4x4 521

[4x4521]

Some folks have been requesting some oics of the suspension. These aren't great but they give you the general idea of set up... also I am much further along then these pics show... bed liner put in, gas door filled in, interior floor patched and bedlined, etc, etc... no matter how easy you think a project is going to be in the beginning it always turns out to be twice as much work as you anticipated and costs twice as much to finish... more on that later... This will be the 3rd cab on this frame 2 620 cabs and beds prior to this 521 seen here...I rolled the original 76... smashed the cab nearly flat and walked away with only bruises... there is a lot to be said for these little trucks. I should have more pics tomorrow

 

 

 

 

 

[]2eDeYe]

Great pictures, thanks for sharing those :)

[4x4521]

serious front bumper done and in primer

interior bed and gas tank done... have to move heater in cab interior and a whole lot of rewiring

 

 

 

[wayno]

Why do you need to move the heater core?

[4x4521]

Have very minimal amount of space between firewall and motor, 76 frame and powertrain, 2000 engine takes up a lot of room

[jon521]

hmm interesting... ive seen some 4x4 521s i like and some i dont so im interested on where you go with this! i have the L20b and a 620 tranny as well, and i didnt have to move anything in the interior.....maybe im just missing something here but i guess i dont understand why you have to move it

 

Edit: i see what you mean now

Edited April 1, 2012 by jon521

[wayno]

Have very minimal amount of space between firewall and motor, 76 frame and powertrain, 2000 engine takes up a lot of room

 

What I did when I put a SD25 diesel in my 521 was cut the heater core outlets about an inch, then I found some heater hoses with 90% bends in them, I connected the hoses to the heater, then slid the hoses threw the holes and put the heater box into position, the hoses make a turn towards the pass. side imediately after coming out the hole.

The benifit of this is the hose clamps are inside the truck, the bad is if the hose leaks, you have to remove the heater to fix it.

[Z chopper]

me likes 4x4 521

[cosmo]

here is what i came up with when i did it a few years back, now i am slowly modifying things and making things stronger and better. i am interested in what you using for steering, i went with toyota axles and high steer with six shooters, and if you thought the l20 was hard to stuff in there you should see the 22re i put in.... haha. yeah the heater core is in front of the passenger seat. but if you run into an issue pm me and i probly had to deal with it already. haha this is actually the second version of my 521 4x4.

[]2eDeYe]

Cosmo, love that truck. I've cross posted a few pictures over here on occasion. :)

[Busta Nut]

You guys have inspired me. I wanted 10 completed cars in my garage before I die....Now it's ten cars and a 4x4 521!!

 

 

 

Sweet truck!!! :thumbup:

[mrbigtanker]

here is what i came up with when i did it a few years back, now i am slowly modifying things and making things stronger and better. i am interested in what you using for steering, i went with toyota axles and high steer with six shooters, and if you thought the l20 was hard to stuff in there you should see the 22re i put in.... haha. yeah the heater core is in front of the passenger seat. but if you run into an issue pm me and i probly had to deal with it already. haha this is actually the second version of my 521 4x4.

Wow dude that is f#$%in cool.Now i want one.

[cosmo]

haha thanks, i have had some good fun in it. i didnt make it to the datsun show this year, but i got it back together mostly now. the only thing is take your time making sure you brace everything and plate everything you weld to anything datsun called metal. :rofl:

[Master-O-Turbonics]

Cosmo,

 

I like the way you cut your front fenders. :)

[cosmo]

yeah i spent about an hour on one side with tape trying to make sure to keep the marker lights. then i took the piece i cut off and thought i could use it some how. nope spent another hour on the other side. lol. how ever get the tires you are going to use first then cut. i cut and moved my fender well into the cab about two and a half inches when i did the floor pans in the cab, which i only did really because i want the roll cage to not push thru the floor. but the 38's i had still hit the wheel well, when i upgraded to 40s i had to move my axle which meant moving the front perch and the and the shackle mount and making a longer drive line, these are all things to consider. plus your steering will be greatly affected so if i was going to do it all over again which i may be doing before the year ends... i would start with the axle and springs and then deal with the steering, tires (clearance), shocks, then drive lines. and other little stuff. because my hi steer is all interesting and i wish my box was forward. haha and brace everything!!!!

[cosmo]

this is what happens when you dont brace your front crossmember. haha

 

 

[cosmo]

but i got the chance to make it better and stronger haha.

plated it and made it super strong, and i did finish welding it all up.

and then welded the crap out of it and welded everything way too much. haha but i put double gussets on each side. and took for ever.

[Royal Sierra]

That is still the most badass 4x4 Datsun ive ever seen. I want it

[]2eDeYe]

Now that I see the damage... The steering and the springs must have been leveraging the crossmember back and forth. Once fatigued enough the weight of the truck just peeled it up. Nicely done. :thumbup:

 

You might consider some horizontal gussets in addition to the vertical ones to strengthen it in the path of the steering movement. :)

[cosmo]

yeah didnt help that my spring mounts were in front of my cross member.. :rofl: but the real damage came from the D ring thats welded underneath it... i mean others getting stuck and me pulling them out. haha

oh i will be putting triangles in the corners of the frame and cross member. haha but yeah i am just done for now, thet took a few, three or four days, to get there so i needed a break. building things from scratch is so easy but repairs like this... :confused:

[80daterpillar]

That looks like pretty heavy stuff to be using a 110 box on, any issues with penetration?

[cosmo]

na, its just up all the way and sometimes you have to do a double weld, just look for the discoloration, all good afterthat. its never broke a weld, but i also avoid butt welding at all cost stick with full wrap around lap welding with plates and such.