waynos 521 work truck

[wayno]

This is my 1971 datsun 521 work truck. I put a new engine in it the other day, actually a low mileage block with a fresh W53 head with a RV cam.

I had a W53 head with 260Z valves on a L20b in the 521 about 10 years now, and it was wore out, when I pulled the head off the block this is what I found. There was major build on the valves, a lot on the intakes, one of the intakes is so built up that had to have higher compression, the valve is flat where it is supposed to be concaved.

 

 

and this is the block, there is a lot of build up on the pistons also, i think that some of the material built up on things has let loose and beat the shit out of the pistons in a few places. I have been pulling a trailer for years with this truck, and hauling heavy loads on a daily basis. Basicly I am floored a lot of the time, going up any incline no matter how steep, in a big head wind, even in 3rd, 4th, and 5th when getting on the freeway till up to speed. 10 years of it, but it didn't break. The head gasket was perfect, brand new looking, it almost looks unused???

[wayno]

I forgot the block Oics.:lol:

[Hyphy]

damn thats got more crust than an orignal pan pizza!!

[Ken_B]

Love this thing, Im also diggin on that silver 720kc with the stripes and rollbar, any pics of that?

[Rob W.]

 

I had a W53 head with 260Z valves on a L20b in the 521 about 10 years now, and it was wore out,...10 years of it, but it didn't break. The head gasket was perfect, brand new looking, it almost looks unused???

 

Just out of curiosity what was it doing that made you realize it was "wore out" if it never broke??

 

Any way nice lookin trucks, I like it when they still look like they can work.

[68Datsun510]

Jeebus do you run ARCO regular in that thing??? Techron for these older engines!!! :P

[wayno]

Just out of curiosity what was it doing that made you realize it was "wore out" if it never broke??

 

Any way nice lookin trucks, I like it when they still look like they can work.

 

Well, that is a good question, I would say the biggest reason that I thought it was wore out was when I filled it with gas and oil, I wasn't sure which it would run out of first, it would burn all 5 quarts in less than a week, of coarse it did mark its territory also, but not 5 quarts worth. The clutch was slipping also, so I thought I would do everything at once. It seems to run good now except it idles a little rough, I am also wondering about the SUs, there not even close to being ajusted the same, I bought them new from nissan back in the late 90s, but I guess 10+ years of daily driving has taken its toll, there still servicable, barely. wayno

[Rob W.]

That's a pretty good indication.

 

I know on the bikes with multiple carbs we used to balance them to get them to smooth out. A good cleaning and a balance should get them working nicely I'm sure.

[wayno]

Jeebus do you run ARCO regular in that thing??? Techron for these older engines!!! :P

I don't run arco crap at all, mostly I run 76 fuel, and if I have no choice i'll buy shell. I used to buy chevron, but the card wouldn't work one day, I called and asked why, I did not like there answer, so I took my $400 to $500 business gas bill a month elsewhere and have not been back for several years. wayno

[Roger]

I can just see two or three yards of fine hardwood mulch on that flat bed.

[wayno]

Love this thing, Im also diggin on that silver 720kc with the stripes and rollbar, any pics of that?

 

Both the silver trucks were sold last year, both were SD22 diesels, both gutless wonders, thats why the engines last forever, the other solid silver one had over 350,000 on it and it ran great. BTW, the rollbar was just sitting in there. Here are some Oics. of it, we'll do some living in the past.

 

[wayno]

I have come to the conclusion that super valves do make a differance, even wore out, the old engine with the 260Z valves in the W53 head had more power than the same size block with a W53 head with stock valves and a mild cam. I guess I am on the hunt for a Z22 short block to put the super head on after it is rebuilt.

[]2eDeYe]

Nice flatbed :cool:

[skooby_doo]

I dig the truck man! Nice, clean, and simple!

[sick620]

nice flatbed mang :cool: .... Im also diggin the silver KC :cool: ....

[banzai510(hainz)]

Is your head matchported to the Su Manifold? 1.5 inch?

 

Every now and then I pour water in to the carb to clean the valves/pistons out. Steam cleaning.

[Roger]

Nice truck Wayne. I hear that you can use automatic transmission fluid instead of water to clean out the head. Put the fluid in a bottle and then place a thin tube connected to the intake or lower part of the carb so it siphons it out and into the engine. Just hold the bottle and rev the throttle. Gunk and crud should exit the tailpipe like Elvis exiting the building.

[wayno]

Is your head matchported to the Su Manifold? 1.5 inch?

 

Every now and then I pour water in to the carb to clean the valves/pistons out. Steam cleaning.

Yes, both my W53 heads are ported to match the SU intake manifold. wayno

[dat521gatherer]

Nice truck Wayne. I spy A pic of it with original paint behind the 720. C'mon now you know the rules, engine bay pic or ban. :P I too have a w53 but on my l16. 2 of the valve seats are sinking bad like the Titanic. Have you had any trouble with the valve seats on your w53's.

[wayno]

Nice truck Wayne. I spy A pic of it with original paint behind the 720. C'mon now you know the rules, engine bay pic or ban. :P I too have a w53 but on my l16. 2 of the valve seats are sinking bad like the Titanic. Have you had any trouble with the valve seats on your w53's.

Yea, that is an issue. I have had hardened seats put in both heads, the first time it happened the head lasted less than a year, I talked to the machine shop about it, they said they were not told to put hardened seats in by who ever sold them the 260Z valves that were put into the head. So now I have it done to every head, it's because of the unleaded gas, and I suppose some of it is were my foot is on the pedal, buried most the time it seems according to the machinist. Here are some Oics. of the engine compartment and steering setup, it has 620 front disc brakes from the torsion bar connection to the upper ball joint, the upper A frame is lenghtened 720 arms and then reversed, right side on the left, left side on the right, this is a simplified explanation, there is a lot more to it. As you can see in the photos:lol:, I have power steering also, I used a 720 tilt steering column and power steering gear and wired it into the 521 wiring harness, so the headlights, wipers, and turn signals are all on the column. After the stock steering column/gear was removed I put a 521 idler arm that normally is on the pass. side in it's place, so now I had a complete steering system with no way to turn the wheels, I had a new center link made up with a tierod connection put into it as far to the pass. side as possible. Then I mounted the 720 steering gear as far forward as possible on the frame and used the replaced center link with the existing tie rods to make the steering control connection as you can see in one of the photos below. I used a pathfinder/hardbody power steering pump and mounted it in the airconditioning(1980 720 L20b block) mount holes on the drivers side of the engine, I used a hardbody reservoir. There is a lot more to this also, this is a simplified version to give you an idea of what I had to use to get here, there are a few modifacations to make this work also, I have had this setup for several years now and it has been threw all of the abuse I could dish out and only scared me a couple times before I was able to dial everything in, I also know how to do the power brakes also, just have not done it to this vehicle yet, there is a photo below to show how I will do it, as I put a power brake booster in the 1969 datsun kingcab project of mine.

 

[thisismatt]

What is the booster from?

[wayno]

What is the booster from?

 

I am not sure anymore, I think the actual booster is from a early ford courier, the pedestal it is on is from a 720 I beleave, what year is unknown, I just go to the wrecking yard and find the one I need. The pedestal is actually upside down from stock, I needed the extra metal sticking out towards the clutch master, as I mounted the clutch master to the pedestal base also. wayno

[dat521gatherer]

:blink: :blink: WOW!!

[wayno]

I put the LZ23 I talked about together and installed it in my truck, here is the link.

http://community.rat...13-waynos-lz22/

Here is what I did today, I have been having problems with the truck charging again, as the ing. light has been on for over a year, but it was charging till lately, when the light is on all the time how can you tell when it is not charging? So I had a console and gauges out of a earlyish 80s datsun/nissan 720 truck, with the block oil senser with the two wires, one wire goes to the idiot light(ign.), and the other goes to the oil gauge, and the volt gauge I just wired into the fuse block, for some reason I was unable to get the gauge lights to work.:D I put it all together and started it up and everything worked. :D I am amazed how much oil pressure I have, I beleave I am running a Z24 oil pump, is that why I have over 50 psi even at an idle?

So, as I said earlier in the post I was having charging issues, I decided I've had enough, so I called Uncle Laulau to see if he was home, he was, cause I knew he had an internally reg. alt in his truck, so I drove over there and took a look, it was a early nissan 720 alt., so I copied he jumpers on the voltage regulator plug, and later went home and put my 1980 720 alt. on my truck and now it works perfect. Even though the light has been on for over a year, it was charging anyway, now the freaking light is off and it is charging. While I was over at his house I crawled under that truck of his and looked at the transmission, and looked at his clutch slave, I think I know what tranny it is, and we hope the clutch slipping issue is fixed. wayno

[wayno]

Looks like my 5 speed transmission is going away on me, 1st and 2nd make a bad u-joint sound, it only makes the sound under acceleration them two gears, I emptied the gear lube, except for the normal very fine shavings on the magnet the oil looked fine. I originally thought it was a driveline u-joint, but I pulled it and everything looked and felt fine, so I greased them and re-installed it, put new gearlube in the tranny and drove it a block, no change. :( The thing that baffles me is that it makes no weird sounds in neutral, clutch in or out while running, only under load in 1st and 2nd when just starting out. I am a bit worried, I am having a wisdom tooth pulled in the morning, and am unsure about how I will feel about changing a tranny this weekend, I already have the replacement waiting, but that tooth has been there for over 30 years, I just don't see it coming out easily.