MQ RB30E Conversion

Post by **NHV6** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 4:58 pm

Is there any interest in an MQ L28 -> RB30E Conversion walk through.
I have just finished tearing out the old boat anchor, and I pick up the donor vehicle tomorrow. I could post pics and what turns out to be involved if anyone thinks it would be worthwhile. Or, has this been done already and should I be reading someone elses???

Post by **badger** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:00 pm

do it im sure alot of ppls would love to get rid of there old l28's
efi and power on the cheap

Post by **g@z** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:02 pm

There was / is a bloke on the list that is selling an MQ / MK wagon with an RB30E, but I don't think that it's installed yet. I guess it can be done, and is easier to do on the wagon as it has a divorced transfercase so you don't have to worry too much about mating the patrol gearbox to RB engine, just mating the RB gear box to the patrol transfer.

But I think that most people that go to the expense of an engine swap just end up going with a V8.

Regards,
g@z.

Post by **NHV6** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:53 pm

I got the RB30 off eBay for $152. The guy decided that I might as well take the whole car so I got a running vl commodore for $150. Probably a bit cheaper than a V8, hopefully. Plus less fuel, rego, insurance... Then theres tha turbo option. Mmmm, boost. Will post the pics and info as I go. Hope it helps somebody in the end.

Post by **Beastmavster** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 10:52 pm

In the non 4wd world the RB to L series swap is very common (although more common with the 141kw-160kw RB20DET than the 114kw RB30E).

Any info that keeps the getting kind of old MQ's viable is of benefit to all Patrol owners...

Post by **chops** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:17 pm

I saw a MQ/K for sale on ebay not so long ago, had a RB30E engine in it.. and this motor had a massive lean on it just so the bonnet would close!

Post by **badger** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 8:41 am

i remember that one too chops. but id guess that its a matter of how you line your mounts up. and wich sump you use.................. you may have to get a gq rb30 sump or something to get the motor down further

Post by **gone fishin** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 9:00 am

Yer it did have a big lean on it, it sold for $750 I think, complete running car and all.

Website · Post by **GRINCH** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 5:44 pm

you could always use a rb30 gq box and transfer saves making/buying adaptors.

Post by **NHV6** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 5:46 pm

I can solve the mystery of the leaning engine. The L28 is a slant motor so the bolts for the gearbox are off centre. When you put the RB30 in, it has to be mounted on the lean so the gearbox will bolt up. Did it today. What a mission, some of the bolt holes line up but some dont and have to be re-drilled. The flywheel will bolt up once 1-2mm is machined out of the hole in the centre so it will fit on the RB30 crank. I will take it to a machine shop tomorrow. So far, not a pretty conversion, but if you dont mind your engine on a slant, it wont be so bad. Plenty of room on the passengers side for a turbo setup, or even a turbo and a supercharger. I know from previous experience that the base engines are super strong and can handle a hell of a lot of boost. I have extractors coming tomorrow to start me off. Engine mounts are a problem. I have used the drivers side RB30 (VL commodore) mount on the passenger side, re-drilled the holes and drilled the mounting plate on the patrol so it will bolt up. Works ok, but you have to grind some off the back of the mount where it fouls on the engine down low. I will have to fabricate a mounting for the drivers side, and so far that looks like the hardest part of the whole thing. There is not a lot of clearance on the drivers side of the motor and i think that without any suspension lift the sump will foul on the diff. Big hammer might do the trick though. Its only one corner. I will attach some pics when I can figure out how. Didn't get the camera till late so I will take more pics after I remove the engine. So far, dummy fit #1 was successful.

Post by **Beastmavster** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 6:08 pm

Of course, the amound of slant has to be held in perspective. Compare it to a Valiant or some of the 4 cyl Volvo's and it's nothing........

Post by **NHV6** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 7:09 pm

True... One thing that I was pleasantly surprised about is the fact that the MQ Patrol has a fuel supply and return line, and a fuel tank vapour vent, so it is a simple matter to change the fuel pump to a high pressure efi pump and then just connect the charcoal canister and fuel return lines. Things are looking up.

Can someone please tell me how to post pics? Supposedly there is a button to do it but I cant see it.

Website · Post by **GRINCH** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 10:11 am

youll need to replace the fuel hoses with efi hose to handle the extra presure

Post by **jessie928** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 10:23 am

save yourself a HUGE headache and get a 3.0 GQ litre patrol gearbox and transfer and just slot it straight in with the engine. no slant problems, just make mounts, piss easy.
unless of course you have a divorsed transfer as said above, then just bolt the engine and vl box in and join the driveshafts.

Jes

Website · Post by **GRINCH** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 12:56 pm

youll pay a lot more for a vl 5speed then you would for a gq box and transfer, plus the gq boxes are a lot stronger then a std vl one

Post by **jessie928** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:23 pm

the gq 5 speed that lives behind the rb30 is actually a vl turbo box

jes

Post by **NHV6** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:30 pm

I looked at using the vl box, but it is 300mm longer than the mq box. Would have to move the transfer and fab driveshafts. The gq box and transfer wont work either as the mq has offset diff centres and the gq doesnt. would be a nightmare to make driveshafts that would fit. But hey, other than that its going well. I figured out that if you swap the Rb30 mounts to the opposite sides and re-drill the holes they will work quite well. I have had to attach a piece of plate steel to the drivers side mounting plate on the patrol to extend the surface down a bit. Should be bolted in by tonight.

Post by **NHV6** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 8:21 pm

OK, I'm half way through and I think I would have been better off with a V8 conversion after all. Some facts of this conversion are as follows.

- The L28 flywheel wont fit the RB30 crank without machining. Have the centre hole of the flywheel machined out to fit over the spiggot housing on the crank. Remember if using an engine from an automatic car, change the spiggot bush over from the L28. Best way is to find something that is round and a neat fit into the spiggot bush. Then fill the spiggot with grease and push the item into the spiggot and hit it with a hammer. The hydraulic pressure from the grease will force the spiggot out of the crank. Simple and effective. I used a 1/2" drive socket extension. Make sure that you dont damage the spiggot, and that you remove the automatic one from the RB30 crank.

- The L28 starter motor wont fit, use the Commodore starter.

- The Gearbox wont bolt to the engine. The 2 bolts on the outer skirt at the bottom of the block line up, but the two at the top of the engine, along with the aligning pin need to be re-drilled. I just enlarged the holes on the sandwhich plate and gearbox and it all went together just fine. The MQ gearbox is very short (around 400mm) whilst the Commodore gearboxes are over 700mm, so the only option as I see it is to use the oroginal MQ box in this fashion. Suggestions of using a GQ RB30 box and transfer might have some credence but you would probably need GQ diffs and driveshafts aswell, which I dont think is worth the effort myself.

- I used a fuel pump from a R30 (model with efi L24 engine) skyline mounted in place of the MQs electric pump, and the MQ already has a return line so all good. Just used the brackets from the skyline and screwed it in. Use high pressure fuel hose for all connections. You could use the commodore fuel pump aswell, but I couldn't find one anywhere, ands the later skylines are in tank.

- The wiring is extremely simple. Basically the Rb30 loom only needs an ignition feed to a thick pink wire, and the EFI relay needs to be taken from the donor vehicle. Other than that the loom has a battery terminal connection and earth connection. I will post wiring diagrams if someone can show me how to post pictures.

- Exhaust will need to be modified. I took the exhaust manifold, engine pipe and cat converter out of the commodore, and will have an exhaust shop make it fit. I dont have a pipe bender or the patience.

- Engine mounts will need to be fabricated. None of the original mounts will fit as the motor has to be mounted on a rather large slant towards the drivers side to mate up with the gearbox.

- To fit the air box, I used the across engine air duct from an R31 skyline, and mixed and matched hoses from skyline and commodore to fit.

- Radiator hoses and heater hoses will need to be made up. I just hit the wreckers and got pipes the right size with lots of bends and cut them up and joined them with tube and hose clamps.

- For the power steering, I used the low pressure line from the commodore and ran it across the rear edge of plate under the radiator. I mounted the commodore reservoir near the battery and made up the high pressure line out of 3/8" R410a compatible copper tube from work. This is high pressure thick wall refrigeration piping. I just used the original flare nuts and hey presto. The flexible hose from the commodore pump has a bracket that I screwed to the chassis rail. This way the rigid copper tube cant move. Probably wouldn't be too expensive to get pirtek or enzed to make you a pipe up anyway.

Took me 4 full days by myself and its nearly finished. Probably would take less with help. I made a lot of things fit with the drill and angle grinder. There are no doubt more professional ways to do this conversion, but I am just not that good. Please remember that I am not a mechanic, and most certainly I am not an authority on how to do an engine conversion, I am just letting you know the problems I ran into in doing this conversion.

Good luck. Now if only I could post the pictures.

Website · Post by **GRINCH** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 8:51 pm

now all you need is the turbo

Post by **badger** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 9:51 pm

to all the guys saying to use a gq box n transfer do you realise that the mq has an offset rear diff?
wich then causes more dramas than the slanting motor ever would

Website · Post by **GRINCH** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 10:15 am

no i didnt relise the diffs are offset

Post by **g60boy** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 1:39 am

sorry for the dig... how's the rb convo holding up?? any major problems with running on the slant??

Post by **mattstar** » Wed Sep 03, 2008 4:55 pm

yes i have the mq wagon off ebay that had the rb30 in it and it does sit on a bad lean but it does not affect the running of it am about to pull it out and fit it to my mq shorty will let you all know how it goes

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