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Finally got a 521! *work underway 8/14*


Steve521

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I'm very new here and new to Datsun trucks in general.  I owned a '78 280z in the past and an '89 Nissan S13 Hatch but never a Datsun/Nissan truck.

 

I have to be honest, I would really love to be able to own a classic American muscle car but they are just too expensive for me and gas guzzlers so I started looking at the different '70's import trucks I could own and it needed to be one that looked nice and looked old for that classic hot rod restoration I want to do in the future.  Well, among the Chevy Luv, Isuzu, Toyota, etc. the pre '73 Datsun was a clear winner because of it's unique size, clean lines and just overall classic look.  I'm not especially fond of what they look like stock but when you customize them pretty much in any way, they just look like an old hot rod truck in a sense.  I am a husband and father of 3 kids and all my toys have been long gone for quite some time now.  Among them a '78 Ford F-150 Ranger Explorer edition short box 4x4 truck, a '71 Camaro 350 4speed car, my 240SX (S13) 5 speed hatch and more ... until now!

 

Just yesterday I found a '71 1600 521 Pickup that looks VERY much like the one in the video I'm posting below (no that's not my truck but it is VERY similar and is the same color).  Anyway, I found one fairly local and went to look at it.  It's a no rust, complete with some extra parts truck with clear title, very little damage on the body other than the windshield cracked (that's gonna hurt) and even the paint is probably gonna rub out.  It doesn't run now but looks like it's been well taken care of and just needs a new distributor and possibly some carb work along with some brake work.  I'm in the purchasing process now so I'll post some pics when I get it home.

 

I'm super excited about this truck project and I will list the things I have planned for it later as I'll have to build up the money after getting it running and licensed.  I will say this though, I'm gonna try to find some deep offset "stock from a different year or even make/model truck" and slap them on with some nice wide tires as my first modification. xD

 

Here's the video I found on youtube I mentioned above that looks almost identical to the beauty I'm bringing home soon!  :thumbup:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYveZ9-rTLk

 

 

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Portland area and yep, I'm pretty stoked it's really pretty clean, straight and complete.  I'm just dreading the idea of finding a windshield for it and how much it's gonna cost me.  I've been a professional Auto Mechanic for over 20 years so the rest of the work won't be a big deal.  I should have pics to post tomorrow as I'll be going to pay the guy for it. ;-)

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Thanks man, Hoping to get her home and running soon then I'll gladly take it to a meet/get together.  I will be holding on to it very tight since I didn't pay much for the beauty that she is.  Damn, can't wait to get some pics up to show her off. xD

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I sure hope it's not.  I've been reading that it's pretty difficult to find but any help/guidance would be appreciated.  The truck will be driveable locally with the window the way it is but wouldn't take her on the highway yet. xD

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Thank you, glad to find a group that really appreciates these trucks.  I was involved with Nico forums when I owned my 240SX but it doesn't seem to be as popular with the truck owners...lol!  I've always liked the 520 and 521 body style but after reading threads on here for several hours and knowing I've got a seriously good one coming, I'm now in love with them! xD  

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no pics talk about a failure.lol

 

welcome aboard.

 

Hahaha, I know right??  lol

 

Welcome. Home :)

 

Thanks guys, look forward to learning all I can and meeting cool people here.  I spent about 4 hours last night reading through several threads including builds.  Impressive work guys.

 

My story is a bit of a sad one but it's mine and I learned to be content as much as I can be.  Sorry, you'll find that I talk a lot. :-P  I grew up around and practically worshiped custom cars and have grown to like most years and styles but have a special place in my heart for classics.  Anyway, as I was growing up I had several really nice custom cars which really is the kind of person I was and still am.  Anyway, long story short is I made some pretty poor life and career choices and got married/had kids before I could straighten those choices out and financially, well, have had to sell everything I owned that was custom for family reasons.  I now own a beat up '92 4 door Civic and a stock (fairly poor shape cosmetically for my taste Honda Odyssey).  Now to most that might not sound like a very sad story but when you are a custom car/truck guy through and through, you really feel it when you drive a beat up stock car and have NOTHING to play with. :crying:   Anyway, I needed to be in the custom car/truck world any way I could so I turned to realistic racing games because that was ALL I could afford.  I painted and customized 100's of custom cars from anything from Midnight Club L.A for Playstation 3 to Forza 4 on XBox 360 and some know me as RaceGameNut but that was just because I couldn't own anything irl.

 

Why say all of that here??  Because I want you guys to know that I'm going crazy inside because I'm 42 and have nothing to show for it other than virtual creations and I'm sooo not made of money so this project is gonna take some time and small steps but I'm not gonna get rid of her for anything (made that mistake too many times).  I'm not in any way asking for hand outs (just not that kind of person) but just asking people to be realistic with me in price if I need to buy some parts off of you.  This truck is an amazingly good start because it is incredibly straight for the most part and very little if not no rust but she'll transform slowly and I'm just thankful to be able to even purchase, let alone customize.  At this point, the body/interior is the only given that's really going for it because I have no idea what its gonna take to get her on the road other than what the previous owner says and thats ...

 

It needs a distributor (it's out), may have fuel issues after sitting a while and has some rear brake wheel cyl. issues.  If I'm completely honest the first thing I desire to do to the truck is make her look shiny, lowered and get some nice rims/tires on her but that's how much of a custom junkie I am...lol!  Obviously, I need to focus on getting her running and safe first and if any one here helps me through that process if I need it, just want to thank you in advance.  I don't forget when someone helps me and don't take it for granted. ;-)

 

Thanks for listening ... I'll shut up now.  :sick:

 

Oh and I will post pics later today since I get to go see her after 3pm!  :w00t:

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The 1971 datsun 521 was my first datsun truck, not much left of the original truck anymore, just the cab and the bench seat.

This is what mine looks like today,

100_0146.jpg

and this is what it looked like when I bought it.

My521afterifirstboughtit.jpg

Sounds like you are excited about this project, maybe your supposedly slow project will seem like light speed to us, as we talk about working on ours a lot, but don't seem to get any actual work done most the time. rofl_zps2fd0ebc0.gif

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Hahaha Wayno, yeah we'll see how it goes I guess...can't predict the future.  I'm definitely excited though.


 


Went and paid for it today and snapped some pics with my phone while I was there.  There is one pic that shows the floor board on the driver's side and it may not look that great but it's solid with no rust.  Also the truck is oxidized but from the "rub your thumb hard on the oxidized paint" trick to see what  you get and in most places on the truck, it came out shiny.  It is an almost perfectly straight truck though and the only rust I found was some in the bed but it's not all the way through and some surface rust on the front lower valance.  I think I got a pretty good start but we'll see what has to be done mechanically.  I hope not much because my wife is counting on me to get this thing running so I can part out or sell for parts my wrecked '92 Civic.


 


Anyway, without further ado, here's the pics.  I'm gonna photoshop my idea for the custom look of the truck as soon as I can and will try to take pics of the progress I make on the 'lil gem. ;-)


 


IMG_20130702_164934_272_zpsf9be153f.jpg


 


IMG_20130702_165215_500_zps24583162.jpg


 


IMG_20130702_164914_127_zps1047d97d.jpg


 


IMG_20130702_165258_418_zpse88f70c9.jpg


 


IMG_20130702_170502_805_zpscfbd2fa5.jpg


 


IMG_20130702_165125_208_zps47546626.jpg


 


IMG_20130702_165143_007_zpsa361520f.jpg


 


IMG_20130702_165204_004_zpscfc5a0e9.jpg


 


forgot to take pics under the hood but I'll do that when I get it home next week.

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Wow! Nice start!! Welcome!

 

Thanks, glad to find you guys!

 

Man, that looks pretty mint.  Why the noobs always showing up with the best finds? :confused:  Jelly

 

LOL, sorry, well if it's any consulation, this noob has been waiting a very long time to own anything to play with that's real car/truck wise.  B)

 

WOW, it has a stock locking gas cap door, that's kinda rare.

Looks like you have a good start, first I would get it running and driving, then worry about the cosmetics.

What a great looking bench seat!!!

 

Well, I didn't get to toy with it much as it's not super close to my home and I had my youngest 2 year old daughter with me but I did check to see if the key worked in the gas door or but it didn't and then I realized it wasn't even latched.  The key only worked in the ignition.  As far as the bench seat goes, I did move the stuff around to look at it all and it looks really nice.  I asked him about the factory radio and he said it was in one of the boxes going with the truck.  It is a good start as far as I can tell body wise but I'm kinda paranoid about the mechanical side of it money wise.  If it just needs a distributor (it's out and broken now) and rear wheel cylinders then I can live with that.  just hoping the motor is ok (it does turn by hand), electrical is ok, etc.  And yes, I will definitely be focusing on getting it driveable and safe first then mods if we can afford it...probably like I said, little by little.  I live in Portland, OR so it seems I'm fairly close to several of you so hopefully, we'll get to meet at some point.  :)

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Here is a little 521 "101"

 

All the bolts on the body are an American SAE thread.  They will usually have heads that fit inch sized wrenches.

The fender bolts for example are 1/4-28 with a 7/16 head.  The radiator is held with 5/16-24 bolts, with a 1/2 head.

The fittings on the brake lines, and clutch are also SAE, 3/8-24.  You will need a good flare nut wrench to get the brake line fittings loose.

The engine and transmission are metric bolts.  However, the oil pressure switch, and some other threaded pipe fittings are a British standard.

 

Wash under the front fenders.  Up over the top of the headlight bucket, and behind the front wheel. There is no mud guard, and dirt collects in these areas, and in Oregon, it stays wet most of the year, and just slowly rusts away.

 

Get the brakes working before the engine runs.  Trust me on this.  This truck is too straight to have a minor accident while working on it.  These trucks do not have a "5 MPH bumper"  The bumper is cosmetic only.

 

What tools do you have?  How much mechanical experience do you have?  That info will help us get you started.

 

This is one of my 521 project threads.

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/30606-my-ratsun-datsun-521/

 

 

A little more info.

Andrea, at Gladstone Nissan is happy to look up parts for you.  the bad news, a lot of parts are NLA, No Longer Available.  But a lot of stuff still is.  Nissan/Datsun parts are very high quality, but tend to be pricy.  Tell Andrea you are on Community.Ratsun.net, and you can get a discount off retail price.   Also ordering a rear wheel cylinder from Nissan, for example, you also get new bleeder fittings, and other extra parts.

I have also had good luck getting parts from Clackamas Auto Parts in Oregon City.

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