My never ending 520 project

[Charlie69]

You can never go wrong with red.

[Kenp19]

On 1/9/2021 at 2:44 PM, Charlie69 said:

You can never go wrong with red.

Yeah I’m not a huge fan of red on most things but I think it looks killer on these little trucks But  unfortunately yesterday my never ending Datsun project came to an end .... so color choice won’t matter much now.  the bottom of the passenger side windshield post and cowl / firewall is completely rotted through and with lack of donor or replacement cabs in the area and shipping being cost prohibitive it looks like my datsun days may be over 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Lockleaf]

Don't give up.  You don't need donors, just a little gumption and a mig welder.

 

Check out this guys video.  He's one of my favourite channels on YouTube.  Knows his business and does it all with basic tools.  This is just one but he has a number that might tell you everything you need to know.

 

 

[Kenp19]

46 minutes ago, Lockleaf said:

Don't give up.  You don't need donors, just a little gumption and a mig welder.

 

Check out this guys video.  He's one of my favourite channels on YouTube.  Knows his business and does it all with basic tools.  This is just one but he has a number that might tell you everything you need to know.

 

 

I appreciate the advice and encouragement But it’s too far gone to fool with for me I do metal shaping  And general fab work with lots of experience  in making replacement panels  for obscure rigs you can’t get parts for  and have plenty of equipment for it And there’s almost no end to my stubbornness and if it were just the window channel or even just  the Rotted in half post I’d knock it out but unfortunately the whole corner of the cab is nothing but rotted paper thin trash top to bottom  there’s just nothing left to weld to the cab also needs floor work and Complete inner and outer rockers On both sides And cab corners ... in this case it’s less about ability and more just being to far gone to be worth fooling with ... but who knows maybe after I let it sit a while I’ll lose my common sense and give it a shot I’ve done crazier things I guess 😂 

[Charlie69]

65 to 72 are donors for your truck.  Please do not scrap this truck, put it back on the road.  Pictures of the damage please.  I have a spare Arizona cab, might be willing to cut out what you need to save your truck.

Edited February 15, 2021 by Charlie69

[Kenp19]

5 hours ago, Charlie69 said:

65 to 72 are donors for your truck.  Please do not scrap this truck, put it back on the road.  Pictures of the damage please.  I have a spare Arizona cab, might be willing to cut out what you need to save your truck.

I’ll try to figure out the app I was using for pics again when I get some time later on this evening sorry not the most technologically advanced guy 😂  But basically the The whole fight front corner is bad ... the windshield post. Is rotten in half down where it meets the cowl/firewall and is Missing a good bit and all the surrounding metal it paper thin pitted pinhole Covered garbage Plus the cab needs floor work fire wall work and complete rockers and cab corners NewEngland has not been good to my little friend  also I think that the awful hackey  repairs made by previous owner did him no favors either and truthfully the truck probably  Should have been a parts truck 7 years ago when I drug it home lol believe me man I’m the last person who wants to see this Thing die I’ve got to much time and money invested in this thing I’d be interested in any parts I can get ahold of to get it back together again  Thanks man I’ll try to get some pics up 

[Crashtd420]

57 minutes ago, Kenp19 said:

I’ll try to figure out the app I was using for pics again when I get some time later on this evening sorry not the most technologically advanced guy 😂  But basically the The whole fight front corner is bad ... the windshield post. Is rotten in half down where it meets the cowl/firewall and is Missing a good bit and all the surrounding metal it paper thin pitted pinhole Covered garbage Plus the cab needs floor work fire wall work and complete rockers and cab corners NewEngland has not been good to my little friend  also I think that the awful hackey  repairs made by previous owner did him no favors either and truthfully the truck probably  Should have been a parts truck 7 years ago when I drug it home lol believe me man I’m the last person who wants to see this Thing die I’ve got to much time and money invested in this thing I’d be interested in any parts I can get ahold of to get it back together again  Thanks man I’ll try to get some pics up 

I wish I could offer some assistance but I have nothing that could help you.... 

Come spring I'd be happy to take a  saturday and drive back out to help if you need it....

[Charlie69]

Might be easiest to swap the cab.  The cab I have has had the inner fenders and radiator support removed which on a 521 is different then the 520.  I wonder what it would cost to ship a stripped cab to you from Tolleson AZ.

 

Your cab would work for what I need I believe.  Feel like making a trip to Phoenix AZ.  I would be willing to trade you cabs if you make the trip.

Edited February 15, 2021 by Charlie69

[Kenp19]

2 hours ago, Crashtd420 said:

I wish I could offer some assistance but I have nothing that could help you.... 

Come spring I'd be happy to take a  saturday and drive back out to help if you need it....

Hey thanks man I appreciate it .... short of selling me a new cab there’s not much any one can do to help this thing 😂 Im not afraid to tackle most things I’ve done some very ambitious projects in the past but the cab has a lot of problems and there’s just not much left To work with ...   I’ll probably just pull the motor and trans and set it off to the side And start work on my 68 Camaro whilst I search for a cab Parts to repair 

Edited February 15, 2021 by Kenp19

[Kenp19]

1 hour ago, Charlie69 said:

Might be easiest to swap the cab.  The cab I have has had the inner fenders and radiator support removed which on a 521 is different then the 520.  I wonder what it would cost to ship a stripped cab to you from Tolleson AZ.

 

Your cab would work for what I need I believe.  Feel like making a trip to Phoenix AZ.  I would be willing to trade you cabs if you make the trip.

Yeah I’m hoping to find a cab To swap  I’d like to not have to mess with what’s left of mine if I don’t have too But would if it came to that ....  I’m gonna bet shipping is a good bit on the parts I’d need but if it came down to it I’d Kinda have to I guess and I definitely appreciate the offer And I’d love to shoot out west and swap you  if I could lol my cab is also minus the inner fender / radiator support I removed them so it would be easier to set up the steering column/ shaft situation to the steering rack .... I hope I find something close enough and in good enough shape it kills me to think I may lose my Ugly little truck it’s kinda like part of the family lol 

[Charlie69]

Put a want add in the Ratsun classifieds.

[Kenp19]

On 2/15/2021 at 7:07 PM, Charlie69 said:

Put a want add in the Ratsun classifieds.

I did I’ve gotten some Good replies but the distance is killer it’s looking like I’ll either end up on an epic cross country journey to save my little truck, paying more than it’s worth in shipping or Moving on to my other projects (numbers matching  68 Camaro rs and 71 elcamino) And hope to find something down the road to fix my truck ... or possibly going against my better judgment and just buckling down and attempting to remake about 75% of my cab from scratch  😂

[Charlie69]

I will send pictures of the cab when I get over to where it is stored. As I remember the floors and rockers are good.

[Kenp19]

14 hours ago, Charlie69 said:

I will send pictures of the cab when I get over to where it is stored. As I remember the floors and rockers are good.

Cool man thanks I appreciate it 

[Kenp19]

On 2/17/2021 at 8:07 AM, Charlie69 said:

[Kenp19]

Just now, Kenp19 said:Here’s some of the problem and it’s  worse Than it looks in the pic here this is just the Only picture I have on hand as you can see on the window channel where the post has pulled to the left a bit And the door frame is rotted trough as well with only the rain gutter and a small area of pitted thin metal 1/4 inch wide or so is all that connects the roof the the cowl and the rot basically continues from there down to the floor / rocker area and it’s like that on both sides ....  Anything is fixable I guess but at some point it begins to be a little unrealistic 

 

12 minutes ago, Kenp19 said:

  

On 2/17/2021 at 8:07 AM, Charlie69 said:

[bilzbobaggins]

That pic ^ probably got Noll all hot and bothered.

[Kenp19]

On 2/18/2021 at 3:01 PM, bilzbobaggins said:

That pic ^ probably got Noll all hot and bothered.

Not to sure what that means but sure man glad I could help ? ... I guess lol🤷🏻‍♂️

[420n620]

1 hour ago, Kenp19 said:

Not to sure what that means but sure man glad I could help ? ... I guess lol🤷🏻‍♂️

On 2/18/2021 at 12:01 PM, bilzbobaggins said:

That pic ^ probably got Noll all hot and bothered.

🤣

[bilzbobaggins]

3 hours ago, Kenp19 said:

Not to sure what that means but sure man glad I could help ? ... I guess lol🤷🏻‍♂️

 

420n620 filled ya in.  Its been cool watching mr noll put that thing back together.  His z was sad when he got it.  Thats all.  

[Noll]

On 2/18/2021 at 3:01 PM, bilzbobaggins said:

That pic ^ probably got Noll all hot and bothered.

 

fucking lol 🤣

 

@Kenp19 for reference my 260z was incredibly stupidly rusty when I got it, and I've spent the last 4 years welding it back together. I guess it's become a running joke that I must really like rust given how much of it I've had to deal with haha.

[Kenp19]

5 hours ago, Noll said:

6 hours ago, Noll said:

 

fucking lol 🤣

 

@Kenp19 for reference my 260z was incredibly stupidly rusty when I got it, and I've spent the last 4 years welding it back together. I guess it's become a running joke that I must really like rust given how much of it I've had to deal with haha.

 I see that now gotta love body filler .... yeah that shit was rusty eh 😂😂  I’m impressed man keep up the good work .....  mine has less rot than that but also less to rot ... If mine were just the hole in the windshield post I wouldn’t feel bad but it goes throughout the whole post and all the way down that corner basically to where it meets the rocker panel and then both rocker panels are rotted and the other windshield post is rotted as well As it is a good portion of the front fenders around where the headlight goes which I patched up once but need to be gone through right and for some reason or another a previous owner “repaired” The front fenders by cutting the back 3 inches of them off and welding them forward aBout a half inch  And at an angle so the door gaps are offensive at best .... the northeast is not been friendly to my little truck and it’s nearly impossible to get my hands on body panels   i’m familiar with rust repair and sheetmetal forming metal fabrication Auto body etc Some times you gotta know when too much is too much and for me personally I’m about 92% sure I’ve hit too much  😂

[Kenp19]

Well after wallowing in self pity for a while I finally decided nothing else I’ve done in regards to this project was sensible broke out the tools set aside my common sense And began to rebuild my terribly rotted cab  It’s still a very long way from saved but it’s heading in that direction still have to remake the entire inside Lower portion   Of the windshield post and door frame area inner firewall / upper kick panel and all of where the fire wall meets the door post where the fender bolts on as well as a bunch of floor work both complete rockers and cab corners but It’s a start 

[EDM620]

Glad to see you've gotten back on track there. The old tin worm has taken too many projects - gotta fight it!

[Kenp19]

6 minutes ago, EDM620 said:

Glad to see you've gotten back on track there. The old tin worm has taken too many projects - gotta fight it!

Yeah Thanks man it just seemed like a waste to let it go I already did the chassis work suspension steering brakes drive train Exhaust and basically replaced all the Structural stuff underneath  the bed  Plus I kinda love the ugly little fucker couldn’t stand to see it get parted out and crushed 🤷🏻‍♂️ Plus my 4 year old told me I couldn’t let truckie’s dad die 😂 (trucky is what he’s named my daily driver Silverado )