Vivalawham Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Hi all, I've been doing a bit of reading on the LD28, and the only thing I've accomplished is add to my confusion. So here it is - I'm new to engine building, and I want something easy, relatively cheap, reliable, and fast. The only other thing I want is to win the lottery. I may have a line on two complete running LD28 engines for cheaper than I can get one L28ET. Should I consider the LD28, or is there too much involved for a newbie with great expectations and a wallet full of dreams? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezzzzzzz Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 LD28 - good economy, kinda noisy, low performance N/A. L28ET - ok economy, different noisy, lots more performance. It's comparing apples to oranges. The LD28 is 19mm (3/4" taller) than the L28 but dimensionally the same in all other areas. The head is cast iron instead of aluminum. The oil pan will need to be swapped for a Z type and the oil pickup tube modified or the block drilled to relocate the oil pickup tube (as I did in a LD28 petrol stroker project I've built). It is very reliable. There is more weight associated with the extra iron. The engine wiring is dead simple since it is a mechanically injected motor. You'll need to acquire a fuel filter and sedimentator for the diesel. You'll need to lower the engine slightly to clear the hood (that may require dropping the front swaybar an equal distance to clear the oil pump). I new exhaust with at least 2.5" is a good idea. That's just the basics. Mileage will be darn good but it won't be a very enthusiatic vehicle to drive. Oh yeah, you can run WVO and drive darn near for free (research WVO and rdavisinva on eBay for a great bit of information). The L28ET stands on it's own. For a stock turbo'd engine the performance is good especially in an earlier lighter car. It is more of a direct bolt-in to your 280Z. No major fuel system changes required. Engine wiring must go with the engine or a standalone system installed. Mileage will not compare to the diesel but seat-of-pants performance will be night and day different. I know this didn't answer many of your questions. My opinion is you should run what you've got (assuming there's an engine in your Z) and learn a bit about your car before jumping headlong into a conversion. Some will chime in and say get the LD28 crankshaft for a stroker project but that's another kettle of fish. Learn to walk before you try to run. What the hell do I know? Who wants cake? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanceVance Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 (edited) If you can get the LD28s cheap then buy both, pull the cranks, sell the cranks each for 500 on here, sell whatever else you can off them (water pumps and intake manifolds seem to get interest) and use that money to fund the L28et build. This is of course assuming you can get them cheap enough to justify the work... It would be a shame to put down two good running engines however, I'm not sure how sentimental you are.... Edited January 19, 2011 by LanceVance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezzzzzzz Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 "Some will chime in and say get the LD28 crankshaft for a stroker project but that's another kettle of fish." "...pull the cranks, sell the cranks each for 500 on here" Told you so! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vivalawham Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 Some will chime in and say get the LD28 crankshaft for a stroker project but that's another kettle of fish. Learn to walk before you try to run. What the hell do I know? Who wants cake? Maybe this has been the reason I was so confused - most of the info on the stroker projects has been so technical I didn't understand exactly what was involved. Is there a thread/website that breaks it down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayaapp2 Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 (edited) The LD28 will bolt in and clear the hood no issues. The Z engine mounts and isolators will need to be used. The passenger side engine mount will need to be clearanced for the injection pump and re-enforced. Oil pan issue is the big sticky point. Oil sump pickup tube relocation and pan change to fit the Z mid sump design... Though if your REALLY lucky you will come across a Laural or other Nissan LD series with a mid sump pan already equipped. Domestic market LD28's came front sump in cars. Other applications such as industrial or marine may also have the block that is desirable for the Z. Been there done that. Cool swap if you have access to free fuel. HIGHLY recomend modification to the fuel tank. The stock tank WILL corrode and plug your lines and not because of bio fuel acidity... but how water intacts with diesel and diesel alternatives. I ran 2 primer pumps to get 2 water/fuel seperators and to catch anything else floating through my old fuel system. Another thing to tackle is Connecting rod bolt replacement. The LD rod bolts I have dealt with had over 200K miles and all of them were stretched. I discoved this after dealing with more than my fair share of rod tosses. BB chevy 454 rod bolts with a little help fit snug and are an excellent replacement. The glow plug system is kind of a pain, but can be bypassed to run off of a mommentary switch, but it will delete the afterglow system(which rarely works on the old maximas anyway). Everything else is pretty much bullet proof as long as its maintained. http://nissandiesel.dyndns.org/ dig around on this site and hybridz and you will find diesel Z swaps... Edited January 19, 2011 by rayaapp2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.