Project: 72 Green Wagon

[72wagun]

This is the 72 Wagon I just got. A friend actually bought it, and then decided he didn't have the time or money to put into it. He cleaned it up, changed the fuel filter, put in a battery, etc.

 

The first thing I'm hoping to do is get it to the point that it's reliable enough to be my daily driver. I've also got a 521 that I've been working on for a while. After I get the wagon going good, I want to get the 521 on the road. Then I can switch back to the wagon without having to keep it drivable. Here's what I've done so far:

 

• Trouble shooting on electrical. Turn signals and brake lights didn't work.
  
• Stole the weber carb from my 521 project to get this one running.
  
• Switched to single point dizzy (plan to do electronic eventually).
  
• New plugs, wires, points, etc.
  

 

Thats about it I guess. Any suggestions are welcome. I've had some older cars in the past including a 61 320, but I'm just learning about the 510. I guess I can use all the help I can get:D

 

These pictures aren't the greatest, but this is what it looks like at the moment. I'll add more as things progress.

 

 

[datrod]

Nice goon, Let me be the first to say.

 

WELCOME TO THE GOON SQUAD. :cool:

 

And thanks for posting some pic's. :D

[Pacific coast Datsun]

so yeah ^^^^ what that guy said :D I bet you can compound & buff out that paint & get a shine. Regarding the/signals not working it may be a bad contact @ the fuses. You can remove & soak the fuse block in lemon juice & or wire brush the brass contacts. You'll soon be getting lots of looks as you cruise it around:D

[banzai510(hainz)]

turn signals dont work?

make sure emergency Pull switch is still installed. Some people ripp them off and use in other cars.

Ck the blinker Cans under the dash. Shoul be 2 of them. one for the turn signals and one for the emergency switch.

 

 

brakes lites?

ck the fuses Or replace as they break inside at the end caps where you cant see it. If you dont have brake lites sometimes you wont have dash lights.

That is usally the fuse box area.

 

Jeff and frank are working on fixing my beater. Jeff said my fuse box is bad. I said everything was working. He said a wire fell out after lifting up the fuse box. Just so happens it was the power for the HORN was correded off on both end underneath. Just so happans I dont have Horns so I never knew I was missing it.

[72wagun]

Nice goon, Let me be the first to say.

 

WELCOME TO THE GOON SQUAD. :cool:

 

And thanks for posting some pic's. :D

 

Hey, thanks datrod. Your goon was one of the first ones I happened to see on here. I couldn't believe how good it looked. I liked them before, but yours is really clean with great details. I love the look of the roof rack.

 

so yeah ^^^^ what that guy said :D I bet you can compound & buff out that paint & get a shine. Regarding the/signals not working it may be a bad contact @ the fuses. You can remove & soak the fuse block in lemon juice & or wire brush the brass contacts. You'll soon be getting lots of looks as you cruise it around:D

 

Thanks Pac. Your goon is really nice too. I couldn't believe what great shape it was in when you got it. It *really* looks good now though. Hainz pm'd me yesterday, and recomended some TR3 polish. So, yeah I'm going to try to get it polished up when I get a chance. Thanks for the suggestion.

[72wagun]

turn signals dont work?

make sure emergency Pull switch is still installed. Some people ripp them off and use in other cars.

Ck the blinker Cans under the dash. Shoul be 2 of them. one for the turn signals and one for the emergency switch.

 

 

brakes lites?

ck the fuses Or replace as they break inside at the end caps where you cant see it. If you dont have brake lites sometimes you wont have dash lights.

That is usally the fuse box area.

 

Jeff and frank are working on fixing my beater. Jeff said my fuse box is bad. I said everything was working. He said a wire fell out after lifting up the fuse box. Just so happens it was the power for the HORN was correded off on both end underneath. Just so happans I dont have Horns so I never knew I was missing it.

 

Regarding the/signals not working it may be a bad contact @ the fuses. You can remove & soak the fuse block in lemon juice & or wire brush the brass contacts. You'll soon be getting lots of looks as you cruise it around:D

 

Thanks guys for the tips on the electrical. I didn't really give very good detail above, but I had actually already fixed the brake light/turn signal thing. I think this thing sat outside quite a bit. It ended up being corrosion as you suggested, but it was in the turn signal switch which also affects the brake lights. From reading old posts, it appeared that the turn signal switch for the wagons (6 pin plug) is harder to come by, so I opened up the one I had, and polished up the contacts. Works great now. Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll have to remember the lemon juice thing:D

 

Oh yeah, I have been getting looks. Mostly people look curious or think the wagon is cool, but the other day I passed a guy on the corner holding a cardboard sign. I think he kind of looked at me like "I guess it's tough times for everybody". :D I guess I gotta get this thing cleaned up!

[Wharf Rat]

Goons are cool :cool:

 

Buff that old paint and buy trim rings and moons and people will realy do the twist :)

 

Nice score for sure :)

[WagDatto]

Goons are DEFINITELY the way to go! More power to you, man. Toss a load of stuff back there and cruise around just because you can!

 

"You taking that pile of stuff somewhere?"

"Nowhere in particular!"

 

What are your plans for it?

 

Buffing the paint out is easy enough, and it'll shine up nice. I buffed out an old Subaru, and it GLEAMED!

[72wagun]

Thanks guys. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of time or money to put into it right now. I work pretty long hours. My main focus will be practicle stuff. Fine tuning carb, going through the brakes, etc. And, cheap stuff like buffing compound:D

 

Hopefully I can add a few fun things here and there. I know it's been done a lot, but I really like the look of the panasport style wheels. We'll see.

 

I've wanted a wagon ever since I saw a local one several years ago. Even though I really didn't have the extra money, when this one came along, I couldn't pass it up. I'm hoping I can get on here more and get to know everyone.

[Pacific coast Datsun]

This is extremely "ghetto" but i did this on my old 521's faded blue paint & it did make a difference. After you wash & dry it..take some hand cleaner on a clean rag & go over the entire car section by section in the shade then rinse & dry it again. It will actually shine it up "a bit" & will make the compounding a little easier. If in doubt try a area down low & see how it looks.

[bonvo]

Thanks guys. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of time or money to put into it right now. I work pretty long hours. My main focus will be practicle stuff. Fine tuning carb, going through the brakes, etc. And, cheap stuff like buffing compound:D

 

Hopefully I can add a few fun things here and there. I know it's been done a lot, but I really like the look of the panasport style wheels. We'll see.

 

I've wanted a wagon ever since I saw a local one several years ago. Even though I really didn't have the extra money, when this one came along, I couldn't pass it up. I'm hoping I can get on here more and get to know everyone.

 

warning this site is like cocaine :D

Edited April 23, 2009 by bonvo

[WagDatto]

warning this site is like cockaine :D

 

Bonvo, you might want to correct yourself there... Unless that WASN'T a typo, and you wanted to say "This site is addictive like like snorting a rail while having homosexual intercourse." In which case, proceed, good friend... Proceed.

 

EDIT: I totally meant to say something about the thread! Buff the paint, get some wheels and ROCK ON! My wagon gets looks left and right, and I've had one case where underwear was flung my direction. But I think that was me, and not the car... Got a radio? I'd love to hook one up and blast some oldies while I bomb down the road...

Edited April 23, 2009 by WagDatto

[N0RCALDIME]

warning this site is like cockaine :D

 

LMAO!!!!!!!!!:lol:

cockaine?! really?

[banzai510(hainz)]

Got a radio?

 

I dont have radios in my 510s either

 

a AM radio in my 521.

 

 

No thieft!!!!!!!!!

[72wagun]

I agree this site can be addictive. I guess I'll leave it at that... :mellow:

 

Got a radio?

 

I dont have radios in my 510s either

 

a AM radio in my 521.

 

 

No thieft!!!!!!!!!

 

Yeah, no radio. I've got this little pocket/junk holder thing instead (Obviously I haven't gotten around to giving the car a good cleaning). I'm thinking I'd like to have a hidden radio or something that I can run a portable MP3 player through to keep the 70s look. I wouldn't mind an old AM radio just for looks though.

 

[72wagun]

This is extremely "ghetto" but i did this on my old 521's faded blue paint & it did make a difference. After you wash & dry it..take some hand cleaner on a clean rag & go over the entire car section by section in the shade then rinse & dry it again. It will actually shine it up "a bit" & will make the compounding a little easier. If in doubt try a area down low & see how it looks.

 

I'll give this a try. The one thing I'm not sure about is what to do where I've got a few rust spots. I was thinkin of having the local paint store custom mix a spray can for touch up. It doesn't have to be great. Just something to make it a little more presentable for now.

[Jester]

Hey Luke! I have an AM radio you can have. It was in the Hustler. Works great.

Guys, this little goon is awesome. VERY clean in my opinion. MAYBE we'll see it at Camby this year. :rolleyes:

Does anyone have an extra rear interior panel for the drivers side. He's missing that one. At least it wasn't in there when he stopped by.

[Wharf Rat]

I like the junk holder :)

[72wagun]

Hey Luke! I have an AM radio you can have. It was in the Hustler. Works great.

Guys, this little goon is awesome. VERY clean in my opinion. MAYBE we'll see it at Camby this year. :rolleyes:

Does anyone have an extra rear interior panel for the drivers side. He's missing that one. At least it wasn't in there when he stopped by.

 

That would be cool. I'll drop by to check it out. I actually have the rear side panel. I just had it out to troubleshoot some electrical problems with my tail light. Thanks for mentioning it though!

 

Haven't had much time to work on the wagon, but I did do a few things. Tuned the weber, and reset the ignition timing with a light. It now runs great (thanks Hainz). I pulled all the wheels off just the take a look at all the brakes, and check wheel bearings.

 

I also ordered a few things:

 

-Brake pads and shoes

-Haynes 510/521 book

-Weber book

-L series book

-Pertronics EI and flame thrower coil

 

Next items I'm hoping to work on soon:

 

-Mazda 626 wiper motor swap (I think my motor is fried, but I have to confirm)

-Repack front wheel bearings

-Oh yeah, clean it up and try buffing the paint

-5 speed swap This is a ways down the road, but very high on the wish list now that I'm driving it daily.

 

That's about it for now. I'll try to post pics if I come across anything interesting while I'm working on it.

[72wagun]

I like the junk holder :)

 

It's actually kind of growing on me. Works great for holding sunglasses. I may just leave it.:rolleyes:

[Yakuza]

wagun....i have an original JDM radio and radio bezel if you'd like to trade for that block off plate you have in your wagun..? pm me

[motavated]

i think that plate is rare? I have never seen it before.

[72wagun]

I haven't had much time to work on the wagon, but I did manage to put on a Pertronix Ignitor and Flame thrower coil.

 

 

 

The installation was very easy, but I don't notice much difference in the way the engine runs:rolleyes: But, I won't have to adjust or change points.

 

I also got a few books.

 

I put it on jack stands to check the bearings and brakes.

 

 

 

And I've got a little project for this weekend:

 

[datrod]

Smart move doin the brakes first.:D Nice to see you are doing the important stuff first. Then make it PURDY. :cool:

[72wagun]

Smart move doin the brakes first.:D Nice to see you are doing the important stuff first. Then make it PURDY. :cool:

 

Yeah, but lowering it and getting some new wheels would be more fun!:lol: Oh well, I guess driving it everyday kind of changes your priorities.