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New Member Greeting and New Build


partytron69000

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Greetings from Murfreesboro, TN everyone!  Decided to buy back my '78 620 KC 5-speed disk brake that I sold a couple years ago.  Knew I never should have sold it in the first place so I'm super happy I was able to buy it back (at a premium of course).  I'm a LS swapped S13 guy who has found true love with 620's. 

 

The story on my truck is it was a service vehicle at a municipal airport somewhere in Arkansas for most of it's life before it was finally sold to one of the employees in the 2000's, then made its way to the Atlanta area where I originally bought it in 2018.  Truck is currently all original with the exception of some Xterra bucket seats that were retrofitted.  The odometer reads 66k, and I'm told it's original, and I believe it based on the lack of wear on the pedals.  But of course there's no documentation to back that story up, and Bring A Trailer didn't believe me when I tried to list it with them, so I'll probably quit telling that story.

 

The build plan is to do what I call the "poor man's resto-mod".  All original on the outside, all new on the inside and underneath.  I know I'll never drive the truck if I do body work and paint, so I'll just keep the dents and dings and surface rust.  My goals are to have a cool daily driver that I can throw trash in to take it to the dump, not worrying about throwing a load of gravel in it and scratching it up, but can also do some sweet burnouts on the way to the dump, and could possibly make it around our local road course for a track day just for shits and giggles.  So plans are:

 

-Stage 1:  Make it reliable and comfy

   - POR15 rust treatment everywhere/new undercoating

   - Interior basics for a daily driver (cup holders, non school bus sized steering wheel, tint windows, modern audio setup, new door and window seals, hitch receiver)

-Stage 2: Make it cool

   - JDM hotboi fender mirrors

   - Beebani coilover conversion with 3 link setup

   - rear end swap to something stronger (see below)

   - fender flares

   - Customer spec'd Wantanabe's

   - Redo all interior to be above shitty quality but below show quality

-Stage 3: Make it quick (250-300hp)

   - KA-T swap w/ CD009, Coil on plug conversion, Haltech EFI, electronic boost control OR

   - F20C swap (not sure the price tag and headaches that will come with swapping it are offset by a 9,200rpm redline)

   - upgrade other suspension components to make it handle better

 

I'll keep using this thread to update my progress going forward.  For now, here's some pics.  Hit me up if you're local to middle TN or the surrounding area.  Would love to become internet friends with other 620 people and meet face to face one day.

 

d1wNLkh.jpeg

 

Tp2lBrO.jpeg

 

eCIPEgx.jpeg

 

And my S13 (that I'll probably be selling soon).

 

laCItpi.jpg

 

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6 minutes ago, ]2eDeYe said:

Welcome. Nice truck, those wheels are unique. 

 

Vert S13, I would probably try to keep that somehow. 🙂

 

I wish I could.  I've got SO much money sunk into that, I will definitely take a loss on selling it.  But I came to the realization that my kids will probably have more life memories if we had a boat rather than a 240, so I'm wanting to sell it to buy a boat.

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I actually really like those wheels. Would look sweet on a slammed truck. They're probably too small to fill the wheel well though.

 

250 hp is attainable, but 300 is going to start costing you some serious money.

 

Check out @Crashtd420 521 build for the Beebani 3 link kit. It has some pitfalls and Crash has worked it out nicely.

Edited by Stoffregen Motorsports
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8 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

I actually really like those wheels. Would look sweet on a slammed truck. They're probably too small to fill the wheel well though.

 

250 hp is attainable, but 300 is going to start costing you some serious money.

 

Check out @Crashtd420 521 build for the Beebani 3 link kit. It has some pitfalls and Crash has worked it out nicely.

 

I'll let you buy the wheels from me then in 3-4 years (this ain't my first build, I'm more realistic now with my timeline)

 

In my first S13, I did a forged piston, forged rod, stock crank, Z32 MAF sensor Nistune KA-T build.  Current S13 build is a 5.7L LS1 with a nitrous fogger on it.  This won't be my first rodeo but thanks for the input :).

 

Will definitely be checking out all the builds that use Beebani's stuff.  I'm just dangerous enough with a MIG to think I got it right, but still have something lined up wrong.  Might have to send that job off to the speed shop to have it burnt in, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

 

7 hours ago, datzenmike said:

Check the build date on the driver's door jam. 

 

Do you have front disc brakes???

 

Yes, front disks.

 

20 minutes ago, FrankRizzo said:

woo-hoo!

If you get a boat, you gonna head down to the Redneck Riviera??

.

 

If you mean Party Cove on Percy Priest, then hell yeah.  If you mean Redneck Riviera on the Gulf Coast, it's possible but probably not.  If I'm trailering the boat a long ways to go into some salt water, I'm going down to south Florida where my buddies and the party are!

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9 hours ago, AlexDeLarge said:

Sweet truck...I'm in Maryville, TN.

Saw Pearl Jam at MTSU in 93 or 94...last time I was in your neck of the woods....

 

Guy who I sold it to/bought it back from is based out of Johnson City.  He's a well to do dental specialist who just finished a full frame off resto-mod of another 620.

 

Shout at me if you ever come through town and we can see each other's trucks.

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43 minutes ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

Man with welder = dangerous...

 

3-4 years seems long, but your realistic approach is ideal. I've got 3 or 4 projects that are 3-4 years out and I can hardly wait.

 

Have fun with the build.

 

Well I just built a house and am saving to build a 60'x40' workshop on my land right now.  So if there's any money left over between wife, diapers for kiddos, and saving for workshop, it'll go towards the 620.  Until the money gets freed up, I'll be knocking out the little stuff that just takes elbow grease.

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6 hours ago, partytron69000 said:

 

Guy who I sold it to/bought it back from is based out of Johnson City.  He's a well to do dental specialist who just finished a full frame off resto-mod of another 620.

 

Shout at me if you ever come through town and we can see each other's trucks.

Small world dude. Same guy I bought my truck from. 

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Truck update:
 

Was getting ready to go get my emissions tested and get my title and tags done. But of course the battery was dead from the truck being in storage before I got it. So charged the battery and proceeded to burn up the starter. So took this as an opportunity to revamp the electrical a bit. 

 

So today I installed a new starter, new battery, new battery terminal clamps (and a negative quick release clamp), new battery tie down, new terminal covers, and new fuel filter. I like clear fuel filters rather than the opaque ones. Engine runs like it should now. Didn't take any pictures today. I'll take some tomorrow. 

 

Doing all this after it had rained helped me to remember there's a hole somewhere in the firewall/front drip rail that's letting water drip from behind the dash onto the driver's floorpan. So I'll be patching that next and then doing a full POR15 treatment to the floorpan. Anyone know of common spots to look in the drip rail area that leak?

Edited by partytron69000
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Pictures of work.

 

Engine bay after new battery, tie downs, and terminal clamps.

 

UPuvTpL.jpg

 

new clear fuel filter.  Nice looking gas!

 

7MIOOJ0.jpg

 

Oh, you noticed my AC expansion tank?  Well, that's because I have the old school dealer installed Frigi-King under dash unit.  Yes, it still works great and I converted it to R134a a while back.

 

fpZ3Z2V.jpg

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37 minutes ago, partytron69000 said:

Pictures of work.

 

Engine bay after new battery, tie downs, and terminal clamps.

 

UPuvTpL.jpg

 

new clear fuel filter.  Nice looking gas!

 

7MIOOJ0.jpg

 

Oh, you noticed my AC expansion tank?  Well, that's because I have the old school dealer installed Frigi-King under dash unit.  Yes, it still works great and I converted it to R134a a while back.

 

fpZ3Z2V.jpg

 

I have a damaged FrigiKing unit for a 620.  Did some research on a couple aftermarket AC parts suppliers, one being vintageair, they have new knobs that should fit.  They do NOT list Da tsun, but I have found that all of these Datsun dealer installed kits were simply universal fit parts from suppliers here in the USA, the only parts that were made to application were the thin plastic air plenums!

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 2/19/2021 at 3:44 PM, jacobbell69 said:

i'm in bowling green ky if you ever need something! got a garage full of random bits.

 

Toying around with the idea of driving the 620 up to Import Alliance at Beech Bend in March.  Helping my buddy get his 280Z running again.  If so, we'll both bring our Datsuns to IA.

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On 2/24/2021 at 3:17 PM, partytron69000 said:

 

Toying around with the idea of driving the 620 up to Import Alliance at Beech Bend in March.  Helping my buddy get his 280Z running again.  If so, we'll both bring our Datsuns to IA.

I missed you there if you came! I only showed up Saturday with the dually.

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Not many updates to give.  Been working on the Harley recently.  I did get tint put on all my windows and recharged the AC system.  Just need to reseal the doors to keep all that cold air in now.  5% tint on sunvisor, 35% on door windows, and 20% on back and quarter glass.

 

qpX3OfW.jpg

 

sZtTvwI.jpg

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