Anything I'm missing?

Hey all! I'm Brian. I'm new to this forum, but not new to the trade. I am going to be undertaking a custom project that may be extreme or may not be, depending on who's asking. I am looking for anyone's opinion on anything I am missing or may not be thinking of that will be involved in the process. I am NOT looking for opinions on the truck of choice or the drive-line of choice, (I have my reasons for them) but specifically technical aspects of the build that someone may have experience with.

Okay here is what I am up against.

I am taking this 429/C6... and after complete mostly stock rebuild with mild upgrades...



putting it in this.




I know I have to fab mounts, exhaust, driveshaft, A/C & PS brackets custom radiator with electric fans, console mods for shifter requirements,
and possible placement adjustments due to the bell on the C6 and my firewall. But so far if I move it down and slightly there are no issues and the pan is still high enough to be tucked well under the body as the R50 chassis Pathfinder has plenty of room under it for the stock 4WD components that Nissan uses. Oh and I am going to weld in Box frame rails to accommodate the added torque that is going to be there.

Ok now specifics. I am not racing this truck. I am pulling a boat and other trailers. This truck has never and will never be offroad. It is lightweight and small enough that make it a great choice for daily use. The C6 has the 3rd gear which will allow me the hwy speeds I need. The stock trans is toast . It would cost me as much or more to do a quality rebuild and even then I would not have the weight and torque I need to pull the boat and trailers I need to. This was my Dad's truck. It is sentimental value and I cannot buy a similar SUV or actual bed truck for a decent price to offset the value and the power torque I can get with this setup. I realize the rear end is open diff and that is one question I have. What are the options? A Ranger rearend? A Mustang rearend? A performance 9"? Stock is a live axle with separate springs and shocks and it is a 4 link with panhard bar. I am upgrading to rear disc no matter what I use so custom is prob the way to go but still looking at options.

ok!! Thanks for any info you guys and gals have. What do you suggest, and what should I expect to run into?
-B

I DO want suggestions on a set of heads/intake/torque converter combo that would be ideal for decent acceleration but mostly just solid power and torque during city hwy driving with a 3-5k load. I nned a top speed of roughly 100mph as the hwy's here are typically 80-85 mph and I need the speed to be on tap if needed.

Obviously a highrise intake isn't really an option, although a creative filter setup can be done if the clearance isn't there after the intake is on.
I have no CARB laws to pass so emissions is irrelevant to the whole process. God bless Florida. haha.

I am using electric water pump and fans(as mentioned) and am converting to a serpentine belt setup.

I'm fabricating stainless headers and collectors into 3" flowmasters.

Would I have any need to go roller valve train or cam or anything like that? I am def going with ARP studs. My engine builder only uses them anyway.

Are you planning on keeping it 4wd? What transfer case do you plan on using or do you not know? Is that a car or truck C6? The truck C6 is shorter and more user friendly in most swaps, some seventies era 4wd tow trucks had divorced transfer cases but the wheel base may cause problems there.

The Pathfinder is a 2WD from the factory and I'm gonna stay with that. From what I've seen with other swaps done cross branding with Nissan, the 4WD electronics and shifter mechanics never integrate well with American 4WD setups and involve massive surgery and modification. So I was happy not to deal with that.

The 429/C6 came from a 73 Galaxy 500 that was stock except for the ghetto mods to the body and interior. I pulled everything as a lump so I wouldn't have to find myself lacking of the engine accessories when it came time to put it all in. I trashed the car right after that. Whatta POS that was. Shame. But the car ran strong right up until the evening before I yanked the motor.

Find a 460 crank for it, the crank is going to be cheaper to buy than the premium for the 429 pistons. You can reuse the rods if you want.

I have a 460 motor as well but it is not a whole motor, so I could yank parts from it. Would it be sufficient to just reman the crank, (machine shop) or is there a reason to perhaps polish or knife edge it, or even balance it beyond original specs?

It doesn't sound like you are after any kind of performance application, so I would just have it checked out and balance it.

No, I'm not. Just need a solid horse. ok sounds good.

I am not very familiar with the Nissan but love custom swaps, is the length of the engine gonna be an issue? I would really suggest a truck transmission they use a standard mount and see shorter tailshaft they really lend themselves to swaps. Compare the original Trans mount to bellhousing measurements and the truck C6 measurements and see if you use the stock Trans crossmember.

I might have considered a diff trans but since the Nissan has a Mustang style uni-body with integrated subframes, and I want to tow with a motor that has significantly more torque than stock, I'm going to be building into the underbody a ladderbar style mid-frame and tunnel of sorts, blending the front and rear subframes. Basically the trans rear mount will be part of this frame.

Also I have been advised to try and use an independent rear axle/chassis section from a newer Infiniti G37. It is LSD by design and will handle immense amounts of power from what those tuners tell me. It can be built into this frame system I am building. Also the G rear brakes will give the disc setup I want and allow me to use Nissan wheels that match my front setup that will have to remain Nissan, as a Ford brake/wheel setup that matches a Mustang rear axle will not work with Nissan front suspension.

This is really a lot more technically involved that I originally thought, but DAMN it's gonna be one hellava custom truck and I am excited for sure.

I just brought the motor home and have started tearing it down. The trans is going over to Tim Moye in Tampa to be built.

I want to post pics and the whole process but would that be acceptable in this section of the forum? I have a blog, maybe I'll just link to it. What do you recommend? Every forum site has different preferences for build threads.

Didn't know off you knew how much nicer the truck Trans is to mount up the only difference is the length is shorter and a common mount that you could use a transmission mount such a one intended for a mustang... Your tranny guy could even swap the parts over into the Trans you have.

Now that's an idea!! Is a tail shaft assy or housing something a trans shop would have, or be able to get easily, or would I need to search one out and get it to him?

Also is there a model or any details of one that would be needed, to search out the right one? ...or are they all the same? I imagine they are not but still.

Any 70'era 2wd Ford truck with a 351, 400, 429, 460 should have what you need. Your tranny shop may have the donor parts. Its been awhile but if I remember right the truck tail shaft and housing are ~11" shorter but use the same bolt pattern for the tranny mount bushing as a C4, AOD, T5 so easier to adapt.