Bought a D21 Crew cab from Japan

[MY1PATH]

Hi folks, I've been working on Nissans for over 15 years I've built several engines, bumpers and other things along the way and it's been good fun but I've never touched a diesel Nissan and that is about to change. I recently bought a BMD21 4-door off Japanese auction and I'm looking forward to its arrival. I wanted a 4 door pickup to mod and play with and while there are plenty of 4-door d22's over here, I love the body style of the d21 chassis so that's what it had to be.

If I keep the diesel engine I'll probably intercool and put a more efficient turbo on it BUT I wish it was a manual... I'll tackle that if I find I am dissatisfied by the boring Auto (everything I own is manual). A buddy of mine insists the TD27 is better with an auto for keeping the RPM's down and having ratio's better suited to the earlier torque band.. I think I understand the TD will go 22-2500 all day but above that strays from the torque and wastes gas?
I went over to Gear Ratio Calculator and ran some numbers:
(assuming it has 4.6 gears already and I slap on some 235/85r16 tires)

4.6 AT 2500rpm I'd be going 75mph/120kph which is a very common speed over here (often pushed to 80-85)
4.6 MT 2500rpm limits me to 65mph/140kph BUT I have a set of 3.7 gears here...
3.7 MT 2400rpm would get me 75mph/120kph, 25-2700rpm if I run 80-85mph 129-137kph
3.7 AT 2000rpm to go 75mph, 2300rpm to go 85mph, 2500 RPM to go 90+...
I don't see myself going 90+ for long periods of time but I may touch it from time to time. Seems to me that 3.7 and MT targets my highway speeds good enough. The gears get closer together as you go up while the AT is a little bit more linear until you hit OD which is a bigger step.

Of course the challenge would be getting a TD27 Bell housing shipped to USA for my one of my spare FR5r30a transmissions or fabbing a Bell housing adapter. Can you tell I love manual transmissions?

If I keep the diesel engine

If I don't keep the diesel there's a new 280hp supercharged v6 from a D22 complete with rebuilt 4x4 manual transmission sitting in my garage It was gonna go in one of my pathfinder (terrano) before I decided to buy a pickup to replace it. But I gotta drive it before I decide... Until then, I play the waiting and overthinking game.

 

[Old.Tony]

Welcome to the forum.

A few of us in Australia have diesels ... there's a bit of a preference for the auto for towing, particularly if you've got something heavy that might need moving on a steep surface like a boat ramp or a steep driveway. The manuals just eat clutches in the D40s because Nissan gave us dual mass flywheels, which makes for a smooth ride but at the cost of replacing the clutch every 30,000km.

Changing the turbocharger and fuel map will change the power curve. I don't know if the gearbox you are getting will have a locking torque converter, but if it does, I'd be aiming to get that thing locked at around 70-75km/h so that if you get the car up to about 85-90km/h (just as it's entering the rise in fuel consumption due to wind resistance) the drivetrain remains locked. The older D40 autos have this in overdrive only, but the newer ones do it in lower gears as well.

We didn't get a D22 auto here that I'm aware of, and the D21 is here but is a rarer beast and we don't get a lot of people here talking about it, probably because they just go and nobody comes here to complain!

Good luck with yours, it should be fun to work on.

 

[tweak'e]

Hi folks, I've been working on Nissans for over 15 years I've built several engines, bumpers and other things along the way and it's been good fun but I've never touched a diesel Nissan and that is about to change. I recently bought a BMD21 4-door off Japanese auction and I'm looking forward to its arrival. I wanted a 4 door pickup to mod and play with and while there are plenty of 4-door d22's over here, I love the body style of the d21 chassis so that's what it had to be.

fill out your location details so people know where your from.

imho it might be a good idea to keep it fairly stock. thats because D21's are getting rare. they are getting old, commonly thrashed to death and often sold for parts. getting good ones out of japan is getting rare these days and often go for stupid prices (we get large amounts of jap imports in NZ).

 

[MY1PATH]

fill out your location details so people know where your from.

OOPS, must not have hit save. lost everything else too. The not so-great state of California in the USA.

imho it might be a good idea to keep it fairly stock. thats because D21's are getting rare. they are getting old, commonly thrashed to death and often sold for parts. getting good ones out of japan is getting rare these days and often go for stupid prices (we get large amounts of jap imports in NZ).

I appreciate that and would have bought cheap slightly beat up non-runner for my powerplant if I could. Almost everything but the back half of the cab dual cab is available and somewhat plentiful over here. (USA beds need to be shortened)
I did get confirmation today that it is a turbo with 4.6 gears and little 225/70r15 tires... It's gonna be a long 1100 miles home holding up traffic in the slow lane. I I should probably swap my 3.7 rear diff into it before I start the trip or buy some larger tires or both.
From what I've read the turbo has got potential even while staying modest but I still have to drive it to decide.

 

[MY1PATH]

A few of us in Australia have diesels ... there's a bit of a preference for the auto for towing, particularly if you've got something heavy that might need moving on a steep surface like a boat ramp or a steep driveway. The manuals just eat clutches in the D40s because Nissan gave us dual mass flywheels, which makes for a smooth ride but at the cost of replacing the clutch every 30,000km.

Yes, you are absolutely right. Autos are superior for wheeling, crawling, towing, getting 2.5 ton trailers rolling up steep grades and any other low speed application of power...
I'm stubborn and I've done it all with 3.0 and 3.3 v6 petrol manuals. Single mass flywheels in the 20-24lb range. Yes, its more challenging but but crawling is about the only time I smell it burn. Trailers up hill: I've used low range to get it rolling and the t-case WILL go into high on the fly.
The --5R30A transmission I have here shares internals with R32/R33 GTR's and twin turbo z32 300zx's. In light cars with the right clutch and the right fluid it can sustain up to 700hp of abuse and probably more if you don't slam gears or side step the clutch. Well call it 450 for something heavier like a truck with a lot of traction under heavy load... I think it will cover the torque of a TD27 for a long time.
Sadly the other manual transmission option (71c?) is nowhere near as robust not sure which is more common over there.

But maybe, with the narrower RPM range of the diesel MT will not give me the same thrill. Maybe I can test that theory by manual shifting the AT lol.

 

[MY1PATH]

Today the auction site (AAA Japan) sent me a bunch of photos so here's a few...


Now I know for sure it's a turbo, and the interior is better than I thought.
I think I'll be at my port in September.

 

[tweak'e]

Today the auction site (AAA Japan) sent me a bunch of photos so here's a few...
View attachment 35495

that looks like aftermarket turbo. or possibly an early one.
afaik navaras never had the turbo version. however japan often has japan only models and it was common to have dealers add aftermarket turbo's.
so there is some really weird ones floating around.

 

[MY1PATH]

Different markets got different options. I was browsing NZ for a while until I found out how much NZ shipping cost. I saw a few turbos on their classifieds. I also saw turbos on trucks from Dubai.
I'll be on the look out for a Garrett GT2052 and TMIC if I keep the diesel.

 

[tweak'e]

Different markets got different options. I was browsing NZ for a while until I found out how much NZ shipping cost. I saw a few turbos on their classifieds. I also saw turbos on trucks from Dubai.
I'll be on the look out for a Garrett GT2052 and TMIC if I keep the diesel.

yeah shipping from/to NZ is costly.
the turbo D21's in NZ are often terrano engine conversions. terrano's had rust problems that cost more to fix than what the vehicle is worth, so a lot of them get sold for parts.

i would be very surprised to see diesel versions in Dubai.

 

[MY1PATH]

The truck is finally HOME!
Seats are like its never been driven, firm, clean springy. Always coverd. Definite smoker, tray full of BUTTs, burns on the covers and a burn on the signal stalk. But most fortunately no smell! My first 3 passengers were amazed they didn't not smell it.

The rust is worse than reported... hiding under layers of black paint with no prep work trapping all the salts and other corrosives instead of keeping them out... some rust thru the bed too... I'm pretty good in this department, it will be stronger than stock when I am done.

It was a long underpowered drive... I will have to figure out what's wrong, if the tach is correct its not free-revving past 3200 and before messing with the maximum screw it wouldn't go past 2700 really that was a Band-Aid to get it home. I wonder if it was de-tuned to keep it off the expressways in Japan? Fresh oil (twice), fresh fuel filter and the more I drive it the better it seemed to get.

I guess I need a diesel tach to verify the stock one, a boost gauge to verify the turbo that is probably getting replaced anyway and an EGT gauge to keep me from getting carried away with fuel.

Has anybody used a timing light adapter to check fuel timing or is measuring the plunger lift with dial indicator really the best way?

 

[Cowboy550]

Looks good

 

[MANNING]

..... Definite smoker.....

S E N D I T B A C K ! !

 

[MY1PATH]

S E N D I T B A C K ! !

Lol forgot to mention no smell.

But most fortunately no smell! My first 3 passengers were amazed they could not smell it.

 

[Bluey_D22]

Hi folks, I've been working on Nissans for over 15 years I've built several engines, bumpers and other things along the way and it's been good fun but I've never touched a diesel Nissan and that is about to change. I recently bought a BMD21 4-door off Japanese auction and I'm looking forward to its arrival. I wanted a 4 door pickup to mod and play with and while there are plenty of 4-door d22's over here, I love the body style of the d21 chassis so that's what it had to be.

If I keep the diesel engine I'll probably intercool and put a more efficient turbo on it BUT I wish it was a manual... I'll tackle that if I find I am dissatisfied by the boring Auto (everything I own is manual). A buddy of mine insists the TD27 is better with an auto for keeping the RPM's down and having ratio's better suited to the earlier torque band.. I think I understand the TD will go 22-2500 all day but above that strays from the torque and wastes gas?
I went over to Gear Ratio Calculator and ran some numbers:
(assuming it has 4.6 gears already and I slap on some 235/85r16 tires)

4.6 AT 2500rpm I'd be going 75mph/120kph which is a very common speed over here (often pushed to 80-85)
4.6 MT 2500rpm limits me to 65mph/140kph BUT I have a set of 3.7 gears here...
3.7 MT 2400rpm would get me 75mph/120kph, 25-2700rpm if I run 80-85mph 129-137kph
3.7 AT 2000rpm to go 75mph, 2300rpm to go 85mph, 2500 RPM to go 90+...
I don't see myself going 90+ for long periods of time but I may touch it from time to time. Seems to me that 3.7 and MT targets my highway speeds good enough. The gears get closer together as you go up while the AT is a little bit more linear until you hit OD which is a bigger step.

Of course the challenge would be getting a TD27 Bell housing shipped to USA for my one of my spare FR5r30a transmissions or fabbing a Bell housing adapter. Can you tell I love manual transmissions?

View attachment 35480


If I don't keep the diesel there's a new 280hp supercharged v6 from a D22 complete with rebuilt 4x4 manual transmission sitting in my garage It was gonna go in one of my pathfinder (terrano) before I decided to buy a pickup to replace it. But I gotta drive it before I decide... Until then, I play the waiting and overthinking game.

What supercharger do you have for your v6 petrol, and is it the vg33e?

 

[MY1PATH]

The supercharger is and Eaton M62( =1020cc/62cu) which came stock on 00-04 vg33er supercharged D22 and WD22.
It's ok in OEM form but finds itself a little lacking when you try to get a whole lot more out of it.
A TVS R1320 ( +1320cc/80cu) would make a sweet upgrade to it if I can find one but lots of machine work would be needed. M90's ( =1510cc) are often talked about but may be a hair on the large size.