Restoring an old car...

Status
Not open for further replies.
RDY4WAR

RDY4WAR

Joined
Aug 25, 2018
Messages
4,044
Location
South Carolina
It's a 1991 Nissan D21 pickup that my grandfather bought new in December 1990 and put 482k miles on it before passing away in 2016. I yanked it out of the barn earlier this year as a project during the pandemic, but other things got in the way. Knowing the shape this thing is in from sitting, what parts would you consider to be a must for replacement? Would you assume the bushings are no good, put new tie rod ends on, or anything of that sort? Obviously I'm changing all of the fluids as well as replacing the rusted wheels and dry rotted tires. The brake rotors are nice and rusty which I guess it wouldn't hurt to replace those anyway. What about rubber motor mounts? The rubber fuel lines? Radiator hoses? Anything rubber just go ahead and replace it?

...or should I just get it to start, drive it a bit, and replace the parts as they fall off? lol
 
Last edited:
I’d replace everything rubber. Check the fuel lines to see if it has rubber connections out of the fuel pump to the fuel filter, fuel rail etc. and replace before they leak. Also the rubber brake hoses for the front wheels and rear axle. Cheap and easy to replace.

I’d send the injectors to Trav to get them re-done.
 
I already replaced the injectors and fuel filter. I'm ripping the bed off to do the fuel pump next week or two. I have also replaced the coil, cap, rotor, plugs, amd wires. It'll startup and run on ether so I just need to get pump in and see how bad the fuel lines leak. They're tough and brittle.
 
Give it good going over. Look for any critters that may have called it home.

Those old Hardbody pickups will run forever if taken care of. Sounds like this one served your grandfather well.
 
Also, if this has really sat for four years I would take advice from the mechanics here on what should be done before cranking that motor.
 
I've restored a few old cars, and I'd advise you to start with the safety stuff (brakes, tires, suspension, seat belts, glass, lights, wipers, horn, etc.) then tackle the mechanical items (engine, transmission, differential), and finally work on cosmetics (interior, paint, trim, chrome, etc.). It's important to organize this project as a series of prioritized tasks. In the end, you will spend more time and money than you'd think. And remember: "Rome wasn't built in a day."
 
RDY4WAR said:
It's a 1991 Nissan D21 pickup that my grandfather bought new in December 1990 and put 482k miles on it before passing away in 2016. I yanked it out of the barn earlier this year as a project during the pandemic, but other things got in the way. Knowing the shape this thing is in from sitting, what parts would you consider to be a must for replacement? Would you assume the bushings are no good, put new tie rod ends on, or anything of that sort? Obviously I'm changing all of the fluids as well as replacing the rusted wheels and dry rotted tires. The brake rotors are nice and rusty which I guess it wouldn't hurt to replace those anyway. What about rubber motor mounts? The rubber fuel lines? Radiator hoses? Anything rubber just go ahead and replace it?

...or should I just get it to start, drive it a bit, and replace the parts as they fall off? lol
Click to expand...
I second the reply above. Get it safe and don't assume it needs a full engine rebuild or every single gasket replaced at once. I have a 37 year old Caprice that I've driven over 10 years and 70k miles and engine is original except one set of valve cover gaskets and valve seals. Engines can last a long time these days.
 
I'd make sure the brakes are good and functional. I'd change the brake fluid and motor oil first. Then I'd go from there. Bunch of short trips to see how the suspension is working. Next I'd do the transmission and coolant.
 
You'll probably need new wipers, belts and radiator/heater hoses. I'd take a good look at the tie rods inner/outer and ball joints. With that many miles it's no telling how many miles it's been since they've been replaced. At that mileage and age you'll likely find a few fluid leaks. If they've never been replaced I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the crank/cam seals need to be changed. There will likely also be some oil burning so you'll probably end up needing rings and bearings at some point in the not too distant future. Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to check a few Nissan forums to see if there are any known problem areas with these trucks and address those too. I drove an '88 Ford Escort to 518K miles on the original motor but, it was using/leaking quite a bit of oil when I quit driving it. It was driven daily right up until I quit using it so it pretty much got a few new parts here and there instead of sitting a long period of time then trying to get it road worthy and do a restoration on it.
 
Check safety stuff first, then evaluate what it needs to run decently, and do that stuff. As you start driving it you'll figure out soon enough what it needs and can figure out the order you want to approach things.

I bought my Explorer inop from a tow yard, it had been sitting six months and was badly neglected for around 8 years prior to that (but until at least 2010 was well cared for). Brakes and suspension parts were clearly shot so it got those, along with a radiator, hoses, and belt, tensioner, and idler because those things were also very clearly bad. Also replaced four bald tires. After doing those initial things, I just started driving it and fixing issues as I found them. I've put around 13K miles on it now, and it's running and driving great. If I had the AC working I'd drive it more, but it's going to need an evaporator core. I still haven't touched plugs or wires because it runs great and they have been done at some point in the past. I haven't done the fuel filter either because it had a newer one already. I did do a pan drop on the trans and checked all drive line fluids.

Basically make sure you're not going to have the brakes go out or something, get it running to where you feel it can drive around town, then evaluate from there. It may not need plugs and wires right now, but it may need an axle seal or a ball joint. Unless you want to just go into all out restoring it, focus on what you know it needs.
 
RDY4WAR said:
... What about rubber motor mounts? The rubber fuel lines? Radiator hoses? Anything rubber just go ahead and replace it? ...
Click to expand...
How about just evaluate each item on a case-by-case basis? When I retired my Mazda, it was a few years older, and had more mileage. By then, I'd replaced some rubber parts, but other original rubber bits still seemed fine, including engine mounts, some of the fuel hoses, lower radiator hose, heater hoses ...

Good luck!
 
Brake lines, hoses, fuel lines, fuel filter and probably the wheel cylinders if it has drums in the back those have rubber and are very important for the back brakes
 
I'd probably start small and work up from there. Drain the fuel tank and get some fresh fuel in there, see if it wants to run. It hasn't been sitting that long, so I'm thinking everything else is likely ok. See if it moves, then gauge the situation--unless if the rust on the rotors is locking them up, I think you can at least do yard drives.

Also, do you have a budget and goal in mind? Like, it must be made showroom quality with an unlimited budget. Or just back into a safe everyday runner for less than y bucks. Once you have a budget you can check out prices on various potential jobs and decide how to proceed.
 
It's getting oil to the t
supton said:
I'd probably start small and work up from there. Drain the fuel tank and get some fresh fuel in there, see if it wants to run. It hasn't been sitting that long, so I'm thinking everything else is likely ok. See if it moves, then gauge the situation--unless if the rust on the rotors is locking them up, I think you can at least do yard drives.

Also, do you have a budget and goal in mind? Like, it must be made showroom quality with an unlimited budget. Or just back into a safe everyday runner for less than y bucks. Once you have a budget you can check out prices on various potential jobs and decide how to proceed.
Click to expand...


I've given it a once over for major things and know the fuel pump doesn't work. New relay didn't make a difference so it's most likely the pump. I put 5 gallons of E-free 93 in it back in March so fuel wise, it should be okay once I get a new pump in it. I figure I can get fuel pressure to the system, might go ahead and replace the fuel pressure regulator on the rail just because, kick it on, and see how many leaks I have in the lines. I'm not confident that it'll be leak free.

It doesn't need to be showroom quality. I have my Tahoe for my daily vehicle. This is just a backup / beater and to carry on my grandfather's legacy because he loved that truck. I remember some years ago, when I was a teenager, someone asked my grandfather when he was going to get rid of that truck. I think it had roughly 300k on it at the time. My grandfather said "when I reach 500k miles." lol That stuck with me. He put 482k miles on it before he passed away so I feel a little bit of obligation to carry it on past that 500k mile mark. It doesn't have to be pretty, and the vehicle isn't pretty. It's got a lot of dings and scratches because he would drive this thing through mud, through fields, in the woods, and lived out on a dirt road so it saw a lot of abuse. Other than giving it a bath occasionally, I'm not concerned with cosmetics. I just want it to run decently and safely. The truck has a lot of sentimental value, I learned to drive a stick shift in this truck, I have a picture of the first deer I killed loaded on the back on this truck, so many childhood memories riding in the back of it down to the river to fish and swim, and... it's just sentimental. I want to make new memories with my own kids now in this truck.

As far as budget goes, that's pretty much wide open. My wife has been watching Roadkill and Roadkill Garage on Motortrend lately and is loving it. She's gotten into the car life since we've been together and wants to learn. My 9 year old is onboard as well. I've been given the thumbs up to dedicate whatever funds I need to make this happen so long as they are a part of it. I wouldn't have it any other way.
 
Sounds like you have a plan. Good luck.

FWIW I used to watch Roadkill but lately have been enjoying Vice Grip Garage and Junkyard Digs over on youtube (should mention Dylan McCool and Thunderhead289 also). Getting old vehicles going is what they like to do.

Is this a timing belt or timing chain? Might need checking either way, chains don't last forever.
 
supton said:
Sounds like you have a plan. Good luck.

FWIW I used to watch Roadkill but lately have been enjoying Vice Grip Garage and Junkyard Digs over on youtube (should mention Dylan McCool and Thunderhead289 also). Getting old vehicles going is what they like to do.

Is this a timing belt or timing chain? Might need checking either way, chains don't last forever.
Click to expand...

It's a timing chain. It's a notorious issue with this KA24E engine as well. Most of them get replaced by 250k miles but this one still has the original chain.

Messing around with it this morning, I suspect the fan clutch is no good as well. I'd considered converting to an electric fan anyway.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

N
Shakes finally fully resolved on the 2013 G37 Sedan
Replies
6
Views
4K
researcher
CarbonSteel
2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport (Father/Son Project)
3 4 5
Replies
84
Views
8K
LouC
Klutch9
Explorer 2.3 turbo… no turbo noise for you!
Replies
18
Views
4K
ctechbob
eljefino
They can go ahead and strike-- I got my truck.
2 3
Replies
55
Views
6K
Exhaustgases
SC Maintenance
2011 Frontier; P0430
Replies
5
Views
704
benjy
Back
Top