I got this free 1991 Nissan D21 hardbody from a neighbor who is moving in a few weeks and had to get rid of a ton of stuff. in fact, ive gotten a lot of stuff from him but thats another story. He offered it to anyone in the neighborhood and my father in law and i decided to take it. it is a 2.4 4cyl/ 5 speed manual. 121k miles and despite the looks of the body, overall in good shape.
The plan is build it for probably the 2025 challenge. unless this years current plans go so well we have enough time to tackle this as well (doubtful).
I really am not sure what to do with this one. I am thinking a k24 swap as i already have a miata 5 speed trans and you can adapt those fairly easily. I would like some input on what folks think would make for a good swap in this truck. could always do an ls but im not sure i want to go down the same old ls path again. k24 seemed neat as i havent done one, maybe even potentially a rotary swap? idk, any input is welcome as well as pics or anyones experience with doing or seeing a swap done on a D21.
if it has rockers and cab corners and the frame isn't rotten, you could just flip it somewhere up north for $2500-ish.
or swap a nissan / infiniti V8? keep the blood lines pure.
In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :
i did consider that. i had the opportunity to get a FREE vq35 with a spun bearing but i drug my feet and missed the opportunity.
Does the truck have AC? Will you be keeping it? Any thing Datsun that is still working, when removed will be sellable. Related to that, turbo the replacement motor, your truck is surprisingly heavy. The engine bay is surprisingly short and narrow on these trucks.
I would be on the lookout for a spare differential center section, You might get lucky and find a LSD.
Gm 60 degree?
Or supercharged 3800?
Either one would fit and the path has been created.
Parts are cheap and plentiful.
In reply to jr02518 :
it has all of the components there but is currently not working due to what i assume is a leak somewhere. i need to check the diff in it. until yesterday, i assumed it was a 5 lug truck. why they made this thing 6 lug is beyond me.
They were 6 lug forever. Back into the 70's at least.
The rear ends are strong. It probably has the C200 axle which is more than it should ever need. Check the tag on the drivers door edge area. Grab a pic. It will have your axle codes and gearing.
if you needed a heavier axle, the one on the v6's are great and should nearly bolt in. H233b nissan axle.
Also nissan titan wheels are a great fit on the smaller nissan trucks. Here is my frontier with titan 18's. I love a good 5 spoke.
TJL (Forum Supporter) said:
Also nissan titan wheels are a great fit on the smaller nissan trucks. Here is my frontier with titan 18's. I love a good 5 spoke.
oof, that looks fantastic!
I spent a lot of my teen years thinking about how one of these could be made mid engine.
