1973 Green Weenie

[GRpufnstuf]

I want to use the '80 bell housing on a later 84-86 shorty 5spd. I've been wondering if the '79 620 bell house would be the same?

 

I probably ought to just get a Z 5spd and shorter driveline but I'm fixated on keep what I've got.

 

I'll also be able to reuse the late model bell housing down the road when/if I swap KA

[GRpufnstuf]

I got crafty with some LED lights today.

 

 

 

 

Night shot

 

 

Here are vids, I don't know how to embed them

 

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c288/giseppy/AE1404E7-8128-4FDE-94CD-A7362365CDB5-133-0000000092C3A370_zpsf257354a.mp4

 

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c288/giseppy/88672F23-A8BD-4805-92A2-96EA30761FA6-150-00000001DA39A5B5_zps4bebd7f4.mp4

 

I've got the 3rd brake light working with brake lamps only, but the signal lights come on when I hit the brakes. I think it's fine for now (maybe not 100% legal), it lights up more for distracted drivers behind me.

 

I'm not crazy about the wire I had to run from the brake light switch but it's working.

I've been thinking about switching to the amber rear lenses from Thailand. That will separate my brake and signal lamps a little better when I re-wire for it.

[BlackBird620]

Ready to tiddy up and get everything back on the road then I'm going to do a really sweet hi-vis taillight setup totally tricked out can't wait

[GRpufnstuf]

I forgot to mention that the. LED lamps aren't visible, the light you see is a reflection off the body. They are stuck up under the bed rail facing down.

[BlackBird620]

Think you'll like what I have in mind then

[K_trip]

- removed -

[mapball]

Slick job with the third brake light! Where did you get the LED's from?

[GRpufnstuf]

I just picked up whatever LED was on close out at Autozone.

 

The amber are short, about 4-5" and meant for the bottom of side mirrors . The red is about 12-14".

 

They all came with good 3M trim double stick attached and can be trimmed for length.

And they came in pairs. The brand is Alpena

 

I'm thinking about adding the second red strip in the same spot for better daytime visibility.. And maybe wiring it to shut off when the headlights are turned on if the double red is too bright at night.

[GRpufnstuf]

EDIT Mklotz finished his BlueHands videos up with pix over here... http://community.ratsun.net/topic/10748-h190-spider-gear-swap/

Covers the odds and ends I mention below...

 

First day off work in a while and back at it!

 

I picked up an aluminum H190 3.89-1 ratio from a roadster in the classifieds. Thanks to member Abe Froman (sausage King of Chicago) for a nice clean part.

 

 

I had an extra 4.37 620 rear end sitting around (from when I thought I had much higher gears and bought before I checked ;))

 

So this morning I dug in and swapped spider gears from the 620 into the roadster diff.

 

Roadster

 

620

 

Better shot of the gears I'm swapping

 

Also a VERY big thank you to http://www.BlueHandsInc.com and member Mklotz/BlueHands for the video how to. After seeing it I knew I had the tools and time to git'er dun.

 

A couple notes that aren't in his videos:

 

There is a roll pin holding the spider gear shaft place. It makes sense but I didn't have a drift the correct size to punch it out so I improvised by cutting the bend off a Craftsman 4mm hex wrench and hammering that through.

 

Roll pin

 

'Drift'

 

The roadster diff had a steel pin but it punched out the same

 

Pin

 

And then set with a punch once back in

 

 

 

Also keep an eye on the bearings that ride behind all the gears in there. They are important

 

I forgot to grab a shot of the smaller gears but they have really cool dished copper bearings that are a little tricky to reinstall.

 

And finally, the Roadster nuts and bolts are SAE thread and the 620 were metric. Everything else fit fine and the diff bolt holes are spaced the same so I went for it.

 

I'll detail the install on the truck later.

 

PS..I now have a 4.37 third member that fits roadster axles and maybe other stuff? If anyone is interested. I'll post it up in the classifieds for cheap pretty soon.

[GRpufnstuf]

After that I dug into the idling and other various carb issues I was having over here>>> http://community.ratsun.net/topic/58458-kooky-idle/

 

I think I got that licked for now. Woot, it's a good day.

[91hrdbdy]

looking good! man 

[GRpufnstuf]

My buddy at work got me a present!

 

 

PS. Lol 'off road'

[Titanium Troopers]

i got one on restoration.last job only to have new paint

[illestmatic]

I love how the truck has been coming along. I have a 73 620 as well. iv recently started working on it. I'm inspired by all the mods and work GRpufnstuf has done. Keep it up looking nice!

[]2eDeYe]

I'm about to do that gear swap myself thanks for the tips :D

[jastrunk97]

Noticed the gas tankk...I had a 74 620 with almost that exact setup, I hated it...sat to long without gas and rusted out just enough to clog all the lines..

[GRpufnstuf]

My gas tank is clean and working nice, I like the extra capacity.

But if the truck were lower I'd worry about the e-brake cable bracket getting ripped off.

[GRpufnstuf]

Cleaned out my storag unit the other day.

 

Sanford and Son never looked so good!

 

 

[ol' 320]

Any updates? FYI, I work in film industry, too. I'll send you a PM...

[GRpufnstuf]

Thanks ! I got your message and am formulating a response ;)

[windowless66]

Love your 620 just clean and simple. :)

[cruznude]

Hey DM, since this 1st gear is so damm low, I always just started out in 2nd.  Are you saying that the 5 speeds here are longer duration between gears or rpm's?  Do they just go right in w/o having to change much?  Will the speedo cable still work? Tell me more please....

[GRpufnstuf]

There are many posts with Trans swap info.

 

As I understand it... Basically... Any tranny that comes off an "L" engine 4 or 6 cyl will work. There are a couple if lengths to consider. Like 26" and 32" or something. Then there are NAPZ transmission that will retrofit to certain L 5spd bell housings.

 

As for ratios, it has been my experience that most 5apd are similar to 4spd with a 5th overdrive gear. Some have closer ratios than others but I think it would be strange for a 5spd meant or a 4cyl to have wider gaps between ratios.

Maybe that T5 that came on Zs for a year or two would?

[KlassicMotion]

Hey DM, since this 1st gear is so damm low, I always just started out in 2nd.  Are you saying that the 5 speeds here are longer duration between gears or rpm's?  Do they just go right in w/o having to change much?  Will the speedo cable still work? Tell me more please....

 

For starters there are these:

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/39003-datsun-transmission-gear-ratio-chart/

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/38242-another-620-5-speed-swap/

 

Also, Mike has an Identification guide in DQ Vol. 11 Issue 4

 

From what I've seen, the 5spds for the cars, don't have as low of a first gear as the 4spds do.  Which tends to lead to a closer ratio than the 4spd.

 

"Stay away from the T5 transmission!"  is what I've read all over here and other forums.  Makes sense though, since my Mustangs have always had trouble with the synchros in them too.

 

Just run a search for 620 5spd swap and you should come up with a lot of info.

 

You can also use the "bellhousing" from the F4W71B 4spd from '74-? and with some easy machining, have it fit the later FS5W71B or C transmissions.  It may be a direct swap for the "B", I don't remember.  I've got that 4spd "bellhousing" on my FS5W71C 240sx 5spd.  My F4W71B and FS5W71 transmissions have the crossmember mount in the same position.  The only variables I've run into on the swap to 5spd are:  The location of where the shifter comes up through the tunnel, and how much to shorten the driveshaft.  It cost me $100 to have my stock drive shaft shortened.  There is something with the speedometer being different on some of the transmissions... I don't remember the details though.  Again, a search for "5spd swap"  should turn up a lot of info.....  If not for the 620, then search for the "510 5spd swap" or "280zx 5spd for 510" and you should get a lot off hits with info on most all of the differences.  The basics are the same, except for the actual install into the chassis....

 

 

 

Love your 620 just clean and simple. :)

 

No truer words have been spoken. :)

[GRpufnstuf]

Update! Back on track, no more transmission thread-jacks...

 

Today's message,

 

NISMO 2 stage TORSION BARS

 

Woot.

 

They are in and feel really good (for the 6 blocks I drove them)

 

Refresher, I bought a Nismo torsion bar kit from www.nissanparts.cc. They are listed for 720 and D21 but they are the right length and spline so I went for it. Some in this thread about it and some over here >>> http://community.ratsun.net/topic/57575-bigger-torsion-bars-please/

 

They don't fit like the instructions and sway-A-way say but I turned them around and they fit great-ish

 

Sadly I had a new exhaust put on my truck and didn't think about clearance on these new bigger bars so I had to sawzall 3.5ft of my new pipe out.

 

Pix:

New bar > Old bar

 

New bar is shorter by a little

 

You MUST get right and left correct (Left is driver side in US), torsions are directional!

 

These bars are built by Sway-A-Way and they were pretty helpful considering I bought them third party 30years after production. (Russell at NissanParts.cc said they have a bunch in stock...)

BUT they weren't careful with the finish/paint process and the knurling of the splines was a bit rough.

 

Out comes my trusty grinder with wire wheel attached (I need at least 2 more grinders!)

 

I cleaned the splines thoroughly and spent a little extra time on the ends to wear down the factory machine marks.

I HIGHLY recommend, to anyone doing a torsion swap, spend as much time as possible cleaning all the mating surfaces and test fitting stuff before you get under you truck. I had to remove both bars multiple times for various fitment and adjustment reasons. If everything needs to be hammered together when you assemble it you'll be very sorry trying to remove it.

 

Passenger side ready to slide home. Don't forget your dust boots and c-clip... I did the first time, ugh.

 

Driver side slid in from the back which allowed me to have the lever installed before it went in.

Passenger side had to come in from the front between the engine and frame rail. The gas tank is in the way going out the rear.

 

Makeshift c-clip tool for removal of adjuster lever

 

This is why the splines need to be clean. You assemble it almost all under the truck...

 

IN! But not quite right.

 

I buttoned them up by making the adjuster levers symmetrical (splines were a little out of sync left to right but they are as close as possible.) then adjusting ride height to my previous 25-25.5" from fender lip to ground or 13.25" fender lip to hub center. Then I set the stops for the secondary spring at just under 1/8" per the instructions. Then I took it for a spin.

 

Feels great for the short distance I drove it. I sawed at the wheel left and right at about 30mph and it feels much tighter. It used to keel over a little and push but that seems to be gone.

That gives me more motivation to bend up some sway bars front and rear like Yello620 did I. His build thread. (Looks like "fun"!)

 

I thought there would be clicking when the secondary stops hit but I haven't heard any yet.

 

Tomorrow (Monday) it's going for new exhaust....again. I'm going to get a new pipe made that clears the front spring barrel (terminology?) or gold thingy AND at the rear by the adjuster allows me to pull the torsion bar out if needed.