Loren O

Yes,your statement makes PERFECT sense. Maybe I should have asked my question differently,or maybe a different question altogether. I drive from Canby to either Molalla,Oregon and/or to Estacada,Oregon on my way to & from work. The roads are full of ruts,potholes,dips,etc. I like the LOOK of lowered vehicles,but I don't know that my commute makes driving one daily very practical. Your comment about the shock mounts hitting the ground hints at the problem I worry about with my truck. Also,I want to be able to haul stuff when needed,maybe even tow something( like that Datsun powered boat we saw at Blue Lake,is a good dream example!) . I guess my question should be more like " how low can I make my truck,&still be able to use it like I want? " then the next question would be " what is the best way to make it that height ? "

I meant 720 4x4 leaf springs. I guess I just forgot to type the 4x4 part .

Ok,i get that there is no exact formula. I was looking for an APPROXIMATE idea. If im going to buy a set ot these,unbolt them from the 720,unbolt my 521 leafs,etc.,then swap them in,I'd like to know if it's going to be enough of a benifit both in lowering,ride,& hauling capacity to be worth doing. I'm not looking for much more than a 3" drop. I will be semi -daily driving this truck over some pretty rough country & mountain roads.

I found a set of 720 leaf springs,shackles for $80.

Just so i'm clear on this, if I swap my 521 leaf springs & shackles with the 720 4x4 ones approx. how much lower will my 521 sit?

Me too!

All these pics are making me wish my friends garage would clear out so I can get to work on the engine & transmission swap on my 521 !!

I was wondering about the year & engine type of the Datsun forklift. does anyone here know how to tell? The tags I would normally go to are badly

I went back today. The guy that sets prices was there,& he seemed to be selling things for whatever the price they would be worth in scrap metal. The 521's most likely can't be sold whole,due to titles being turned in (he assumed they would've been,since they've both been there along time. He thought the b210 coupe might be sellable if he can find a title for it. Does anyone know how to identify year of manufacture,engine type (it's missing),& what a similiar replacement engine would be for that Datsun forklift in the pictures? I have been looking at that for over a year & can't get the idea of owning it out of my head!

I think most of the vehicles have been there for a LONG TIME. The owner of the wrecking yard died about 6months ago & his sons are cleanimg /clearing the place out. I wasn't able to get prices the other day,but I will try to find out. The son that seemed to be taking care of that wasn't there at the time. If you can,i really recomend going over & taking a look at the place. It's FULL of stuff that should be saved!

Went back to that former wrecking yard in Aurora this afternoon. I got a few pics & contact info if amybody.wants anything. this silver 521 is a.'70. Interior looked ok&it had a.Datsun/Hitachi am radio/ 8 track player inside( cool nostalgia factor,not that I have any 8 track tapes,but cool anyway) a black 620 grille on the floor inside. My battery ran out after this pic,so no more of this one for now. I didn't get the year of this 521,but i'll be going back for the bumperettes,& maybe a few other parts off of it. Somebody wanted pics of this,i can't remember who right now. Here's a pic of that Datsun forklift I mentioned. I don't know what I would do.with this,but I want to own it. Rocket Dog I think the light buckets you mentioned are on these trucks.

Thanks! I already have some on the way. I was a little surprised we didn't have that many in stock at NAPA. Then again,we don't sell wheels & tires so there's not a huge demand for full sets of lug nuts.

Brought these wheels that I bought from Taadj up to where my truck is sitting,waiting for my friends garage to clear out so I can do the engine& transmission swap. We only had 10 of the correct lug nuts at NAPA,& I ordered 10 more from the distribution center. I still need to find 4 more, or maybe 4 anti -theft ones before I can put them on. Thanks again Taadj for bringing them down & dropping them off!

Bought these wheels & an adapter so I can use the factory air cleaner with a weber carb from Taadj. Now I just have to find enough lug nuts to bolt them on. Thanks Taadj!

It's been a busy weekend & I didn't get alot done I guess. Anyway, the pitting on this valve cover is pretty bad. This picture is after a few hours of sanding. I think It will take several more before it's smooth.

Thanks! I'm sure it will help knowing what tools i'll need to have with me.

Ok,thanks! Does anyone know where I can find a set of 720 4x4 leafs? Preferably cheap.

I guess I need to get some 720 leafs then. Is it just the 4x4 leafs that are flatter give the 3" drop ? I know where a rusted out 720 2wd is. I'm going to be pulling the z22 & transmission for my Goon from it anyway . A 3" drop is really about all I'm after at the moment. There are alot of really rough,dippy roads & some gravel roads that I drive on almost daily. I can't lower it very much.

I just realized I didn't post this picture with the others. I've beem useing NAPA Aluminum Brightener,which also has an acid in it. I'm going to have.to get some 220 grit sandpaper & a bunch more scrubbing wheels for the Dremel tool.

Thanks! Will the 720 4x4 leafs be better if I want to occasionally haul things with this truck? I want to lower it,but I want to keep it functional too. I may put on some type of reciever hitch between the bumperettes,but attached to the frame,just in case I need to tow something. The bumper thats on it now just doesn't look good to me. I'll save it,just in case though. What's the difference in the ride,between the 720 leafs & 3 inch lowering blocks? I'm used to driving my Goon with worn out struts & shocks,so I don't expect a soft ride,but I really don't want a "kidney buster" ride either if I can help it.

I haven't seen the wheels up close yet,but they look polished to me. We sell that Eagle One mag wheel cleaner at NAPA & I'll keep it in mind. For the wheels at least,I'm going to start with the polushed look.

Started my build thread for my '72 521 tonight.

Thanks! Yeah,it's DEFINATELY getting lowered! I can get 3" blocks through work (NAPA ) for around $45 & the front is just a matter of re-indexing the torsion bars,right? It doesn't sound that different from slamming an old VW bug ( I used to be a hard-core VW nut, worked for Discount Import Parts for just under 9 years.)

While I'm waiting I decided to try polishing the valve cover,the timing cover,&probably a few other parts. I grabbed a couple valve covers & a timing cover from where my truck is sitting,waiting to see how well I can polish them,I'll be painting the engine block,etc before I do the swap. I'm useing 3 different grades of scotch Bright pads, NAPA Aluminum Brightener,& a dremel type tool to do this,i was going to use a3m roll lock attatchment kit,but the shank is too large for the dremel ,so I went to Ace hardware & bought some scrubbing wheels for it instead. Here are some pics of the progress on one of the valve covers. I'm going to scrub a little more on this tomorrow,the follow that with Blue Magic polish. I'll post pics of that tomorrow.

I've been posting about this truck in "post your 521" & "I've been thinking about buying this for awhile now." but it's been suggested I start a build thread,(which I was looking forward to doing anyway ),so here goes; Here are some pics of it before I bought it: this is from the day I went to look at it. These are from sometime later: These are from after I bought the truck; My canopy will need some work. It needs new hatch struts,some new glass,& the wood paneling inside is ruined,so I'm going to insulate it,then cover that with mexican blanket. here's a picture of the truck waiting to be moved to my friends garage,so I can do the L20b & 5 speed swap. I'm still waiting for the engine,transmission,&2 weber carbs I bought for $100 from a NAPA customer of mine to be delivered. They're in his shed,&he is going to use the boom of his excavator to lift them out,load them on a trailer & bring them to where I'll be doing the swap. Other than that I just waiting for my friends garage to clear out so I can get to work on it. In the meantime, I've been collectin parts. Bought a rear window from Rocket dog, a grille from someone at the Canby Datsun show, I'm buying some 6 lug slot mags,with tires &an adapter so I can use the factory air cleaner with a weber carb,& a pair of Bumperettes/brackets from Taadj (with help from Hooligan finding them & getting a price). I want to thank all of them for helping me out with this stuff!