emceefarlane Posted March 21, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 Thanks! here's a few more pics taken by Nick Dunn https://www.nickdunnimages.com/ and Blake Heywood https://www.blakeheywood.com/ 2 Quote Link to comment
jetattblue Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 That looks great! I wasn't sure about the crinkle paint on the dash when you first mentioned it, but it looks awesome installed. Very nice. By the way, I love that Japan Automobile Federation badge - super cool. 2 Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 My '63 320NL had a body colored dash, but my '65 320L had a black crinkle coated dash. I like them both. 2 Quote Link to comment
320 Newb Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 Was glare off the painted dash an issue? I'm painting mine same color as the body 'cause I'm going as stock as possible but I'm a little worried about glare. 3 Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted March 22, 2019 Report Share Posted March 22, 2019 No. Not an issue. 2 Quote Link to comment
emceefarlane Posted April 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2019 Thanks jetattblue! i was a little nervous too but i'm pretty happy with how it turned out as well Okay so i'm in the process of changing the upper control arm bushings When i started thinking about this i was originally going to purchase replacement bushes from Mike at blue hands http://www.bluehandsinc.com/320520521620drum-urethane-uca-bushings.html but ended up losing my entire year to saving for a wedding Recently I came across a post on the datsun 320 owners fb page where another guy in aus had put fj45 landcruiser shackle bushings in I bought a set of Nolathane 47001 from ebay which were incorrect (i should have done more research) It looks as though the correct part is Nolathane 47004 which by my crude measurements should be correct but i'll have to reuse the steel sleeve from the old worn ones I've ordered them off ebay i'm just waiting for them to turn up You can only buy them in a set of 12 While i was i was poking around in there i decided to take the upper control arms off for a clean up and to change the rubber bush and refill with grease I took them off and it looks as though the end nuts have been welded on This would have been done by the previous owner - i'm assuming because of country roads and corrugations maybe they were vibrating loose My concern is that the manual asks for a torque setting for these - does anyone think this will be an issue? I do have a spare set of UCA's that aren't welded they'll just be a pain to get off the car It looks as though overall design of the UCA has the vertical movement traveling horizontally across the thread - is this correct? wouldn't this move the UCA horizontally across the threads each time they travel up and down meaning that the wheel would move towards the front/back of the car in the guards? Lastly where the UCA's bolt to the top of strut tower there are metal shims - if i put a few more shims in there to achieve some negative camber will this be detrimental to kingpin set up and maybe cause binding or something? Thanks 1 Quote Link to comment
emceefarlane Posted April 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2019 forgot to mention tha in this post on nicoclub (the website is currently down) https://forums.nicoclub.com/running-on-a-budget-63-pl-320-t586738-60.html it looks as though the threads are different to the ones i have pictured above? 1 Quote Link to comment
320 Newb Posted April 2, 2019 Report Share Posted April 2, 2019 So strange to see those nuts welded on. I just rebuilt mine and used 521 bushings from the parts store. The bushings have the metal sleeves and come in two pieces like the diagram. They are about 1/4" too long on each side so I used a grinder to shave them down to size. I didn't use the nylon washers the blue glove guy uses in his kits. There's nothing on that exploded diagram and there was nothing that came off when I took them apart. Are they necessary or recommended? I can see where they might help prevent binding. I used a nut with a nylon insert and locktite on the nut but didn't torque it down tight to allow it to pivot. 1 Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted April 2, 2019 Report Share Posted April 2, 2019 Well, they're basically already ruined, so try cutting the welds to see if they can be salvaged. Yes, the welded adjusters will cause the nuts to rotate on the threads during suspension cycling. Not optimal. 1 Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted April 2, 2019 Report Share Posted April 2, 2019 Part number 54507-08700 needs to be tightened to spec(the part that was welded on), that part moves/pivots with the arms, it is supposed to move/pivot with the arms, it was designed to move/pivot with the arms, it has no fittings to grease them threads, the likely reason that part was welded on was because someone in the past torqued them nuts so tight they stripped the threads out or it came loose and the threads got ruined from pivoting on un-greased metal to metal threads, that part is not a floating type part. 1 Quote Link to comment
320 Newb Posted April 2, 2019 Report Share Posted April 2, 2019 3 hours ago, wayno said: Part number 54507-08700 needs to be tightened to spec(the part that was welded on), that part moves/pivots with the arms, it is supposed to move/pivot with the arms, it was designed to move/pivot with the arms, it has no fittings to grease them threads, the likely reason that part was welded on was because someone in the past torqued them nuts so tight they stripped the threads out or it came loose and the threads got ruined from pivoting on un-greased metal to metal threads, that part is not a floating type part. Does anyone know what to torque them at? Mine were pretty dang snug when I took them off so I tried to snug them in that ballpark. Also did anyone else watch the blue glove video and see those little white nylon washers he uses between the bushing the arms? Would it be good to include them? 1 Quote Link to comment
emceefarlane Posted April 4, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2019 320 newb: the upper control arm bush (part 54519-08700) is normally a 1 piece bush with a flange - so if you're looking at in profile it will look like a fat letter T. The blue hands kit has the flange as a separate part but it is required. The ones you removed had probably completely worn down the flange the tightening torque is listed as "14 -16.5m-kg" in the manual I cleaned my arms up a bit better and had a closer look - turns out they weren't welded on they just looked like the were so my question now is if you torque the part with the grease nipple in it (54507-08700) into the upper control arm (54533-04300) this means that that assembly is meant to move up and down on the threads of the spindle? (54538-04101) should the above be tightened the full way up the thread and "butt up" to the machined surface? 1 Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted April 4, 2019 Report Share Posted April 4, 2019 Yes it pivots on the threads of the bushings and the spindle that mounts to the shock tower, they get greased by the zerk fittings. 1 Quote Link to comment
320 Newb Posted April 4, 2019 Report Share Posted April 4, 2019 Great info everyone, thank you. 1 Quote Link to comment
emceefarlane Posted April 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 The flanges could be bigger and the diameter at each end a little larger (the blue hands kit has tapered bushes for this exact reason) but overall they will work in a pinch 2 Quote Link to comment
emceefarlane Posted June 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2019 The ride is so good now that i've changed these bushes over - i wish i had done this 5 years ago I also re-drilled the tabs on the lower control arm to fit a larger bolt the same diameter as the shock absorber - i think when i changed these over many years ago i did it in a hurry & forgot that i had reused the original smaller diameter bolt one of the sealed beams blew so i bought new headlight enclosures https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/H4-Headlight-Conversion-Kit-7-Round-12-Volt-178mm-60-55W-Halogen-Headlamp/143143062196?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 LED globes https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Infitary-Car-Headlight-H7-LED-H4-LED-H1-H11-H3-H13-H27-880-9006-9007-72W/32859211995.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.60af4c4dt0VTTL The light from these is so much better Went for a little drive after giving the old girl a driveway wheel alignment (both wheels weren't facing forward) The tacho has stopped working already but overall the car is running well and the carbs seem to be tuned well :) 3 Quote Link to comment
jetattblue Posted June 13, 2019 Report Share Posted June 13, 2019 Looks great! I like the headlights. 1 Quote Link to comment
320 Newb Posted June 13, 2019 Report Share Posted June 13, 2019 Has anyone found a headlight gasket replacement? 1 Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted June 13, 2019 Report Share Posted June 13, 2019 Has anyone tried the BMC gaskets? 1 Quote Link to comment
320 Newb Posted June 14, 2019 Report Share Posted June 14, 2019 9 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said: Has anyone tried the BMC gaskets? I'm curious to maybe buy a pair. I have to buy some rubber from Moss Motors anyway it'd be like $8 plus shipping to try one out. 2 Quote Link to comment
emceefarlane Posted August 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2019 (edited) Edited August 15, 2019 by emceefarlane Image hosting didn't work 4 Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted August 15, 2019 Report Share Posted August 15, 2019 You need to get some petrol! 1 Quote Link to comment
emceefarlane Posted September 5, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2019 (edited) nonsense! got at least another 100kms left in the tank Not sure how many of you are on the "Datsun 320 Owners" facebook group but a guy on there from Victoria Martin Easton has posted a pic of the suspension on his 320 upload image I asked him to clarify part of the suspension which he says is a sway bar Neither of my 320's have sway bars and i dont think i've ever seen one with them before? I've looked through the service manual and there doesn't seem to be any mention of it Another guy on the page Heath Robinson is now asking to buy a sway bar setup as well am i losing my mind? would people have been removing sway bars for more suspension travel and that's why i've ended up with two utes that dont have them? upload image after searching the site i've found this pic - does anyone have a better photo of the whole setup? upload image Edited September 5, 2019 by emceefarlane added another pic 1 Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted September 5, 2019 Report Share Posted September 5, 2019 I have 3 different types of Datsun 320 trucks, all have sway bars, even the U320 from Australia. 1 Quote Link to comment
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