Nissan Hardbody TDI Swap

J.Klassen

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Location
Enderby, B.C. Canada
TDI
TDI Nissan Hardbody project, 01 Jetta donor car
Hey guys and girls, sorry its been awhile. I've been a little busy working on some of my friends vehicles. Anyway time to carry on, I really need to get this back log of pics posted! We are going all the way back to the fall of 2018 for this one. I insured the truck for the coming winter and took it for a little test drive. Just as I was pulling back into the driveway the coolant temp spiked right to the top of the gauge. I turned the truck off and popped the hood to find this lovely surprise!

The upper rad hose had come off because the plastic end tank cracked right around where the hose clamp was. I going to say it was because of old age and not because the hose clamp was too tight.

The solution of course.... is not to buy a new rad, but to go looking in my stash for something suitable to fix it with. Wouldn't you know it I had a damaged cummins intercooler!


Time to remove the plastic endtanks and make them out of aluminum like they should have been.

The bottom was quite clean.

And the top only had a little rusty residue that came of easy with water and a toothbrush.


Chopped one of the cummins endtanks off and started to compared it to the plastic tank. Almost good for lentgth, but its going to need some pretty good surgery.
 

J.Klassen

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Location
Enderby, B.C. Canada
TDI
TDI Nissan Hardbody project, 01 Jetta donor car
Here's all the pieces to make the bottom tank.

Welded up and ready for test fit on the rad

Test fit looks good. Time to make it all one piece.


The top tank is much the same except that I added a point where I can add coolant/ bleed air.

Mocking up the top tank.


It passed the leak test so I put it all back together, ready to go back into the truck.

 

evguy1

Vendor
Joined
Feb 8, 2014
Location
Erington, BC, Canada
TDI
2000 Jeep Cherokee TDI, 2008 Jeep JKU TDI
Jason, I do enjoy seeing your fab work. I shipped another Nissan kit to a fellow near you last week, hopefully he will do a build thread as well.
 

J.Klassen

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Location
Enderby, B.C. Canada
TDI
TDI Nissan Hardbody project, 01 Jetta donor car
Jason, I do enjoy seeing your fab work. I shipped another Nissan kit to a fellow near you last week, hopefully he will do a build thread as well.
Thanks! I hope it gives people ideas for solving problems that they come across. That's great that you sold another nissan kit. Gotta catch up to those toyotas and jeeps haha. I'd like to meet this guy sometime. Maybe you could send me an email if he is interested.
 

J.Klassen

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Location
Enderby, B.C. Canada
TDI
TDI Nissan Hardbody project, 01 Jetta donor car
After that winter was over I decided that the little diesel was shaking the truck a bit too much. The solution was to replace the gas engine mounts with hydraulic ones. The ones from a BHW would be good but were kind of expensive to get from vw. As far as I could tell all the aftermarket ones for a BHW look the same as oem but are not fluid filled like the original and won't do the same job. So I got some mounts form the local Jeep/Dodge dealer that were for a Jeep Liberty CRD.

Passenger side gas mount setup


CRD mounts. Turns out the one with the heat shield is cheaper so I just ordered two of them

Old frame mount location is going to have to go!


New frame mount tacked to the frame rail

Test fit CRD mount and now its time build between the mount and the engine block


 

J.Klassen

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Location
Enderby, B.C. Canada
TDI
TDI Nissan Hardbody project, 01 Jetta donor car
Driver's side is more of the same

Only this time I had to make it so that the mount could be unbolted from above because with the front differential below it the would be no way to get at the bottom bolt.





Final test fit, then paint and install.

 

Datsun tdi

Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2021
Location
Kamloops
TDI
Jetta. Sport wagon. And a TDI project
Jason, I do enjoy seeing your fab work. I shipped another Nissan kit to a fellow near you last week, hopefully he will do a build thread as well.
Hey Jason. Was just scrolling through your thread again. Came across this one. And figured that was me lmao so I spent the last while trying to figure out how to work this thing lol. I'm still getting started in some ways but enjoying the build when I get time to work on it. I love all the work you've done to your truck.
 

[486]

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Location
MN
TDI
02 golf ALH
Hey Jason. Was just scrolling through your thread again. Came across this one. And figured that was me lmao so I spent the last while trying to figure out how to work this thing lol. I'm still getting started in some ways but enjoying the build when I get time to work on it. I love all the work you've done to your truck.
That a 520?
We're gonna need a build thread c:
I've got a 320 that's destined for a swap in the way distant future
 

Datsun tdi

Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2021
Location
Kamloops
TDI
Jetta. Sport wagon. And a TDI project
Ok while I had the engine hanging in the bay it became very obvious that the front of the oil pan where the oil pumps lives wanted to be in the same space as the steering link. Since moving the oil pump is not an option the steering link had to go in for some surgery.

I started by taking some measurements and then getting some pipe mocked up.



Joints to be welded were beveled and then first pass with the TIG was made without filler rod just to melt the pieces together.



After a couple more passes with filler rod we have a pretty solid piece.
Wha




Next step was to tack it to the steering link.



Then fully weld it and add some gussets from 1/4 inch plate in the corners.





And then the moment of truth. Cut the middle out and see how much the ends want to move inwards. Turns out it pulled the ends in by a total of 3/32 which is only 1.5/32 on each side. Easily corrected in the alignment.



Nice and shiny with a coat of black rust paint.



And in the truck. With the wheels straight this is as close as the link will get to the diff. When the wheel is turned in either direction the link moves towards to front of the truck and away from the oil pan.

Ok while I had the engine hanging in the bay it became very obvious that the front of the oil pan where the oil pumps lives wanted to be in the same space as the steering link. Since moving the oil pump is not an option the steering link had to go in for some surgery.

I started by taking some measurements and then getting some pipe mocked up.



Joints to be welded were beveled and then first pass with the TIG was made without filler rod just to melt the pieces together.



After a couple more passes with filler rod we have a pretty solid piece.





Next step was to tack it to the steering link.



Then fully weld it and add some gussets from 1/4 inch plate in the corners.





And then the moment of truth. Cut the middle out and see how much the ends want to move inwards. Turns out it pulled the ends in by a total of 3/32 which is only 1.5/32 on each side. Easily corrected in the alignment.



Nice and shiny with a coat of black rust paint.



And in the truck. With the wheels straight this is as close as the link will get to the diff. When the wheel is turned in either direction the link moves towards to front of the truck and away from the oil pan.

What size pipe did you use for the steering bar? I was looking for a solid bar now I am wondering if I got some pipe that's similar to what you used. Do you notice any difference in the steering with the modified bar?
 

MasterX88

New member
Joined
Feb 28, 2021
Location
Arlington WA
TDI
99 Beetle, 2012 Golf
Love this build and how it took shape. I have a recently wrecked beetle that i will be taking the ALH out of and putting it into a 79 620 King cab, using a TD Conversions adapter. Will be doing a build thread as I go.
 

DABETUS

New member
Joined
Oct 24, 2021
Location
Washougal,WA
TDI
2003
hey jason do you have a build thread on the wiring part? did you delete some of the wiring and did you use the Nissan gauges. if you used someone else's writeup i would love a link or direction
 
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