DanielC Posted December 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2017 (edited) In the 1970's I put these Stewart Warner gauges in dragon, and this is how they looked before last night. I used a large file to remove some casting flash on the edges of the aluminium panel, then sanded it with a sanding block, and 400 grit paper, wet. Then I used the blue one of these brushes in a drill to smooth over the sanding marks. After that, the gauge mount panel looked like this. I put the gauge panel back in Dragon. And then put the cleaned gauges back in the panel. At one time, I had some fog lights on this truck. the top hole was for a indicator light, the bottom hole was for the switch. Wayno got a reply in while I was editing the post. He likes volt meters. Volt meters have advantages over an amp meter. In the 1970's we used amp meters and we liked it. Most cars that had a gauge to monitor what is going on with the charging system used amp meters. It is much easier to wire a voltmeter, especially on a 521, because a 521 used the positive battery cable to the starter to carry charging current from the alternator to the battery. Charging current goes on one cable to the battery, discharging current goes on another thick wire, to the fuse box. Since the amp meter reads both a charge from the alternator, and a discharge from the battery, you need to do some rewiring to make an amp meter read correctly. First, you need to run a wire from the positive out of the alternator to the fusebox. This wire needs to be big enough to handle the full output of the alternator. For a 50 amp alternator, you need a bare minimum of a 10 gauge wire, and probably should use a 8 gauge wire. Higher output alternators, even bigger wire. Then you need two more wires from the fusebox to the gauge. One wire goes from the fusebox to the gauge. The original wire from the battery to the fuse box is disconnected from the fuse box, and reconnected to the second wire going to the amp gauge. Both of these wires need to be able to carry the full alternator output. These wires are going into the cab. You need to make sure these wires are very well insulated, and protected from any sheet metal edges. Since these wires are directly connected to both the alternator and the battery, if they short to the cab, it is possible to have a few hundred amps of current in a short circuit situation on these wires. These wires are always hot. Another problem is the addition of the resistance of several feet of even a heavy gauge wire causes a voltage drop in the alternator output, so the alternator has to work harder to make up the difference. A voltmeter only needs a single pretty thin (16 gauge) wire to connect. I have the amp meter. A volt meter to match the oil gauge is about $45.00 to purchase. Edited May 5, 2020 by DanielC 2 Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted December 3, 2017 Report Share Posted December 3, 2017 I like volt meters myself. 2 Quote Link to comment
mrbigtanker Posted December 3, 2017 Report Share Posted December 3, 2017 Are you going to paint the whole truck. Looking very clean. 1 Quote Link to comment
DanielC Posted December 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2017 (edited) I put this blue door on the truck today, just to fill the hole. My plan is to paint the truck, but I do not have a heated garage. I can put heat lamps on smaller areas. I can also put a little heat into the garage, with a small space heater, and if it gets close to warm enough to paint, I can. i wanted to put a door, any door on the truck, so I can start fitting front fenders. This truck was involved in a front end collision, and the cowl is pushed back where the top rear part of the fenders pushed on the cowl. Edited May 5, 2020 by DanielC 3 Quote Link to comment
mrbigtanker Posted December 4, 2017 Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 I near you. My passenger door was all rotted out so we cut the bottom off another good door and grafted it in. New year coming so want to paint myself. 2 Quote Link to comment
DanielC Posted December 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2017 This is a battery I have been using in Dragon for quite a while. As you can see, the battery has a sticker from April of 2005. I got this battery used, it spent a few years in a moored boat, and it was discharged fully a few times, and then recharged, but became unreliable in the boat unless the boat was run a few times a week. But it served several more years in Dragon. the battery is a group 34 size. Yesterday, I went to Pick-n-Pull, and got this used battery, also a group 34. This battery has these lugs on the side, for a lifting handle, but the lifting lugs get in way of the battery hold down. The quick and dirty solution is to cut the lugs off, i just used a cross cut saw. Here I am testing the fit of the battery hold down. After sawing the lugs off, I had to do a little filing on the remaining part of the lugs. The battery hold down now fits, and I clamped the battery in place. Because the positive battery terminal is so close to the battery hold down, I put a plastic washer over the positive battery terminal, then put the positive battery cable on the battery post. The battery is now completely installed, and it cranks the truck faster, and more importantly, longer. 2 Quote Link to comment
mainer311 Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 I hate that the terminal is so close to the metal frame. It’s bad things waiting to happen. 2 Quote Link to comment
Charlie69 Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 This is a battery I have been using in Dragon for quite a while. As you can see, the battery has a sticker from April of 2005. I got this battery used, it spent a few years in a moored boat, and it was discharged fully a few times, and then recharged, but became unreliable in the boat unless the boat was run a few times a week. But it served several more years in Dragon. the battery is a group 34 size. Yesterday, I went to Pick-n-Pull, and got this used battery, also a group 34. This battery has these lugs on the side, for a lifting handle, but the lifting lugs get in way of the battery hold down. The quick and dirty solution is to cut the lugs off, i just used a cross cut saw. Here I am testing the fit of the battery hold down. After sawing the lugs off, I had to do a little filing on the remaining part of the lugs. The battery hold down now fits, and I clamped the battery in place. Because the positive battery terminal is so close to the battery hold down, I put a plastic washer over the positive battery terminal, then put the positive battery cable on the battery post. The battery is now completely installed, and it cranks the truck faster, and more importantly, longer. Get a battery with the posts on the opposite sides and turn the battery 180 degrees. http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/pickup-1965-1972/electrical-1600-(l16)/battery Quote Link to comment
DanielC Posted December 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 I did not get a new battery, I got a used one at Pick-n-Pull. What I look for is a battery that fits into the plastic tray, and is short enough to not be too close to the hood when closed. 1 Quote Link to comment
Crashtd420 Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 You could probably grind some clearance in to the bracket near the post just to be safe.... or even wrap that edge in rubber.... just added protection.... 1 Quote Link to comment
Charlie69 Posted December 8, 2017 Report Share Posted December 8, 2017 I here you on the used battery. Quote Link to comment
DanielC Posted December 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2017 I ordered this carb preheater duct from Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/CARBURETOR-PREHEATER-HOSE-dune-buggy/dp/B00FB7XO6E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1512204582&sr=8-1&keywords=engine+preheater+hose.I stretched the duct out, cut it in half, and put the two ducts on Dragon. This is a bent door handle. The plastic slowly sags when it gets hot. This is more of a problem in Arizona, than in Oregon, but they sag in Oregon over the years. One way to fix this is to turn the handle upside down and let it sag back straighter. Because it is too cold in Oregon, in December for the handle to sag back straight, I used this heat gun to heat the handle up, and gently bend it back straight. The door handle was also put on the door with the silver sheet metal screws in the picture. The door is threaded for a #10-32 screw. I have a bunch of the black #10-32 screws. The screw holes in the door were slightly damaged by the sheet metal screws. I chased threads in the holes with a 10-32 tap. This is the door handle back on the door. 2 Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted December 8, 2017 Report Share Posted December 8, 2017 Or you can just find 320/roadster door handles, they look better and last longer, I still have the plastic ones on my work truck. 2 Quote Link to comment
DanielC Posted December 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2017 I only have one pair of the chrome door handles, but lots of the plastic ones. I plumbed the oil pressure gauge today. When I was using Dragon as a daily driver about 25 years ago, I used a copper pipe, with compression fittings. It only leaked a little bit. I used a 1/4 inch steel line inside the cab, from the gauge to the engine compartment, going through the choke cable hole in the firewall. This is where the line attaches to the oil pressure gauge. The line just runs near the bottom of the dashboard, under the combo meter. I slipped the line in through the glovebox opening, to above the gauge. There, I put two bends in the line, to attach to the gauge. Before I attached the line to the gauge, I slid the line all the way left, and that gave me enough clearance to poke the engine side of the line out the choke cable hole in the firewall. I probably need to put in a few small clamps to stop the line from rattling, and hold it below the glove box. Inside the engine compartment, I put in a coupler, and used -4 Aeroquip SS hose. I also used this "T" fitting to keep the oil idiot light functioning. There is an an adapter on the engine oil port to convert 1/8 BSP to the much more common NPT standard. I made the Aeroquip line this evening. 2 Quote Link to comment
DanielC Posted December 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2017 On Saturday, Dec 9, I took dragon outside into the warm Oregon sun, I wanted to adjust the door gap a little. I wanted to move the whole door forward. This is the top rear corner before adjustment. This is after the adjustment. The next three pictures are before the adjustment again, I just took them for reference. Door hinge pictures. The hinges are bolted to the cab door post, and to the door. You can adjust the whole door forward, aft, up, and down, by either loosening the door post to hinge bolts, or the door to hinge bolts, moving the door, and retightening the bolts. You can also adjust the door in and out to the cab by loosening the door to hinge bolts. I just wanted to move the door forward. This was simple, I loosened three of the four door post bolts, on the top hinge, and two of the three bolts on the bottom hinge. I then slightly loosened the two remaining bolts, but leaving them tight enough to hold the door. I loosened the top bolt a little more, and lifted the back of the door, and tightened it. This moves the top of the door forward, and up, leaving the door slightly crooked in the opening. Then I loosened the tighter bolt in the bottom hinge, and the door moves forward, and down slightly, making it straight in the opening again. 1 Quote Link to comment
DanielC Posted December 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2017 More door work, done last week. I removed the window crank, and the inside open handle. Then used this tool. To remove the door panel. This is the back of the door panel. One of the clips pulled off the door panel. That panel clip broke. This door has been apart before, and did not have the openings in the door covered with plastic. The service manual from Nissan says to remove the plastic sheet carefully. I am guessing plastic sheet was harder to come by in Japan, in 1970 than it is now, in 2017. This is the door lock cylinder, it is the next thing to come out of the door. The small clip on the door lock cylinder back is very easy to lose. there is usually dirt, crud, and and window run channel in the bottom of the door for this clip to get lost in. I place my finger over the closed end of the clip, and then work the end of the small screwdriver under the clip, wiggling the clip slowly off the back of the door lock. I then take the lever off the lock cylinder, Then I put the clip back on the cylinder. Did I mention the clip is really easy to lose? Then I used a pair of Vice Grips to remove the door lock cylinder retainer, it just slides off. Then the door lock cylinder easily comes out of the door. Next, I remove these screws around the door catch on the back of the door, these screws near the bottom of the back of the door. If you have an older 521, that does not have the inside door lock knob near the back of the door, these screws are not there. Remove the two screws holding the door inside control to the door. and unscrew the door lock knob, if you have one. With all the screws out of the parts of the door lock mechanism, you can fold the rods close to each other, and take the whole mechanism out of the door. 1 Quote Link to comment
DanielC Posted December 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2017 After removing the door lock mechanism, the windows can be removed from the door. Remove the sliding window lower stop, by removing these two screws. Roll the window about half way up. Remove the four window regulator screws. While holding the window, push the window regulator inside the door, and slide the roller on the regulator arm off the sliding window roller track. You can loop a string around the sliding window roller track, to hold the window. This picture was hard to get with only two hands. Remove the screws that hold the front window run channel, on the vent window to the door. The window regulator arm is in a narrow slot between the inside of the door, and the vent window channel. Removing the two screws lets the regulator arm drop out between the door and vent channel. The regulator can then be removed from the door. After the sliding window regulator is out, the sliding window needs to go to the bottom of the door. This is why you need the string. Remove the four vent window screws on the front of the door frame. This screw was already missing. The three bottom screws are sheet metal tapping screws. The top screw is a machine screw. This screw was stuck, and the head would not grip the Phillips head screwdriver. This picture was taken after the head stripped, and was hammered back to try to get the screwdriver to hold. It did not. I used a 1/32 cutoff disk to cut a slot in the top of the screw head. Then a slotted screwdriver was used to remove the screw. 1 Quote Link to comment
DanielC Posted December 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2017 Use a slotted screwdriver to gently pry the window seal up out of the clips holding it. This is one of eight seal clips. Part of the top of it is missing. Use a thin screwdriver to gently pry it away from the door. Grab it with a pair of pliers to pull it away from the door, and then lift it out of the slot in the door. Open the vent window. Grab it with your hand, Pull the top of the vent window frame toward the rear of the door. Swing the top of the vent window outside of the door frame when it is clear of the door frame, and then the vent window can be slid out of the door. The sliding window is still in the door, my finger is on the top edge of the glass. Use the string, or just grab it and raise it up Hold a corner of the glass, once it is out of the window slot. Rotate the window so the bottom of the window is toward the front, And the window can be removed from the door. And this is why I took the door apart. A lot of the old run channel felt was in the bottom of the door. this is the rear channle, inside the door. This is the rear run channel at the top of the door. 2 Quote Link to comment
DanielC Posted December 20, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2017 I have found this window run channel from Mygrant Glass company works for the sliding window on a 521. It is available from Mygrant Glass. Unfortunately, they do not sell retail, you need to find a auto glass person, or company and have them order it for you. This is the adhesive I use to glue the run channel, and other weather strip on cars. I then cleaned the door lock mechanism, and noticed a spring was missing on it. The old grease was hard, and gumming up functioning of the mechanism. Part cleaned, and spring replaced. This is part that holds the inside door release handle. It got cleaned too, hard to tell. Part cleaned, and greased. This is the part that is needed if your 521 doors have an inside lock button, that pulls up and down to lock the door from the inside. It also lets the lock knob that is inside the sliding window in the door work the lock mechanism that is outside the sliding window in the door. I also wirebrushed some rust off it, cleaned old hard grease off it, and worked some new grease into it. I did a trial assembly of parts in the door, but did not take many pictures of that, I am trying to get a good order of pictures to put in this thread. This is the lock mechanism, The remote in the door, and the bell crank in the bottom of the rear of the door. This is wrong the two rods going down cross over each other. I had to pull the assembly back out of the door, turn the bell crank over and make the rods not cross each other. This is the fourth 521 door I put new sliding window run channel in. On the third door I did, the sliding window was really hard to move. This is the rear top of the window run channel in this door. On the thinner, upper in the picture, flange, the metal folded over is not crimped completely down, inside the channel. I used a piece of steel on the outside of the door, to protect the metal, and with a pair vice grips squeezed the metal down some more. Pictures of that later. 2 Quote Link to comment
DanielC Posted December 25, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2017 I am going to park this here for now. 2 Quote Link to comment
mainer311 Posted December 25, 2017 Report Share Posted December 25, 2017 You can google “Datsun 521 wiring schematic” and there’s a direct link to a more readable PDF document. I printed one on 11x17 and I keep it folded up in the glove box. 2 Quote Link to comment
Draker Posted December 26, 2017 Report Share Posted December 26, 2017 Great detail and pictures! 1 Quote Link to comment
DanielC Posted December 27, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2017 It was a day after Christmas miracle!Oregon is going to raise the rates for car registration January 1, 2018. I decided to do the insurance and registration on Dragon before year end, before the rates go up, and as a little extra motivation to get Dragon on the road again. I was in and out of the Oregon DMV office in 12 minutes. 1 Quote Link to comment
Crashtd420 Posted December 27, 2017 Report Share Posted December 27, 2017 That's gotta feel good having it registered.... and thanks for all these pics... I'll be using them just incase to put my doors back together.... 1 Quote Link to comment
DanielC Posted December 27, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2017 Door reassembly. Pictures now, some text added.After cleaning the windows, lock mechanism, and doing any repair you need on the doors, you can reassemble them. I can pretty much guarantee you need new window run channel, see post 133, above.Cut a piece of the run channel that is a little longer than the vent window, glue it in to the wing window track.Put the remaining run channel on the top of the window, a little past the front corner of the window. Make two 45 degree cuts in both edges of the run channel, four cuts total like this.The 45 degree cuts allow the run channel to fit in the upper rear corner of the door window frame.Apply weather strip glue to the run channel.Put the run channle, with glue into the track the window goes in on the door frame.I used this piece of wood, cut from a wood shim to make sure the run channel was in the bottom of the track.Like this.After the run channel is glued into the door frame, you put the sliding window in the door. The slot in the door is slightly wider where the vent window frame fits, slide the bottom of the glass through that slot.Then rotate the window so the bottom of the window is down.Loop a heavy string around the roller track on the bottom of the window. this makes it easier to pull the glass up from the bottom of the door.Let the window go all the way to the bottom of the door, and then put the back edge of the glass in the rear run channel, back of the door.Make sure the back edge of the glass is in the run channel.With the glass in the run channel in the back, start the vent window and frame in to the door.Get the front edge of the sliding glass top corner started into the vent window run channel.Check again to make sure the back edge, and the front top corner of the sliding glass are both in the run channel, and carefully slide the vent window down into the door, and forward to where it is seated into the door frame. Do not put any screws in to the vent window frame.Pull the sliding window up with the string, and tie the string to the top of the door frame. Pull it as high as you can, higher than in this photoPut a crank on the window regulator, and make the regulator mount, and arm approximately straight, then put it in the door, using the back hole in the door. Reach inside the door and pull the bottom of the vent window frame out, away from the cab, and then slip the regulator arm between the inside panel of the door, and the vent window frame.Lower the sliding window enough to see the roller track. Put the roller on the end of the in the roller track.This looks like the picture above, but this is with the regulator roller in the track on the sliding window.Lift the window regulator, and put the crank pivot through its hole in the door. Then put the crank back on the pivot, and turn the window crank until the four mounting holes line up with the holes in the door.Put the regulator screws in the door, loosely, then snug them, and finally tighten them. Notice the vent frame screws are still not in, but now you can start them. This post was close to its picture limit, so it ends here. 1 Quote Link to comment
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