Dat521sun Posted April 9, 2019 Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 Hi all, I'm EJ and I love my 72. Is not perfect, but it runs. I've done all the repairs by reading and following all your post and recommendations. I still would like to do more, restore as much as I can but keeping the nostalgia. Here are some pics 6 Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted April 9, 2019 Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 Hi EJ, welcome to Ratsun. I have a soft spot in my heart for the 521, I had a 5 year old '71 for about 8 years back in the '70s. 2 1 Quote Link to comment
sondat Posted April 9, 2019 Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 Welcome EJ, great 521 2 1 Quote Link to comment
Charlie69 Posted April 9, 2019 Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 Welcome, sweet 521! 1 1 Quote Link to comment
Steve240z Posted April 9, 2019 Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 Hi EJ Truck looks great. Really like the front Spoiler, what is it? or what is it from? 2 1 Quote Link to comment
Dat521sun Posted April 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 Thank you all for welcoming me to the Ratsun Family. Other than been 47 years old, the truck is solid. Engine still strong (goes to 70mph on hwy) minor surface rust (bottom of outside doors) and little things here and there. Some of the cons, well, floor pans are bad and firewall is in the same boat. Lost the hood release due to rust, now I have a hole cover by a small face rag. Just this weekend, my gas pedal broke because of rust, had to improvise, adapt and overcome. As you can see in pic, where the pedal was tagweld, it broke and left a nickle size hole. Quick solid fix until I can come up with a better long term solution. 4 Quote Link to comment
Dat521sun Posted April 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 6 hours ago, Steve240z said: Hi EJ Truck looks great. Really like the front Spoiler, what is it? or what is it from? Thanks Steve, I bought it on eBay about 2 years ago. The eSeller still sells them https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F183738965808 1 Quote Link to comment
Dat521sun Posted April 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 8 hours ago, datzenmike said: Hi EJ, welcome to Ratsun. I have a soft spot in my heart for the 521, I had a 5 year old '71 for about 8 years back in the '70s. Thanks Mike. Nice, a 71, what happened to the 521? if you don't mind me asking. I heard you have a lifted 620, that must be pretty cool. 1 Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted April 9, 2019 Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 The '71? well it was Ontario and the 'rust belt' of Canada. Eventually I had to move on but all the Datsuns were gone by mid '80s. In the early '90s I moved west and came across a '78 620 and had it for 14? years. Always wanted a 620. 1 Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted April 9, 2019 Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 Welcome, nice truck B) 1 1 Quote Link to comment
BrothersGarage Posted April 9, 2019 Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 Super nice truck 4 1 Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted April 9, 2019 Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 Them quick solid fixes tend to be permanent, mine lasted for years, but I learned not to press on the pedal so hard. :lol: 1 Quote Link to comment
Dat521sun Posted April 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2019 7 hours ago, wayno said: Them quick solid fixes tend to be permanent, mine lasted for years, but I learned not to press on the pedal so hard. :lol: I've noticed, I have a few like that in my 521, nothing like some zip ties and duck tape can't fix 😂 🤣 2 Quote Link to comment
mainer311 Posted April 10, 2019 Report Share Posted April 10, 2019 Funny, the roadster brake master cylinder was known for busting through the firewall. There’s a special brace that everyone buys for their masters now. 1 Quote Link to comment
Rat-a-tat-Dat Posted April 13, 2019 Report Share Posted April 13, 2019 Greetings EJ! Trucks a beaut. Liking the rims, you have two sets I see. What's under the hood?, just noticed the exhaust tail pipe... 1 Quote Link to comment
Dat521sun Posted April 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2019 Just plastidipped my wheels Took it for a spin and noticed that my gas gauge stop working, is marking full. Read a couple of post from other members and I think the sender unit is stuck. Took it apart and hook everything up out of the thank and if my move the sender, the gauge move. Put everything back together, but it keeps showing full. I believe it was Mike who said in another post, unplug the yellow wire and if it drops to empty, the sender is stuck. Well, is dropping to empty when yellow wire is unplugged. I bend the sender just like the other member did and still not working. What else can I do? Do I need to replace the o-ring between sender ant tank? Noticed that is leaking around the sender, could that be the problem? 5 Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted April 14, 2019 Report Share Posted April 14, 2019 When you moved the sender was it easy to move? Bend the sender? Maybe bent down too much and when installed in the tank it's shoved up and reads full. Hold the sender beside the tank and see where the sender is in relation to the tank when at full droop 1 Quote Link to comment
Dat521sun Posted April 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2019 Thanks Mike for the quick response. Yes, sender moves easily. I bended just a little thinking it was too long and was hitting the end of tank. When I holded beside tank, that's when it look longer, that's why I bended. Sender is not original, is an ebay sender. 1 Quote Link to comment
Crashtd420 Posted April 14, 2019 Report Share Posted April 14, 2019 1 hour ago, Dat521sun said: Thanks Mike for the quick response. Yes, sender moves easily. I bended just a little thinking it was too long and was hitting the end of tank. When I holded beside tank, that's when it look longer, that's why I bended. Sender is not original, is an ebay sender. Post a pic.... I bought an ebay one that was suppose to be for the 521.... it wasn't even close..... I ended up cleaning and using the old original ... You may be dealing with what I found... 1 Quote Link to comment
Dat521sun Posted April 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2019 14 hours ago, Rat-a-tat-Dat said: Greetings EJ! Trucks a beaut. Liking the rims, you have two sets I see. What's under the hood?, just noticed the exhaust tail pipe... Thanks, I owned 3 sets, the original 14in with chrome hubs, a set of 15x8 and the 15x10 currently on. Engine still stuck, had a leak on my exhaust system, I installed the headers, since it was wider, had to do new exhaust from header back. The pipe was from an old Integra I had, just welded at the end. 3 Quote Link to comment
Dat521sun Posted April 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2019 On 4/13/2019 at 10:45 PM, Dat521sun said: Thanks Mike for the quick response. Yes, sender moves easily. I bended just a little thinking it was too long and was hitting the end of tank. When I holded beside tank, that's when it look longer, that's why I bended. Sender is not original, is an ebay sender. I was working on it today and finally found out the problem. The lead or point where the Yello wire connects is messed up, kind of loose. Now is working but marks half when full... I know, my fault since I bent the unit thinking it was too long 😒 2 Quote Link to comment
Crashtd420 Posted April 16, 2019 Report Share Posted April 16, 2019 4 hours ago, Dat521sun said: I was working on it today and finally found out the problem. The lead or point where the Yello wire connects is messed up, kind of loose. Now is working but marks half when full... I know, my fault since I bent the unit thinking it was too long 😒 It's not you it's the senders.... they just are not right...... I spent an afternoon trying to bend it to work properly and couldnt.... I mapped the arc of the original on a piece of cardboard and tried to get the same with the new one and couldn't.... You can see the length difference... Originally up top ebay one on bottom..... I gave up and was able to clean the original, but if this is your only choice you are gonna have to get creative to make it work.... My next thing I was going to try was to shorten the end that the float fits on.... you need to create a shorter rod so it swings a smaller arc....... 2 Quote Link to comment
Dat521sun Posted April 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2019 21 hours ago, Crashtd420 said: It's not you it's the senders.... they just are not right...... I spent an afternoon trying to bend it to work properly and couldnt.... I mapped the arc of the original on a piece of cardboard and tried to get the same with the new one and couldn't.... You can see the length difference... Originally up top ebay one on bottom..... I gave up and was able to clean the original, but if this is your only choice you are gonna have to get creative to make it work.... My next thing I was going to try was to shorten the end that the float fits on.... you need to create a shorter rod so it swings a smaller arc....... Thanks Crash... That's the same one I have, ended up bending it to the right a little and now I have an almost accurate reading 4 Quote Link to comment
sondat Posted April 17, 2019 Report Share Posted April 17, 2019 Fuel tank is one of the few things we did’nt take apart, hopping our sending unit works and is accurate since we did’nt tamper with it. Scoped the inside of the tank and was surprisingly clean, a few minor small spots of surface rust. Nice persistence on the sending unit. 3 Quote Link to comment
gene knight Posted April 19, 2019 Report Share Posted April 19, 2019 welcome and what year is that super beetle Quote Link to comment
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