620 body swap or engine tranny swap??....hmmmm??

[sprocket_jim]

Hello everyone. I have a great running '78 kc with 280z 5speed. Over the last few months I have been tackling body work but still have lots to go. This weekend, '77 kc deluxe popped up on Craigs. It has a tired motor with blown head gasket and is an automatic. The body is solid and "wow", nothing rotted through. It is now sitting in my driveway :)

 

My thought before picking it up was to drop my "78 motor and tranny into it. After much reading about disc brakes, yaddy yadda, I was looking at both trucks tonight and thought I would pose the question. Put the '77 body the the '78 frame or do the motor swap from the '78 to '77?

 

Of course, the disc brakes on the '78 are appealing but I suppose the same could be achieved with a disc brake conversion on the '77. The only advantage I could see may be trying to retain matching numbers but is that really a factor with these trucks?

 

Thought I would through it out there for some opinions What would you guys do in this situation? Thanks!!

[Z chopper]

pics of both trucks?

 

I was about to say welcome to Ratsun but with a join date of May 25, 2008 you ain't a new member, what the hell welcome to Ratsun

[ggzilla]

You could go either way on that. Tough choice!

[sprocket_jim]

Working on getting the pics to work. Let's try this...'77 as she sits:

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/108943224023582691847/DATSUN#5753382668891040562

[sprocket_jim]

Actually that was a slight PhotoShop mod for the stance. Here's how it sits:

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/108943224023582691847/DATSUN#5753375702102871954

 

Anyone using Picasaweb to post pics....doesn't seem to have the IMG link as described from the forum sticky.

[Z chopper]

maybe try photobucket as even fllowing your link no pics show up

[Laecaon]

You are right about the IMG tags. But you dont need them. Right click on the photo, copy picture location. Then in the text field here, click the icon that looks like a picture, and paste there.

[sprocket_jim]

PhotoBucket may be better...

 

 

[sprocket_jim]

For the life of, I cannot find the directory with my '78. Must be on an external backup drive at my office. I'll check tomorrow. For now, here is some body patchwork I did on the cab last weekend :)

 

[ggzilla]

I would keep the 620 that's not all drooped down on the springs ... haha

[sprocket_jim]

Nah...that lowered one is just photoshop'd

[Z chopper]

why not fix both??

[Willdatsun]

i'd give my left nad for that white one, you are jammy finding stuff like that.

[ggzilla]

Datsunitus strikes again ...

[sprocket_jim]

OK...found the pics of my '78

 

As I bought it:

 

 

Steel wheel swap:

 

 

Minus hubcaps:

 

 

As it was sitting before teardown of body (lowered by 2" blocks in rear, torsion adjustment front):

 

 

A couple more of the '77:

(right sidemarker not in picture but it is there now)

 

 

The '78 photos well but rust in rockers, foorboards, cab rear (where I just patched). Dents on top of cab and A-pillars.

 

Hope this helps. I will try getting some better pictures of the '77 tonight after work. I just picked it up last night and it was already getting dark.

[sprocket_jim]

why not fix both??

 

Maybe....or sell one...you know, pressure from the wife :)

[sprocket_jim]

Datsunitus strikes again ...

 

It seems to be a long standing *__itus with anything I get my hands on. MGBs, had a couple of those at one time. Still have one. VW bugs...had five of those once. Onto Datsuns :) But I digress. Chopper has me thinking about keeping both. Almost a shame to molest the '77 but I am not talking serious mods. I've always liked the stock look with a slightly modified stance that doesn't require torching and welding (just in case I want to bring it back to stock). It must be a carry over from the VW days. I would do the same thing but that required cutting and turning the front beam. Seriously though, don't think I want to manage two projects.

 

Either way...looks like once I get a plan together, I will either be selling or buying parts :)

[banzai510(hainz)]

Body swaps are hard esp when nobodys helping ya.

Engine pulls are doable.

[sprocket_jim]

Body swaps are hard esp when nobodys helping ya.

Engine pulls are doable.

 

Just 6 bolts, some wiring, linkage and hoses! Seriously though....I would have some extra muscle for the lift. Mechanical knowledge and rigging well above average. For the record though, I did do a complete body lift and change over on a VW bug (see previous addiction) by myself. OK...I constructed an A-frame with a 4x12 crossmember and a winch to help out a bit.

[Rhapakatui]

A body swap on those shouldn't be too difficult with equipment for lifting. I've removed a few cabs at this point and put them back on. Should be the same as doing that twice.

 

Chain hoist in a tree or tractor with a front end loader helps tons.

[Z chopper]

go full out on one and restore the other. The white one seems to be in better shape it should be easier to have it drivable sooner and use it as a parts runner while building the red 620 then if you have kids at the driving age they drive the white truck.

[sprocket_jim]

Snapped a few misc pics of the '77 tonight. Needs a bath but some good things hidden in there like the perfect headliner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All emblems, all the way around...faded but there.

 

 

And some added features...

[Z chopper]

the white truck looks too good to alter imho

[sprocket_jim]

the white truck looks too good to alter imho

 

Agreed. I did come up with a plan though. The white one will get a thorough bath. I'm going to go ahead and drop my running motor and tranny into it from the red one (in the process doing an auto to manual swap) to get it back on the road. The red one...we'll see what's left of it once I mine the parts from it. If I have the room for two projects, I'll continue to pick away at it. If not, I'll start parting it out. Though the body is rough, it is nothing compared to some of the sagging, rusted out bodies that I see out there. At the very least, I'll strip it down to the frame and rebuild that. Maybe at some point down the road, assuming I no longer have the shell, I'll set the white one onto the refurbished frame.

[sprocket_jim]

Things are off to a slow start but I got started picking away at a few things this weekend on the white one. I was able to run some tests on the motor sitting in it. No dead cylinders. May indeed just be a head gasket. I am picking up my engine hoist from storage this weekend and plan to go ahead and swap in the motor and tranny from my red one. I'll tear the motor from the white apart at a later date. Just want to get it running. I also want to swap it from the an auto to manual in the process. I picked up some pedals and a clutch master cylinder from d-510 this weekend so I won't be rape and pillaging my red one so much. I think somewhere in my mind, I'm going to continue pick away at the red project :)

 

Started with some typical things like addressing the floor board surface rust.

 

Before:

 

During:

 

After:

 

Trying to decide if I want to run my old school slot beans.

 

Steels:

 

Slots:

 

Also, I started polishing the body here and there. If it weren't for the here and there dings in the bed and fenders, the original paint is buffing out quite well. Which brings me to a paint code question. In the engine compartment it says paint code "037". The closest thing I've found in the chip charts and what people have described in some posts is "637" which is eggshell white. The truck is definately not pure white and wondered if anyone else has been down this road. I suspect eventually, I'll want to reshoot the entire truck but in the more immediate, I would like to shoot the inside cab as close to possible without just painting it black, gloss white or bedliner.

 

Any ideas? Thanks.