Sons first car. 521

[TJ H]

37 minutes ago, banzai510(hainz) said:

Damn,

your kid helping you or he just watching TV????

You put this together pretty fast!!!!!!!

I have no hobbies, just build stuff. Really none of us watch tv. He missed a lot of the small stuff, you know the stuff that actually makes a car decent to drive. Like tightening can mounts, making linkages, replacing worn pedal pins, lubing window tracks, cleaning connectors, etc;. He was there for all the big stuff, used his truck as a teaching platform. Between school, wrestling and Boy Scouts I still had to get the truck done. 

Edited October 21, 2019 by TJ H

[521aiden]

8 hours ago, banzai510(hainz) said:

Damn,

your kid helping you or he just watching TV????

You put this together pretty fast!!!!!!!

Hi I’m the kid. And no I don’t really watch TV.

[datzenmike]

I stopped watching TV 6 years ago. Netflix or Prime for movies I can watch later or never at all. I'm certainly not worse off for this. 

[wayno]

Computer screens are TVs, it's just a different sort of entertainment, some still spend hours sitting on their ass in front of that screen.

[BrothersGarage]

1 hour ago, wayno said:

Computer screens are TVs, it's just a different sort of entertainment, some still spend hours sitting on their ass in front of that screen.

 

Yup! This idiot box got me good. I spent more than 10 hours reading the 521 forum in a day on ratsun - just this week!

[TJ H]

Noticed last night that one of the mags we got has cracked. On the hunt for new rims again. What are most guys running? Stock steelies with hubcaps?

[G-Duax]

Dang, what wheels do you have that cracked?

 

I have a set of 15"x7 Decem-10s in dire need of a good cleaning & polishing because they've been on my 620 for 10+ years, and a set of SSR  mesh 16x8 that are in a dire need of restoration, due to SSR not knowing how to apply powder coat.

[TJ H]

1 minute ago, G-Duax said:

Dang, what wheels do you have that cracked?

 

I have a set of 15"x7 Decem-10s in dire need of a good cleaning & polishing because they've been on my 620 for 10+ years, and a set of SSR  mesh 16x8 that are in a dire need of restoration, due to SSR not knowing how to apply powder coat.

Some anonymous 14x7 slotted mags we got for $100. No stamps besides a Sema cert. I second the SSR comment. About to send the centers for my Mini Cooper off to get coated. 

[BrothersGarage]

1 hour ago, TJ H said:

Noticed last night that one of the mags we got has cracked. On the hunt for new rims again. What are most guys running? Stock steelies with hubcaps?

Photobucket screwed the pooch a bit, but there is still good content in the following topic, though I suggest starting from the end and going towards the first page: 

But you are looking for anything basically at stock 14"s to 17-18" can fit a 6x139.7 / 6x5.5 lug pattern

Edited October 22, 2019 by BrothersGarage

[G-Duax]

22 minutes ago, BrothersGarage said:

But you are looking for anything basically at stock 14"s to 17-18" can fit a 6x139.7 / 6x5.5 lug pattern

As long as they are more of a neutral offset.

Seen some nice wheels in Japan that had really large offsets, like -35 that would require fender flares, or positive off sets meant for FWD vans, that would probably have huge rubbing issues.

 

TJH, yeah, no name aluminum wheels never go onto anything I drive, as I like to use and abuse vehicles, and have seen too many failures of the cheap stuff, or knock-off stuff.

[TJ H]

42 minutes ago, G-Duax said:

TJH, yeah, no name aluminum wheels never go onto anything I drive, as I like to use and abuse vehicles, and have seen too many failures of the cheap stuff, or knock-off stuff.

I generally agree but torsion bars and leaf springs do not make for performance handling. I was not however expecting them to crack from being torqued. Got them from a guy that had a 521 and they are easily 70-80’s vintage. Quality issues with cheap wheels (pre china) were the reason for the Sema certification. My son is picky. If it were my truck I would either go smoothie steel wheels or jdm. It is a common pattern but it is either 15’ wagon wheels or 17+ most of the time. Six lug was not meant for 2250lb mini trucks. 

[d.p]

 Ebay has a lot of JDM 15” 6x139 that fit our trucks.  Prices are higher than other places but if you don’t know where else to look.  

[d.p]

Oh and building stuff is a hobby my man.  Anything can be a hobby if you enjoy doing it and do it often. 

[TJ H]

1 minute ago, d.p said:

Oh and building stuff is a hobby my man.  Anything can be a hobby if you enjoy doing it and do it often. 

You are right. I’m not exactly a people person. I can fix cars, not people. Plus I wanted his first car not to suck. Mine did. Opel GT that was won on the price is right in 1972. Never ran right, improperly installed cam bearings. Sold it to a guy in the Netherlands and joined the Navy. 

[TJ H]

5 minutes ago, d.p said:

 Ebay has a lot of JDM 15” 6x139 that fit our trucks.  Prices are higher than other places but if you don’t know where else to look.  

He likes old school. He’s more conservative than I am. I got him a header, he wanted the roadster manifold. I got him dual side drafts, he opted for the 32/36 on an old offenhauser manifold. I say big steelies, he says 14” mags. Rolls are kind of reversed. 

[TJ H]

3 hours ago, d.p said:

 Ebay has a lot of JDM 15” 6x139 that fit our trucks.  Prices are higher than other places but if you don’t know where else to look.  

They all seem to be in Malaysia for some reason.  

[G-Duax]

Probably more Datsuns there per capita, than anywhere besides Japan.

[BrothersGarage]

20 hours ago, TJ H said:

Six lug was not meant for 2250lb mini trucks. 

 

Hey hey hey hey now. You keep that heresy out of here! 😄 

 

On 10/21/2019 at 10:35 PM, 521aiden said:

Hi I’m the kid. And no I don’t really watch TV.

 

Welcome! Your truck is awesome! , but some advice:
 

j/k. Just make sure you're building the truck how you want it. 👍

[BrothersGarage]

14 hours ago, TJ H said:

They all seem to be in Malaysia for some reason.  

Outside of some "rare"ish stuff Appliance / American Racing / Shleby  - American manufactures mainly made offroad rims in the 6x5.5 offset due to demand - gmc / jeeps / Cadillac ect 

 

JDM market always had a stronger aftermarket for many of the expressive styles that many of us still relate to (hence the old rust shitbox datusn we dump $ to express ourselves). So many of the rims you're going to be looking for were likely for Landcrizers / Toyotas in the 80s and 90s.

 

I'm firmly in the second boat but I figure I might as well wheel whore it out on some cheap $200 sets of rims I can clean up until I can drop $1400 on some JDM rims because I rather have my shitbox(s) moving. 

[TJ H]

43 minutes ago, BrothersGarage said:

Outside of some "rare"ish stuff Appliance / American Racing / Shleby  - American manufactures mainly made offroad rims in the 6x5.5 offset due to demand - gmc / jeeps / Cadillac ect 

 

JDM market always had a stronger aftermarket for many of the expressive styles that many of us still relate to (hence the old rust shitbox datusn we dump $ to express ourselves). So many of the rims you're going to be looking for were likely for Landcrizers / Toyotas in the 80s and 90s.

 

I'm firmly in the second boat but I figure I might as well wheel whore it out on some cheap $200 sets of rims I can clean up until I can drop $1400 on some JDM rims because I rather have my shitbox(s) moving. 

My son is definitely gets the final say on his truck. I have a tendency to take things over so I have been really putting forth effort to make sure he has control. I found a set of staggered fentons. 

[datzenmike]

4 minutes ago, TJ H said:

  I have a tendency to take things over so I have been really putting forth effort to make sure he has control.  

 

So you're in control of him having control. Check, got it.

[TJ H]

3 hours ago, datzenmike said:

 

So you're in control of him having control. Check, got it.

Yeah pretty much. But he still gets what he wants in the end. 

[TJ H]

Finally got around to trying to fix the fuel tank pickup. Decided to use the original location. Little sketchy but broke off the nipple on the tank. Drilled the tube flush and removed it. Amazed it got any fuel at all. Almost completely clogged and assume there are pin holes also. Made a new one out of 4AN stainless and a bulkhead fitting. Tried to bubble flare the top nibble but the stainless was too think. Pain to get in and tight but new tanks aren’t an option. 
 

Also found a staggered set on 15x8.5/15x6.5 Fenton slotted mags. Should have then next week. Still waiting on fuel sender that hopefully works and a mirror from a buddy in Japan. 
 

 

 

 

Edited October 25, 2019 by TJ H

[banzai510(hainz)]

water runs down the fuel tube in the wheelwell and water dirt get past the hose over time and causes idle jet clogs if fuel filter not changed often on 521s

[TJ H]

Finally got the mirror arm from Japan. Added a universal mirror, a tip I found on ratsun. 15” fentons came in and got those polished. Had some Toyo’s mounted today. Installed the third brake light on the box. Gets an alignment next week. Just waiting on the valve cover from the powder coater. 
 

Edited November 7, 2019 by TJ H