1971 PL521

[wayno]

Function is the most important, as you said, it don't need to be pretty.

[The Birdman]

Cutting the that piece of sheet metal to the proper shape, sanding it all to bare metal, and spot welding it into position probably took a day total(8 hrs), there is likely about 500 spot welds/tacks holding that piece on.

I'll tell you this, it takes time to sand the stock paint off and get down to bare metal, even with an orbital sander.

The first time I did it to my 521KC, I had to do it twice, as the first time I tried welding it in(running a bead), and it got hot and warped.

 

I've got a nice flat piece of appliance top from a stackable dryer that should be perfect for the floor area. It has the baked on appliance finish for the underside to keep from future rusting and hopefully will be enough for both driver and passenger sides. Looks like the floor is the only real area in need of replacement thank goodness!

[The Birdman]

chemical stripper or send it over to me and i will media blast it ... do it all the time .. im special and can not warp shit ...wayno is a artist....

 

 

 

ps wayno im still 6-7" i still need your extra cab please...

 

At 6'7 how cramped is the cab for you? I'm 6'1 and plan to put a tilt-telescoping steering column in so I dont steer with the knees myself!

[The Birdman]

It's really not that hard to make one, it took me a week mostly part time to put the last kingcab shell together.

You need one good 521 cab, another good back half of a 520/21 cab(windshield back, front of door back), with the doors, and a cab top off of a 520/21.

What takes time is all the rest of it, bodywork, fitting tracks if you want rear windows that will go up and down, finding a good 720KC frame, unless you want to stretch the stock frame, which is a lot more work for less benefits, as you get balljoints, disc brakes and power steering, removable tranny cross member, it's easier to lower, as the 720 shocks are taller, so if you put 521 shocks on the 720 frame, you can quite possibly get moar loar, and the 720KC frame allows a 10 inch extention with the stock box I beleave, and a 14 inch extention with the stepside box.

I have also started using longshaft 5 spd. transmissions now, as I have found that I have to lean forward to get it into 1st, 3rd, 5th gears with the shortshaft in there, as my seat is so far back, so the shifter being 5 inches farther back is a plus.

I guess I just have to rub it in sometimes, after all, it may have taken a week to put the last shell together, but it took a month to do it the first time, so I get some laughs knowing I have one of the few around, BTW, legroom is not over rated. :) :D :lol:

 

I was going to mention it at some time, I didn't think your extra cab was ever an option and thought it was a fabrication project, great idea, I'm sure was a lot of work!

[wayno]

I was going to mention it at some time, I didn't think your extra cab was ever an option and thought it was a fabrication project, great idea, I'm sure was a lot of work!

 

 

You need to be motivated to attack a project like my kingcab, otherwise it won't likely get finished.

It is not an original idea, I seen photos of two of them before I went at it, most everything I do isn't original, but if it looks like a good idea, away I go.

Sometimes my ideas are not the greatest ideas, but generally I finish them, or never admit to even starting them in the first place. :lol:

[The Birdman]

I wouldn't mind doing a slightly smaller version, one that adds room enough to set the seat back a bit, but not so much that you could fit jump seats into it, just room for stuff to go behind the seat like the later versions of the King cab with the small window behind it. But that would be much later down the road if at all, I have enough stuff on my plate!! :crying:

[wayno]

I wouldn't mind doing a slightly smaller version, one that adds room enough to set the seat back a bit, but not so much that you could fit jump seats into it, just room for stuff to go behind the seat like the later versions of the King cab with the small window behind it. But that would be much later down the road if at all, I have enough stuff on my plate!! :crying:

 

 

That is exactly what mine is, bucket seats to provide access behind them, I have about the same room behind my seats as the 720KC has, that is what I wanted.

But if you want your stock 521 box, I beleave you can only ad 10 inches to the 521 cab if you use the 720 kingcab frame, it all depends on the frame, I use the 720 kingcab frame because it is long enough to work un-modified, and it has all the bells and whistles(PS, PB, ect.), you can lengthen the 521 frame fairly easy, but the later 620/720 frames have issues when lengthening, specificly the E-brake has angle issues that have to be fixed, when they lengthened the 720 frames for the mobile homes, they jury-rigged the e-brake system, I suppose it worked, but it was a goofy setup that could not be bought at a parts store/dealership.

 

 

The back of my seat is about 6 inches farther back than a stock seat is.

[The Birdman]

I thought it was longer than that! Is that one the only one you've modified?

[wayno]

I thought it was longer than that! Is that one the only one you've modified?

 

No, I have a 66 datsun 520 that is lengthened the same amount, but I also attached the box to the cab also, what a pain in the ass that was, i'll never do that again.

I also added to the skirts and rockers on this truck, I made it the way I thought it would have been made at the factory as a ute.

 

 

 

[The Birdman]

Quote "No, I have a 66 datsun 520 that is lengthened the same amount, but I also attached the box to the cab also, what a pain in the ass that was, i'll never do that again."

 

How weird! I had a 66 520 that i was going to do the same thing, connecting the bed and cab, but i lost that truck to neglect in the last few years. So why would you not do it again? I was concerned there would be twist and stress at the junction, but what problems caused you the most hassle?

[wayno]

Quote "No, I have a 66 datsun 520 that is lengthened the same amount, but I also attached the box to the cab also, what a pain in the ass that was, i'll never do that again."

 

How weird! I had a 66 520 that i was going to do the same thing, connecting the bed and cab, but i lost that truck to neglect in the last few years. So why would you not do it again? I was concerned there would be twist and stress at the junction, but what problems caused you the most hassle?

 

 

It took me a week to make the second kingcab shell, it took over a month to connect that box to the back of the cab, first I had to remove the rails and hooks, then add a curved piece on each side that would match the cab lines, then get it on there strait, side to side, and up and down also, then I put all the bracing in, then I welded everywhere I could get to, adding gussets, brace extensions, ect, then I cut flat plates for the insides to box it in, then I drilled lots and lots of holes so when I put the plates in position and then welded it in by welding each hole like a spot weld, read this thread and you will understand how much time I have into the box connection, and why I am kinda burnt out on this project for a while, every month or so, I spend a weekend working on it though.

http://community.rat...__fromsearch__1

Page 4 is when I posted photos of the box after it was boxed in.

I have many many hours of welding, cutting, drilling, grinding, sanding in this box connection, I would not want to do it again.

This vehicle actually runs and drives, but it is bare sheet metal that needs bodywork, my least favorite thing to do, but if it gets wet, it will rust, so it doesn't go anywhere till the bodywork and paint get done.

Here is one photo of the inside of the box.

[Royal Sierra]

I saw that truck. I cannot wait to see it finished. Id love to do what you did as far as adding skirts and changing the bed rails. I agree 100% that it shouldve been made with lower skirts on the bed.

[The Birdman]

Lord have mercy! i just went through your post Wayne, and now I have a better understanding of what you're going through! Quite a project! Don't stop for anything! Love to see the finished product!

 

I've had my own set-backs lately! The shipping company told me the engine would be delivered on Tuesday the 2nd, didn't happen. Called and was told it was still in Fresno, but would be here on Wed. Wednesday came and I called after the delivery window had passed, told it was lost somewhere in Fresno! Called the company that shipped it, they said they would look into it and let me know. They never did. I called back to the trucking company, they said it would be here Thursday. Wanna guess what happened? So now I contact both sides of the fuse with a bit more pissed off in my voice, it's been found and will be here by tomorrow, Friday. Anyone want to bet??

 

I started to cut out floor-rot but got sidetracked as usual, but I'll be on it first thing and have pics. What a week!

[wayno]

Be patient, it will eventually arrive, and an L20b is worth the wait, way more torque than an L16 has.

I have never actually had anything lost by a shipping company, they just get misplaced sometimes, be patient.

[The Birdman]

It's actually not a big problem, I have a ton of stuff to do before i actually drop it in, but it is a source of irritation! I just think if it's not all I want or expect, next time I'll hunt more locally. I still have the L16 they sent as a hostage! Funny I haven't heard anything from them about picking it up. I wonder if it's not worth the trouble to ship it back and are writing it off as a loss?

[wayno]

It's actually not a big problem, I have a ton of stuff to do before i actually drop it in, but it is a source of irritation! I just think if it's not all I want or expect, next time I'll hunt more locally. I still have the L16 they sent as a hostage! Funny I haven't heard anything from them about picking it up. I wonder if it's not worth the trouble to ship it back and are writing it off as a loss?

 

It looked like a used engine to me(the L16), I am sure someone will make a stink about it eventually.

Personally I would be asking what they want you to do with it after you get your L20b, don't ignore the issue and not do anything about it, shit like that can come back and bite you in the ass.

[The Birdman]

I wasn't going to do anything until after I get what I ordered, but when it does come and i verify it's the right stuff, I've got to sign the receipt for it and I'll ask the driver if he has a pick-up order, if not I'll wait till I get the engine in and working before i call the company that sent it to see what they want to do. I wasn't going to ignore it, but I am curious to see if they want to put up the expense of trucking it back to Ok city or not!

[wayno]

I wasn't going to do anything until after I get what I ordered, but when it does come and i verify it's the right stuff, I've got to sign the receipt for it and I'll ask the driver if he has a pick-up order, if not I'll wait till I get the engine in and working before i call the company that sent it to see what they want to do. I wasn't going to ignore it, but I am curious to see if they want to put up the expense of trucking it back to Ok city or not!

 

I would get it out of my life as soon as I got what I ordered, it's amazing what people/companys assume, it makes no sense sometimes, if it sits there for a week, they may think you want that one also, and then charge you for it.

[The Birdman]

They can try, but I'll fight any effort to make me pay for something i didn't order! That would be a bad move on their part as I'll bite back like a pit-bull when confronted! I'll give them every opportunity to re-claim their engine, but like I said, not till i get what I did order. They are in Oklahoma City, i'll file a small claims here in California and make them respond here, jack up their costs big time! But that's a "Worst case" scenario. I truly don't believe it'll ever come to that.

[The Birdman]

Well, much to my surprise, the L20B came today!

Will go over it tonight, pull some stuff off, clean a bit that they missed, and prep it for some paint.

[wayno]

Looks like you will need a L20b head pipe for the exhaust, and quite likely a carb, and it also was likely it had a EI distributor, so they sold that, or at least took it off to sell, so now you will need to find one of them also, remember to get the EI distributor and coil together with the wires that go between them.

 

Did they take the L16 with them when they left?

I hope it is a good one, these are supposed to be rebuilt?

[Master-O-Turbonics]

Thats a pretty dirty engine to be "rebuilt". It looks like they didnt even steam clean the head!

[wayno]

Thats a pretty dirty engine to be "rebuilt". It looks like they didnt even steam clean the head!

 

 

It does seem to have a rebuild tag, or something that looks like one on the front of the head, but who knows when that was put there.

As long as it runs good, it just doesn't matter, well maybe it does, but not to me, as I have been putting fresh heads onto low mileage/tight engines for a long time, my LZ23 is my first fresh L block, the last used block lasted me 15 years of very hard use.

[Z chopper]

the "tag" could just be an inentory number

[wayno]

the "tag" could just be an inentory number

 

True, but lets think positively. :D

I have seen tags like that one on rebuilt blocks before.