Last Old Norwegian 521

[Conan]

Thought i might as well start a build thread as i recently purchased a 1969 Datsun 521. Since i live in Norway parts are hard to come by, and need to be ordered from over seas, as well as the price of everything is probably tripled if not more. But what is the most difficult is that i´m the only one that has one that i know of, there may be a few more lying around, but i know for sure I have the only one in my region. I paid slightly less than the equivalent of 2000$ for it, but part are expensive, and since its not really working its now consuming all my time.

 

This is my first project ever, and first Datsun ever. Prior to this i have pretty much only worked on mopeds and dirt bikes. But i love learning by doing and i am hoping with the help of you guys, i will have a that people can admire while i pass them by, and not when they pass me by while I´m at the side of the road with a dead engine.

 

At the moment my main problem is the Alternator (made a thread about it, but to avoided making a bunch of threads everytime something goes wrong i thought i might as well just make a built thread) the only alternator i could get was a Mitsubishi 50amp from a Mazda, but i have no clue how to wire it. At first i had wired it similar to how it the old one was, but its different, as well as i think the last owner tried to scam me by running the wiring directly to the battery without passing the Volt Reg. since the gauges don´t work as well as the IGN light never lit up except if i unplugged the Alt.

Main diffrence between old and new is that the new one has 2 wires that go into a 4pin plug, and from there 2 wires that goto a T-plug, i guess my problem is what do i plug into the T-Plug?

 

 

 

Enough about my whats wrong, here are some pictures of whats right:

 

 

[Charlie69]

Great looking truck. Congrats on the purchase.

 

As far as the alternator what year & model is the mazda alternattor?

 

I am running a 50 amp nissan alternator on my 66 520 & it is internally regulated. This is how the newer alternators are made, no more external regulators.

 

If it is internally (which it probablies is) you do not rum through your external regulator.

 

Need more info on alternator to know how to wire it to your truck.

[banzai510(hainz)]

I worked on a ealry L motor Datsun 521 It had the same 4 pin plug. it was different than the later ones

PM Datsunaholic or Datzenmike or MKlotz they might know more about these

[Conan]

(Double post)

 

 

[Conan]

Thank you, im proud to be a part of the Datsun community, Datzenmike replied on my Alternator post so when i get home from work i have to hunt down the serial number for my new alt. When i bought it i said i need an alternator with external regulator with a 4 point plug, im not sure if that is what i got (been searching for it on the internett for 3 days, but the closest i can find is infact internaly regulated 50 amp alt).

 

Can't wait until i can go crusing in my 521 without having to call my friend every time to come pull me back home, so far ive been stranded at the side of the road twice in 2 week, and i have only driven it a few times as i realized something isn't right :P

[elmerfudpucker]

Love the color idea you got goin on there, welcome to Ratsun!

[Conan]

Love the color idea you got goin on there, welcome to Ratsun!

 

Thank you, im glad to be here (or am i? would rather like to have a functioning 521 hehe). I also like the color on it, but unfortunatly its painted not sprayed, and its more faded when you see it in the sun, but still i get a warm feeling every time i walk past it on my way to work...on foot...in the cold... I spend more time with the datsun than i do with my girlfriend, and the rest of the time i talk about it xD

 

I also spend most of my time at work here on Ratsun, atleast 5 out of 8 hours these past 3 days, i really want to get that alternator working!

[420n620]

 

loooooonnnnnngbox 521 :huh: :wacko: :thumbup:

 

very cooool. never seen one of them bfore. is thqat stock or did someone make that a looooonnngbox.

 

and Welcome to the site.

[Farmer Joe]

whoa whoa!

 

longbed 521!? thats gotta be the only one ive ever seen.

 

did they even come with that option?

[Madness]

I'm glad the kerosene isn't getting to me, I was thinking that looked a little long.

[WAGON JON]

Now it needs an extended cab and it will be a king-cab-long-bed. Super clean!

[Conan]

So im guessing the long-bed 521 is not a common sight? :P

 

This is i want to start with:

-Raise the suspension slightly

-Change seats to bench (black leather would be nice)

-Steering column has to be shortened, and a smaller steering wheel is needed (im haveing some space difficulties and have to drive with window open to allow use of my left arm:P )

-change carpet (thinking about just using black speaker carpet, with some sound insulation beneath

-change to black leather on door panels

-shine up my dash

-Buff up paintwork

-Hood ornament :P

-Also need hazards, think it has been removed, i need it back by the april if i want to keep it on the roads :P

 

If i have enough cash:

Thinking about maybe painting it black and white with an ironic police emblem on the doors (thinking maybe getting the ratsun logo into the emblem)

 

And if i win the lottery i will change the engine (or maybe just in the far future)

 

My 77 corolla is probably getting scraped soon if it doesnt pass its M.O.T, so until then i thought i would rough it up with a rock, get a a redish light that goes back and forth to have in the window, and call it kiiit, and of course have a cd that plays quotes from Knightrider in Microsoft sam's voice xD

[Conan]

My electrical skills arn't good and my general mechanical skills arn't too good, but i think i have narrowed my problem down to the volt regulator. The one i ordered is now in paris, and will be here some time in the next 2-3 days. Im hoping this will put my 521 back on the roads.

 

As you guys are so far away i have been looking for a norwegian forum without much luck. There is a Datsun/PMC register, but they don't have a forum, except for the datsun section at nissan car club which is pretty useless xD So im sorry to tell you guys, your stuck with me. I will try to be a better and more accurate poster in the future, reading my own posts i felt it was pretty messy and not to easy to give me any assistence.

[Charlie69]

Usually on a new internally regulated alternator there is a sticker on the outside of the alternator stating it is an internally regulated alternator. Have you checked the bulb in your dash for the charging light? I am thinking this alternator of yours to be a internally regulated one because it is 50 amps, but I am not positive.

[Conan]

Usually on a new internally regulated alternator there is a sticker on the outside of the alternator stating it is an internally regulated alternator. Have you checked the bulb in your dash for the charging light? I am thinking this alternator of yours to be a internally regulated one because it is 50 amps, but I am not positive.

 

 

I wired it directly to the fusible link and it charged up the battery better than my battery charger, but it isn't regulated (blew my bulbs, i hope, in the headlights) so im guessing external reg. must be changed. The alt is from an old mazda, for more info check the THREAD i made before this build thread

[Conan]

I really need some help now, im out of money, and the 521, besides all my effort, is not working.

 

Taken from my thread in the 521 sub-forum, as i am not getting much responce and i am really in need of a car now:

 

Installed new volt reg and removed the wire that i put from the alt to the fusible link. Now its connected just the way it should be. When i turned the key the IGN light went on like it should !! :) but... when the engine started the light flickered, and the new volt reg smoked slightly so i shut the engine off in fear of f@@@ing up the new volt reg that i have waited for for a week and i cant afford another (kinda broke after buying the 521 and all the other parts)

 

Engine off: 12.54v

Engine on: 11.92v

Not even charging :unsure:

 

So i guess what im wondering is what have i done wrong? is it not grounded enough? or is it normal at first time use?

 

 

[WAGON JON]

You probably want to get a hold of a factory alternator. That "aftermarket" one is probably the culprit. Alternator replaced, a happy smile on your face. :)

[Conan]

You probably want to get a hold of a factory alternator. That "aftermarket" one is probably the culprit. Alternator replaced, a happy smile on your face. :)

 

Thats not an option, i cant afford ordering an origional from the states it would cost me about 250$, and thats 250$ i don't have. The alt i put in is a Mitsubishi like the one i took out, just 50amp and not 35, its as close to the origional i could get and it cost me 120$. What could be wrong with it? it does as it should appart from the volt reg.

 

Im thinking maybe the smoke was just oil burning off the the new volt reg, or there is a short. Could my fusible link be f***ed up?

 

I now only have enough money for food and rent for one month (hopefully the rest of the bills as well) so spending more money really isnt optional unless i sell the datsun, which wouldnt really be a solution to my electrical problems, except for them not being mine any more :P

[Gary]

i dont think ive seen a long tub 520 before, looks great :thumbup:

 

if you're really stuck, why not hit a mechanic someplace and see if he can help? im sure if you're nice and try not to take up too much of his time he'll help out. might be something simple :D

 

triple check your wiring first make sure you're not shorting anything out, get googling on how charging systems work for cars, check olddatsuns.com for the service manuals and wiring diagrams and try see where you went wrong, if you did of course.

 

maybe hit junkyards if youve got any, see if you can learn anything from anything there thats externally regulated?

[WAGON JON]

Holy crap! 250$$ is way too much! Ok, did the one you pull out actually work for the previous owner? Is there any info you could get from him that would lead you in the right direction?

[Conan]

Its not easy to be ratsun here in norway. Yesterday while checking the wiring i could´nt find anything wrong, then i had a closer look at the socket from the harness and the socket from the new reg 2 wires didnt match up colors wise so stupid me tried a switch, this melted all the wires on the regulator together, i managed to separate them and i insulated them again and thought this morning i would try one more time with the wires placed the way they were when i got it. This changed my problem, it still wont charge but now the oil light doesnt come on when i turn the key, and the IGN light is behaving naturally, coming on when i turn the key and shutting off when i the engine starts(still isnt charging though), now i am lost and have no idea at all anymore and im affraid that i have f@@@ed up and that i have no ability to fix the problem. I am now officially giving up even touching the 521 before i know where the problem is. The volt reg got a good fry so im ordering a now one, im now choosing Datsun over food so im really hoping it will work at all in the end.

 

It still runs fine, but i have wasted 2-3 weeks on nothing and have probably just made it worse so im pretty demoralized atm, especially since my other car is pretty much dead (77 corolla has gone 330 000km and is really on its last limb when it comes to the engine and transmission) its winter here and being a bus person isnt really an option (can´t even afford that atm xD) so im pretty fucked, im just lucky im working very close by until the 10th of december, then im again out of a job and probably without a car if i cant get this sorted :(

 

Today i admit defeat to Datsun, really hoping for some good advice to pull out a victory some time in the hopfully near future, it was suppose to be a daily driver when i bought it, so far its raped my wallet and left me stranded twice; on my way to a job interview, and driving my GF to work; have yet to have any good memories with the car except looking out my window daydreaming......

[wayno]

Hi there Conan, you are going to have to stop ordering alternators for other cars, either something is messed up in your wiring and/or these other alternators are not compatible with your system. GM made some kind of one wire alternator that is internally regulated that would bypass all your wiring/external regulator, you would not have a light, but as long as it is charging who gives a shit. Right now, you better keep the 77 corolla drivable until you find somebody that knows wiring like the back of there hand.

[sssr20det510]

im now choosing Datsun over food so im really hoping it will work at all in the end.

 

 

Gotta Love that dedication

[Sealik]

Here's a link

 

http://www.nccn.no/forum/index.php?sid=0f83445f07e40a7f0092cc60f84d3721

 

Might be a few guys that are a little more 'local' that could you a hand...

[Charlie69]

Conan, I just checked Rock Auto for a 1969 Datsun 521 J13 alternator and they have it available & also have the voltage regulator to match. These are both non stock items but will ship within 5 days of ordering.

 

I believe the reason you smoked the regulator is because it was rated for 35 amps not 50 amps. The old 521 truck was a 35 amp alternator & regulator.

 

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,make,NISSAN,year,1969,model,521%2BPICKUP,vtype,US

 

I do not know if they will ship to Norway but it might be worth a call.