LD28 Swap into an 82 280zx Turbo *now W/ pics*

Discuss (and cuss) the Nissan LD-series OHC Six diesel engine, popularly available in the US in 1981-83 Datsun/Nissan Maxima Sedans & Wagons.

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NWA 280zx
Posts: 17
Joined: 12 years ago
Location: Van Buren, AR

#16

Post by NWA 280zx »

I've got the short block assembled, and most of the other parts ready to go together, just waiting on my headgasket to show up now.
Image
82 Datsun Maxima Diesel Auto
82 Datsun 280zx Turbo Auto
Soon to be made into one
HowlerMonkey
Posts: 130
Joined: 18 years ago
Location: West Palm Beach Florida

#17

Post by HowlerMonkey »

The obvious second half of this swap should be the L28et into the maxima and fitting of 300zx rims with 225/50-15s.
NWA 280zx
Posts: 17
Joined: 12 years ago
Location: Van Buren, AR

#18

Post by NWA 280zx »

HowlerMonkey wrote:The obvious second half of this swap should be the L28et into the maxima and fitting of 300zx rims with 225/50-15s.
The thought has crossed my mind, but I have to rob too much off of the l28et to put it into the maxima, (ie, Turbo system, oil pan, high volume oil pump)
82 Datsun Maxima Diesel Auto
82 Datsun 280zx Turbo Auto
Soon to be made into one
NWA 280zx
Posts: 17
Joined: 12 years ago
Location: Van Buren, AR

#19

Post by NWA 280zx »

I dropped the head off at the machine shop today and they told me that it's warped by 8 thousands in the middle. He also said that what you take off of the bottom you have to do the same for the top or the cam would bind, unless you shim the Cam seats to match the new plane on the bottom, has anyone else ran into this before rebuilding these LD28's?
82 Datsun Maxima Diesel Auto
82 Datsun 280zx Turbo Auto
Soon to be made into one
rlaggren
Posts: 541
Joined: 17 years ago
Location: San Francisco

#20

Post by rlaggren »

Valve clearance? Don't have the FSM here and don't recall how close they are. The machine shop guy may figure that out, anyway.

Compression? If you don't have the FSM I could dig out mine, see if I can find the info. The head gasket came in 3 thicknesses which prevailing wisdom says was to account for compression differences due to manufacturing tolerance. The gaskets only varied by a few thousands, so a little shave apparently goes a long way. The gasket spec is here on site somewhere.

Rufus
82 Maxima wagon
NWA 280zx
Posts: 17
Joined: 12 years ago
Location: Van Buren, AR

#21

Post by NWA 280zx »

Yeah the gasket that I got from Jesco was the middle thickness which I can't remember off the top of my head, but that's the only one Jesco would offer me. The gasket info sheet that came with it showed their part #'s for the other thicknesses, and if I could of chose I would have gone with the thickest to lower the compression just a bit since I'm going to be boosting but we'll have to see. I have a LD28 manual it seems to be an abrieviated version of the one on-line here, it shows the stock compression to be 22:1, and I don't even know what kind of compression ratio I'm going to be at once they remove what they have to, to clean the head up. I'm expecting a call today from the machine shop so we'll see how much they had to take, and they also ordered the cam stand shims for me.
82 Datsun Maxima Diesel Auto
82 Datsun 280zx Turbo Auto
Soon to be made into one
minimog
Posts: 61
Joined: 15 years ago
Location: Somerset, U.K.

#22

Post by minimog »

My gasket suppliers literature states that a 1 notch gasket = 1.12mm (standard), a 2 notch gasket = 1.20mm and a 3 notch gasket = 1.30mm.
NWA 280zx
Posts: 17
Joined: 12 years ago
Location: Van Buren, AR

#23

Post by NWA 280zx »

Yeah that's the same numbers I have, I couldn't remember off the top of my head, but I've got the 1.2mm gasket. If they just have to take .008 off of the head that comes out to roughly .2mm(but they'll probably have to take off more), so I'm going to be higher compression than I'd really like but I'm not sure there's anything I can do about it.
82 Datsun Maxima Diesel Auto
82 Datsun 280zx Turbo Auto
Soon to be made into one
rlaggren
Posts: 541
Joined: 17 years ago
Location: San Francisco

#24

Post by rlaggren »

Let's see. Can you "CC" the chambers on the head? Then take a grinder to somewhere innocuous (maybe ease the valves a little?) to add some cubic fractions... ? The shop guy might start to quiver and drool if you run this by him! <g> But I can't remember if there's any "chamber" on that head at all - there's some good pix somewhere here but not for me tonight. I guess if you epoxied the ends of an old ring together and sanded it flat you could use a little wax to seal it to the head, give yourself a fence around where the chamber would be - let you CC the thing. Might want to do that anyway to see what the shaving has done to the compression balance between the middle and end cylinders.

Rambling on...

Rufus
82 Maxima wagon
NWA 280zx
Posts: 17
Joined: 12 years ago
Location: Van Buren, AR

#25

Post by NWA 280zx »

rlaggren wrote:Let's see. Can you "CC" the chambers on the head? Then take a grinder to somewhere innocuous (maybe ease the valves a little?) to add some cubic fractions... ? The shop guy might start to quiver and drool if you run this by him! <g> But I can't remember if there's any "chamber" on that head at all - there's some good pix somewhere here but not for me tonight. I guess if you epoxied the ends of an old ring together and sanded it flat you could use a little wax to seal it to the head, give yourself a fence around where the chamber would be - let you CC the thing. Might want to do that anyway to see what the shaving has done to the compression balance between the middle and end cylinders.

Rambling on...

Rufus
You know I didn't even think about the outer cylinders have more material removed than the middle ones, but it makes since and I don't know why I didn't think about that. I don't know if my machine shop would even want to CC the heads or how much they would charge me to do it, I'm a little reluctant to start removing head material on a head that I would have a hard time finding another one, but that would be the Ideal thing to do I would think.
82 Datsun Maxima Diesel Auto
82 Datsun 280zx Turbo Auto
Soon to be made into one
rlaggren
Posts: 541
Joined: 17 years ago
Location: San Francisco

#26

Post by rlaggren »

> remove head material...

Well, IAC maybe difference isn't much to matter; on the flat (that head _is_ flat isn't it?) the only spots that might change would be around the valve seats and the little port to the ignition pocket. I guess you've thought about clearance at the piston; the valve seats might have to be set deeper where the head has been shaved in order to keep the valves up where they belong.

Best luck.

Rufus
82 Maxima wagon
NWA 280zx
Posts: 17
Joined: 12 years ago
Location: Van Buren, AR

#27

Post by NWA 280zx »

Yesterday was a big day, I got the head back and they told me they removed .012 wich is like .3mm, but that regriding the valve seats set the valves in to where it should make up for the difference in material taken. I also drove 6 hours round trip and picked up my 4N71b 83 gasser transmission, it only has 70k miles and I plan on taking the guts from either the diesel tranny or Turbo tranny and putting them into the new transmission to beef it up. I'll take pictures through the weekend and keep everything posted.
82 Datsun Maxima Diesel Auto
82 Datsun 280zx Turbo Auto
Soon to be made into one
NWA 280zx
Posts: 17
Joined: 12 years ago
Location: Van Buren, AR

#28

Post by NWA 280zx »

Nothing to report other than I have everything to put it together except the time. I have 3 engine swaps ahead of it, and I have to get my Jeep put back together before spring gets into full swing. When I had the time to work on it, i was waiting on parts or machine work, and once tax time hit everybody needs their car worked on. Probably won't see any progress for the next month except maybe getting the turbo engine out(to sell) and the engine bay cleaned up.
82 Datsun Maxima Diesel Auto
82 Datsun 280zx Turbo Auto
Soon to be made into one
omegatotal
Posts: 2
Joined: 11 years ago

#29

Post by omegatotal »

Any updates yet?
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