LD28(T) swap into a 1978 280Z.

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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rlaggren
Posts: 541
Joined: 17 years ago
Location: San Francisco

#31

Post by rlaggren »

OK. I think I understand most of that. <g>

Here's link to a post about turbo plumbing JIC you hadn't seen it. The J-pipe sounds good to me provided you can fab it OK; the other stuff has to be dealt with anyway and the J-pipe allows minimal futzing with the engine manifolds. Of course it doesn't _improve_ any on those manifolds but for my small purposes that doesn't look important. Of course if you can fab the J-pipe you can prolly fab headers etc, just more work.

http://nissandiesel.dyndns.org/viewtopi ... light=pipe

I think there's a follow-up thread somewhere with more pics.

Rufus
82 Maxima wagon
PanzerAce
Posts: 19
Joined: 14 years ago
Location: Merced, CA

#32

Post by PanzerAce »

Wow, completely misread that :o

The problem is there there are two different J-pipes. One of them on the old 280ZXT cars was from turbo to manifold, and the other is the one he posted on that thread.

But yah, considering that my turbo won't even fit a standard T4/T3/Twhatever flange, I'm going to be getting the entire manifold essentially custom. Luckily that'll also allow me to position it best for flow to the exhaust and to the FMIC.
'73 240Z, L30, E88 head, triple Mikuni 44s
In the works: '78 280Z LD28(T) swap
RT
Posts: 18
Joined: 16 years ago
Location: Perth, Western Australia

#33

Post by RT »

Yeah! That will also give you the option to make all the header pipes the same length (if you are that keen?) to get the best flow & performance! Wow Id like to hear what results that would achieve over the standard cast manifolds all the rest of us mostly use? Hope all goes well with making it!
Back to PanzerAce's question, I have seen mostly Nissan Laurels imported to NZ from JP (mostly in the 1990's) with build dates ranging from 1980 through to 1985 with LD28's in them. I can remember that I was told from a trusted source that the LD28 was made right through to 1987 & the way to tell the later model ones is the block has extra external ribs on it, (presumably for extra strength) mostly visible from the manifolds side, that use a criss cross pattern. I have one of these later mod engines & could take pictures of this & other differences, (& ones of the older motor if necessary) for you to compare?
The Australian Patrol never had the LD28 but did have the RD28T in the 1990's. Nothing ever came to AU from factory, with the LD28, only privately imported motors or cars. The RD28 Patrol had problems in the hot AU climate in summer, 45 Degrees Celsius & more up North! They got a well known bad reputation, with the aluminum heads literally having a meltdown (I herd?) but never saw it personally. I herd the heads cracked, warped & they blew head gaskets. I think they might have coped if they had a superior cooling system to cope, but I think that the aluminum head was its weakness?
I think its something like this: Alloy- Great heat conductor to keep combustion chamber temp low but low in strength, especially when hot or overheated. Cast Iron- great strength, even when hot, but subject to overheating (ie- cracking), as cannot transmit the heat away quickly & effectively to the cooling system.
I think that cast iron is the better choice though.
Back to the water to oil heat exchanger oil cooler, you commented earlier that you didn't know that you already had an exchanger. I found that of all the motors imported to NZ that only the ones that were mated to auto transmissions had oil coolers & manual transmission ones had no oil coolers, there might have been some exceptions, but I never saw them. At the importer, I purposely asked for the one that I first got back in about 1994, off a auto trans, for the oil cooler & the importer also got a clutch & flywheel off a manual trans one for it to fit to my manual trans.
You also mentioned in the same line about a external oil filter. For interest sake I got a filter that takes a toilet paper roll as the element (makes a cheap filter change) & I used the feed that I had set up for the Turbo originally from the oil feed to the alt vac pump, & fed the toilet roll filter in a bypass fashon from this & it drain teed down to the vac pump drain pipe to the sump. Apparently they pick up particles to under 10 micron. The oil feed tee I done by drilling into the back of the round block fitting that the flexible pipe (to alt) banjo bolts into the front of, tap out to a 1/8th BSPT tapered thread & fitted a tail fitting to fit the feed hose to. It's been doing a good service since.
LD28 Turbo
PanzerAce
Posts: 19
Joined: 14 years ago
Location: Merced, CA

#34

Post by PanzerAce »

Well, I'm probably not going to be dropping the coin (*this* time) for an equal length mani, but if I can get it done cheap enough, I'll be going for that. Realistically, it isn't needed all that much in a non-split housing turbo application.

Interesting about the build dates. That's out of the range for when the heads could be expected to crack...I'll have to keep an eye on that.

I would like those pictures if you could send me them (I'll host them up so that everyone can see as well).

I'm certainly going to be going overboard on cooling capacity, since this is going to be seeing lots of miles in 110+F weather.


And an update on progress:

Team 280TDZ has been hit pretty hard recently. Economic woes hit members #1 and #2 (Me and a buddy, respectively). Neither of us have been getting enough hours at work to get any parts, and I've been hit hard enough that I was barely paying the rent for a bit. Medical woes for members #1, #2, AND #3 (3 being the hookup on technical knowhow, hooking us up with the engine, etc). I was down for a week with H1N1, #2 was down for about a week and a half with an unknown ailment (likely *not* H1N1, but rather the normal flu + stress related issues), and #3....well, put it this way: He spent several months not knowing from one day to the next if he'd be able to get out of bed the next day or not because of back pains and assorted other medical conditions (including such fun conditions like Lupus and reactions to some of his medications).


However! While the economic issues haven't been fully resolved, almost all the medical issues have been, and hopefully they will all be fully resolved within a few weeks. So hopefully my next update in this thread (when I'm not just answering and asking questions) will have pictures of engine blocks, heads that have been pulled from engine blocks for some....ahem, "minor" work ;), and big honking turbos...
'73 240Z, L30, E88 head, triple Mikuni 44s
In the works: '78 280Z LD28(T) swap
PanzerAce
Posts: 19
Joined: 14 years ago
Location: Merced, CA

#35

Post by PanzerAce »

*sighs* Well, this wasn't the update I wanted to give, but it's the update that I CAN give.


The project is canceled. Two mint LD28s were acquired, a temporary turbo manifold was made, the HE351VE fitted to make sure the engine was mounted with room for the turbo....and then I was fired from one job, found another, had it get canceled on me a week before I would have started, found another job, and then to cap it all I found out my landlord was selling the house I'm staying in, which means I have to move. How does this affect the project? The biggest way is that it means I'll have no time for a few months while I crash at an apartment...except that late this year I'm moving *again* for work, which means that the Z wouldn't have a wrench turned on it for....well, at least a year and a half from this date.

Which is why the shell is currently for sale. I'd rather someone else get a chance to work on a Z than have it sit in storage until 2012 or later. The engines are going back into storage, hopefully so that this project can be re-started at a later date with another Z shell. Unfortunately, I had pulled the engine out of the car and put it into storage before I realized I never got you guys the pictures of the setup in the Z.

So....maybe in a year or two I'll be able to see how much power an LD can put out with plenty of boost and work, but not any sooner :(
'73 240Z, L30, E88 head, triple Mikuni 44s
In the works: '78 280Z LD28(T) swap
rlaggren
Posts: 541
Joined: 17 years ago
Location: San Francisco

#36

Post by rlaggren »

Good luck, Ace. Things a pretty difficult all around, lots of personal "downsizing" happening. Hope you get set up better next year.

Rufus
82 Maxima wagon
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