Advice needed

[0.C.]

It has come to the point to that I wish I could go back to 2008 and rebuild my old l16 and drive/enjoy my 521.

Let me take you back to August 2008, my engine took a crap on the way home, blown rings, needed new head etc.

While trying to source some parts to get it back on the road, my friend calls me, he's giving me his KA24DE complete for free, that will need new piston rings. I take it. A few months later, work has been done to the motor, wiring is almost finished.

Family emergency comes, I had to sell the KA.

Several months later, I get a hold of a running L16 with tranny. I got it running. Now I needed to finish the exhaust since I cut and threw everything away, thinking I was gonna be sporting the KA.

It sits for a few more months, it was either lack of money or time or both.

 

2011, I have the truck at the shop, where I could work on it after hours and weekends.

Friend calls me, he has a totaled S14 for sale with a nice drivetrain. I get a hold of it and decided that it would be time, that I get to restore the truck and build it the way I wanted it.

A couple of months passed by and my hours at my job were getting lower, my paycheck was getting smaller. I had to look for another job.

 

Now, I'm at this job, where the hours are long. I can't bring in my own projects.

I had already paid more on storage and tow trucks than what I had invested on the truck. And I won't have time anytime soon to work on it. I can't bring it home either.

 

Should I sell it? if so, how much should I ask for it. I scrapped all the torsion bars stuff since I was gonna bag it. Although I do have everything needed to complete the KA swap.

 

Keep it in storage? that's gonna cost me at least $30 a month.

 

This is the truck

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/33654-ocs-521/

[crackerjack69]

Finish it.

[Jayden71]

Finish it.

x2 :cool:

[MicroMachinery]

Finish it.

Sounds like good advice. I'll third that.

[KC Phirus]

X4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or drop it off at my house. I won't mind.

[yellowdatsun]

$30 per month is stupid cheap, even for someone who has little extra cash. Don't let this be a factor in getting rid of it. If you've got that much wrapped up into towing/storage already, it's ALL going to be a waste if you get rid of it. Datsuns are a money pit, but at least if you keep it you'll have something to show for it, not just an empty wallet.

 

Put the stock suspension back on it, you could do that in an afternoon with some help. If you don't have the parts, find them, there's plenty of donor 521's out there. They could be had for free/cheap. This way at least it's a good roller. You haven't hacked up the frame yet, so this is a super easy proposition.

 

Do the airbags when you have more time/money. They ain't cheap, so don't fool yourself into thinking you can do this in a reasonable amount of time, on-the-cheap. It won't happen. 521's can look perfectly cool on lowered stock suspension.

 

Then when you have free time finish the KA swap. Don't be discouraged by the EFI wiring. It's the easiest part of the swap, and can be done over a weekend. *OR* just put an L back in a at least drive the thing.

 

Whatever you do DONT part it out, scrap it, or sell it. If you sell it there's a 98% chance the new owner will never finish it, that's just how these things go. Too many projects end this way. If you scrap it then there's one less good Datsun on the road.

[paradoxx]

if you sell it, i bet you will regret it.

[0.C.]

$30 per month is stupid cheap, even for someone who has little extra cash. Don't let this be a factor in getting rid of it. If you've got that much wrapped up into towing/storage already, it's ALL going to be a waste if you get rid of it. Datsuns are a money pit, but at least if you keep it you'll have something to show for it, not just an empty wallet.

 

Put the stock suspension back on it, you could do that in an afternoon with some help. If you don't have the parts, find them, there's plenty of donor 521's out there. They could be had for free/cheap. This way at least it's a good roller. You haven't hacked up the frame yet, so this is a super easy proposition.

 

Do the airbags when you have more time/money. They ain't cheap, so don't fool yourself into thinking you can do this in a reasonable amount of time, on-the-cheap. It won't happen. 521's can look perfectly cool on lowered stock suspension.

 

Then when you have free time finish the KA swap. Don't be discouraged by the EFI wiring. It's the easiest part of the swap, and can be done over a weekend. *OR* just put an L back in a at least drive the thing.

 

Whatever you do DONT part it out, scrap it, or sell it. If you sell it there's a 98% chance the new owner will never finish it, that's just how these things go. Too many projects end this way. If you scrap it then there's one less good Datsun on the road.

 

I'm assuming I would pay $30 for storage, currently I have it at my old job; we came to an agreement that I could keep it there and work on it there as long as I get to work for a day out of the month on the shop's owner project. That's about $130 of my labor a month. I feel like I'm losing on this part of the deal since I can't find time to work on my own project.

 

Money or skills are not really a problem here. Wiring on the KA is almost done.

It seems that I won't be able to work on it for at least 12 more months. I also don't wanna pay somebody else to finish it.

Scrapping it is out of the question, I'd rather give it to someone else for free that can assure me to get it finished.

[Rustina 510]

As long as you can pay your bills, keep it.

[MicroMachinery]

If you can't work on it for another year, why the hell not pay someone else to finish it? A guy on here just within the past week(fairly close to you, I believe), was on the brink of selling his car(a beauty at that!) because he didn't think himself capable of wiring it. Another member stepped in and for a fee, he is finishing the job for him.

 

If you look at it this way, you can store it for another year(not working on it, as per your own testimony), for either $30 a month, or $130 a month in labor for your boss's project. That is either $360($30x12) to a storage facility, or $1560($130x12) in labor! Even if you paid somebody to wire it up for $360, you'd come out ahead, because you wouldn't have to wait a year to drive your pickup. If you were here, I'd wire it up for $360, without flinching. Or you could support small business, buy one of Icehouse's CAN/AM wiring made easy boxes for $150 shipped, and do it yourself in an afternoon that you would otherwise be working on your boss's project.

 

After looking at your options and doing some of the math, it doesn't make sense NOT to get it done sooner than later..

[yellowdatsun]

I don't like to pay people to work on my cars either. In your situation though, it may not be a bad idea. Like Micro says, all that storage monies could be put towards getting the truck on the road. Sounds like a better way to spend it.

[FoxyRoadster]

Keep the engine stock, sell the KA, and buy the parts to put it back stock, then have a weekend fix it party with beer and pizza for those who will help you get it road ready in a weekends worth of work?

[0.C.]

It would definitely cheaper to have someone else finish it, but I'm pretty anal when it comes to cars.

The CAN/AM boxes are nice, but I'm planning on going another route on the wiring. One fuse box is gonna manage the whole body and engine wiring.

Reputable air bag shops around here, they seem to MIG weld everything together, I want to TIG weld it.

 

I'm gonna start looking for cheap storage, unless someone offers me $1000 or trade for a 70's British motorcycle.