boxboy Posted August 27, 2010 Report Share Posted August 27, 2010 I've been peppering this site with questions for the last two months, and am just now getting around to posting pictures. I am planning on doing a mostly stock restoration, but not getting legalistic about it. It will be a long slow process, and I am not going frame off. Just enough to make things look good and reasonably mechanically sound. I have spent the last two months replacing all the things the PO who used it for a DD ignored. Both MC's were shot and leaking, u-joints dry as a bone, tranny seal hemorrhaging, rear brake drums warped and adjusters frozen, stopping the minor rust on the floor board, new electrical stuff etc. Still have to figure out how to afford Kingpins, and inspect the front wheel bearings. Truck runs great, but leaks oil badly. I'll get some gaskets as time permits. <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br> Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted August 27, 2010 Report Share Posted August 27, 2010 Nice trucks, it looks like the 520 is sporting the original paint, and has a radio deletion plate, score.:cool: Quote Link to comment
thisismatt Posted August 27, 2010 Report Share Posted August 27, 2010 Pretty clean! Quote Link to comment
tdaaj Posted August 27, 2010 Report Share Posted August 27, 2010 looks like areally solid foundation to start with there. Quote Link to comment
Sudo Posted September 1, 2010 Report Share Posted September 1, 2010 Man! Mine was that color and one of the POs painted it primer grey. It's not primer, its just the same color as primer. But there are some spots where the original Dragon Green shows through. Yup: shitty paint job. yours looks rockin! paint on some "rust encapsulator" then a bed liner and roll until the wheel bearings wear out! about the "marking of territory" (oil leaks) mine used to cost me more in oil in a week than in gas! and this was when gas was $3+/gal. Rear main was out, rings were out, the old J13 had 212K on her. I tried to keep her original, but it was cost prohibitive to say the least. Maybe you'll have better luck. I am dropping in a longrod 2.1l. (basically a L20b block, with Z motor rods and pistons- bored out, natch) Even after scoring a free motor and gearbox (for $78) I have close to $1k in her and I don't even have the motor mounts moved yet! Well, keep us posted and rotsa ruck. 1 Quote Link to comment
jay520 Posted September 1, 2010 Report Share Posted September 1, 2010 bitchin' rides Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted September 1, 2010 Report Share Posted September 1, 2010 Nice trucks, like the window sticker...:D Quote Link to comment
boxboy Posted September 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2010 Yeah, the color is what I would like to go with in the resto. As to driving until the bearings go out, I may already be there. I have to do some inspection, but I have some bad vibration at 50mph and up. Kingpins are also bad. Real bad. Not looking forward to that job. I can tear her apart myself I think, but I will leave the reaming to an experienced mechanic. I just hope I don't monkey anything up getting them out. I am having fun with it so far, but get panicked about finding parts. Truck runs real clean, so I don't think I have any ring problems, but rear main possibly. Someday the engine will get pulled to re-seal the easy ones and then we'll see. I don't want to get into pulling the crank to replace that rear main! Rust is really not bad. Going to have it parked inside this winter and get the mechanical in order. Paint and body is hopefully next winter. Sudo, didn't mean to vote your comment down, hit the wrong button trying to quote. Don't know how to reverse it. Thanks for the affirmation! Quote Link to comment
phatdave Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 I want some engine pics. Please look at my threads. Quote Link to comment
boxboy Posted May 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 Finally after about 11 months I have gotten my wheels blasted and painted. Foolish of me not to take before shots, but you guys know what 40 year old wheels that have been sitting under a fir tree for half that time look like. My hubcaps are a little rough too, but they will do for now. Quote Link to comment
flatcat19 Posted May 20, 2011 Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 Awesome. Great 520. Quote Link to comment
Sudo Posted May 20, 2011 Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 Looking good boxboy. How bout some pics with the wheels on the truck? Quote Link to comment
boxboy Posted May 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 Thought I was going to get them on this weekend, but my water pump is weeping, so I am waiting to get that remedied. I will post pics when I get them mounted. Quote Link to comment
zed1 Posted May 20, 2011 Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 Great looking. I have been stripping my wheels and priming with acid etching primer, then painting with an argent silver paint. I discovered that the valve stem hole on the original wheel is .625" (rather than .453"). Some tire shops do not carry this size stem, so you may want to bring a set along when you have tires mounted. BTW, what tire have you decided to mount? Keith Quote Link to comment
boxboy Posted May 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 Keith, Thanks for the heads up about the stems. I will make sure I call ahead and ask if they have those. I custom mixed an antique white for my wheels. I was wanting to approximate the color of the faded/yellowed radio delete plate in the dash, and go along with the wood accent tones in my cab. I am not religious about being all original, although I am not going to do anything radical. For instance, I may bondo over the spot welds on the body for a smooth look. As tot he tires, I am just going to swap my crusty ones for now and buff them out so they look nice. I have just spent $340 on my wife's car's tires, and she also just inherited a really nice all original 1950 Ford that I have to spend about $800 on tires for. I am going to make the ones I have last for now. My long term plans are for some 195/75R14's. I just found a guy here in Oregon City that actually can make white walls anywhere from 1-3/4 to 3 inches. They're not cheep, but that is what I am getting for the Ford just cause they are local. Needless to say, my Datsun project may slow down a bit now with two classic cars. I was happy about the Ford, but not real happy if you know what I mean. Quote Link to comment
Z chopper Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 Hmm wife wants you to put your mechanical skills toward the 1950 Ford Quote Link to comment
boxboy Posted May 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 Hmm wife wants you to put your mechanical skills toward the 1950 Ford The Ford doesn't require any tinkering at this point. The new tires just ate up the Datsun's budget! Quote Link to comment
boxboy Posted May 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 Got the front wheels on today. The guy at Schwabs wouldn't touch my 20 year old tires. Said I had to have tires less than 10 years old to legally swap them. So I had to buy two new front tires and didn't have coin left to do the rears. So here is a pic of the fronts. Hopefully by the end of the year I can do the rears. Keith, I when with 195/75R14's. Quote Link to comment
zed1 Posted May 27, 2011 Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 Looking good. So far, I have refurbished one wheel. I had a P205/75R14 Goodyear Viva 2 WSW mounted. It seems these old rims are so well built (and heavy) that very little weight was needed. (Your wheel shows no weight on the outside, so the color looks uninterrupted.) Keith Quote Link to comment
boxboy Posted May 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 There are weights, but they put them on the inside of the wheel. One of my rims was "slightly bent" according to the tire jockey. He said it wouldn't effect anything. I was considering doing 205's on the rear, but I kind of like the original "cookie cutter" look of the 195's. Quote Link to comment
Cahoon520 Posted May 27, 2011 Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 Nice 520! I wish mine was that strait. Quote Link to comment
boxboy Posted May 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2011 I talked a tire shop into swapping my old rear tires! So now she's lookin' good. Quote Link to comment
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