Youtuber Determined to Stuff a Hellcat Engine into a Nissan 350Z
Ambitious mechanic is going to have to do a lot of surgery to make the massive V8 fit into the import’s engine bay.
Power can make you do crazy things. Some people end relationships when they get it. Others turn into completely different people, for better or worse. When the young man who runs the Youtube channel 3F1DDYZEEJAY got his hands on a Dodge Hellcat engine, its immense power made him decide to try fitting the supercharged V8 into his 2004 Nissan 350Z.
Luckily, he has plenty of wrench-turning under his belt; he’s been a mechanic at a Chrysler dealership for the past six years. Somehow he got his hands on a Hellcat engine for less than retail price. As he puts it, “I got this motor for a super-good deal.” And that’s when he got the wild idea of putting the monster Hemi into a 350Z that originally had a naturally-aspirated six-cylinder engine between its front fenders.
Hellcat 350Z: A Whole Lotta Work
As you can imagine, the process is going to take some imaginative custom work. Before he starts tinkering, the host of 3F1DDYZEEJAY says, “Today’s gonna consist of cutting this front firewall out and re-test-fitting to see if I can’t get this motor to sit a little bit better.” Once he removes the strip of firewall that needed to go, he lifts the massive Hemi and drops it into the 350Z’s engine bay. It fits. Sort of.
It becomes obvious that the Hellcat is having clearance issues. If it’s going to have any chance of fitting at all, it needs to be shifted into a better position. And that’s going to lead to more complications. “With the motor having to come out forward a little bit, this thing’s gonna need a custom oil pan.” There’s a chance the headers from a 5.7-liter Hemi will fit in the narrow space available.
After hammering the daylights out of the firewall, the power-mad mechanic drops the Hellcat back into place…and makes a wonderful discovery. He says, “I wanted this motor as far down and as far back as possible, so I ended up buying a bellhousing which is kind of silly because it’s kind of looking like it’ll work.”
It’s still a tight fit, but there’s hope. The oil pan fits in a sweet spot between the front crossmember and sway bar.
With a little work and custom fabrication, the motor mounts have a chance of lining up correctly. When the time comes, our video host will have a professional take care of them to make sure the placement and geometry is done right.
Just for grins, he tries putting on the front clip of the 350Z. “Surprisingly it actually fits back on.” The thermostat clears the fan, but the radiator and fan will have to be swapped out for units that fit better.
Size and positioning will also play a role in transmission selection. It’ll have to line up in the tunnel just right. Fortunately, the owner of this unusual project car seems to be good at making room when he needs it.
It’s clear that the stock hood of the 350Z will have to go. As the car’s owner says, “There’s definitely no way in hell that this hood would close without cutting a hole in it.” We have a feeling that if he can pull off this one-of-a-kind build that he won’t mind the added expense. It’s a small price to pay for eternal bragging rights in the automotive community.
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