mklotz70 Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 Nice work on the fuse block. I'll have to keep that in mind. The glass beads do a nice job, but I like yours. I think it came out better. :) Quote Link to comment
73dat Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 nice work,me like it mucho,keep it up...................................:cool: Quote Link to comment
ppeters914 Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 The tray above the firewall where the fusebox goes is near identical to the 411. I just caulked the extra holes. To keep the fusebox above the waterline, I glued square cabinet cushions to the bottom to elevate it...works like a charm. I'll try to post some pics later when I get home. Sorry...hanging drywall all weekend. Perfect 23rd wedding anniversary activity, eh? Anyway, here are the pics: Fuse panel after vinegar bath/Dremel polishing Plastic cabinet bumpers on bottom of fuse panel Close-up of plastic bumpers Quote Link to comment
Pacific coast Datsun Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 Nuke- just scanned your pics & i like your creativity. Making old parts look new takes time & well worth the effort. Im glad i inspired you to polish the wiper motor..looks good :D Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted February 17, 2009 Report Share Posted February 17, 2009 Nice isolators ppeters...those are perfect. Quote Link to comment
nukeday Posted February 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2009 (edited) Thanks Mike and 73dat. Pete - Thanks for those photos, I think I might have something similar available. PacCoast - It's a 10 footer at best, I appreciate your comment. This stuff takes forever. I feel like a caveman some days, trying to fashion a jet engine from dinosaur bones...:blink: Redeye - Thanks for checking in. Curious what the status is on the stickers? The weather was decent enough today that I decided to prime, and spray the tray. As expected, I missed a few pinholes. After looking at the vent-to-firewall pinch welds again, I think I'm going to have to caulk that joint from inside the vent area. So here's the tray: While the paint was drying, I decided to try to get the good bits off my old hood. What a pain. The 6 screws were rusted up really good, I ended up just drilling them out. I also tried to get the wiper sprayer off, and busted it to bits. :( I was gentle, but this truck has seen some serious salt air and it just fell apart when I put the socket to it. My son tested my screen doohickey for the cowl vent, and pushed it right out. No test like a 4 year old boy, eh? I was a bit pleased actually, as I decided I hate the gold. Repainted it black. I decided to drop the wiper to firewall boot in some ATF overnight and see what happens. It's pretty dried and cracked, and I don't think I'm going to hurt it. While on the topic, I had been trying to come up with a solution for the wiper motor isolators. I used a spark plug boot, and cut it the same length as the metal insert, and I couldn't be happier with the fit. And finally, in the boxes of stuff I got from ADrummond, I found this, it's probably almost as old as I am: Happy President's day... Eidt * So trying to show off a bit, I said 'Hey, hon, look what I did today!" showing her this post. Her question was, "Does it run yet?"....ack... Edited February 17, 2009 by nukeday Wife's commentary Quote Link to comment
Llittle_Llama Posted February 17, 2009 Report Share Posted February 17, 2009 damn, looking REALLY nice man I wish I had a nice older truck to restore like this....of course....... if I did, I would want to bag it and drag it..... *sigh* Quote Link to comment
nukeday Posted February 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2009 Thanks dwnshfter, but this is actually not a very nice example. There are much better rigs available here in the NW. This one's only redemption is that it has a clear title, and my dad decided to give it to me. As for restoring it, I don't have the means or desire to go that far. I just want it dry inside and operable. :) Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted February 17, 2009 Report Share Posted February 17, 2009 Snail mail, you should be seeing them soon I imagine ;) Quote Link to comment
nukeday Posted February 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Took all day, but I got both front drums off. Still have the passenger rear to get to. The shoes look great, the drums look ok, no serious scoring. The wheel bearings on both sides are really smooth and tight. The weatherman lied, and it turned out to be a beautiful day. Had I known it was going to be so nice, I'd have put the wiper motor and fuse box in. As it was, I cleaned up the drums, and wheels. While under the passenger front wheelwell, I got a really good look at the battery tray rust. It's pretty bad. This is a shot laying under the truck looking up. Stuck the vent and hood on it for grins. They will both probably come off and on several more times before it runs, but it's actually starting to look like something... Quote Link to comment
dat521kid Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 thats a sweet hood Quote Link to comment
ppeters914 Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 2eDeYe;131984'']Nice isolators ppeters...those are perfect. Pete - Thanks for those photos, I think I might have something similar available. Thanks. A couple bucks at Home Depot. I had to do something as I have water leaking in and settling around the fuse panel. Still haven't isolated the leak. Damn you doing that upper tray! I need to do that, but trying to focus on just getting the damn thing running and on the road. Pretty can come later. Don't wanna hear "where's the 411?" for a third Canby. :( Seriously, nice job. Good motivation. So trying to show off a bit, I said 'Hey, hon, look what I did today!" showing her this post. Her question was, "Does it run yet?"....ack... Yeah, I get that, too.......sigh.... Quote Link to comment
nukeday Posted February 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 thats a sweet hood If you'd like the ratsun 'rat' stencil, let me know. I'd be happy to pass it around. It's HUGE. Thanks. A couple bucks at Home Depot. I had to do something as I have water leaking in and settling around the fuse panel. Still haven't isolated the leak. I know essentially nothing about the 411, but I understand it's similar up front to the 521. Maybe pull the cowl vent off, and drop a flashlight down in there at night? This truck still has a couple of spots that are rusted right through in that area. The plan is to caulk them from inside the vent, after I clean out and treat the mess that's in there. Damn you doing that upper tray! I need to do that, but trying to focus on just getting the damn thing running and on the road. Pretty can come later. All I wanted to do was get this thing running too, the tray grew into a mini-monster. The wiring was all hacked off at the fuse box, and I didn't want it getting wet or shorting out due to chunks of rust and crap in there. So, what started as a little bit of rewiring turned into some spot putty, two coats of primer, and a rattle can of budget tan....still haven't put the fuse block in. :blink: Dad told me it was driven to where we picked it up. Basically it was vandalized, but not really damaged. It's missing a bunch of stuff, but I'm pretty confident when it comes time to fire it up, it will run. Just trying to take my time and not rush it. I'd like to do it system by system, but I'm finding my time better spent working on a couple of systems at a time. A little bit here, a little bit there... Quote Link to comment
ppeters914 Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Yes, it's quite similar and even shares some parts. I believe one water source is the wiper pivots. Pulled them apart and the gaskets are rotted away. Need to make new ones since all the rubber is NLA. Ahhhhhh, I forgot about the hacked wiring. My upper tray isn't that crusty-rusty either. I'm hoping to pull the engine/trans this summer to redo the PO-crap motor mounts, so that'll be a good time for clean-up/repaint...maybe even splurge on some Frank 'n' Ice Goodness. :D Quote Link to comment
ImInked Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Nuke, can you send me the rat stencil. that will look good on my doors. im going to patina the stencil. Quote Link to comment
nukeday Posted February 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Not too much done today. Spent a lot of time looking through the boxes I have here and trying to identify what I'm still missing. Found some cabinet spacers, but lost the fuse box screw. Tried another one I had on hand and got it cross threaded. So I stopped. I'll find the right screws before I damage anything further. Fabbed together a sort of alternator setup, the bracket I have here is not going to work, but it looks like the alternator might. Went looking for a t-stat and discovered that there was still one in there. Think the t-stat housing was leaking much? I was able to save the gasket, so I can make a new one. Found the right size bolts for the horn. It will be interesting to see if they actually make any noise... Most of the rest of the day was spent positively ID'ing wiring between the fuse box and the cab. Since a bunch of stuff is currently un-terminated, now is the time to do these checks. Have to look over the ignition circuit again, I'm hoping to wire this thing up enough to at least try the lights. Starting it will come later... Quote Link to comment
nukeday Posted February 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Alright, after spending a couple of hours last night terminating some wiring for an ignition switch, printing out wiring diagrams and working on tracing circuits, I've come to a bit of a hiccup. There is a metal loop, about the size of a nickel in the harness on the passenger side. Mine is connected to nothing. Also, there are no ground cables in the truck at all. I've looked over the drawings, but I must be missing something. The VR was missing, and it looks like the ground lug/loop on the fenderwell is connected to one of the bolts for the VR? Is there a ground cable from the battery to the frame, and then a second one from the frame to the block? The ignition circuit is also a bit goofy, I've got three wires hanging where the switch goes. W (Battery), BY (Sel), BW (Switched power). These are all pretty obvious in their function. What I'm not finding is the LW (WL) for the accesories, or the BR for the coil. I just colored the circuits randomly here, to get my end points for OHM'ing them out. I'm going to look over the L521 ignition again. Being a '69 is proving challenging, as there were lots of changes mid year. Any tips on the grounding would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment
mklotz70 Posted February 20, 2009 Report Share Posted February 20, 2009 You might try comparing your stuff to a 520 diagram. Got a pic of the loop? You should have the neg batt cable to the engine block. I would also do another nice heavy gauge (8-10ga) wire from the neg batt post or engine block where the cable mounts...to the body. One of the radiator support bolts is usually a decent place. I think the stock one is a 10ga wire from the trans(around the slave cyl) to the frame. I'd do a bigger, better one from the engine block to the frame. You can't have too many grounds....and most of these old datsuns rarely have enough good ones to start with :) I wouldn't worry about accessories.....way low on the list. You need the start wire to the solenoid and the ign wire to the coil....and then the batt wire coming in and the ign wire going out. If they had put in some kind of security cutout feature....your coil wire may be going to a switch somewhere first. I much prefer using a $3 HF test light for T/Sing wiring probs.....if you have a batt in the rig. :) Quote Link to comment
nukeday Posted February 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2009 (edited) Got my Ratsun.net stickers today from Redeye. Thanks Redeye! Thanks Mike. I don't have a battery to put in this thing yet, I'm going to try the electrics using my jumper box. But only after I have the fuse box wired and a competent ground. I use a dash bulb in it's holder with a couple of legs soldered to the holder (when I have a battery in the car). :D So I went down the list of wires and confirmed each one. I found a corroded connector in the cab, at the firewall pass through. I might be able to clean it up, there is still integrity through the wiring, and I didn't find any shorts. The connector itself overheated at some point and is chalky and cracking apart. It looks like everything is where it should be, and it's all here. No seriously melted connectors or missing insulation that I could see. Once I nail down the grounds, the fuse box will go in. Edit: Just found my 'problem'. I do have L521 wiring in this truck. The ignition is set up for only 3 leads vice the 5 in the PL. Not sure where I got the 2/4 split and all the fuse box confusion, must have been the 520 diagram. Anyway, it's simpler, and matches exactly what I found today, YAY! Edited February 20, 2009 by nukeday Quote Link to comment
nukeday Posted February 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2009 I was trying to figure out why it took me so long to sort out a couple of these circuits, and now I know. The diagram below indicates 3 different colors of 'L'. This is cut right from the L521 diagram, and if you notice, at the fuse box, this wiring is labeled 'L/R'. If you follow this to it's termination, the wire that is landed on the end item is connected with a 'L' (BLUE) wire. I have no idea why the diagram is labeled this way, or what it might mean. The R/Y split is correct, per my truck, but there is no RED anywhere on this BLUE wire near the fuse box. In the truck, all three of these different blues in the diagram are the same color. So, there are definitely TWO different circuits using blue. Thought this might be useful to someone, someday...:blink: Quote Link to comment
mklotz70 Posted February 20, 2009 Report Share Posted February 20, 2009 Just a guess....it might have come with either color from the factory....maybe changed in the middle of a production run.....maybe one color is for the L520 and the other is for the 520??? All just speculation. My best guess would be that it turns into a Red somewhere in there......so while you're chasing a blue wire, you may see it change to red. Quote Link to comment
nukeday Posted February 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 I finally put the wiring together today, as the color scheme is still fresh in my mind. I put the wiper motor back in, and had to reseat the firewall grommet for the wiring bundle. Pretty self explanatory stuff. I took Ppeters advice and put several rubber stand offs on the fuse block. I'm glad I did, it was difficult to put the connectors on, even with it raised up a bit. Seems like it would be a real bear with the stock setup. Got all the spades on, and the screw on connectors on the live side. I left the labels on for the initial fit. Some of the service loops are a bit long, but it tidied up pretty well. Went inside and hooked up my universal ignition switch, installed it and a gauge cluster. Does the voltage regulator get mounted with the connection up or down? Normally on a contact type of regulator it's down, but the 'lay' of the existing wiring is no help on this one. Also, a photo of the mystery ground lug. Does it get bolted to the VR stud? That's all for today. :) Quote Link to comment
Jester Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 Looking good man. You might try asking some of the guys with 521's to post some picutres of the engine bay for you. Maybe a nice clean example can help you out. Quote Link to comment
mklotz70 Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 putting that ground loop to the VR stud will be just fine. I'm almost positive the connections go down. Quote Link to comment
nukeday Posted February 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 (edited) Thanks Jester, great suggestion. Anyone with a 521 1300, feel free to send me a couple of photos of your engine bay and fenderwells. Please! Thanks Mike, I think I confirmed the orientation in the manual. The ground lug just makes sense, based on it's location in the harness. Edited February 21, 2009 by nukeday Quote Link to comment
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