subd... This thing is sweet man can't wait to see the finished product. I bet you're really looking forward to all that room you're gonna have in the engine bay once the VG is swapped with a straight six lol
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LexIS007 (02-04-18)
02-04-18, 05:50 PM
#13
Thanks! It's sort of a double-edged sword....lol. The extra room and overall better designed 2JZ motor will be a great welcome to the build, but the 2JZ is longer than the VG which means some extra fabrication will need to be made to the 300ZX cross-member, front hood bracing, and potentially relocating the cooling system. The shop who is building my swap kit is determined to deliver a kit with little to no fab work needed. So, we'll see... In the meantime, I am going to focus on the rest of motor build and 99' JDM body bits.
