1966 datsun 520 kingcab project, act 2

[wayno]

After straightening the front bumper, I test fit it, this is going to be the easiest bumper mount technically that I have ever had, all I have to do is drill and tap the frame, and the only issue I have in doing that is that it is 2 feet down in there.

 

 

 

 

[Eagle_Adam]

that looks SOOOOOOOOOO clean!!!! love it man!!! took that from the white truck right? 

[wayno]

that looks SOOOOOOOOOO clean!!!! love it man!!! took that from the white truck right? 

 

Yes, that is where I got the idea, although if you look in the "U" model thread, that is how they did it in Japan from the factory.

 

There are 2 U520s in the photo below, both have the gate release where I have put mine, but the licence plates are in different locations, not sure what that is about.

[]2eDeYe]

Nice work on that tailgate. This thing is most excellent. :thumbup:

[Laecaon]

MMM 521 Van. My favorite.

[highdesertdatsun]

That tailgate is great.so smooth like butter. Awesome work.

[wayno]

That tailgate is great.so smooth like butter. Awesome work.

 

That's very nice of you, but I know that it's not that smooth yet.  :)

 

It looks better the farther you move away, from across the street it looks awesome.  :lol:

The upper box sides looked awful when I first put them together, but now they are not so bad since I worked on them, so I will work on the tailgate after I get everything figured out, and it will look better also.

 

I am still debating on if this will go on this truck also, it still needs a little work, but will look correct when done.

[wayno]

Passenger seat has been mounted, it's from a PT cruiser, I bought a set back before the PNP prices went up.

 

[TrashBagPosse]

I love this truck !!   very cool.

[bonvo]

you and me both man i would give up my 56 chevy for this thing lol 

[wayno]

I put the other seat in today, not as comfortable as I thought they would be, but maybe the front of the seats need to be raised, that's simple enough to do.  :)

 

I am way back in this seat mount position, lots of leg room.

[wayno]

I decided that since I did not have the metal needed to notch the rear frame today that I would figure out my tank situation, so I cleaned/pressure washed a 521 tank that had a return fitting on it, I am happy I did not sell this tank, I even pressure washed the inside, then I let it set out in the sun to dry, inside and out, tomorrow I will seal the inside, and then maybe Monday I will install it, I guess that would depend on how fast it dries Sunday.

I forgot to take photos of the dirty tank, but this is the tank after pressure washing, for all the issues I was having trying to use this tank in the work truck, it is actually in really good shape.

 

 

 

And these are after being painted with one coat of rustoleum flat black paint.

 

I am going this route for three reasons, one is that I won't have to delete the stock gas door and put one on the other side for the 720 tank, and the second reason is that if I were to keep the 720 tank, I would have to either raise the cab an inch, or lower the tank an inch which I tried without success, as the cab is basically resting on the tank, I put foam between the cab and tank, but that cab is rattling/vibrating real bad, and I have to start somewhere on isolating the cab from the frame, as I obviously did not get it right the first time, and the last reason is I need a place to put the muffler.

I am also going to have to raise the rear of the cab/box off the frame, I am going to have to make a new cross member, the one the carrier mounts on, when I get my new tires in a couple weeks, after the stud removal rush in Washington, that cross member will actually be resting on the ground with the new tires, and I need to notch the rear frame over the axle also.

There are a lot of things to think about when lowering a truck/vehicle, I also have to plan for the exhaust pipe, I may have to notch that cross member I am making also.

[Eagle_Adam]

lookn good wayno!!!

[jrock4224]

 

 

the grill is blasted but its having a huge issue....saveable maybe....i blasted it with walnut shells and still had the thing falling apart... the pot metal was disengrating...

 

[wayno]

 

 

the grill is blasted but its having a huge issue....saveable maybe....i blasted it with walnut shells and still had the thing falling apart... the pot metal was disengrating...

 

 

Don't worry about the grill then, I don't want you putting a bunch of time into a lost cause, it just isn't worth it.

Leave it as it is, I will figure out what to do with it, I have others, but it was so straight that I wanted to save it if it was possible.

I might look into having them rust buster guys use that spray on galvanization stuff if that is what it is, I saved a door with holes in it, they put tin foil on the front, then sprayed that stuff on the back and build up new metal that will not rust.

Everything looks to be done then, so PM me and we will set up a time for me to come pick it up and pay you.

 

The stuff looks good in the photos, I did goof though, I should have welded the ignition key hole up, maybe next time, I will just put a rubber plug in it.

[Bob3]

Looking good!

[wayno]

This will likely only help the late 620/720 folks, but I took that short shock I found at the swap meet to baxters and we did some looking, it is the shortest shock I have seen to date, we believe it is for a early mustang, but while looking, we found an even shorter shock, 7 1/8 inches compressed, but it is a stud/stud application, so it will work on the 620/720 LCA sway bar mount hole, this will delete the sway bar until I or you figure out another option for it.

The part# 5829(monroe), or # 343138(KYB), these shocks will let you go low enough to create other issues.

The most hilarious thing of all is what this shock is for, a datsun roadster,  among others such as a plymouth volare.

[Charlie69]

Wayno depending on how bad the pitting is you might be able to have it triple plated at a good chrome shop where they could fill & polish the grill before chroming.

[wayno]

Wayno depending on how bad the pitting is you might be able to have it triple plated at a good chrome shop where they could fill & polish the grill before chroming.

Basically I was hoping to save it, as it is a straight grill, but I will look into all my options after I see it in person, there is a lot of pitting.

I was hoping to have it look like this, chrome on the outside and shiny black in the middle.

This grill is alright, but there is a reason it is painted this way.

[mklotz70]

Yep....the reason it was painted that way is because I couldn't spend $500 to have it chromed!!! LOL :)  But, I do really like the black center.

[wayno]

Yep....the reason it was painted that way is because I couldn't spend $500 to have it chromed!!! LOL :)  But, I do really like the black center.

I like it to, a lot, it looks better than this except for the rust corrosion/pitting.

 

This is just to much chrome, don't get me wrong, it looks nice.

[Kirden]

This is an amazing project Wayno. I have seen a few of your creations linked in other threads but this is the first of your threads that I have had the pleasure of looking through. Can't wait to see it completed.

[wayno]

This is an amazing project Wayno. I have seen a few of your creations linked in other threads but this is the first of your threads that I have had the pleasure of looking through. Can't wait to see it completed.

 

I am wondering if I will ever complete it, I keep thinking of stuff to do to it, ATM I am moving sideways, since I lowered the front of it, which was not the original plan, now I have to notch the frame over the rear axle so I have to lift the body off the chassis again, and at the same time I am going to have to remove the existing carrier bearing/e-brake mount cross member, and put a raised one in, as this cross member will be sitting on the ground when I install the 4X4 leafs, and put the new low profile tires on.

[jrock4224]

pm'd

[wayno]

I did some more modifications on the project this weekend, the carrier bearing mount cross member was hanging to low, so I put a new one in so when I put the new tires on, it will not be resting on the ground now.

I lifted the back of the truck off the frame.

 

 

I gotta say this, one of my biggest gripes about welding has been that I cannot see what I am welding without flood lights, I have been welding with the helmet on the lightest setting, no one informed me that if I turned the shade darker, I would be able to see better, I thought I needed less shade to see better, but I needed more tint/shade, the welds turned out way better.

It is perfectly flat now, if this thing hits, I will be high centered.  :lol:

This is what I did for the e-brake, I just welded a piece of angle iron on the top of the cross member, it seems to work, but I need more time to evaluate the mod.

I also put the tank in that I sealed/lined with a product called "northern fuel tank liner" I bought at baxters, it took several days to cure, but it's not been exactly hot outside lately, and one must be very carefull with that stuff, I almost sealed up the pickup tube, that would have really sucked.

The freaking sending unit didn't work, so I had to drop the tank on one end to get it out, and put another one I had in the tank, I tested that one before I put the tank back into position this time.  :lol: