Got a good deal on a used engine to build up. It should be a fun project for my almost 3 year old son and myself. We want more power in the '01.
I'm planning on;
Cams
Port/polish/gasket match
Snorkel (already have K&N drop in)
Exhaust (already have DT headers but the rest needs to be done)
ECU reprogram
My questions are;
What cams? I'm not dropping the small fortune on Jim wolf ones, so Euro cams or have the stock ones reground? Other options? From where?
Any tips or links to good advice for the port/polish? It seems that the internet is torn with opinions on smoothing out the intake or leaving it rough. Either way the exhaust ports will be polished so any tips will help.
Hopefully the EBay snorkels will still be around when I finally order one.
Exhaust opinions? I don't mind getting rid of the 2 remaining cats but should I stick with the factory Y pipe and just add a muffler? I need to do a bit of research to see if they will fit but apparently the 2000 Xterras didn't have secondary cats. Maybe those pipes will bolt right in?
ECU reprogram for mods. $300 worth it?
Will boring out to the biggest piston I can get in the master rebuild kits be worth the machining costs in performance? 0.040" over? Or is all the talk about the VQ45 pistons the way to go?
This is still my DD and family camping rig so I am leaning a little towards being a bit conservative with the mods to keep it reliable and keep the budget down.
As far as where I would like to see the most gains it would have to be on the highway and towing our tent trailer. Loaded up with all our gear and the tent trailer this thing is pretty slow. We would love to get a real hard-sided trailer, but I don't think the Xterra can handle anything more than we already give it. If there was a bit more power under the hood it would be a lot easier to part with the POS tent trailer and get something better to camp in. I could sell it and get something else but right now, the Xterra with 3" SL, 2" BL and 33"s is the biggest vehicle that will fit in the garage of our townhouse while still being able to get the doors open on both sides, so no full size trucks allowed. I also like it a lot....
As far as my skill level goes, I'm a noob when it comes to doing things like this. I'm an almost licensed helicopter mechanic so I do have a small amount of formal training on piston engines but actually building one is out of my expertise so far. I'm confident in my abilities to figure stuff out and I have the FSM and the haynes book but I'm still a noob so be gentle.
I'm planning on;
Cams
Port/polish/gasket match
Snorkel (already have K&N drop in)
Exhaust (already have DT headers but the rest needs to be done)
ECU reprogram
My questions are;
What cams? I'm not dropping the small fortune on Jim wolf ones, so Euro cams or have the stock ones reground? Other options? From where?
Any tips or links to good advice for the port/polish? It seems that the internet is torn with opinions on smoothing out the intake or leaving it rough. Either way the exhaust ports will be polished so any tips will help.
Hopefully the EBay snorkels will still be around when I finally order one.
Exhaust opinions? I don't mind getting rid of the 2 remaining cats but should I stick with the factory Y pipe and just add a muffler? I need to do a bit of research to see if they will fit but apparently the 2000 Xterras didn't have secondary cats. Maybe those pipes will bolt right in?
ECU reprogram for mods. $300 worth it?
Will boring out to the biggest piston I can get in the master rebuild kits be worth the machining costs in performance? 0.040" over? Or is all the talk about the VQ45 pistons the way to go?
This is still my DD and family camping rig so I am leaning a little towards being a bit conservative with the mods to keep it reliable and keep the budget down.
As far as where I would like to see the most gains it would have to be on the highway and towing our tent trailer. Loaded up with all our gear and the tent trailer this thing is pretty slow. We would love to get a real hard-sided trailer, but I don't think the Xterra can handle anything more than we already give it. If there was a bit more power under the hood it would be a lot easier to part with the POS tent trailer and get something better to camp in. I could sell it and get something else but right now, the Xterra with 3" SL, 2" BL and 33"s is the biggest vehicle that will fit in the garage of our townhouse while still being able to get the doors open on both sides, so no full size trucks allowed. I also like it a lot....
As far as my skill level goes, I'm a noob when it comes to doing things like this. I'm an almost licensed helicopter mechanic so I do have a small amount of formal training on piston engines but actually building one is out of my expertise so far. I'm confident in my abilities to figure stuff out and I have the FSM and the haynes book but I'm still a noob so be gentle.