Nissan Hardbody Buyer's Guide (Common Problems, Options, Specs)

Nissan Hardbody Truck Buyer's Guide!

The history of the Nissan or Datsun pickup - the original truck had a 37 hp 1000cc engine and it established Datsun/Nissan in the American market. Nissan sold just 159 of these trucks in 1959 and Approximately 220 USA servicemen purchase this truck in Japan and imported them into the USA. Following that first pickup, fast forward to the early 80s with the Datsun 720. This was the predecessor to a D 21 a.k.a. hardbody pickup truck. The truck was designed at the brand new Nissan design America studio in San Diego, California. It was a first for Nissan, who set out to hire and establish a new design center responsible for some truly cutting edge sheet metal. The D21 was penned by Designer Tom Semple who worked with Nissan Design America chief, Jerry Hirshberg. In the late 70s, Nissan’s president, Takashi Ishihara had decided to establish a second design center far removed from Japan. He looked at many different countries but decided to implement his plan in the USA. He would have the design center in the states produce car designs more catered to western tastes, to ensure the demand for Nissan vehicles remained strong. After all, 50% of product sales happened in markets outside of Japan. Ishihara sent Kazumi Yotsumoto to the USA to establish Nissan Design America. Once established, their first project was to design the Nissan D21 aka Hardbody pickup truck. The design was simply excellent. For a compact truck to look as tough and mean as the hardbody was a true testament to Nissan Design America’s styling prowess. The hood had mail slots and the front fenders had triceps, the look was industrial and tough. From the beginning, it was evident they created a strong design.

The hardbody pickup trucks were made to be catered to the driver. They offered a steeply raked windshield set at 52.5 degrees with the largest doors in their class to provide easy entry and exit. The doors featured 3 piece seals and wrap-over design to reduce noise levels. The hood was sloped and its low forward height aided airflow over the vehicle while reducing noise. The king-cab modes distinctive flip out quarter windows offered better visibility and a cool look. The double steel-walled cargo bed provided strength and lots of usability.

There were several design revisions along the way. For the 1988 and 1989 model year, the hardbody used flush mount halogen headlights. In 1993 there was an exterior redesign, which included a new hood, grille, and bumper design.

The interior was pretty a decent place to spend time. It had a similar look to other compact pickup trucks and was a competitive design for the middle to the late 1980s.

Nissan offered the Hardbody in the USA with either a 4cyl or a 3.0l v6. From 1986.5 to around the middle of 1989, The z24i 4cyl made 106hp with 137lb ft of torque And its design utilized 2 spark plugs per cylinder. This throttle body injected engine was replaced by the ka24e making 134hp and 152 lb ft of torque.

Nissan was the first manufacturer to offer a v6 option on a light-duty compact pickup truck in the USA. The VG30i was fitted to v6 models from 1986.5 to around the middle of 1989. This VG30i engine had a long crank snout and throttle body injection. The Engine made around 145 hp and 166 lb ft of torque. Starting around 1990, the VG30e became available. This engine produced 153hp and around 180 lb ft of torque.

The hardbody trucks featured a recirculating ball steering system with torsion bar independent front suspension, live rear axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs, a welded ladder frame that featured a box-section design for the 4x4 models, power vented front disc brakes, and a double-steel-walled cargo bed designed to be extra tough.

There were automatic and manual transmissions available. The automatics consisted of the Jayco L3N71B, or the Jayco RE4R01A from 1990-on. The manuals were the FS5W71G for the 4cyl models and the FS5R30A for the v6 models. They utilized a Fuji TX-10A part-time transfer case with 2.02:1 low range ratio and slip-yoke output.

The c200 rear axle was used on 4cyl trucks with the H233B used in the v6 trucks. Note that the 96 and 97 4cyl 4x4 trucks also got the H233B that used a drop-out third member. Front axels were the r180 or r200. Front axle shafts were equal length with an axle-flange bolt pattern change around the 1990 model.

Common problems include rusty frames, especially if the truck spent most of its life in areas where they use salt or other chemicals that corrode steel. Due to age and heat, the dashboards can crack and the paint can get faded on trucks exposed to high temperatures. Sensors have been known to go out regularly. Front torsion bars and bushings can fail. Also if the truck has been lifted, it may cause the steering and suspension components to wear out prematurely. Do you own or have you owned one of these trucks in the past? What problems did you run into? Leave a comment and let me know!