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Nissan Pathfinder truck engine swap


FordGuy
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Hi Guys I have a 1990 Nissan Pathfinder truck that threw a rod, so I’m thinking of putting a 3 liter V6 engine from a Nissan Pathfinder suv in it, the truck originally had a inline 4, Not sure if the V6 will fit or wiring,

any ideas? Let me know.

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The Hardbody pickups were available with the 3.0 V6, so yes, it should totally fit. You'll need the wiring harness, computer, and transmission from the donor car to make it work. You may want to upgrade the drivetrain as well, IIRC the four-banger trucks got smaller axles. The best way to do this would be to find rotten/crashed V6 Hardbody and just move everything you need over to your clean shell. Or, depending on your attachment to your current rig and what you can find locally, you could pick up a V6 Hardbody in reasonable shape (or needing parts that your blown-up '90 can donate) and save yourself some hassle.

 

If you're looking for a donor, I'd look for something 90-95. It'll be multiport injected rather than the throttle body setup used in the '80s trucks. Do the timing belt while the engine's out and it's easy to get to everything. You might also look into the VG33 swap that's popular on the V6 trucks as a replacement for the 3.0.

Also check out the Infamous Nissan forum if you haven't yet.

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7 hours ago, Slartibartfast said:

The Hardbody pickups were available with the 3.0 V6, so yes, it should totally fit. You'll need the wiring harness, computer, and transmission from the donor car to make it work. You may want to upgrade the drivetrain as well, IIRC the four-banger trucks got smaller axles. The best way to do this would be to find rotten/crashed V6 Hardbody and just move everything you need over to your clean shell. Or, depending on your attachment to your current rig and what you can find locally, you could pick up a V6 Hardbody in reasonable shape (or needing parts that your blown-up '90 can donate) and save yourself some hassle.

 

If you're looking for a donor, I'd look for something 90-95. It'll be multiport injected rather than the throttle body setup used in the '80s trucks. Do the timing belt while the engine's out and it's easy to get to everything. You might also look into the VG33 swap that's popular on the V6 trucks as a replacement for the 3.0.

Also check out the Infamous Nissan forum if you haven't yet.

Thanks for the info , the engine that I want is coming out of a Nissan Pathfinder suv that’s going my truck, can I use the drive train from the suv ? 

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Should all swap over with the exception of the rear axle. The axle housing has different suspension mounts. I'm not sure on the driveshaft but wouldn't be surprised if the length was wrong (easy enough to measure the Pathfinder shaft vs your own).

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Should all swap over with the exception of the rear axle. The axle housing has different suspension mounts. I'm not sure on the driveshaft but wouldn't be surprised if the length was wrong (easy enough to measure the Pathfinder shaft vs your own).

Thanks


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Like I said, the rear end is different, but the front lift should work. I think most people get Hardbody lift A-arms for the front end of the Pathfinder, so you'll probably have an easier time finding a Hardbody lift kit than a Pathfinder one unless your donor has the parts already on it.

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Like I said, the rear end is different, but the front lift should work. I think most people get Hardbody lift A-arms for the front end of the Pathfinder, so you'll probably have an easier time finding a Hardbody lift kit than a Pathfinder one unless your donor has the parts already on it.

 

How much lift can I do without screwing something up?

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3" is about the limit from what I've read. Past that, you're riding on the bumpstops and stressing the CV axles. You will need to modify the steering linkage when you lift it. Most guys seem to like the Grassroots link. I have one and it's plenty strong, but I don't like the steering feel. There's also a mod you can do using the centerlink from a 2WD Hardbody that's supposed to work pretty well.

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