Project: Ol' Sparky 620

[Negative Ghostrider]

Hey everyone. I picked up a 1973 620 that I am working on restoring to some former glory. I figured I would chronicle the process on here.

 

I have had a love for old Dattos since I went autocrossing with a friend about 20 years ago and got a load of his sweet 510. I'm finally in a place in my life to take on a small project and so I started shopping around for a donor. There's quite a few trucks in the PNW but most of them were floorboard-free and gutted. I stumbled on this one a few minutes after it was posted and jumped on it. So he was supposedly sitting in someone's backyard, buried halfway up the wheels, and the owner was growing tomatoes in the bed. A guy (username on here CHL2T) rescued it and got it running then I ended up taking it off his hands to make room for more projects. Mostly original. Has the L16 in it with a Weber 32/36, and the 3 speed auto. Surprisingly enough the body is solid with no rot, just a good bit of surface rust. 

 

 

Had a little mishap on the drive home. Lost the front driver's side wheel about 2 miles from the house and put the front end down on the pavement. Guess I should have pulled the hubcaps and checked the lugs before I headed out. Anyhow, the adventure begins with a literal bang. My godbrother was following me, thankfully, and said the shower of sparks was amazing, thus the name "Ol' Sparky". 

 

I started out thinking I was going to get crazy with it, slam it, KA swap it, coilovers, etc. but now I'm thinking I am going to keep it pretty old school restomod. I am going to take it down a couple inches and give it some modern paint. The front lip spoiler is going to go and I want to take the turn signals off the front end and smooth the bumper, then do an LED headlight conversion and use the halos as the front signals. I like the look of the stance on this gray one, but thinking of doing a matte midnight blue with black accents paint scheme on it. Not sure about wheels yet but I'm thinking 15x8s so I can do the front disc conversion.  I have a tendency to change my mind every couple days though, so we'll see what happens along the way. LOL

 

 

Anyway, stay tuned and feel free to chime in. Stoked to be part of this community.

[Negative Ghostrider]

Entry number 1 - Sparky rides again!

 

So I was able to recover the wheel after the mishap but the drum was in pieces. I ordered new drums for the front and set to work getting it back up and running. The braking system was intact but the drum guard bent/ground itself into a flat bottomed shape. That assembly will have to be replaced, obviously, but in the meantime, with a little grinder love I was able to get things into working condition. I took her for a test drive and picked up a new beer fridge. 🙂

 

He stops, he goes. Next step? Nobody knows!

[Negative Ghostrider]

Entry Number 2 - Regarding all things voltage related...

 

So now that the brakes work it was time to address some other safety issues. On the drive home, before the wheel fell off, I noticed the following:

 

1. The steering wheel had been removed at some point and replaced about 45 degrees off-axis.

2. The horn did not work

 

And shortly after the wheel came off:

 

1.  The hazard lights switch was non-functioning due to a missing knob.

 

So today I removed the wheel, and corrected the orientation and while I was at it I replaced the hazard switch with a replacement I got from eBay.

 

Then I started working on the horn. I could hear the relay clicking but I was getting no voltage out. the terminals were all very rusty so I hit them with contact cleaner and a steel wire detail brush. After that I got a weak little "meep" from one of the two horns. I tested voltage at both wires and they were both good so I know one of the horns is dead and the other has one foot in the grave. I removed them both and replaced them with the $9.99 harbor freight specials. The HF horns were 2 lead where the OEM ones were a single lead so I had to fab up a quick ground lead and ground them to the chassis. They work like a charm and are loud and clear.

 

Then I posted a bunch of questions in the group and DatzenMike stepped up and helped me figure out what a number of disconnected wires and hoses were in my engine bay. Apparently I have no windshield wiper fluid pump/reservoir anymore (meh) and when the new starting coil got installed the little capacitor didn't get hooked back up (doesn't seem to affect function at all). 

 

I also put on a new set of wiper blades, replaced the bulb that illuminates the gear indicator on the shifter, did some cleaning, removed the old choke cable (don't need it with the Weber carb), and pulled the front emblem for refurbishing. Also, my new door window scraper seals arrived from Thailand and I picked up all the stuff I need to start tackling the rust and body work. I also ran a couple hours south a few days ago and got a replacement front fender to fix the one that got bent up when the wheel came off, and I found a spare front grill in excellent shape. My current one is ok but a little rough. 

 

Stay tuned.

[datzenmike]

 

Inspect the threads on those studs. When a rim comes off it twists and rattles around on the threads. You don't want a repeat.

 

 

I think the capacitor is only for noise suppression for the radio.

[Negative Ghostrider]

Thanks, Mike. First thing I did was inspect the studs. All are fine. The threads all looked and felt good. I was able to finger start them and they all torque down to spec with no issues. I plan to keep an eye on them. 

[banzai510(hainz)]

I’m not into automatic Datsuns but great to see you getting use out of this truck and keep it alive.

[Negative Ghostrider]

57 minutes ago, banzai510(hainz) said:

I’m not into automatic Datsuns but great to see you getting use out of this truck and keep it alive.

Wasn't my first choice, nor was I expecting to find an automatic, but it runs well. I may swap it down the road or I may not. The wife will mind driving it less with an automatic, if she needs to. 

[Negative Ghostrider]

Entry 3 - Adventures in body work or "How I struck Bondo gold while mining in Datsun country". 

 

Started working on the body today. Figured I would start on the driver's side door since it didn't look too bad - Sand it down, pull a couple of small dents, fill a group of small holes from old mirrors and I should be good to go for skim and primer. So I started sanding down the Jackson Pollack of primer and paint on the door and it's not too long before I hit some deep veins of Bondo. Bummer, but not terribly surprising. I am a novice at body work and I figured I would be learning/honing some skills on this project one way or another. I'm doing this the hard way - power drill with a variety of wire brushes and 3M paint/rust removal wheels, one panel at a time. 

 

Looks like there was one hit right on the "bullet" on the upper door, which they had already worked on, as evidenced by the hole I discovered under the filler. They had done a reasonable job on it but I was able to get some hooks in there and pull it much straighter than it was. I want to keep the Bondo to the recommended 1/4" max thickness.

 

The bigger issue is the large crease in the lower part of the door. That's where the Bondo was at its worst, probably close to 3/8" thick in places. The sheet metal is wrinkled as hell from where they tried to pound it out. I pulled the inner panel off and it looks like the skin separated from the inner reinforcement. Not much I can do about that, is there? I took the old glue-and-screw dent puller to the more major low spots and the body hammer to some of the high spots, but made minimal progress. The sheet metal is very stretched out and oilcans badly in a couple spots. Looks like I am going to have to try my hand at shrinking it with a torch and dolly if I am going to have any hopes of getting it any straighter. I also don't want it to pop during temperature changes. At least the damage didn't cross the body line. I also didn't find any hidden rust spots or rot along the bottom of the door or anything.

 

Open to advice

 

[Negative Ghostrider]

Entry 3.1 - Is it still lockdown when your locks don't work?

 

While I had the door card off to work on the body I tried to address the malfunctioning locks. I figured the rods were tweaked or something but as far as I can tell everything in there is fine. Seems like maybe the lock itself or the part that it manipulates at the latch end has jammed up or something because I can grab all of the individual linkages and all the pivot points seem to move freely. When I grab the tips on the door sill and lock/unlock them they just hang up and refuse to actuate, though. Not sure what's going on or if they can be fixed. Anyone else have these issues? I'd gladly take any advice on this subject as well.

[banzai510(hainz)]

Door locks are pretty ez to figure out if the panel off.long as the lock turns

Edited May 30, 2020 by banzai510(hainz)

[hobospyder]

the doors won't lock as long as the door is open. that was a new one for me when i got my 73. but i also don't know what your lock issue is so it could be something else entirely

[Negative Ghostrider]

5 minutes ago, hobospyder said:

the doors won't lock as long as the door is open. that was a new one for me when i got my 73. but i also don't know what your lock issue is so it could be something else entirely

This is good to know, as I was working on them with the doors open. Even when the doors are closed the locks won't actuate, either by using the kob from the inside or the key from outside. When I pull/push on the posts or turn the key there is immediate resistance. The posts don't look like they are straight up and down in the holes but as best as I can tell when I look in the door there are no rods bent or anything. Then when I found the big dent in the driver's side doof I thought there may be damage to other components but it's well below where all that stuff is, and again, the linkages where the rods all come together seem to move and pivot freely. It's a mystery. I'll try again with the door closed though and see if that shines any new light on things. 

[hobospyder]

If anything im an hour and a half ish drive north of seattle, and i have at least 6 620s worth of doors for comparison, or ted down south of Tumwater probably has doors for sale. And there's plenty of 620s in between us

[Negative Ghostrider]

Nice. I love this community. 

[Negative Ghostrider]

Entry 4 - had the brakes checked by a shop. Turns out one of my brand new drums is warped so I'm RMA-ing that. Thanks, RockAuto. Going to probably put a better brake booster on sometime soon. 

 

On the drive there and back I noticed my signals weren't indicating in my cluster. Got home and checked everything. The headlights, hazards, driving lights, etc. all are working fine but turn signals work in neither direction. Don't know wtf is up with that. Gonna make sure I didn't knock something loose when I was messing with the steering wheel. 

 

Also the heater core is leaking. If it's not one thing it's another. All the hoses are tight and it stops if I switch it from cool to heat and the drip stops. If I move it back to cool it starts dripping from the mechanism. I'm guessing the core itself has shit the bed. Input welcome. 

 

Edited June 1, 2020 by Negative Ghostrider
Added image

[Negative Ghostrider]

Entry 4.1 - got the signals working. I think it was just a loose connection from when I put the new hazard switch in. I removed everything and put it back and now they work. Need to keep an eye on that. 

 

Also got the locks working. Not sure why they weren't before but thanks to Hobospyder's advice I messed with them with the doors closed and voilà. They work. Maybe my earlier monkeying got them lined up and I just needed the doors shut. 

[Negative Ghostrider]

Entry 4.2 - and now there is oil around the rear most spark plug. FML. Time for a compression check and hopefully just a gasket job. 

 

[datzenmike]

2 hours ago, Negative Ghostrider said:

 

 

Also the heater core is leaking. If it's not one thing it's another. All the hoses are tight and it stops if I switch it from cool to heat and the drip stops. If I move it back to cool it starts dripping from the mechanism. I'm guessing the core itself has shit the bed. Input welcome. 

 

 

If it was the core it would leak all the time. It's the shut off valve.

 

1 hour ago, Negative Ghostrider said:

Entry 4.2 - and now there is oil around the rear most spark plug. FML. Time for a compression check and hopefully just a gasket job. 

 

 

Oil runs down hill. Check the valve cover bolts are snug and the gasket ok. If the spark plug is tight oil isn't coming from the cylinder. Check the oil dip stick seal.

[Negative Ghostrider]

1 minute ago, datzenmike said:

 

If it was the core it would leak all the time. It's the shut off valve.

 

 

Oil runs down hill. Check the valve cover bolts are snug and the gasket ok. If the spark plug is tight oil isn't coming from the cylinder. Check the oil dip stick seal.

Thanks Mike, as always. Seems like those valves have a propensity for failure but I am struggling to find an oem part. I just started looking though. 

 

I don't see any oil leaking or gathering anywhere else. I haven't torqued the plug yet because I need to check the specs but it was more than finger tight. The engine is definitely burning some oil. You can see and smell it. I had to abandon my inspection because we went under national guard lockdown at 6 and I'm not catching a rubber bullet or some shit for trying to trace a leak tonight LOL. 

[Negative Ghostrider]

Aaaaand it looks like I'll be rebuilding it, I guess. At least it's cheap. From the looks of it this is for the 510 but all the parts are interchangeable. 

 

 

[hobospyder]

Glad you got the locks working

 

Just hobo works for the record. I should change my screen name...

[Negative Ghostrider]

Entry 5 - was going to work on the body some more today but the oil leak has me concerned so I degreased the engine bay so I could monitor things from a fresh page. I checked for vacuum leaks using some carb cleaner. Throttle never wavered so I think I am good. There are a couple fittings that I think should have hose clamps on so I'll chase those later. 

 

Next I fired her up and I saw a dribble of oil from the #4 plug again. So I decided to pull the plugs to see what I could see. All the holes looked similar to below. A little residue in the deeper threads but nothing near the outside of the block. 

 

The plugs felt really loose when I removed them. Like possibly finger tight. I know you don't reef of plugs but I am used to more resistance when removing plugs. All the terminals were loose as well. They are pretty fouled in my opinion for only having a couple hundred miles or so on them. I'm not sure if it's oil or because it runs rich or both. They were all at default gap (.35) so I adjusted them to .32. 

 

Then I decided to pull the valve cover. The seal looked fine. There was no seepage past the seal. Definitely some rust inside but all the lobes and everything look OK and the chain is tight. Did a valve adjustment and the lashes were all over the place. Mostly way tight but a few were loose. 

 

She runs more smoothly after the adjustment. I won't have time to touch her for a week but next week I'll do compression, timing and carb adjustments to get the mix right. I checked the block studs as well. They are all tight, maybe too tight. I read online that they should be at 62lb/ft  and my Chilton's said 40. Regardless, I checked at 62 and not one of them budged. 

 

It looks like someone JB welded the valve cover or something. I found coked oil on some crusty orange crap. There were chunks in under the cam as well. I think I got them all. I scraped some loose bits off of the cover as well. It looks like it was along the side of the plate that screws in on the underside of the cover. You can see it on the left of the pic below. I hope this doesn't turn into it's own issue. 

 

That's it for now. 

Edited June 11, 2020 by Negative Ghostrider

[Negative Ghostrider]

Entry 6 - Weather was nice so I decided to work on the body. Broke out the blowtorch and the body panel tools and made some decent progress. I Got the driver side door to stop oilcanning and got it about as straight as it's going to get. should be ready for bondo. Started working on the dents in the roof. They are worse than I thought. I dunno what the hell happened to it but there's a lot of dents, and they're big. A lot of them are also oilcanning and it's a pain in the ass to get to them with the roof liner in. It's original and in good shape so I don't want to screw it up, but you have to pull the windshield/rear window gaskets, which I also don't want to do. I manged to get limited access to the sides over the door arch. I stuffed wet towels inside to keep the liner safe from the heat, then used the torch on the outside. I was able to fix the worst of the driver's side. I'll tackle the passenger side later. There are a couple that I may have to remove the liner to get at. We'll see. I need a new windshield gasket anyway. I'll just have to time it right with the weather. 

 

Swapped a bunch of the external lights (not headlights) for LEDs. Everything but the parking bulbs and the corner bulbs because my Type 67s haven't arrived yet. As soon as I put in the last one, none of my blinkers would work anymore, turn signals or hazards. The green arrows in the dash cluster would come in faintly but that's it. I swap in one old incandescent and everything works as normal. I'm guessing I don't have enough load on the circuit with only LEDs. Ordered some resistors which should solve the problem. I cleaned up all my lenses and they look pretty aright. One of the fronts and one of the rears were cracked, though. I epoxy'd them back together and they look 90% but I am gonna keep my eyes open for replacements. My passenger rear corner was totally fucked. Looks like the seal failed on the back and the socket rusted. I tried contact cleaner, WD, picks, and more but the bulb wouldn't budge and finally the glass portion detached from the base, which was filled solid with rust. I shredded it trying to get it out with some needle noise pliers and couldn't get it all. I finally gave up and pulled the whole assembly and replaced it with a spare front assembly that I had. The gasket doesn't fit the contour of the rocker so it will def leak over time. It's always something.

[Negative Ghostrider]

Entry 7 - Much ado about lighting.

 

Haven't accomplished much these last couple days, between the weather not cooperating and a sick cat. I did manage to get my LED woes sorted out. Just put a 6ohm resistor on each one of the front turn signals and I'm good to go again. 

 

I managed to source a replacement for the rotted out side marker from the last post, but I won't have it until next week. Same with a new front brake shield assembly for the right front. 

 

I also picked up 4 yards of 1/8" landau pad and furniture-grade black suede so I have what I need to make new door cards, a back wall panel and headliner. I hevent decided if I will use it on the kick panels as well. Probably not. The fabric is durable but I don't know about having it at foot level. Will probably hit those with bedliner or plastidip or maybe just flat black rusto. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Have to get the interior stripped and painted first. 

Edited June 16, 2020 by Negative Ghostrider

[datzenmike]

On 6/2/2020 at 5:20 PM, Negative Ghostrider said:

 

 

The plugs felt really loose when I removed them. Like possibly finger tight. I know you don't reef of plugs but I am used to more resistance when removing plugs. All the terminals were loose as well. They are pretty fouled in my opinion for only having a couple hundred miles or so on them. I'm not sure if it's oil or because it runs rich or both. They were all at default gap (.35) so I adjusted them to .32. 

 

 

 

You should be using NGK B6ES plugs on a Nissan, and probably why they don't tighten properly. If the carburetor was running rich all the plugs would be fouled not just the middle

two. Looks like oil. The right most one is suspiciously too clean.

 

Are they in order 4, 3, 2, 1 left to right?

 

 

 

This engine has not been getting proper oil  and filter changes. That's what that brownish red stain on everything is. You should be running an oil with high ZDDP levels not the stuff they use today in newer cars. I like Shell Rotella T4 which is a diesel oil and high in detergent that will help keep the insides clean.

 

What head is that? W53?? look at bottom of head where it meets the block between the #1 and #2 spark plugs. If W53 even if it's a closed chamber head it's too large a combustion chamber and will give an 8.2 compression when the stock head is almost 8.6.