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My Ratsun Datsun 521, now with L-20-B and a five speed


DanielC

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CRAP!!!!!!!

CRAPedit_zpsrs813qxa.jpg

 

Small lens crack

ParkLight_zpsihgkb9zg.jpg

Parts removed.

PartsRemovededit_zpssr30adhf.jpg

Removed parts.

RemovedParts_zpsgzaccspf.jpg

 

Washed.

FrontWashededit_zpsykf2il2j.jpg

 

The radiator was also got a hole in it.  No hood damage, no bumper damage.  Driver from car I hit said "Do not worry about it.   I stopped really suddenly.  No damage in my car."

 

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I am not sure if I need to do any major pulls on it, yet.  The sheet metal piece that holds the parking lamps took most. if not all the damage from impact.  I am not sure yet if the radiator support got any damage.  The fan I had on the engine has blades that are bent forward at the tip. and the blades barely touched one of the radiator tubes, causing that leak.  I am trying an experiment with heating the plastic fan blades up with a heat gun, and seeing if I can remove the bend out of them.

 

When I was putting Ratsun together, before it was on the road, I used stainless steel screws I got at Oregon bolt.  You can probably find good stainless screws at other businesses that specialize in bolts.   Possibly because of the stainless bolts and screws, everything just easily came apart. 

Generic hardware store bolts sometimes can be of low quality.  If you go this route, get good bolts.  A very quick metallurgy lesson.  Carbon in a steel alloy makes steel strong.  Carbon also makes steel rust.  One way to make stainless steel is to remove carbon, and then you can make steel not rust with less of other expensive elements, and make cheap non rusting stainless steel, that has less strength.

 

Speaking of bolts, I put the screws from parts I removed in bags, and labelled them. 

BaggedScrews_zpstazsh9iz.jpg

On larger parts, I put the bolts back in the part, where they came from.

ShroudBolts_zpsu3m71lsk.jpg

 

I have a spare radiator, at least until I use it in another 521.  I was not sure if it had a leak.  This is a simple way to test pressure test a radiator.

PressureTest1_zpsjs0sth0f.jpg

I do have a cooling system pressure checker.  That is how I pressurize the radiator.  The radiator is filled with water.

PressureTest2_zpslnxfaqmr.jpg

 

I am straightening the cooling fins on this radiator.  I just use a small screwdriver, and go down the rows, and gently move the fins back into position.  With most radiators, you have to decide this is good enough, because you could do this forever.

FinStraighten_zpsll7thfre.jpg

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Bolted the fan shroud on the radiator that was pressure tested.  I also picked through the fins on this radiator, and straightened them.  the fan shroud is held to the radiator with 1/4-28 bolts, nuts, and washers.

RadampShroudFeb2016_zpslyx0ob2h.jpg

I used a heat gun on the fan blades, and pushed them back toward the engine.  Sorry, no picture.

 

Then I installed the radiator.  It uses 5/16-24 bolts, flat and lock washers.

RadBolts_zpsx9q2ozws.jpg

 

The lower radiator hose has a longer end. this end goes to the water pump inlet on the engine.  Shorter end on the radiator lower connection.

LowRadHose_zpspesnq90c.jpg

 

I like to use two hose clamps on each hose connection.

LowRadClamps_zpsgou6csp1.jpg

 

Upper hose connection, lower radiator hose.

LowRadClamps2_zpsy7srlnam.jpg

 

UpRadHose_zpsbkudigfj.jpg

 

I then filled the radiator and engine with coolant, and reinstalled my catch can.

CatchCan_zpsr1em117s.jpg

 

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I am not sure if I need to do any major pulls on it, yet.  The sheet metal piece that holds the parking lamps took most. if not all the damage from impact.  I am not sure yet if the radiator support got any damage.  The fan I had on the engine has blades that are bent forward at the tip. and the blades barely touched one of the radiator tubes, causing that leak.  I am trying an experiment with heating the plastic fan blades up with a heat gun, and seeing if I can remove the bend out of them.

 

When I was putting Ratsun together, before it was on the road, I used stainless steel screws I got at Oregon bolt.  You can probably find good stainless screws at other businesses that specialize in bolts.   Possibly because of the stainless bolts and screws, everything just easily came apart. 

Generic hardware store bolts sometimes can be of low quality.  If you go this route, get good bolts.  A very quick metallurgy lesson.  Carbon in a steel alloy makes steel strong.  Carbon also makes steel rust.  One way to make stainless steel is to remove carbon, and then you can make steel not rust with less of other expensive elements, and make cheap non rusting stainless steel, that has less strength.

 

Speaking of bolts, I put the screws from parts I removed in bags, and labelled them. 

BaggedScrews_zpstazsh9iz.jpg

On larger parts, I put the bolts back in the part, where they came from.

ShroudBolts_zpsu3m71lsk.jpg

 

I have a spare radiator, at least until I use it in another 521.  I was not sure if it had a leak.  This is a simple way to test pressure test a radiator.

PressureTest1_zpsjs0sth0f.jpg

I do have a cooling system pressure checker.  That is how I pressurize the radiator.  The radiator is filled with water.

PressureTest2_zpslnxfaqmr.jpg

 

I am straightening the cooling fins on this radiator.  I just use a small screwdriver, and go down the rows, and gently move the fins back into position.  With most radiators, you have to decide this is good enough, because you could do this forever.

FinStraighten_zpsll7thfre.jpg

Man, I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who straighten radiator fins. My wife says I'm crazy overtime she sees me do it. Gotta keep em clean and flowing!!

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  • 4 months later...

Time flies.   Good news, I have a part time job, enough time for extra income, but still enough free time to do other stuff.  Ratsun has been running well, I am just adding gas to it about every 225 miles or so, and recently changed the oil, and filter.  Need to adjust the brakes, and do some other preventive maintenance. 

However, the drivers side of the seat was getting lower, and lower.

This is the right side of the seat.

RatSeatRt_zpsuvzc1nuq.jpg

 

This is the left side of the seat.

RatSeatLf_zpsjbw18w4z.jpg

 

This is with just a little pressure on the seat.

RatSeatLf2_zpsjb2a6mcj.jpg

 

Enough of that, the seat came out,

SeatWrench_zpsapqpavus.jpg

 

This is the nuts, and washers for one side of the seat.  5/16-24 nuts.

SeatNutsampWash_zpsbd6fuo4l.jpg

 

I pulled this seat out of Dragon, another 521 I have, that runs, stops, but is missing a door, a dashboard, and is a project truck.

DragonSeat_zpsod1dklt4.jpg

 

This is the seat that was in Dragon Two, a third 521 I have.

DragonTwoSeat_zpsbvlmhzjp.jpg

 

And this seat, I picked up at Pick-n-Pull, last February, when I got a bunch of other Datsun parts off a 521 they had. 

PnPSeat_zps7fknf0rx.jpg

 

This is Ratsun's seat, after having the springs repaired.  I took the seat, and the other above to TMG upholstery.  Todd did a really nice job.  You can find his contact information in the 2015 Canby truck thread.

RatsunSeatRepaired_zpssltdpskb.jpg

 

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  • 4 months later...

A little bit of bad news.  On the way home last week, the engine of Ratsun noticeably lost some power, and also had a slight miss at lower RPM.  Not an ignition miss, dropping a cylinder, but definitely it was to running smooth.   I did a compression test, #1 60 PSI, #2 120 PSI, #3 120 PSI, #4 150 PSI.

According to the factory service manual, 159 PSI is the minimum compression, with less than 10% difference.

I pulled the valve cover off, and checked a few valve clearances, but the last time I set the valves, I had used up the whole adjustment on some of the valves.  Several valves were too tight.   The engine also has a bad oil leak, probably a bad front crank shaft seal.   Time to pull the engine.

 

In 2014, I did some work on the engine that came in another 521 I bought, this truck.

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/52124-my-dragon-2-datsun-521/

The engine for that truck was put together, compression tested, and ran briefly by putting a little gas down the carb, but not really test ran.  I decided to put that engine into Ratsun.  This engine.

DragonTwoEngine_zpsqxlqfyyi.jpg

 

Yesterday, I took the L-16 out of Ratsun, and put the engine that came out of that truck in Ratsun.  Last night, I stopped working with that engine bolted in, but nothing else hooked up.

 

That engine in Ratsun

RatBattOut_zpspmdjibw3.jpg

 

Ratsun's engine on a stand, ready to do some work done to it.

RatEngineInDragonBed_zpsh728l4sn.jpg

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I would have adjusted the valves again Daniel, until they could not be done anymore, I have even went so far as to grind the nut down to give me more adjustment.

That is caused by the valves sinking into the head, you heed hardened valve seats with the gas they sell today, brass seats don't cut it anymore.

You should have the truck on the road today.  :thumbup:

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The valve adjustment was already used up, I knew that from the last time I adjusted the valves.   

I hope to have one of my other 521 trucks on the road by February, that is when the registration on Ratsun is due.  

Unfortunately, at least for being able to work on Datsuns, I have to work this afternoon, and tomorrow during the day. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Last time I posted, I had the engine that was in Ratsun out, and the engine that is eventually going into Dragon Two sitting in Ratsun.  If you are not familiar with this thread, I have a few 521 trucks in various states of repair, and or running, and one that is running, registered, and a daily driver.   There is Ratsun, the main subject of this thread.  It is the daily driver, for now. 

Dragon, is another 521, it is running, but missing a lot of parts I have to be put on it, after painting, it is not registered, but I can drive it on my horse ranch, at least when it is not muddy.

This is Dragon's thread.  http://community.ratsun.net/topic/49698-my-dragon-datsun-521/

This is the thread for Dragon Two.   http://community.ratsun.net/topic/52124-my-dragon-2-datsun-521/

 

Because of the engine problems with Ratsun, I decided to put the engine for Dragon Two in Ratsun.  I planned on doing this sometime, to test the engine, and when it was ready, move that engine back into Dragon Two.

 

But I plan on getting Dragon on the road first.

 

Back to Ratsun.  Last week, I had Dragon Two engine set in Ratsun, and hooked up enough stuff to try to run it.   It would fire briefly, but not run.  I found out the accelerator pump on the carb I had put on that engine was not pumping.  This was a new looking 521 carb I had pulled from Pick and Pull, off a 620 truck.  I knew it was a 521 carb, because it had a manual choke, no 620 USA trucks had a manual choke.  I pulled the carburetor off Ratsun's engine, put it on Dragon Two's engine, and the engine ran.   This was just a brief test run, no radiator, or alternator.   On with hooking things up.  L-16 engines use a stamped steel lower alternator bracket.  L-18 engines use a cast steel lower alternator bracket.  I also found out some L-18 engine use M8-1.25 bolts to hold that bracket to the block, and other L-18 engines use M10-1.5 bolts to hold the alternator bracket to the block.  the cat alternator brackets look the same, but have different sized holes for the block bolts.  When I was putting the alternator on the engine. the front bolt on the lower alternator bracket stripped the threads out of the bracket.  No problem, I thought, I got a another cast alternator bracket, and found the bolts for the L-18 block would not go through the bracket.  Then I dug out my M8-1.25 Helicoil kit, and repaired the L-18 alternator bracket, and moved on with putting things together.  The next problem, i found a crack in the down pipe off the exhaust manifold, and I welded that up.  Finally, put the radiator in the truck, and since everything is old, I pressure test cooling systems before putting antifreeze in them.  I found a leak in the front cover to block area.  there was also a broken bolt there.  I removed radiator, distributor, oil pump, and drive, alternator, drained the oil, and dropped the oil front of the oil pan, and finally the front cover.  I also found I had not put gaskets there.  I think my thought was to close up the engine, and put gaskets in later.  Later was now.  the broken bolt came out with no problem.  I put everything back together, and another pressure test.  Found a leak on the upper radiator hose to thermostat cover connection.  i tried two different hoses, it still leaked, and then went back into spare parts collection, and found a thermostat cover with a lot less corrosion on the hose sealing surface.  I put the old coolant from Ratsun in the engine, and went for a short test drive.  The clutch needed the free play adjusted, and the valves were making noise.  I need to do a valve adjustment.  That was last Thursday.   I worked Friday, through Monday, although I was able to adjust the clutch free play on Friday morning.

 

This morning, I pulled the cam cover off the engine.  I re-torqued the cylinder head bolts, each bolt went about a 1/4 turn more that it was before it broke loose.  Then reset the valves, and some other small things.  Put the hood back on the truck, and one of the hood bolts is stripped out. 

 

Then I took Ratsun to the grocery store, and back.  this engine has a lot more power that the L-16 (with low compression) had.   

And now I am up to date.

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Another drive with Ratsun, and the engine planned for Dragon Two.  The engine is burning a little oil, blue smoke, when accelerating as it is getting warm, it seems to smoke less after that.  The engine seems a little quieter, less valve train noise.  I did about two 10 mile trips yesterday, and rechecked the oil and coolant this morning.  The oil looks clean, but it seems to be losing a bit of coolant, or there might have been an air bubble in the cooling system.  I need to keep watching the coolant level.  The temp gauge is reading a littler lower, I am thinking of getting a slightly hotter Nissan thermostat, we are approaching winter, and I would rather have the heat from a warmer engine.

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On November 14, I took Ratsun to work, about 4 miles, on a trip into Beaverton, to my dentist, 20 miles, and the first time on a freeway, back to work and home after that.   The next day, another 19 mile trip into Oregon city, to pay property taxes.  The coolant level seems to be staying OK.

But the engine still blows blue smoke when accelerating after coasting.   Other than that, the engine seems to run strong.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The engine that was in Ratsun had been taken partially apart, and I did take number one intake valve out of the head.  The head is a 210 head, nothing special, and still has the brass intake valve seats.

I also checked the compression on the engine currently in Ratsun, the engine I have planned to put into Dragon Two, and it is OK for now, but I probably will do more work to that engine.  Compression results, #1, 155  #2, 171  #3, 130  #4, 150.   It also does blow blue smoke when I accelerate after a closed throttle slowing down.

 

But even so, I still got another load of hay, 20 bales yesterday.  There are a few hills between the place I buy hay, and my place, before, with the engine that was in Ratsun, I had to down shift into third gear, and now Ratsun can make it over those hills with out down shifting into third, providing traffic does not slow me down.

 

This is the link to Dragon Two:

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/52124-my-dragon-2-datsun-521/

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 year later...

This is a L-20-B engine I got out of a 1980 720 pickup, with air conditioning, the engine on the right.
L-20-BInRatsunBed.JPG
 
It was sitting here.
L20WasHere.JPG
 
It is now here.
L20InRat.JPG
 

 

Here are some of the details of what I did to swap a 1980 L-20-b engine from a 720 truck, with air conditioning in to a 1970 521 truck.  Unfortunately, the engine I got already had the distributor, and carburetor removed. 
The first thing is I used this to pressure wash the engine compartment.
PressureWasher.JPG
Before pressure washing.
RatB4Wash.JPG
After pressure washing
RatAfterWash.JPG
Then I drove Ratsun into the garage,and dried it off a little.
RatDrying.JPG

Then I removed the hood. It was already missing a bolt, one of the bolt holes is almost stripped out, and cannot be tightened a lot.
Hood1.JPG
Get some plastic bags, and use then to store the bolts.  Label what the bolts are used for.  On some stuff, you can put the bolts back in the holes they cane out of.
Hood2.JPG
 
I removed the hood support rod and spring.  You unhook the end of the spring off the rod, then slide the rod out of the bracket, and spring.  That frees the spring from the bracket.  i then used a tie down strap to hold the hood open.  If you look at the bottom of the hood, or back of the hood, you can see some old socks to keep the hood off the cowl.  Then you can unbolt the hood, and rest the corner of the hood on the sock until all four bolts are removed.
Hood3.JPG
 
Unhook the tie down, and remove the hood.
Hood4.JPG
 
I then removed the air cleaner, taking out the two bolts at the front of the air cleaner base.
AirCleaner2.JPG
 
Then the clamp holding the air cleaner base to the carb air horn.
AirCleaner3.JPG
 
Remove the hose for the gas tank vent.
AirCleaner4.JPG
 

I put this short cap over the carb to keep dirt out of the carb.

CarbCap.JPG

Next, I removed the battery.  Notice the negative battery cable is already off.  Negative battery cable is always off first, and on last when working on cars.  That way, you avoid shorting anything to ground with a wrench.
Battery1.JPG
 
Then I loosened the "J" bolts on the battery hold down, and put the battery in the bed of the truck.
Battery2.JPG
 
I cut an old oil bottle like this. 

CoolantDrain1.JPG

The oil bottle fits under the radiator, and catches coolant running out of the radiator drain and lets the coolant fall into a catch pan, instead of running on the frame cross member, and all over the floor.

CoolantDrain2.JPG

 

CoolantDrain3.JPG

 

This was my overflow catch bottle for the radiator.  if got dumped into the coolant catch basin.

CoolantDrain4.JPG

 

The starter got removed, and then I drained the remaining coolant out of the engine block.

CoolantDrain5.JPG

 

 

 

I stopped editing here.



I have been doing work on Ratsun.  Not a lot of time for details,
With the radiator in, not enough room.
FanClose2.JPG

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I am doing some editing on my posts on this thread.

This is how I move engines around. The boom is on a three point hitch on an old Ford 8N tractor. I have actually used this set up to move a Ford 390 FE engine.

L18Out1.JPG

I used a cable puller to lift the L18 engine out of Ratsun in the garage. Then, I pushed Ratsun out of the garage.

RatEngineOut.JPG

This is the L-20-B, I am just starting to pick it up. 

L20Hung1.JPG

 

I put a chain around the torsion bars, and under the transmission to hold it up without an engine.

TransChain.JPG

When puling an engine, I have found the steering tie rod hits the oil pan.

TieRod1.JPG

 

If you remove these two bolts, the steering idler arm drops down, and the steering tie rod with it.  then the engine oil pan no longer hits it.

TieRod2.JPG

 

This block of wood, with a hole in it is used to lift the transmission.  The oil drain plug goes in the hole.

TransBlock.JPG

The L-20-B engine in Ratsun.

L20InRat.JPG

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I needed to get some hoses for the L-20-B engine install in Ratsun.   Friday June 8, I went to Clackamas auto parts in Oregon City, and got some.   I needed to connect the crankcase PCV pipe to the PCV valve, and the pipe on the bottom of the thermostat housing to the crossover pipe from the intake manifold to the water pump inlet.
PCVPipes.JPG
 
Here is where the thermostat hose goes.  Notice the temp sensor wire is also broken.
TstatHose.JPG
 
This is the hose I got to connect the thermostat housing to the crossover pipe.  It is a Gates hose, i had to cut about an inch off each end to make it fit better.
TstatHose2.JPG
That hose installed.
TstatHose3.JPG
Temp sender wire fixed.
TempSensorWire.JPG
 
I am using a stock 521 radiator, and because the L-20-b engine is taller,  The upper radiator hose for a 521 does not fit.  a 720 upper radiator hose will fit.  This is it's gates part number.
UpperRadHose1.JPG
I marked where I need to cut one end of this upper radiator hose,
UpperRadHose2.JPG
 
cut the hose with a box knife,
UpperRadHose3.JPG
 
and put the cut hose on the thermostat cover, and radiator.
UpperRadHose4.JPG
 
Then I put a little bit of air pressure on the cooling system.  I did not pump it up very high, because the cooling system is not filled with water, yet.  compresses air suddenly released can do damage.  While the cooing system was pressurized, I worked on the PCV system hose.
PressureTest.JPG
 
I took an extra L-20-B crankcase pipe, and a PCV valve to Clackamas auto parts, and found a hose that probably would fit.  It is hard to see, but the right end of this hose in the picture is bigger than the left end.  It also fits completely over the PCV Valve, hex end. 
PCVPipes4.JPG
 
This is just a test fit, my thumb holding it in place to get an idea of where to trim this hose.
PCVPipes3.JPG
 
I cut this much off the small end of the hose.
PCVPipes5.JPG
 
Then I got my bag of random hose clamps out,
HoseClamps.JPG
 
and clamped both ends of this hose.
PCVPipes6.JPG
 
The cooling system was still holding pressure after I finished the PCV hose, so I got the coolant I had drained out the engine that was in Ratsun.  i am going to run it i little while, add some radiator flush, and flush the engine soon.
Coolant1.JPG
Just a piece of tape I use to mark what is in the coolant jug.
Coolant2.JPG
When putting the coolant back into the radiator, I put a paint filter in the funnel to catch this debris.
Coolant3.JPG
 
Last thing I did that day was to raise Ratsun on the ramps you see pictured, so I could work on the exhaust connection.  When I am working on the exhaust system, I put a flange in the pipe to separate the down pipe on the engine from the rest of the exhaust system.  That makes it when pulling the engine, or the transmission.  No need to the whole exhaust system, just remove the down pipe.  When I got the L-20-B engine, I also got the down pipe off that engine.  The 720 down pipe fits the 521 almost perfectly.  I just need to make and put a flange on the down pipe and bolt it up.  I really hope it goes that easy. 

It didn't.
ExhaustDownPipe.JPG

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