battlewagon Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 My grandfather purchased a slightly used '69 Datsun 521 in '72, he drove it stock for 15 years until the late 80's when he dropped a Cheby 3.8 (not the Buick), TH350, 2 barrell Weber, added Mustang buckets, a B&M Supershifter and a super stout custom flatbed. He also added a moonroof, hoodscoop (to accomodate the engine swap), a narrowed Corporate 8.25", and a Wilwood front disk conversion. In HS: Since I was young I would practice driving this truck up and down his gravel driveway, when I turned 16 he tossed me the keys and I was ecstatic. I drove it only about a year before my parents insecurities about it's safety took over and they traded me their '84 Toyota Landcruiser FJ60 for the Datsun, I was hesitant but the LC was a bomber rig and the Datsun went to my uncle. About 7 years later the Datsun was stolen out of my uncle's shop. Witnesses spotted a couple dudes farting around with a pickup in the woods and called it in, by the time my cousins had got there they had stripped it clean of the interior, tranny, motor, etc... I took it over from that day, by that I mean let it sit in a buddy's field for about 7 years... until now. Home, mossy and dirty: Washed and pulled the flatbed: build details to follow. Quote Link to comment
Str8_69 Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Holy crap that thing cleaned up NICE! Gonna be fun to watch this resto... :thumbup: Quote Link to comment
battlewagon Posted January 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 no shit, the paint is a Mercedes green, close to the stock Datto color but that paint job still looks stellar 25 years later. There is some body damage, rot in the floorboards, and nick-nacky stuff. Not exactly going resto route with this dude, I'm still laying out the battle plan. Quote Link to comment
Str8_69 Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Diggin it man! You gonna leave it flatbed? It's a great look for that rig, with the hood cowling and side trim.. :cool: Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Look exciting. Cleaned up nice. If a chevy 90-degree V6 fit in there, a V8 probably will too. They don't weight but 75 pounds more. Move the battery to the back to compensate. Quote Link to comment
Str8_69 Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 If the firewall is already cut, maybe a Z engine/tranny combo? Keep it Datto? Quote Link to comment
Eomund Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 You talkin vq? That would be killer, a vq 521. Quote Link to comment
mklotz70 Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 I'd love to see pics of the wilwood brakes :) Quote Link to comment
KC Phirus Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Dude I love the Benz color. Keep the flatbed. Just for kicks find an old benz OM617 Turbo Inline 5. It's what the turbo 300d's have. 125hp and more torque than a datto needs. Plus 20-25mpg. Bullet proof and don't even start to get weak till 800 thousand miles. Quote Link to comment
albyneau Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 I'd love to see pics of the wilwood brakes :) And the engine! Quote Link to comment
KC Phirus Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 And the engine! Witnesses spotted a couple dudes farting around with a pickup in the woods and called it in, by the time my cousins had got there they had stripped it clean of the interior, tranny, motor, etc... Quote Link to comment
DRIVEN Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 That hood demands an L88. Quote Link to comment
battlewagon Posted January 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 sorry for being a little cryptic about powertrains, I had been drinking whiskey last night when I posted my intro and I didn't want to muddle my plans. When I got the truck back 7 years ago I had plans for a SBC, it actually still has a cracked 350 mocked up in the bay. Since it originally had the 90 degree V6, I got some V6 to V8 adapter plates for the motor mounts and the crossmember is already set up for a TH350. Then MPG started itching me a little and I had plans for a pissed off Vortec 4.3 (probably the best choice IMO), then I itched a little more thinking it would be a sweet little commuter and a diesel would be the right choice. Then it just sat until I saw this thing ripping down I-205: It had some stainless steel boxes hanging under the bed, and no tailpipe. I researched it a little bit and found this: http://photos.plasma...babyblue?page=1 http://www.plasmaboyracing.com/ I DD a V8 Tundra, the wifey has a Pathfinder and my hobby rig is a '90 Landcruiser (selling to help finance the Datto), all gas guzzling monsters. I'm not a granola grazer but the idea of an electric vehicle really appeals to me so I've been doing my homework here: http://www.diyelectriccar.com/ and I think I can put together performance based EV with a range of 60 miles which would fit my needs for a runabout/hobby truck. So my plans are to baseline the rig, run through the brakes, rebuild the 8.25", coilover the front, tubeframe the rear with 4-links and coilovers, deck the tubed rear with a lightweight aluminum flatbed. I can source a DC motor from a forklift and build a motor controler, tranny options are still up in the air. I have a Millermatic 165, a JD2 tubing bender and just enough fab skills to get it done. Batteries are the tough part of the equation, lithiums are becoming more affordable and offer much better performance. I'm giving myself about 2 years to get it on the road (sorry, won't be much instant gratification here). I figured this would be the site to get some good feedback as it seems pretty innovative and not shy to stray off the beaten path. Feedback positive or negative is welcome, my plans are always changing and who knows I might drift back to a combustion engine by the time I get it baselined. either way, no one can deny this thing is fucking awesome: Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Nice truck, welcome aboard! Funny how plans change. Electric drivetrains all over the board today :lol: Quote Link to comment
battlewagon Posted January 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 are they? got a link? I'd love to see another electric project here. Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 The white zombie came to the blue lake meet last year, a few electrics did, was interesting to see them, the zombie has prototype batterys in it, if you were to buy them, it would have cost about a $100,000 dollars, very light type of battery, each set of cells had a little fan, when the sun hit the battery cells, the fans on them cells would activate. Maybe the batterys are cheaper now. Quote Link to comment
battlewagon Posted January 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 yeah, John Wayland gets all the cool shit. Lead acid batteries can be had for about $2,500 a pack, Lithiums about $8K depending on how many volts you run. Lithiums are lighter and last 4 times as long though. hopefully by the time this thing is done they'll be cheaper. Quote Link to comment
skyblue Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 sorry for being a little cryptic about powertrains, I had been drinking whiskey last night when I posted my intro and I didn't want to muddle my plans. When I got the truck back 7 years ago I had plans for a SBC, it actually still has a cracked 350 mocked up in the bay. Since it originally had the 90 degree V6, I got some V6 to V8 adapter plates for the motor mounts and the crossmember is already set up for a TH350. Then MPG started itching me a little and I had plans for a pissed off Vortec 4.3 (probably the best choice IMO), then I itched a little more thinking it would be a sweet little commuter and a diesel would be the right choice. Then it just sat until I saw this thing ripping down I-205: It had some stainless steel boxes hanging under the bed, and no tailpipe. I researched it a little bit and found this: http://photos.plasma...babyblue?page=1 http://www.plasmaboyracing.com/ I DD a V8 Tundra, the wifey has a Pathfinder and my hobby rig is a '90 Landcruiser (selling to help finance the Datto), all gas guzzling monsters. I'm not a granola grazer but the idea of an electric vehicle really appeals to me so I've been doing my homework here: http://www.diyelectriccar.com/ and I think I can put together performance based EV with a range of 60 miles which would fit my needs for a runabout/hobby truck. So my plans are to baseline the rig, run through the brakes, rebuild the 8.25", coilover the front, tubeframe the rear with 4-links and coilovers, deck the tubed rear with a lightweight aluminum flatbed. I can source a DC motor from a forklift and build a motor controler, tranny options are still up in the air. I have a Millermatic 165, a JD2 tubing bender and just enough fab skills to get it done. Batteries are the tough part of the equation, lithiums are becoming more affordable and offer much better performance. I'm giving myself about 2 years to get it on the road (sorry, won't be much instant gratification here). I figured this would be the site to get some good feedback as it seems pretty innovative and not shy to stray off the beaten path. Feedback positive or negative is welcome, my plans are always changing and who knows I might drift back to a combustion engine by the time I get it baselined. either way, no one can deny this thing is fucking awesome: holy crap! That gave me chills. Doo eet! Cool truck. I like the sound of your plans. Quote Link to comment
albyneau Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 There's another forum that you may benefit from as well~ ecomodder.com They have quite a group of peeps devoted to your goals... Quote Link to comment
battlewagon Posted January 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Thanks, I have been there as well. But I figured I'd start here to dial in the chassis and aesthetics because most EVs handle for shit and are ugly econoboxes. Nice tin top btw. Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 That baby blue 521 was built by John. A useful lithium pack can be had for $3 - 4K. Paul who is a sometimes-member here spent $3k for his Datsun 411 pack which if i recall correctly was designed for 40 mile range. The 521 is heavier though. The racers use larger, more expensive packs because they are racing. You don't need that much horsepower for a daily driver. Quote Link to comment
battlewagon Posted January 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 I don't plan on drag racing but I don't want a slouch either. I am thinking a 192V system with an open source controller and a 9" motor would do the trick for 7 second runs to 60. Quote Link to comment
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