Exciting 720

[jagman]

Well the aheader I get The behinder I am.  I just noticed that I have no rear lights on the truck. Next project for the lift is checking the wiring to the rear and supporting the muffler. Charlie69 has kindly offered to sell me the jack rod and handle to fix the swinging spare.  I should probably replace it anyway god only knows how old it is. I do have a question tho.  Is a standard cab long bed the same wheel base as a king cab with a short bed?  I bet either Mike or Charlie would know off the top of his head.

[Charlie69]

2 hours ago, jagman said:

Is a standard cab long bed the same wheel base as a king cab with a short bed?  I bet either Mike or Charlie would know off the top of his head.

Yes, might have to move the front bed mounts on the long bed.

 

I will get a price tommorw for the shipping on the handle and rod for you.  Mother in hospital from a fall.

[jagman]

Charlie69 don't spend your time right now on the jack handle stuff.  I can wait your MOM needs you now.

[wayno]

6 hours ago, jagman said:

Well the aheader I get The behinder I am.  I just noticed that I have no rear lights on the truck. Next project for the lift is checking the wiring to the rear and supporting the muffler. Charlie69 has kindly offered to sell me the jack rod and handle to fix the swinging spare.  I should probably replace it anyway god only knows how old it is. I do have a question tho.  Is a standard cab long bed the same wheel base as a king cab with a short bed?  I bet either Mike or Charlie would know off the top of his head.

The kingcab and regular cab/long bed/box are the same frame/chassis length, standard cab/short box is the other frame/chassis length, but the regular cab/short box combos are not all the same thru the years, 1980 thru 1982 regular cabs are one size, 1983 thru 1986 regular cabs are a few inches longer, so if you have a 1981 Datsun 720 regular cab you need a 1980 thru 1982 box, if you have a 1983+ regular cab, you will need a 1983+ box made for the regular cab, the kingcab boxes are only made for kingcabs, they interchange with nothing else.

[jagman]

Well I fixed the lights, Charlie69 was right on the money with the advice to check for the clip-on trailer wiring. I took her out for a drive of 30 miles and no overheating. She stayed right in the middle of the temp guage too!  I still have a noise when I first take off from a standing start that I thought was the spare tire banging but I did tighten it up so now I am not sure what it is that's making the noise.  I asked one of the neighbors if he would mind if I strapped him under the truck to see what was causing the noise but he declined. Oh ye of little faith.!

I notice that I have the best torque at around 2000 to 2500 rpm in any gear and I did check the acceleration while I had her out and I can get her up to 60 in under 24 seconds! I blame that on my wide boots.  Is the torque band normally on the high side for the Z24?

[wayno]

If the noise is a clunk or knock when you let out the clutch it is likely the carrier rubber piece, they get worn out and the rubber cracks and allows the carrier to move and hit the bracket holding it in place, you can get under the truck and move it around with your arm/hand and make it knock/clunk.

 

[datzenmike]

Rad hoses always rot from the inside out so they may look fine till that aren't. Give them a regular squeeze looking for softness. I use stainless hose clamps.

 

Is it a snap or ping sound???

 

 

[jagman]

When I engage the clutch the sound is metallic, like someone hitting the bottom of the truck with a hammer lightly over and over again until I am rolling.  It repeats if I am decelerating on a gravel road. There is no vibration on the highway at 30 - 60 mph. Today I checked to make sure the fuel gauge is reading properly and it seems to be somewhat accurate, at least when it reads half it takes 6.2 gals to fill the tank so I assume the tank is  holds around 12-13 gals.

[datzenmike]

Tap the drive shaft lightly with a hammer. Does it sound like that?

[jagman]

Mike, When it first happened I thought I was dragging the muffler on the ground. That's sort of the sound you hear. I know that there is a muffler support that appears to be missing but the muffler is not hanging low enough to cause the noise.

[datzenmike]

Can the muffler rub the driveshaft? or the pipe?

Can the pipe rub the axle?

 

Grab the exhaust and give it a good shake. Pull and push sideways. Hit anything?

 

Have someone kneel down beside and watch and listen as you try to move the truck.

 

First gear multiplies the engine torque by at least 3X. The front of the differential will lift slightly, leaf springs will have to twist slightly and U joints. Could be a bad U joint maybe a broken leaf inside the pack.

 

 

[jagman]

Now onto the next item on the wish list.  I am looking for a frame mounted class III tow hitch for the 720. If anyone knows where I can get one I would appreciate the lead.

[Charlie69]

I bought one in a junk yard off off a Ford Ranger and my brother Garret made it fit.  I can get pictures if you want.

[jagman]

Charlie I can find hitches that fit d21 or frontier I just don't know how much modification is needed to fit them. If you have pictures of the mounted hitch it would be a great help.

[bottomwatcher]

I have one from a late 80s chevy s10. Pretty much just bolted in. I had to drill two holes in the frame but that was it.

[jagman]

Mike and Charlie, I believe most of the noise is from the exhaust system. Fingers crossed.  Did 720's come from the factory with a donut spare cause thats whats hanging under the truck?  

Can I change that to a full size wheel and tire?

[bottomwatcher]

31 inch fits just fine!

[Charlie69]

720s came with full size spares.  I will take some pictures this weekend.

[jagman]

Thanks Charlie and thanks to Mike as well.  You guys gave me the energy to keep going on the truck.  I have found the metallic sound (it was a very loose donut holder on the drive shaft). The other sound was the tailpipe hitting the rear fender.  Both fixed and she makes no obtuse noises now. I will undoubtedly have more stupid questions so bear with me as I use the truck under normal operating conditions -- hauling mowers to and from the shop.  I treated myself to a new trailer in what may be a premature celebration. 

[Charlie69]

Don't worry I will keep interrupting your afternoon naps!  LOL

[jagman]

Damn Charlie, that was supposed to be a secret!

[datzenmike]

Tell the truth when I was working, the last 10 years I would take a noon nap in the work truck. Maybe 20 min. just enough to maybe just drift.... zzzzzz Huh? What???

 

Seems sensible to me. Since I've been unemployed I haven't had one. Or felt the lack of one. I guess sitting in the sun makes up for it.

[jagman]

Mike, I was out last week and ran into land surveyors on the edge of my property and asked them what they were working on.  They were surveying my neighbors land and had driven a survey stake that was off by seven inches.  He told me they had to pull it out of a live stump and relocate it rather than just drive a new one and cut off the old one.  Do you guys up there have to do that as well. Is it something in the code? Just curious.

[datzenmike]

If the actual property marker is impossible to set (like being in a tree or boulder or off the edge of a cliff) and all else fails, you are allowed to move it along a common property line and set it. This distance is usually an even amount like 0.5 or 1.0 meter and is recorded on the new plan. This is called a witness pin. Up here there is a triangle shaped cedar stake driven in behind the pin with the diagonal side facing the road and we carve IPR for iron pin road. On the other two sides that are 90⁰ to each other we carve the lot numbers or letters like lot A and B. On the front of a witness pin we also carve WIT and 0.5. This tells the next surveyor that the pin is actually 0.5 meters towards the road on the shared property line. Although he should have a plan with him. I've seen some big f ups from owners finding the pin and thinking the corner is right there when it's really not.

 

If he was actually setting a wooden stake (not actually a legal monument that requires it to be registered in the land title office, and is extremely expensive) it's probably what we call a fence survey (cheaper and by the hour)  and the property line is staked out just so the owner can put up a fence without fear of encroachment. What we always say is the stakes are very close but build your fence inside by 3-4" so it is definitely well inside your property line and your neighbor can't touch it. (by touch it  I mean paint or hang something on or alter it.

 

Resetting a legal pin can run $700- $1,000. Setting 4 or more reduces this to maybe $500 EACH. You don't need them adjusted or reset just for a fence. A fence survey might cost $250 to $400 depending on the availability of nearby legal pins and how many sides to stake out. Usually it's one side between two feuding neighbors. I've seen some funny shit happen.

[jagman]

Mike from what you are telling me they must have set the legal pin and had to move it.  The property was sold pursuant to survey I just found out.  The real estate salesperson had told them that their rear property line was much further back.  When the guys completed the survey it was short of an original fence line by about 30'.  The fence is on my property it turns out. Now onto the important stuff.  What causes dieseling  in a Z24?  Is the carb running too rich?  It doesn't happen all the time but often enough to be of concern. I'm running a weber and I assume that the mixture can be adjusted if running rich is the cuprit. If so, I will be back to find out how. Thanks for the info