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Mile High 520


zachreini

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While you're snapping pictures, can you take a bunch of shots for me per this request? http://community.ratsun.net/topic/73084-horn-bar-and-signal-cam-info-needed/

 

Also, it's interesting that the '66 had a foot hi/lo beam switch. When did they move it to the column? '67 or '68? My '68 is on the turn signal stalk.

 

I'll take some pictures of what I've taken apart so far. From the looks of mine I just need to clean everything. 

 

Also, after some thinking, I might just make a new steering wheel on my own and keep the stock hub. May be crazy, but I got time now that its snowing.

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I just got to looking at that cover more closely, that appears to be a 320 cover, so i went and and looked at my 320 turn signal switch and I suspect that you have a 320 turn signal assembly also.

If I were to guess I suspect if you look at your first photo you can see them 4 buttons to the left of your fingers holding the piece your asking about, so the piece you have in your fingers rides on them 4 buttons, it goes on the assembly you removed on a brown non-metal piece, it should make contact with them 4 buttons to make the turn signals work.

 

OK, so I just pulled mine apart to see how that  piece between your fingers fit in the assembly, I regretted it afterwards as it was a bitch to get back together.

Is this what your assembly looks like?

DSCN7590.jpg

Below is a photo of it before it was pulled apart, right in the center of the photo you can see the ends of your piece in the slots.

DSCN7584.jpg

In this photo you can see your piece and the spring that goes under it to hold it against the buttons I referred to.

DSCN7592.jpg

In this photo I put the piece where it belongs without the spring in place so you can see where it goes.

DSCN7593.jpg

So what I had to do to get it back together was hard to do, did you see 2 little ball bearings fall out also, the two posts sticking up have springs in them and the ball bearings sit on the ends of them springs in the posts, so I set them on the posts holding that piece upright, that piece between your fingers I squeezed just a little closed, I put the little spring in place then I forced the copper piece in the slots and it stayed there because I squeezed it closed a little before inserting it in the slots, now I dropped the assembly over the piece with the ball bearings sitting on the ends of the posts and I made sure that part fell in and held the bearings in place, then I picked it up and started pushing the little arms in and over the assembly that returns the arm, what a bitch that is, once I got it in there I held it together and tested the assembly to make sure it worked properly, once I figured it was working properly I put the spring clip on it that holds it together, once everything was working for sure I took a small straight edge screw driver and carefully stuck it between the end of the piece and the block it sits in and spread it just a little till I knew it was loose and would ride on the nubs.

DSCN7596.jpg

None of this was easy to do, if you didn't find the spring and 2 small bearings then you have a problem, as the spring holds the copper piece between your fingers against the nubs, and the small bearings make the assembly operate smoothly.

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zachreini, your switch looks like my 320 switch inside. Also the plastic column bell  that fits below the switch appears 320 and has the large depression to clear the column-shift mechanism. I don't believe 520's ever had column-shift.  Does anyone else's single headlight 520 have this column bell? 

 

It's possible that Nissan was using up it's stock of 320 parts by building them into the early 520's. The top-load floor-shift transmission that was used in the late 320 pickups and Bluebird sedans was used till September 1965 production o the 520 and then replaced by the transmission with the sheetmetal botttom-pan. I would guess that they were depleating stock on the shelves to phase in the newer stuff. 

 

I believe that switches, lights and some other smaller items were produced by contract suppliers and it could be likely that contracts had to be ran out to completion or default penalty would need be paid.

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From a few years back working with Wayno I came to the conclusion that the 65 and 66 520s used the same turn signal switch as the 320.  I had Melvins turnsignal switch from Mike klotz and Melvin was a 320.  I compared it to my stock 66 520 turn signal switch and they were the same.  The 67 4 headlight was the first Datsun truck that had the bright switch included in the turn signal switch.

 

The Wayno post above is what I meant about Waynos knowledge of the turn signal switches.

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Wayno thanks for the help.

 

I started cleaning my parts and luckily I have the little spring and the little bearings.

 

However I noticed that there was a crack in the piece that the lever is connected to. Do you think this is an issue? What would be the best way to fix it? Replace?

 

U3yGVfs.jpg

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I put it all back together. I found it easier to put the ball bearings in the little divots next to the big spring rather than in the posts. Made it easier to have the non lever piece face up and place the lever piece on top of it so you can move those arms out of the way.

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I would basically leave it alone till it caused an issue, I seriously don't know how one would fix that, I doubt it can be arc welded, don't know much about the other ways to weld metal, maybe someone on here knows another way to fix it.

That crack is where they made the metal thinner to clear a piece of the turn signal canceler mechanism that sticks up so one cannot add a brace on the inside, I just don't see an easy way to repair it, if you can get it to work leave it be and start searching for another 320 turn signal assembly as a back up.

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I put it all back together. I found it easier to put the ball bearings in the little divots next to the big spring rather than in the posts. Made it easier to have the non lever piece face up and place the lever piece on top of it so you can move those arms out of the way.

 

As long as the bearings ended up on the end of the posts where the spring is it don't matter how you got it back together, mine didn't have divots, at least not any I could see as that area was kinda tore up from lack of grease/lubricant, fact is my ball bearings didn't even come out of the posts till after it was apart and I then moved it again, they then just fell out and I had to figure out where they went.

As I said, after I took it apart I regretted taking it apart, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get it back together properly.

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Put it back together and baby it along and look for a replacement. It'll probably last forever as long as YOU use it and don't get rough with it. There's a guy taking a 65 apart on the 'Datsun 320 Owners' FaceBook page that might have a spare. You can always use yours for parts later when you find a replacement.

 

To fix the cracked switch housing, you need to link up with a competent TIG welder. You'd need to strip the alloy frame of all parts, grind out a V at the crack, degrease it real good and TIG weld it. Then grind or machine back down to original surfaces. Not impossible, but you don't want just any jack-leg welder messing with it. You might end up with a pile of disfigured aluminum welding refuse slag balls. My humble opinion.

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I know there are some differences, but there is a handful on eBay if you have deep enough pockets. On some of these parts, if there is the idea of restoring or resto-modding the truck, the time to buy them is when you see them...

 

https://m.ebay.com/itm/Datsun-Nissan-320-520-Turn-Signal-Switch-genuine-Nos-japan-Niles-brand/272680322024?hash=item3f7d0383e8:g:R7kAAOSwhvFZISMv&vxp=mtr

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I just asked the seller if the $100 new Niles 320 520 switch is for a right hand drive or left hand drive vehicle.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Datsun-Nissan-320-520-Turn-Signal-Switch-genuine-Nos-japan-Niles-brand/272680322024?hash=item3f7d0383e8:g:R7kAAOSwhvFZISMv&vxp=mtr

 

Be carefull when buying parts that you verify if it is for right hand drive or left hand drive vehicle.  This does not aplly to all parts.

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When the part is mounted on a LHD vehicle the canceler is around 5pm, when mounted on a RHD the canceler is at 11am, I wonder how that works.

I would suspect they are interchangeable, but I would not bet my life on it until I took my RHD 320 column apart to look at it, and that is not going to happen right now.

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When the part is mounted on a LHD vehicle the canceler is around 5pm, when mounted on a RHD the canceler is at 11am, I wonder how that works.

I would suspect they are interchangeable, but I would not bet my life on it until I took my RHD 320 column apart to look at it, and that is not going to happen right now.

 

Wouldnt mind setting it up for RHD since every time I drive something other than my van (RHD) I turn on the wipers instead of the turn signals  :rofl:

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