Why

[Deerhurst]

I believe hardb0dy said he paid $18k for his D21 in 87. I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure it was north of $15k. That's a lot of money, even today.



I don't believe the TBI units are as bad as people say they are. They are old tech. They are old. They very well dohold up well with minimal maintenance. Mine has never so much as hiccuped and I'm running a VG33 with them.

[Foul_Mouth]

If all you do is catalog shop then yes, there is no aftermarket. Get creative, the trucks came with both VG and KA engines, found in the Z31 and S13...you can make shit work for you if you think outside the box. They came in front engine and RWD, that's more sports car than some modern cars claiming to be sporty.

Gears
Tires
Brakes
NO2
Supercharger
Turbo
Weight reduction
Think outside the box.

F1 racers used to drive these off season in the Coors Challenge to keep their skills sharp.

Stock is boring...really boring. And these trucks are a dime a dozen, cut them up and make them into what you want.

[EF2]

Originally Posted by Deerhurst

You guys are over looking the most important things.



These trucks were nicer and more expensive than their competition back in the day which means less were purchased. Likely due to this they never got the aftermarket support their top competitor did which is why Toyota has crazy support and Nissan does not.



An exhaust will be inexpensive depending on where you get materials and who does the work.



An aftermarket intake really isn't worth the effort. Almost every aftermarket intake, outside of stuff like snorkles, takes hot air from the engine bay which decreases performance.







You can do anything with any vehicle if you throw enough time and money at it!

Originally Posted by XoXSciFiGuy

My personal opinion on 'what to do with a D-21,' especially a King Cab, is maybe this list. It's the one I would want to do, anyway:

1) Do this or that to add another 15-20 horsepower.

2) Keep it mostly stock, but upgrade some stuff to modern, like seats, lighting, stereo, better shocks, etc.

3) Set it up so you can go camping almost anywhere with it. Maybe even raise it two inches, (an easy thing) whether it is 4WD or not.

You would not believe what these trucks cost when they were new. Now I don't know about the older ones, but your typical 95-97 was running around $13,000 or more, and back in the 90's you could buy some pretty nice cars for 13K. Nissan sold a fair number of them, but not like Toyotas, which were more popular. Even today, Toyota still outdoes Nissan on prices for the restored trucks. The exception is when a dealer does their 'thing' on a late-model hardbody and brings it up to 99% new with low mileage. Then they sell for close to what they were when they were new. And that's actually a bargain, because dollars are worth less today.

One weakness I see with Nissan trucks is the ones made prior to the 1990 model year, when they were using the TBI (throttle body injection) system. No one thought anyone would be driving those trucks thirty years later, and now no one much makes any parts for a TBI. Even if you get a complete TBI setup used, it's still 30+ years old, and so are all of the parts it has on it. And that is a bummer. I think if they're going to do better aftermarket support on those older rigs, that would be a good place to start...selling a complete and NEW throttle body injection system.

first of all not to knock these dudes, but do not listen to either one of them lmao. build your truck how ever the fuck you want. an exhaust is gonna be inexpensive? lol yeah if you go with dog shit stuff it will be. i don’t fake the funk with anything i do in life, all my shit quality and my vehicles speak for themselves. this is another reason these trucks are sick as fuck, cause no one does really cool shit to them besides a handful of people. this forum seems like it’s full of old men lol, typical maintenance bullshit. it’s not cheap to mod them, but it’s different and that’s what i like and i’m assuming the OP wants the same, i could be wrong though lol.

[XoXSciFiGuy]

Oh, I think it's okay to mod these trucks a bit. Bigger (15 instead of 14 inch) tires and wheels, switch to LED for all the lights except maybe the headlights, high end stereo, dump that bench seat for some cool buckets, upgraded exhaust, stuff like that.

But sometimes the other choices can run into a lot of money, and there's no guarantee you will ever get it back except for the satisfaction of doing it. Yes, that does count for something.

There was a guy on Craigslist the other day selling a late 70's four door Toyota Landcruiser. The big sedan type that came with that straight six engine. If one is in good shape, you can sell one for close to, or more than...20,000 bucks for one today. But the guy in the ad had pulled the motor and replaced it with a 350 V8, and he couldn't even get $9,500 for it. Sometimes a rig is more valuable if you leave well enough alone. Someone finally bought it for 8 grand, and I wondered if they would ditch that V8 first thing and put the six back in.

[Deerhurst]

EF2, spend more time reading and less time speaking as your post wreeks of ignorance. Go read my build logs. Hell, go read the last sentence of the post you quoted!



I'm one of the younger members here. I'm also one of the more "built" trucks. Go read my build logs. Too bad I haven't logged my daily driver car here. Just did a SMF + RS4 on it. Lost 13lbs from the flywheel.



Yes, exhaust can be cheap. I've done a lot of work with exhaust piping. If you do the bends and welds even a full stainless system can be inexpensive. If you buy from the first place you find you are an idiot.



Typical maintenance BS? What, do you just run shit into the ground then wonder why it's so difficult and expensive to fix? Basic maintenance will go a lot further than any mod you could ever do.



Many mods for these rigs is inexpensive. $200 for my headers. Hell yeah! Find me sub $1000 headers for my car. Hell, just find me headers for my car! $500 eBay turbo kit? $6500 supercharger for my car. Fancy headlights for the D21, $45. For my car, $300+. Shocks for a D21, $30 a pop. $1200 for the ones in my car. At least I can Joey mod the car for free.





I take care of my shit with basic maintenance first. Next comes mods as things need to be replaced. My junk lasts a long, long time. I don't trash it and out the extra mile into keeping it running like new. With any luck it'll see another 34 years.



I'm currently looking for a supercharger for the truck. Then I'll static and SBC swap one.

[XoXSciFiGuy]

You are going to supercharge that rig? Woo hoo. Your computer won't know what to do. ("Uh...I can't read power THAT high...")

That sounds pretty cool.

I am with you on the basic maintenance and the avoidance of abuse on thirty-year-old (or so) Japanese engineering. When they designed these trucks, they counted on owners doing THEIR part. They are not Detroit V-8 iron ripe for abuse, and if you blow something...easy and cheap to fix. They are meticulously engineered vehicles that were far ahead of anything American at the time in the same weight class and size.

Yeah...compare a classic Nissan truck to a Ford Courier and see what you get. Ha ha. One had some of the best engineering minds behind it. The other is a boxy piece of shit that rattles down the road.

You have to get on top of the maintenance and stay there. Don't skimp and don't let it get out of hand. I keep mine tuned with good parts and change the oil every 1,500-2,000 miles using the HyPerLube. You don't have to use the HyPerLube, no. But you are rewarded if you do these things. You get into that 30-year-old rig and it starts and runs great on the first turn of the key. This is the goal, and you should strive for that. If I suddenly had to drive to Miami from Seattle on some emergency, I wouldn't have the slightest doubt I would make it there easily without problems. That's more rare than people think on cars/trucks as old as a Hardbody.

You can build them for abuse, of course. Just be prepared to spend money once in a while if you go that route. Sometimes a LOT of money.

[nunya]

Item specifics
Condition: New Brand:
JY PERFORMANCE
Superseded Part Number: DAC291 Manufacturer Part Number:
DAC291
Color:
Metallic
Surface Finish: Semi-Polished
Materials: 304 Stainless Steel Fitment Type: Performance/Custom
Header Inlet / Outlet Size (IN): 1-1/2" OD / 2" OD Interchange Part Number: DAC291
Thickness: 3/8" Flange / 16-Gauge Piping Other Part Number: DAC291
Product Location: Texas, TX Placement on Vehicle: Front
Made of High Quality T-304 Stainless Steel with Computerized Mandrel-Bends for Strength and Durability
Tri-Y High Performance Full Length Racing Spec. Design, Produces the Most Top End Power
Offers the Best Flow Characteristics for the Engine at High Engine Speeds
Increase High Flow Air, Instantly Gain 10 -15 Hp. / Tq.
Inlet/ Outlet: 1-1/2" OD / 2" OD
16 Gauge Wall Piping
TIG Welded CNC Machine Flange
3/8" Thick Header Flanges
Y-Pipe Included
1 X Header Kit
Hardware as Shown in the Picture Above
For 90-95 Nissan D21 Pickup 2.4L S.S High Flow Tri-Y Exhaust Header Manifold Kit
New SEEMS to good to be true, $118 free shipping. stainless steel, You folks know of any drawbacks?

[nunya]

[Deerhurst]

Originally Posted by XoXSciFiGuy

You are going to supercharge that rig? Woo hoo. Your computer won't know what to do. ("Uh...I can't read power THAT high...")

That sounds pretty cool.

That's the plan! I need to find a OEM supercharged frontier/Xterra to pull the injectors, I take, blower and accessory brackets from. Then pray it all fits under my hood. Likely going to use a Z31 ECM as my ECM won't handle the boost. Or more than 2 injectors. I'll need to MPFI convert the truck from TBI. I plannto do low boost. 5PSI or so.



I'm shooting for 250-300ftlbs of torque. I should be around 200ftlbs as the truck sits so it's not much of a stretch. Going MPFI will net some power plus the boost.



I'd really love to do a VG34er build but I can't justify pulling the motor again to get it bored.

[XoXSciFiGuy]

New SEEMS to good to be true, $118 free shipping. stainless steel, You folks know of any drawbacks?

No. But check out the supplier and the company on Google before buying. Or search reviews.

If everything looks kosher, then maybe they're just trying to get business during a recession. Expect some things will get cheaper, especially as Thanksgiving approaches.