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Just bought a 521


mainer311

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I'm familiar with axle shims when lifting a truck to get the pinion slightly higher and lined up better with the driveshaft. Does the opposite apply for these drop blocks? Do I shim the pinion so that it's a few degrees lower?

 

I bought a cheap drop block kit, which to my surprise is extruded 6061 (not cast) but there's no draft on them. I'll be milling a 2 degree surface on the top of them today.

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I'm familiar with axle shims when lifting a truck to get the pinion slightly higher and lined up better with the driveshaft. Does the opposite apply for these drop blocks? Do I shim the pinion so that it's a few degrees lower?

 

I bought a cheap drop block kit, which to my surprise is extruded 6061 (not cast) but there's no draft on them. I'll be milling a 2 degree surface on the top of them today.

 

I lowered mine on 3" blocks and no shim, some do it some don't.  

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The rear brake line doesn't need a junction box as it goes straight to the rear brakes.

Also you go from SAE to Metric when converting over to front disc brakes and a dual circuit brake master cylinder, I generally make all new lines as that is easier than cutting off the ends of them rusty old lines and trying to double flare them when putting metric fittings on them.

I like the 1979 Datsun 620 master brake cylinder, as it is made for front disc/rear drum trucks although you can use just about any master brake cylinder, and yes I file the master cylinders mount holes to elongate them to mount the master using the stock mount studs, the hole that the master mounts into isn't large enough either, I usually grind the hole larger, but on my 1963 L320 I added 1/4 inch spacers to the studs and then slid on the brake master, I didn't have to make that hole bigger that way, it is totally reversible the way I did it, I didn't touch/modify the firewall in any way.

I also switch over to pedal brake light switches on all my builds, they are way more reliable.

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So my in-laws are visiting, but I snuck out to the garage for a few minutes this morning and removed the rear shocks. Didn’t even play around with the bottom...snapped the shafts right off with a breaker bar. The top nuts however I made sure to be ginger with and had to apply some heat for removal. I have no idea what factory installed shocks look like, but these were pretty ratty. Both shocks had blown valving.

 

ftLzQOA.jpg

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Drove the truck to work this morning. Not used to having a Datsun with working heat. It was nice. Still need to lower the front a little bit, but it sits almost level with the 3" drop in the back.

 

Took some glamour shots.

 

XjaTPWG.jpg

 

02jgOhT.jpg

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Did these trucks come with a coolant reservoir? Does anyone have a picture of a stock one and where it was located? When I bought the truck, he was using a gatorade bottle, sitting on the frame, on the passenger side of the radiator. 

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Crash is right, no overflow tank.  FWIW mine doesn't really ever overflow so not sure whether that means I don't have enough coolant in there or what.  

 

Nice looking truck but is your front bumper angled up towards the sky?  

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Crash is right, no overflow tank.  FWIW mine doesn't really ever overflow so not sure whether that means I don't have enough coolant in there or what.  

 

Nice looking truck but is your front bumper angled up towards the sky?  

 

Now that you mention it, it seems that way. I'm in the process of re-indexing the front torsions, so I'll take a look tonight and see what's going on. 

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