'79 620 daily

[Gary]

progress;

spent most of the day looking into which bits to get and did a bit of parts running, mainly for a leak down tester i ordered which i thought would be better than a compression test, even for a cold engine. didnt get to use it just yet, ill do it tomoz

 

i got the exhaust manifold out for some work, one of the studs was snapped and one was seized, so i drilled them out, then tapped the holes for 10mm studs instead of the factory 8mm. it looks serviceable now :D i noticed there were blanks cast in near the port flanges that protrude into the runner quite a bit. ill die grind them out i think, and clean up some more things before it'll be done

 

also measured up my exhaust to replace with 2" mild, i rummaged about my steel stash and found some smaller stuff that happened to fit perfectly into the bottom flange of the headers :D win! ill visit exhaust shop when i get around to it and sort out a good muffler etc

 

i got my flywheel out from soaking, looks great :D ive sent it off today to get machined, the chap was surprised by the weight of it, i sorta want lighter but i sorta dont care enough to find a L6 flywheel or have my current one made any lighter. heavier flywheels have their uses anyway :D also after measuring said flywheel i ordered an appropriate clutch kit for it, just a standard replacement item as i dont plan on enough power to warrant a HD/whatev

 

i cleaned up the sandwitch plate, i thought they were galvanised but mine was rusty so i gave it a quick coat of paint to help that situation a little

 

tomoz ill get leak-down-testing, then if its good ill order some gaskets and seals and things

[Gary]

progress;

well, the leakdown test didnt go so well. my exhaust valves i think are rusty and arent seating properly. lots of air is leaking out of all of them killing any chance of a good reading. so ive shelved that idea, cold readings for anything other than new engines arent that useful anyway so far as i hear

 

so to guage whether i should use it or not, i poked around the engine to see if there were any hints it wasnt so good. i looked at oil, which was old but still had its colour so thats a plus (J15 oil is already black as, fresh swap) i pulled the sump for a peek inside the block, looked clean inside no baked on nastiness which would suggest either this engine has been incredibly maintained or its copped a rebuild reasonably recently (well, before i picked it up anyway). the crank spins freely with plugs out which is nice, i couldnt get a real good look at the bores but from what i could see they looked ok. the sump had plastic chunks in it (about 2mm, probably 15 or so) which was strange, a chap on ozdat said it might be timing chain tensioners missing plastic but i dont think mine had that much missing from them. they were old and crackly though. i also found some of an old crankseal, was stuck in the sump baffle so maybe has been there ages, the current ones were fresh. also noticed a fair abundance of that red sticky RTV stuff everywhere (was baked and crispy now) so im confident its been worked on already, and is reasonably fresh :D

 

after all that i had a quick chat to a machine shop about what i should do, he said itd be worth a swap just to see if its ok so after that i thought fuck it ill just use it and deal with it if its worn

 

i ordered my gasket set after that (yesterday), and picked up my clutch and fresh flywheel

 

today my gaskets came in (neoprene crankseals thank baby jesus) then got to cleaning and removing bits from the L20 for a look/clean. one of the dipstick bits was cut and folded in on itself (front sump probably) so i knocked that out and ill tap the hole and fill it with a bolt later. also cleaned up the sump ready for paint tomoz (getting rust treated atm), before that i bashed out some dents and welded up the baffle since it was cracked at one end (impact probably, i dunno)

 

ill order timing chain guides tomoz (tensioner and chain looks fine), then maybe clean up the head a bit more, then prepare the block for some paint

[goes2fast]

If the exhaust valves are leaking, you need to do a valve job before trying to run this engine. The thing about the engine being warm for a accurate leak down test only applies to the rings. Valve don't seal any better when warm, plus when you pull the head, you can get a good look at the cylinder bores for wear. If it was mine, I would give it a fresh hone (if hatch marks are gone, and no excessive wear) new rings, valve job, and check the bearings. If this is done, you will know that you have a good engine that will last a long time. :D

[Gary]

definately the smarter thing to do :D you're right, thats what should be done but im gunna chance it with the engine as it is. im asking for trouble but i spose ill see how it goes. the machinist chap reckons if its a slight case of rusted valves (doesnt take much for air to get past during a leakdown test he mentioned, and it didnt feel like a lot coming through) if im patient and lucky i can run it out

 

progress;

there was some nastiness on the block so i thought id strip it for some new stuff. this paint probably wont last long but least it looks good now :lol: i dont even know if the engine is good, so painting it is unwise but i did it anyway. i got cleaning lots, using stripper, scrubbing brushes, wirewheel on an anglegrinder and lots of dremel action (with softer wire stripping tools attached, theyre pretty cool)

 

then i got painting, started with the sump and crank pulley, then got to the engine block;

 

an idea of how clean it is inside :D i havent cleaned these bits

 

also cleaned up some other stuff ready to reassemble, its about ready for gaskets and to get back together. i got fresh timing chain guides and got em in, my old ones werent the source of the plastic in the sump though, i dunno what else itd be. hopefully nothing serious heh we'll see i spose. planning on keeping cork gasket for the camcover, but will RTV the sump. ive since had success with cork gasktts on other engines now that i know how its done, i like RTV more though

 

while i was down there i tapped the second dipstick hole but the way the top of the hole is, fitting a bolt wont be so good so ill turn a suitable plug soon to fill it

 

tomoz ill try get it assembled again, maybe have flywheel and clutch on ready for the box im yet to clean. then not too far until conversion time

[Wide14u]

i just got caught up this its been 4 pages this just gets better

[fivetenguy]

Looking tuff, Gary! Love your attention to detail.

[works510]

great news on the rwc Gary,

Thanks for not getting any fines in it btw haha.

i say steer clear of the carbs and go for some nice efi on the L.

[Gary]

thanks chaps :D it'll get there eventually

 

cheers dan, sorry it took about 11 months more than i thought it would heh. thanks for bein cool about the registration too, helped heaps :D

 

progress;

last couple days were just messing about with the L20. i cleaned lots of bits then refitted the front timing cover, then the sump

 

i got one of these from a chap in ozdat too :D

 

i went rummaging about the shed and found a waterpump pulley, some 510 engine mount brackets and an alternator bracket. i think ill buy a new one depending on price, i need to go through the alternator book at local parts place for something suitable i think. maybe 80-100A to be sure :huh:

[Gary]

progress;

ive been busy throughout the week messin about with other stuff, but inbetween ive done a couple little things to the L20. some of the bottom holes in the head for the manifolds were stripped, so i thought id repair all of the bottom ones while i was there. i went and got me thread repair set and set to drilling out the old threads, cleaning it, then tapping it with the kits tricky tap, then fitting a thread insert to each one, then screwing in the new studs. these are a little stronger than normal threaded holes so hopefully they hold up good

 

also got rid of the blanks cast into the exhaust manifold (well just the bits inside the runner), needs a little more cleaning up before its ready

 

then i got wind of an FJ20 for sale on ozdat that fit my needs nicely, was local and price was good so i threw the tub on quick so i could go for a spin

 

today went for a drive out to where it was, about 60k's out so 120 or so k's round trip. pretty sure its the furthest ive driven in it so far :D was great, i took the coast road for about 2/3 of the way. weather was a bit grey on the way down but on the way back the sun came out and it was nice. i got a nice view of the bay and melbourne on the way home, cool as. i stopped on the way home for something to eat and a couple happy snaps (and err, to check the strap tension... to be sure hah). there's a beach just behind those bushes

 

its weird, the j15 barely noticed the 200+kg's sitting in the tub. rode nicer too with it there :D got to meet a few datsun people while i was there which was cool. didnt have a not a problem up and back which was nice, i think ive sprung a leak somewhere though, havent traced it just yet. the FJ is destined for my 510, but if this L ive got turns out to be not so good...

 

:lol:

[Gary]

progress;

spent today and yesterday mainly ogling the FJ :lol: cool lookin engines

 

today i lifted the tub a little to fix a problem ive found with my battery box, it lifts the tub in one corner to it doesnt line up with the bulletside bit on the cab. fairly obvious problem but i thought the tub needed bushes before itd line up but it doesnt

 

so had to reorganise the arms to go under the tub mount bits rather than over. works ok, but now the third mount has it tilted back a little and it now fouls one of the rails underneath the tub. a hammer will fix i think but ill look at it closer tomoz

[Gary]

progress;

 

while im down there with the tub unbolted and all, its time for more low i think :D i thought id make 4.5" drop blocks but then decided (with some convincing :huh:) that its a stupid idea, so today i removed the springs and they're off at a place now getting de-arced. fingers crossed they do a good job, they wanted quite a bit more than what ive been told by others, spose see how it goes. the plan is to see just how much of a drop i get, then make blocks accordingly, from what i hear i think it'll be around 2"

 

i ordered some longer ubolts to suit the blocks, these are a fair bit too long but ill trim to suit

 

since the springs were out and i had the axle supported by my jack, i thought itd be funny to see how low i can go if the axle touched frame, this is as low as you can go, no bumpstops and no clearance:

 

i had to cut my exhaust for that but the height i want also needs it cut so no problem :D im planning on no bumpstops for now and about an inch and a half clearance, which will look something like this:

 

i might get into the front tomorrow, but will probably only reindex the torsion bars and just wait until the rear is done so i can make it level. cant wait :D

[Wide14u]

as always its looking good

[Gary]

thanks :) low is king! doesnt matter what it is :D

 

progress;

springs should be ready tomoz so i havent done anything with the rear yet

 

i did mess around with the fronts though after getting my head around how torsion bars work. i marked their positions in the control arm then removed the adjusting arms then removed the bars entirely. also removed the front bumpstops

 

i thought i knew how it all worked, but couldnt figure out why the wheels didnt go any lower when i dropped the front to the ground with the bars out competely. then realised my axle stands holding the rear up were roughly in the middle of the chassis, taking all the weight off the front end and hence it wasnt going any lower :unsure:. idiot.

 

i repositioned the stands and for shits i dropped it as low as it'll go, which is about this:

 

feels like the suspension links bind at this height, i dont think you could lower if everything was stock. i jacked the front up a little more to match the rear as it is now (diff currently held on with rope :D), ill aim for this low but will see how it rides and how the rear goes first

 

hopefully springs are done tomoz, really hoping they did a good job cos they're not cheap and i dont like arguing with people :(

[copydat]

SICK!!!!! :cool:

[uieluck]

progress;

 

 

its weird, the j15 barely noticed the 200+kg's sitting in the tub. rode nicer too with it there :D got to meet a few datsun people while i was there which was cool. didnt have a not a problem up and back which was nice, i think ive sprung a leak somewhere though, havent traced it just yet. the FJ is destined for my 510, but if this L ive got turns out to be not so good...

 

:lol:

 

After your done, you're gonna have a heck of a time driving your truck. Your steering wheel is on the passenger side! :lol:

[Gary]

hehe nah you see its the right hand drive :P

 

spring place is stuffing me round a bit :( close to telling them they can keep my springs as a souvenir of their incompetence, while i hit wreckers for some 720 leafs at $24 a side then ill just flatten them myself. they havent called to say its ready, so i went in before work (at 4pm) and the friggin place was shut. dropped a nice donut in their carpark to protest. if theyre not in saturday morning i wont go in again, see how they like their time wasted

[Gary]

progress;

ended up heading back to spring place, for the price i paid im not real happy with what i got, so definately wont be going back or recommending them to anyone... but it doesnt matter cos now i can go low! :D

 

so picked em up today, it dropped it pretty much exactly two inches. which was sweet, just needed 2 more heh

 

this is what a 2" drop looks like

 

needed some blocks, so i made some out of the steel i got when i was planning a 4.5" drop block :unsure: it happened to be 2" tall, just needed to be cut to about 60mm across to match the leaf size so it can fit between the U bolts. i used a 13mm bolt head for locating pin up top, and 14.5mm or so hole to locate the block onto the spring

 

i havent finished em yet, i still need to close either end and paint it, but i couldnt wait to get it on the ground to see how it's going to look from now on so i fitted em up :D this is how a 4" drop looks:

 

theres about 1.5" clearance (little less than 1.5 anyway), i cant make it bottom out by bouncing in the bed, so hopefully normal driving wont see it hit frame too often. if it does ill deal with it. the front torsion bars are still out cos i havent messed with it yet, but here's how it looks on the ground at the moment:

 

looks cool but the front will have to come up a little if i want to drive it places. plenty of clearance, just the only thing holding the car up is suspension links :lol:

[copydat]

Yeah man! Looks dope!

[swb"74"620]

Can't wait to get mine looooooooow, Sits very nice :D

[Gary]

thanks :D low is king :thumbup:

 

progress;

this weekend im hoping to take the ute out on a couple outings so ive been messing about getting it good to go. after some wiring dramas ive managed to pull starting current through the headunit :( naturally this fried it and the USB stick i had plugged in. idiot! found out what it was (earthing through the antenna), insulated it good, got a fresh headunit (same, just red :lol:) and now its all back to normal

 

after that i got the torsion bars lubricated and back in good, then put the arm things back on each of them and sorted out ride height. i managed to discover they need preload to actually do anything :mellow: so i got my head around that and now its sitting about as low as i wanted on the ground. it looks like it has a bit of rake but i dont really like the front sitting any higher :)

 

i remembered i should raise the carrier bearing to suit the drop, it looks like a 50mm raise will keep the tailshaft straight (hard to tell when its on the ground) so ill jack the rear tomoz and see for sure, then make something up maybe out of some aluminium RHS ive got lying around

[Zeusimo]

Looking Good :cool:

 

Rake = Nasty :sneaky:

 

I'm Especially Diggin' That Shattered Dog Dish :D

[Gary]

thanks :D i dont have teh mad skillz to fix the caps :( i dont mind em the way they are though

 

progress;

finally finished with suspension, i raised the carrier bearing with some aluminium RHS so it looks straight, the raise was about 50mm

 

i trimmed the u-bolts then removed em, cleaned em up a bit then painted them (slightly less obvious that bright shiny silver next to old and rusty/dirty parts heh)

 

also removed the blocks, closed either end, welded in the bolts ive used to locate the diff, cleaned them up a little then painted them also

 

refitted everything, finally done :D ill drive it today see how it rides etc

[Greiggy]

gary if you need some caps ive got 3 sets now that are in ok nick... ive been keeping them for a rainy day... if your keen seend me a pm

[Guest kamakazi620]

Bravo sir,Bravo!!! looks sick,I'm SOO jealous of your vent windows!

[Gary]

thanks man :D

 

cheers greiggy, ill probably look at some wheels for the ute soonish anywho. keep the caps for a better resto! haha

 

i took it out today, in lots of ways i reckon it drives better lower. nothing bottoms out, ride quality is a bit worse (mainly over big bumps, normal bumpy roads arent a lot different to when it was high), but overall happy as a clam! just feels nicer, i dunno what it is about it. i am sorta used to driving on 240,000km old dampers and deflated bags though so i guess there isnt a lot worse than that :lol:

 

taking it out tonight, gunna be awesome