WE'RE HELLCAT SWAPPING A 350Z!
Summary
TLDRIn this ambitious automotive project, the host embarks on a challenging engine swap, extracting a 707 horsepower Hellcat engine from a salvaged vehicle and attempting to fit it into a lighter 350Z. The script details the meticulous process of disassembling, modifying, and reassembling, including cutting parts of the car to make room for the massive engine. Despite numerous 'moments of truth' and the complexities of fitting a large engine into a smaller car, the team manages to make it work, even impressing themselves with the surprising amount of room left in the engine bay. The video also touches on the need for a custom oil pan, adapter plate, and the use of a Holly Dominator ECU for tuning. The project is a testament to the passion and problem-solving in the world of car restoration and modification.
Takeaways
- 🔧 The project involves swapping a 707 horsepower Hellcat engine into a 350Z, aiming to triple the car's original horsepower.
- 🚗 The 350Z was previously salvaged from a flood, which adds an extra layer of complexity to the engine swap.
- 💡 The idea behind the swap is to explore the practicality of putting a massive Hellcat engine into a smaller, lighter car like the 350Z.
- 🔩 The team plans to reuse the 350Z's existing transmission to avoid a complete driveline refit, simplifying the process.
- 🛠️ The Hellcat engine is significantly larger than the original engine in the 350Z, which is expected to cause fitment issues.
- 🔨 Major modifications to the car are required, including cutting parts of the car to accommodate the larger engine.
- 💸 The project is costly, involving the purchase of new parts and potentially extensive modifications to the car.
- 🔧 Custom parts such as an adapter plate and conversion oil pan are needed to facilitate the engine swap.
- 📦 The Hellcat engine's ECU is not capable of controlling variable valve timing, requiring this system to be deleted.
- 🛠️ The team had to cut and modify various parts of the car, including the firewall and possibly the sway bar brackets, to ensure fitment.
- 🏁 Despite the challenges and modifications, the engine swap appears to fit surprisingly well in the 350Z, leaving more room than initially expected.
Q & A
What did the narrator do with the stolen Hellcat they acquired from the Salvage Auction?
-The narrator rebuilt the stolen Hellcat, then took it apart again, removing all the wiring to complete their manual swapped Dodge Demon project.
What is the goal of the project described in the script?
-The goal is to take the 707 horsepower Hellcat engine and put it into a 3,300 lb 350Z, significantly increasing the car's horsepower relative to its weight.
Why is the engine swap being considered practical?
-The engine swap is considered practical because it involves only swapping the engine and not doing a complete driveline refit, which simplifies the process.
What issues did the narrator anticipate with the Hellcat engine swap?
-The narrator anticipated many problems, mostly due to the size of the Hellcat engine compared to the 350Z, which is much smaller.
What is the backstory of the 350Z mentioned in the script?
-The 350Z was previously flooded up to the top of its doors, and although much of it has been restored, the engine, transmission, and shifter linkage are still original and show signs of rust and corrosion.
What exhaust system is planned for the Hellcat-engine swapped 350Z?
-The plan is to initially run open headers, but ultimately, they plan to use a true dual 3-inch exhaust system to fill the two holes left by the removal of the stock exhaust.
What complications arose when trying to remove the transmission from the 350Z?
-The transmission was difficult to remove due to rust and corrosion, which caused parts to be stuck together.
What modifications are needed to fit the Hellcat engine into the 350Z?
-Major modifications include cutting parts of the car, such as the firewall, to accommodate the large size of the Hellcat engine.
What specific part did the narrator mention as being of high quality for the swap?
-The adapter plate for the transmission was mentioned as being of particularly high quality, as it was professionally made and not something cobbled together in a backyard.
What is the role of the Holly Dominator ECU in the engine swap?
-The Holly Dominator ECU is used to control the engine, but it cannot control variable valve timing, so that feature has to be deleted from the engine.
What issue did they encounter with the starter and how was it resolved?
-The starter did not fit with the oil pan in place, requiring a small cut to be made in the engine block to accommodate it.
What is the final outcome of the engine swap in terms of fitment?
-Surprisingly, the engine fit well in the engine bay with more room than expected, and the hood was able to close without major modifications.
Outlines
🔧 Hellcat Engine Swap Challenge
The script begins with an ambitious project to swap a 707 horsepower Hellcat engine into a lighter 350Z sports car. The narrator, having previously acquired and rebuilt a stolen Hellcat from a salvage auction, now plans to extract even more performance by transplanting its powerful engine into a smaller, rusted-out Nissan 350Z. The goal is to create a high-performance vehicle with a significant power-to-weight ratio. The project faces immediate challenges, such as the Hellcat engine's size and the need to modify the car to accommodate it, including cutting parts of the car and dealing with potential rust damage from its flooded past.
🛠 Overcoming Obstacles in the Swap
In this paragraph, the team faces several technical hurdles in the engine swap process. They discover that the supercharger pulley clashes with the radiator, and the steering shaft interferes with the valve cover. The subframe studs are also too close for comfort. The team considers removing the entire front end of the car to facilitate the engine fit. Despite the challenges, they manage to fit the engine into the engine bay, although they acknowledge that more work is needed, including moving components like the radiator fans and hacking out parts of the firewall to create more space.
💰 Sponsor Highlight and Engine Swap Details
The script transitions to a discussion about Carsforbid, a platform that allows individuals to bid on and purchase vehicles typically available only to dealers or automotive businesses. The narrator shares a success story of a man who bought a car at auction, fixed it up, and sold it for a profit. Returning to the engine swap, the team removes variable valve timing from the Hellcat engine, as it's not compatible with the Holly Dominator ECU they plan to use. They also drill and pin the crankshaft, a process that instills some anxiety due to the engine's high value. The team expresses satisfaction with the quality of the adapter plate and shifter, which are essential for the transmission to connect with the Hellcat engine.
🔩 Finalizing the Engine and Transmission Swap
The team works through the complexities of fitting the engine and transmission into the 350Z. They encounter issues with the oil pan and starter clearance, requiring modifications to the engine block. The new prototype clutch from Mantic is introduced, designed to handle the increased power. The transmission swap is tested, and despite initial concerns about the throwout bearing diameter and throw, it fits perfectly. The team is pleasantly surprised by how well everything fits in the engine bay, with more room than anticipated, and they make adjustments to accommodate the larger fuel lines needed for the increased power.
🏎️ Hood Fit and Final Adjustments
In the final paragraph, the team addresses the last critical aspect of the swap: ensuring the hood closes properly over the now larger engine. They find that the hood fits better than expected, with only minor adjustments needed. The team removes unnecessary stock fuel lines and replaces them with larger ones to handle the increased power. The alternator and other components have adequate clearance, and the only minor issue is resolved by adjusting the position of the coil pack. The team is impressed with the amount of room available in the engine bay and the overall success of the swap, highlighting the flawless alignment of the transmission and shifter and the clearance of the oil pan.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Hellcat engine
💡350Z
💡Engine swap
💡Transmission
💡Supercharger
💡ECU
💡Adapter plate
💡Open headers
💡Radiator
💡Clutch
💡Fuel lines
Highlights
A stolen Hellcat was acquired from a Salvage Auction, rebuilt, and then stripped for parts.
The wiring from the Hellcat was used for a manual swapped Dodge Demon project.
The ambitious plan to fit a 707 horsepower Hellcat engine into a 3,300 lb 350Z.
Challenges of engine size and potential fitment issues with the 350Z.
The car's backstory as a flood-damaged vehicle with original engine and transmission.
The decision to use open headers due to the inadequacy of the stock exhaust for the increased horsepower.
Technical difficulties encountered with the engine and transmission fitment.
The need to modify the car extensively, including cutting parts of the car for the engine to fit.
Use of a custom oil pan and adapter plate for the engine swap.
The Holly Dominator ECU is used, which requires deletion of variable valve timing.
The fabrication of custom parts and the challenges of fitting a large engine into a smaller car.
The successful fitment of the engine and transmission into the 350Z.
The hood clearance issue and the solution involving cutting and spacers.
The overall positive outcome of the swap despite numerous challenges and modifications.
The final assessment of the engine swap's success and the car's new capabilities.
Transcripts
a few months back I picked up this stolen Hellcat from the Salvage Auction rebuilt it and then
ripped it right back apart I ripped out all the wiring from it and used it to complete my manual
swapped Dodge Demon project and now we're well going to steal even more from it we came in this morning
I got to thinking the only thing cooler than a 707 horsepower Hellcat engine and a 4,400lb Hellcat
will be a 707horsepower hellcat engine in a 3,300 lb Z I mean he already has the Super sick stance boy
Wheels now we just need a big ignorant engine three times the horsepower it is literally three
times the horsepower the math checks out there the basic idea here is we're going to take the engine
out of the Hellcat and try to mate it to the transmission that's already in the 350Z that way
we only have to worry about the logistics around swapping an engine and not doing a complete Drive
Line refit and of course we're not doing it just for fun right she's not sounding too hot these
days the whole point being here is that one could I suppose argue you that a Hellcat engine
swap is practical practical practical or not I'm positive there's a 100 problems
we're going to run into most of which will probably be caused by the fact that that
engine is massive compared to this one but I suppose there's only one way to find [Music]
out she ready to come out or uh not yet but you need to see this yeah that's pretty impressive
I mean I suppose it is fitting and just in case they don't know the back story on this car it's
a submarine yeah the license plate checks out when he bought this car it was flooded up to
the top of the doors and while a lot of it's been restored the engine the trans and obviously most
of the shifter linkage is still original and it is crunchy it's nice Florida saltwater corrosion
now this build there is a lot of stuff we're hoping to reuse like the transmission one thing
we're not going to be able to repurpose though is Bor exhaust don't get me wrong the Bor is a
really nice exhaust if you're making like 2 or 300 horsepower fortunately you're out of that
club now like 100% And what you said you're going to do is run two like Joe Dirt open headers right
no more of course for reference the stock exhaust on the Hellcat is a dual 2 and 3/4 I think what
we'll ultimately do on this one assuming the open headers that just pitch get tiring after the first
15 minutes is run a true dual 3-in after all we have two holes to fill why not fill them
and with that we're basically more or less ready to come out what do
you say we drop the Hellcat out and while you're finishing up this I can knock the
transmission off that and then we can test fit in SS like a plan to me stand
it oh yeah last time I had to pull the alternator off to get to the
oil pressure switch and now the alternator's just
chilling all right we're Gucci it's not going anywhere I was a little scared about that there we
go now we just got to get the trans off it and we can start to
get an idea what we're going to be working with here yeah good enough
[Music] the suffering both I think we got a problem they're fighting a little bit
huh it's almost like this car was underwater or something it's funny
that you see it in exterior it looks like so clean it really does the car
looks awesome and yeah then you start turning riches salts falling out rust a whole nine
yards all right serious question is this algae I don't know what's going
[Music]
on all right what's hung up now don't go down yet
I think it's just the bolt are plock steering shaft
um got it
[Music]
check that out you didn't tell me to that boil of headers on it you need to do this SP probably made
plenty of power it's what like 260 not at all now obviously we still have a massive amount of work
to do here but I think we should probably you know what I'm getting that right Fernando you got to
I guess this is like the first of many moment of truths here what about if it doesn't fit at all I
wouldn't be surprised I'm positive we're going to have to cut a lot of this car up but hey it's an
old Nissan right it's fine it's rusty already what was that uh the supercharger pulley is hitting
the radiator so we need to go back with it so dropping the car down over the engine the steering
shaft that is going to hit the valve cover that subframe studs really close to the valve cover
I'm starting to think we might have to pull the entire front end of the car part which on these
it all does unbolt so that's great that might be the way we have to get this engine in there
I don't think it's going to go in like this and it's certainly not going to be easy but hey it's
in sort of congrats on the swap 707 horsepower does all that it matter we got a lot of work to
do ready for round two I think I am you think or you know it's just like
we need to make make a lot of cuts hit in the Heather already yep both sides
all right well to be fair we kind of knew the stock header wasn't going to work right yeah
[Music] exactly it's going in pretty good though get this guy up and out of the way who needs AC
do you heard that I heard it I don't know what it was but I heard it all right so
that's about as far as we got right we're looking pretty good pretty good so I guess
like logistically it does fit in the engine bay that's something as it sits right now I
guess this is about where your radiator fans come in so that's probably not going to work we
are going to have to move this a lot further backwards definitely going to have to hack
out this false firewall it's just thin sheet metal you can cut out pretty much all of it
and that'll give us a lot more room to move this thing back you ready to hack this gym up um it's
going to be a little bit disappointed that I have to cut a solar Orange Shell but it's for a good
at least this is a salvage title right flood is salvage title Salvage flood yeah same difference
right I get that you're trying to like Spruce it up be like it's not Salvage it's flooded I mean
we in the point is no turning back on this project no turning back no I got to admit though it looks
really good for the record is my first card in the chassis you know um I was like kind of
a little bit nervous the cuts turned out really good I got to give it to you on this one um what
happened there though what's the what's going on with the big hole in the firewall now I know you
had to cut the lip off that all looks good it's clean it's nice and then there's the big hole they
cover on the passenger side hits the firewor a little bit so so far I crossing my fingers
that's the only major cut that we have to do to the chassis and now that you got the cutting done
I guess this is where the fun really starts right exactly busting open new parts spending a ton of
money look at the finish I like them yeah you're just ignoring the whole money part right you know
you're just trying to block that part out like it never happened it's just like I don't want to
think about it I think that how we all justify that if you don't think about it doesn't count
is your credit card company thinking about it um it's already the limit anyway this is our
conversion oil pan it's by loj conversions it's made specifically for this swap it has a heavy
front swap so we can bolt it right to the Hellcat engine it won't hit the subframe that's going to
sit just behind it equally as important we have this adapter plate it's a sick piece this is going
to let us Bolt the cd9 transmission that's already in the car to the Hellcat engine we got the engine
Mar by the way it looks sick they are sick quity so I've done a lot of engine swaps back in the
day and the swap mounts were never this nice they always look like some dude made them in
his backyard this actually looks like a really nice piece let me show you the shifter look at
this quality feel it also a really nice piece but I was a little confus why we needed this I
think I figured it out though it looks like our adapter Plate's going to space the transmission
back I don't know a/ inch maybe closer to an inch we have this trans cross member as well which I
didn't think we were going to need but it slotted I believe to let us move it back even further that
explains this we need a shorter shifter that plus the cutting I think handles the swap part of this
hole deal now we got to talk about the power part more money the most expensive part yeah so Holly
Dominator ECU it's the same ECU that I'm going to be running on my truck it's a sick setup and then
there's this guy the 10% bigger crank pulley for 10% more boost is that how that works so that's
going to be louder I'm not quite sure that's how that works but while Fernando's yanking off all
his old junk to make way for the shiny new parts let's take just a second to talk about the sponsor
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car purchase and back to it now if you watch my demon truck build series you know that if you're
running the Holly Dominator ECU it's not capable of controlling the variable valve timing which
means it's got to be deleted fortunately it's a super simple process you just need to remove and
open up the cam gear then you install the phaser lock pin to take away the cam Gear's ability to
well be variable that's really all there is to it it's one of those things that sounds a little
more intimidating than it actually is especially on an engine like this it's super easy to time
but this next step this one never feels quite right no matter how many times you've done it
why the first time that I have to do this it have to be on a $10,000 engine and not a 100
what better time than the present wait you so you want to do it on $100,000 engine not at all
when you put an ATI balancer on these you want to drill and pin the crank as well so Fernando you're
up you don't look nervous at all I am nervous [Music]
[Applause]
did some damage good damage it's the right kind
of damage are you sure let's see is it the right kind of
damage oh yeah that looks like a nice clean hole success much success see you were scared
for nothing but it was a lot hold your hand out right now okay I thought so normal all right our
crank's officially pinned now I guess it's time to button this thing up put the pulley on and stick
it in the car the plan for this car at least for now is for it to be a full-fledged street
car meaning it's going to have AC power steering and despite what grinding the bell housing of the
transmission a fix your clutch might indicate a streetable clutch I don't even know if I want to
admit how many nights we stayed here late trying to get this engine into the Z and it's just not
really worked out too well too many let's put it that way missing parts I don't know
anything that could go wrong did go wrong but tonight tonight's the night I'm feeling it I
think I think we have all the parts here now we tried to fit the oil pan previously and learned
there was a uh what do we call it a bit of an issue small cut small cut small cut speaking of
small cut to fit our starter on here with our oil pan in place we have to well cut the block
all right it kind of looks like you know what you're doing there almost to be honest with you
with this gasket I really want to take care of it it's the most expensive gasket bucks for a gasket
yeah it sucks no thank you I do have to give it up to LJ on some of this stuff the adapter
plate that's such a sick piece seeing it on the engine is even better the oil pan now I guess
the only question here is and probably haven't tested this part does the starter actually fit
now that I cut the blood 100% you know I don't know what I was thinking putting this engine
right here I thought I was oh yeah it's going to be way comfortable and it's not hold on hold on
hold on you saw these engines you saw me work on these engines and somehow you thought this was
going to be a easy swap what's that old saying the motor's easy to fit it ain't [ __ ] that's
how it goes yeah that's the old saying y I never heard it's a legit thing trust me it's
a tight fit down there but hey it does clear and yeah we will have to pull it back off when
we put the transmission on but at least we know it fits all right so we are completely fix fing
this out as we go our swap flywheel it has a pilot bearing in it it's part of I don't
know I guess how it converts a Hellcat engine to a 350Z transmission that does mean though
that we got to get this Factory pilot bearing out of there because this won't seat unless we
do now we get this slick adapter flywheel on
here so this is the new prototype clutch we're going to task with holding all this new new found
power we sent our flywheel down to the guys at Mantic they took some measurements built us a
clutch and couple days later it was back they said and I quote we're trying some new things
put it through hell try to break it let us know what fails well we're going to do that right
Fernando we are going to do that no problem say no more there we go you look like if you know
what you're doing I don't okay trust me everybody looks like they know what they're doing when they
have a torque wrench in their hand all right now it's the the real Moment of Truth here are
you nervous we got the adapter fly well we got the adapter clutch but we don't know that it
adapts for sure yet hopefully and I think we're going to need it yeah it's supposed to adapt oh
it adapts if you guys have ever fought with a transmission putting it onto a engine getting
it through the you know pressure plate getting it through the clutch disc this was not that
this was cake as much as we fine-tune double triple quadruple checked everything about this
transmission swap the one thing we haven't been able to answer and no one's really been able to
give us a good answer to Is if we were able to use a stock throwout bearing the diameter of
the throwout bearing that's right we measured that but we weren't sure about the throw but
now that we got it a symol we can stick the old boroscope in here and I don't know much
but it looks right to me which means if I'm not mistaken it's time is it it's time finally finally
[Music]
come on no more problems she's going to fit right [Music] in that is tight tight
tight but it works right keep going we got to keep
going oh like a glove check that out like a GL I'm hit something now these
lines oh that's that's got to go we don't need that anymore that's a stock what a
stock either fuel line we don't need that we're not running stock fuel lines I your
there's our old stock fuel lines that yes are actively still leaking fuel here's the size of
the fuel line we're going to need for the power we're about to put in this thing right no you
sure sure little more oh wait we're there we're there how's it look I think oh that's way better
than I thought it was going to be look at all that clearance I thought this thing was going
to be right up against the firewall I really can't lie I didn't think it was going to fit
this well we all know swaps put big engines and small cars it works well sometimes but typically
things don't fit great there is so much more room than I thought I'm genuinely impressed by that we
do have to come to the driver side a good bit though we have a lot of room there not so much
there needs to go a little more I think that wasn't really the factory service manual way
to move it but it works why is nothing grinding hitting like things should be going bad by now
something that was just a cable all right hold let's double check this seems to be going far
too smoothly oh my even just suffering some placeat this is some kind of line that doesn't
really matter the alternator has clearance now that we pop those sway bar brackets off
we're there we are there all the way around this thing it is as clear as
clear can get there is so much room well so much room for having a big giant V8 in here
the back plenty of room there driver side more than enough there the only
spot we have one little bit of contact is this lit that's left on the false firewall
Fernando cut off hitting our back coil pack just a little bit a little more right there
problem solve it's not hitting anymore and we even have room to plug it in
which is you know equally critical little comfortable under here not at
all yeah it's so front heavy now it just falls off the lift forward I sh going nowhere it's all
good all good send her up what do you think it's in there it well yeah there's that we I think
we gathered that we all realized that really quickly it fits good I'm impressed about that
to be honest we it fits really good the trans all this stuff lined up really well the shifter
position it's Flawless it's right in the middle of the tunnel the oil pin clears that subframe
perfectly there's I don't know there's really no major problems with this swapping if you've done
a swap car before you know that is not often how it goes I'm kind of happy with the space
that we're going to have at the front it's going to be enough for a good right here we'll do it
yeah we can get it done for sure yeah yeah sway bar is going to fit and everything yeah that's
what that cutout in the oil pan right there is for now for the next Moment of Truth which I do
realize there's been a lot of Moment of Truth in this video let's see how the hood shuts are we
oh wow that's way better that's I thought we're going to be like that far up check that out look
it just hits the BL lower lid the throttle body and all that stuff's clear it is just hitting
right there which means that I can put spacers over there like the JDM no no to accomplish what
we need to do with spacers on the back of the hood they're going to have to be like that tall
nah just like this look just take my word for it let's get the saw and start cutting right there
did you forget something I love how there's like brake fluid dripping into
a cup back [Music] there it's not how you're supposed to use the hammer I'm pretty positive
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)
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