Project SloTrk

[slokrt]

I recently purchased this little gem for $900 (about 2 weeks ago)

 

its a 2.4 5sp base model. overall the truck is solid, it has some rust in the usual spots and i need to replace the wheel tub and the front and rear bed section on the drivers side due to a couple naturally created vent holes. the chassis is solid, just some surface rust (in some places still factory coated) and the floors are solid, no rust there! It runs pretty well, but ill be going through everything mechanically so i wasnt to worried about running or not.

 

anyway this is what im starting with.

 

I picked up a rust free tailgate and a pair of rust free 4x4 fenders the weekend after i bought the truck.

 

 

Ive started on body/paint work already, and will post some of the progress pics as I move forward with that. Im trying to get as much as i can done while the weather is still cooperating with me.

 

Thanks for looking, and feel free to voice your opinions (good or bad) im a big boy i can take it...

 

[DISLEXICDIME]

thats not a datsun

[slokrt]

Here is the progress so far.... Ive owned the truck just over 3 weeks now. Its a solid chassis, decent body, and is mechanically solid. Ill be doing all i can on the exterior (paint) in the next couple weeks. then time to start on the interior when the snow flies here. Ill also be going through all the wear items and checking and replacing as needed. Here's the update (i copied this from the other site i frequent)...

 

One of the fenders had a small dent/scratch in it so i smoothed it out a bit. sanded the rock chips out of the hood and wet sanded it. so far ive got the fenders, hood, and tail gate in new paint. the paint color isnt flashy but will look sexy on this truck! the goal is to get everything but the bed finished by the time snow flies around here... that gives me a couple more weeks. we'll see if i make it.

 

here are a couple shots of the body work to this point.... The hood is wavy as hell, looks like someone sat/walked/danced on it at one point... eventually it will get replaced with new,but until then it will get a fresh coat of paint for now,, it'll just be a 50'er.

 

 

so far I have finished painting the fenders hood and tailgate Ill post pics of the paint color later........ Need to get a bumper, some new headlights and paint the grill and wiper bezel and vents to finish the front.

A couple days ago it started to sound like a diesel... Yay lifters so I dumped some seafoam in drove it to work and back, then got it warm and did an oil change... It didn't go away??? WTF... Took a closer look and discovered the fan clutch was the cause. After all that and a fresh set of plugs and air filter she purrs now. Gotta get the timing chain taken care of... Soon. I don't trust it. Everything else on this truck has beemn original (except that aftermarket bumper). And I bet that is too.

 

Finally, our local u pull it had harvest days this last weekend, all you can haul in a wheel barrow for 40 yards for 40 bucks(70 for 2wheel wheelbarrow). Got a lot of good parts to use on the build (complete motor w/ accessories and trans from a 95) or as spares.

 

Here's the pics of my haul...

[slokrt]

and to get caught up to today...

Here are some pics of the progress. like I said in my previous post, I didnt get too much done due to working on my DD. But I still managed to get a couple things finished.

 

Here is the broken arm I was working on, lower bolt was siezed in the bushing so that took a whole night of careful cutting to get it out without damaging the pieces that were to stay. I welded 1/8" plate on to the sides of the control arm front/rear on both sides. If it tears now... something has seriously gone wrong.

 

 

Here's the Grill ill be using. got it prepped while i was painting the rims then sprayed it last night.

 

I also sprayed undercoating on the back of the fenders... hopefully it helps prevent rust from coming back anytime soon.

 

and finally, the Rims.... I wish these were going on my truck! I think i may have a different wheel in mind since i plan to race this thing eventually.

 

I plan to blow it apart tomorrow night, taking the front end apart, doors off, fenders off, and start getting the doors, cab and jams ready for paint. Ill be doing the interior this winter so Im not in a hurry to do anything special there....

 

I also removed the Eibach sway bar off the focus since it was seemingly part of the cause of the damage. Its a DD that i drive about 130 miles a day and the sways were on there when i bought it, so i dont really need it anyway. plus, It looks like i may be able to re-purpose it on the D.

 

I really need to think of a name for this thing.... Im thinking of going with Slo Trk...

[slokrt]

thats not a datsun

 

True, but i have to find my 510 before i can truly start my Datsun project. once this is done ill be starting a 510 wagon... just need to find one, they are difficult to find in the midwest!!!!

[Ken_B]

Welcome to ratsun and keep up the good work!! It may not say "Datsun " on it but I can dig a hardbody.

[flatcat19]

Keep it up.

 

My Datsun says Nissan all over different things.

Go figure.

 

This thing a Z24?

 

I would love to have a Hardbody to toy with.

[slokrt]

Keep it up.

 

My Datsun says Nissan all over different things.

Go figure.

 

This thing a Z24?

 

I would love to have a Hardbody to toy with.

 

Its odd how much Datsun and Nissan have in common... must have been some sort of partnership there, maybe shared resources too!

Thankfully, I've only got 4 plugs on my motor. it has the KA24. 89/90 was the end of the Z24 and the begening of the KA.

I was looking for a 620 or 720 because wanted to build truck, but came cross this and couldnt pass it up. it sowed up at my buddies shop one day, so nturally asked if it was for sle... the rest history! ive owned 2 other hardbodies in the past and have always regretted selling them, fgured better bring his one back.

The truck is all original, still had the dist. rubber booty, the factory jack and T handle, and all those little things that are often long gone 20+ years later... I even have the window sticker. Ging t build it to handle well (maybe do a track day or two) and to haul parts for other projects.

[]2eDeYe]

Its odd how much Datsun and Nissan have in common... must have been some sort of partnership there, maybe shared resources too!

 

They are the same company. They changed from Datsun to Nissan in 83/84. :)

 

Nice hardbody

[slokrt]

im aware of the datsun nissan history. i was being a bit sarcastic up there. maybe too much???

 

[ZackTheImpaler]

Plus one for you new guy. Sarcasm and thick skin goes a long way here.

 

 

im aware of the datsun nissan history. i was being a bit sarcastic up there. maybe too much???

 

[slokrt]

well played...

 

[510kevin]

Plus one for you new guy. Sarcasm and thick skin goes a long way here.

 

 

+1 from me too. seems you fit in well early on.

 

oh....nice truck! did you say you were gonna race it? if so, what kind of racing?

[Skib]

Plus one for you new guy. Sarcasm and thick skin goes a long way here.

 

 

It pretty much sums up most of Ratsun lulz

[slokrt]

Thanks Guys!

I intend to auto x and maybe do some track days. other than that, ill just enjoy the curves when i can find em... i have to drive about 4 hours to the other side of the state to get to mountain roads around here.

 

Made some progress tonight... I got the front end taken apart and the doors off. Ive got alot of cleaning, and painting, and undercoating to do on the whole front end. after i got it torn apart, i couldnt resist.... had to hang the 4x4 fenders and see how they looked.

 

 

Heres a sneak peak of the new paint color.

[ZackTheImpaler]

I moved out into the middle of nowhere so driving down windy mountain roads quickly isn't too far away. My trucks not fast enough to take on a drag track and have fun, so I'm usually stoked just hugging curves.

[slokrt]

I moved out into the middle of nowhere so driving down windy mountain roads quickly isn't too far away. My trucks not fast enough to take on a drag track and have fun, so I'm usually stoked just hugging curves.

 

I like your style!!!

 

Actually kind of how my screen name came to be... i used to own a 91 Honda civic a few years back, when i bought it it had decent suspension from the previous owner so it handled petty well. It just didn't have much for power. my buddies were joking that it was like a slow go kart - the rest was history, i have since been referred to (and my cars/tucks as slo krt... it was even on my license plate for a couple years. so that's a quick history lesson... I plan to eventually do an engine swap (not sure what for sure yet) to make up for the lack of power and finally make the name a sarcastic reference instead of a literal one.

 

 

Now on to my next topic....

 

well ive been kicking around a few ideas for the front bumper. I think i spent about 45 min looking at it after taking it apart to try to come up with a good plan. I have decided that i want to narrow and tuck the bumper,making the front a bit smoother and cleaner... same with the back. what im stuck on is what bumper to start with??? I was thinking of using a 95ish painted bumper (there wont be any chrome in this build) but Im not sure what direction to go.

 

Anyone ever use something other than a toyota bumper or Mazda bumper that is the right scale for the truck to start modifying? Im looking for ideas so let me know what you think.

 

also, if anyone has tucked and narrowed their stock bumper id like to see a pic. on a hardbody preferably... or anything else I can figure out the how, i just want to see if whats in my head is what i really want or if i want something i haven't thought of yet!

[Zfighter76]

nice truck and paint skills! i love to see builds that get more done in two weeks than i get done in a two months haha.

[slokrt]

H

nice truck and paint skills! i love to see builds that get more done in two weeks than i get done in a two months haha.

 

Lol.. thanks! Got some motivation with is project. starting to run out of nice wather to do the paint work. dont have good heater for my garage so have to get what can done on the days that I can keep the temps above 65 in the shop. weather uposed be te uer 50's tis wekend so ill see what can get done. I plan t hve te whole cab fnished by te nof nxt weekend. still need to get the gass out and find a new windshield... once the major paint is done on the front ill move on to the detail work (piece parts) redoing the interior and going through the mechanicals. oh yeah, and the metal work that needs to be done the bed.

Stay tuned....

[slokrt]

Ok, time for an update!

 

I didn't make much noticeable progress this weekend, at least not what i wanted to. But i did get alot done none the less...

 

First I focused on getting the apron arms, wheel wells, and wiper cowl area cleaned up. Thankfully, all were in good shape and no rust was hiding under there (this truck did still have the fender liners installed after-all). then, i masked off the motor, windshied, and passenger door opening so i could paint everything up front. and be one step closer to getting the cab ready for paint.

 

I took a drive about an hour away to pick up a set of Silverado wheels that were in rough shape, but im going to paint em... i should do a poll for that, i cant decide what color to go. These wheels are only temporary until i get everything else done and get my TE37's. The only reason i bought em was that the price was right - $60 bucks for the set.

 

On to the pics.

I had some semigloss black left over so i cleaned one up and sprayed it quick. I usually wouldn't go for black wheels but this looks kinda good (theres only so much you can do for Silverado wheels). Other paint options are Charcol grey, Silver, or body color and black (again not sure how to do this).

 

Up to this point, everything was going pretty smooth! until i discovered this.

 

which turned into this...

I started welding in a new piece, but didn't get pics of that yet.

[slokrt]

Well, its been but about a week since my last update. he been busy... there were some hang ups but am happy to say the cab is now painted. ill put up me pics a bit later. Ive got a bunch.

[slokrt]

And so is this hideous bumper! we put it on the scales, it weighed about 90lbs. HOORAY WEIGHT REDUCTION!

In the process of taking the bed off and the bumper, we managed to break all but four bolts. there were 12 bolts holding the bumper hitch assembly together. and the bed bolts were a PITA! none wanted to come off.

 

After all that excitement i did a bit of scuffing on the back of the cab and sprayed some undercoating (paintable) to protect and aid in sound deadening (ill be doing more of this inside the truck with dynamat or similar) and to add an extra layer of protection.... not that it needed it. all the paint was rust free and still shiny back there.

 

Before:

After:

 

since the bed is off... I have decided that it wont be going back on until i have my initial Static Drop done back there. I might end up cleaning and painting the frame too.... if not now defffinately later.

 

So all in all, it was a good nights work.

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

I was on track to get the truck primed, Friday night. THEN MURPHY SHOWED UP!!!! (I dont know where he was but he was in full effect).

 

anyway, i went to spray some sealer on the cab and it was spraying out really thinn... checked my gun, everything was ok, I know i mixed it correctly and with the right activator then i set my gun down on my my paint mix cup.... and i saw it... turns out that the solids separated (its been sitting for about a year) and sank the bottom of the can and are now semi hard. I stood there shaking that thing like it was a shake weight for 3-4 min, so this shouldn't have been an issue.

 

Long story short, i spent all of last night cleaning that crap off with thinner. It only partially hardened/dried so it was sticky and a pain in the ass to clean off.

 

________________________________________________________________________

It was an all nighter Saturday night...... but i finished the paint... shut off the lights and went to bed at 4am . The weather was perfect, temps in the garage were at about 72 when i started spraying. I just need one more day of good weather to paint the outside of the doors.

 

and as always here are some pics.

 

base finished - just before clear

Look closely, you can see the reflection of the garage ceiling in the roof LOL... its particle board.

 

The dumbass that stayed up all night to get this thing painted as planned.

Rockers are rustless now too...

 

thats it for now, Ill post some better pics after i get things the doors on and have it mostly back together.

[Willdatsun]

good work.

[slokrt]

Update Time!!!

 

I finished painting the doors and assembled the front half... sort of.

 

I have basically installed all the painted parts and the trim pieces that were ready to go on to the truck. I still have a hand full of trim pieces and parts to buy... soon!!!! then i can re-assemble. but on the down side, it snowed and is getting too cold to do much more paint this year. Ill start working on the bed when i get some replacement panels purchased and a few other things like that.

 

 

anyway, here it is!

 

[slokrt]

Well now that fall painting rush is over Im planning my next steps and thought id post my plans.

 

I think im ready to do my initial static drop this weekend. Im shooting for about 4 in the rear and 3 up front. looking at repacking the leafs to de arch them picked up some 2" blocks that i may or may not use and might re-drill the hangers if needed.... and crank the tosioins up front for now. Eventually, a 4 link with coil overs in the rear and coil overs in the front.

 

Also going to check out a 2dr pathy at the local JY this week to see if the rear quarters are rotted or not, if memory serves they are in good shape (its where my 4x4 fenders came from) to get ready for the body work ill be doing this winter on the bed... can we say wide body!!! on that note... i need to figure out what to do about the gas door. I dont want to cut up the bed because i still want to use this thing as a truck to haul parts and stuff... HAS ANYONE DONE PATHFINDER QUARTERS??? WHERE DID YOU RELOCATE YOUR GAS FILLER TO??? I thought about putting it in the front corner of the bed. Ill probably go with a fuel cell eventually and tuck it into the frame....

 

I thought before i begin my static drop, i needed some base line measurements. put the bed back on (for about 15 min) to take some baseline measurements then took it off for easy access to the rear suspension while i do the drop.

 

Current measurements - ground to fender;

Front: 28.5"

Rear: 30.5"

Frame @ rear of cab 9 5/8"

 

Just for the hell of it... some pics.... with the front painted that bed really looks like shit, just shows how far this thing has come in such a short time.

 

Looking at the pics, a few things pop out to me that really need to bee addressed.... 1. replace the windshield 2. get rid of the blue interior 3. tint the windows!!! and ofcourse, allow gravity to take effect.

 

Thoughts and opinions on my plans welcome!