Ed Higginbotham
Ed Higginbotham Associate Editor
7/25/18 1:07 p.m.
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Want to make your own Porsche Cayenne killer? LOJ Conversions has developed kits to shove Chevy LS engines into Nissans like the 350Z and 300XZ, and now they've set their sights on the Infiniti FX chassis from 2003 to 2008—the small SUV now known as the QX.

Soon you'll be able to order a kit for your own FX, meaning …

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Vigo
Vigo UltimaDork
7/25/18 4:06 p.m.

Sounds good to me. I think these things are cool. I've already looked into vk56 swaps into the rwd infinitis. Ironically, if you want to make a Cayenne killer with a nissan engine one option is using a Cayenne intake manifold so your nissan engine fits under the hood.  But an LS is also cool. angel

singleslammer
singleslammer PowerDork
7/25/18 9:33 p.m.

LSAs are getting reasonable aren't they? I was actually expecting a holy on super charger kit for the fx. I wonder if there are enough decent FXs to make this worth while

albino09
albino09 New Reader
7/26/18 11:08 a.m.

A clean FX with good history is going to cost around $9,000. I know because we bought one for my wife a few months ago. An '06 LCI with AWD, silver on black with some faded door trim and 100k miles. That being said, the FX45 V8 doesn't really run a premium that would make me want to swap a different V8 in. Just personal preference. The one to buy is actually the late second-gen FX50 with the 5.0L motorsports V8. Hilariously fun to drive. 

 

edizzle89
edizzle89 Dork
7/26/18 12:13 p.m.
singleslammer said:

LSAs are getting reasonable aren't they? I was actually expecting a holy on super charger kit for the fx. I wonder if there are enough decent FXs to make this worth while

real LSA engine's still aren't 'cheap' but LSA blowers are pretty readily available and can be put on pretty much any LS based engine

Vigo
Vigo UltimaDork
7/26/18 4:44 p.m.

That being said, the FX45 V8 doesn't really run a premium that would make me want to swap a different V8 in. Just personal preference. The one to buy is actually the late second-gen FX50 with the 5.0L motorsports V8. Hilariously fun to drive. 

 

FX45s are cool but if i had to guess most people doing big v8 swaps are doing it because they want better than a 15 flat 1/4 mile which  is about what a stock FX45 does. Cool cars, but not fast enough for anybody going to the effort of an LS swap, i'd guess. 

My opinion is that the FX50 is a whole class up from that, running 13s in the 1/4.  That's nearly the same type of difference as between a Cayenne S and a Cayenne Turbo!

MadScientistMatt
MadScientistMatt PowerDork
7/27/18 9:46 a.m.
albino09 said:

A clean FX with good history is going to cost around $9,000. I know because we bought one for my wife a few months ago. An '06 LCI with AWD, silver on black with some faded door trim and 100k miles. That being said, the FX45 V8 doesn't really run a premium that would make me want to swap a different V8 in. Just personal preference. The one to buy is actually the late second-gen FX50 with the 5.0L motorsports V8. Hilariously fun to drive. 

Checked the local Craiglist and high mileage but running FX35s are going for half that. Non running examples should be cheaper still. This swap seems ridiculous, pointless, and now I want to build one.

STM317
STM317 SuperDork
7/27/18 11:59 a.m.

More options are always good, but this seems like a lot of work and expense when in the end you get the equivalent of a TBSS or Saab Trollblazer. And you could get those with AWD, where this kit requires a 2wd chassis donor (or AWD converted to RWD).

Vigo
Vigo UltimaDork
7/27/18 11:04 p.m.

I'd guess there's some argument to be made about the fun-to-drive difference between an upgraded trailblazer and a downgraded g35 sedan. I don't know if those two really meet in the middle.. I suspect the FX is still substantially more fun if you're turning the steering wheel.

captdownshift
captdownshift GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
7/28/18 5:36 a.m.

In reply to Vigo :

The FX is also better looking than the Trailblazer or the G35. 3500lb tow rating means that a Miata on a open trailer is doable. It also means that a utility trailer makes for no need to a pickup for home improvement supplies.

 

This ticks a lot of boxes. 

buzzboy
buzzboy Reader
7/28/18 7:14 a.m.

Too bad they're ugly and don't have much room in them.

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