510 wagon project

[Gensaiken]

Made a bit more progress today. Decided to change out the old hinges on the driver's door with some that are a little less loose. The old ones were extremely loose but the replacement ones are a little loose but not as bad.

 

 

 

Also took some time to mask some of the car for paint. Which I should be doing in the next couple days.

 

[RacnJsn95]

Man,it must be great to be able to take the doors off something without having to worry about animals jumping in and ruining the interior... Wish I could take the doors of one of my projects to do a thorough job.

[Gensaiken]

Well made some more progress today.

 

Had quite a bit of time so I went ahead and finished the paint on the driver's side. Also got a fender off a shell that I painted as well.

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately I didn't have any real spare front valances so I had to steal my spare off my parts car. Hopefully I can come across another decent one to have as a spare.

 

I'll have to figure out a good way to mount it and then paint it up. Has anyone ever figured out why nissan welded that panel to the core support instead of using its supplied holes? So weird.

 

 

 

Anyways, the next step is dealing with the brakes. Have a friend ordering up some new wheel bearings for the front and I'm going to attempt to replace the rear shoes. I say this like it is hard because it is something i've never actually done. I've removed them but never installed them. Taking this apart is always easier than putting it together and this part is KINDA important! :mellow:

 

We'll see how that goes. I can always call some one to help me if I get stuck.

[bonvo]

really ive found reasembally easier

[Pacific coast Datsun]

Gotta love PB blaster :D Looks good all 1 color & yeah the rear brakes are basic & not difficult.

[bonvo]

even the fronts arent hard pm me if you need help:P

[Gensaiken]

Well the drums weren't very complicated. Just copied how it was when I took it out. Although I seem to have hit a small snag. After putting on the new shoes I tried to put the drums back on and I couldn't. They would not fit over the shoes. The shoes are for a 510. Is there some step I missed?

 

 

Took some time to also paint and mount the front valance. I also put some bolts in the fenders. I think I was a bit too rough on the valance so soon. Pushing too hard on the paint made it slide a bit. So I think I might repaint it a bit in some spots.

 

 

 

 

 

I think I'm going to begin putting the rest of the car back together soon. Wanted to make sure I got all the painting done before I start removing the paper on the glass and trim. For some reason painting that front valence really brought the car together. Getting it on there makes it feel like the project is actually near completion. :D

[INDY510]

The rear drums are adjustable, the back of the brake cylinder has a square adjuster. A 8mm might fit but a crescent wrench will work. Use that to bring the shoes closer together, and the star shaped adjuster pushing the bottom of the shoes apart.

Here is a pic of the square adjuster on the back of the drums:

When you get the drums on spin them while turning that adjuster, It is hard to find a perfect adjustment, I prefer to have the shoes rubbing slightly on the drums, but still spins freely. I bet there are more people on here with better advice. Good luck, the wagon looks good.

[bonvo]

couldnt have said it better myself indy as for the adjustment your spot on as well you want them to drag a little but not enough to make it so it doesnt spin freely

[Gensaiken]

The rear drums are adjustable, the back of the brake cylinder has a square adjuster. A 8mm might fit but a crescent wrench will work. Use that to bring the shoes closer together, and the star shaped adjuster pushing the bottom of the shoes apart.

Here is a pic of the square adjuster on the back of the drums:

When you get the drums on spin them while turning that adjuster, It is hard to find a perfect adjustment, I prefer to have the shoes rubbing slightly on the drums, but still spins freely. I bet there are more people on here with better advice. Good luck, the wagon looks good.

 

Yeah, I was looking at that and I knew I had to do something but I didn't know what... I'll work with the adjuster.

[mklotz70]

There's a detent when turning that adjuster. It will get hard, then easy....every 1/4 turn I think. So...to get it close enough, you'll get to a point where it gets pretty hard and the shoes pretty much stop the wheel from turning.....but turned a little further and it comes off the hump and gets easier. You want your best adjustment to fall in the easy part of the detent...not the hard part. If you leave it on the harder part, it will end up moving and then being too loose.

 

I believe the book says to tighten until you can't turn the wheel(when in the easy part of the detent)(yes, have the wheel on to give you better leverage than just the drum), then back it off 8 clicks??? Maybe somebody else remembers for sure.

 

Also....when you think you have it.....a small amount of rubbing, but usually only in certain places as you rotate it......press the brake pedal down hard and release...this will cause the wheel cyl to recenter the shoes in the drum....now check that the rubbing is the same...it may be looser and you'll have to tighten it a click or two. You want your best adjustment after the pedal has been pressed fairly hard.....since that's where the shoes are going to be as you're driving. Engaging the E brake isn't the same....at least not quite as good as having the cyl do it.

[hang_510]

mmmmm GREEN and black

 

then back it off 8 clicks??? Maybe somebody else remembers for sure.

 

8 seems excessive, i back out 1 click at a time until it spins w/o dragging, slight rub OK.

apply brakes and rechceck.

repeat for the other side.

 

 

i have a source for a repaired valence, when the time comes to replace the spare.

[Gensaiken]

Did a little bit of work on the car today.

 

Messed with the adjusters on the drums and got one drum on but I tried on the other side and one of the sliders adjuster won't move. I sprayed it to see if it would move if lubricated but it appears to be locked on place. I assume I will need to replace it. Kind of a pain since I just got everything all hooked back up.

 

I've begun to put some of the front end trim pieces back on and it really makes it feel like the car is really comming together. Hopefully in the next few days I should have all the trim pieces put back on at which point i'll begin to focus on getting the car's idling problem resolved.

 

 

Still working on finding some good front wheel bearings. Seems some are priced too high. Hopefully I can find a resonably priced set. Any recomneded brands would be appriciated.

[banzai510(hainz)]

wheel bearings,hope this isnt too high price for ya

http://www.mr-auto-parts.com/RenderScriptTemplate.epc?_cmd=epccat_VehicleWHD&cookieID=28D0VUGMY2FM0KTIJU&yearid=1971%40%401971&makeid=NISSAN%40%40NISSAN&engineid=1209978%40%40510++%2F+L4%2D1595cc+1%2E6L+GAS+CARB++%28L16%29%40%40510&catid=Front+End+%2F+Suspension+%26+Steering%40%40Front+End+%2F+Suspension+%26+Steering&mode=PA&subcatid=Front+Wheel+Bearing@@Front+Wheel+Bearing&clientid=mr-auto-parts

 

oldat.com tech section has Mike doing a 510 door hinge. Its EZ and you should do it. Makes a BIG Difference.

 

On the brake adjustment if you cant move the adjuster ,most time the the piston inside the brake drum (the piston is stick which will cause the adjusted not to move. Or the threads are just rusted. Use anti seize on threads and break the piston loose.

 

 

what color green is that????? Is that same as my truck. Forrst green?

[Gensaiken]

wheel bearings,hope this isnt too high price for ya

http://www.mr-auto-parts.com/RenderScriptTemplate.epc?_cmd=epccat_VehicleWHD&cookieID=28D0VUGMY2FM0KTIJU&yearid=1971%40%401971&makeid=NISSAN%40%40NISSAN&engineid=1209978%40%40510++%2F+L4%2D1595cc+1%2E6L+GAS+CARB++%28L16%29%40%40510&catid=Front+End+%2F+Suspension+%26+Steering%40%40Front+End+%2F+Suspension+%26+Steering&mode=PA&subcatid=Front+Wheel+Bearing@@Front+Wheel+Bearing&clientid=mr-auto-parts

 

oldat.com tech section has Mike doing a 510 door hinge. Its EZ and you should do it. Makes a BIG Difference.

 

On the brake adjustment if you cant move the adjuster ,most time the the piston inside the brake drum (the piston is stick which will cause the adjusted not to move. Or the threads are just rusted. Use anti seize on threads and break the piston loose.

 

 

what color green is that????? Is that same as my truck. Forrst green?

 

I bought some SKF bearings from partsamerica.com last night. Got one set for 5.49 each and the other set for 8.99 each. Put a coupon on that and made it cheaper :lol: budget build!

 

Anyways, what I meant was the piston is stuck, but it is stuck out fully extended. I tried some PB blaster on it and as of last night even with some extended hitting from a hammer it wouldn't move. I'll check today and see if some longer soaking and the spring tension on it from the shoe hasn't moved it. Other wise if it still stuck and won't move i'll nab one off my parts car. Which will hopefully work properly.

 

The green on the wagon is a Krylon color. I believe forest emerald green? something like that. I'm not sure what the original factory green was but it was fairly light sort of a lime green color.

 

I'll have to try that hinge repair trick some time, thats really good. I think I'll hold on to all those hinges I was about to throw away!

[mklotz70]

Is it the piston on the cylinder that is over extended, or the adjuster at the bottom?

 

If it's the cyl and you've been hitting it with a hammer...you'll probably want to get new ones. If it's the adjuster at the bottom, you can pull it apart and clean it up with a wire wheel...then some grease or anti-seeze on the threads.

[hang_510]

Anyways, what I meant was the piston is stuck, but it is stuck out fully extended. I tried some PB blaster on it and as of last night even with some extended hitting from a hammer it wouldn't move.

 

The green on the wagon is a Krylon color. I believe forest emerald green? something like that. I'm not sure what the original factory green was but it was fairly light sort of a lime green color.

 

i used a BFdriver where the shoes fit and twisted em free (lots of PB etc...)

 

 

i found the "apple green" krylon very close to the original paint on mine. when buffed it matched well :D

[banzai510(hainz)]

I think I'll hold on to all those hinges I was about to throw away

 

Dont throw them away!!!!!!!!!!

those ones you have wont last long believe me I tried this before also. Youl be changeing them out soon enough. Thos plastic bushing are shit. I dont know why they installed them on a 510 and the 521 are better ones

 

Thanks for the color of the krylon.Unfortunatley Spray can paint wont hold a shine after a while.

 

My adjuster was stuck and the peg was starting to round off. As most highly skilled mechanics we got Vice Grips thinking we could handle it only to round off more.

I took the top part of the brake off out of the slots where the edge of the shoes would fit into. Youll see the brake adjuster from the inside and its just a WEDGE the pushes to little pistons which will spread out the brake shoes. Well one was stuck as the adjust reached a certain point. So I backed the adjust out of the way and WD40 clean and wacked it with a punch or something from both sides untill it was loose and clean any burs that may have been put on there. I think I put some antiseize on there but I dont know if you should or not. Maybe the brake dust will stick to it and buld up again and cause it to stick.

Well any way now the square peg adjuster is EZ to turn.

One can always weld a 14mm nut on the square peg to make it ezer to adjust than a 7or8mm open end wrench

[Gensaiken]

Is it the piston on the cylinder that is over extended, or the adjuster at the bottom?

 

If it's the cyl and you've been hitting it with a hammer...you'll probably want to get new ones. If it's the adjuster at the bottom, you can pull it apart and clean it up with a wire wheel...then some grease or anti-seeze on the threads.

 

It is the piston in the adjuster one is just plain stuck. I've hit it with PB blaster over and over and hit the darn thing and it isn't moving. I've replaced it with a properly working one. :D

 

It seems one side of the brakes on the car was severly neglected but the other was in seemingly great shape... very odd.

 

 

Dont throw them away!!!!!!!!!!

those ones you have wont last long believe me I tried this before also. Youl be changeing them out soon enough. Thos plastic bushing are shit. I dont know why they installed them on a 510 and the 521 are better ones

 

Thanks for the color of the krylon.Unfortunatley Spray can paint wont hold a shine after a while.

 

My adjuster was stuck and the peg was starting to round off. As most highly skilled mechanics we got Vice Grips thinking we could handle it only to round off more.

I took the top part of the brake off out of the slots where the edge of the shoes would fit into. Youll see the brake adjuster from the inside and its just a WEDGE the pushes to little pistons which will spread out the brake shoes. Well one was stuck as the adjust reached a certain point. So I backed the adjust out of the way and WD40 clean and wacked it with a punch or something from both sides untill it was loose and clean any burs that may have been put on there. I think I put some antiseize on there but I dont know if you should or not. Maybe the brake dust will stick to it and buld up again and cause it to stick.

Well any way now the square peg adjuster is EZ to turn.

One can always weld a 14mm nut on the square peg to make it ezer to adjust than a 7or8mm open end wrench

 

I think the only way a krylon color would keep the shine would be to have it properly clear coated. Maybe one day i'll get it done right.

 

Anyways, I'll be holding on to those hinges I don't think i've ever thrown any away. With that guide I'm thinking the only hard part for me might be the cutting of the bolt if a hack saw won't cut it. :(

 

I'm sure a friend could help out.

[Gensaiken]

got a bit of work done today. Turns out the wheel bearings I bought from schucks/partsamerica.com were the wrong ones. In their computer they are listed for the 510 but they do not fit.

 

I've ended up using some old bearings that are in good shape. No wobble in the wheel and it glides smoothly. I can always replace them later if it becomes an issue. From what I hear wheel bearings seem to rarely go bad. We'll see how that goes.

 

 

 

Other than wrong wheel bearings and old wheel bearings I have managed to get most of the exterior pieces and trim back on the car. I'll likely get around to mounting the bumpers and tail lights tomorrow.

 

 

 

For some reason the car feels like it is missing something up front. Maybe once I put on the bumper it'll feel a bit more complete... Could be the dorky stock steelies, or its stock ride height..

 

Who knows.

[hang_510]

For some reason the car feels like it is missing something up front.

 

a motor ? :lol:

[Gensaiken]

a motor ? :lol:

 

 

:rolleyes: its got one of those.

 

Once I put the bumper on it completed the car a bit more. I'll have to take some more pics in the next few days. I have all the news paper and tape off and most of the exterior lights put back on.

 

Just have to get the brakes working and fix the idling problem and it'll be good.

[Gensaiken]

Done some work on the car over the past few days. I think i've solved the idling issue. It needs a few more adjustments and it should run nice. I've put the bumpers on and most of the exterior trim pieces. At the moment i'm working with some electrical issues.

 

Mainly the head lights will not turn on, the blinkers / hazards won't turn on and the radio won't turn on. I used a fuse tester and the fuses were functioning properly. The marker lights will turn on but the blinker doesn't seem to want to activate. Everything is properly connected. It doesn't even make the blinker indicators on the dash light up. Not sure what to make of it. I took out the fuse box to dip in vinegar to clean the connections. Could make a diffrence but I doubt it.

 

We'll see if I can figure it out but electrical has never been my strong point.

 

Here are some pics of the car as it sits right now.

 

 

 

 

 

[mklotz70]

most likely poor connections.....but just to be sure.....look under the dash on the pass side and make sure that the plugs that are plugged together actually have the same wire colors going in and out. More than one plug will fit into another, so make sure the wires match on the plugs that are connected...if not, reconnect them correctly.

[Gensaiken]

most likely poor connections.....but just to be sure.....look under the dash on the pass side and make sure that the plugs that are plugged together actually have the same wire colors going in and out. More than one plug will fit into another, so make sure the wires match on the plugs that are connected...if not, reconnect them correctly.

 

I checked everything to make sure it was connected. I'll double check that they are all going in to the right connectors. Hopefully it is something as simple as that.