hip2besquare Posted January 9, 2020 Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 hello all iv been lurking on the forum for a while now so i figured i would finally make a post. i am a machinist by trade and have been obsessed with cars for a very long time. i have build many classic cars from air-cooled VWs to american hot rods but never a Datsun. i found the truck on the local craigslist about 2 years ago and just had to have it . the truck was used as a sandbox for years before i got my hands on it. for this build i am using datsun s30 240z suspension with custom made sub frames front and rear. for the engine tranny combo i am using a nissan ka24de duel over head cam 4 cylinder that i have welded up the port injection on the manifold so i can run a holley 450 carb set up for a blow through turbo. as for paint and body im leaving the patina i just cant bring myself to paint it i feel it tells the story of the truck. as of right now i need to weld the coilovers to the front and rear hub bodys then i can start working on the strut towers and rollcage. ill will try and keep updating as i go 2 Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted January 9, 2020 Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 That engine is not going to go in there easily, there is not a lot of room in there, can hardly wait to see how you do it. 1 Quote Link to comment
hip2besquare Posted January 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 yeah im going to have to shoe horn the thing in there for sure... but i do know that a ka24e witch is the same engine but single over head cam vs duel has been shoved into an nl320 .http://www.trucktrend.com/cool-trucks/1412-1962-datsun-nl320-wabi-sabi/ ill have to modify the oil pan for sure 1 Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted January 9, 2020 Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 I am not saying it won't fit, but it is going to be tight. I myself would want to keep the heater box/defroster, I believe I can give you a couple avenues to keep it in the stock position if you have an issue. 1 Quote Link to comment
pidge Posted January 9, 2020 Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 Wow that’s pretty impressive what you’ve got goin on there. I like it. Nice job thus far. -Pidge 1 Quote Link to comment
320 Newb Posted January 9, 2020 Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 I've seen this build in person it's badass. I'm lucky enough to have hip2besquare in my town--he's a super talented machinist and helped me a bunch on my build. Can't wait to cruise 320s together. 1 Quote Link to comment
hip2besquare Posted January 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 2 hours ago, wayno said: I am not saying it won't fit, but it is going to be tight. I myself would want to keep the heater box/defroster, I believe I can give you a couple avenues to keep it in the stock position if you have an issue. i havent even thought about what im going to do with the heater box yet i still need to do a ton of chassis work befor i get there. but when i do i will keep you in mind i want to keep as much of the interior stockish and would love to keep the heater box but it may be in the way as well..... so we,ll see 1 Quote Link to comment
hip2besquare Posted January 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 2 hours ago, pidge said: Wow that’s pretty impressive what you’ve got goin on there. I like it. Nice job thus far. -Pidge thanks man im digging it for sure. you have a very nice 521 especially for that far up north i cant image that was easy to find 1 Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted January 9, 2020 Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 I did the heater core lines 2 different ways, I put an SD25 engine in a 521, what I did on that one was cut off around 2 inches of the core tubes I then mounted the heater hoses on the tubes with a 90 degree bend pointed to the pass side right where the tube ended, then I fed the heater hoses thru the firewall holes until I was able to mount the heater box, the 520 I cut 3 or 4 inches off the tubes, mounted the hoses with a 90 degree bend towards the passenger side and then mounted the heater box, I then made my own holes for the hoses thru the firewall. This is what I did because I wanted the defroster to work. 1 Quote Link to comment
mklotz70 Posted January 9, 2020 Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 Looking forward to watching this build! I love seeing the machining and process pics. If all you showed was the anodized pieces, I would have assumed that they were simply purchased. I'm impressed that you did it at home.....and on manual machines! Nice! Welcome. :) 3 Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted January 9, 2020 Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 I wish we could have more fabrication-heavy builds like this on Ratsun. Can't wait to see what you come up with. Everything looks well thought out so far. Btw - don't mean to be the spelling police, but a duel is a fight between two gentlemen. Dual cams is what you have. 😉 1 Quote Link to comment
difrangia Posted January 9, 2020 Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 Whatz goin' on with the tan Model-A pickup ?? 1 Quote Link to comment
hip2besquare Posted January 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 49 minutes ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said: I wish we could have more fabrication-heavy builds like this on Ratsun. Can't wait to see what you come up with. Everything looks well thought out so far. Btw - don't mean to be the spelling police, but a duel is a fight between two gentlemen. Dual cams is what you have. 😉 thank you for the the spell check... i am extremely dyslexic so spelling is definitely not my strong suit . 2 Quote Link to comment
hip2besquare Posted January 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 9 minutes ago, difrangia said: Whatz goin' on with the tan Model-A pickup ?? its the guys i bought the truck from 1 Quote Link to comment
hip2besquare Posted January 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2020 well as of last night i have striped the dash out in preparation for the cage. i am going to have to ditch the heater box so i can mount a front cross bar that i will be mounting my pedal box and steering column to 1 Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted January 10, 2020 Report Share Posted January 10, 2020 Who needs a heater anyway? You could cut a hole in the firewall to let all that turbo heat in! Maybe you could tuck the heater up in behind the glove box. There are some pretty small setups on the market these days. 1 Quote Link to comment
hip2besquare Posted January 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2020 12 minutes ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said: Who needs a heater anyway? You could cut a hole in the firewall to let all that turbo heat in! Maybe you could tuck the heater up in behind the glove box. There are some pretty small setups on the market these days. yeah.... im thinking at this point its going full race car hahahaha. 2 Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted January 10, 2020 Report Share Posted January 10, 2020 (edited) Why do you need to change the pedal assembly, that NL320 build you posted a link to didn't change that, they just used a 210 booster with likely a custom pedestal to clear the clutch master, I use the late 720 pedestal if I want power brakes and modify the end to mount to the stock brake master mount bolts on the firewall, and I use a 73/74 Datsun 620 booster. I used the one on the right, see how I squeezed the end in a vise and made a mount flange Here it is from the side with the 73/74 booster. As for the column mount, I use Datsun 720 tilt columns in my builds and mount them to the existing column mount hardware base supports, if one uses the 720 non-tilt column, it will mount using the stock mount without modifications, the power steering version even has the rag joint up near the firewall. Edited January 10, 2020 by wayno 1 Quote Link to comment
hip2besquare Posted January 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2020 thank you wayno that is an interesting idea how ever being that i am going to have a turbocharger and strut towers under the hood there is not going to be much room once the s30 front suspension is in place. so i am going relocate the master cylinders under the dash. i am building a touring/track truck not a resto pick up by any means.... 2 Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted January 11, 2020 Report Share Posted January 11, 2020 A track car (er, truck) shouldn't need power assist brakes. Just size the master appropriately and make sure you have a good pad compound. Power brakes make a race car feel digital anyway. I am analog all the way. Goes to 11! 1 Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted January 11, 2020 Report Share Posted January 11, 2020 I am not a stranger to making things fit in a very tight engine compartment. This is my 521 which does have more room in the engine compartment than a 320, but this is a larger SD25 diesel engine, this truck came with a J13, there is no room left, I have to remove the fuel filter housing to change my oil filter. 1 Quote Link to comment
hip2besquare Posted January 11, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2020 10 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said: A track car (er, truck) shouldn't need power assist brakes. Just size the master appropriately and make sure you have a good pad compound. Power brakes make a race car feel digital anyway. I am analog all the way. Goes to 11! Yeah I'm not a fan of the digital feel oin cars which is why I'm doing a blow through carb. And manual brakes and steering. 2 Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted January 11, 2020 Report Share Posted January 11, 2020 I just noticed your lower rear control arm bushing mounts. Pretty good idea. 1 Quote Link to comment
hip2besquare Posted January 11, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2020 57 minutes ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said: I just noticed your lower rear control arm bushing mounts. Pretty good idea. Thanks man I figured it was the easiest way for to to swap out bushings when it needs it 2 Quote Link to comment
hip2besquare Posted January 16, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 as of last night iv weld the coilovers to the rear hub assembly and reinstalled to the truck . and i made some brass washers for the control arm mounts. i need to make a trip to the metal suppliers for some tubing so i can make strut towers 3 Quote Link to comment
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