Howdy, here's my new to me '72 521

[vicdat]

Nice project....if that's a 72 Calif 521 those are Blue plates....probably look black in the pics...even so they are rare.

 

Vicdat

[wayno]

All the Datsun stamped mirrors of this type I have seen have this mirror back.

 

 

[the_10mm]

Let's start inflating these prices so we all win!

[the_10mm]

14 minutes ago, vicdat said:

Nice project....if that's a 72 Calif 521 those are Blue plates....probably look black in the pics...even so they are rare.

 

Vicdat

Yep, these are blue an I love them. In rough shape but the same folks who sell tje stickers do restoration and I may go that route.

[yenpit]

14 minutes ago, wayno said:

All the Datsun stamped mirrors of this type I have seen have this mirror back.

 

 

 

 

Woah! 😎 I'm gonna look closer at my NOS set!!

[datzenmike]

The 520 had front L&R fender mounted mirrors. Don't know if carried into the 521. Door mirror is marked optional. There is an optional  'west coast' style mirror for the driver's side...96301-28200 similar to the last picture but small and clips onto the drip rail on the 1/4 window and screw mount to the door just under the glass. You'd have to pretty much look through the 1/4 window to see it. Like I said it was small

 

They may have come here without and something was rustled up and put on by the dealer before sale.

 

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

21 hours ago, the_10mm said:

Yep, these are blue an I love them. In rough shape but the same folks who sell tje stickers do restoration and I may go that route.

This was confusing to me. They look black in the pics, but yes, blue started in 1970.

[the_10mm]

UPDATE:

 

Helloooo everyone! Been way too hot here to do much wrenchin' but I had a couple weeks off so I did a little brake + suspension work:

-3" blocks in the rear and drop in the front

-changed all the rear drum bits and bobs, what a pain in the ass removing old drums.

-installed the disk brake conversion from Silvermine

-pulled the water pump to discover a sandy material. head gasket fixer? i had originally planned to restore the L16 but now i really really want an SR20 <i know it's dumb>

-kyb gas a just for the front and rear

-got some new to me wheels in from Japan, need to install longer studs now

-picked up a couple NRG bucket seats, need to figure out how those are going in

 

Next phase is pull off the cab and bed for a real good cleaning. Theres a thick layer of nasty caked on something. Also want to clean/paint engine bay and interior of the cab and rhino liner the bed.

 

Oh, and I've started the YOM process back in early August and still waiting on a response.

 

Hmm, I am having trouble posting images. If you're interested I've started an Instagram page for this project. It's @the_10mm there too.

[banzai510(hainz)]

maybe it was for the radiator.

How about just do a Roadworthy Rescue and call it good. Drive and enjoy it

[the_10mm]

I've considered keeping the L16 amd upgrading it, but I dont think that path would make me happy. I've always wanted to do a fun swap and I picked this truck as an opportunity to do so.

[Crashtd420]

1 hour ago, the_10mm said:

I've considered keeping the L16 amd upgrading it, but I dont think that path would make me happy. I've always wanted to do a fun swap and I picked this truck as an opportunity to do so.

Bang for the buck unfortunately for the money it takes to make the L16 fun isnt really worth it.... 

I did it to be different,  I picked up good power so far,  but to get more power it will take more money....

A swap is a good idea if you really want more power in the end and you'll have a more modern motor... 

[banzai510(hainz)]

10mm

I just dont see alot of SR/KA swaps as it take more to shoehorn them in there. 510s its ezer.

Just hate to see another 521 in back never to be seen again. Unless you BIGTAMKER on here and have least 10 k to start on it.

I bought 2 Toyota pickups one for $700 w265k miles and another for 1500 with 77k miles and I said shit I been risking my life all these years knowing how these toyotas drive .(driving my 521)

 But I get ALL the attension with the Datsun evem with a L motor and its fine at 50mph.

 

But your truck do what your going to do.

Edited October 20, 2022 by banzai510(hainz)

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

19 hours ago, the_10mm said:

 

 

Oh, and I've started the YOM process back in early August and still waiting on a response.

 

Did you use Ken Leek or just go through DMV?

[the_10mm]

4 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

Did you use Ken Leek or just go through DMV?

I just went through the DMV. They were very excited about it. Said it was the second time that office has ever started one.

[the_10mm]

4 hours ago, banzai510(hainz) said:

10mm

I just dont see alot of SR/KA swaps as it take more to shoehorn them in there. 510s its ezer.

Just hate to see another 521 in back never to be seen again. Unless you BIGTAMKER on here and have least 10 k to start on it.

I bought 2 Toyota pickups one for $700 w265k miles and another for 1500 with 77k miles and I said shit I been risking my life all these years knowing how these toyotas drive .(driving my 521)

 But I get ALL the attension with the Datsun evem with a L motor and its fine at 50mph.

 

But your truck do what your going to do.

Yeah, I have the funds for the project and I've weighed the options. I've even researched an EV conversion. 

 

I don't plan on butchering the poor truck too much. And I will be holding onto the L16, maybe find another shell for it. I think worst case I end up with a loose SR20, and those things have shot up pretty significantly in value and there are plenty of half finished 240s around here 😅.

[banzai510(hainz)]

might pick up a half finished SR/KA swapped 521

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I've had the EV conversion conversation with more than a handful of clients, and so far, I've been talking them out of it. Is EV the wave of the future? Definitely, but my clients don't come to me because they want new cars. The EV doesn't, can't and never will offer the visceral experience that a fossil fuel powered classic can.

 

That doesn't mean I will never jump on the bandwagon. Just not yet.

[the_10mm]

On 10/20/2022 at 2:16 PM, banzai510(hainz) said:

might pick up a half finished SR/KA swapped 521

Haha, maybe. But I'm a completionist. It may take me a while, but of I were to fail you'll have first dibs on the carcas 🥲

[RetroRocket]

re ev conversions i am certain i will do something too. probably something like swap in an intact fwd ev powertrain into an irs (substitute a rwd irs sub-assy  with an ev front subframe, to create a mid-engine vehicle.

 

on my to-do list is to explore a dodge set-up available for a few years (maybe a decade ago, must look back in my files) that adapted a regenerative electric belt-driven device that could switch functionally from a generator-mode to electric motor-mode (by switching fields or similar technology) that sat on the top of the engine. It was like a giant alternator/motor on top of an ICE, they put it in pick up trucks (rwd) on top of their v8's, maybe a V6 version too. the option/feature had a technical name.  google

 

the ICE could shut off at a light (or beforehand and coast then brake [regenerative load/energy harvest + vehicle brakes applied to stop]). light turns green and electric motor turns the engine (hasn't fired-up yet) and drivetrain at the same time and overcomes the inertia of rest electrically by applying wattage/torque; the belt drive is also the starter motor for the ICE if activated of it is needed. Activation of the petrol powerplant (however many cylinders are chosen per power demand [each cyl has independent fuel/ign activation], and releasing the electrical circuit load, and transition back to electrical power into storage. the battery pack in these trucks was located on the back wall of the pass cabin. i'd jy-source these parts for the experiment.

 

I have a few vintage rv's and a '56 studebaker pick up to try this venture/boondoggle on for fabrications. when the vehicle comes down the entrance ramp onto a highway the throttle can be opened on the ICE while it is also under high regenerative load and on a flat or decline, then release the electrical load and it is a launch. like 2022 F1 cars leaving the pit lane/merging onto track. f1 austin, tx is on this weekend to demonstrate this concept.

 

i've wondered about fitting a system to the a driveshaft-mounted pulley at the differential or transmission end rather than sitting on top of the engine. that is a shared rotation axis with the engine crankshaft anyway...but there would be an advantage of being able (clutch) to unhook the frictional losses load (and wasted energy) of turning the engine. isolating vehicle mass/inertia as a more efficient yield of available energy rather than wasting energy by losing it to friction.

 

actually, i do have a question for you and it is about something completely different than ev stuff. i have zero experience with CAD and 3-D printing but do you? there is a contingency of folks in britain that are generating overlapping-dimension driven components by essentially plugging this-to-that dimensions into a 3-d printing program to produce, for example, a nylon intake manifold 'adaptor/transition' piece to go between motorcycle itb's and a given cylinder head. 

btw, this could all be common knowledge and practice already and wouldn't know it.

 

my current niche is to fit a W04 naps-z head from '84 mpg option D21 Z20S to four motorcycle itb's, although i might remove or modify the throttle plates and plumb the runners to a variable volume plenum with one larger shared tb for the engine control/mgmt.

 

i don't want to get embroiled in pissing matches re you can't do that, i heard this or that, blah, blah stuff. let me pose a question to screen replies: is it possible to transfer an L6 efi cyl head/intake/exhaust top end assy onto an LD28 bottom end (with some minor machining [enlarge cyl head bolt holes from 10 to 12 mm] and substituting a few select jy components to adapt L20B petrol parts for front cover configuration? N42 yields 10:1 c.r..  This would have to be done on paper first and if the numbers crunch-out ok then it should be possible. has anyone here done such a thing? impossible? nismo said it was not possible.

cheers.

 

 

 

 

 

[datzenmike]

1 hour ago, RetroRocket said:

 

my current niche is to fit a W04 naps-z head from '84 mpg option D21 Z20S to four motorcycle itb's, although i might remove or modify the throttle plates and plumb the runners to a variable volume plenum with one larger shared tb for the engine control/mgmt.

 

i don't want to get embroiled in pissing matches re you can't do that, i heard this or that, blah, blah stuff. let me pose a question to screen replies: is it possible to transfer an L6 efi cyl head/intake/exhaust top end assy onto an LD28 bottom end (with some minor machining [enlarge cyl head bolt holes from 10 to 12 mm] and substituting a few select jy components to adapt L20B petrol parts for front cover configuration? N42 yields 10:1 c.r..  This would have to be done on paper first and if the numbers crunch-out ok then it should be possible. has anyone here done such a thing? impossible? nismo said it was not possible.

cheers.

 

 

The Z20S engine was on '83-'86.5 720 trucks but not used on the D21 Hardbody.

 

Optimistically, anything is possible for the diesel conversion. I don't think anyone has considered it because if you want a 10 to 1 compression L28, easier if you just get an L28 and put domed pistons in it. There would have to be a clear advantage for doing it this way.  

[RetroRocket]

you are correct, as expected. my oversight, this was an '84 720 i got the head from. i was really tempted to get the shortblock too because it was in great shape. I would swap in an L20B crank for the counterweighted unit, assuming the Naps-z cranks Z20, Z22, and Z24 are not. Just for posterity; I already have a spare L20B crank.

 

I'm working with a Z24i in the D21 I'm working on and want to just leave the shortblock in it for know in order to develop what I'm doing with the top end of the engine. it isn't for racing or 4-wheeling, just something to use getting up our steep driveway in the winter.

 

one feature I don't care for on the 720 and D21 is the placement of the steering gearbox way forward on the frame rail up front. it is a safety factor because in a front-end collision the entire gearbox/steering shaft and steering wheel can be driven right into the face and chest of the driver just as they are being violently driven forward by inertia at impact. no airbag to sandwich in between those opposite forces. I know this because i built a 720 rwd with an L20B as a dd. i swapped L18 pistons (85 mm 4.36 cc dish) for the L20B 85 mm 11.36 dish (same c.ht.) pistons onto the L20B rods and used a canadian truck w58 closed chamber head, SSS dual SU's, etc., and one of my sons got into a significant accident in it.  he's ok now and the truck is long gone but I alone will be driving the D21 4wd, no one else.

 

Mike I'll be posting pics of a W10 Z24i head that was on this D21 to show what a po had done that looks like a terrible idea: heli-coiling spark plug holes without realizing what is going on at the chamber side. the heli-coiling process could have pushed the intake valve seats out. it did break off some aluminum between the seat and the plug hole and exposed sharp edges and plug threads inside the chamber. I decided to just get another jy naps-z series head to rebuild and thanks to one of your posts knew to recognize the mpg option Z20S W 04 head when i saw the 84 720 with it.

 

I'm setting up the optical cas distr to serve as the crank angle sensor and i am fabricating a cam position sensor at the cam sprocket to run speeduino mgmt using two separate wasted spark systems as a simultaneous dual plug firing design. to keep it simpler at first i am planning to use the throttle-body injection of the z24i incorporated into the speeduino mgmt intitially.

 

That means a mismatch round (with notches) intake ports on the W04 and the square port intake of the z24i. i'm searching for an oem 82-83 200sx Z22E mpi intake manifold for the sake of the round port match to head. I don't want to butcher the round head ports to make them rectangles so i'm thinking of fabricating ss round tube inserts to go between head ports and manifold ports internally. I haven't studied it yet but i'm envisioning machining a round step-seat base or a square-to-round adapter pressed into the square manifold port that the round ss tube seats on (the head side is already round and the tube size matched-up to those ports. This to temporize and get it on the road before snow. 

 

BTW and FWI, I bought a nice set of DNJ valves from e-bay for a nice price ($28/8) and they looked great with stellite treated stems but when i set up the head the grooves were located wrong and the installed spring height could not be met; could not be 'unshimmed' to meet spec ht without using a special retainer/keeper to gain some ht. The W04 valves looked great as-is so I lapped and reused.

 

As an aside, one thing i noticed on disassembly was the the oem nissan valve seals are so precisely matched to the original stem diameters that they have diameter specs in raised numerals on the seal that vary and are precisely match to each individual stem at factory assembly. I replaced them with viton but that was impressive to see that level of assembly precision by nissan.

cheers

[datzenmike]

The L20B and the Z20 use the same U20 fully counter weighted crankshaft.

 

The 720 has a collapsible steering column. It's also articulated so it would also fold at the U joints.

 

Just use a Z24 intake gasket on the Z20 head. It'll be fine. The Z24 intake runners are larger, I would keep them. Also the Z24i intake is unique to the throttle body injection. If keeping that.

 

All Z20 and Z22 heads had injector notches even if not used with EFI. I ground the injector notches on the bottom Z24 head. No Z24 head had these.

 

 

The Z20 and Z22 heads in the 720 and the S110 200sx are all round intake port. Only difference is the Z22E heads on the 200sx have a water temperature sensor (not temp sender for a gauge) near the #1 exhaust spark plug. The Z20E had them on the intake. 

 

 

[RetroRocket]

Thanks. I am concerned about the flow of air-fuel leaving the intake square port corners and crashing into the head surrounding the smaller round port of the head rather than flowing through without disruption. I wouldn't be concerned if the manifold port was round and the head port was square (and larger dimension) but the other way around would be the charge at the square perimeter corners slamming into the solid wall surrounding the round ports rather than smoothly going through. I assume the square ports on the Z22 and Z24 are better for fuel-air suspension delivery whether by carb or tbi , and round ports are better for air only (since with mpi the fuel is actually injected into the head portion of the  just before the valve itself). Welding aluminum to add to the corners of the manifold ports to round them up would be one way but i'd rather not get that involved. I was thinking of an airhorn-shaped tube with the horn edges ground down to make it a square shape for the intake interface and the smaller non-horn round portion remains round where if matches the round head port. these four inserts would only be about 1 1/2" length. i have some weber 40 dcoe horns i could play with or can search for ss sanitary fitting stuff.

much easier is to hunt for a 200sx z22E mpfi intake manifold round port so i'll do that first. going to yakima next week so maybe something pick&pull down that way.

Thanks for the reply. 

[datzenmike]

Only the Z24 have the squarish intake ports. I think you are over thinking this. But, you could put a square intake gasket on the round port and scratch the outline in the soft aluminum. Take a look and you'll see there isn't much to worry about.

[RetroRocket]

i definitely do tend to overthink things...i also don't quit when i'm on a foolish mission......

 

i'm hoping i'll stumble on a Z22E intake and i won't have to fret over the port mismatch issue.

 

i noticed a comment (heresay)  that  they heard that the Z20E/Z22E heads didn't work all that well on a Z24 engine, so i wondered if the square-to-round mismatch could be the reason. i could just take a piece of flat stock 1/4" steel, use the Z22E gasket to drill the bolt holes and round ports in it then scribe out the square port shape on one side and die-grinder blend a merge. that would be easy.