My Rusty L320 Build

[delariva]

Rust repair is one of those jobs you just can't rush. It's fun and stressful at the same time.

 

It is rewarding to look at a panel where there was a rusted out hole, and see nice steel . I got an HVLP spray gun for Christmas, so now more than ever I have to keep myself from trying to rush it haha. 

[delariva]

I have been busy working on our house, and the Jeep needed a lot of work this summer. I have still found time to work on the 320 here and there, but haven't posted anything for quite some time.

Since my last post I have finished the driver side quarter panel, so both quarter panels are now rust free. There were a lot of good sized dents on the roof that I discovered after taking that down to metal and removing the body filler. I was able to get those taken out with a hammer and dolly. There is still one dent in the middle I can't reach until I remove the back glass. I don't want to do that until I have the rubber for the glass, and know I can replace it for sure. I removed the rest of the engine bay wiring, what was left of the incomplete brake hard lines, the exhaust, and the steering box. Now there is room to weld patch panels in the bay where it is needed. The rear cross member was bent, so I cut that out and replaced it. I am working on replacing rusted spots on the rocker panels at the moment. I decided to cut out some of the smaller patches I have already welded in, and do a better job than I did the first try. I am working on getting things fitted, and lined up with clecos before I do any welding. I don't have a lot of metal shaping equipment, or experience. It is taking a lot of time to get the patches formed with a small metal brake, sandbag and hammers. I am pretty happy with the progress so far though. I'll try to remember to take better progress pics, and post a little more often. 

 

I have a few pics on my phone to share. I know progress updates are boring without them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is really corroded and rusty inside the rocker panel, but it cleans up pretty well with rust converter and a wire wheel

 

 

 

[delariva]

Got a package from ebay which is always fun. The horn button assembly was't pretty, but I didn't have one, and this is the first one I have come across since looking. It cleaned up pretty well. I picked up some chrome polish on my way into work, maybe they will look a little better after polishing. Unfortunately, I don't think the current steering wheel will work with the stock horn button. I am going to need to add a stock steering wheel to the list of parts I am looking for. 

 

 

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Wow! Dress her up and she cleans up nicely.

[delariva]

I have been able to buy quite a few parts lately. I ordered a second wiper arm from the same ebay seller that sold me the horn button. I was also able to finally get another hood emblem, and a few other parts from a 320 that is being parted out on ebay. The big score from the ebay part out is a windshield. I will be picking up the windshield in March when I head to AZ for a few Rockies spring training games. 

 

Now that i have a replacement windshield I removed the front and back glass from the cab. I also took the dash out. I have mostly been going through my parts, cleaning them up, then organizing them better. I needed to free up more space to work. It was starting to get too cluttered. I also want to double check and see what parts I may need while I have access to them.

 

Once things are cleaned up I will get back to the rocker panel. I have screwed it up 3 times, and had to start over. A big reason why I started reorganizing parts is I needed to take a step back from that.

 

 

 

 

 

I have been printing these off and throwing them in the box with the parts in the diagram. I think it will help a lot when it comes time to put everything back together. difrangia posted the link to these parts diagrams somewhere on this forum. I saved it to pdf, and look it up there. If I can find it I'll share it here too. It is nice to have. 

[delariva]

I couldn't find the original link for the parts list and diagrams. Here is a google docs link to the pdf I use. 

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5VpVBuE2pcCMnNVdEJkTm56dFU/view?usp=sharing

[difrangia]

You got it, Buddy. I use that old parts manual regularly. I printed it out and mounted it and the shop manual up in three-ring binders and refer to them all the time. An established fixture and regularly used tool in my shop along with the other automobile documents for the other toys and the violin historical and modern manuals that I refer to occasionally. I've always had oddball vehicles and after acquiring one of the creatures, the first thing that I searched out was literature for history and maintainance.  I have a pretty good library built up.

[Charlie69]

Here is a link to the NICO Club forums Datsun service Manuals.  Scroll down for 320.  All are downloadable.

 

http://www.nicoclub.com/datsun-service-manuals

[delariva]

Does anyone with a more complete 320 know what this bracket is for? The block was grounded to it, but that was the only thing connected to it. I bought a stock alternator mount for the L16. I would like to put the alternator in the stock location, but this bracket is in the way. It doesn't look structural, and I don't have whatever goes there in the stock 320. I would rather ask and be sure its not important before I cut it out and regret it. 

 

 

[wayno]

That is a horn mount.

[delariva]

Thank you wayno!

[delariva]

I kept organizing parts and putting them away this weekend. I put the heater box back together. I took it apart and cleaned it up a year ago at least, so I was a little nervous I would have a hard time remembering where things went. I had to drill and tap a few holes where rusty bolts broke off, or were missing. Other than that it went back together without any trouble.

 

 

When I pulled the dash I noticed that the glove box wasn't in great shape. I decided to try making one out of steel. If it worked out great, if not it would be good practice for the metal shaping and welding that needs to be done. It worked out really well, and I like it a lot more than the old glove box. 

 

 

 

 

 

I am in the middle of repairing some holes drilled in the dash. I have it very close to straight with the hammer and dolly, but the metal is a little stretched. I want to try a shrinking disc to get it a little straighter before i weld the holes. 

 

[Charlie69]

You have great sheet metal skills.  Are you going to manufacture and sell the glove box liners and the rocker repair panels?

[delariva]

You have great sheet metal skills.  Are you going to manufacture and sell the glove box liners and the rocker repair panels?

Thank you, I appreciate that. I don't think I'll ever make any to sell, I don't have the resources for something like that. I still haven't got the rocker panel right. The first attempt I made the patch panel a little too tall. I should have test fit it with the door installed. The panel gap was too tight where the patch was put in. The door would shut, but it didn't look good with a tight gap just where the patch was put in. The second attempt I didn't get the lower radius right, so when you put a straight edge across the rocker panel you could see it was bowed in a bit where the patch met the original rocker. I think my 3rd go at it fit pretty well, but I tried using some weld through primer, and could not get it to weld well at all. I had never tried the weld through, but I'm not going to try it again. I do all of my sheet metal cutting with a hacksaw or tin snips, then bend it on a cheap brake if it will fit. If not I use angle iron or a round bar and hammer the shape out, so there is a lot of room for error. It also takes a lot of time doing it that way.

[difrangia]

delariva, 

 

You're quite the metal craftsman. Clecos are a good sign that this is not your first rodeo.

 

That glove box liner outta be good for at least a couple more half-centuries.

 

Thumbs-up on all the work that you've posted.

[delariva]

Thanks Steve, but don't let the clecos fool you! 

[delariva]

I ordered Mike's disc brake kit a few days ago, and am really excited to finally check that off my parts list. I also ordered a brake and clutch master cylinder rebuild kit. I am going to rebuild those before I box them up with the other parts. I got the brake MC kit in today and someone cut the bag open and poached half of the kit. There are only parts for one circuit still in there. I am sure Rockauto will take care of it, but while I wait for them to get back to me I just ordered the same part off of ebay (BENDIX 22416). I am going to check the other boxes that have the parts needed for this disc conversion now though, just in case. 

[wayno]

So if you ordered Mikes disc brake kit, what brake master are you going to be using?

[delariva]

So if you ordered Mikes disc brake kit, what brake master are you going to be using?

 

When I bought the truck it had a dual reservoir 3/4" Nabco MC already in there. Not sure what the pedal feel is going to be like with the 3/4" but from my research I think the only smaller bore datsun MC is the 11/16. I could be wrong. I read a lot on it while trying to decide what to do, and that is what I came away with. When I looked up what these datsun MC cost on the z and roadster sites that sell datsun parts, I decided to rebuild it and go from there. I have a pic of the clutch and brake masters somewhere on my phone. Ill find it and upload it.

[delariva]

[difrangia]

Looks like 620 master cylinders. No ??

 

If you use Google Chrome and have used the 'Photobucket Fix' that was posted a while back, you can see all the disk brake conversion pics on my build thread.

 

I used the 620 masters, rebuilt the clutch slave, and changed to the Monroe shocks on front that are used on 520-720 pickups.

 

Doubt you'll ever find bolt in 320 front shocks. Had to mod the lower mount & it's in the thread.

 

You'll love the Mike 'Blue Hands' brake upgrade. Might need a proportioning valve to achieve front/rear balance.

[delariva]

I think you are correct on it being the 620 master. I will have to look up the Photobucket Fix. I haven't been able to see most of the pictures on the forum for a while now. I remember seeing your shock mount mod, but will need to look at it again to refresh my memory on how you did it. Thanks for the info. 

[wayno]

OK, it was sounding like you were going to use the stock 320 brake master, although that is possible to do as I used the stock 521 master on my work truck with front disc brakes for years it is not the best way to go, I now have a 1979 Datsun 620 brake master with the 1973/74 Datsun 620 brake booster on the work truck, should have done that a decade ago.

I have 3 Datsun 320 trucks, one has the 280ZX brake master(Mikes old NL320), the U320 has a 1979 Datsun 620 master, and the L320 has a mid 720 brake master, they all stop fine, the 720 master was a used one I had around here from a truck I parted out, basically free as eventually it would have got scrapped. 

[delariva]

I wish I would have grabbed the master off the pull yard 620 when I had the chance just to have a spare. I thought about putting a booster in this project, but I don't think there is any way it would fit. With the L16 in the 320 bay there isn't much room. Do you have a pic of the work truck with the 620 brake booster?

[wayno]

Here it is in my 521 with a custom pedestal

 

Here it is in my 520 with yet another custom pedestal.

 

 

I had to put a 521 pedal assembly in my 520 so it would fit, the 320 is like a 521 though where the brake and clutch masters are way to the side.