wayno Posted October 17, 2018 Report Share Posted October 17, 2018 My question would be do you have tools and capability of threading the "U" bolts you have, meaning cut them off and re-thread them yourself the length you need? Keep in mind that they are only 3 inches apart so you cannot use the tools that most tap and die kits have, it would have to be threaded from the end using a big socket type die. All my dies are six point and I could use a 1 inch very deep socket once it was started, I could thread just short of 3 inches of the shaft before my socket bottomed out on the bolt end, then the die would come out of the socket, but one could use a ratchet type wrench if you had one large enough to fit your dies. I am just asking as this would be a more simple/cheaper fix. It would have been much easier if you had known it was going to be raised back up, you could have asked the former owner if he still had the old "U" bolts, most of us Datsun guys don't throw stuff like that away unless the threads got ruined removing the nuts. 1 Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted October 18, 2018 Report Share Posted October 18, 2018 Most times the shank of the bolt is not large enough to thread them down further. The threads are almost always larger diameter than the unthreaded shank. This is probably because they thread them with rollers instead of with cutters at the factory. Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted October 18, 2018 Report Share Posted October 18, 2018 5 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said: Most times the shank of the bolt is not large enough to thread them down further. The threads are almost always larger diameter than the unthreaded shank. This is probably because they thread them with rollers instead of with cutters at the factory. He has aftermarket "U" bolts, maybe they are made differently, I just went out and looked at all my rusty "U" bolts and about 1 out of 3 could be threaded all the way up the shaft. I have a nice set of short ones made for no blocks, but it is the only nice set I have so I want to keep it for myself, the rest are rusty and I suspect he can find new ones closer for less money shipped than I could sell my rusty ones to him just for shipping, most my stuff I have is for 521s and 720s, I only have one 620 axle on my property and it is a 1979 620 mobile home axle and I don't know where the "U" bolts are for that axle, the leafs were different anyway, so the "U" bolts might have been different but I doubt it. Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted October 19, 2018 Report Share Posted October 19, 2018 I buy my u-bolts from a place that has 55 gallon drums full of them, so they are less of a commodity to me. I wonder if the difference in "threadability" is new manufacture vs old. Quote Link to comment
frank88 Posted October 20, 2018 Report Share Posted October 20, 2018 UK ones not cheaper? Quote Link to comment
oukippy Posted October 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2018 hello, I finally ordered my u-bolts from stengelbros.net. I took the following ones: https://www.stengelbros.net/5U-146R-12-X-3-18-X-6-34R-16-Round-U-bolt-with-nuts-and-washers_p_13493.html I made them delivered to a French colleague living in Michigan. He will send them to me later. It will probably be cheaper in the end. Anyway, I've a back pain so I'm not able to change them quickly. Thank you all for the great help ! ouki Out of subject: I recieved a brand new front weatherstrip from Portugal. I will be happy to have it installed because I don't like to see my 620 like this anymore ! (the other car is a Renault Zoe, a French electric car. Nothing to compare with a Tesla but you can have 3 or 4 Zoe for the price of a Tesla Model S and it does the job). 1 Quote Link to comment
oukippy Posted November 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2018 Okay, I finally remove the blocks using the U-bolts I bought in USA. It was very new for me and I'm proud of doing by myself. They fit perfectly so if someone else is trying to make the same thing, the size is perfect as you can see on the following pictures: I had some trouble to bend the bolt because I didn't unscrew the shock absorber (I thought it was in a too bad condition to unscrew it and screw it again) and it was diffcult to keep the pad in place. But I finally found a very usefull tool as you can see here : Now I have to work on the torsion bar because the car I have a big difference between front and rear : 1 Quote Link to comment
oukippy Posted November 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2018 I'm thinking about buying new shock absorbers. I saw the following ones on rockauto : KYB GR-2 / Excel-G They are not expensive but what do you think about their quality ? Any other model I should consider (if possible on rockauto because shipping to France is interesting). Last thing, the bumpers were removed, is it easy to find ( I hope it's very standard) ? Quote Link to comment
Spawn Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 (edited) 17 hours ago, oukippy said: I'm thinking about buying new shock absorbers. I saw the following ones on rockauto : KYB GR-2 / Excel-G They are not expensive but what do you think about their quality ? Any other model I should consider (if possible on rockauto because shipping to France is interesting). Last thing, the bumpers were removed, is it easy to find ( I hope it's very standard) ? Hi oukippy! Those are the exact springs that I purchased and installed on my 1977 620 Long Bed, both front and rear. They seem to be fine, but I have my truck lowered 3", and when I contacted KYB about the ride being a little harsh, their technical support explained that the travel of the shock absorbers is setup for the stock truck ride height, so with mine being lowered, I am more than likely hitting the bump stops when hitting some bumps (KYB said that the KG4605A rear shocks have 4.1" of travel, and the KG5447 front shocks have 7.28" of travel). If you are just going back to stock height (which is what it looks like, or at least looks much closer to it than mine is), then I think that you will be happy with the shock absorbers. Even if you have lowered the truck by the 1" that you were mentioning previously, I believe that you will still be happy with them. They are supposed to be a slightly firmer shock absorber, 10-15% firmer than the OEM shocks according to the KYB tech support. Edited November 13, 2018 by Spawn 1 1 Quote Link to comment
banzai510(hainz) Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 KYB has a MONO Max also. and Gas A Just GR2 is just a cheap gas replacement shock. Maybe you can find same in France and just as cheap as shipping and customs mught be a pain in the ass Quote Link to comment
Spawn Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 1 hour ago, banzai510(hainz) said: KYB has a MONO Max also. and Gas A Just GR2 is just a cheap gas replacement shock. Maybe you can find same in France and just as cheap as shipping and customs mught be a pain in the ass Banzai510(hainz), do you happen to know which part number to use as a replacement for the GR-2/Excel-G? It would be nice to be able to install something that would compensate for lowering my truck 3" so that I'm not hitting the bump stops as often as I am. Quote Link to comment
banzai510(hainz) Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 (edited) This is just me but I believe any cheap gas shock is OK for a torsion bar truck. I removed the bump stops on my truck which is prettry ez to do. If you bounce on the truck and it dont go up and down 2 times I say your OK. However the oil type shocks are just not it like the Napa Brand or Monroe. I have the KYB(Gas a Just) for the front and you mount it in the bottom have the lower rubber bushing ready on there and vut the strap then when it releases the shock will extend into the shock mount guidehole. really you want the shock in the middle of its throw but it seems OK for me. the KYB Mono max is even better but at 50$ a pc I think Really youlll be fine with the GR2s but I wanted soemthing a little harder so I got the Gas A Just from a GUY cheap. Edited November 14, 2018 by banzai510(hainz) 1 Quote Link to comment
oukippy Posted November 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2018 Thank you for your help. I'll take the GR2. I was thinking of changing only the rear ones but finally I'll change front too. I tried to find a similar product in France but Kyb is sold 2 or 3 times the price compared to USA. Consequently even if I include a potential custom fee, it remains cheaper to buy in USA. Especially with rockauto because shipping isn't very expensive. Quote Link to comment
oukippy Posted January 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 Hello, It has been a while since I've post something here! Probably because I didn't have time to work on my project but I think I can make a little update anyway. In short story, I've replaced the 4 shocks and pimped a little bit my ride. Next step will be to bleed the brakes in order to be able to drive the car to a shop to replace the front glass weatherstrip. As it'll be my first bleeding, I plan to find someone to help me because I don't want to make a mistake. I also have some electrical issues but I should be able to manage them. And now some pictures to illustrate the process : Quote Link to comment
frank88 Posted January 3, 2019 Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 Let me know how you find the shocks. Which model did you go for? Looks like your truck is at a nice height at the rear now. Quote Link to comment
oukippy Posted January 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 43 minutes ago, frank88 said: Let me know how you find the shocks. Which model did you go for? Looks like your truck is at a nice height at the rear now. I took the following : https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=503763&cc=1210138&jsn=16 https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=503495&cc=1210138&jsn=19 I'll let you know when I'll be able to drive it but I'm not sure my advice will be the best as I won't be able to compare the ride because I didn't really drive it before changing them. ? Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted January 3, 2019 Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 (edited) If the brake fluid is very old, and discolored, you may want to flush it completely. As far as bleeding it, you can't really mess it up. Start at the master. If there is a bleeder on the master, bleed that first. After you have fluid circulating through the master, start at the furthest point from the master. Circle around a couple of times until you have a good pedal feel and no bubbles. It is pretty common to have to bleed again after a few days of driving, but it's not usually life threatening. Oh...and whatever you do, do not use DOT 5 silicon brake fluid. That stuff is crap. Edited January 3, 2019 by Stoffregen Motorsports 1 Quote Link to comment
oukippy Posted February 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2019 Hello guys, A little update. Yesterday a friend helped me to change the windshield weatherstrip. The previous one was totally toasted, hard as a rock and poorly repaired. We had to cut it piece by piece. Installing the new one was very easy compared to removal. Some pictures : Quote Link to comment
oukippy Posted February 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2019 (edited) During operation : Edited February 10, 2019 by oukippy Quote Link to comment
oukippy Posted February 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2019 After : 1 Quote Link to comment
oukippy Posted February 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2019 (edited) Edited February 10, 2019 by oukippy Quote Link to comment
frank88 Posted February 10, 2019 Report Share Posted February 10, 2019 Its funny how big a difference it makes. Was it just an eBay one you bought? Quote Link to comment
oukippy Posted February 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2019 8 minutes ago, frank88 said: Its funny how big a difference it makes. Was it just an eBay one you bought? I bought it in Portugal (using a dealer website, not on ebay). They have many 620 running, with the diesel engine. I tried to find one there but they didn't have the short or long bed so I finally dropped the idea. I don't know how much cost the ebay ones but I paid 80 € with 18 € for shipping. Quote Link to comment
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