My First Datsun Resto - 1972 521

[uberkevin]

I need to do this.... but I have no welding skills. Glad your back on it and doing alright.

[4perrev]

Thanks man. I really didn't have any welding skills either, but I got a spare piece of metal and just practiced for a whille. Just have to get used to the settings and take it slow!

[mrbigtanker]

i was just actually looking at getting a welder and a plasma cutter,because there cool and i wont stop cutting things.

[4perrev]

i was just actually looking at getting a welder and a plasma cutter,because there cool and i wont stop cutting things.

I would love to own a plasma cutter, but I have to find the funds! I'm looking into buying a 510 and my wife is not real happy with that idea, but does like the truck.

[4perrev]

Did a lot of work this pass couple days.  Nice to have 4 days off and good weather to get down and dirty.  So I had to sandwich the floor boards because the bottom was open on the passengers side and starting to pit out bad on the drivers side.  Nothing like welding above your head while laying on the floor.  Ended up with a great patch, some minor burns and a towel that caught on fire!  So here's the bottom patch:

 

 

 

 

And here's the cab floor painted with Chassis Saver:

 

 

And here's the complete bottom of the cab, again painted in Chassis Saver. Guaranteed - NO RUST, EVER!!

 

 

Almost ready to marry the cab and chassis again!

Edited June 23, 2019 by 4perrev

[wayno]

Is that galvanized metal I see there?

It is very bad to weld galvanized metal, to be more specific, to breath the fumes during welding of galvanized metal.

Don't weld with that type of metal!!! 

 

I am sorry to be so negative.

[4perrev]

Yeah it's galvanized, but I cleaned all the edges (both sides) before I welded it. I also had. It exhaust fans going the entire time.

[wayno]

I have been to shops that would not touch galvanized metal.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=welding%20galvanized%20steel&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CEcQFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aws.org%2Ftechnical%2Ffacts%2FFACT-25.pdf&ei=YvXYUezkJ4XJiQLrh4GYBg&usg=AFQjCNHok8LsDgixVBkr2Qr6Ru_rLgR-dg

[mrbigtanker]

get over to my house and get to work on my truck.

[4perrev]

You're gonna have to send me a plane ticket! When I bought the metal over the phone, the guy never said galvanized so I didn't ask. Got there, that sucked. Just cut to fit, bang it up a bit and then sand off the galvanized edge where I welded. Never smoked and you can see bare metal as you sand. Not to mention, if the paint ever comes off (which I'm sure it won't), it will be double protected!  :devil:

[4perrev]

Went out today and found some new wheels for the project. They are a little old and ugly now, but I did a test polish and they will turn out great. Only problem is that I will need to install larger and longer wheel studs. Not sure if the 620 hubs would fit right on my axles? Little help here, please. Here's the new shoes:

 

 

And a test polish:

 

Edited June 23, 2019 by 4perrev

[4perrev]

Well it was time to put the cab back on, so I went and bought new bolts. Got em at Homedepot. The metric ones were only grade 2's, so I went with standards that were grade 8. 210,000 lbs tinsel strength they say. Not that a datsun that weights 2,000 lbs needs them, but it's comforting non the less.

 

Old and the new:

 

and underneath:

 

Finished the passengers side inner fender:

 

And here she stands with the cab on and finally out of the garage:

 

So now I have a garage full of parts awaiting their installation:

 

She's coming along. Now I just have to get crackin on the engine!!!

Edited June 23, 2019 by 4perrev

[mrbigtanker]

Looking good,did you drop it witht he cab off,it would be a lot easier.

[4perrev]

No not yet because I want to get the truck up and running stock wise and then get into the mod part.

[4perrev]

Got a lot done this weekend. First, I'll have to say that sand paper and wire brushes are a thing of the past now. Bought a little toy to fix that problem:

 

Works great. When I put ti together, they install tiny seal strips to keep it all air tight, but I went a step further and used my own weather stripping to seal it up. There were (what seemed like) over 300 bolts to put this thing together, but well worth it when done.

 

Took the old seat cover off and to my surprise, the vinyl was in great shape, but the seat was off some what. So I flipped it over and this is what I found:

No sweat, just welded it back together and she was right as rain. Put a half rack on there to see how she'll look when I get her done!

 

Finished the power brake module spacer. Pulled it off a 620, but since the 521's clutch and brake are so close to each other on the firewall, I had to get creative. First was to cut out a notch on the mounting plate to allow it to fit on the firewall next to the clutch master and then cut it in half:

 

I used a 3 inch piece of exhaust pipe to extend the mount out so the diaphragm module would clear the clutch. Here it is all welded up:

 

Then it all went into the new blaster cabinet and a coat of paint fixed it right up. Here's the final product:

 

Moving along, just need a few hundred more weekends!!

Edited June 23, 2019 by 4perrev

[wayno]

It's hard to see, but I kinda did the same thing, but I used the taller 720 PB pedestal, I turned it upside down, then cut the clutch master holes in the wide side of the pedestal, then I bolted the pedestal in, then I bolted the clutch master on top of it, them clutch mount bolts are part of what holds the brake master pedestal on.

I wish I had taken a photo of the pedestal before I mounted it, oh well.  :crying:

[4perrev]

Looks good. Did you have to put an indent in the extension? I just did the best resece I could with a brass punch to make it fit. Otherwise both would have mounted crooked. The next thing is to see if I can extend the pedal pushrod enough without fabing an extension to that!

[wayno]

Looks good. Did you have to put an indent in the extension? I just did the best resece I could with a brass punch to make it fit. Otherwise both would have mounted crooked. The next thing is to see if I can extend the pedal pushrod enough without fabing an extension to that!

 

No, I didn't have to do anything to the side of the tube, but I did have to grind just a little off the base side, as it was that close to the tube.

I didn't have to extend the clutch rod, as it had enough threads to reach, and since I used the 720 pedestal, I used the rod that came with the booster that mounted to that pedestal, so I didn't have to make a custom rod.

 

 

[4perrev]

Ok, now I see what you were talking about by bolting right on to the same mount. That would make it much easier. It's still crazy tight in there! If it all works, then it's even better. I have to take some more pictures with it installed.

[wayno]

I had to relocate the mount holes for the pedestal because the stock mount bolt locations were exactly the same width apart as the pedestal tube, so having the clutch master holding it down also made me feel better about it, I had to make a template to put all the holes where they needed to be, and for once it worked out the first time.

As I said, I had to grind a little off the side to clear the pedestal tube base.

[4perrev]

It all worked out just right. There sure isn't much room down there. I guess I should have looked up the 720 tube option first, but at least this gave me more fab work to do, which is why I decided to do the whole resto. It's a learning curve that I am really enjoying!

[wayno]

It actually is better that you did it the way you did, I had already seen another guy make one out of a 2 inch tube, long and skinny, so I looked at all the power brake boosters I had laying around, and decided that 81/82 pedestal was the right depth, so I thought about it for a while, and worked out something I could copy fairly easy without having to make it from scratch.

 

So now if you ever do it again, you have another option to chose from.

I believe I used a mid 80s ford courier booster, it fit the 720 pedestal pattern, and is small enough to just fit the 521 with a little help.

 

[4perrev]

Good looking out. I will defiantly call on you for more help and ideas as I move through the project. My father in law lives down in Vancouver, so maybe someday we could get together a bs about Datsuns!

[4perrev]

Did some more work today after a slow period. Cleaned up the header which was difficult to try and get the smog tubes out. A little heat and WD and there gone!

 

 

After that, I got to work on the brakes. The bending and flaring was not too bad. Of course, I did some practicing before I got in to the real lines. There were quite a few of the old ones that ended up right in the garbage can. But after a whole lot of practice, I got the fuel, evac and brake lines completed. Did it all with 25 feet of tubing. Here's the final:

 

 

The clutch was kind of interesting as it goes underneath so it wouldn't look cluttered. 

Edited June 23, 2019 by 4perrev

[4perrev]

Got off work a little early today and finished the inside of the cab. That this will never rush again!! The doors and rails will get a nice coat of orange when I paint the whole truck. Figured everything under the dash can be black like the soon to be carpet.