Just purchased a 1966 Datsun 520

[Charlie69]

Have a radiator shop repair the neck and while they are at it heve the radiator cleaned, rodded, and repaired.

[Charlie69]

Here is one for sale in the Ratsun classifieds.  Honest seller I have purchased from him.

 

520 J series radiator

 

[Charlie69]

Must be nice to have a wife that will crawl under your Datsun and work!!!

[iota]

Thanks guys - I just reached out to that seller to see about getting their radiator. I popped the cap off and the radiator (which was full last time I checked, and it hasn't been driven but a few miles since) needed about 1qt of distilled water to fill back up. Here's a picture of the neck. Guessing my problems start here but will tear into it sometime soon to get a better idea of whats up.

 

[wayno]

Wow, that kinda sucks, the over flow tube won't even work right with it like that, you could take that radiator to a radiator shop and have them put a new neck on it if the radiator is good.

Don't throw that radiator away, you cannot get that top tank anymore.

[iota]

I got another radiator from the classifieds section thanks to 420n620, looks to be in better shape than mine (at least it's not cut up) so I'm going to try flushing the replacement out and swapping it, that should help a lot I would guess. Thanks guys

[Charlie69]

That is good news.  420n620 is a good guy.  I would save your old radiator and have a radiator shop clean rod and repair it for a backup.

[gene knight]

charlie69: i wish my wife would get off her butt and help me with my projects

[iota]

So the radiator I got from 420n620 is working great with no leaks and no, uh, "mods" like our old one had; after a 5mi test drive the water temp was hanging around the middle of the gauge (it seems to oscillate up and down as the thermostat opens and closes I assume, but no big deal) and no boiling over 👍🏻

 

But, as I turned onto our street, the truck came to a stop and I had to push it off the road - no fuel in the carb. This truck has had nothing but fuel problems since we got it - the fuel tank was originally a rusty, gell-'ed up mess, so I took it out and pressure washed and shook rocks inside of it and pressure washed again and again to get it clean. But now, ~80 miles and 5 months later, the fuel filter (a nice Fram G-12) was so full of gritty stuff that we ended up killing one electric fuel pump, and after replacing that it died on the side of the road with an empty carb. I cleaned the carb and the lines and it got fuel again, but it's clear that the tank was still an issue. 👎🏻

 

So, this weekend we replaced the fuel filter and flushed out all the lines out with fresh gas, and pulled the fuel tank out, cleaned it again, and then did the POR-15 fuel tank re-sealing kit. It looks great inside now - there really wasn't THAT much rust in it, but I'm guessing that little flakes must have just been continually breaking up and going up the pickup tube. Once it's all dried in a few days hopefully we will be back on the road.

 

I've apparently got to take the truck to a place about 45min to be inspected by the state before they will issue me a title (and if I don't by December, they will revoke the plates and IDK what will happen to the title) since it's so old it's not in the national anti-theft database. Just gotta get it in good enough condition to do a 90 minute trip during a pandemic.....

[Charlie69]

Here in the Phoenix Metroplotian area we have to have vehicles that do not have a title but were titled and registered in AZ  do a level 2 inspection that costs $25.  If it is out of state and no title then we have to do a level 3 inspection costing I beleive $100.  This is how they verify that no one changed VIN plates.  It is good way of making sure your vehicle has no been stolen. 

 

My 85 ST was missing the dash board VIN plate on it I was issued an AZ MVD blue sticker on the drivers door jamb.  These are titled with a bonded title inwhich MVD sets a value on the vehicle and you have to go and purchse a bond for the title.  On my 85 the MVD set the value at $2500 so the bond cost me $75.  The bonded title cost me about $240.  Plus The Governor Duce fee of $65.  So $305 all done for title only.

 

 

Edited May 12, 2020 by Charlie69

[banzai510(hainz)]

Run 2 filters at first and swap often so it don’t plug up or duck up the carb.

 

sometimes when carb get no gas maybe the needle valve get clogged.mostimes it lets more gas in as it don’t seat closed and floods out

Edited April 20, 2020 by banzai510(hainz)

[thisismatt]

Take time to locate the frame VIN on top of the passenger rail by the upper control arm. They might give you a hard time about the lack of riveted on VIN plate.

[Charlie69]

1966 only had the vin plate onthe upper center of the firewall held on by 4 philips screws.  No door jamb plate those came with the 521s.

 

The frame number is stamped on top of the passengers frame rail behind the upper control arm and in front where the firewall would transfer to the top of the frame rail.  you might have to wire brush the paint of to read it.

[iota]

Got the truck back on the road (again) today and it's running great.

 

I used the POR-15 tank sealant kit on the inside which worked well, plus I repainted the tank. New fuel filter up front plus added one in the rear just after the fuel tank pickup tube just in case. Even my jerry rigged gas level sender is working (but I realize now I need to JB Weld around it because gas seeps out when the tank is totally full). 
 

Radiator is working great, no leaks, water gauge wiggles back and forth as the thermostat opens and closes as expected. 
 

I even drained and refilled the transmission and rear diff oils today.

 

Only problem that cropped up when I was on a long test drive today: the odometer rolled over to 67000.0 and stopped turning - the six is stuck "up" a little bit as well. The speedometer works (but the needle oscillates quite a lot at speed). I'll need to figure that out. 
 

Does anyone know how the horn button comes apart - ours doesn't work, but if I ground the horn wire where it comes out just below the instrument cluster it honks, so our horn button must be shot. 

[pidge]

Hey IOTA, for what it’s worth I’ve tried JB Weld on an circa 96’ boat gas tank before and within a few days it started leaking again. It didn’t hold for me. This was a plastic tank mind you so that could have had something to do with it leaking again. Just wanted to pass that along. 
-Pidge 

[iota]

Interesting thanks for the advice - I've had good luck with their "waterweld" product and was going to try that as it says it's OK for gas. I just need to seal the tiiiiiny gap around the hole I drilled in the replacement level sender that I put a brass fitting into as its seeping gas from that area when the tank is totally full (over-filled, really)

[iota]

Anyone know how the horn button comes apart on these? I keep trying to pop and pry it off but I don't want to break it. Our wheel is the very narrow 2 spindles with the round lowercase D logo in the middle. It appears to have a split ring around it but I'm not sure if that needs to be removed or what.

 

trying to figure out why the button doesn't work (the wiring to the column does)

[Charlie69]

It has been about 10 years since I removed my 66 horn button and I am not sure but I believe that you push on it and turn it to the left to remove it.

 

Here is a exploded veiw of the parts that go into the horn button.

 

http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/pickup-1965-1972/steering-frame/steering-wheel

 

This is the complete parts manual link.

 

http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/pickup-1965-1972

 

Edited May 4, 2020 by Charlie69

[gene knight]

charlie69: you are correct on the horn button removal the 521 button you push down and turn it to the left slightly and it pops off. i have never had a 520 but i think they come off the same as well

[iota]

Thanks guys that was a big help. I got the horn button taken apart and slid the turn signal switch down and tested it. 
 

Turns out that the turn signal switch "ring" has a little copper spring loaded "pin" that that touches the backside of the steering wheel and makes the electrical connection. 
 

That little "pin" is too worn down and doesn't make contact any more. I can't figure out how to get it out (to try to bend the spring back) without removing the wheel & switch unit but will keep messing with it 

[MikeRL411]

10 minutes ago, iota said:

Thanks guys that was a big help. I got the horn button taken apart and slid the turn signal switch down and tested it. 
 

Turns out that the turn signal switch "ring" has a little copper spring loaded "pin" that that touches the backside of the steering wheel and makes the electrical connection. 
 

That little "pin" is too worn down and doesn't make contact any more. I can't figure out how to get it out (to try to bend the spring back) without removing the wheel & switch unit but will keep messing with it 

 

Cold water line taps for refrigerator ice makers have a cylindrical cap that compresses the copper line to the refrigerator.  The assembly costs very little in hardware stores.  On my daughter's Toyota pickup I used a long nosed tweezers to compress the spring and slip the tubular compression fitting over the end of the spring, thus giving a tight copper to copper connection.  It still works.

[pidge]

3 hours ago, iota said:

Interesting thanks for the advice - I've had good luck with their "waterweld" product and was going to try that as it says it's OK for gas. I just need to seal the tiiiiiny gap around the hole I drilled in the replacement level sender that I put a brass fitting into as its seeping gas from that area when the tank is totally full (over-filled, really)

My bad I didn’t know there was a “water weld” type. I’m pretty sure I was using the regular stuff that turns grey in colour when mixed together. 
-Pidge

[iota]

Sweet, I just got it - I was able to use a pair of hemostats to pull the entire "barrel" with the pin and spring out, bend the spring longer, and put it back. She's honking again! Thanks everyone!

(for future reference I actually removed the horn button's "trim piece" by putting a flat head in a little slot and prying it off, it didn't push or turn)
 

now to figure out why the odometer got stuck at 67000.0

[iota]

before I break the damned thing, how do you get the dash cluster out?

 

edit: nevermind, i see in pics in the classifieds that there are two metal clips on the back of the black plastic bezel

Edited May 6, 2020 by iota
i figured it out

[thisismatt]

The plastic trim has clips iirc, then the cluster has screws behind the plastic trim. Pull the trim downward and out.