D21 Pickup vs WD21 in frame rust

[brc19761]

Ok I have a question. I was lucky enough to get a 1994 Pathfinder with no frame rust at all. I assume b/c it spent its entire life in the Southeast US. Before buying my Pathfinder I used the net to see what things to look out for on the WD21. All my search results came back frame rust and the transmission cooler. Before purchasing the Pathfinder last year all I have ever owned were D21 Nissan Hardbody Pickups. I know that the D21 Hardbodys were first made in Japan and then eventually were made in TN in the US. The Pathfinder (from what I have read) was always built in Japan and a few other countries I can't remember the name's of.

 

It seems to me that the Hardbody frames don't have as much of a rust issue as the Pathfinder. Since the D21 Hardbodys were eventually made in the US and the Pathfinder was always made in Japan. Is there anyway the steel they used in Japan to make the Pathfinder frame was somehow different than the steel made to the Hardbody frame?

 

I was just curious b/c of all the frame rust issues I hear with the WD21 Pathfinder.

 

Brian

[ahardb0dy]

Check the first letter of the Vin number, a "J" means it was made in Japan, a "1" means the US.

 

The letter in the Vin number just before the serial number (last group of numbers in the Vin) tells where the truck was made, on my 94 it is a "W" and that stands for the Kyushu plant.

 

The first D21 which was introduced as a 1986 1/2 were designed in California, I just checked some Vin numbers on D-21's and a few 720's on Autotrader and 4 of the 1986 models I looked at, 2 -720's and 2 D-21's had Vin numbers starting with a "J", so possibly the early 86 models were made both in Japan and the US as you said.

 

Maybe the frames having rust issues on the Japanese made trucks has to do with the ship ride to the US????

Edited September 3, 2013 by ahardb0dy

[cvdloc]

Hmm that is very interesting, both of my trucks d21 & wd21 were in excellent frame condition 9/10 but I know from being a welder that a lot of the metal is shipped over seas, that extra travel they might protect it better (fish oils etc) when the local plates might be shipped unprotected? I don't know I'm going on a long shot. for example when our square tube came shipped (over seas) it was very oily yet the base plates (5/8") got shipped across the street didn't come with oil on them. Also maybe the paint, different kinds wear differently? This is going to make me think...

Edited September 3, 2013 by cvdloc

[nunya]

Most of my d21s of the past had some form of frame rot either starting, been repaired, or the demise of it.

[brc19761]

Yes, I have alway known about the vin # since I was a kid b/c my Dad owned a body and paint shop. I would wrint down the vin #'s for him and he explained what the letters and numbers meant. My Dad owns a 86.5 D21 and It was made Japan. My first D21 was a 1990 and it was made in Syrama, TN. When they started making the D21 Harbodys here in the US was the steel made here in the US or was it shipped from Japan? The other thing I was trying to point out is since the Pathfinder was always made in Japan, that something may have been wrong with the steel they used. Since the Hardbody was made in the US since 1990 all the way up the current Frontier maybe the steel here in the US (if it is not shipped from Japan) was just better. I have a 1997 Nissan Hardbody 4x4. That was the last year the Hardbody was made.

 

I also thought about the salty seawater being a factor when the WD21 were shipped here in the US. The Nissan Titan is Made here in my state of MS. They are made about 200 miles north of me in Canton, MS. I believe I read somewhere that the Frontiers will start being made in Canton, MS. I thing the plant in TN is re tooling.

[ahardb0dy]

The 87 hardbody I had has a Vin that starts with "1" and the production date was 3/87.

 

No idea on the steel and where it came from for the trucks built in the US. We will probably never know the answer to that.

 

My truck had no rust on the frame, It spent almost it's whole life in NY with the salt they use on the roads, mud, salt water from the beach, etc. The only rust spot I had was on the floor under the pedals and that was my mistake, as a screw I used to attach some mud flaps turned into a rusty hole.

[Alkorahil]

The first D21 which was introduced as a 1986 1/2 were designed in California, I just checked some Vin numbers on D-21's and a few 720's on Autotrader and 4 of the 1986 models I looked at, 2 -720's and 2 D-21's had Vin numbers starting with a "J", so possibly the early 86 models were made both in Japan and the US as you said.

 

 

That is correct, the first few years they were made in Japan and in the US. IIRC after 1988 they were all US made. There are in fact some very very minor differences between the two vehicles. If fact after 95 the US truck got a new model designation to 'D21U' as it had to meet US safety/emissions standards (specifically air bags) and the US made trucks were the only ones made to meet them.

Edited September 7, 2013 by Alkorahil

[vagabond]

 

That is correct, the first few years they were made in Japan and in the US. IIRC after 1988 they were all US made. There are in fact some very very minor differences between the two vehicles. If fact after 95 the US truck got a new model designation to 'D21U' as it had to meet US safety/emissions standards (specifically air bags) and the US made trucks were the only ones made to meet them.

 

I was still wrenching at the time and we could tell the difference between a Japanese and a smyrna built vehicle, just subtle little things, but after a couple of years they got better

 

[Slartibartfast]

I remember seeing a HB on here with a frame so rusty it looked like it went down with the Titanic. IIRC it was rusted all the way to the front fenders. The guy cut it up and rebuilt it, amazingly enough.

 

Maybe it comes down to maintenance. The average pickup truck owner thinks to hose out the frame now and then, but the average SUV owner doesn't?

[ahardb0dy]

I guess depending on where you live, if they salt the roads and the amount of maint. you do, anything will rust

[Inyourface1650]

More than likely it has to the do with the body design and how salt/water is thrown up or redirected to certain parts of the truck. Floor pan is different from WD21 and D21, as is rear wheel arch design...I did see a D21 4 cyl 4x4 here that had an amazing amount of rust in the JY, scored my trans shifter off of it

[ahardb0dy]

the body sitting higher off the frame on the D21 may have something to do with the amount of salt/ water spray getting on the bottom of the floor pan also ???