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New owner/ build '71 521


Schoolzin

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Nice. Apparently I need to RocketDog to handle my business. Thx. No, no shoulder belts...production date of June '70.

I'm in Sacramento these days. If you are looking for parts give me a PM. I have a few things but have names of guys who might have more.

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Okay guys I've been searching, I have the old Tom Monroe book and the Frank Hansowetz book, but I just need some insight. First off, I realize I should probably be dumping the idea of running an L16 and look for an L20B but I have three complete L16s chillin in my garage and I want to make one work well for the street. I have a good buddy who has his own machine shop, so whatever I do in that arena won't really cost me much. That being said I really need a basic plan. All I want is a nice running L16 that would be able to run dual sidedrafts. So far I've gathered that I could raise compression swapping in L24 flat top pistons, I'm going to need some head work, and need a mild cam? The three heads I have are an W53, U87, and the basic 210. Could someone just give me some insight on how to use one of those heads and any other crap I would need to run duals reliably? I'M not looking to make a crapload of power I just want it to run right! Thanks dudes!

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Thanks for the response. I'm going to do some reading on there right now. On another note, I removed the cab this weekend so I could start getting frame apart for powder coating. My driveshaft center bearing bushing is of course toast. Are most of you guys running a one piece driveshaft?

VbwXuV.jpg

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I do not believe there is such a thing as a U87, it's likely a U67 which is an open chamber head, but it does have big intake ports, and big valves, so it is likely a better head to work with if your changing your pistons, as long as they are not dished pistons.

The W53 head is a closed chamber head, but it likely has small intake ports, and small valves unless someone has done some upgrades on it, if I were going with flat top pistons, I would choose the U67 head.

Big valves and intake ports do make a difference, I decided to use a cam in my latest W53 head instead of opening it up, my thinking was with the extra lift, it would make up for the smaller valves, NOT, all I did was take away torque(grunt power) using that HP cam, and when the cam just starts to work, the valves are to small to let that much air in or out, I just hit a wall.

I know this because I had another L20b block/head I was using in the work truck that had big valves and intake ports, that engine was wore out(the  block and head), but that wore out block/head with the dual SUs kicked that fresh block/heads ass with the same dual SUs.

I immediately built an LZ23 to replace that engine, and put that in the work truck, that LZ23 was a great upgrade, that fresh block is in my 520 now, and I don't like it there either, but it was a good running engine, so there it be till I get sick and tired of it, and put another head on it.

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Wayno, thanks for the great reply...that's what I need to hear. I think you're right about the U67 head....it was really hard to read and I couldn't really tell if the second digit was an eight or six...so I'm sure you are correct. When you talk about bigger valves are people using larger ones off Z engines as well? If I do the l24 flat tops do I also need l24 rods? I thought the specs on l16 and l24 pistons and rods were the same? Do only the pistons have the same specs?

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Wayno, thanks for the great reply...that's what I need to hear. I think you're right about the U67 head....it was really hard to read and I couldn't really tell if the second digit was an eight or six...so I'm sure you are correct. When you talk about bigger valves are people using larger ones off Z engines as well? If I do the l24 flat tops do I also need l24 rods? I thought the specs on l16 and l24 pistons and rods were the same? Do only the pistons have the same specs?

I personally don't know about flat top pistons other than with a closed chamber head, your likely going to have an issue with pump gas.

Dmike can likely figure out the compression ratio if you know what parts you have to use, flat tops with a U67 head will likely work, but flat tops with that W53, well it might be above 10 to 1.

I have a few "L" heads now with Z car valves, they breath well, but I use stock cams, I also have a 219 head that needs rebuilt, I was thinking about using that head on the 520 instead of the head I had done last year with super valves.

Here is that head, it has some seriously big valves in it.

DSCN0606.JPG

Here is my LZ23 block with a W53 head with 280Z valves in it.

DSCN0580.JPG

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Thanks for the response. I'm going to do some reading on there right now. On another note, I removed the cab this weekend so I could start getting frame apart for powder coating. My driveshaft center bearing bushing is of course toast. Are most of you guys running a one piece driveshaft?

VbwXuV.jpg

I'd be interested to know this also -- if anyone has experience with a one-piece drive shaft and if that's a better setup, or just different?

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I have a one piece driveline, from a 520 that I will be using with a dogleg 5 speed, in my 521. I'll post how it goes in my build thread, when I install it. I'm still waiting on the engine to be finished. Royal Sierra has done the same conversion, & said it worked great.

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Slowly tackling the front suspension and finding out that 44 years in the desert makes for a virtually rust free truck, but damn all the rubber and bushings are shot. I owe Wayno big time for help me not break a few things already...that guy might need to hold a paid position here or something! ;). Here's a few pics of what it took to drive out my torsion spline bolt and a few other goodies.

35B8CD71-B36D-43C4-8F54-588E6C627B59_zps

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Hey guys. Just a little update. Just got the cab back from media blasting and coating. It looks pretty good overall and it sure did save a lot of time sanding and scraping three layers of paint. Like I thought there really wasn't any areas of rust, but man is the top of my cab hella dented up. It's going to need a lot of effort to get it straight. Trying to get my frame steam cleaned this week and off to powdercoat...wish me luck!

C6C938A7-03F5-417D-B5DB-CE0854FA1127_zps

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