Mississippi 521

[TWright33]

I guess it wouldn't have hurt to mention the main reason I am thinking about the 521 above,

 

I sold the blue one this Friday. It was hard not to sell it because I got 4x more than what I paid for it. 

 

Also in the same parking lot as the 620 I looked at yesterday was a 280z. They guy didn't know who owned it. Kind of a bummer, looked like a great car for a project.

[TWright33]

If all goes well, I will be picking up the 521 this afternoon.

 

He claims there isn't even rust in the bed of the truck, I won't believe it until I see it

[TWright33]

So just got back home from checking out the 521.

 

She rose home with me. The only "bad" spots are a dent in the drivers front fender and a bunch of screw holes on the driver door from side view mirrors.

 

The inside of the bed was in great condition as was the whole truck in general. The only exterior body piece I'm going to eventually need is a windshield, it has a crack in the passenger lower corner.

 

I even got the original key

[Steve521]

Awesome news!  

 

I kept reading how you were thinking about getting this and then changing your mind HOPING that you'd get a 521 ... xD

 

Sorry post 521 truck lovers ... there's just something about 520/521s   :thumbup:

[TWright33]

A little update for everyone

 

Since you guys like pictures, I'll show you what has been occupying my time while looking for the right Datsun.

 

I purchased my first house at the end of the month of April, and now I am in the middle of a mild "remodel". I have put up sheetrock, stained concrete, new lighting, plugs, switches, paint, and the list kind of goes on and on. I am hard headed, so I am doing the work myself. I am a tinkerer so I like to learn about everything.

 

Here's a new picture of my pup, she has surely grown since the last picture

 

 

 

Now I'll post some pics of the house. the kitchen is the biggest change of the house. I plan on knocking down the wall between it and the living room, but that will have to come after the wedding.

 

This is showing where I opened up the top side of the cabinets, I have cut everything out now (picture is a couple of weeks old). I will be adding crown moulding to the top of them.

 

 

This is the only thing I could find to get linoleum glue off of the concrete. After trying many chemicals and scrapers, I found that 409 and a scrub brush get it up. So a call to my old high school to borrow their floor scrubber and I had it done in one afternoon. In the right corner you can see some of the concrete I've stained already

 

 

 

To give my cabinet a more updated look, I put some thought and research and decided to do this

 

First cut off the radius that was routed on the edges

 

Then sand it (got my lady to help with this part)

 

And viola, shaker style cabinets. I kind of skipped the step of ripping the 1/4" Birch plywood into strips to make the raised panel, but you get the point

 

 

Then I had the main window in my living area.

 

I didn't want traditional store bought trim, miter cut and nailed up.

 

I wanted something with a little class and something I could actually make. So after some head scratching I came up with this

 

 

(this was just a progress shot)

 

I had to make a completely new stool for the window for it to look right when I finished

 

 

It obviuosly needs some more paint, but I was proud of it. 

 

I then did the doors in my hallway, these were much easier since I knew what I was going for at this point

 

 

I still need better lighting in my hallway, along with an AC return vent grille rather than a hole in the sheetrock

 

So last Friday I went to look at a 620 that a fella I work with said he had. He couldn't tell me what kind of condition it was in. He said "I walk by it everyday but don't even remember what it looks like"

 

So I took the trip out into the country...... WAY out in the country.

 

This is all I found...

 

 

She was in BAD shape. I didn't ask the man any questions about it, I just checked it off as scrap

 

Saturday comes along and it's the day to go check out this mystery rust free 521

 

I had engagement pictures that morning, the city we were in had a Jimmy John's. In all of my 22 years I've never had Jimmy John's so that's what we decided on.

 

Delicious sandwiches! Kind of expensive for two people ($21 for sandwiches??) but good none the less

 

 

Their bathroom was pretty cool (Is that weird to say)

 

The lights were awesome and I giggled at the signs

 

 

And then that afternoon came, not to be long winded- I got there, and the truck was awesome. That's all I can say

 

There are two bad spots in the body and the rest is piddly dings that will come out later. The floor pans are about 50% so they will need some work, but other than that I just can't complain a bit

 

 

I will quit talking now, this is possibly the longest forum post of my life.

 

[TWright33]

Well.... Since there is no response....

 

I have found a lead on some 521 floor pans in Thailand. Maybe I can get them for a good enough price and have a good complete body 

[DanielC]

After searching around, I am in the process of making my own floor pans.  But lots of other stuff to do.  I have two made a passenger side pans, some details in this thread, http://community.ratsun.net/topic/51593-floor-repair/?hl=%2Bfloor+%2Brepair

 

I used that pan, it is not welded in yet, to start to make a second pan, some details here.   http://community.ratsun.net/topic/30606-my-ratsun-datsun-521/page-14

 

The passenger side is easier to make.  It has a simpler corner by the front transmission tunnel. 

 

Right now, I am working on another 521, Dragon.  This truck.  http://community.ratsun.net/topic/49698-my-dragon-datsun-521/page-2

 

The floors in it have rust, but not rust through.  I am in the process of getting the rust removed from the floor pan, and repainting it.  the floors in this truck are good enought to give me a good idea of that the floor should look like.

 

[DanielC]

After searching around, I am in the process of making my own floor pans.  But lots of other stuff to do.  I have two made a passenger side pans, some details in this thread, http://community.ratsun.net/topic/51593-floor-repair/?hl=%2Bfloor+%2Brepair

 

I used that pan, it is not welded in yet, to start to make a second pan, some details here.   http://community.ratsun.net/topic/30606-my-ratsun-datsun-521/page-14

 

The passenger side is easier to make.  It has a simpler corner by the front transmission tunnel. 

 

Right now, I am working on another 521, Dragon.  This truck.  http://community.ratsun.net/topic/49698-my-dragon-datsun-521/page-2

 

The floors in it have rust, but not rust through.  I am in the process of getting the rust removed from the floor pan, and repainting it.  the floors in this truck are good enought to give me a good idea of that the floor should look like.

 

[TWright33]

I just found those topics yesterday. 

 

Depending solely on the price when it comes to buying the pans.

 

If it costs too much, then I will just fab my own. It's just another reason to build my sheet metal break and bead roller that I've been wanting :angel:  

[DanielC]

I do not have a sheet metal brake, but I have a former auto body instructor, from a local community college, that has one I can use.

The two floor pans I made only needed one metal brake bend.   The other bends I did on a metal saw horse, and clamping the metal down with a 2x4 and bending it by hand.  

I do not have a metal shear either.  I cut the metal with a 1/32 x 3" disk in a die grinder, sometimes using a straight scrap piece of metal for a straight edge.

 

I do have a cutting torch, that I use to cut heavier pieces of metal, a 3 HP air compressor, and hand tools.

 

When my dad died, he left me the ox-acetelene torch, and an AC only 225 amp arc welder.  I did but a MIG welder last year.

[TWright33]

Geeze.... No love on the 521 find?

[420n620]

Geeze.... No love on the 521 find?

fap fap fap

 

521 looks like a decent trk for the price. How long has the 521 been sitting ?

You might want to squirt some oil into the cylinders and remove the VC, pour oil over the cam / rockers, just to be sure not to crank it dry. 

 

 

   :thumbup:

[Steve521]

Geeze.... No love on the 521 find?

 

Absolutely!  Looks like a good find, especially for that area from what you've said. 

[TWright33]

The story I have behind the truck is "It was running, but had low compression when I got it so it has just sat here for three years"

 

So I'm under assumption the ole gal may actually run with a little love. I obviously didn't but it to run it with the engine i has though.

 

Next thought I have to get some input on

 

I have been rethinking the s10 frame swap. I can't seem to sell the truck, and it has good parts on it.

 

 

I did a little research on wheel widths and WMS measurements and came up with this

 

521

 

WMS 53"

Wheelbase 99.5

 

s10

 

WMS 54.5

Wheelbase 122.9

 

 

With this information, that means that I will need to chop the frame and shorten it 23.5 inches. This isn't a big deal because I am wanting to setup front and rear coilovers so I do not have to worry about leaf spring perch locations and yada yada.

 

(This wasn't meant to be a dust off and crank up project)

 

I plan to shorten the frame, put some coilovers in, and still run the s10 rearend, front suspension, steering etc.

 

I think I can get away with the 3/4" wider on each side and still tuck my wheels and tires. 

 

My mind could change since I don't really have time to work on it until I get married off in November. 

 

 

 

I have been picking out rebuild kits for the KA, and I recently purchased a TIG welder to aid my addiction to tinker  :thumbup: