NV 1500 for fun and or profit

I just bought a 2012 Nissan NV 1500 for $700. 
The catch? It has a perforated engine block. 
This morning on the marketplace "Just Listed" in my city was a NV1500 for $600. There were no details or descriptions other than. "Needs an engine." I promptly sent a message. This seemed like the kind of thing that would get a lot of messages so I made it clear that I was local and had cash. The few photos showed the beer and wine distributor logo on the door parked right next to a semi with the same logo. No response from seller yet. I grabbed an envelope of cash and headed to their location 2 miles away. In the parking lot I saw a response that it was pending for someone to come look at it. I went in and met the general manager who is also the seller. He expressed his frustration at how many responses and measures he had to deal with. I offered an extra $100 over asking and told him that he could end his car salesmen career immediately. He agreed. I took a bill of sale, the title is filed at their hq in a nearby city. I have a Buddy with a diesel pickup lined up for the recovery tomorrow at lunch. 208k on the van. Missing weatherstripping for sliding door. Mostly good otherwise. Two keys and a remote fob. Couple of pictures. More to come. 

Plans: 1. Find replacement engine. 2. Something? 3. Profit. 

EDIT from engine installation completion: 

The differences between the Xterra and NV engine are: Oil pressure sender, alternator bracket and the plug for the brake booster. Use the harness from the NV and it is all good!

Nicely done. Surely it's a 5.6 and there are surely a few wrecked Titans that can supply a good used engine. 

As a NV1500 (half ton) it should be a 4.0L V6.  This engine also found in Xterra.  

The NV2500 (3/4 ton) was base 4.0L and optional 5.6L

The NV 3500 ( 1 ton) was 5.6L

Nice score!  

In reply to GoLucky :

Great score 👍 

I love these fix-n-flip threads, so I'll be following along.

The hot setup is to 4wd these with repurposed used Nissan parts. 

In reply to John Welsh :

4x4 indeed. Do you have any info on this? That seems like way more work, but potentially quite profitable. 

This is indeed a VQ40de like in frontiers, pathfinders and xterras and some others. The rebuilders list the same longblock for all applications. If this interchange is correct then there are 3 engines in my area prices from 1k to 1.7k.  Anyone here have good info on the compatibities?

I went back and pulled out the battery to charge since it has been stationary for a while. This is in preparation for a tow home tomorrow afternoon. Needs hood struts.

Plenty of under hood space. What wouldn't fit in there? Apparently it is fun for birds to hang out here too.

Cargo van interior.

I'm told A/C works and pleased to see cruise control present. 

Updates to follow with progress. 

The 5.6 is a damn decent engine; that's what I have in my 2500. If that will fit I'd strongly recommend it. 

Mine has ~150k on it and has been fantastic. 

Today I went with a friend who has a 4x4 Diesel and we towed the NV home. Not far, not eventful and that is how we wanted it. There's enough of a hill on my street to disconnect up from the house and roll into the driveway. I take advantage of it semi-regularly. New home. 

The old engine met its demise due to a stripped out oil drain bolt. The driver shut it down on the highway when the oil light came on and the drain bolt was MIA. The company towed it to the shop and they "fixed " the drain and added oil. It went fine for a few days and then KABAM! This is from underneath looking up at the pan. 
I sarted taking things apart in preparation for engine removal. It is handy to have a project vehicle that is also its own parts storage. 

There is seriously a lot of room under hood. Looks like a v12 would go in easy with the fan cover removed. 

Short spurts for now because it is cold out. 

I did a little 4x4 research and it looks like the hot ticket is the Titan XD suspension that bolts on. Ther is a Utah dealership with some videos up about the "all Nissan parts" 4x4 conversion. What I haven't seen is what hubs have 4x4 and 8 lug? The TitanXD is 6 lug and the NV uprights look to have a hole like a cv would go through but not broached splines. I wonder if it is a re-drill or what? 

GoLucky said:

There is seriously a lot of room under hood. Looks like a v12 would go in easy with the fan cover removed. 

You know what you have to do now 

GoLucky said:

I did a little 4x4 research and it looks like the hot ticket is the Titan XD suspension that bolts on. Ther is a Utah dealership with some videos up about the "all Nissan parts" 4x4 conversion. What I haven't seen is what hubs have 4x4 and 8 lug? The TitanXD is 6 lug and the NV uprights look to have a hole like a cv would go through but not broached splines. I wonder if it is a re-drill or what? 

Screen capture those vids before they disappear 

In reply to peanutpckrupper :

Hahaha. Right now I wish a v12 was waiting to go in. 

In reply to yupididit :

Bookmarked already, but the screenshot is a good thought. This morning I called their parts department to see if they'd sell me the 4x4 hubs. No, they don't stock them, but they did put me in touch with the machine shop that bores and broaches the OE Nissan NV hubs for their conversions. Those guys will sell me some. Price is not terrible. Gives the 4x4 swap idea more traction.    Couldn't resist.   Apparently these hubs may also work for Titan XD 6 to 8 lug conversion.

Also, using Rockauto fitment guides (Not a definitive source, I know) The Titan XD and the NV share the upper control arm and brake caliper. Different lower control arms. Different struts. The conversion dealer confirmed that they keep the NV uprights in their builds. 

I am learning things. 

Took more stuff apart. I also broke my first plastic retainer. Fortunate enough it is on the grille and not the headlight. Lost another Christmas tree one as well but not too bad so far. 
I climbed in and out of the engine bay a bunch of times. I can pull the condenser if I have to, but hopefully I can get away with keeping the refrigerant genies inside. Three fan nuts were super easy and the fourth was very not. Eventually it came off. 

Scored a new 3/8" extension today too. I found this guy down in the bumper cover. Score. 

I got a text from the seller letting me know they will have a title for me tomorrow. I may head out to the junkyard tomorrow as well. See if there are any sweet v12s available. 

In reply to GoLucky :

I rebuild Toyota Prius that have had very minor body damage.  One of the greatest resources/tools I have in these repairs is a set of replacement fasteners like these bought off Amazon.  $12 well spent.  

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07MVBCWRF?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

I'm not saying this is the exact, best kit for a Nissan NV but search around, there are many kits

In reply to John Welsh :

Good call. I will get that or something similar. 

Picked up the title today and they had a third key for me as well. 

More disassembly. And first blood. Now it is really a project. 
The lower piece of the relay box broke and it letting go was the cause of the busted knuckle. The clip at the end WOULD NOT release. 
I did get the engine harness disconnected and put a rag over the ECU to keep it cozy. 

Power steering pump and AC compressor are both on their lines and removed from the engine. I tried and failed with a 3/8" ratchet to spin the crank at all. I'm rethinking not pulling the condenser since the engine and trans may have to come out together and the difficulty of recharging the system is probably less than having the condenser in the way. 

I drove out to my local junkyard and found a replacement engine. 

this is a '12 Xterra. The interchange says no-go. The block and heads are the same. I bought it for $1400, double the cost of the van, and will swap over whatever is different between the two. That's the plan anyway. 
Because I am me, I did consider the possibility of a VK56 swap too. Ultimately I decided against it because of the additional work and a lack of 2wd VK transmissions in the junkyard/on classifieds. The "best" VK candidate at the yard was in an '08 Armada. But 178k and the multiple (really) Juggalo stickers were unappealing. 
 

Things are happening!

Yesterday was a big day. Worked on the NV all day. Kept pulling off things that were holding the engine in. First I took out the hood latch support that has been sticking up in my way this whole time. Debated the wisdom of leaving the AC system intact. Decided that the effort of working around it and risk of damage did weren't worth it.  The condenser did make its exit. And Wow! So much easier to get in and out of the engine bay. Should have done that way sooner. 

The fuel line is quick connect and I have a tool for it, but there is a ridge right where the tool needs to be. I ended up taking the tool apart to separately fit each half into the lock. Before it was successful I dropped half into the open intake. Not that it matters to this engine, but I had to fish out the tool to get the fuel line off. 

None of the fastners broke yesterday! Even the heat shield bolts and exhaust nuts came off without any real drama. After taking off all the things I was ready to bring the engine crane into play. Since they designed this van like a sports car, the engine is WAY back there. It would have been OK for the v12 that should be there but to get to the middle of this V6 the bumper is going to have to come off.

So bumper went away too. And then, with less than expected drama:

The torque converter is very much still attached since the engine doesn't spin. I wired on a bucket to catch some of the leak.

And now the engine is in my garage. Separating the converter is a problem for another day. The interchange guide at the junkyard says that the flex plates swap, so I plan to use the new engine one and can savage this one if need be.

Milestone moment:

Today I tackled removing the 4 bolts that held on the torque converter. 

One. So easy, it was lined up in the opening.

2-4: All involved the angle grinder.

In the end the converter came off and I went to put the engine on my stand. The bolt pattern is too big to work easily so I had to cheat one of the lower arms longer with a smaller bolt. The belhousing bolts are the same size and thread as my Neon/PT engine that was the stand's last occupant, so that was convenient.

I ended up with the engine on the stand and then did some cleanup. I plan to borrow another engine stand from a friend so that I can have both engines side by side for the check/swap of parts.

following.....those nissan 4.0s are great

Nice part about Nissan is I'm confident both 4.0 plants will be nearly identical, and you won't have much fuss with this.