Need Help

[Gryphon]

Ok so here's my story..

 

back in august i bought a 1982 datsun 720 4x4 pickup off of craigslist here in the sacramento area. i previously had a 1985 toyota pickup and loved the hell out of it even with all the issues it gave me. the Datsun is a nice truck but my issues seem to be with any carbureted engine..

 

currently in the truck is a Z24 upgrade from the original Z22 engine.

 

my problem is it takes about 30mins to warm up the truck in this cold weather. my wife also loves the truck except for the fact that it takes forever to warm up and we don't have 30mins each day to sit and wait for it to warm up. 'such is life'

 

what im wondering is, is there and engine upgrade or an engine modification that would better suit our needs?? either a fuel injection modification that would get rid of the carburetor or a newer fuel injected engine upgrade that would give us more power and better fuel economy??

 

we live in the foothills to the east of sacramento ca. and the poor truck seems to dislike our horendous hills when traveling above 50mph.its got great power in the lower gears but just seems gutless otherwise.

 

i dont have alot of resources at the moment so this is going to be a project that im going to have to save for so im doing all the prepwork now. i do own the chilton for this truck thats the first thing i do will all my vehicles that im able to work on without voiding warrenties.. the haynes manuel was unavailable at the stores i shop at.

 

any advice or suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

thank you.

[AtomChurch]

simple solution if your carrb is bad, get a weber. rebuild kits are cheap, and easy to do. you gain some power over a stock carb but lose fuel econ. i have no complaints with either mine.

[INDY510]

Try a new thermostat.....

 

It will cost under $10,, and probably fix your problem...

 

If the thermostat is stuck open, the truck will take FOREVER to heat up.....

[bonvo]

i second what atom and indy said sounds like a carb issue to me when it comes to the lack of power if you wanna work on a budget rebuild the stocker but a weber is far superior as for the long warmup time it could also be a choke issue as well as the thermostat

[Gryphon]

ill look into replacing the thermostat.. i haven't had the funds to do a solid tune up with the truck but have been setting aside petty cash for the job.. as far as replacing the stock carb with a weber im not sure what the regulations here in california are for that but last i heard smog techs frown on seeing them here. i can look into that more also... but its not a bad idea to price a carb overhaul or tuneup/dial in to get it smog ready for tag renewal also. would the carb i had rebuilt for my toyota pickup work as a simple solution swap onto the datsun?(not sure how the older japanese parts swaps work if at all..)

 

thanks for the input.

 

any suggestions for upgrade for a project to save up for.. like new engine and possibly tranny upgrades for more power and switching from carb to fuel injected?

Edited October 20, 2009 by Gryphon

[hoov100]

something you could also do is disconnect the fan, or put something in front of the radiator to keep the fan from sucking air through it. another thing is that you dont have to wait for the truck to up to exact operating temps, as the gauge itself is plumbed into the coolant, in cold weather the temperature of the block and oil are more important, another thing you could do, is an engine block heater, or oil pan heater. another option, is to start the truck first thing when you wake up, so by the time your ready to leave, it would be at the desired operating temp. Their should be no problem with getting a carb from a 22R to work on the 24, but you might have to come up with some vacuum/coolant lines and possibly a custom throttle linkage.

[Gryphon]

thanks for the input hoov100.. lately ive been starting it that 30mins early so i can get it to function properly for me... your reply reminded me why i was having to do so which I FAILED to state in the original post..

 

the reason ive gone to the 30minute warmup is because when i fail to do so its as if my carburetor is bogged down to where if im on an incline i stall out and have to wait a second so as not to flood the carb.

 

the more i talk about the issue its looking more like i simply need to go have the carburetor adjusted to my local area to better suit my needs.. since im in the foothills and i bought it from someone who lives in the valley.