New 320 owner, 62?

[wayno]

Out of curiosity why isn't your 63 L320 legal to drive on the road? 

I had no plans on driving it when I bought it, so I never bought tags for it, it has never been registered for the road while I have owned it.

I was going register it to drive it to Canby, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen now, I hate bodywork and that is where it is at now, maybe Blue Lake.

[difrangia]

I might consider making a small run of the adapters, but it would be a while before I can get back in the shop. Lot of outside tasks going on that had to wait all winter.

 

As for the throttle cable, it will pull in any direction if it is the right length to reach where you're going.

 

Just have to figure what cable and housing ends you need and the length of the housing and cable and have a motorcycle shop build one up.

 

Only other thing is to fabricate something to secure the housing end at the carb.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Though it's not my preferred method, you can get generic cable ends (from companies like Lokar) and screw them onto a tinned cable.

 

You can also get the solder-on ends from motorcycle supply shops. Anyone who supplies British bikes will have those ends.

[320 Newb]

Is there any trick hooking a new cable up to the stock knob?

[320 Newb]

Today I'm redoing my clutch hydraulics. I swapped out the piston in my clutch master. The cylinder isn't pitted but the rubbers were bad. I used the stock push rod with a new spring clip. 

 

Also my slave was frozen so I bit the bullet and replaced it with a new $100 one from eBay. 

 

The only hiccup so far is with the return spring on the clutch pedal. It rubs on the bumper that adjusts to bottom out the pedal on the return. Can anyone point out what's wrong or snap a quick picture of what it looks like? In the pics below you can see where the spring rubs on the bumper and bumper bracket. 

 

 

[Charlie69]

Put a little more bend in the bumper bracket to clear the spring.

 

[wayno]

To me your bumper bracket appears to be bent, you can even see where it looks like your rubber bumper used to hit/rest.

On mine the bumper is between the pedals and the return spring is on the outside.

 

 

[thisismatt]

Before seeing Wayno's response, I was going to say the same thing - it looks bent and looks like it used to make contact on the right side...

[Charlie69]

Good point Wayno and even followed up with pictures showing the way it should be.

[320 Newb]

Yup. I bent it straight and it clears just fine. It was strangely easy to bend. 

 

The whole clutch hydraulic system is all back together but I'm struggling to get it bled. I can't get the clutch master to push fluid at all. I filled the reservoir and have been pumping like crazy but no dice. Some bubbles came up but the reservoir hasn't dropped at all so I know it's not pushing fluid into the hard line. 

 

Any tips or advice?

[Crashtd420]

I had a similar issue, have you bench bled the master?...

I made a small line and looped it back to the master... still nothing.. then I put the pedal to the floor put my finger on the end of the line released the pedal and it drew in fluid, did it I couple more time and now the master was pumping fluid... re bleed the slave and everything was perfect...

[Crashtd420]

Some say don't bleed it back to the master but everything I was working with was brand new so I didn't think it would hurt... if your worried about any containment just pump it into a separate container, and keep the reservoir full...

[320 Newb]

^^^^ Bam! Worked like a charm.

 

I drained, cleaned and replaced everything in the clutch system so it was cycling clean fluid back to the reservoir. I've got a hard a hard peddle and it seems to be shifting through all the gears just fine. 

 

It's 105 out currently and I'm sweating my brains out. If it still looks good tomorrow I'll take it out for a drive and see what happens. 

[Crashtd420]

Nice work ...

I wish I got to keep my 320, no title and motor wasn't complete at the time so I had to make a choice.... my 521 ran and drove and i could only keep one because I was moving back to mass.. left the 320 to a friend in socal..

[Charlie69]

Congrats!

 

I would not have bleed it back to the master.  it is not worth a couple dollars of brake fluid to me to chance damaging a hard to find part or parts.  Even new hoses stell lines and old stock parts can be contaminated.  Just my 2 cents.

 

I hope you can drive it tomorrow and you have a great big smile on your face.

[320 Newb]

It wasn't so much saving a few $$ in brake fluid, I was doing it by myself. Hopefully it'll be OK but I plan on pulling it all out again in a month or when I start paint and body. Next time I'll just bleed it all out the slave bleeder. 

[320 Newb]

Does anyone know if the white bumper/grill was a stock option opposed to the chrome? I've always loved this picture and am thinking about copying the paint scheme and fender mirrors on my 62. The only thing I don't have is that sweet ladder rack. 

 

[320 Newb]

I'm still working on my rig... My stock 320 carburetor was progressively getting worse so I'm rolling the dice on one of these aftermarket carbs:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Carburetor-fit-for-Nissan-J15-Cabstar-Datsun-pick-up-Homer-Hommy/222440474786?hash=item33ca7c48a2:g:61oAAOSwYXVYyOaE&vxp=mtr

 

Basically its a $90 gamble which I'm willing to take. It'll come next week and I'll report back on how it fits, how the cables fit, etc. Supposedly it fits the 320 air cleaner. Fingers crossed. 

 

I'm starting to strip it down for a little paint and body work but found a lot of the nuts holding on the trim are rusted frozen. I broke one on the front hood trim. Any advice getting the trim off without further breaking anything? 

[wayno]

Your going to have to make your own or go to the auto paint store and look at what they have in stock, and I mean AUTO paint store, they have them spinning type racks with stuff like that.

I actually made a bunch of stock looking ones myself, as I recall I cut a bunch of metal squares out of the same thickness metal, drilled a hole in the middle like the sample good one I had, threaded it and screwed a small screw in it and the slid it in the trim, installed it and used a new nut to hold it on, I believe I also touched the screw after it was threaded in with the mig welder to make sure it stayed put when tightening the nut on the back side when mounting the trim.

The only reason I know about the clips is because on the NL320 only the ends are mounted with a nut on the back side trim, the rest use a spring clip and I cannot make spring clips and I found what I needed at the "auto paint store".

That carb looks like it is for the J and L series engines, but it might work on the E series engines also.

[320 Newb]

 

That carb looks like it is for the J and L series engines

I've got a J-15 in my 320 but am running it with all stock 320 stuff: 320 carb, 320 distributor, 320 generator, 320 fuel pump, etc. I wish I could keep my stock 320 carb but parts are impossible to find. 

[wayno]

I've got a J-15 in my 320 but am running it with all stock 320 stuff: 320 carb, 320 distributor, 320 generator, 320 fuel pump, etc. I wish I could keep my stock 320 carb but parts are impossible to find. 

 

Well then you should be good.

[320 Newb]

The new J15 carb today and it fits the manifold perfect but the 320 air cleaner housing is maybe 1/4" smaller then the top of the carb. I wonder if it a 520, 521 or 620 air cleaner housing might fit since J15s when in some of those.

 

I also think I might be able to modify my 320 air cleaner to work but I don't want to go bending on my only air cleaner and mess it up.

 

Does anyone have an extra 320, 520, 521, or 620 air cleaner housing they might be willing to part with?

[zed1]

Do you have the correct insulator?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Air-Cleaner-Inslator-for-Single-Carburetor-A-C-E-H-J-L-R-Engine/222160997909?hash=item33b9d3ce15:g:Dh8AAOxyRNJSktmU

 

If you need an air cleaner let me know

https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/pts/d/datsun-520-and-521-parts/6334561672.html

Keith

[320 Newb]

Do you have the correct insulator?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Air-Cleaner-Inslator-for-Single-Carburetor-A-C-E-H-J-L-R-Engine/222160997909?hash=item33b9d3ce15:g:Dh8AAOxyRNJSktmU

 

If you need an air cleaner let me know

https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/pts/d/datsun-520-and-521-parts/6334561672.html

Keith

 

The insulator on the aftermarket carb is a little bigger than the opening on my stock 320 air cleaner. Sadly the insulator on the aftermarket carb doesn't look like it comes off. Your air cleaner looks beautiful but I think I'll hold off for now. I'm more looking for cheap spare that its not the end of the world if I mess it up trying to make it fit.

 

I got the new carb installed and can get it to fire and run while I feather the gas but can't get the idle adjusted right. Any advice on making carb adjustments? The aftermarket carb looks 95% the same as the 320 carbs. 

[wayno]

I put a Weber on my L320 and it idled like it had a mega cam in it, I turn the idle up, then adjusted the fuel mixture screw till it ran smooth, then adjusted the idle down.

The carb was new in a box, but likely was for a larger CC MG, it likely needs to be re-jetted, but it runs better than it did with a rebuilt stock carb, and it certainly starts better.