520 center link around oil pan

[billair]

Got a 67 pick up I have to get on the road, the guy I bought it from told me it needed tie rods so I replaces those courtesy of eBay .... now i am close to driving it and desperately have to get it road worthy as I am borrowing me mom inlaws car an she wants it back. I got someone to move the steering wheel today as I looked under it for the knocking sound I'm hearing, and because the front end is lowered the center link looks like it has had a tie rod of some sort welded on it to go around the oil pan..... My question is, how are these normally lowered with a stock front end like this, I have a stock center link but looks like it'll hit the oil pan, is there a solution you guys have for lowering these trucks

 

desperate, thanks

[wayno]

The stock center link is real close to the oilpan, but a lot depends on what engine is in the truck? Does it have a J block in it?

[billair]

No it has an L18

[datzenmike]

Not the stock motor so a reasonable answer doesn't really exist. Seriously, a motor swap and lowering... any thing could have been engineered by the home mechanic. A picture would help immensely. You may only need to ball peed the oil pan for clearance

[billair]

I tried taking a pic when I was there and my phone died, I'll see if the pic I took is clear

[datzenmike]

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/691-how-to-post-pictures-and-keep-online-photo-albums/

[wayno]

There is also the oilpan to consider, it quite likely is a 620 oilpan which will not clear the centerlink in a 521 either with an L block, first thing you need to do is measure how much room your are going to need, and then figure out which oilpan you have, if you only need a inch or less and you have the 620 oilpan, the 521 L block oilpan will likely fix your issue/problem.

[billair]

Where can I find a 521 L pan tomorrow in Vancouver bc?

 

Is that an L 16 from 521

[ggzilla]

520 center links are designed to go around 520 oil pans. Getting a 521 oil pan may not solve this problem.

 

Lowering has nothing to do with where the steering linkage goes. At least not with normal lowering techniques ...

[wayno]

It sounds like the engine is already in there guys. Is the brace still in there that goes across from lower control arm to lower control arm right below the oilpan? I ask because you may already have the 521 oilpan in there, it is hard to tell the differance. I have both, but don't want to hunt them up right now as they are oiley/dirty, and I am clean for the night. Fact is it is very difficult to change out the oilpan with the engine in position, even in a stock L block 521, let alone a 520 with an L block conversion. In the end you may have to have a custom center link made, but other guys have done this conversion with the stock center link I beleave. It really would help to have photos of that area.

[billair]

So it's just the fact that an L18 has been put in, is that what your saying

[billair]

It sounds like the engine is already in there guys. Is the brace still in there that goes across from lower control arm to lower control arm right below the oilpan? I ask because you may already have the 521 oilpan in there, it is hard to tell the differance. I have both, but don't want to hunt them up right now as they are oiley/dirty, and I am clean for the night. Fact is it is very difficult to change out the oilpan with the engine in position, even in a stock L block 521, let alone a 520 with an L block conversion. In the end you may have to have a custom center link made, but other guys have done this conversion with the stock center link I beleave. It really would help to have photos of that area.

 

 

I will take some tomorrow,

 

yeh, custom center link

[datzenmike]

There is also the oilpan to consider, it quite likely is a 620 oilpan which will not clear the centerlink in a 521 either with an L block, first thing you need to do is measure how much room your are going to need, and then figure out which oilpan you have, if you only need a inch or less and you have the 620 oilpan, the 521 L block oilpan will likely fix your issue/problem.

 

God point. Could even be a more common L20B truck pan which I think is bigger than the L16.. (deeper) Picture would help.

[billair]

Due to my job I was not able to take pics today, truck is out at my in laws place, so getting out an taking pics is not easy and when I'm there I'm usually under the gun to gitter dun so I always forget, but will try next time

 

I will go for making a new center link for now, I think that will be the best solution.

I have a rebuilt L20 I plan to put in it eventually if not soon so I'd rather not replace the oil pan just now, that's an excellent idea for when I drop the new motor in though

 

If I had my shit together I would have started a thread on this, hopefully I still will

 

Anyway, I really appreciate all your efforts on this

 

thanksaton datsun lovers

[wayno]

Before you drop the new engine in, you need to get a L16 oilpan and oil pickup tube, they will bolt right on your L20b. The left pan in the photo below is a L20b oilpan from a 620 more than likely, the middle oilpan is a L16 pan and the right one is a napZ Z22 oilpan I beleave.

Note in the photos below, that the sump is a inch or so farther back in the right L16 oilpan. The front of the oilpans are the closest to my feet

[billair]

The L16 in the middle looks to have the most clearance, though it seems taller (or deeper) from the side shot. What do you think?

 

 

what's an oil pick up tube and where does it go in relation to this pan and the L20

 

Are you interested in selling that one?

 

thanks

[wayno]

The L16 in the middle looks to have the most clearance, though it seems taller (or deeper) from the side shot. What do you think?

 

 

what's an oil pick up tube and where does it go in relation to this pan and the L20

 

Are you interested in selling that one?

 

thanks

 

 

I probably should have taken care of this last night, but my computer was extremely slow last night, on a normal night I move data at 20-30 KB/s(fast/slow), last night I was at under 10 KB/s(slow/slow), but nothing failed moving photos last night, today I am moving at 60 KB/s+ most the time, which for my computer is fast.

The oilpans are basicly the same height, it was just an illusion that they looked differant heights, probably something to do with the camera operator, he's an idiot.

This is the oilpan pickup tube.

[billair]

LOL

 

Thanks wayno

[billair]

Before you drop the new engine in, you need to get a L16 oilpan and oil pickup tube, they will bolt right on your L20b. The left pan in the photo below is a L20b oilpan from a 620 more than likely, the middle oilpan is a L16 pan and the right one is a napZ Z22 oilpan I beleave.

Note in the photos below, that the sump is a inch or so farther back in the right L16 oilpan. The front of the oilpans are the closest to my feet

 

hey wayno

 

my oil pan is reversed, is that done? when you say this is the front of them "where my toes are", i went ... huh ? i`m sure my sump is at the front. there is a 520 for sale on ebay right now, a red one, and he has an under carriage shot on ramps, you can see, like you say, the sump is back, mine is front and there is no room to put it in reverse the way it should be cuz of that support bar, what ever it is....

 

so, i may just put my other motor in and do you want to sell those 2 items and where are you, in Washington state

 

lemme know

 

thanks again

[wayno]

This 520s sump that is on ebay is in the rear, you can see the steering link in front of the pan, it is also likely a J block, is this the 520 photo your talking about?

 

 

We need photos of your truck, and really need them of your oilpan as it is now. I was putting an L block in my 66 520 in the stock frame, I ran into so many issues that I gave up on it and put a J block back in it to get it going, and decided that when I found a 1985-86 nissan 720 2wd kingcab frame I would drop the cab onto it instead, as I have done this before on a 4X4 frame with an L block, http://community.rat...__fromsearch__1 but didn't like how high it was, so I reversed it back to an extended stock 520 frame. I seem to change my mind a lot sometimes, this project may see 4 or more frame changes before I am happy with it. I know it is possible to drop an L block into the 520, as guys do it all the time, I just never went and looked at how they did it. I need this oilpan/pickup tube combo for myself, you need to find a 521 L16 block and grab the oilpan/pickup tube off of it, thats where I got mine, I paid $50.00 for a whole block just to get them, I hope you can find them cheaper. We need photos of your project, it is hard to give advise when we don't actually know what you have.

[banzai510(hainz)]

I assume youll use a 521 specific oil pan/pick up for a L motor in a 521.

Just be certain about earlier trucks

 

 

I seen to guy ty to sell me a 521 with a L20 and said he modified the motor mounts higher for so the engine will clear the center link.

I said ,you could have just used a 521 oil pan!!!!!! He looked at me BEWILDERED!

He also said he dropped the oil pump spindal said it was 180 off. I said YOu could have swapped the plug wires 180. He was Not likeing me!!!!!!!

[ggzilla]

There's more than one way to skin a cat. The easy way, and multiple difficult ways!

[billair]

some pics<br><br>the sump is in the front... what kind of a pan is that, hopefully these make sense<div>these are all front shots, with the exception of the brake line shot and slave, those are back side of the front pass. wheel</div><div>%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20[/img]

 

</div>

[wayno]

Lets get some measurements to see if a 521 oilpan will even fit in there. You need to get a measurement from the FRONT of the tranny plate, it's the plate sandwiched between the tranny and the engine, and the FRONT of the brace between the lower control arms, that needs to be about 6 inches. Then measure the distance on the drivers side from the oilpan mount surface of the block, to the TOP of that same brace, that also needs to be aproximately 6 inches. I have no idea what that oilpan is off of, but I have never looked at the other L20b vehicles, it could have come from any one of them, 510s, 610s, 710s, 810s, early 200SX, ect. ect. ect. Get them measurements, if they are not real close, the 521 pan may not even fit in there. Yes, that is a back yard hack job, what does the rest look like, maybe it needs to be re-done also. How far is the back of the head from the firewall?

[wayno]

I can see some other parts your going to need, a new idler arm, new pitman arm, you have the center link. I would like to know what that oilpan came off of also, good future info.