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Just my 1978 620


Mr Raiders

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Hi all, I'm new to posting, I have been watching and learnin from this blog for awhile and started an account but never posted anything. I have had my 1978 datsun king cab for over a year and really haven't done much to it but put some wheels on her. I did lower the front end a bit and added 3 inch lowering blocks. I just wanted to show off my truck and show some of the things I am doing to her. I finally have some time and a place to do some things I have been thinking about for awhile. I removed all the tie down hooks from the bed. I am still in the process of welding the tailgate in place. Also going to go with a tilt bed, hinged on the driver side. No power opening yet but it's on the books for the future. I took out one of the pieces to the rear leave spring and removed and twisted the torsion bars and re-installed them to lower the front end farther. Now there is no rake and she's low like I want for now, well as low as I'm going to get with out baggin her which is also planned for the future. I picked up some 15" rims the other day I'm re-doin in a flat black. We'll enough typin I'll jsut post some picture's and try to keep updating with new thing's I'm doing. Hope you all enjoy...

 

gallery_4399_671_315237.jpg

Well this is the front

 

gallery_4399_671_155579.jpg

And the back

 

gallery_4399_671_260898.jpg

The side stripped down to the sheet-metal

 

Truck021.jpg

and then the bondo

 

Truck003.jpg

The new used rims 15's

 

Truck005.jpg

The rim after paint

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Ok, some work i got done today...I'm not happy with my bondo job, so I brought the truck back into the garage...Actually i think its my crappy sanding job that really sucks, I'm an amateur but wanted to give it a shot. Any how here ya go

 

Truck022.jpg

Its not going to come out perfect, but I'm going to get it a little better than this, the sunlight really showed alot of missed spots...I need better lighting.

 

Truck023.jpg

The rail came out nice, smaller surface is probably why, I covered about 12 holes..

 

Truck024.jpg

 

And After deciding to weld the tailgate on, After I removed the hardware I decided to just redo the whole thing. And I found out the trucks been tan, blue and black.

 

well thats it for today

Thanks all

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  • 5 weeks later...

So after a while of not doing anything to my truck, I figured it was about time I attached my tailgate back on, I hate driven without it and I don't like the look. And after finding out my brake lights stopped working, while my truck was in the garage I figured I would but the tailgate back on. I couldn't figure out how I wanted to weld it, as I will one day remove the bed floor and raise it for bags, I added brackets to hold the thing on, well I hope it stays on. So here are some more pics of what I have going on with my truck.

Truck044.jpg

the holes covered up nice

Truck045.jpg

there was a dent in the corner, can't even tell anymore and bondo in the space left from no hinges came out ok

Truck046.jpg

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just curious... how tall are your wheels? cause i have a 79 620 K/C and i like how yours sits, a lot.

and what did you mean when you said "removed and twisted the torsion bars and re-installed them"?

 

Hi, so the wheels are 14's with 195 - 60 series. I believe they are about 23 inches tall

Truck055.jpg

and thanks for the complement.

So to get this look with these tires. I had to do 2 things. The first one answers your question about the torsion bars. When lowering a 620 by the torsion bars you run out of thread on the bolt. there are 2 ways I have heard to fix this, the first is to get longer bolts, but that seemed to easy.

 

The second is a little tricky, At the back end of the torsion bar before the support beam, there is a rubber boot, slide that forward and you should see a big C clip,

Truck077.jpg

Remove that. Its kinda a pain without the tool for it. Now I'm not sure if you have to but I removed the bolt to the torsion bar.

Truck062.jpg

Of course mark where the torsion bar is before removing it, The bar slides out of the front.

Truck079.jpg

Now, grab the bar and pull it out. Rotate the bar the direction you were trying to go with the torsion bolt, I believe it was clock wise. I think I turned mine about half a turn. Put everything back and loosing the torsion bolt to get the rid height your looking for.

 

The second thing I had to do is after I got the front down it had a rake I didn't like even with my lowering blocks and rear end on the top of the springs. So I removed the middle leaf spring.

Truck070.jpg

My truck had 3 springs, not sure if this is standard. The main spring the middle one and the lower support spring. Removing the middle one is easy.

 

After you jack the truck up and support the rear end, remove the u-bolts and block and shocks. Remove the leave spring Rear bolt, No need to remove the whole leave spring.

Truck058.jpg

 

Remove the center bolt holding the leaf springs together. and just pry the middle leaf spring holders up, and the slide the spring out. Put everything back together and your springs will flatten out when on the ground.

Truck056.jpg

 

And that is how I got the ride were I like it, of course I can't really carry much of a load in the bed now, but I have plans to tilt it so I won't be puttin stuff back there anyway.

 

Truck069.jpg

 

Hope this helps

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Hi, so the wheels are 14's with 195 - 60 series. I believe they are about 23 inches tall

Truck055.jpg

and thanks for the complement.

So to get this look with these tires. I had to do 2 things. The first one answers your question about the torsion bars. When lowering a 620 by the torsion bars you run out of thread on the bolt. there are 2 ways I have heard to fix this, the first is to get longer bolts, but that seemed to easy.

 

The second is a little tricky, At the back end of the torsion bar before the support beam, there is a rubber boot, slide that forward and you should see a big C clip,

Truck077.jpg

Remove that. Its kinda a pain without the tool for it. Now I'm not sure if you have to but I removed the bolt to the torsion bar.

Truck062.jpg

Of course mark where the torsion bar is before removing it, The bar slides out of the front.

Truck079.jpg

Now, grab the bar and pull it out. Rotate the bar the direction you were trying to go with the torsion bolt, I believe it was clock wise. I think I turned mine about half a turn. Put everything back and loosing the torsion bolt to get the rid height your looking for.

 

The second thing I had to do is after I got the front down it had a rake I didn't like even with my lowering blocks and rear end on the top of the springs. So I removed the middle leaf spring.

Truck070.jpg

My truck had 3 springs, not sure if this is standard. The main spring the middle one and the lower support spring. Removing the middle one is easy.

 

After you jack the truck up and support the rear end, remove the u-bolts and block and shocks. Remove the leave spring Rear bolt, No need to remove the whole leave spring.

Truck058.jpg

 

Remove the center bolt holding the leaf springs together. and just pry the middle leaf spring holders up, and the slide the spring out. Put everything back together and your springs will flatten out when on the ground.

Truck056.jpg

 

And that is how I got the ride were I like it, of course I can't really carry much of a load in the bed now, but I have plans to tilt it so I won't be puttin stuff back there anyway.

 

Truck069.jpg

 

Hope this helps

 

thanks a lot! now, did you jack the front end up when you did the torsion bars? and if you remove the middle leaf, wouldn't that soften the suspension? could i just use a 4in block and get the same look without making the truck really soft?

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Removing springs is a double whammy. Not only are you lower but the suspension is so soft the truck will bottom out easier and this is what will happen...

 

mangeledarm.jpg ... or rip exhaust system off, punch hole in oil pan.

 

You need stiffer if lower and let the tires do some of the suspension work. Have your springs de-arched. 720 4X4 springs are stiffer and flatter.

 

How's your front end camber??????

..

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FYI on the body work, Hun...if ya need a little help on blocking, get a can of cheap black primer to "scatter" over your grey primer. When you sand, it will sand off to show any low spots or waves! I don't know if you already knew that or not, but it WORKS! ...resist the temptation to use canned black shiney spray paint because it cloggs your paper!! (when you've sanded all the black off and the bed is smooth....ur done!) Looks great!! Keep up the good work!!

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Justin 620, yes I jacked up the front end when turning the torsion bars and yes removing the middle leaf spring loosened the rear. I have the largest blocks I could find at my local parts store and the rear end was still too high for me. Like I said I can't put much of a load in the bed now. But I did all this for free, no money out of my pocket. That was the whole point.

 

datzenmike, first off that pic looks like it hurt. Your half way right, I'm not agreeing its a double whammy to have your truck low, you just have to know how to drive it low. That's were the slow and low saying comes from. I do agree it softened my rear suspension. As for a hole in the oil pan, my support bar is lower than the oil pan., my muffler is stuffed way up in the bed, but my exhaust pipe is a little lower than everything.

Thanks for the info on the stiffer springs, my idea was to get shocks with air adjustments until I get to the point were I can bag the truck. I don't drive my 620 all that much, or that far so I have really had minimal problems so far.

as for the front camber, well its not all that bad actually. I can add shims to the A-arms if I really need to. I have had an alignment issue with this truck from when it was at stock height.

 

 

dAty_dIvA, thank you for the info on the body work. I struggle there. Very much not a body working kind of person, i have tried, and seem to be getting a little better. I have seen the black paint on the gray primer in other threads I have looked at to get ideas, i was wondering what that was all about.

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....I used to run a PPG distributor here in Ohio, a Valspar/HOK dealer in AL and I use Matrix when I'm feelin' froggy on some of my job (its aight tho)...so anytime you got Q's or need advise, jus ask. I may not be able to give any motor/electrical advise, but I can damn sure tell ya how to make a Dat phat, lol!

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  • 2 months later...

That good explanation of since these light trucks go down to solve the problem of the very soft supencion behind can appeal aunos springs overloads that sell in autozone for some 10dlls, these are placed where the heels of rubber go between the chassis and the differential

 

Regards and soon subire photos of this work since here in mexico is not easy to see refreshments for these light trucks

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I got it lowered a while ago 3in flat blocks in the rear, and maxed the torsion bolts out in the front, it now has a pretty mean rake :thumbup: (sorry for the delay) but I do like the way it sits, I can't go any lower in this area, for the roads are far to un-even for my truck to be draggin' :(

 

Your is lookin' pretty sick tho, I must say. the body is turning out real well, that's my next project as well. Good luck with your truck, can't wait to see the progress!

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Oh man, I need to see pics then. I have the 3" blocks for the rear, and am about to install them and drop the front to the floor. I need to keep some rake on it to fit wider tires, unless I cut the fenders and get some flares. So if you have pics, that would be great!

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