fisch Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 (edited) Here is the most current Photo:Well I thought it was about time a started a project thread. A lot of this info y'all have heard, but I thought I'd organize it in one project thread.I came to my 521 oildrop by looking for a 320. So I searched for 320's but in New England, you can forget it! Then I saw an ad for a 521 in NH. Came to Ratsun to do some research on 521's. Fell in love. So i made the call. The truck had not run in 10 years but was garaged its whole life and a texas truck most of that. And it was a 1971. the year my wife and I were born. It was a sign. The price was $500.Went to see it. Really solid truck, but had no battery, and the brakes and clutch weren't working. So i couldn't hear it run, but he claimed it ran but needed some carb work when he put it up. He thought it would only be put up for a month, not 10 years.The bad thing about NEw England is that a Datto is HARD as hell to find. The good news is that when they do show there isn't a huge market, so you can get some deals. We talked and he agreed to sell it to me for $225.The most fun part was loading it on the trailer. Zero brakes, but the emergency brake worked. So we put my wife in there, and me and the PO used small tree trunks the lever it at the bumper 1 inch at a time while my wife pulled the e brake to hold it so we could reposition the levers again. Who know such a little truck would weigh so much!He had a little tear in his eye when we drove off. Called the truck bubba. But he was retiring down to FLA and trying to sell his house and move on.I send him an e-mail once in a while when I make some progress.Here are the photos of its first day.I did not have a truck that could tow, and uhaul only had a massive truck! So I had an empty truck hauling this 521 down the road!This is how we moved it around!I call it Oil Drop because it was owned by a mobile oil change company once and they painted this cool mascot on the side. I can only hope they changed the oil a lot too!And here are some more pics.Got that cap off! Beautiful bed under there.Nice interior, even the dealer installed AC. Original radio and SPEAKER BOX. I have a red 520 metal dash to put in place of the massively cracked vinyl one.Big ass AC compressor. I've put in a new fuelpump.And I have a webber on an Offey mani to put on it when I get around to it. The Offey was a freebee w/the webber.Have a EI dist that I customized, just gotta get the proper coil!Jack and tool bag.Tailgate had the worst rust. Totally rotted along the bottom. But I have a new gate to put on it. It is white so it will add to the ratsuness. The rest of the truck is pretty rust free for new england!I bought these 17" 1935 Chevy artillery wheels and though they bolt on fine, they are pretty thin and I can only find super tall whitewall tires for them so I don't know if I will keep them, but for $60 (when I've seen them sell for $200-$400) I thought it was worth the risk! I've found reproductions out there in a 15" so that is an option down the road.Sat way too high and only had 3/16 of clearance on the rear of the well. (I photoshopped the whitewalls and sun design on the wheels.)Finally, with a little help from Photoshop, this is what I'd like to end up with. (Though these are 15" chevy smoothies. But I have a set od stock 14" w/ caps. Now, just gotta clean and paint the wheels.)I managed to get the brakes working and the clutch. She started right up and I drove her around the yard. Felt GREAT! Then the snow hit and progress SLOWED! But spring is coming! I've run into a little Thermostat Housing issue that my Ratsun Brothers are helping me out with. I can't wait to take it to the local cruise night! These new englanders will be like, "Uhhhh Datsun made trucks?"And thanks for putting up with a lot of repeat images and talk here guys! We've had quite a few new members since I joined, so hopefully this is new for some of y'all! Edited June 8, 2013 by fisch Quote Link to comment
fastdadd Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 truck is looking sweet... i toying with the idea of using 15'" Chevy smoothies with beauty rings after seeing your i am thinking it might happen Quote Link to comment
datrod Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 Fisch, I don't think any of us will get tired of your images.:D Quote Link to comment
djlotus Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 That's awesome! Glad that you wanna keep the little oil guy on there, it's pretty cool and adds to the truck's character Quote Link to comment
Pacific coast Datsun Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 I liked watching the vid of you driving in the backyard :D I share & enjoy your enthusiasm put towards your truck & it's kool that your family is supportive. Quote Link to comment
Duke Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 I like the artillery wheels. You should look into getting them widened. I think that they would look awesome on the truck and be really unique. Cool truck with alot of personality. Quote Link to comment
drastic520 Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 nice man!!!!! now we can follow your build..... Quote Link to comment
datsun dreamer Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 Fisch, your truck looks awesome:), I realy like your trucks originality:D! This thread realy shows your how far your truck has come along......Cant wait to see what you do next:D! Quote Link to comment
hacked521 Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 ahh man your truck is awesome, that oil drop guy puts a ton of chacter into it and if you do put in the ratsun logo it would all flow togother. Those smoothies look killer on there with the whitewalls, i wished i would have gotten some wider whitewalls for my truck. That distributor reminds me of an old magneto type, looks kool. Those artilery wheels would look sweet on a ratrod. Quote Link to comment
fisch Posted March 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2008 Thaks everyone for the great feedback! I've had the gas tank patched so I need to paint it up and get it back on. T-housing is on the way. I will be a happy boy when I can finally register it and drive it beyond my driveway! I actually do have a set of chevy 15" smoothies w/ moons. Question is whether to run them, or lose an inch and run the 14's it was born with. The chevy moons are smaller than the 521 caps, and the wheel is bigger (and wider!), so more color would show w/ the chevy. Hmmm.... I thought for a second I could run 205/50 R17's w/ the artillery wheels. That'd be stock height! But the artillery wheels are thin as the stock 521's (4-5"), And that tire needs at least 8" in width I'd think. Someday I will buy the remakes. Quote Link to comment
Duke Posted March 28, 2008 Report Share Posted March 28, 2008 I'm saying that you should have the artillery wheels widened so that you can run the 205's on them without a problem. Widen them to 7" and the 205's would be perfect. Quote Link to comment
fisch Posted March 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2008 I'm saying that you should have the artillery wheels widened so that you can run the 205's on them without a problem. Widen them to 7" and the 205's would be perfect. Duke what would that cost do you think? Where do you get something like that done? Rally america makes some repros in a 15"X any width, that are $145 ea. But they don't make 17"s so widening would be interesting! http://www.rallyamerica.com/artillary.html Quote Link to comment
fisch Posted March 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 Cause one can never have enough skulls. I had to go and enhance my T-stat housing! Taped it off, buffed out the skull then painted where the tape was. Now I just gotta get it on! Big big thanks to Dan for the hook up! Quote Link to comment
Pacific coast Datsun Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 NICE!!! Youll have the koolest L motor ever...:D Quote Link to comment
Duke Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 Try http://www.stocktonwheel.com. Not really close for you but they could give you an idea of what it would cost you. I know that there are quite a few companies that widen wheels around. Do a google search and you may be able to find something close to you. Quote Link to comment
daddyman007 Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 I concur, one can never have too many skulls.;) anybody know if they make skull stencil to fill my 520 hood? or will i have to make my own?:eek: Quote Link to comment
motavated Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 Can you be my mentor Fisch?:) Quote Link to comment
fisch Posted April 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 A couple cosmetic updates for y'all, and a leaking question! So I had to put my gas tank back in after getting it repaired, naturally it needed a skull and an eyeball! It will be a little surprise for anyone who looks under! Kinda looks like a coffin now! [/img] Then I wanted to add a puke tank. So hell, why not paint a fishbone on it and mount it to the front! It is kinda puny though, so I want to add a couple of bumper guards and or fog lights to fill the grill out a little more. Now for the lame leak issue. So the last time I drove oildrop was 5 min in my back yard last Nov. Looked under the other day and there was a leak right under where the trans bell housing/ clutch meets the engine. It was kind of an amber colored fluid. So I took a pic of the area. Is that a crack in the housing? The thin metal cover there is not tight against the housing either, and if I push on it I can squeeze a little more fluid out. So how can I fix this? It is leaking trans fluid? JB weld to the rescue? Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment
vgwagon Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Thats a weep hole for your rear main seal to escape from the bell housing. If you seal that up, you will run the risk of ruining your clutch by contaminating it. Not much you can do there other than trans removal and rear main seal replacement. Quote Link to comment
fisch Posted April 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Thats a weep hole for your rear main seal to escape from the bell housing.If you seal that up, you will run the risk of ruining your clutch by contaminating it. Not much you can do there other than trans removal and rear main seal replacement. Thanks vg wagon! Weep hole, that is good to know. (Shows how much I know about what actually makes these things move!) Ok so it seems to be a pretty slow leak. There really wasn't much under the spot. I guess I should watch the fluid level and put something under there to catch the little bit that comes out till I get around to fixing it. Quote Link to comment
Icehouse Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Dude! I never realized how much art you have added to your rig!! It looks fucking rad! If only I had that kind of talent :D Quote Link to comment
fisch Posted April 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Dude! I never realized how much art you have added to your rig!! It looks fucking rad! If only I had that kind of talent :D Thanks Jeff! Well since I don't know much about modifying motors and internals, about all I can do is add cosmetics! And with a beater like this, I think 'rat' is the only way to go! I have a new dash I am looking forward to going crazy on! I wonder just how many skulls I will have on the truck when all is said and done? Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 A lot. That tank and that t-stat housing looks awesome...dig the fish, Fisch :D Quote Link to comment
Pacific coast Datsun Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Amazing! You may scare yourself one day if you go under to do some work :D Did you make the overflow tank from scratch? Quote Link to comment
fisch Posted April 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Amazing! You may scare yourself one day if you go under to do some work :D Did you make the overflow tank from scratch? Naw it was an ebay score for like $10. But someone home made it that is for sure! I just made it pretty.:D Now, does anyone know if they made a bumper guard option for a 521? Not the big bar kind, but the fang style ones like on a 320? Quote Link to comment
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