Charlie69's 66 520 Build

[Greiggy]

nice work with your truck !!! good to see some new posts :)

[mklotz70]

Holy Cow, do you have some mods ahead of you!! I'm looking forward to watching the progress :)

[Charlie69]

OK so no paint until I do the firewall. Right now I am waiting on my brother to help me with the firewall so I am working on a custom 1 off gauge setup for my 520.

 

Here is the beginning of what I am working with.

 

 

[Charlie69]

Well I know all of you like pictures.

 

These pictures show the different problems I ran in to after setting motor & trans in the engine bay.

 

Emergency Brake Bel-crank is in the way of installing exhaust

 

 

Booster hits PCV hose & Intake Manifold

 

Booster does not sit flat on firewall

 

Alternator hits Idler arm

 

Water Pump Shaft & Radiator Clearance 1.5 inches

 

Valve Cover hits firewall ridge

 

 

1 Possible configuration.

 

 

Well there you go hope this helps the guys wanting to do this swap.

[mklotz70]

Will the booster squeeze in if you take off the aluminum spacer?

[Charlie69]

No the Brake master will still hit the carb/air cleaner. I am going to try to do a Mike Klotz's weber stock air cleaner mod.

 

Since I am running automatic I will just move it to the clutch side and mod my brake pedal similar to yours.

 

I sure do wish you could put all your info on a DVD. I would be willing to buy it. That way I would not have to waste as much time looking up all you stuff. Hint Hint Hint :rolleyes:

[mklotz70]

I didn't try this, but you might try putting the brake pedal where the clutch goes and use the clutch piece to space it over. I straightened my pedal, but you may not need to if you move it over. I was using a bigger booster than the B210 one, so I wanted to keep it in the stock brake location.

 

One of these days...the plan is to put all of my stuff on my website. Heck....if I couldn't go to my profile and look up threads I've started, I'd have a really hard time adding to some of my older threads. There are times I remember putting up key information....but I can't find it in one of my threads.....I have to search for it. It ends up being in someone else's thread. One of these days.....hopefully. :)

[Greiggy]

have you considered a remote mount pedal setup? im not sure on what vehicles they come with over there however some of our lighter model trucks such as the homer and cabstar had a setup with a remote mount resivour and just enough room to fit the master possibly between the firewall and mani...

 

other option might be something from wilwood or tilton but thats an expensive option...

 

good work so far !!

[Charlie69]

Mike and Greiggy thank you for the input and ideas, the solution for me, easiest & cheapest, is to move the brake to the clutch side. I am running auto trans so all the clutch parts are gone. I hope to post up a picture showing the mods that I am going to do to the firewall & the Radiator support frame.

I just realized how much time it takes to document all this.

I have also decided and have started doing it, putting all of my build information into a MS word file with the Photo Bucket links. By doing this I can copy & paste my updates for posting to the web. This will save me a bunch of time when I am posting this build on Ratsun, NICO, DND, & Desert Datsun sites. It will also allow me to easily go back and edit any changes into the appropriate build sections to help keep it more organized & easier to follow. Once I complete the build & get the all the documentation completed I would like to take the completed build and submit it to you Mike for possible posting on your site.

The forums are great for exchanging ideas and friendships, but I like the idea that Mikes' site http://www.olddatsuns.com/620tech.htm is a warehouse for information that is clean and unpolluted. Great resource site guys lets all make a donation to help preserve this information.

[Charlie69]

Here is a simple drawing of an instrument cluster for my truck.

 

The little Datsun Insignias are idiot lights LOP (Low Oil Pressure), BRT (Brights), LFP (Low Brake Fluid), & CHG (Charge)

The speedo & 2 dual gauges are from 1976 Datsun 280z & the tach is from a 1985 720 4x4. This is staying with my original goal of keeping it all Datsun OEM Parts.

Please all feedback is welcome.

Edited January 24, 2020 by Charlie69

[mklotz70]

I like the layout....can you add some of the dash to it...it doesn't look like if fits the confines of the stock cluster, so I'm wondering how you're dealing with the top part that sticks out.

[Charlie69]

Mike, I plan on notching the top of the dash to clear the speedo and then slicing a piece of 5" tubing to taper into the top of the dash. Remember I have the solid metal 520 dash top. I remember a car from the 40's or 50's that had a similar design.

 

Similar to this 1949 Mercury Monteray Dash except be less chrome (thinner bezel) & more paint

 

I will mock this up in card board fist to get all my dimensions right. when I get it all mocked up I will post pictures of the mock up.

 

I am going to make a bezel trim ring out of wood and then make a plaster cast of it and try my hand at white metal casting. If this turns out I will have it polished & chromed.

 

If anyone has done this type of casting please make suggestions on how to do it because I am flying by the seat of my pants on this one. Have no clue how to do this. Wood is easy to work with metal is more difficult for me.

[yellowdatsun]

Ahhh, sounds cooler now that I had something else to relate it too. Modifying the metal dash top would be trick.

[fisch]

Love your plans for the dash Charlie!! I had no idea the L would hit so much in the 520!

[Charlie69]

 

 

Ahhh, sounds cooler now that I had something else to relate it too. Modifying the metal dash top would be trick.

Pictures always help to visualize an idea. The all chrome bezel is beautiful but I am building this as a DD and think there would be to much glare from that much chrome in the AZ sun!

 

Love your plans for the dash Charlie!! I had no idea the L would hit so much in the 520!

The first time set this motor up in the chassis I made the mistake of looking at some 520 builds on the internet asked questions of clearance issues received no concise answers about clearances. It looked tight when I first set it up but I was optimistic that it would all fit and it will in time. It would be much easier to scrap the AC plan but I live in Phoenix and I do not enjoy sitting at a railroad crossing waiting for a train to clear the road in 110 degree heat with no AC. I could also scrap the Saturn alternator mod also but I have already had it rebuilt and I have the AC and most important of all I am not known for doing things the "easy way".

Thank you Ryan & Scott for the positive input. Well back at it I have a long hot summer of mods coming my way.

I will be modding the radiator support frame first. First to make more room for the electric fan and second to fit the 1980 720 condenser core for the AC.

When I finish this it will be time to cut the firewall & floor out of the cab, then mount cab on original 521 rubber mounts which are a little different than the 520 mounts.

[mklotz70]

That should look pretty sweet!

 

There's tons of info online to do your own casting. Old aluminum rims make for cheap casting metal :)

[Charlie69]

That should look pretty sweet!

 

There's tons of info online to do your own casting. Old aluminum rims make for cheap casting metal :)

Thanks Mike, I will start searching for info.

[ppeters914]

This book was recommended to me (I want to make some small rubber parts):

 

How to Cast Small Metal and Rubber Parts

[Charlie69]

Hey thank you ppeters914 for the book link.

 

Also when I pull oil pan I will stage them together and get a better picture of the different placement of the sumps, you are not the only person that can not tell the difference in the 521 & 620 oil pans. I am not good with a camera, but I have a friend that is. Also the 1980 720 2wd is the same chassis as the 1978 & 1979 620 2wd disk brake chassis so this makes the 1980 720 2wd oil pans the same also.

[hacked521]

hey charlie, any updates?

[Charlie69]

Working on putting the disk brake on the front. Bought all the parts and they were all wrong so I am waiting on an order from Rock Auto to come in on the 22nd.

 

Been modding a 1978 620 brake booster and a 1987 300ZX master cylinder to work on it. Soon as I finish the front disk brakes. I will be comparing a 1980 720 rear end to my 520 rear, end if the 720 is not to long and will bolt in I will use the complete rear end. If not I will pull the third member from the 720 and swap into my 520 rear end to give me 3.889 gearing for the automatic trans.

 

Which ever rearend I end up using it will get a complete drum brake job done. When it is time to replace these new drum brakes on the rear I will do rear disk brakes.

 

As soon as I get my garage cleaned up & organized I will take some pictures and do some write ups for this thread. I have modded in a 1986 Honda prelude radiator until I can afford a custom built aluminum radiator. As soon as I get the welding done on the radiator mod I wil be re doing the firewall & trans tunnel to get the cab mounted back to stock height off of the frame.

 

Also will be changing out the bed with one with less damage.

[Charlie69]

Front Disk Brakes with Vented Rotors are now installed.

 

Left Front

 

 

Right Front

 

 

Stock 14” Wheel on the front Disk Brakes. A huge thank you to Mike Klotz for designing such a great bracket and the spindle sleeves so I could use the standard 720 inner & outer wheel bearings. This was an incredible easy upgrade.

 

 

List of parts used for the disk brake upgrade.

 

1. The Mike Klotz Disk Brake Kit. The best kit money can buy! Priceless!

 

 

2. 1980 720 hubs & bearings. Keep your original bearing nuts & washers, the 1980-1985 nuts & washers are smaller. Off of a 1980 720 parts truck that I bought to part out free as I made money off of the parts. Doing this has helped me keep this build going while being unemployed.

 

3. 1985 720 2 WD loaded calipers. (Wrecking yard $20)

 

4. 1985 720 2 WD rotors (O'reilly Auto Parts Free $33.90)

 

5. 1985 720 2 WD left & right hydraulic brake hoses (Rock Auto clearance $14.81)

 

No problems finding wheel bearings for me.

 

I also used a 50 amp 720 internally regulated alternator for now. I still had to grind the top of my pitman arm a little for clearance.

 

I picked up a homemade AC compressor bracket off of a 1977 620 that I am using as a starting point for a custom bracket.

 

I will post pictures of the alternator & AC bracket later.

 

I also modded a 1986 Honda Prelude Radiator in but I have concerns of it cooling my L20B properly. I will be designing & installing a custom aluminum radiator in the near future.

 

Next will be rear end gear ratio change & rear drum brakes rebuild. Original plans were to do rear disk brakes but until I get a job these are going to wait.

[Pacific coast Datsun]

Keep goin Charlie she's looking good !

[Charlie69]

Than you PCD.

[mklotz70]

Thanks Charlie :)

 

Great work!!!!