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What are some good V6 engines that i can put on my 69 baja. Im looking at the nissan V6, the one they put in the 95 maxima and 300zx. thanks

ive never herd of anyone using a VG30 in a baja or buggy. but im sure it can be done.

the most common v6 ive seen in bajas and buggies is the 60 degree GM v6 (the 2.8, 3.1, 3.4 liter v6s) this engine is a simple straightforward design, there are a lot of performance parts out there for it, and its an absolute flyweight (the iron block weighs 105lbs and the aluminum racing blocks weigh 45lbs). this engine would be good if you want a reasonably simple engine to work with as it is a pretty standard pushrod engine not too different than your typical detroit v8.

I have also seen quite a few toyota v6s (im guessing the truck v6) in buggies.

you could also use the corvair engine (if you can find one) which should give you the lower center of gravity that you get with a boxer engine (another reason why ACVW engines are the most common engine for buggies and rails).

if you wanted the ultimate and were willing to shell out the money for it you could always use a porsche 6 cylinder

if you wanna see a really cool buggy go to www.oceanstreetvideo.com and look under the sand section of download area. there is an mpeg of a rail that is running a BMW straight 6 with a turbo. its a cockpit cam thing on the dunes

You might want to take a look a Wes's V6. http://shoptalkforums.com/bbs/NonCGI/Fo ... 00411.html
And I know that there is someone else around here with a V6 bug

Ive been lookin at wess's project for quite some time now. It kinda inspired me to take the plunge myself. Im thinking about the GM V6. What cars have the GM V6 in it.

Most early 90's s10 Blazers/pickups and some full size Blazers have a 4.3L V6 in them. My other car is one of those s10 Blazers(1993). The factory says they make 165HP and 236lb in torque. Its enough that you can light up the tires if your not careful Those engines pull really strong in a full bodied SUV, just imagne what would happen in ANY VW If you look around you can find them in the newer ones too. The new TrailBlazer has a straight 6 4.2L that makes 270HP and 275lb in torque. The Lumina, Corsica have a 3.1LV6 in them. The 80's Celeberitry has a small V6 and is the weakest of all of them. If it was me I would go test drive one in the car it came from and go from there. Hope this helps, Mike

i wasn't talking about the 90degree v6 (the 4.3) all a 4.3 consists of is a 350 small block v8 minus the 2 front cylinders.

the engine im talking about is the 60 degree engine which is the 2.8, 3.1, 3.4 these would be better suited to a baja as they are compact in size, can still make 200+hp easily, and MUCH lighter than a 4.3, and they are cheaper than the 4.3s or the 3.8s

that mazda v6 (called the KZ-LE) would be a great engine for a baja, but the odds of finding one in the US are slim to none as i dont believe that engine was ever sold here.

the 60 degree v6s can be found in 80s and early 90s chevy s-series trucks, and v6 camaros/firefirds prior to 96 (the 3.4L in the 93-95 camaros/firefirds are considered to be the best of the 60 degree engines and put out 165hp stock. just avoid the 85 and earlier 2.8s they have weak main bearings, the later engines have much stronger mains.

these engies are also used in a number of front wheel drive GM cars but are slightly different externally from the RWD engines.

if your wondering why i know so much about this particular engine. I own an 86 s-10 blazer with the 2.8L v6 and have looked into building its engine up (on the 4x4 trucks its VERY difficult to swap to a 4.3 or small block v8)

Yeah the 60degree chevy v6 looks good. I dont want a 90degree v6 cause at 90degrees a v6 loses power due to harmonic disturbance. thanks for the help guys. I cant wait till im smokin the riceers at my school with a baja bug.

Miller why not keep it VW and look into a VR6. Lots of aftermarket for them and I think they punch out something like 170 hp. I am in the planning phase (thinking of crap I can do to it to be different) of a Baja build up myself and have read into the suby, type 4, chevy v6, rabbit inline 4, vw 1.9tdi, even the ford pinto 2.0 but I keep coming back to the vr6 or the tdi to keep it vw. Just think your license plate VR6BAJA. Just my .02 cents. And still smoke the rice burners!!!!!!!

Well I would love to keep my engine VW but the thing is how ez will it be to find a VR6 engine at the local u-pull. I like the chevy engine cause I know there are tons of old Chevy engines ready to be rebuild. I guess its a cost thing. Another thing is how much info can I get on the VR6. I already have a good understanding of chevy engines and have a few books. I am going to look into the VR6 though so thanks for the insight.

Well as far as the KZ-LE being hard to find in america im not too sure about that. Thats the same engine put in the ford probe and I know there are tons of ford probes around. Im gonna drive me Friends probe too see if it has the speed im looking for. How about the toyota tacoma V6, its got 190 horse and 220 torque. i dont know how ez it will be to find but i know there is a toyota, nissan and mazda parts wharehouse near where i live in oregon.

The US mazda V6 (used in Mx6 and probes) is a KL-03 and only has 165HP.

The japanese version is the KL-ZE and has 200HP. You should be able to get the from import places. The guys at www.mx6.com seem to find them in the US ok.

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Wes offroadvw.net

Hey what about the buick 3.8L, what do you guys know about that engine other than it has 170hp and 220lbs torque.

oh boy somebody had to open the buick 3.8 can o worms.

the 3.8L v6 that puts out 170-200 hp that is used in many late model GM cars IS NOT the buick v6. it is merely the 4.3s smaller cousin. it is a 305 v8 with 2 cylinders lopped off instead of a 350 which is what the 4.3 is based on. the engines are identical just different bore and stroke.

the buick v6s are very different and haven't been produced since the 80s (the 80s grand national is the last car i know of that used that engine). the difference becomes readily apparant when you take off the valve covers. the buick engine has shaft mounted rockers not unlike an ACVW engine, the chevy engine has the same rockers, lifters, and pushrods as a chevy SB v8.

the VR6 is a great idea. i know this swap has been done(its been done in europe). its not the easiest engine to tune compared to other engines out there but in a baja you shouldn't need to do much to it to be happy.

The nissan VQ30DE used in the 95-2002 Maxima puts out 222 Hp and has the added advantage of an all aluminum block. The VG30DE used in the 90-96 300zx, 93-98 Infinity J30, and -96 Pathfinder puts out about 220 and takes to turboing very well.