521_69

I got one theres 16 left... Just figured I would give you guys a heads up I know they are rare. http://www.ebay.com/itm/380692880332?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

Yeah that is what I am trying to avoid so I am planning to just put "some other entire car" "into" the datsun preferably one that has easily replacable parts at least ones that I cant make, like pistons, fuel pumps, and whatnot.

Yeah right there by fred meyer and safeway etc... I would like a front lower valance and a bumper if I can find straight ones even though mine are repairable it'd be desirable to find straight ones if not I will probably make new ones out of fiberglass. I will "probably" have a dump load of parts I wont be needing that are actually pretty good in this truck Ill put em up in here when the time comes. The motor and transmission are both certainly going they both work great, I will likely be rid of the dash as well not sure about that yet but I hear they are pretty tough to come by in good shape and the one in this truck is quite flawless the seat is gonna go.for sure I dont plan on keeping much of the truck really, but we will see how stuff goes what I wanna do and what my wife lets me do are usually two different things.

I just realized you were from vancouver too. My wife and I just bought our first house over by lowes on 76th/500. The chevy looks familiar I feel like I have seen it sitting around the fort vancouver area industrial buildings parking lots or something not sure can't place it. I have lived in the area for 6 years I really have never even seen a 521 or knew what one was until this thing fell in my lap can't believe I havent ever seen one of yours tooling around. Ill keep you in mind for a reference any junkyards you know of that have any of these you havent already stripped?

lol thats a good point I forgot all about that. Well good luck in the hunt. Maybe ill throw up some pics of the stepside gmc I am working on till I get started on the datsun later.

Yeah I think it looks good as well the bumperette things are cool I have never seen them on anything else before at least not on the back. The 47 GMC bumper I was reffering too was for a 47 GMC stepside the stardard bed bumper would, I imagine, be a mile too wide, did you ever figure out what was on the green 521? I like that bumper.

I like your diesel project looks good, I believe the bumper you were seeking may be from a 47-53 gmc stepside.

Yeah the 240d or a 190d which is what replaced it were Mercedes "compacts" they made em forever the engines are known to last a minimum of 200k and 400k plus is normal (they are pretty close equivalents to the SD-22 which I am pretty sure most you guys are familiar with). They are basically the German equivalent to the crown vic they use them as taxis pretty sure they made 240d's for something like 40 years in one form or another. The width of a 240 is similar enough to a 521 that moving the independent removable subframe type front/rear suspensions with 4 wheel disc brakes wouldn't involve "too much" work but alot more work than a simple RWD JDM swap, but the plus is that it would be something different and I really don't need it as a daily driver so time is not an issue. I can weld and fabricate metal at a professional level and am working on my mechanical engineering bachelors so what truly would interest me about the project would be the difficulty and fabrication... As well as a slight interest in home brewed bio diesel just more as a hobby than a sustainability thing... I would also incorporate a basic air suspension which would be cool the rears of the Mercedes are coil sprung so it would be extremely simple and depending on where the engine ends up sitting under the hood maybe a body drop to near"ish" the rockers. There are also versions of the motor that are turbo charged 5 or 6 cylinders but they would involve massive intrusion into the passenger compartment, the truck is small enough as it is, and the rest of the drive-train would be conceivably useless as far as using it in the truck. I would probably also fit the dash steering wheel seats and stuff just for cool points / nostalgia factor. Here are some generic pictures of what I would be cannibalizing.

Yeah I am thinking about the front and rear suspensions all of it I dont know if I wanna do that big of a project or not I am capable of it, but I also know how long it would take, if I dont do that I will probably order a JDM CA18DET I am at a split but leaning towards the 240d ordeal. I gotta turn this stepside I got for a profit before I can start on this venture. Its getting there though I just have to finish a couple tweaks on the engine, toss a new bedfloor in it, and run it to maaco.

Im new to datsuns got the truck in a combined trade it runs well but I am going to ditch the J13 and 4 speed for something else, thinking about transplanting pretty much everything from a Mercedes 240d into it. Is the J13 and tranny worth anything to anyone? Heres the truck.