pope_face

L4N71B was the '83+ auto, the same one used in the maximas? I don't really know much about transmissions... or about engines for that matter, but I can figure most of it out. I'm assuming what you mean by "locking out" 4th gear is that the transmission won't shift into it, correct? Does the OD affect all the gears, or is it sort of an additional gear? For example, if I don't "lock out" the OD, will it affect everything from first to third, or will it just "kick in" after the engine/wheels reach a certain speed in third gear? Sorry for the n00b questions... but as far as I know not all "O/D's" work the same... my DD has a three speed w/ O/D, but it kicks in "after" third gear, providing the engine rpm's are correct and I'm travelling at the right speed... However, I've driven a Camry with O/D, and it's a sort of on/off deal... you turn it on at highway speeds or for extended driving to reduce engine rpm, but when it's on it seems to affect all gears...

I have the J-series in my 521 right now, but I need to swap over to the L-series for the auto transmission... I know I could go with a different engine, but the L16 appeals to me... however, I do a lot of highway driving, and I'd like to keep my final gears (4.88?) to save on cost and to add a bit of kick at the low end... At the same time, I'd rather not have electronic controls... So, the '83/'84 Maximas had a 4(?) speed automatic with overdrive, and will bolt to an L-series motor? Or, the bell housing for an '83/'84 Maxima and an O/D transmission (again, 4 speed?) from a KA 240? Is the overdrive included in the number of gears, or is it additional (4 speed w/ O/D = 4 speed, or 4 speed w/ O/D = 5 speed)? Also, are both the Maxima and the KA transmissions hydraulically operated, or electrical? Datzen... feel like selling the transmission to me? ^_^

Er, I'm going to hijack this thread for a second, but bluemeanie, is that an Unimog in your display pic? (Secretly loves Unimogs.)

I meant two bucket seats in the cab, and another bench seat in the bed... But I know what you mean... I rarely drive with one other person in my car, let alone two, but I think I'll hang on to the bench seat just in case... I'm the kind of person that likes to be ready for most situations... and no, I was never a boy scout... =P

There's a few nice Datsuns here in Vancouver... I remember a lowered orange 510 Wagon with chrome wheels (I think), although I don't remember the driver... I think he was in his 20's or so though. There's also a blue 620 parked over on 10th Ave, just a block west of McDonald... Never seen the driver, but it's always there, and I've talked to a shop owner who knows the guy and says it runs an L20B. Other than that... just a few beaters I'd like to get my hands on. But, no other 521 as far as I've seen! Although I've heard there's a few in the Lower Mainland...

I think I'm going to try to track down a similar set of seats... I like 'em too much... I know if I was building something that slick people would want to ride with me... seeing as you only have bucket seats up front, have you considered taking a bench seat or something similar and mounting it in the bed? I think some of the newer minivans or whatnot had quick-release seats... if you could get a set of floor mounts and weld the bottom of the seat rails (or whatever you'd call them) to a seat out of one of your donors (sp?), then you could have a 5 person convertable cruiser that you could swap into a two seater hardtop within minutes...

Just spending the night at home, handing out candy to the kids... I did get half-assed dressed up though... big ol' bomber jacket, fighter pilot's cap, and goggles...

Wow, this is a good topic... And by reading a lot of these posts I feel shamed for owning an SUV... It's actually made me seriously start considering an electric-powered 521... I wonder what the costs associated would be... I have to swap the engine out anyways, as well as the transmission... Even if I got a rebuilt I'd probably modify it... then assuming 10 litres of gas per 100 km, and an average monthly driving total of 2000 km, that's 200 litres of gas... assuming gas stays fairly steady at about $1.05 per litre, that's $210 a month on gas... that comes out to $2,520 a year on gas... factor in a 6,000 km oil change (full synthetic, new filter) is about another $50 every three months... $200 over the course of the year... plus $50 for aircare a year... for a grand total of... $2,770 a year on the dino fluids, not to mention all the other things that go along with an internal combustion engine... spark plugs, air filter (although a K&N will last forever...), fuel filters, coolant... let's say they add up to another $30 a year total... so $2,800 a year, roughly, for me to run my L521 on 87 octane gas, assuming I get an L16 and a light foot... I don't know, I might actually start considering the electric engine. I drive about 7,000 km more in a year than the average person, which means there are people who drive 7,000 km less a year than the average person... Someone who drives minimally and owns only a little econobox might not benefit as much as someone like me, but if I switch over to electric that's about 2,500 litres less of gas burned a year... But, there are many sources of energy, as has already been mentioned... hydro-electric dams, the wave power generators, wind farms, solar panels, geothermal (the new thing in home heating)... and those are just the "clean" renewable sources... Or if those don't float your boat, how about nuclear or hydrogen? And if you're still after the controlled explosions, there's natural gas, propane, biodiesel (also renewable, mind you), and the two classics, gasoline and diesel. Of course, that's not including alcohol or nitro (the stuff some RC cars run on)... Or how about coal? I'm pretty sure kerosene and gunpowder could be used to create power some way... or there might be some way to use actual explosive materials (think HE, C4, TNT, etc...) to create power. Hell, you could even use human power... get people to sit on a bicycle for a few hours a day and pay them according to how many kilowatts they produce... it used to be done with horses and mills for grinding grain or whatnot... I just figure using people would be somewhat more ethical. I left electrical power out for a reason... someone brought up the very important point that electricity is created from more primitive fuel sources, rather than a source itself... and, I do realize that not all the above fuel "alternatives" would work in a vehicle, but they could be used to generate electricity which could then be used in a vehicle. The power for a vehicle doesn't have to come from any particular source... all it requires is portability and the ability to convert it into a simple mechanical motion: the rotation of a shaft. Actually, come to think of it, I'm pretty sure you could even harness the energy from lightning strikes if you really put your mind to it... it'd be clean, renewable electricity without any of the primitive fuel middlemen... EDIT: One more quick point: I've actually heard something a while back about this, but it was more about people putting up solar panels on their roofs and storing the excess power, and then using some two-way meter that could increment when the household was taking power from the main grid, and decrement when it was adding power to the main grid... it was some idea to encourage people to use solar power... great idea, if you ask me. People could learn to be a lot more responsible for themselves...

You can buy LED lamps like that as far as I know... I'm not sure if you could get them in all fitments, but you could probably get them custom made at least...

Thanks for the kind words... I'll look into the turnsignal... I haven't had a chance to really start stripping it apart yet as I don't have my garage up... hopefully that'll get put up this weekend and I can start tearing into it... I think I may have to start a build thread pretty soon...

When I start working on an engine I'm planning on heading down to a local shop here called Greenline Hose And Fitting... they do everything from fuel lines to hydraulic lines to marine hoses to food transfer to... Well, let's just say they do everything... only thing is, it's not always too cheap... But, great place for finding hoses that you can't find anywhere else.

Rewire the cluster! Or try the 158's if they've got the same plug... if it fits, gives the same effect, and uses less power, it's probably good. If any of those things don't apply, then it's probably best to stick with what was there originally.

I'd love to keep the stock one, but I'm not sure how easy it would be to find one, and I don't plan on keeping the truck completely stock... besides, I think I nice, big 15" wooden wheel with chrome spokes would look pretty slick, don't you?

Kiznook... I take it you don't live in Vancouver, WA? Any plans on coming up this way at all? And the '72 grille/surrounds is from a 510, right? How much for the L20B?

Does Grant or Momo or anyone make adapter hubs for the 521? Or is the steering wheel hub the same as a 510? I ought to replace mine... it's mostly there, but the plastic is so old and dry it seems to be rotting out...

x2

Same thing, you need to hack off the stock perches and reweld them...

I agree, I'm not much into chop-tops myself. Customs I'm into... I have nothing against shaving everything off the exterior (considered doing it myself a few times), but I like to be able to see out of my windows...

Every time I see it it just keeps getting better and better... Why the retractable roll bar? Are you considering mounting it inside the cab, behind the seats? Or will it be somewhere behind the cab?

I ought to do some research on the JDM fenders, as I don't actually know what you mean... As for the switch, I suppose it could be a PO install... It looks like a pretty clean install though, so I'm not sure. From what it says on the paperwork, it's a '70, but we all know that the paperwork lies... And what I meant by the support is the steel beams that run from corner to corner... so the hood doesn't quite keep it's shape as well as it should, which is probably why the front of the hood looks off kilter. And I didn't know I had a double post... thanks for taking care of it...

Pictures of my truck! Finally... You probably can't tell in the pictures, but the hood support grid isn't actually connected to the hood in the center... the hood mount for the driver's side hinge is pretty rusty, so the whole thing is pretty shaky when opened... I either have to do some welding or (ideally) replace the whole hood... anyone have one to sell to me? The driver's side fender is rusted just over the headlights... so far it's been patched up with fiberglass, but it'll have to get looked at pretty soon. Also, the headlight trim on that side is a little bent, but it should be possible to get it back into shape. Other than that... the seats are out of a first gen ('91-94) Ford Explorer 2-door. They sit a little too far forward, but they're fairly comfortable. Not sure about ease of mounting though... PO put them in. The orange box with the stalk coming out of the steering wheel is the turn indicator... the stock one is broken for some reason, but I'm planning on fixing that. The little gauge under the fuel indicator is the water temp... the stock one doesn't work either. Also, the stock fuel gauge only shows half full when the tank is full, but that may be bad wires/sender. Finally, the little black switch to the left of the water temp gauge is the on/off switch for the fuel pump. The PO put in an electric fuel pump, which works great for me... I just have to relocate the switch eventually... Other than that, does anyone know what the white switch with the "R" on it next to the ignition does? I haven't been able to figure that out... I though reverse lights, but it seems they come on automatically when shifted into reverse... And, if anyone's wondering, the tarp in the back is to cover the stock bench seat (which is pretty shredded... I'll get pics of it eventually) and one of those tent garages... I don't have a real one to work in, so I've gotta make my own for the time being...

Wow... I was kind of antsy about the thought of hacking off the back of the cab, but it looks really good... although, to be honest I was considering something similar on an older American pickup... Only suggestion I have to make is a roll cage... I know you probably won't be doing anything outrageous enough to need one, but it's good to be on the safe side... But, what you could do is make a roll bar for just behind the cab... if you could figure out some way to mount it on top of the sides of the bed, just behind the cab, and follow the contours of the cab, then extend two bars from each of the top corners to the very back of the bed, then you could get some sort of custom soft-top for it... something that would clip to the top of the tailgate, then stretch up and clip to the rollbar just behind the cab, with two triangular pieces coming down on either side to cover the sides of the bed... then you could have another little piece of soft-top that you could clip to the top of your windshield to block out the sun down at the beach (to block out the sun or whatnot), or you could just leave the top open... sort of like some of the older Ford Broncos or GMC Jimmys had... Then again, I suppose that's sort of an off-road thing to do... although it might be nice to have the option of a soft-top... even just the part over the cab, and leaving the back of the cab and the bed open...

Yeah, it's looking more and more like I'll have to just switch over to a different series and get an automatic... I'm assuming the L-series is the most direct replacement, correct? Would I have to get a custom driveshaft made up in order to use my stock differential with the L-series auto trans? Or is there a complete engine/auto transmission/driveline/differential setup that would pretty much be a direct bolt-on? Would I run into any clearance issues with the current steering setup, or is there a different front end setup that I could switch to that would provide better handling, possibly with disk brakes, that wouldn't be too hard on the wallet? I guess what I need to find now is a 1970 or later carburated, four-cylinder engine with as little electronics and smog equipment as possible, that was designed to take an automatic transmission and would bolt into the L521 with little or no modifications, and has some power and potential without being being too expensive... and after saying all that, I'm thinking L-series. Any suggestions? Tyler: I'd love to get airbags, but after considering all that, plus the cost of replacing the engine and transmission, I think I may just have to leave that for a later date... much later. 73super: I don't know about down there, but up here diesel was just slightly below gas, last I checked... the thing is, apparently diesel engines burn slightly less fuel and have more power... 72 327: Yeah, I suppose if I'm willing to swap engines I may as well stick to something that'll work... unless, of course, I can trim the weight of the truck by some 1000+ lbs... Datzen: I know I can use the vacuum from the carb, but it's just one of those things where I'd rather keep the clutch components separate from the rest of the engine... that way if I run into trouble later on it'll be easier to troubleshoot as well. Not really cost effective, but that sort of setup appeals to me more... As for EFI, I have nothing against it, I'd just rather have less electronics. Just not my thing... never was, and probably never will be. Like I said, I have EFI on my DD, and the thing drives me nuts with all the electronics and gadgets and whatnot... Kiznook: I'm assuming EI is electronic ignition... what's the difference between it and standard ignition? Does it use a coil rather than a distributor?

I'm still debating the ride height... right now the rear has been dropped a couple inches on blocks, but the front is still stock height. I'm actually considering raising the rear again to get the rake... or, even lowering the rear and raising the front... I think that would make for a pretty nice rat... especially if I used airbags and had steel plates under the truck, so I could drop it on the highway and send sparks out the back... As for the carb losing fuel efficiency, I'm not too worried about that. There's really a lot more to the whole deal than just simplicity and fuel efficiency, although that's the main part. I'm the kind of guy who likes to actually work on his cars... I can't leave well enough alone. With an FI, I can't do that, and I'm not keen to try to learn about the electronics in one. I understand electronics more or less, but I'd rather not have them in my car. Other than that, I've always been a fan of doing something a little different... A lot of people around here have cars or trucks with small blocks, and it seems like that's the trend nowadays. Even a lot of the imports (and there's a lot here) are getting engines with more toys and larger displacement. There doesn't seem to be many people who really make an effort to build up small displacement engines... The other thing I wouldn't mind doing is getting a diesel engine... I think some of the trucks in the early 80's had them, and some older BMW's even had turbocharged ones. I think a small, turbocharged performance diesel would be interesting...

A thumb control as in a thumb lever, on the rear of the handlebar? The throttle cable is fairly light, so I suppose I could just use a motorcycle brake lever or something and run it directly to the carb... or even a grip throttle off of a motorcycle... I suppose it would be the easiest thing to do, aside from trying to learn it. I'm pretty used to the right foot gas, left foot brake, so it would throw me for a curve... I also do a lot of long-distance highway driving, so I'm wondering how comfortable it would be to use the gas like that...