BrothersGarage - 1971 521

[BrothersGarage]

Cleaned up but pretty much how she was picked up from the previous owner.

Came with a Nissan 2.4L 5-speed swap already in it, removed the factory rear bumpers before these pics.

 

[datzenmike]

I love it! Z24 power!!!!

 

Get those factory bumperettes back on there... right now. People have killed to have them on their trucks.

[mrbigtanker]

Welcome aboard a lot of info here. Mike said it right get those bumpers for the rear. Post a lot of pics people like that.

[thisismatt]

1 hour ago, datzenmike said:

I love it! Z24 power!!!!

 

Get those factory bumperettes back on there... right now. People have killed to have them on their trucks.

KA24?

[datzenmike]

? I ass-umed.

[BrothersGarage]

2 hours ago, datzenmike said:

I love it! Z24 power!!!!

 

Get those factory bumperettes back on there... right now. People have killed to have them on their trucks.

You will enjoy this then here is the listing pics

 

2 hours ago, mrbigtanker said:

Welcome aboard a lot of info here. Mike said it right get those bumpers for the rear. Post a lot of pics people like that.

 

Thanks, I have been lurking for some time, saving lots of pictures and chomping at the bit for a while to get started on my own project.

Progress over the past 2 weeks since picking it up:

 

factory mirror is cracked down the middle so I removed it and went hotrod (keeping all factory pieces for now)

I have new window gaskets already as she leaks badly on the passenger side - so I am also looking into doing my own door panels at some point. (CRX seats included)

 

Got some ellipsoid headlights. 

 

And my Brother is teaching me to weld

 

 

Fortunately he does metal fab for a living and can clean up my work:

 

She's developed a bit of a staring prob so I am going to have to dig into the electrical with him and I'm weighing just purchasing a kwikwire 14 circut harness and not worrying about the gremlins. 

Sticker for the namesake:

[mainer311]

Nice. So what engine is it? The Z24 or KA24?

 

Also, you already have those BMW lights, but Hella H4 e-codes work awesome too. Easier to make your own complete headlight harness for those higher wattage lights. 

 

Congrats on the truck.

[datzenmike]

Projector for the win. LED od HID them..... and they look better.

 

 

Talk about bumper over riders!!!!!

[BrothersGarage]

1 hour ago, mainer311 said:

Nice. So what engine is it? The Z24 or KA24?

 

Also, you already have those BMW lights, but Hella H4 e-codes work awesome too. Easier to make your own complete headlight harness for those higher wattage lights. 

 

Congrats on the truck.

 

Thanks!

 

The truck came with a Z24 + the upgraded front suspension.

 

I plan on replacing all of the wiring in the truck, so that should make it a bit easier to push the power I need to actually be able to see out of the truck lol

[datzenmike]

The frame was swapped? Or the 720 front end was cut off and welded onto the 521? Because none of the 720 stuff swaps really.

[BrothersGarage]

16 minutes ago, datzenmike said:

The frame was swapped? Or the 720 front end was cut off and welded onto the 521? Because none of the 720 stuff swaps really.

 

Nope, Orig frame. The guy did make custom mounts for it though.

[datzenmike]

So what suspension was changed?

[BrothersGarage]

3 minutes ago, datzenmike said:

So what suspension was changed?

 

It also has the front suspension and disc brakes from a 720 - 1 leaf removed from the rear leafs - and stock stoppers in the back. 

[datzenmike]

Got pictures, how was this done? I would assume the front cut off and welded on.

[BrothersGarage]

3 minutes ago, datzenmike said:

Got pictures, how was this done? I would assume the front cut off and welded on.

 

No pictures of the previous work, only what was in the original listing for the truck. 

[datzenmike]

Does it have front disc brakes? The 521 had king pins, the later 620 and 720 had a ball joint front suspension with disc. I was just wondering what was done and how. When ever you take a front wheel off snap a few pictures.

[BrothersGarage]

5 hours ago, datzenmike said:

Does it have front disc brakes? The 521 had king pins, the later 620 and 720 had a ball joint front suspension with disc. I was just wondering what was done and how. When ever you take a front wheel off snap a few pictures.

 

Yes, it uses the Front Disks from the donor truck in the front. I will take some pictures next time I work on it. 

[wayno]

So you live in the Puget Sound area of the State of WA, you have a green 1971 Datsun 521 with what might be a 720 suspension in the front, the issue is that one cannot bolt a 720 suspension onto a 521 without modifing things, so what we are trying to figure out is how it was done, it would help of we knew if it had ball joints, since you said it has a 720 suspension and not 720 brakes I will guess yes, so what I would ask you is what does the upper control arm look like, does it look like the control arm in the photo below?

Or does the upper control arm look like a bunch of turn buckles were put together with heim joints?

[datzenmike]

2 hours ago, BrothersGarage said:

 

Yes, it uses the Front Disks from the donor truck in the front. I will take some pictures next time I work on it. 

 

Cool.

[mrbigtanker]

20 hours ago, BrothersGarage said:

You will enjoy this then here is the listing pics

 

 

Thanks, I have been lurking for some time, saving lots of pictures and chomping at the bit for a while to get started on my own project.

Progress over the past 2 weeks since picking it up:

 

factory mirror is cracked down the middle so I removed it and went hotrod (keeping all factory pieces for now)

I have new window gaskets already as she leaks badly on the passenger side - so I am also looking into doing my own door panels at some point. (CRX seats included)

 

Got some ellipsoid headlights. 

 

And my Brother is teaching me to weld

 

 

Fortunately he does metal fab for a living and can clean up my work:

 

She's developed a bit of a staring prob so I am going to have to dig into the electrical with him and I'm weighing just purchasing a kwikwire 14 circut harness and not worrying about the gremlins. 

Sticker for the namesake:

 

 

 

Good job I am doing this as well. Both back and front with the japanese style skinny front markers.

[BrothersGarage]

was able to stick my camera under today as I wasn't getting poured on - but here ya go

 

Driver front:

 

passenger front:

[datzenmike]

Late '78-'79 620 or 720 2wd upper and lower control arms. I would say the frame was already swapped. 

 

Brake caliper isn't from these years but is easily swapped for later 720 or D21.

 

 

 Take a rear drum off. If it has self adjusters then the 521 body was put on a 720 frame.

[Charlie69]

Mike didn't the self adjusters start on the 85 720?

 

The brake line mount on the frame does not Look like a 720.  I will post pictures of my 1980 720 chassis under my 520 and my 86 720 king cab chassis brake line mounts tomorrow and post them here.

[wayno]

It might be a late 620 disc brake frame as they had the bump stops for the upper control arms that had bump stop pads on the upper control arms, the 720 did not have them and it appears to have 720 upper control arms.

Keep in mind though that the 521 frame with kingpin front ends also had them bump stops for the upper control arms on the frame, I cannot tell if the upper control arms have been lengthened or if the lower control arms were shortened either, but I do know for sure if that is a 521 frame/chassis them arms would have to be modified or the shock towers would have to have been modified to take out the 5/8ths of an inch negative camber as in one of the photos it appears to have a slight positive camber.

See in the photo below how the brake line mount is welded to the side of this 521 frame of mine.

Does the 620 balljoint/disc brake frame have that brake line mount welded in the same place, or is it welded to the top of the rail and then tilt/angle down like the 720 so the brake line connection is angled instead of straight up and down like in my 521 chassis/fame photo and his photos?

If I were to guess right now I would say 521 frame/chassis, but it would be easy enough to figure out if we had the frame/chassis VIN number.

 

Edited December 23, 2018 by wayno

[datzenmike]

8 hours ago, Charlie69 said:

Mike didn't the self adjusters start on the 85 720?

 

 

 

My information shows December '81. I think I said '82 on another post.