camdonatelli Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Hey guys i have been toying with the idea of putting the volkswagen 1.6L turbo diesel into my hardbody, and was just looking for some feedback on what you guys think and if anyone has info on this or has done it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihaijust Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I haven't heard about it so far, and I see a reason why: a small 4 cyl IDI diesel engine producing ~70 bhp for a 2 ton non-aerodynamic truck will be a traffic killer. what other options do you have? maybe a 2.5L V6 TDI engine from VW/Audi looks better on paper, if you're into the economy and torque. Or you could just go classic and put in the bolt on 2.7 Nissan turbo-diesel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camdonatelli Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 with the right gearing it would be no problem to drive around town and on the highway, i was thinking of the 1.6 mostly because of its simplicity and availability whereas the nissan diesels are damn near extinct and impossible to find here in canada let alone get parts for. also the 1.6 would be completely rebuilt with larger turbo and other goodies to where i figure i could get it close to the same power ( probably a little lower ) as the 3L that is in the truck now but with much more torque Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihaijust Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 I saw some swaps on youtube with the vw 1.6 TD engine in toyotas but no nissans, though I've looked extensively. my truck is powered by the 2.7TD it was born with, I'm happy with it for now and for us here in Eastern Europe it's a very common engine, easily found in WD21, R20, R50. I tought the newer Pathfinder/Terrano models came in your markets with diesels too -thus making the swap a bolt on. coming back to your question: I'd look for an old Audi, with the VW 1.6TD and a manual gearbox, that you can mount on your chassis and connect to some transfer case (from Suzuki or Mitsubishi maybe?), this way you get the gearbox final drive set for on-road driving and the transfer case reductions for off-road. what's the ratio you have in your diffs now? My standard 2.7 came with 4.625, with the solid H233b in the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camdonatelli Posted February 5, 2016 Author Share Posted February 5, 2016 there were very few nissans sold with the diesel engine in north america, only a few early 80's nissans and a few datsuns but they are virtually impossible to find. i have also seen the videos and a few build threads online of the toyotas and suzukis with the 1.6 which was why i thought why not do it in a nissan (nissans are better anyways lol) but i believe the gearing in my rear end is 4.375 and then i would like to go with no bigger than a 35'' tire probably 33's at first but i am not that experienced with what gear ratios work with motor and tire combinations so i figure i would have to re gear but not 100% sure. i could run a toyota trans because there is a company who makes an adapter kit for the 1.6 or i could go all out and fab something up myself but that means more time on jack stands and i would miss my truck lol. but yea thats kinda where i am at and was just looking for some insight and other ideas from people so i can kinda get a picture of what would work and what won't so thank you for your input any ideas or suggestions are welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPB.88 Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 You'd probably be better off to just swap a 4BT Cummins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camdonatelli Posted February 10, 2016 Author Share Posted February 10, 2016 the 4bt is just too damn heavy, even though parts are available for the 4bt the vw is much more common so i could just walk into a parts store and get what i need without having to wait for them to order the parts in because the 4bt was more of a industrial engine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sequim85 Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 what about a mercedes om617? from a 300di have one and they are nearly indestructible motors that are stupid simple to work on, fairly cheap to get, and common enough (at least in the us) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camdonatelli Posted February 23, 2016 Author Share Posted February 23, 2016 oh i didn't think of that, your referring to the n/a straight 6 right? are you running it in your nissan? if i am thinking of the right engine wouldn't it be too long, i haven't done measurements but an extra 3 cylinders inline might be kinda tight no? sorry for all the questions but it could be an option and i want to look at everything before i set my mind on an engine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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