79D50

On Saturday I took off the 15" 5 Star Moderns and put on 14" American Racing Chromies. The tires and wheels look 100% better. Before and After Pics on the way. Also, replaced the heater control valve and ordered Solex Door Locks from Hong Kong...$46.00 shipped.

Best Practice: Either prime the oil pump or pre charge the entire oiling system. My local machine shop has a handy tool called a pressurized oil pump. It is a cannister filled with 10/40 or oil of your choice that is pressurized with air (behind the cannister). Take off your oil sender unit (light or gauge) and install the nozzle end of the tool in its place. Slowly turn on the valve and the air pressure in the cannister will feed the oil throughout your entire motor to include block, head, oil passages etc. This way you will no get a dry fire. Dry fire is risky because if it takes 30-45 seconds to build oil pressure (assuming you primed your oil pump properly) you can glaze your cylinder walls and your rings will never seat properly. Once you are primed. Fire it up. Do not let it sit there and just idle. Once it is running, immediately take it up to 2500 then back to idle, then 4000 and back to idle, then 5000-5500 and back to idle. Try to stay away from redline. Do this 2-3 times and shut the motor down. Check for leaks, re-torque your head bolts and check your valve clearances. Now drive it. Under load, slowly go through the gears all the way to redline in every gear. Do not drive at a steady RPM on the freeway. Drive around town for the first 100 miles up and down through the gears to redline. Change the oil/filter, recheck everything and drive it like normal. This is how I break in motors and I have never had a problem. There are a lot of other opinions and methods out there so find out which one best suits your style.

A few more pics

So I spent all weekend on this truck. I did a full tuneup and complete fluid change on everything. I also detailed the interior and got it cleaned up nice. The original owner never cleaned it. I picked up an uncracked dash and gauge surround (Thanks DATDOUG) and some mint door and kick panels. The truck is going to get the interior completely refurbished here soon. It also goes in for paint and some minor surface rust removal. I'm not into the flames....I think I might go the original Datsun Orange with some Pearl highlights.

Of course it not a 620...Its a roadster. Point of the post - If I guy can stuff an SR in that thing then there should be no issues stuffing one in a 620. Guys are talking about it here and I have never seen a 620 with one so this is the closest I could find. If he could do it in a roadster, it just shows it can be done. Just buy the motor and dive in...thats part of the fun.

Why transplant a SR into your 620 when you can just buy this... http://spokane.craigslist.org/cto/1429849741.html

I ordered new door weatherstripping for both sides + all the tune up gear: Can anybody recommend a good adhesive. I was going to use some 3m..Any tips on installing? Its all going on this weekend....

yeah...I was going to do the same on my D50 before I did some research. I have a 3.9 LSD in the rear and was contemplating a 4.3 and then the step up is 4.6....I want to drive on the freeway so the 3.9 stays. With my CAM and head work, I am set up for low end torque at 2000RPM and consitent to 6.5 with peak HP at 4800 ish RPM. BTW - Is that dude rallying a pink Barbie Car? My sister had one and we used to do the same thing but never ate shit like that. I finally broke it and was grounded forever. Do you have the full vid? It will make for a good laugh. I will send it to my sister.

Good Tip...I will start on the inspection this weekend. More than likely this thing will just go up for sale once it has a clean bill of health. I don't need a spare motor lying around. I bought this truck as a turn key runner and the L18in it just runs so damn good. It would be stupid to swap unless this other one is a monster, which I can tell you it is not. The tear down is something to do while we are drinking beer....:cool:

^^^ + 1 - It would easier...

The easiest way to get that to look clean again is to degrease it with brake clean then dip the parts in Muriatic Acid. We used to use this on the commercial fishing boats to clean the aluminum. It will clean that puppy right up. New gaskets, possibly jets, float etc, and you should be set. Good find for $75 bones. Buy it here: http://paint-and-supplies.hardwarestore.com/50-270-concrete-cleaners/muriatic-acid-605183.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=605183&utm_campaign=googlebase I didn't polish mine either - I would still be at my work bench and having it chrome dipped was not an option becuase you still have to polish it first before dipping. Oh well, the K&N Cap cover most of it.

Cool...It seems like a lot of NW people are on here. A meet would be fun when the weather turns nice. I work and live in S-Town

45 minutes is not a waste of time. This is an extra motor. The one in the truck is just fine. If I were entertaining the thought of swapping out the motor or selling it to someone else I am going to be damn sure that it is solid and not sell or swap junk - common sense. Again, don't know what the CAM is therefore tearing it down for an inspection is also going to provide peace of mind for myself or the new owner. The plus side is also having new gaskets and re-torquing rod, main, head bolts etc. I enjoy this kind of work with some buddy's and a six pack. Further research shows no gains with that Offy intake as oppossed to hogging out a stock intake and getting a rise plate for the carb. If I really wanted power for this truck, I sure as shit would not use a L18 or L20...But, since I have a spare one with hopefully some minor perf. gains...why not right?

I have no experience with Offenhauser. I am unsure of the benfits this intake provides vs. a stock port matched intake. Does anyone have any thoughts here? When I did some light searching, I couldn't find anything on the WEB that was specific to Datsuns. The forum turned up some opinions but nothing definitive straight from Offenhauser. It really did run nice. Under load is a different story. Without a dyno it will be hard to estimate what the MODS to this L18 provide. How did your L18 run? Was it reliable with good power or were the gains minimal?

76 at the wheels - yes, I understand parasitic loss. The crank/flywheel HP is 100. I drained the tank, cleaned the float bowls and jets, and replaced the fuel filters before I even left the guys house. I've been going to olddatsuns.com for information for years. Like I said in previous posts...this isn't my first go around with Datsuns.

I am in Washington State When I bought it the guy had the ability to fire it up. He has a home made engine stand, more of a dolly really with 4 caster wheels - pretty cool for storage purposes. Anyway, it fired right up, blew no smoke, idled, and revved all the way to 6k without a ping, miss, hesitation, etc. It is an L18 with a U67 head (not the A87, I was mistaken in previous posts) which has been mildly port and polished. It has an Offenhauser Intake port matched to the head. I am told it has a mild cam but will not be able to tell until I take it apart. It has a header on it (can't tell the make) and a Weber 32/36. I am also told it has flat top pistons and has only 40-50K since a complete rebuilt (bottom and lower end). The guy that built it sold it to the guy I bought it from (they are buddy's) and replaced it with a small block v8. My truck has plenty of pep at only 30k on the clock since a complete engine rebuild and was told that the modified L18 was plenty quick and faster than the one installed in my truck. I may be interested in selling the motor but not until I get it on an engine stand and inspect it. I will take the head, pan, and timing cover off to inspect everything. Once it is back together I can tell you what the motor is all about and what condition it is in.

Just picked up my truck -- '76 620 Longbed. I drove it the 300 hundred miles home and the engine/tranny/steering/suspension was like a new car. The L18 never missed a beat. It has smooth power and acceleration all the way to redline. You never would know it was only a 100HP..lol..The guy I bought it from did a real nice job on the running gear. It handles like a sports car and I had an extra L18 and misc parts in the bed. I will have pics up this weekend for your viewing pleasure. It is in my storage unit until then. I feel like a kid at Christmas.

I was just in Lahaina and Kihei 3 weeks ago. There was a few datusns rolling the streets but not worth a second look. Cool pic.

The Guys high...No way that motor with those specs makes close to 250HP. He might be leaving some shit out. 160-170 is more believable. I had to spend 4 times that amount to get mine over 200. And whomever said you have to go extreme to make over 200 hp on an L28 is mistaken. I had a 1970 Z with an L28 with an E31 head....blah blah blah...made just over 200 HP N/A. I had 3 grand in the motor. If you know what your doing i.e. the right combinations, you can make a lot of power staying N/A. You just got to break the bank to do it.

I am well aware of the starion/conquests and what they are capable of. There are also some big noteable difference between the 2.6's in the turbo cars and the N/A 2.6's. 1. The Turbo 2.6 has a Cold Hardened Crank and Rods - The N/A does not 2. The Turbo 2.6 has oil squirters in the block for the pistons - the N/A does not. Those guys pushing over 300 HP are boosting well over 10 psi and with a MPI setup, bigger injectors, forged pistons, ARP studs, and a port/polished head with a .282 lift .435 duration CAM can make over 500 HP in a wink. The G54B is an unknown soldier in the tuner world when compared to smaller, better known 1.8 - 2.0 - 2.4 - 2.5 liter motors. Its one of the biggest 4 cylinders made next to some diesel engines that Isuzu manufactured. So, I can turbo my motor very carefully if I get a hgih capacity oil pump and only boost 5-7 lbs max. I decided to build this 2.6 like a big block. I was intending to install a 100 shot of NOS but leaned towards the Supercharger. I can safely say I am the only guy who will have a wildly built 2.6 with a Procharger...These motors are known for torque. Of course you know torque is what gets you down the road. Stock these put out 105HP 145 TQ. Compared to the L18/L20 which is 100 HP 100 TQ. Let it be known that 50% of that money is in bling i.e. fastners, polish, chrome, etc friggin etc. The list goes on and on. I almost shit when I added it up. The tranny is built to the hilt as well.

Glad you posted man. I have the rear chrome bumpers like you do on your rig and they are in excellent condition. They are not on because they get in the way of the dual exhaust coming out the back. I may change that setup now. Pics will be up next week.

Blakezula....I am an engine guy, it's my hobby. Everyone here has pretty much been correct with thier assessments. Speed cost money and if you get past 150 on a L16 then you should have spent the money elsewhere. I am heavily into Dodge D50 sports (hence the handle). The earliest model produced was '79. I've had 3 of them. I recently took the 2.6 156CID 2559CC motor out for a basic rebuild. Well, 10K later I have this sitting on the engine stand. It is N/A and will produce 225HP / 250+ TQ. A C2 Procharger is currently being fabbed to this that will increase the output 70HP. Point of this story....Be prepared to drop some coin if you want some power. The basic bolt on MODS i.e. carb, header, cam, exhaust will be enough for you to enjoy your truck.

This POST is more appropriate here...admins, please delete the other - THX Hey Guy/Gals...I'm a new guy here to this forum. I've been surfing this site for about a week now and this is by far the most comprehensive site for Datsun enthusiasts. I have owned several 1970-71 Z cars in the past and just picked up a pretty damn nice 1976 Datsun 620 with the L18 and a 5 speed conversion out of a 240z. The motor is a fairly fresh rebuild with around 30k on it. I also picked up a fresh rebuilt slightly modified L18 with the A87 Peanut head which is port and polished, mild CAM (dont have specs handy), weber 32/36 (soon to be sidedraft 44's) header, and flat top pistons. I'm getting the truck resprayed a solid color...not big on the flame job on it now. I will post pics when I take delivery on Tuesday. The truck is laser straight with no rust and slightly customized i.e. no hooks, lowered, debadged etc. I am a member of several forums so don't expect stupid questions etc. I am looking forward to contributing and learning much...

That was 10 minutes of my life I will never get back....hahahah.... I looked at this truck on CL and quickly moved on. Not my thing, but I can appreciate the design, creativity and man hours it took to build.