formal Posted July 26, 2011 Report Share Posted July 26, 2011 I just picked up a 1966 520 for $200. The body is in great shape. No rust, dents and just minor scratches. The interior is also in good shape. The reason for the low price is no motor. Now I know the 66 520 is semi rare and so is the 1300cc motor that came in it (J13). So from looking around it seems to be the easiest route to get this on the road again is to find a j13 or a j15 as those will just bolt back in. Here is where my dilemma begins. The truck came with a spare 1600cc motor from the datsun roadster (R16). I don't have the tranny for this motor either. What do you guys consider the best option for this rebuild? I am not against trying something new, but I also kinda want to get it going as soon as I can. Performance/speed is all good, but not the most of my worries. I'm more so looking for the route that would allow me to find parts easily and install without too much modification (an oxymoron on I know!). In the end I'd just like a good reliable daily driver. I will post some pics this weekend as the truck is now in my dads shop. Quote Link to comment
jefe de jefes Posted July 26, 2011 Report Share Posted July 26, 2011 Find yourself an L16 w/tranny , motor mounts and all. Slap that sucker in. You can find them fairly easy since many people do turbo engine swaps and such..... Quote Link to comment
formal Posted July 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2011 Thanks, just put a post in craigslist looking for the L16 motor and tranny. If anybody sees this and is in the Oregon/Washington area and has any info on one of these motors let me know :) Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted July 26, 2011 Report Share Posted July 26, 2011 They say it's not a particularly easy swap. J13s are not that rare. There were a couple for sale this month. They came in other Datsun models too. Quote Link to comment
jefe de jefes Posted July 26, 2011 Report Share Posted July 26, 2011 http://community.ratsun.net/topic/34072-free-l16/ Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted July 26, 2011 Report Share Posted July 26, 2011 Find yourself an L16 w/tranny , motor mounts and all. Slap that sucker in. You can find them fairly easy since many people do turbo engine swaps and such..... Not a drop in though. You will need to fab/mod the mount area but well worth it. Once done you can swap in a larger L20B or build an LZ franken motor later. Even a Z series or KA will fit then. Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted July 26, 2011 Report Share Posted July 26, 2011 The easy route is find a J block drivetrain, not a lot of power, but that is the easy route, out of all the L blocks, I would look for the L20b, but thats me. The L block will fit in there, but it is tight. As for the R16, parts are expensive. Quote Link to comment
formal Posted July 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2011 Thanks for all the input guys! This is really giving me a lot to think about. I just received an email from my craigslist posting about getting a spare/parts 520. The guy sent me a photo but no details/price about the truck. I have attatched the photo here for ya'll to check out. @jefe de jefes I replied about the L16 block. My dad is in the coast area near Seaside if that's the route we plan to take. Here's a photo of that parts truck.... Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted July 26, 2011 Report Share Posted July 26, 2011 that is a 1964 320, came with an E1 (1200cc) engine Quote Link to comment
formal Posted July 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2011 @ ggzilla Thanks for the headsup. Like I said he gave me no info about the truck so I guess I'll continue my quest. I really appreciate everybodys help so far. I'm pretty new to the Datsun world so I have a lot to learn! Quote Link to comment
Uncle Laulau Posted July 26, 2011 Report Share Posted July 26, 2011 I'm gonna be that guy, and scream for oics! Would love to see your truck. Good find man. $200 bucks wow. Quote Link to comment
Uncle Laulau Posted July 26, 2011 Report Share Posted July 26, 2011 Thanks for all the input guys! This is really giving me a lot to think about. I just received an email from my craigslist posting about getting a spare/parts 520. The guy sent me a photo but no details/price about the truck. I have attatched the photo here for ya'll to check out. @jefe de jefes I replied about the L16 block. My dad is in the coast area near Seaside if that's the route we plan to take. Here's a photo of that parts truck.... This is one fine ride! Quote Link to comment
Craig Hughes Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Hey if you go with the swap I'm always interested in collecting J13's if I can get down to So. Cal. Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.