1970 Datsun 521(A frank'n truck)

[510freak]

Dang wayno, no time wasted here,Props to you its coming along nicely!

[wayno]

I put the valance on the truck today, I am thinking it was a 520 valance, but I made it fit, then I installed my last good 521 bumper, it's kinda dirty, and I could not find any steel wool, so I took a photo of it dirty, the fact is I have not done anything to this cab except scrape off the pine needles with my hands, I just wanted to get it running and driving, then I will worry about what it looks like, this stuff has been in my backyard for years, I just want to clean it up a little(backyard).

I will likely be working tomorrow, so probably won't get a lot done on this, although I am running out of things to do.

[wayno]

Well I guess it just seemed like I had a lot of time into this build, but I just went back and looked at the start date, I haven't even put 2 weeks into this, seems like a month to my neck, things have went smoothly I guess.

Dang wayno, no time wasted here,Props to you its coming along nicely!

[DRIVEN]

...I just want to clean it up a little(backyard).

Cluttered yard? Head for the garage. Genius.

[wayno]

...I just want to clean it up a little(backyard).

Cluttered yard? Head for the garage. Genius.

I do understand what you just said, but I did get a cab and box out of my back yard, it makes a difference.
But now it will be running and in my driveway, which is now out there for others to see.

[wayno]

So I drove it today, here is a couple photos of it before I re-aligned the bed.


See how it is still bent, the bed drops toward the rear.

Here it is aligned.


And here is the rear with a gap now, I raised the rear of the bed an inch at least.

In this photo you can see it didn't have a gap, oh well.

I do believe the truck has more power than my work truck with the LZ23, and everything works, even the rear lic. plate light.
I am likely going to have to clean the turn signal guts, it doesn't seem to want to work everytime I turn on the left turn signal, I hate that when shit don't work.
I have not got it up past 30mph though.

[wayno]

Well it looks like I have another couple hour job tomorrow now, the neighbor next to where I was today seen me working today, so now they want me to do theirs.
I need to put a console or something in this 521 tomorrow to cover up the shift lever hole.

I also need to come up with something cheap for carpet, this is a budget build, I don't want to buy new stuff for this, I wanted to use things I had around here, but finding good carpets for 521s in the wrecking yards is not easy, I have only found one good one several years ago.
Right now I am using the cat as a muffler, that is the way Justin had it, it's kinda noisy, I need something quieter.

[wayno]

So I installed the shift boot from the 85 into the 70, I made it fit, not sure how long it will last as the mount part is oval, but I forced it to fit in a round hole.
Here is neutral.

Here is reverse.

I also installed a couple mirrors, driverside door.


And the interior rear view mirror, I have a few of these.

I do believe I am legal now to drive, I can hardly believe that I got the power brakes set up correctly the first time, I was guessing on the shaft lengths.
Also the clutch master that was in it was the one I used, it was sitting in there for years, at first it didn't feel right, but all of a sudden it started working good.
I still need to figure out the gas filler neck, it's on the wrong side for the 521, so either I need to install a 521 tank, make a cross over from the stock fill location, or make a new hole for the filler on the other side, I have not thought about this till now.

[izzo]

haha, your crazy man. Love it

I can't believe I saw this... what a week ago? And it's already running and driving. Good lord.

[draker]

It's nuts.. in a good way.

[wayno]

I had to take the water pump/clutch fan back to pick and pull today, it was puking antifreeze out the vent hole, they asked if I wanted to go pull another one, I told them no, I will buy a new/unused one this time, picked one up at Baxters, I finally got the damned thing in there right so it doesn't leak, what a pain.
I did take it for a 10 mile drive today, it has a weber, it seems to have a little more power starting out and getting up to speed, but my LZ23 with the dual SUs will kick this trucks ass on the freeway, it really doesn't seem to have much left after I get to freeway speed, the work truck which weighs way more will just keep right on picking up speed till the needle is buried, I need to drive it more, I did floor it and heard the secondaries kick in, but it really didn't make that much of a difference, just a different sound.
This truck is noisy right now, it has no interior or door cards, I will get around to that after taxes next week.

[Laecaon]

Z24s need 38/38s not 32/36s. All the 4x4 720 guys run the 38/38s. We put one on Kyles 4x4 521 with Z24. All about that air flow. Of course Sidedrafts just flow better, no 90 degree sudden turn.

[wayno]

Z24s need 38/38s not 32/36s. All the 4x4 720 guys run the 38/38s. We put one on Kyles 4x4 521 with Z24. All about that air flow. Of course Sidedrafts just flow better, no 90 degree sudden turn.

I didn't buy the carb, I just bought a running wrecked truck, I don't plan on upgrading this project, I will likely just sell it.

[Laecaon]

If only I had the money and space to have a spare truck. I definitely randomly have the need.

[izzo]

Z24s need 38/38s not 32/36s. All the 4x4 720 guys run the 38/38s. We put one on Kyles 4x4 521 with Z24. All about that air flow. Of course Sidedrafts just flow better, no 90 degree sudden turn.

Eh?

I've had a lot, and there's a bunch around here (just in astoria alone, I've met 5 other 720 guys!) . they all run the 32/36. A 38 will give it a little more power, but believe me. They run just fine with a 32/36 man. You lose gas mileage with that 38 and for what little performance you gain jumping from the smaller weber isn't worth it. I was running 32" on my white KC 4x4. That thing did better with that weber than my current 84 4x4 KC with stock carb and tires. And it runs great.

Set the timing, tune the carb, and it'll pull mid to high 20s in gas mileage and have good performance.

[wayno]

I guess I could have supplied a little more info, it went real good with the pedal just barely pressed, but when I did press it farther down on the freeway, it didn't really do much more, I need to drive it more, and finish it, door cards and carpet need to be done.
It has 370 gears in the rear.

[DRIVEN]

Are 3.70s common in 720s?

[wayno]

Are 3.70s common in 720s?

Yes, not as common as the 390s, but I have had very little trouble finding 370s in the past, Nissan made a whole bunch of rear end gear ratios, 4.88, 4.625, 4.37, 4.11, 3.89(3.90), 3.70, 3.54, and 3.364, the 3.364s, and the 4.625s are really hard to find, and the 3.54s are semi hard to find.
I am looking for another 3.364 gearset.

[510freak]

Keep up the good work wayno,project is coming along really good and quick!

[DRIVEN]

I'd love to come up with a set of 3.54s or 3.36s and swap side gears for my wagon. I'd also like a set of 4.XXs for the track. Time to start looking under pickups again.

BTW; 1/2-off sale this weekend .