71 Datsun 521 Two-fer Rehabilitation

[Rocket Dog]

Greetings. My first car was a 71 521 truck that I owned for about 4 years. As my military career winds down I decided to buy and rehab one of these for fun. So I bought one from down in LA and then a second truck from a guy in Sacramento - - thinking I would use two trucks to make one good one. Instead however, I have decided to rehab both, one for me and one for a friend.

Notice I say "rehab" and not "restore". I am not looking to make them totally back to stock.

 

Questions:

 

1. Anybody here have experience with aftermarket seat belts/shoulder harnesses and can recommend a source?

 

2. What is the industry term for that "horsehair" type of padding that goes under the carpet or mat for sound deadening?

 

3. For painting the cab deck, anybody use that stuff they paint in the deck of row boats? I forget what it's called but you could describe it as a sort of "rhino lining" for boats?

 

Thanks guys. I'll post pics as soon as i figure out how. :huh:

 

- RD

[albyneau]

Greetings. My first car was a 71 521 truck that I owned for about 4 years. As my military career winds down I decided to buy and rehab one of these for fun. So I bought one from down in LA and then a second truck from a guy in Sacramento - - thinking I would use two trucks to make one good one. Instead however, I have decided to rehab both, one for me and one for a friend.

Notice I say "rehab" and not "restore". I am not looking to make them totally back to stock.

 

Questions:

 

1. Anybody here have experience with aftermarket seat belts/shoulder harnesses and can recommend a source?

 

2. What is the industry term for that "horsehair" type of padding that goes under the carpet or mat for sound deadening?

 

3. For painting the cab deck, anybody use that stuff they paint in the deck of row boats? I forget what it's called but you could describe it as a sort of "rhino lining" for boats?

 

Thanks guys. I'll post pics as soon as i figure out how. :huh:

 

- RD

 

Dude~ Your avatar looks like a Scottish Terrier on speed~ cool!:cool:

[Rocket Dog]

I put some photos in photobucket. Someday I'll figure out how to post them here.

[nismo dr]

I put some photos in photobucket but...I don't know how to post the link here. So, do you have to reach a certain experience level before you're trusted to post photos here? Whatever.:rolleyes: <BR><BR>

 

 

no just use the codes

[nismo dr]

.

[Rocket Dog]

Ugh. Nevermind. I'll post photos somewhere else.

[Rocket Dog]

Here is the truck I call "521 B". The engine was rebuilt but not fully assembled, new pistons, rods, boiled the block. Lots of parts included in this one. Damaged driver side from fender and some scoring around the rear cab window from a previous camper shell.

 

 

 

 

Here is "521 A" . It runs, has new brake components but needs adjusting. No seat belts, no power to dash, wipers, vent motor, no lights.

 

 

 

[wayno]

This seat belongs in something else, maybe a 620, it did not come in a datsun 521 PU. In general the trucks don't look to bad on the outside, shoulder harness type seat belts only came on the 1972 datsun 521 PU, but I am sure that a few late 71s had them also. Mklotz put that type of seat belt in his 521, that is his "mend" project in project datto I think. Keep us posted on your progress, and Welcome to Ratsun. :cool:

 

[banzai510(hainz)]

olddatsuns.com read everything on there.

 

as for this,no power to dash, wipers, vent motor, no lights.

 

Ck and replace the fuses and clean the connection on th fuse box on at a time. thats where most of the proplem lies. Common on 521. plus compare with the other truck as a sample.

 

make sure the oil pump is primed on the other motor before start up.(watch my L timming chain instal vid on olddatsuns.com)

the green truck I think I would just buff out that patina and roll the Mofo as isI would ck the KINGPINS first. cause thay cost soem money to get done correctly and finding new kingpin set. I think Nissan still has them but really need the tools to do it right so ck into this before spend to much CASH.

KIngpings is what came before ball joints. Its like a doorhinge. they do where out and also need greasings. also A arm bushing wear out on these also but EZ to get new ones

[DanielC]

I too have more than one 521 Datsuns. To keep then straight, I named them by the color or how I got them. My current project is "Ratsun" I got a cab, and front frenders from D510Addict, the cab's name is Addict. My other 521 project is Dragon, named for its color. That is the color on your 521B. I have a parts truck, it's name is White, its color, and I also have 521 with front end, and bed damage, that is the Grey-green or what some people call "seafoam" green.

 

Here are some paint codes for you.

The Dragon green is 1970 Datsun 558. Dupont code 31025

The White is 1970 Datsun 502 I do not know the Dupont code, yet.

The Seafoam green is 1970 Datsun 546 I think the Dupont code for that is 57704

 

A really bright white is Dupont 817, 1982 Chevy truck Frost White.

A good black is Dupont 99.

[Rocket Dog]

Thanks for the advice. On the green truck (I need more pics) the electrical is in good shape. The white truck... roger all, I have to put some elbow grease into the fuse box first. I think there's another thread in this forum where a fellow with a red 521 re-did his fuze box. I'm dumping all the photos into photo bucket (rocket_dog58). One more thing, the green truck is still with it's previous owner in Sacramento, in a week or two I'll bring it down to Port Hueneme (pronounced Y NEE MEE).

 

More pics of the white one...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is what concerns me the most. Restoring the back end to stock. I don't yet know what it will take to remove that piece across the underside of the tailgate. Looks like it's welded on but maybe it's bondo. Ugh.

 

[DanielC]

I actually like the back end closed up like that, if only it did not cover the taillights. Are the stock taillights under there?.

Here is my thread on rebuilding taillights I did a few years ago.

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/18092-521-taillight-rebuilding/page__p__249780__hl__%2B521+%2Btaillights__fromsearch__1#entry249780.

If you have stock taillights, I would suggest you just uncover them, and leave the extra panel in place.

 

But it is still your truck to do, "as you wish".

[banzai510(hainz)]

Just clean up the fuse box and ck the connection I bet it will work,get new fuses anyways they can break but still look good

[Rocket Dog]

I actually like the back end closed up like that, if only it did not cover the taillights. Are the stock taillights under there?.

Here is my thread on rebuilding taillights I did a few years ago.

http://community.rat..._1#entry249780.

If you have stock taillights, I would suggest you just uncover them, and leave the extra panel in place.

 

But it is still your truck to do, "as you wish".

 

There are no tail lights under the body mod. There are the existing brackets but its behind the enclosure. The other thing is that modification covers the hole over the rear plate where you insert the jacking gear to lower the spare tire. I'm out of town right now but maybe Sunday I'll get more pics of the inner side of that rear mod.

[gene knight]

i like your 521's a/b i am in process of redoing my 521 as well having a issue with rollpan i got from moldy's performance on ebay. the rollpan hangs down about 1" past the bedsides underneath. i contacted him and sent him pix he thinks i need to put tail gate back on and see where i am at and maybe have to modify something

[Z chopper]

Dude~ Your avatar looks like a Scottish Terrier Basset Hound on speed~ cool!:cool:

 

Fixed

[Rocket Dog]

I found this pic off the net. Are these twin SU carbs under there? Did I read here that installing these makes your truck "un-smogable" (but I thought the old 521 were exempt)?

 

[thisismatt]

They're exempt from bi-annual smog testing, but that does not mean they're exempt from having the OEM emissions equipment that they came with originally. You can be denied registration or be ticketed (and registration revoked) for missing emissions equipment. This typically isn't an issue unless you do something stupid (loud exhaust, racing, excessive speed) to draw attention to your pre-76 vehicle.

[Rocket Dog]

And so it begins. 300 bucks worth of Rock Auto goodness and steelies/tires from a fellow RATSUN bubba.

 

[Rocket Dog]

They're exempt from bi-annual smog testing, but that does not mean they're exempt from having the OEM emissions equipment that they came with originally. You can be denied registration or be ticketed (and registration revoked) for missing emissions equipment. This typically isn't an issue unless you do something stupid (loud exhaust, racing, excessive speed) to draw attention to your pre-76 vehicle.

 

 

That means I need to find the OEM smog pump. Thanks Matt.

[banzai510(hainz)]

Mine is a 72521 and has no airinjection (saog pump)

 

if exhaust mani has not airinjection stuff then not needed. I believe they did a cam change to pass emissions for 72/73

[521chowda]

I actually like the back end closed up like that, if only it did not cover the taillights. Are the stock taillights under there?.

Here is my thread on rebuilding taillights I did a few years ago.

http://community.rat..._1#entry249780.

If you have stock taillights, I would suggest you just uncover them, and leave the extra panel in place.

 

But it is still your truck to do, "as you wish".

 

Call me crazy dude but i actually like the way those tail lights are lol. But yea, to each there own for sure...

[Rocket Dog]

As soon as I get my hands on a replacement bed, I'll put mine up for sale - funky tail lights and all.

[Rocket Dog]

As soon as I get my hands on a replacement bed, I'll put mine up for sale - funky tail lights and all.

 

 

I've lined up a replacement truck bed and sometime in August I'll make the swap and put the "mod" truck bed up for sale.

[thisismatt]

That means I need to find the OEM smog pump. Thanks Matt.

Only if you want to go by the letter of the law. You don't have to get the truck smogged for registration, and if your DMV employees are anything like mine they won't care. They just attempt to do a vin verification and that's it.