D21 Build Log

[Dave]

Where's the earth on the D21 that your talking about ?

 

[Dion]

Alright, so, on the diesel D21 there is no super multiple junction; I added one by cutting the main harness at the driver's A-pillar, and splicing in a D22 SMJ connector, and used the QD32 engine room harness. The D21 cab earths are on the passenger's kick panel, and the driver's kick panel. No earth wiring runs through the SMJ; that would be a waste. My assumption was that the cab earth was duplicated by an earth in the engine bay, so I cut that earth wire on the cab side of the SMJ and terminated it in a tab beneath the driver's kick panel. I didn't realise that the earth wiring in the engine bay was common to the cab earthing, so what I had done was remove the main engine bay earth for the wiring harness. Because the starter, alternator, glow plugs etc use their own earth I didn't notice anything was wrong with the engine room harness. So the first earth I reinforced was the one I had created under the driver's kick panel. The earth that the lights had been using since I made the hybrid harness was the sensor wire earth on the passenger side wheel arch, which is about .01mm diameter, making the lights very dim and pathetic. To fix the problem I just broke into the harness where it vanishes into the quarter panel and found the fat black earth wire, and spliced in an OEM wire and tab and bolted the tab under the earth from the inlet manifold.

 

[Dave]

Good info.

Well done on the D21 transformation.

No doubt someone else will try the same thing.

 

[Dion]

I got a bit tired of looking at my alloy bullbar and I was surfing through the Chevy bumper thread on Pirate, so I thought I'd try out a US-style nudge bar for a bit:

When I took this photo I noticed the LH parker lamp is hanging loose too...

 

[KraftyPg]

You only noticed that lamp after you took the photo? Remind me never to let you loose on any car of mine

Looks ready for a movie camera, maybe you can hire it out to the studios it's not bad money if you don't care about you car being driving by someone else.

 

[Leprechaun]

There you go all fixed.

 

[Dion]

There you go all fixed.

Wow that was even easier than duct tape! Thanks!

 

[Dion]

Yesterday I replaced my engine mounts and transmission mount. Heck of a job since the driver's side mount is behind several hard lines and the steering column. And one of the transmission mount bolts rounded off so I had to take out the crossmember and put three vertical cuts in the bolt to get it off. With the new ones in there's much less rubber banding which is great, but, as with everything you do to these old vehicles, fixing one problem usually brings out another that was being masked. Engine swaps are a great way to bring to the surface many problems that have been lurking. Anyway, fitting the new mounts with their hardness has increased the effect of the uni joints on the tailshaft being out of alignment. Not a big deal, I just haven't fixed it yet.

The other weird thing is, I ordered QD32 engine mounts, where previously it was running TD27 engine mounts, and it's a total bolt-in swap, except for the fact that the QD32 mounts have more rubber in two of the three dimensions. In height, there's a good 15mm more, so the engine sits much higher. Go figure. Now the radiator shroud won't fit. I don't know what to do about that one, redrilling the shroud mount holes lower seems less than ideal.

Also, I dragged my R200A out from under the house the other day, so for anybody curious as to what an R50-spec R200A looks like:

Welding required to bolt that into a Navara.

 

[Dion]

Couple of quick photos on the install of my GME TX-3420 UHF and Axis 3db aerial:

The head lives where the ashtray once did, and the remote unit is mounted between the glovebox and the air con evaporator, which makes unplugging it easy.

The aerial seems to have good range, it cost me around $30 from Prestige Com.

And here's just an action shot taken the other day -

 

[KraftyPg]

Nice photoshop skills Dion

 

[ONLOCK]

cant believe how much of a trooper this car is, thing went everywhere. and dion has some great skills with rope too lol

 

[Ridgie]

cant believe how much of a trooper this car is, thing went everywhere. and dion has some great skills with rope too lol

Yep. Despite issues with his transfer chain and 29" tyres the beast made it's way up and over Billy Goat Bluff. Just glad I hadn't seen his 80 series airbox install before he got stuck into mine!

Great work Dion.

 

[Dion]

Cheers guys. Someone's gotta give you lot something to point and laugh at.

 

[Bearindabush]

G'day Dion, great work on the truck mate, been a while since I've been on and I'm glad to see it at the stage it's at. My kingy got handed down to my son and I'm now looking for a later model D21 or early D22 dual cab, what's your opinion of the QD32 and why chose it over the td27t?

Cheers, Pete

 

[Dion]

G'day Dion, great work on the truck mate, been a while since I've been on and I'm glad to see it at the stage it's at.

Hi Pete, yeah haven't heard from you in a while, good to hear the kingcab is still kicking.

My kingy got handed down to my son and I'm now looking for a later model D21 or early D22 dual cab, what's your opinion of the QD32 and why chose it over the td27t?

I'd go the D22 Series 1 with a QD32. The QD32 makes a bit more torque, being half a litre bigger, and has a better flowing intake manifold. The most important difference though is that the gearbox that goes with the QD32 is much stronger than the one you'd find behind a TD. Perfect world would be a QD32 that is also turbocharged and intercooled. That is still what I want to do but my build flows slower than concrete.

You'll also get the more modern dashboard, electronic speedo so it's easy to correct for bigger tyres, plus other positives I can't think of.

 

[Leprechaun]

plus other positives I can't think of.

Perhaps a bigger tray to sleep in ?

 

[Dion]

Perhaps a bigger tray to sleep in ?

The kingcab styleside is pretty much the perfect length

 

[Dion]

Had a dead cell in my old battery, so I fixed the problem:
Optima Red Top 800CCA

 

[Krankin]

Top effort mate...

 

[Leprechaun]

Thats going to look a bit out of place under your bonnet.