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1973 Green Weenie


GRpufnstuf

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I picked up seats today.

 

They are Porsche 914 seats.  Basically really thin light fiberglass with a pad on them.

 

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I'm not thrilled that the headrests will be in the back window but I think I can deal with it.  The seat height and thin back will alloiw me to fit in my regular cab better I hope.

 

I love the bench for original/retro looks but I'm just too big for comfort.

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You truck looks much better lower, nice job!

 

...  Sure lot of folks put buckets in, they look sportier or whatever, but I have yet to see buckets in a 620 free up more room.  Then again I haven't seen anyone try 914 seat either...

 

...  Most have seats backs that are thin and almost straight up and down, which sucks after about 20 minutes of driving.  So I would think making extra room with these seats is great, and long as the seating isn't a pain in the ass - pun intended.

I'm with you for the most part. I don't need my truck to look sporty on the interior. I like the bench too. But I'm 6'3" with a long torso so my main goal is to get my butt lower. I've used the seats in other cars and I've owned a 914. They suit my seating position well fortunately.

 

I suspect I'm not going to like the look though. If that happens I'll be looking into modding my bench brackets to get lower and slide back another inch or so. Then I'll spend the $$ for a good reupholster job. And I can always find a car for the 914 buckets. Those stock Volvo 142 seats (other car projects) are La-Z-boys when compared

 

I'll update when things start happening

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Copied from my post in "bigger torsion bars..." I tried to order the nissan 26mm 620 T bars but they are obsolete. The Nismo HD package is still available...

- - - - - - - - - - -

Ok, so I have a confirmed order for M-99996-T1450 Nismo HD Torsion bars.

Russell at NissanParts.cc said Nissan has "A bunch" of them in stock.

$275 plus shipping.

Not super excited about the price, but I love the way these things work/are engineered and I was feeling skeptical about finding 24 or 26mm bars out in the wild.

He said they don't have and don't plan to stock the M-99996-T4010 26mm bars again. Still no response from Sway-A-Way but that's what I expected after reading about their obsolete customer interface.

EDIT: Sway-A-Way replied and can build any bar I want if I send $600 and one of my stock bars for dimensions. Too rich for my blood but good to know for the future

The bars are shipping to Portland where my truck is. I'll be throwing them on and tuning them in along with some other maintenance to get ready to drive the truck back to LA. This will all be at the end of September (2013)

Pix and write up to follow.

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Thanks, I'd be into that. I'm missing JCCS this year but ill be at the Torrance first Friday thing next month if all goes well. Something more LA oriented would be convenient though.

I'll get my truck local and we can work it out.

damm, you've done so much in a short time!  Good job!  it really looks clean with the stock steelies on it too.  I have the same color truck but I'm replacing the front end.  Is that color 610?

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The late '72-'73 620 had 4.375 ratio in the back for the 4 speeds and 4.625 if automatic. Only the J13 520s had the 4.875. It my feel like it's revving to the moon but it isn't and even if it was the L series can rev and rev without any damage. If never intending to carry heavy loads you could drop the ratio to 4.11 maybe 3.889 but I wouldn't go lower. A 5 speed would do the same with an over drive and yet still allow good pick up with the gears you have.

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damm, you've done so much in a short time! Good job! it really looks clean with the stock steelies on it too. I have the same color truck but I'm replacing the front end. Is that color 610?

Thank you! When I'm in Portland there's always the chance that I'm going to gt called back to LA for work so I try to get things completed quickly. The only issue with that is that it costs more almost every time if I don't have time to look up the cheapest vendor, wait for cheaper shipping, find 720 springs instead of re-arching and making new for mine etc...

 

These trucks are also just a pleasure to work on. Simple and well designed. I love it!

 

I don't have a pic of the color code but I'm remembering it being something like 106 maybe? I feel like it's in the low 100 area. I'll toss that on the list of to-do for my next trip

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The late '72-'73 620 had 4.375 ratio in the back for the 4 speeds and 4.625 if automatic. Only the J13 520s had the 4.875. It my feel like it's revving to the moon but it isn't and even if it was the L series can rev and rev without any damage. If never intending to carry heavy loads you could drop the ratio to 4.11 maybe 3.889 but I wouldn't go lower. A 5 speed would do the same with an over drive and yet still allow good pick up with the gears you have.

I appreciate this post. I had found conflicting web posts about what rear end is in my truck. I found a couple early on that said '73 got the 4.875 and then each larger engine went down a little with the 78-9 ending at 4.11

Then I kept finding that they all got the 4.375 and I can't find those other posts about 4.875

I tried to do the jack up 1 rear wheel and turn 10 times while counting drive shaft rotation but it kept coming out weird. Like 2.2-1 which I know isn't right so I must have been doing it wrong. But if I double that its basically 4.375 so that's probably what's in there.

 

I really just need a tach to ease my mind. I don't mind revving I just like to know how much rev I'm doing. Maybe I'll just give up on An OE tach and do the super tach 2 thing.

 

As for loads in my truck it'll be me 240lbs and then my motorcycle at most another 400lbs.

 

I am still looking for a dogleg to swap in for that overdrive and if I do change the rear it will be 4.11 and nothing lower. (Update) well I got a 3.88 set from a roadster. I suspect I'll be slipping the clutch a little in 1st but e hwy revs will be worth it to me.

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truck looks good.Get some new shocks for it(no need for coil overs) and upgrade the ignition.heater hoses ,Rad hoses.

hoses are on the list along with a spare belt or 2 and a spare thermostat etc.

Heater hoses will probably have to happen too, there was coolant on the floor when I was doing my rust clean up.

 

What sort of ignition upgrade is acceptable in here? I've been looking for an '80 720 dist but haven't tried that hard as I just got new points/condenser in my tune up.

Or are you talking pertronix or crane type setup? I run those on my volvos and they work pretty well with the Bosch stuff

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  • 2 weeks later...

Back home in LA and i found my Can-Am box in the mail! woot.

I'm gathering parts to eventually swap in a KA24. Redeye motor mounts are next, just awaiting an email telling me they are ready to be paid for and shipped. I'll try to grab the power steering delete stuff this week too.

 

Meanwhile my new Nismo torsions finally arrived in Portland after a little bit of shipping miscommunication with Nissanparts.cc

 

Pix from my friends who received my parts packages for me...

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I'll have better more complete pix of the parts and the install in a week or so.

 

Check the FEDEX tracking 549016993500 (while you can, Olympia thru Portland to LA and back to Portland if you miss it) for the journey of my bars.

 

I also have u-joints, carrier bearing and housing, wheel bearings, hoses and shocks on the way (to Portland).

I have seen a few odd fixes for the carrier bearing and am wondering if you guys are trying to save money or just couldn't find the right one. It's got me a little worried that I'll receive the wrong part in the mail but the Timken rubber and bearing was $65 which isn't cheap but I bet it'll never fail while I own the truck. The less I have to have my truck in Jack stands the better.

Which reminds me I better look at my driveline alignment and maybe space the bearing up a bit.

 

And my freshly straightened and painted body panels are waiting for me to bolt them on.

 

Getting my ass back to PDX around Oct 8th and I want everything poised and ready to throw on and then road trip.

 

While I've been looking for a Tach I watched one sell on ebay for $300 so I thought why not just buy one of the new ones at nissanparts.cc

Well Russel over there tells me neither kit is available anymore, that's why.

So I found a tach and a matchbox diz for sale in our classifieds and made a package deal for those. Hopefully they arrive to PDX about the time I do.

I wanted to wait and find my own on a parts car or at U-pull-it. I guess I'll just be able to sell and recoup my costs when that happens.

 

Ordered all the parts to rebuild/replace the bearings, calipers, rotors, ball joints and so-on for my Beebani UCA disc conversion. I think I'll be carting all that back to LA and doing it there. I still need the upper Dog bone for the UCAs, I'm hoping the pair I left at north U-pull are still there.

I'd like to do the conversion in Portland so I don't pay for 2 alignments (1 from lowering and 1 for UCAs) but as usual my schedule is tight and spending extra $$ wil get things done faster or more conveniently.

 

Also in Portland a hotrod friend of mine accidentally ordered Metric Bullet lug nuts for his Chevy. He says I can have then if I want them, I said yes. Funny thing is I had just purchased cheapy autozone bullet valve caps while working out in CO. He didn't know about that so maybe the universe is telling me to ditch the hub caps and go with a full "Bullet Side" theme? I'll have to buy one more set of lugs since his truck is 5 lug.

 

That's about all for now. Except I'm still thinking about how I'll run my exhaust. It needs to get off the ground a little and maybe I'll just exit it in front of the left rear tire. My concern being that it will black up my white wall back there. But if I keep things tuned right I should be fine.

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Also in Portland a hotrod friend of mine accidentally ordered Metric Bullet lug nuts for his Chevy. He says I can have then if I want them, I said yes. Funny thing is I had just purchased cheapy autozone bullet valve caps while working out in CO. He didn't know about that so maybe the universe is telling me to ditch the hub caps and go with a full "Bullet Side" theme? I'll have to buy one more set of lugs since his truck is 5 lug.

 

 

Before you try to install those lug nuts, better double check the thread pitch. Chevy uses a 12x1.5mm, and Datsun/Nissan use a 12x1.25mm pitch.

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Oh wow, thanks! While I can confidently say I wouldn't have forced them on, that will save me a bit of time and confusion I'm sure.

 

I bet he ordered "Chevy" and that's how he mistakenly got the metric. They are likely not going to fit.

 

I'll be there today. I stopped in Corning, CA last night and I'm minutes away from hitting the road north again. 464 miles to go so approx 8 hours according to google maps. That means 9 hours with stops for my dog.

 

Hopefully I can make an alignment appointment with AnT/Trackside for tomorrow.

 

The plan so far

 

Tuesday: Darrel's Mufflers 1st thing (exhaust), Tony's auto body (lug nuts and fresh body panels), DMV (trip permit), home for torsion bar install (maybe tonight), swing by Mom's house and say hi, AnT for alignment. Whew! Beer:30

 

Wednesday: Zell's for Cousin Maurice's eggs, repack wheel bearings, inspect driveline carrier (replace if shaky). Change engine/Trans/diff oils, lube or replace ujoints, hit the road SB in 620, leaving Dog and Volvo in PDX with friends.

 

Thursday night home, work Friday-Wednesday, fly back to PDX Wednesday night. Grab dog and Volvo and head back to LA Thursday. Arrive in LA Friday, drop dog at home (wife home from Ireland trip now) and meet same Portland friends down at Legoland for an afternoon with the friends and godson at a sweet amusement park!

 

I don't have to do all this but I did have to come up to Portland to drop my dog, I can't say no to 6 days of work (Daddy needs a new welder and a Softopper for the 620!)

My dog is 7mos old and too big a sissy for daycare/boarding so far. I don't know anyone in LA who can watch him that many days in a row so my PDX buddy volunteered. Normally my lady is home and I am free to galavant.

Figured if I could put up with some rushed distance driving I could get a lot done, so barring any major mechanical issues IT's ON.

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Bars arrived and they are beauties. null_zps62de70cb.jpg

They measure 32.5" long so the "should" fit the 620. I'll be finding out tomorrow

The instructions are confusing:

Note the "front of vehicle" text?null_zpsf4d364fa.jpg

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Maybe the more aged page is for older vehicles? These were listed as 720 bars but the schematic says 720 to '86 and HB 2wd after that.,null_zps75cda5c8.png

So I'll be fitting them with the extra hardware toward the front of the car. It looks to me like it would interfere with the dust boot on the adjusters otherwise.

Instructions say that 1/8" at the adjustable stop on the T bars = approx 1" at the wheel. I'm going to take that down by half so most of the travel to the bump stop is as firm as possible.

More pix:

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Tomorrow is new exhaust at 8a, trip permit 9-9:30a, alignment 10a, replace fender hood and valance 11a-2p. then home to do the oils, shocks, torsion bars, u-joints, carrier bearing, and repack front hubs.

 

That's an ambitious schedule I think. I'll have to hold off beers until the evening, they seem to dampen my ambition some ;)

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It just occured to me how you've gotten so much done in such a short time:  Your a time management guy!  "Eveything" you post, mentions a schedule!  Maybe I need to start scheduling MY life!! 

Kudos to you!! 

 

And I can't wait to hear what you think of the ride from those torsion bars.

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It just occured to me how you've gotten so much done in such a short time: Your a time management guy! "Eveything" you post, mentions a schedule! Maybe I need to start scheduling MY life!!

Kudos to you!!

 

And I can't wait to hear what you think of the ride from those torsion bars.

Ha! Well I was a Ritalin kid and still have an adderall scrip, mostly for work if I'm spacing real hard.

I've tried to stay off that crap as I feel it's a crutch so I've learned to make lists.

I find it much less frustrating to leave a list unfinished than to randomly remember what I didn't get done at the end of the day.

 

That said its amazing what I can not do for days on end if I don't feel like it!

 

 

Yes, that is a rather ambitious schedule. You just might be able to pull it all off though, EXCEPT for a 30 minute trip through an Oregon DMV. :rofl:

DMV, I know. O.o

I actually forgot the title in LA (didn't make a list!) so I doubt they will give me the trip permit. That half hour is for dropping in and asking they guy that's usually next to the ticket dispenser if I can get one. And if there's no line? I'll get one. If not I'll just try to look legal on the way home. The trucks low but it doesn't have greatful dead and fillabong stickers all over so I think I'm good either way.

The alignment is the priority, I don't want to ruin 2 brand new tires in 1000 miles so if DMV threatens to go long I'm out.

 

It's the driveway work that is the real challenge. If it isn't raining I'll take a run at it. I don't actually think the driveline is an issue for the trip s I'll get the oils done and do the torsions the see how time is from there.

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damm, you've done so much in a short time!  Good job!  it really looks clean with the stock steelies on it too.  I have the same color truck but I'm replacing the front end.  Is that color 610?

Color code homework...

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I we t to the paint store and had them put the color eye camera on it to get a custom match made up for my hood and fender replacement.

 

The results are pretty good...

 

Before

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After

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I'm very excited to look out over a straight hood and fender.

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Wow came out great man! Love the color

 

Color code homework...

null_zpsedbc51cf.jpg

 

I we t to the paint store and had them put the color eye camera on it to get a custom match made up for my hood and fender replacement.

 

The results are pretty good...

 

Before

null_zps1a53478e.jpg

 

After

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I'm very excited to look out over a straight hood and fender.

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