Jump to content

My next 720 resto


720inOlyWa

Recommended Posts

“Every little bit adds“ said the machine shop dude. And so it does. The 4x4 got a new fuel door pull for xmas, thanks to wayno. The old chrome plastic one was fine enough and will become a good backup, but the theme of this truck is all black trim. So, we went from this...

 

IMG_3968_zpspouu1hdf.jpg

 

To this- a rare (I think) murdered out version of the 720 door pull:

 

IMG_3971_zpst1sw1iam.jpg

 

Hard to see it here, but it looks cool as hell...  Nice! Thanks, wayno!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
  • Replies 189
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Man I love that 4x4! I wish mine was brown not blue. My dad's was copper, I wouldnt mind that color either. Did you consider rebuilding the transmission? I have major slack in my 85 4x4. LIKE MAJOR slack. As soon as I get in the master and slave cylinders I'll go for a test drive. If by chance I need a new transmission I'm going to have it rebuilt. Im going to work on my truck tomorrow. It's been 80 degrees the last three days here in Louisiana.

  • Like 1
Link to comment

I am thinking that if the tranny needs help, the entire drivetrain is suspect. The early diagnosis on my 4x4 is a bad front bearing in the tranny, but I won't know the extent until it gets to the tranny shop for an inspection. I have wrestled with the idea of finding a truck with a decent tranny and swapping it in, but the more I think about it, the more inclined to rebuild it. I know that if it is ‘new’ to me, I won't beat it, and I can make it last forever.

 

The interiors were a bit weird in this truck. You either get the blue, the brown, or the black and grey combo.  I got the brown, but the carpets are a horrible pumpkin color that is ugly to start with, and stains easily.  So I hooked up with an ST wreck and stole the grey seats and black carpeting, along with the black jump seats and anything else I could take.  Now I have brown accents in what is basically a black interior set. And I like this a lot.  

 

The blue interior is my least favorite. But I almost scored a 4x4 exactly like yours, so I had a plan to swap in the grey seats and black carpeting and then add a black dash cap and black console to mellow out all of the blue. I think that would look good too.

 

What I wouldn’t give to have three days of 80 degrees to play with my trucks...

  • Like 1
Link to comment
  • 10 months later...

Well, this old gal got a bit of a boost today- I bought a HF pressure washer and proceeded to empty out hot water tank spraying ancient chunks of mud out of all the crannies along the frame and wheel wells. Also worked great for blasting out the moss and algae in the seams, along the trim, etc.. This truck has been on hiatus since FityBuckChuck showed up, but we are still hopeful.

  • Like 1
Link to comment

What is the max temp your pressure washer pump is rated for?

Almost all pressure washers heat the water after it goes thru the pump, both my heaters were like that, build the pressure, heat the water up, and then clean what you are cleaning.

I found out the issue with my pumps is the bypass, the water keeps going around in a circle getting hotter and hotter, then when I pulled the trigger and the cold water hit the porcelain guts in the pump, it cracked the porcelain and I lost pressure, I learned to shut my machine off if it was going to run on bypass for more than a minute, as it is expensive to fix pumps.

I will admit hot water cleans better, but HF is not known for quality products, it is known for cheap/inexpensive products that get the job done on a semi annual basis.

My equipment is made for daily use, I get a couple years out of a pump, and maybe 5 years out of an engine, I have to fix my own machines as it is too expensive to pay others to do it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment

You know, wayno, it sounds like you got a much different- and probably more capable machine than mine. Not that I am unhappy at all, but this was the electric $79.95 cheapie, on sale for $49.95. If it works for a while, I have little to complain about.  I hooked it up to the faucet in the garage, using a garden hose, and run a fairly hot mix into the pressure washer, with no heat on the machine. That seemed to work fine yesterday.  I have only used it once, but it worked real good for blasting the underside of my 4x4, which had caked on mud and all kinds of neglected old shit wedged under there. You know how green stuff likes to grow on the surfaces between the cab and the bed? Gone, man. Gone. Now, after one hot water tanks‘ worth of pressure washing, the underside of my 4x4 looks positively clean! Hey, all of the moss on the asphalt under there got scrubbed away too!  Then I moved over to the current project and pressure washed the front suspension and brakes, where I will be working today. It‘s all clean as a whistle now waiting for the FedEx ground guy to show up with my parts. The adjustable nozzle really gave a decent ‘blade‘ spray pattern that chiseled away the grime quite nicely without blasting away paint.

 

You would think a clean fetishist like me would have had a pressure washer a long time ago, but this is my first. In the past, I have always rented them and the rental machines are real beasts. this one is the size of a vacuum cleaner and in no way resembles a beast. I like it, but if it died after a couple more uses, I would still be ahead of the game. Still, as is the case with most HF stuff, I think it will last okay if I take reasonable care of it. We shall see.

  • Like 1
Link to comment

My pressure washers are twin belt drive with 16hp engines and general pumps that put out 4 1/2 gallons of water a minute at 3200/3300psi, they weigh over 250lbs.

They clean fast, I can do a normal sized tile roof in 6/7 hours, I can do a 2 car driveway that is 50 feet long in an hour and it is clean.

I don't like to do mobile homes or vehicles as I am afraid I will blow out seals/gaskets on engines, and strip paint off, maybe even dent metal if I am not careful, and it will definitely strip wires, water always gets thru the window seals when I rinse my vehicles also.

They do really good on frames, but as i said, the parts in pressure washer pumps are not made for hot water, they generally list the temp max in the owners manual.

Most my triggers/wands are rated for 195 degrees or less, but my pressure pumps are made for cold water, if the water is too hot to hold your hand in it, then you should not likely put it thru your pump, the rubber parts in the pump are not made for that type of heat, at least not the ones they sell at HF, Lowes or Home Depot, not even my heavy duty pumps are made for hot water, the water is heated after it goes thru the pump, that is what heater boxes are for.

Hot water can ruin your garden hoses also, they will blow up like a balloon and explode, that happens every once in a while at my house on really hot days when the sun is hitting my pond water level supply hose, it blows up.

Cold water cleans just as good, it just takes a little longer.

It actually takes a long time to pressure wash a frame, some mechanics refuse to work on dirty vehicles, and they sometimes spend half the day cleaning them, I spent a half hour on a frame without a cab on it, I only did the front half and yesterday I seen a bunch of places I missed, it's an art cleaning frames, not everyone has the patients to do them, I am not one of them.

Small pressure washers are great for small jobs, I have a small one myself, but it is easier to get a big one out of my trailer.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

This project just took a gigantic leap forward as I just agreed to purchase a 4x4 short shaft tranny for this truck from ‘Bill‘, out in Elma. This tranny is reported to have been ‘rebuilt‘ by Bill, who claims to have replaced the front bearing and seals. I have no reason to doubt his claims. I would not normally do such a large piece of business sight unseen, or for the first time with an unknown party, but Bill‘s reputation precedes him: already three other local Nissan guys have vouched for him. Each was surprised that I had not dealt with him already. So I took the plunge and grabbed the missing piece of this 4x4 truck puzzle.

 

This truck only really needs a good transmission to be a driver, so buying this transmission sort of firms up a large part of my summer 2018 plans.

 

How did I know that it was the correct transmission for my 4x4? Why I referred to the ID plate, just like you guys showed me!

 

QzxOoXV.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment

This project just took a gigantic leap forward as I just agreed to purchase a 4x4 short shaft tranny for this truck from ‘Bill‘, out in Elma. This tranny is reported to have been ‘rebuilt‘ by Bill, who claims to have replaced the front bearing and seals. I have no reason to doubt his claims. I would not normally do such a large piece of business sight unseen, or for the first time with an unknown party, but Bill‘s reputation precedes him: already three other local Nissan guys have vouched for him. Each was surprised that I had not dealt with him already. So I took the plunge and grabbed the missing piece of this 4x4 truck puzzle.

 

This truck only really needs a good transmission to be a driver, so buying this transmission sort of firms up a large part of my summer 2018 plans.

 

 

I bought one from Ted, I was nervous about buying something like this from someone I don't know. But it is working out great and he has a great reputation so I wouldn't worry to much.

  • Like 3
Link to comment

Bill, the guy I bought this transmission from, said that it will make the bearings last longer if I add a grounding strap to the transmission. It kinda makes sense to me, although it would seem to me that the transmission is already grounded through the engine. Has anyone else heard about this tip?

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Bill, the guy I bought this transmission from, said that it will make the bearings last longer if I add a grounding strap to the transmission. It kinda makes sense to me, although it would seem to me that the transmission is already grounded through the engine. Has anyone else heard about this tip?

 

I have heard of it, but it sounds kinda strange that something like that would make a bearing last longer, seems like Nissan would have figured that out and put out an advisory instead of making the bearing larger in 1985.

I have not heard of an advisory like that, but I have heard of some stupid stuff that did come out like a gauge to measure cracks between the valves in the diesel head, in the end it was determined that if it didn't leak coolant it was a good head. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.