My 521 build

[67 411]

ok well this is my first thread i have started on ratsun i have been reading your guys builds for a while and you guys have built some cool cars, so i wanted to get some input on my project. I bought a 71 521 about 6 months ago and Have been doing body work on it ever sence, ok my plans are.

Make a fiber glass flip up front end

Recess and smooth the firewall

Install a Rb25det and 5 speed

Lower truck

Put a new bigger rear end in (i just bought a ford 8.8)

Finish the body and paint

And a whole bunch more little crap

here is some pics

 

so here is the truck i got for only $250

her is some pics of the body wok on the front end

her is my other datsun project my 67 411 sss

well guys im open to any suggestions

[fisch]

Dude an RB25 521!!!!!! This would be epic indeed! Sounds like you are already thinking ahead, and know it will take some serious work to get it in there. But I for one can't wait to see someone do it! The torsion bars can be a pain for engine swaps sometimes, but I've never heard of anyone doing this swap, so I don't know if it will be an issue of not?

 

Are you going to make a fiberglass cast from the tilt hood in the photo. Neat!

 

Please document everything for us!

[Bob3]

 

Please document everything for us!

 

 

X-2!!

[]2eDeYe]

Nice start, keep us updated :D

[lil89ram50]

did u weld those fenders to the hood or juss bondo them on?

[67 411]

2eDeYe' date='30 April 2010 - 06:36 AM' timestamp='1272638201' post='297742']

Nice start, keep us updated

ok i will answer any questions anyone has as best as i can. no i didnt weld the fenders and hood togather its all bondo, i did it that way so i can sell it

all later. I am going to make a mold of the metal front clip out of fiberglass, then make a few adjestments to the front end maby make a bre style front valence them make a mold of the new front end. when i make the first mold i will make a step by step guide and post it on here i will add a all the materials and were i got them. most supplies will be coming from fibetrglast.comif you guys have a cool front valence pic from a 510 or i guess any car that migh look good on a 521 pos it i need some good ideas. i have some parts off the truck foresale also like the stock kangaroo windshield wiper fluid bag a bad l16 engin and a l18 alternater starter stock carb 4 speed. I have almost the whole front end done now and its primed except the verry front i will add pics soon. for paint i am going with a two tone like a competition orange (im going to have it mixed redder) on bottom and a white on top with some black wheels. I like ratsun you guys actually try and help in your posts i like that. ok hope i get alot done this next few ill try and get some pics up tomarrow.

[mklotz70]

Always love build threads....especially local ones :)

 

Did you get that rig in Damascus?

[sdsurf]

please finish this project... There are to many dead projects on this site. grand aspirations which end up dead...

 

 

ok well this is my first thread i have started on ratsun i have been reading your guys builds for a while and you guys have built some cool cars, so i wanted to get some input on my project. I bought a 71 521 about 6 months ago and Have been doing body work on it ever sence, ok my plans are.

Make a fiber glass flip up front end

Recess and smooth the firewall

Install a Rb25det and 5 speed

Lower truck

Put a new bigger rear end in (i just bought a ford 8.8)

Finish the body and paint

And a whole bunch more little crap

here is some pics

 

so here is the truck i got for only $250

her is some pics of the body wok on the front end

her is my other datsun project my 67 411 sss

well guys im open to any suggestions

[67 411]

please finish this project... There are to many dead projects on this site. grand aspirations which end up dead...

 

 

 

 

 

i cant say i will finish it by a certin time but i will get it done. I have a pic of one of the reasons why the front clip took so long.

you can see in the pic that someone has done some fiberglass work here in the past, it looks like they didnt even try and fix any rust. so im almost done now cant wait to get the mold started.

[67 411]

here is some pics of primer on the front end, man sanding this by hand takes forever i wish i could pay someone to finish lol

got the engine out finaly, i hadnt botherd before but it was starting to get in the way.

the floor boards in this think are pretty solid i got lucky.

[izzo]

did you pick this up around beaverton/hillsboro area? IIRC had a broken shifter, fuse box?

[510six]

Very cool truck , my .02 is that putting an inline six into a 510/521 is a major ordeal. I am not saying it can't be done, just that it would require a lot less effort and cutting "just" putting a turbocharged 4cyl in the truck. My 510 has an turbo inline six in it and it was done correctly and it was a huge effort and a PITA to work on sometimes, If I had it all to do over again today I would probably do a 75 280z and put a 5.3 or a 6 liter LS Chevy small block with either a rear mount turbo or a shot of nitrous. Now a rear mount 4cyl turbo would be pretty cool IMO and MUCH easier to mount.

[67 411]

hey i have some updates but no pics yet, i just got the firewall amde and it looks great. I also found out that dutchman axles will shorten the axles in the 8.8 i have and they are local.

so i am planning on doing the fiberglass work on the front end so i can get a mold made, i will post a material list as soon as i order everything. i will post pics in a few days.

 

 

 

 

[nismo dr]

very cool project

[67 411]

i never update this thing its kinda sad, so here is a few pics i have made a little progress, and i got the firewall bent up.

 

here is some of the rust issues

i cleaned off all the crap from the firewall

[67 411]

After seeing skunks floor all nice and painted, I got motivated to get mine all fixed up, pics coming sunday. Also getting ready to chop dow the 8.8 rearend I got. Looks like I will be narrowing the frame in the rear to so I can fit some fater tires back there

[Charlie69]

Please post pictures of the firewall removal & install. I am getting ready to cut mine out and do it. My firewall does not need as much additional depth as yours does. This build is coming along very well. Keep up the good work.

[67 411]

made some progress, like i said i sanded down all the rust and painted it with rustoleum. I didnt pick the color for any reason i just had this laying around.

I got the bed off, i had to use a cutoff wheel on every one of the bolt that sucked. Alos after i removed the bed i removed all the bed mounting pads that i wasnt gonna use from the frame.

I have been looking at my steering and i think the stock unit wont work without alot of modifacation so i have one from a old project that i was thinking of useing but i was hopeing to get some feedback to see if its as cool as i think lol. For the 8.8 rear end i have been looking at it and its a little wider than the datsun one but the pinion isnt centered so i thing im going to do what fo0manchu did in his 4 linked wagon build thread did, he got 2 of the short side axles, so that should work really well. ok here is a few pics.

the frame before i removed the maunts the pics are grainy sorry

after i removed the mounts

the blue tape is were im planning on cutting the frame

the floor after paint i am also going to use lizaed skin sound deadner and heatshield

 

starting blocking the door with guide coat

:D

my awsome front clip lol

the steering colum i might use my fiance hates it lol it has tilt and you unscrew the center cap and it telescopes thats awsome lol

these pics are horrible sorry guys ill take some better ones later

[67 411]

my goal is to drive this to canby in 2011 :w00t:

[mklotz70]

Sweet! I've never seen a column like that!

 

As you start to measure the 8.8....I'd love to know what it will be at it's shortest. I'm thinking about a shorter rear end for my fairlane :)

[67 411]

I will try and get all the exact measurements tomarrow. So you think I should go with the colum mike?

[mklotz70]

As cool as the column is, I think it may seem a bit big and bulky in the small truck. If you can put a smaller wheel on it...it would be cool. Usually, you can't get the wheel far enough away in the small cabin. Tough call...you'll have to put it up in place to make sure that it's not way too big or long. :)

[67 411]

The wheel might be big but its telescoping so It shouldn't have to be to close. I really don't think its that much bigger than the datsun wheel I will take some measurements tomarrow

[67 411]

So the 521 rear end is 53" from the outside of the drum to drum. The ford 8.8 is 59 1/2" from disc to disc. So if I got another shortside axle it would shorten the 8.8 to 56 1/2" which I think might be ok if I get the ofset on the wheels right.

[mklotz70]

Thanks for the measurements. To fit the rims I have under the Fairlane, I'll need a rear end that's closer to 52" Might be easier/cheaper to just get different rims :)