521 for my first project

[quadub]

Hello ratsun!
I'll start by saying, this is my first datsun, but I am fairly familiar with them as I was in love with them when I was in high school and did a lot of research, much of it on this forum. 5 years later and I am finally looking into buying my first Datsun. I always loved the 510, but with prices the way they are, I have decided to go with my next favorite model instead, the 521.

After looking for about a month on Craigslists all over the u.s. I finally found one in the condition I was looking for. Wanted a project truck that was running and fairly stock. Not an easy find, especially when you are as picky as me and your a college student with a small wallet

I have made arrangements to drive and pick the truck up sometime next week, but couldn't wait to get it before posting it on here.

1970 Datsun 521(1600)
Stock L16 and 4 speed manual trans
Stock paint/ body/ wheels(including spare)/ suspension Etc.
72,000 on odometer

Pros:
-The car is running, and has been daily driven for the last year or so.
-mostly rust free. Slight rust under the cab, and very little in floorboards.
-new water pump(cast iron propellar style)
-all lights and electrical is in working order
- head gasket replaced 1500 miles ago.

- all bumpers seem to be in near perfect condition

Cons:
-needs new speedometer cable
-clutch master and slave cylinders could be replaced(starting to leak a little)
-heater and fan not working(owner believes it's a wiring issue)
-dash pad cracked
-interior pretty beat


I will post pictures later this evening, but in the meantime I have a question.
---I have about a 5 hour drive with the truck to get it home. Current owner is pretty confident it can make it, but I wanted to get some second opinions. Planning on doing it in 2 2.5 hour sessions, with pretty frequent stops to keep it as easy on the truck as possible. I will have a buddy following me in my reliable car, so I won't get stranded in the case of something major happening.

 

as promised, here are the pictures of the truck and all blemishes 

 

 

 

 

 

The Engine Bay...

 

 

And the bads...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The worst of the rust according to seller. 

[hobospyder]

It is now night, too many words not enough pictures

[uberkevin]

That's not bad in any way!!

 

I see nice patina and old age.. rock that truck hard! Cuz it's nice as shit!!!

 

Way nice truck! :)

[mrbigtanker]

Very nice truck and very very good start better then most junks including mine off the original owner.. You did very well

[DanielC]

That is actually a very nice 521.  

What do you plan on doing with it?  A lot of the minor rust can just be cleaned off with a phosphoric acid solution, sanded, primed, and repainted.  Most of the dents in the bed can be reached on the back side, making then easy to work out.

A few hoses need to be connected in the engine compartment.  The hose coming off the valve cover should plug into a pipe on the bottom of the air cleaner.

 

Check for power on the heater man fuse on the side closest to the cab.  Glass tube fuses very often look good, but are bad.  the heater fuse does not have power unless the key is on.

 

All the body bolts are American SAE threads.  The seat has 5/16-28 thread nuts holding it in, for example.

Take the seat out, and look under the vinyl floor matt.  This is usually the worst rust area.  Dirt gets under the floor matt, and grinds the paint off floor sheet metal.  Water gets under the floor matt, and cannot evaporate, because of the vinyl, and stays there.

[datson4life]

Nice!!

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Oh man, I love patina. I know it's a catch phrase in the car/truck world right now, but the right amount of patina is waaaaaaaayyy cooler than any amount of new paint. Leave it alone, but do all the mechanicals and the interior and you will have a nice little piece of Japanese car history.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I just noticed you are in Sac. If you need any help, don't be afraid to give me a shout. I'm just up the road from you.

[quadub]

Thanks for the love and advice guys,

 

I am making the drive this wednesday to pick the truck up and drive it back home. it is a 5 hour drive, and i'm pretty confident something will go wrong. if it doesn't, than this will end up being an even better deal than i thought. planning on bringing the basic tools with me, and was wondering what fluids you guys recommended bringing? brake fluid?, coolant? etc? got zip ties on my list as well.

Also going to stop about half way home and go on a bike ride through the mountains. always wanted to ride up north and figured this would be the perfect chance to let the truck rest. 

 

got some plans on this truck, but nothing too crazy, those ideas will be for the next truck in my probable distant future. 

 

Gong to try to keep this one mostly stock for now with some tasteful mods. I'm sure paint is the last thing ill be doing, as i love the original paint. 

I was planning on using a chassis saver or por-15 on the underside of the bed, any thoughts? also planning on dropping it very soon. probably just block and torsion bars. been reading up on the process but im sure ill have some questions for you guys when the time comes. 

[TENDRIL]

dont ever paint it, just wax and buff it, and the paint will stay just how it is forever.....

 

 

 

 

also the best thing you can have on a trip like that is AAA gold membership or better 

 

 

i think it will do just fine, take it easy up hill, and stay around the speed limit so you can engine break, as best as possible if anything were to go.

 

 

i think what you plan on doing to it is just fine and is how 521's look at their best.

 

 

and you have a beautiful truck, welcome to ratsun,

 

 

bring it to one of these

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/59555-datsun-lifenorth-bay-meetbbqseptember-26th10am-whenever-we-go-home/page-49

[thisismatt]

Bring a multimeter for testing the fusebox when your lights stop working.  Bring extra fuel filters for when it clogs up with gas tank gunk and deteriorating fuel filler hose material.  Extra hose clamps and hose is a good idea as well.  Bring a firm small pillow or a medium-large water bottle to stick behind your lower back for some lumbar support.  Before you get onto a major road/highway, test the brakes a few times by braking hard with no traffic around, so you can get a feel for how hard it's going to pull to the left or right when braking due to out of adjustment drum brakes.  Trust me, you don't want the first time to be on the freeway when traffic suddenly stops.  Bring a 2 gallon fuel can and fill it up when you get there, because the gauge probably doesn't work or doesn't read accurately at all.  Make sure your phone is fully charged.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

It depends on how long it has been sitting, but driving it home could smoke out a lot of problems. Rubber goes bad after a few years of non use and the brake lines could be ready to pop, the seals in the water pump could be on the verge, the diaphragm in the fuel pump may not be up to snuff.

 

Heat can be your friend though. Get it running and let it sit running as long as you can before you hit the road. Check and top off ALL fluids (yes, even the gear oil underneath the truck) before hitting the road. And bring a FIRE EXTINGUISHER!!! It would suck to have this truck burn down because a mouse chewed through a wire and you didn't have any way to put out the fire.

 

The body is perfect. You don't live in a harsh climate and that "rust" could stay like that forever without being a problem. Pressure wash it good and make sure there's no dirt hiding in the seams of the body. That should be all it needs, maybe that and a coat of wax. In the UK, they use something called Waxoyl, which is a rust preventative. You might track down something like that if you're worried about it, but please don't paint anything.

 

Good luck.

[TENDRIL]

it has been a "DD "  for the last year supposedly 

[banzai510(hainz)]

Truck is perfect the way it is.

 

Get a electronic ignition and get a battery holder than a chezzy bongy cord.

 

 

buy spare hydraulic parts on the side. Clutch master ,slave brake ect on the side as these will be needed and best to have on hand.

 

521s clean the fuel filter more often as dirt get in fuel line in wheelwell.

 

most electrical proplems are corrssion at near the fuse box or just bat cables ect.

[thegreg]

I LOVE that color!! Good luck on your road trip!

[quadub]

quick question guys, i have located a right surround grille replacement for my damaged one(seen in the pictures in the first post). it says its a '68 and I was wondering if it would fit a '70 grille or not? did a quick search and saw that the center grille changed a little but couldn't find any info on these pieces. 

[datson4life]

69 would, but i doubt 68

[DanielC]

I believe all the pieces of the front trim on a 521 will fit any 521.  There are minor differences in the headlight doors, and grill.  I believe the "C" shaped trim on the fenders is all the same, and the trim on the bottom of the hood, and top of the lower grill opening rail are all the same, and interchangeable between 1968 to 1972 521 trucks.

[thisismatt]

What DC said is correct.

[quadub]

I made it home guys!!! sat around 57-60mph the whole way home on the freeway and she didn't seem to be having any major issues. I did feel that it felt pretty weak in 1st and 2nd gear, but im not sure how these run, so i cant say if it is abnormal. 

 

--- at our last stop, about an hour from home, she didn't want to idle. I could start her no problem, but she would sputter and eventually die. got her started and moving as quick as possible, as that was the only way to keep her going. once home, she idled no problem??

     - checked under the hoof and noticed some definite leaking coming from somewhere. seeing fluid on the manifold and seeing some near the spark           plugs.

     -fluid seems to be gas by the smell of it, and i have located what is leaking on the manifold side, which seems to be a rubber hose connecting to the underside of the air cleaner i believe.(see pictures below).

 

- Going to start cleaning the interior today, and working my way to the engine bay

 

 

 

The Leaking...

 

 

Cool shot with Mt. Shasta in the Background...Did i mention that i am naming her shasta?!

[TENDRIL]

perfect name!!

[DanielC]

A Datsun  L-16 engine uses the engine coolant to heat the intake manifold.  There is a short straight rubber hose under the float bowl of the carb that takes water out of the intake manifold, and connects to a metal pipe. this pipe goes across the front of the engine, and connects to the inlet side of the water pump, by the lower radiator hose, and heater hose. 

Here are the Nissan part numbers for 521 / L16 cooling system hoses.  Some are NLA, but it does not hurt to ask your local Nissan dealer.

Upper radiator hose    21501-B2001
Lower Radiator hose    B1503-B2000
Short heater hose    B7020-B2000
Long heater hose    27020-B2000 or 27021-B2000
Intake manifold hose    14055-23000
Manifold pipe hose    A4056-23001

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

If that is gasoline leaking onto the exhaust manifold, you better up your life insurance policy. That can be deadly.

 

You said it wouldn't idle, well if it was overheating or running abnormally hot, that would explain the idle/dying at idle issue. It would also explain the liquid. I would double check the cooling system and temp gauge. It's easy enough to verify a temp gauge by using a meat thermometer. If it's an electronic gauge, look for bad or corroded connections.

[quadub]

Went to a local meet tonight to get to know some of the local community and in the process got the issues on the truck looked at :) confirmed by some local datsun people, the previously mentioned leaking hose is a coolant hose. seems to be about a 2 inch straight piece. i circled it in the picture below. 

 

The truck hasn't been running hot and the needle sits just a mm above the mid line. couple people thought the idling issue was carb related. one mentioned that it is common in the stock hitachi carbs, and one mentions that it could have dirt in the line. going to do some more research and see what i can do. 

 

i did notice some leaking in the cabin from the clutch master. was wondering if i should rebuild it or just buy a new one? i the process of cleaning the interior, i noticed some fluid by the shifter base? any help on that would be awesome.

 

In the meantime.... i pulled the seat and floor mats out to check from rust and give it a good deep cleaning. driver's floor seems the worst, but should be manageable. got some wire brushed for the rust on the floorboard. any other recommendations?

[DanielC]

Of all the cooling system hoses, that one is the easiest to buy.  It is just a short straight hose.  I believe it is this  one, Intake manifold hose    14055-23000, and I was able to get it at a Nissan dealer fairly recently. 

Getting to the hose to replace it will be a little more difficult.   If the hose clamps are oriented wrong, you will possibly need to remove the carburetor.

This is a wrench I bent to reach the nuts on the carburetor, the two nuts closest to the engine.

The bend in in the 12 MM side of the wrench.