fisch Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 My '71 521 has classic rusted gas tank syndrome. Also the Dash is cracked all over. Anyone have leads for these items, or know of interchangeability with other models? I would need items shipped to MA. Not sure of cost? It is all new to me folks! Scott Quote Link to comment
dat521gatherer Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 hmm cracked dash pad i think is the most common accessory 521's came with. haha. how bad is it? all cracked up or just a few cracks? there is a seller on ebay that sells dash covers but you cant look it up by typing 521. it might be under 520 under additional buy it now items. i know it's on there somewhere. i just went down to the fabric store and bought some fleece or something and glued it on. it's the easiest dash to recover because of the flat edges. i've done mine twice. i'd show you a pic but the manage attachments link is missing. i've tried the vinyl repair and tried black silicon and they both work like shit. are you sure the tank is rusty on the inside? if in doubt pop the little 6"x10" door on the floor of the bed with a flat tip screw driver. remove the fuel sending unit and look in there with a flashlight. i think most tanks are rust free but if yours is rusty call all your local yards. if you find a 521 in a yard most likely the fuel tank will be with it. before you start wrenching it pop off the little door and make sure it's not rusty before you buy it. try to scrape off any dirt or mud before removing the sending unit. this will make the retaining ring come out easier. you'll need a hammer and flat tip blunt screw driver to remove the retaining ring. bang on all 3 sides rotating on the ring as it will shift 1/3 of a inch side to side. other than that it's just one filler tube. one breather tube and 4 bolts. 2 on each long end of the tank. of coarse for temporary you could use a red gas can that you keep you gas into put into your lawn mower. strap or bungie it down and run a fuel hose to it from the fuel pump. i wouldn't drive around like that but just for testing. Quote Link to comment
ppeters914 Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 Most tanks just need to be cleaned and sealed. Drain it, remove it, and run multiple washes of Simple Green with a good flush, or use Eastwood's Gas Tank Sealer Kit For Cars. Once the inside is good, strip/clean the outside and paint it with Zero Rust, Eastwood, etc. Krylon will work, but I'd prefer something a little more heavy duty. :D Quote Link to comment
banzai510(hainz) Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 If you have a real rust proplem on your 521 your idle jet will plugg up on the carb. It wont idle but will run if you pump the gas(runs on the accell pump) Quote Link to comment
fisch Posted September 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 If you have a real rust proplem on your 521 your idle jet will plugg up on the carb. It wont idle but will run if you pump the gas(runs on the accell pump) You know you might be on to something. The owner garaged it for 10 years because of the leaking tank, and carb issues. He ran it off a can for a little bit, but he never messed with it. I bet the rusty leaky tank and the carb issues are connected! I haven't tried to start it yet. So I will have to do all the preparation for a start after a long sit. (And he has to mail me the keys!) We will see what I get! Scott Quote Link to comment
banzai510(hainz) Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 my 521 the fuel hose in the wheel whell would get fine dirt on the Hose and work its way into the tank and also rust in the tank would work its way past the filter to the carb idle jett plugging it. You can put in a new filter but cut the old one opent o see what your working with. 510s dont have this proplem since tank is inside the vehicle. Quote Link to comment
datsunaholic Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 with. 510s dont have this proplem since tank is inside the vehicle. Wagons do, unfortunately. Worse than trucks, because they're directly behind the passenger rear wheel. Trucks have the misfortune of the fill tube being very exposed. If the tank is leaking because it's rusted out I don't think anything can be done except replacement unless you go to the expense of having it welded or adding a bladder, neither of which is worth it, and 521 tanks are unique (well, 520s are the same). The 620 has the tank on the other side of the truck, so that wouldn't work. Plus they mount different. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 If I remember right the gas and brake lines are bolted/clamped directly to the frame and collect dirt and debris which stays wet and rusts them out. (my '82 frame has them mounted an inch or so away so they stay clean) My 521 was always springing leaks along the lines. Quote Link to comment
dat521gatherer Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 might it be leaking at the drain plug? you'll still not know how bad it is until you look on the inside. if it's not rusty on the inside and it's only rusty on the outside you may be able to have it repaired and pressure tested. it's very hard to find a shop that works on gas tanks. some radiator shops will. the last place i used was performance radiator. cost me $65 to weld my leaks and pressure test on my 65 dart. just dont try to use any stuff thats supposed to reline the inside of the tank. gas tanks may be big but there are fairly light. not much packing needed to ship one. just a slight oversize nonmatch charge from the post office. tdaaj has one for sure. he doesn't like to ship large items. but if you bug the shit out of him and wave some cash under his nose he may just help you out. hell all he has to do is drop it off at fedex or ups and they'll box it for him. pm this guy he has your tank! worst case you may have to bribe one of us to pull the next one out of pull-a-part and ship it to you. pull-a-part in tacoma has no 521's at the moment but they come in all the time. Quote Link to comment
fisch Posted September 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 might it be leaking at the drain plug? you'll still not know how bad it is until you look on the inside. if it's not rusty on the inside and it's only rusty on the outside you may be able to have it repaired and pressure tested. it's very hard to find a shop that works on gas tanks. some radiator shops will. the last place i used was performance radiator. cost me $65 to weld my leaks and pressure test on my 65 dart. just dont try to use any stuff thats supposed to reline the inside of the tank. gas tanks may be big but there are fairly light. not much packing needed to ship one. just a slight oversize nonmatch charge from the post office. tdaaj has one for sure. he doesn't like to ship large items. but if you bug the shit out of him and wave some cash under his nose he may just help you out. hell all he has to do is drop it off at fedex or ups and they'll box it for him. pm this guy he has your tank! worst case you may have to bribe one of us to pull the next one out of pull-a-part and ship it to you. pull-a-part in tacoma has no 521's at the moment but they come in all the time. Thanks for the lead and the instructions Dat521! I am hoping to did in there a little more this weekend. You rock, scott Quote Link to comment
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