My KA24E 620

[Project Bandwagon]

Okay, I've been lurking for awhile. I put in quite a few late nights on this project trying to get it driveable for a drift event. Yes, that's my overall plan is a ratty datsun drift truck.

 

I made the drift event, but fried an ECU after 3.1 runs, but more on that later. I figured it was time to make a thread for 2 reasons. i'd like to get the communities input and get everyone up to speed in case i need help, and i need to rekindle my ambition for this project. its been sitting for 2 months with little to no progress.

 

i'd also like to say without the help of SEVERAL members on this forum, I wouldn't have gotten this far. I haven't been a Nissan/Datsun guy before this project.

 

On with the oics!

 

 

ok, I found this 1974 Datsun 620 truck sitting out in a field about 6 miles outside of Sturgis, SD where I live. I've wanted to try and build a drift truck for awhile now, and yes I know I'm late to the party, so I have called it Project Bandwagon.

 

This is how I got her:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The plan is to stick a KA24e out of an 89 240sx in it.

I was going to wait on a de or an sr, but the price was oh so right on the ka i found, i couldn't pass it up.

 

 

I found this sitting out in a field in Belle Fourche (about 40 miles from where I live). It had some front end damage after making contact with a pole. The interior was mice ridden, half of it missing, and it was dirt cheap, this was a perfect candidate for the swap.

I robbed the Motor, Trans, ECU, driveshaft, mounts, seats, fusebox, radiator, front suspension, steering rack, ebrake cable & handle, rear end/rear suspension, and anything else I could think of before I sent it off to the crusher.

 

For now the suspension/steering/subframe/rearend won't be used, but most of the rest of it will.

 

These first 4 were to show how nasty the drivetrain was. It got degreased scrubbed and pressure washed.

 

 

 

 

 

Here it is fresh and clean:

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the pile of remaining parts, and the shell before it got trailered off to get crushed.

 

 

 

 

[Project Bandwagon]

Here are before and afters of the 620 Engine bay getting cleaned:

 

 

 

 

 

Some Misc pics of the piles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I got the motor/trans wedged into the bay last night. got it positioned to where I wanted it, and got my mounts figured out.

 

The rear trans mount will work almost perfect, I had to slot the mounting holes 1/3 of an inch or so. I'm using the rubber from the 620 mount and the 240 engine portion. I could have got the mounts to line up perfect if I had chosen to cut the firewall, but that would have put the shifter back another 2 inches, and i would have had to fab up a new trans mount. This doesn't leave me much room for a cooling fan, so I'll put a pusher in front of the radiator.

 

 

 

 

So we got the front mounts figured out, tacked into place and the motor is pulled out again so that I can weld in the mounts and clean up/paint some areas in the bay. I've also got a timing chain kit with the updated chain guides, chain, and gears. I'll do that while its out of the truck again.

 

At this point, I'd like to share my timing chain guide had 2 inches of guide left on it, the rest of it was GONZO. if you don't know if it has an updated guide in your KA24.... upgrade it! well worth the time/money

[Project Bandwagon]

These are in a F'ed up order

 

Here is the new underdash fuse panel and ecu wiring. Still have to clean up, finish mounting

 

Believe it or not, this was a brand new radiator before pulling it in and out of the truck about 12 times!:lol: me and the radiator fin comb will get acquainted.

 

I had to modify the stock 620 driveshaft to work. the tail end of the transmission sits about 3/4 to 1" back from the original location. the dust shield on the end of the slip yolk was the only thing holding it up. i had to cut off a little more than an inch to make it fit, but the driveshaft is bolted up now! again this is stage one with the 2pc driveshaft. 1 pc aluminum will come.

no idea why i took so many pictures of this :utoh:

 

 

new radiator installed, and a couple shots of the modified front end to accept the 2 pusher fans

 

Another random shot of the wiring inside

 

I pulled the engine harness off, stripped all the old conduit and shit off, and rerouted and reloomed the harness

 

The leftovers :lol:

 

And reinstalled

 

and the nearly free wheels i think im gonna run with. ill need like 1" spacers in the back as the tire is millimeters from rubbing the leaf spring in the rear

 

just rolled up next to the truck for this one

installed on this shot

 

and this tip in the top right will probably by protruding out of my hood:lol:

[Project Bandwagon]

At this point, I had everything in place and tried to start it for the first time. found out my MAF wasn't far enough away from the throttle body.

then i figured out that when i did the timing chain install, the oil pump moved on me a little bit. i had to tear it back apart and get that timing on

 

and finally my update from today

 

 

not a whole lot in the way of updates. with my new job, i haven't had much time to work on it. Almost all of the work done thus far was at my shop at work. my pick of hoists, welders, tools, and supplies

 

It drove from spearfish (work) to sturgis, in 3rd gear :lol: because with the 5speed ecu it cuts the fuel off half way through 3rd gear. so low rpms in third the whole way home.

 

made it to the drift event, got 3.1 runs in before i fried the ecu.

the .1 i put on the 14" wheels/tires it came with and shredded a tire through the first corner, wrapped it around the leaf spring and axle, but was a good time.

 

after my 3rd run, it died and wouldn't start. after like 3 hours of trying to diagnose it at the drift event, im pretty sure i had a relay stick and fried the ecu. im going to go through and sanitize my wiring some more, and i got an auto ecu so i'll install that replace relays and see if it starts.

 

since it got home it has kind of been sitting. pulled it into the garage and started tearing the rear suspension off so i can test fit the 240 rear end. its like 10 inches wider, but nothing some z car style flares can't cover lol.

 

heres a few pictures of the progress with the rear end.

 

Here's the 2 rear ends side by side, as you can see the 240 rear is clearly much wider. both left wheels are even on the outside. its just under 10 inches wider

 

o'l dottie with her skirt up

 

sittin on jackstands, but doable!

 

hella poke!

 

yeah thats the kool-aid man.... he says "oh yeah"

 

as of right now it's just sitting on stands in the garage. i'll try and do some more figuring on suspension and see what i'm going to need to connect the rear to the frame.

 

i need a short cheap coilover, but don't have any measurements yet. i had actually thought about coil over air suspension but not good for dorifto

 

i'll have to see if anyone got any pics/vids of it "drifting" it was pretty sad without a welded diff

[Project Bandwagon]

These updates were adapted from a local forum I'm on, so if something doesn't make sense, thats probably why, there were 6 pages of posts between the first and last update.

I started the motor swap on August 8th

and drove it home on October 5th

 

 

Also, I'm sure it will be asked, but YES i pulled a running l18 out in lieu of a ka24e. i still have the l18 tucked in the shed for my next datsun project, which will hopefully be a resto.

[]2eDeYe]

Nice progress. You gonna narrow up the rear or run it as is?

[Project Bandwagon]

i think im gonna run it as is for now. i'll probably throw some z car style flares on it

[Wide14u]

this looking good :D

[Slixon]

Really cool looking truck.

[Slixon]

The suspension is what I wanna see pics off tho!!

[Project Bandwagon]

wow, i haven't updated this in a long time. The rear end is finished, I had some troubles with the engine, I think it came down to the oil pump drive being a tooth off, but for now I scored another cheap KA to throw in. It's now running/driving/drifting

 

Here's a link to the rear end progress

http://s2.beta.photobucket.com/user/haimiah/library/Cars/74%20Datsun%20620/March%2031st%202012

 

I'll throw up a few of the bigger ones

 

It's probably overkill, but better over than under i guess lol

 

I used Mazda Miata Struts/Coilovers. They gave me what I needed height wise to not have to chop up the box.

 

 

i couldn't find bushings that would work with the miata struts and the 240 rear subframe, so i looked and looked til i found something close. what i came up with was from a nissan hardbody, but the center hole was too small, nothing me and a dremel couldn't handle.

 

left is how they came, right is what it looks like now

 

both done

 

So now I have nissan hardbody bushings on miata struts for a 240 subframe in a datsun 620 pickup.. O.o

 

 

I then set to cleaning/painting everything

 

This was on the engine that wasn't running right, made it out to the drift event, but it wouldn't slide

 

 

and one that someone found online and showed me, apparently it's getting attention already lol

[Project Bandwagon]

I want to get adapters for the front to run all of the 4 lug rims, but can't bring myself to get 6lug to 4 lug adapters, they look so sketch. for now I'll run the 6lug gmc's up front, although I might try and find some spacers so it doesn't look so goofy.

 

There is a drift event on Nov 25th, which I'm registered for, so there are some things I have to button up.

 

Get the box on (it needs more weight, the rear end just wants to come around) I have to modify one of the cross braces underneath to accomodate for the fuel cell, as well as the fuel cell vent. at that point i'll modify the box and throw on the z car flares i have for it.

Headlights/Taillights. I pulled all of the stock fuses chasing a draw, and the wiring to the rear has seen better days. it's just ziptied in front of the right rear wheel at this point

Exhaust, man it's obnoxious! right now it's just the exhaust mani then it ends O.o

The brakes are really soft, I think it's a combination of the 620 master coupled with the 240 rear disc brakes, and i have a leak at one of my unions underneath.

Seats, the stock 240 seats I installed are beat, there's nothing to hold you in place and I've been sitting on a set of cheapo racing seats for awhile, and if time permits a harness bar, but that will probably be a winter project.

probably spacers, so i can throw the front flares on too, it looks so goofy with the rear poking and the front tucking

[Peter_Pablo]

nicee nicee niceee excelent swap choice :thumbup: I like that Dat

[ruckycharms]

holy fuckballs this is rad!

[strokerbobber]

nice as build

[]2eDeYe]

Nice execution on that rear end :thumbup:

[Zlich]

dang dude thats sweet. I have a project Im thinking about doing for a drift truck. Im thinking of using a 720 with a z24 and seeing how far I can get with it.

[71kat510]

well looks like my truck will be getting my spare 240sx rear end quite soon maybe front end if i can figure something out anyone ever do it without to much hassle??

[Project Bandwagon]

front end was going to be my project this winter, but the rear end kind of kicked my ass. i may blow apart the front end on the datsun and start getting ideas, but i wanted to get some seat time to see how the rear end held up. first test will be a drift day on nov. 25th

I didn't really wanna do a tube front end, but that may end up being what i do. we'll see.

[K_trip]

Nice build - you're kicking serious ass on this!

[Eagle_Adam]

great build! love the truck man

[Project Bandwagon]

i promised myself I wouldn't do this yet, but i just pulled the trigger on a new front bumper and front valance. I wanted to finish up what I have going, but couldn't resist.

 

Looking for fenders, but shipping is a KILLER on any i find still in stock!

[]2eDeYe]

Be careful with ordering aftermarket fenders, they usually require a bit of work for good fitment.

[hogger69]

ya i had to cut my fender alot just to get it to fit right

[Project Bandwagon]

as long as they're all there, the bodywork/fitting doesn't concern me. the bottom portion of both of mine are non existent