Slow Loris

Okay well never mind the clutch issues for now I’m exploring that hydraulically before I do anything drastic. I have found a couple carb issues. This is a manual choke stock hitachi. 1) it’s loose middle section wiggles-it seems tight to manifold and air horn is tight to the middle section but the middle part wiggles a bit. I tightened this screw (below) which helped a lot but it still moves. Everything above that screw wiggles together, everything below it feels firm. I feel like carb is not something where I want to go removing bolts and screws Willy nilly, so any advice re what does/does not need to come out to tighten this up? I assume air horn must come off, are there some long bolts under that gasket that are apparent after I get that off? 2) something’s missing? in looking for obvious bolts to tighten I noticed this: I found a diagram in a book that looks like maybe where the secondary slow jet is supposed to be? Seems important.

Personally, I’d love to find a 521 in a junkyard, it would really help me finish mine.

Just took a bad drive around the neighborhood. Had hardly any power most of the time…engine would quiet down (not really stutter just kind of…take a dive) like it was about to die and then…CRACK a very sharp noise followed by a little burst of power which would remain until the next up or downshift, and then repeat the process. I never gave it enough gas in 1st to experience the noise and sudden power (no power in first whatsoever—I thought initially maybe I wasn’t actually in 1st it was bogging and revving like that), so maybe somehow throttle/fuel related? Or clutch problem? Hard to describe the sound—more like a loud quick grind than like a detonation. Very loud very sharp. Never experienced this before on similar drives. Haven’t changed a whole heck of a lot mechanically since last time I drove it. What the heck?

Good to hear. I’m guessing the previous owner of this distributor left the truck parked in a swamp or something to get it in this condition. Given the apparent utter absence of these for sale and the Datsun desert I live in…I’m determined to get this one back on its feet.

Thanks! Honestly it’s actually really nice to shift too, better than my expectations by far. Would recommend to any diy shift knob people. I think the egg cost me all of $2 too!

Copy that, thanks! Yes I got a coil I believe for 78 620 from Napa that looks spec’d right. Now if I can get the damn thing back together I’ll be…god only knows what will happen then.

Of course the eBay scam distributor didn’t come with it! I got one of these instead seeing some crafty wiring diagrams here that made it look possible: Correct?

Whoa long time no Datsun. Small amounts of effort made on the truck. Did some interior updates—took all the black paint off down to the original teal. Learned that this isn’t the same as the bed which is a blue. Oh well. Repainted the doors with a color matching spray paint…but the original is so faded it doesn’t really match. Oh well. Whatever it’s better than black: Also homemade door cards, nothing fancy but better than the weird plastic panel that was in there. Worked over and old wood steering wheel and stained it, also made this shift knob out of a wooden egg: Been doing some wiring work. Had to run a new wire for the reverse lights to get them to work. Switch was fine but no continuity. Also gussied up the voltage regulator on the cluster because truck came with the suspicious aftermarket water temp gauge and never read fuel correctly. Still using the aftermarket temp but now fuel reads properly! Small victories. Learned I’d set the timing on the wrong timing mark—there are two on my timing cover one that confusingly didn’t match the marks on the pulley, also installed a tach so as to assist with this and some minor carb idle adjustments. Acquired a copy of How to Keep Your Datsun Alive. Love it. Running pretty okay! Now—to the DMV!

Alright got the plates apart and greased and now they slide like butter. The plastic cage for the bearings has seen better days but it seems to be hanging in there with the glue. Nice and greasy…I think I got all the slots lined up. Seems like it doesn’t fit if you don’t: However…I forgot over the last two months that the screw holding all this stuff onto the spindle(?) that sets it into the body broke in half: So I guess in the name of this thread which is “stubbornly and idiotically putting a piece of trash distributor back into service” I will keep going. Next I’ll try the blowtorch on that stupid vacuum advance fitting and see if that gets it out of there. No progress on that front.

Whoa Mr. Big Shot with the battery hold down bracket! I think you’re on the wrong website.

Really love the license plate.

I knew that would work…as soon as I said I couldn’t get the plates apart, I went out to the garage and promptly got the plates apart. Looks like the plastic cage is broken, I see it’s possible to make a new one—I’ll give that a shot after my attempt to super glue it fails.

@yenpit ok it says: D4F6-05 (8301 real small) 22100 B9800 Much appreciate your help rummaging through your box of parts whenever you get to it. I can’t seem to get the plates apart, but assuming I do and grease them up, my big remaining issue would be that seized chunk of vac advance stuck in there. I will try to dremel that thing out but this may end badly for this dizzy body.

Embracing them. That’s what I’m doing. Now if only Hainz would realize you are trying to make him a few bucks selling all those dizzys to vintage racers. Do I smell a finder’s fee in your future?

@Bleach and @yenpit thank you for the constructive input, I’m pretending I can’t hear the married couple bickering on this thread. @yenpit yes, will do!

I’m in too deep! I got robbed on eBay like I knew I would now I’m committed! Unless you really think that’s hopeless. I put up a want ad…no one wanted to sell me an electronic distributor…I looked at the junkyards…nothing. I called my parts hoarder…nothing. I mean I’m fine with points for now. Oh well. Maybe I’ll try the cheap-o Boursin one.

@banzai510(hainz) yeah I thought about that one but saw a couple bad reviews that scared me off. I’ll grease er up and see what happens. Though there’s the issue of the nipple from the vac advance being froze into the housing…

Okay Ratsun-migos, I broke my own rules and bought a used car part on eBay. Now I pay the price. I got an I think D4f electronic distributor, remote ignitior, hei compatible style one if that clarifies which type. Thing is, it’s in shit condition. I can only be mad at me, it was in “used” “as-is” condition and I’m the idiot who bought it. Ok pity party over. I took it apart already. It’s real crusty and rusty. My question is about all these plates. How freely do they need to move relative to one another? First there’s this piece indicated by my red straw which slides freely: Moving downwards which is pretty gritty but will rotate: Next, this one below that holds the bearings is hard to budge but I’m guessing the other stuff slides on that one and it stays stationary??: Assumption here is that I’m holding onto this one below and trying to spin the rest: Looking at the underside, this one will slide along the slot, but not easily: SO, are all these plates supposed to glide like butter over the top of one another or is some resistance ok? (I do have the missing ball bearings, eagle eyes). Thanks for any advice.

Datsuns that run away from home do so just after moving to a new house. Best to give her an acclimation period to be sure she’s feeling comfortable.

Pure excellence somewhere in Oregon.

Looks SO good! You made it look easy. Where’d you end up getting carpet? Is it backed with anything?

Man that’s looking so good! How’d you do that transition on the edges from the tunnel section to the floor section? Folded, steamed, and glued down?

I’m planning on doing exactly what you’re doing @uberkevin with the photo in this listing (and the floor) as a template. May be the kit in question: https://www.ebay.com/itm/166038049615?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=vyjqs2oxrhw&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=_oz8V3XhQTi&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY I eagerly spy on your progress until then.

We are running. We are driving. And now…most ELUSIVELY…we are STOPPING! Brakes brakes brakes! I pretty much started from square one after somehow still not having brakes. It seemed like my (new) master was defective as I went to bench bleed it again, and the front circuit would push fluid out…then suck it right back in, bubbles and all. So I had a replacement, different model, and that bench bled just great. Hooked it up and…still no brakes. So…took off the drum on my first guess and found this little turd: Nice little chunk taken out of the rubber there. Replaced it. And now… BRAKES!!! OH YEAH.

Very interesting! Thanks all, for the history lessons. What other secrets are in there…oh yeah maybe this one: Only one way to find out I guess!