1994SEV6

WOW!!! I love it. I will say, I usually hate Toyotas. I do have respect for the older trucks though. To me, Toyotas are very..plain and monotonous. "oh, I'm going to buy this Toyota Camry because it's reliable and blah blah". it's all the same, but that's another thing. I love how it looks. I think it's because I'm a nostalgic person, but I much prefer older, boxy type vehicles. It's why I have a hardbody! The guy who does the fabrication must have a very large attention span. He must also know his fair share of cars down to every last bolt. It's a very unique idea. This makes me wonder how it would be if I put a HB body on a 2008 Frontier or something? A nice 4.0l engine with a 6 speed maybe? Hmm..I'm not sure. I like the simplicity of the older vehicles. Newer ones have plenty of electronics to complicate everything No to be nosy, but you mentioned the price a few times. I read this thread and your other one about re-visiting NPORA in the new persons forum. You keep saying how good of a deal it was. How much did you pay for the thing?

wow. that's the coolest thing I've heard in a while. I wasn't sure people still did that, or ever did it for that matter. I only ever saw it in movies (Benjamin Button and others). But very cool. I always wondered what people would do if they left the country for a long time, but still had vehicles and possessions. Sometimes starting over is the most fun part

DUHHH. stupid me. trying to make it complicated.

thanks for the wisdom about the manifolds. I'll be sure to check. They DO look rough. How should I check for flatness? just eyeball it? Or use a leveler and somehow balance the manifolds so the top is level? <--don't really know how to describe that. I don't trust my sense of flatness ..if that makes sense lol

" 1995 would be the first year to comply with the new, US, "DOT" enacted "high mount brake light" law requiring all trucks from all manufactures to mount a brake light in the center of the rear at the top of the cab. " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Hardbody_Truck I searched "third brake light" on wiki, and it says what you stated. I read the quote above in the Nissan Hardbody article on wiki. The Nissan hardbody article is probably the misinformed one since it is a subtopic detail you're right though. It seems Nissan started to do the 3rd brake light in 1994. I'm still just a little paranoid of things since the seller was pretty sketchy

Every day I've been slowly working on my truck. I started last Saturday and today's Sunday. I finally got to the exhaust manifolds. Oh yeah, I guess it's important to mention that this is all in relation to my transmission swap. As far as the exhaust goes, I've had a broken stud for about 6 months now, so I'm going to fix that since I have to remove my exhaust to pull the transmission. I get out of school at about 2:15, and I walk to my "grandmother's house" (she's kinda dead, and the house is kinda abandoned, but it has a spacious driveway )Since it gets dark at 5 or so, I only get about 4 hours to work on it if I use drop lights and stuff. Mostly I've been taking stuff out to get to other things to take out, but then I realize that everything I just did is stupid and unnecessary. <--That wastes A LOT of time. Boy, you don't even know how many bolts aren't gonna be found. So anyway, today or from 2-6pm was the exhaust. I finally got that stuff off. It's been kicking my ass for the whole week with the bolts and everything being rusted like I've never seen. The manifold flanges were the most trouble actually. I broke two the studs (one on each manifold) AND I bent a ratchet. The handle just bent. I was like WTF. Here's some pictures. I've been curious about those numbers since I first saw them months ago. I suppose I found the leak? That's it right? It seems so obvious, but I'm not expert. The bottom left is the bolt that was causing the leak? comparing the manifold to the gasket. Also, note the bolts. 5 bolts and 1 stud nut. Bolts indicate someone previously messing around in here, right? Also, those bolts are not in the correct places where they were, only approximate. So, if someone replaced the studs with bolts, but then the bottom left bolt still leaked, they didn't tighten it enough..? The bottom left is obvious, because it's so dark with soot, but how about the right one between the two bolt holes? That one seems questionable. A very small leak due to a sub-quality gasket? A close up on the bolts. Two of them have the spacer. Two of them have some washers as spacers. One is just the bolt, and the other is the stud nut. Kinda ghetto, eh? None of the bolts are broken. They all taper off as they should Driver's side manifold fasteners (left), passenger side (right). The left 3 are driver's side nuts and spacers. The 4th is a stud from the driver's side. There is a 5th, it was a stud nut, but I lost it. It was only on finger tight. The right 6 are from the passenger's side. So...that's 11, right? Anyone want to venture a guess where the 12th was? The was no 12th. Just a naked stud on the driver's side. What's going on here? The passenger's side looks like it was done with new hardware, but that's where it leaked. With the except of the two studs left, nothing is broken. Why did it leak? The driver's side had 5 studs and a bolt, but none of the studs looked to be broken. Maybe they are broken deeper in the head? I think that's all I have as far as exhaust. Now, I'm starting to question the year of my vehicle more and more. Now, the VIN and title say it's a 1994 Nissan King Cab. It has the 3.0, meaning it could only be as late as 1995. It also has the rounded dash, meaning it could only be 1994 or 1995. BUT, it has the 3rd brake light. I read that the 3rd brake light because mandatory in 1996, but Nissan started doing it in 1995. Among a few other things I can't remember, my seat belts say they were manufactured in 1995. I think there have been a few other stickers here and there indicating 1995. My door jamb sticker says 06/1994

AHHHHHH!!! Me too!!! My truck has been smelling like gas forever. Whenever I fill it up, it reeks! I thought it was because I was dripping some on my fender flares or something. It's probably an o-ring or gasket. But I guess you're asking which one.

of course it's possible. All you have to do is make the cable longer. It's just a mechanism that physically pulls a cable that puts pressure on the brakes. I have a HB with the parking brake that you are trying to get. It's cool, I like it. My friend said it's like the parking brake in an airplane LOL. It's better than the pump-action one on GM cars. It's cool, but it's nothing special really. For me, having the e-brake in the middle would be cool, but I guess it gets in the way sometimes. I have (had lol) the floor shifter auto, but I know there are also column shifters. If my parking brake was the one under the dash, maybe some HBs have the one in the middle? On my center console there is a cover-up plate for putting the brake in the middle. It can definitely be done. You just have to add some cable and figure out the exact length considering stretch and other factors.

ahh thanks. Yeah, those clips you were talking about are long gone. That always bugged me. It sat a teeny tiny bit to the left, so there was a small gap between the grille and the right blinker, that's why I took it out. I probably should have just left it LOL. Anyway, thanks. I'll be sure to do that tomorrow

I took off my grille the other day for..I don't even know why. It was a little odd getting it out. I had to pull the top out, then like pull up on the bottom or something? Well, I can't get it back in. My grille is perfect (I think). Good chrome paint (not that I like chrome) and not cracked or chipped at all. I tried putting it back in, but I can't seem to get it. I don't want to break it trying to get it in since they are hard to come by in good condition. Are there any tricks? Like put the top in, then click the bottom in? Do the left side and then the right side? something like that? Also..I've had both my front wheels off while doing my transmission these past few days. I've been looking and a lot of my bushings are absolutely demolished. As best as it goes, they are cracking. Most of them are absolutely smashed and are bursting out. I even have metal on metal in some places. I'll get some pictures in here later. I just wanted to know where I should get bushings from (rockauto or is there a better place?), what kind? Polyurethane or something else? How hard/how long would this kind of thing take?

so much useful information in one post! That fact about the transmission generating 75% of its wear in the first 5k miles..that's insane. I had no idea. And I'm sure 99% of the population doesn't either. EEK! Going 100k miles (like most people do) with the stock fluid is bad for yet ANOTHER reason. Oh @!*%. I should start taking care of my power steering pump. Those are no fun to replace. On a Chitty S10 at least.

JEEZ! I'll take your word for it, but where does it come from?! Little pieces of transmission that build up? It's not like an engine where it has gunk..is it? Why would a transmission be that dirty? That's amazing and disgusting at the same time.

Wow thanks everyone. You all had pretty good advice and it seemed to be very consistent. Just another two things to add to my to-do list. Oh yeah. It is both doors. It's not the door open switch.

Those tires...those tires...THOSE TIRES are going to eat me alive. WOW!!

First of all, my truck is a 1994, so keep that in mind. That's 17 for rust and corrosion to take its toll. Last time there was a huge storm here, I realized that my wipers wouldn't turn off. I turned them on, and they worked fine in all 3 settings. When I went to turn them off, they just stayed in the low speed setting. I figured that if I push the lever halfway between "off" and "low" they would turn off. I don't remember how I eventually got them to turn off permanently. I think I slammed the lever into off and it worked eventually. My overhead dome is doing the same thing. It will work when I put it on "on" and it will turn off when in the "off" position, but it won't work in the "Door" position. I like to have the light on when I open the doors. My mom and little brother are always messing with @!*%, so the switch would often be in the off position. When I would put it back into the "Door" position, sometimes it would work, and sometimes I would have to toggle it a few times. Now it doesn't work at all. Who thinks this is corrosion on the terminals of the relay? What else could it be? Where are the relays for these things? Are they near the devices themselves, or are they somewhere else?

What is this inhibitor switch? I just pulled the shifter out of my truck for the trans swap. If you want any parts, just send me a message. I was also thinking it was the linkage. I wasn't thinking "Bent" more like not properly aligned for whatever reason. When I was taking out the shifter, I had to trick the truck. I was supposed to put it in neutral before I pulled the trans (to keep the Park-neutral relay in neutral so I could drive the truck with a manual), but I quickly realized that I couldn't remove the key without putting it in park. I obviously couldn't do both. I figured out that there is a mechanical wire that activated a lock in the ignition when the vehicle isn't in park. You can manually manipulate that with your figures. Maybe it's loose. I don't know why I'm telling you this, because you're pretty smart and you know more than me, but maybe the lube made some stuff slip out of place. Also, follow the linkage all the way through. Follow the metal linkage, and follow the cable to make sure it's pulling the lever on the transmission properly. Get under the truck and look while having someone else shift it. All that's holding the linkage to the trans is a cotter pin. It's pretty sturdy, but still, things can happen. Mine was half way out when I took it off.

hmm. I've never heard of that fuse. Or maybe I have and I just don't remember. What does the fuel cut fuse do? I would think it would cut the fuel in case or a surge..? But obviously not since your truck keeps running.

I would have thought so too. On 3 separate occasions (on various forums and sites) it was confirmed that the driveshafts are the same. Also, in the threads were people have done this swap, and provide a list of parts, the driveshaft is never mentioned. I'm just typing this out to convince myself since that's not something I can be worried with at this moment. I need to get my old trans out, put the new one in, THEN get smacked in the face with that tiny detail. Also, Robertjame, I really appreciate the help. I feel bad that you're giving me all this advice when it doesn't apply. I'm so happy that Nissan trucks are some of the simplest things. EVERYTHING switches over. This is just out of efficiency. A Japanese auto maker, who is forced to be as efficient as possible to even stand a chance in the cruel auto market, can't be bothered with making a different crank or engine block. Now, with german cars, Audis more specifically, I completely understand where you're coming from. German import = complicated. I definitely picked up a few nuggets of knowledge that will come in handy this week with my swap. Thanks

WOW! That's so cool. I love hearing stories about things lasting forever. How did Nissan do it? Did they make the parts themselves? If not, how did they knew who all the best players in the game were? Certain manufactures build a reputation over time, not everyone rises to the top like they should.

Ah haha. I see what you did there. Based on me not wanting hood insulation you're openly declaring that I'm against every safety device. Thats very clever of you. No, I wouldn't be interested in DRLs. I would rather save my bulbs and what very little power they use. "Ohhhh NOOO! There is a humongous Pathfinder barreling down the highway. Gee, let me look more closely. Ahhh, it's nearing me. I will be mowed down shortly.oh look, I can faintly see the slight glare of headlights. That means this is not a dream!!" See, with that power I saved from the lights, I can now afford to honk three times at the person on my way WHILE listening to some classic 80s jams. Dieselboy, I don't want to shoot down that study, because I know nothing about it, but you have to think about those numbers. If 3 people in the US or Israel died because a vehicle didn't have DRLs, but only one person in Scandinavia died because of this, then I could say that the death rate is three times higher in the US. It is completely true, but not very fair to say. The connotation that goes along with "times three" is bigger than the results.

Don't say it like that. I didn't mean take out seat belts and ABS and brake lights. I just mean to take out stuff that is in your way. If it's useless, or if it had a use that it doesn't perform well anymore, then take it out. I don't see a problem with that. My carbon canister for example. It was for emissions originally, but how could it really have a purpose anymore? After 130k miles, I don't think it still has any use left. I took it out, along with a lot of other stuff, to get to the bolts on my steering column better. I'm probably not going to put the carbon canister back in. The hoses are all cracked, it has some pieces broken off, it feels a little light. I'm not some redneck or someone who says "F*** the environment", but some junk in the engine bay of my 20 year old pickup truck isn't the way to do it. Europe, for example, has realistic goals that they meet realistically. They still use leaded gas, which just completely rapes the environment compared to unleaded. They focus more on factories and mass producers of pollution. I don't know why I'm talking about European emissions policies in a thread about hood insulation, but consider this. You wouldn't want to wear a wool sweater in 100 degree heat, would you? I know I wouldn't. What you said about the S10 is weird. My best friend has a 1997 S10 that he lowered about 4 inches all around. err..maybe its 4 in the front and 3 in the back. It sits pretttttty low. He ripped that insulation off in a hurry. On top of that, he modded his thermostat to make the engine run hotter than stock for more power. I'll be sure to look at the underside of his hood the next time we have to replace his p/s pump or something like that.

Can they really force your vehicle to have something it didn't have to begin with? I know they can't do that over here in the US. Seat belts, for example, are only required on vehicles made after..1964 i think. There are a few other things I think. Are you sure you can't find a loophole? Especially for imports. I know over here, if it's an import, nothing matters. I can import the cheapest car in the world (some POS from India that sells for like $2800 USD). It has ZERO safety, emissions, or luxury features. But I could still drive it legally. As far as your actual issue. Can't you just always have the headlights on, but put some sort of resister on a circuit to dim them a little bit? Then run a separate circuit for the full power? That's probably what the system is that you're referring to. A relay that switches between full power and half power with a resistor. The only semi-complicated part is hooking up a photosensor or something. What are daytime running lights good for anyway? I just don't understand what they do except waste energy and light bulbs. Use them for tunnels or something?

By amp light, you mean battery light? By trans light..what do you mean? Ignoring what the lights actually mean, I might say your battery is going bad. If you have an automatic transmission (and I'm assuming you would if it has light), it needs power too. Automatic transmission consume power from what the alternator makes. If your alternator is bad, or not producing like it should, then the difference of what you use and what is made is sapped from the battery instead. Maybe in the moments when the alternator is not performing properly, the transmission is not getting enough power. Causing the trans light and battery lights to come on?

It's useless. Most vehicles don't even come with that insulation stuff. Older vehicles at least. As far as "has it created problems?" I bought my HB about 6 months ago. It has never had the insulation. I didn't even know it should have insulation. Ain't nothin' wrong. All this BS about the paint boiling? GTFO The paint on the underside of the hood is glossy fresh and the paint on the top of the hood is..well..not glossy, but I don't know any Nissan from the 90s with good stock paint. I would actually advise against keeping it in. I would rather let the heat escape than letting it smother and build up in the engine compartment. THAT'S how you melt and burn @!*%. the only consequence to taking it out is having a slightly warm hood after an hour's drive. P.S. the comment about "Nissan put it there for a reason" you obviously don't realize how much stuff auto makers are forced to do by the government. Haven't you ever wondered why a car from the 60s has a much smaller engine, but can still haul ass? Hell, even cars from the 80s. The government forces useless, expensive, completed safety equipment, emissions control equipment, etc, etc. This is the reason why a lot of great cars from the 80s don't exist. Take the CRX for example. light as could be. Small engine. handles like nobody's business. Why can't they make those nowadays? Because the car would be twice as heavy due to airbags, frame reinforcements, crumple zones, quadruple layered gas tanks, side air bags..reinforced doors, etc etc, As a good friend of mine says "When I take something apart, the very first thing I do is throw out all the useless safety mechanisms"

So I'm finally doing my auto to manual swap in my HB. Surprisingly, it has gone pretty well so far. The progress is slow, but there haven't been any real snags yet. BUT, this just refers to working on the exterior which is what I've been doing. My dad brought 4 jacks to hold the transmission for lowering. He is such a damn packrat. These jacks have to be from the 60s or something. Not a single one of them worked. They would just sink down eventually. So I said heck with it and started working on the interior. I started to put the clutch pedal in, but I just couldn't slide it in. I tried it at an angle to get the bottom of the two bolts in, but it kept hitting something. I wasn't forcing it, but I just wasn't paying attention to what it was hitting. I eventually got annoyed enough to see what the problem was LOL. It was hitting the A/C duct that goes to the driver's side. The duct that goes right over the steering wheel. In other articles/threads mentioning the swap, they always said I had to take the steering wheel out to get the duct out. I ignored this because I didn't have to take the duct out when I got the pedal out of the donor. I have a pretty good idea how to get the steering column out. It's held up by a few screws vertically near the wheel, and it has 4 bolts in the engine bay. Does it just pull out once I get all those bolts off? What I'm fuzzy on is how to get the duct out. Even if I get the steering wheel out, I'm still clueless for the next step. When feeling around, I think I felt that the duct was screwed in the back. Am I correct with this, or is it just held in by friction?