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Yojimbo's '86 build


YoJimbo

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Hello everyone. Welcome to what I hope will become a somewhat thorough chronicle of my time maintaining, restoring and improving (hopefully) my 86 nissan 720... let's jump in with the story of how we met...

 

Last year around november I was stuck catching rides to work again. Not good. I needed my own ride. The '90 toyota 4x4 I bought from a friend got me many places in the year I had it. But it wasn't giving me that warm fuzzy 'yeah that's my ride' feeling anymore. So I sold it to a hunter who lives way out in the boonies. A real shit-kickin-teeth-missing-no-nonsense-boar hunting-deep jungle forest mechanic-family man who was in need of a work truck to thrash.

 

My heart was set on finding something with classic appeal. Something that I could wrench on and make my own. Something that could also get me to work every day reliably...

 

A stylish 4 banger nissan truck appeared on craigslist. It was styling. I was smitten.

 

The nissan easily ate the steep winding mountain side road I threw at it on the test drive. It even stopped well when I stomped the brakes at the bottom of the hill. It didn't even groan much as we sped up for the highway.

 

It shifted like a tractor. But the driver's door sat juuust right for elbow height. And the interior was in great shape. Weathered, but still great. And the brudda selling it swore it could never overheat, 'look the gauge no even go above C' he kept saying. And he said it was his Grandma's. And it only had 90k miles (for real?!...Nooope, dat odo no go no mo' xD) He also asked if I had a garage to keep it in (I soon found out why the next time it rained)...

 

We agreed on a price, and I agreed to sell it back to him if it came down to it. And, I agreed to give him a ride home... The 86 nissan 720 was mine now!

 

Here it is tucked in for the night a few days after I brought it home...

 

20171003_184150_2170.jpg

 

My brother and I welcomed the nissan home while tail-gating with a healthy number of beers that night.

 

More to come soon hopefully. Next time with tales of getting hands dirty.

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Looks pretty good. An '86... does it have one or two wing nuts holding the air filter on???  Does the temp gauge really not read up in the middle of the run range? The thermostat may be stuck open and it will run even better with a new one. As soon as you have time I would re-torque the head bolts. The Z24 is well known for blowing the head gaskets at 100K intervals. It's so easy. On a COLD engine, loosen only one bolt at a time and torque to 60 ft lbs, then do the next. You can do is any order you like but only one bolt loose at any one tine. Done.

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Thanks for the replies fellas! Been cruising around the forum here since I got the truck last year. Much appreciation to everyone for sharing their knowledge.

 

Haven't got much personal experience working on trucks or cars. Oil changes, fluid checks and spark plug checking/replacement was the depth of my knowledge before jumping into this datsun nissan world. My 720 adventure has been all types of fun so far. Even the frustrating parts have had me smiling at the end of the day (all this beer helps too...). Anyways, not gonna go ranting right now...

 

Looks pretty good. An '86... does it have one or two wing nuts holding the air filter on???  Does the temp gauge really not read up in the middle of the run range? The thermostat may be stuck open and it will run even better with a new one. As soon as you have time I would re-torque the head bolts. The Z24 is well known for blowing the head gaskets at 100K intervals. It's so easy. On a COLD engine, loosen only one bolt at a time and torque to 60 ft lbs, then do the next. You can do is any order you like but only one bolt loose at any one tine. Done.

 

Yup, definitely feeling lucky to have found a truck in all around good condition. Most trucks here get thrashed into a pulp before so many years go by... Certainly seems like it could have been Grandma's ride!

 

Datzenmike, thanks a bunch. About a month ago I stumbled across a post where you recommended doing the head bolt re-torque. That got my ass motivated quick! On the next day free from my job I was able to make the re-torque happen with the help of my brother and cousin (and several references to the ratsun forums). It was the first time pulling off a rocker cover for me. Dang that got me excited! Found what looked like some strange wear and tear, hoping that it is just from the original manufacturing process, here are some pics...

 

Fishing out the metal shaving...

20180504_130618_7156.jpg

 

Still fishing...

20180504_131304_7157.jpg

 

Collection of the bits found in and around the area...

20180504_131503_7158.jpg

 

Changed the oil a few months before getting the rocker cover off. Didn't find any shavings stuck to the drain plug.

 

Manufacture date is Oct '85. Japanese vin number. One wing nut holding the air filter on. Temp gauge doesn't get more than an 1/8" above C. Copy that about thermostat possibilities. After shooting the breeze with my Uncle it seems like its usual for thermostats to get messed with here in the tropics. Here is a pic of some sort of heater bypass the previous owner may have done...

 

The hosing was unplugged from the heater fittings and plugged back into itself...

20180522_181956_7130.jpg

 

 

Also would recommend checking your valve lash, look like a super clean truck good job man!

There some advantages to the 86, like the kick panels that are not made of carboard.

 

Thanks for the input captain720. I'm looking forward to checking the valve lash. Excited to see how it runs after getting the lash dialed in. Haven't had time or energy lately. Total noob on this stuff so it's going to take some time xD! Definitely will have ice cold brews at the ready for celebration. Also hoping to get the idle set on the carb and then getting the ignition timing set. No luck finding a decent timing light online though. Gonna check the parts stores in town this week hopefully. No tach in the truck either. Not sure if that's needed or not for setting timing. Rolling around the idea of popping in an aftermarket tach into the instrument cluster. Feasible? Dunno... Particle board door panels held up through all these years amazingly well. Only rotted out completely on lower corner. Thinking of replacing with 1/8" ply coated in epoxy, want to get the engine tuned up proper first though...

 

Alright enough jabber from me tonight, hope i'm not flooding the area xD

 

Gotta hit the hay now, early start at work for me tomorrow.

 

Cheers folks.

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That is a clean 720 nice find!

 

Please put your location above the vehicle you own it helps us help you if there is ever a need.

 

Thanks Charlie69. I feel lucky to have it and grateful to the previous owners who took care of it.

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You live in the middle of nowhere (ocean)!  LOL

 

There are a couple members on here that live in Hawaii.

 

J C Whitney sells carpet kits that are pretty decent.  Watch for a holiday free shipping special.

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Yup yup, luckily we've got a healthy tequila and beer supply out here on this middle of nowhere rock ...oh yeah we've also got some food and a barbecue or two :thumbup:

 

Thanks for the tip on the carpet kit. Not sure what route I wanna go on that note. The original vinyl floor mat is in good shape but half the padding under it turned to swamp mush after the rain had its way with it (managed to patch some holes by painting rubber seal spray on the problem area)

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Here's a quick run down of what I've done on the truck so far...

 

-ngk plugs and wires

-distributor cap and rotor replaced

-head bolts re-torqued

-new valve cover gasket (did not use any gasket sealer, looks to be holding well so far)

-replaced most of the original vacuum lines

-fixed major leak into with rubber seal

-oil change (not stoked on fram filter though, planning on swapping it out soon)

-new brake pads and hardware

-front and rear brake hoses replaced

-found that the rear passenger drum brake was completely disconnected and crimped closed, tracked the problem down to a blown out wheel cylinder and stuck e-brake cable

-replaced both wheel cylinders along with brake shoes and hardware

-added bolts to each rear bumper mounting bracket to stop the bumper from falling down under any weight like a trap door

-new fuel filter (this seems to have increased the mpg although I can't tell how much because the odo gear is worn out)

 

That's all I can recall off the top of my head right now...

 

Goals in the near future...

-engine tune (ignition timing, valve lash check)

-coolant flush

-replace stock hitachi carb for weber 32/36, although I'm a bit lost on this as I've read that z24s with o2 sensor cannot convert to the weber carb, wondering if there is a work around if that is the case

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-replace stock hitachi carb for weber 32/36, although I'm a bit lost on this as I've read that z24s with o2 sensor cannot convert to the weber carb, wondering if there is a work around if that is the case

This is wrong I installed a new Pierce Manifolds Weber DGEV 32/36 in 2011 on my 86 720 King cab 2wd 5 speed.  I have the o2 sensor, infact I just replaced my os sensor a couple months back, and have replaced the cat 2 times first time it was mia.  I have passed emissions here in Phoenix with it 3 times now.  I have to do emission testing every 2 years when I renew my registration.

 

https://www.piercemanifolds.com/

 

Good people I have been dealing with them over 3 decades.  Be sure you get the 1 piece manifold adapter.

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This is wrong I installed a new Pierce Manifolds Weber DGEV 32/36 in 2011 on my 86 720 King cab 2wd 5 speed.  I have the o2 sensor, infact I just replaced my os sensor a couple months back, and have replaced the cat 2 times first time it was mia.  I have passed emissions here in Phoenix with it 3 times now.  I have to do emission testing every 2 years when I renew my registration.

 

https://www.piercemanifolds.com/

 

Good people I have been dealing with them over 3 decades.  Be sure you get the 1 piece manifold adapter.

 

Cool! Great to hear you've had success. I was just starting to dig into your 86 720 build. Luckily for me, we don't have emissions testing here yet.

 

Checked the pierce manifolds site and could not find a kit for an 86 z24 720. Thinking of calling them up when I have a chance.

 

Purchased a Weber DGEV 32/36 kit from redline racing some time late last year. I have zero experience working on carbs so I'm starting from scratch on the conversion. Was really amped to pop that new weber on. Ran into a problem with one of the threaded barb fittings included with the kit, the threading didn't seem to line up (npt vs bsp?). Of course I didn't have much guidance, so maybe it was in the wrong place. At the time I was trying to piece together the proper set up by looking at random youtube vids and forum posts :lol:

 

During that attempt to get the 32/36 hooked up I was also trying to delete some emissions gear. Half way through the action I ran into the barb fitting problem and eventually ended up deciding to keep the hitachi going with all the emissions gear.

 

From what I've read the 32/36 can improve mileage and engine performance if properly set up :cool:

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Attempting to adjust valve lash tonight, here is the action so far...

 

Struggled to find top dead center >..< , Disconnected coil leads and searched for timing mark... solo mission tonight so it was a lot of back and forth between me, tapping the key to turn it over and going back to check the pulley. Timing mark on crankshaft pulley is TINY, looks like it was made by a frail old worm with a dull ass pocket knife... must have taken too long because the .012" feeler gauge doesn't wanna fit into valves 4 and 6 at all...

 

Much struggling back and forth between tapping start, then finally found a socket to fit crankshaft pulley, got a ratchet to it and it is easy to dial in the timing mark on pulley now.. lucky night only one big socket and the bugga fits, 1 1/16th" xD!

 

After dicking around with the adjustments, gave up and decided engine is now too cold, put rocker cover back on and hooked up all plug wires again. Rolled the bugga out the garage and started her up with plans of warming engine up to then go for second attempt... Fired up and now sounds like a wheezing old fart of a dying horse while running.

 

New plan, let engine cool for about 30 more minutes, then dig back in to set valves to cold clearance, 0.008" intake and 0.009" exhaust according to post here on ratsun. Then, with valves set for cold, run engine until warm, then do the do all over again to adjust at temp.

 

Oh yeah, can't forget, gotta get to work early tomorrow morning, good thing sister got me a twenty two of guinness stout for dinner!!!

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...on second thought, my gut is telling me I need to let the engine cool overnight then set the cold clearance, then warm her up and get back under that cover in time for the warm adjust... After work tomorrow... or the next day...

 

Plus the isle of man TT is finally on, no time for pissing around on the nissan now, Rock'n'roll!

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I'm thinking that potentially you could have put a plug wire back on the wrong plug and that would make it run really weird, or you really messed up the valve lash, which isn't nearly as likely. It only takes a minute just double check those plug wires.

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I'm thinking that potentially you could have put a plug wire back on the wrong plug and that would make it run really weird, or you really messed up the valve lash, which isn't nearly as likely. It only takes a minute just double check those plug wires.

 

Wish that was the case xD hehehe... Double and triple checked all the plug wires, they're all going where they should be. Good idea though. Seems like I really stank out the valve lash.

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Adjusted valve lash with the engine cold tonight. Intake 0.008", exhaust 0.009". Starts and sounds better than it did last night. Still won't run at all without foot on the gas. Doesn't sound very happy. Chugging like a tired old worn out diesel. Wondering if it is running rough because I haven't hooked up any of the vacuum lines that link up with the air filter xD Was hoping to leave the air filter off in order to save time in order to get to the valves with engine still hot.

 

No more wrenching for me tonight. Hopefully I'll get a step closer to smooth running after work tomorrow.

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Full success getting the valve lash adjusted last night. Plugged vacuum lines with nails, socket and a punch, started up and ran alright. Sounded like it wanted to die out so I propped a block on the gas pedal to give it that little extra oomff while it warmed up.

 

After the failure (practice) of the first round of valve adjusting, getting her open and set was fun this time around!

 

Seems to run a bit smoother now. Still struggles at idle sometimes. Planning on setting the timing soon. Once I get my hands on a timing light and a tachometer.

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No tach in the cab's instrument cluster and don't have a timing light. Anyone have input on hooking up an aftermarket tach (affordable quality kind, original tach's hard to find here) into the o.g. gauge cluster? Plenty of 80s and 90s hardbody and sentras here, also lots of corollas of that era...

 

Having trouble finding legit info/source for a quality timing light online. What kind light have people had luck running? Looking for one that will bounce well on gravel and keep working well through years of humid air, a.k.a. what i'm looking for in anything... Yooo, any single ladies out there like the tropics? I brush my teef every daaay :D

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Took the truck in for wheel alignment today.

 

Been meaning to for months, since replacing steering linkage, tires and wheels. Many of the moog steering linkage components i swapped in have already begun to rust on the surface.

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Thank you Charlie!

 

My family and our home is safe from the current lava flow.

 

Our thoughts and prayers are also going out to everyone being affected by this eruption. All the people of Leilani, Pohoiki, Wa'awa'a and Kapoho communities we wish you all the best of luck in these heavy circumstances! Every day is a gift.

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Swapped in a new belt yesterday evening. Keeping the old one in the cab as back up. It's cracked and worn but was still going...

 

Researching weber carb conversion info on here and on the great pierce manifolds youtube videos...

 

From what I've read here on ratsun, people have had success replacing the stock fuel pump for a carter pump while adding a fuel pressure regulator after the pump (Holley 12-804 was recommended). Basically, tank to filter to pump to regulator to carb. Planning on calling pierce manifolds soon to talk story...

 

Just continuing the brainstorming of a plan for future carb conversion attempt (if i end up going that route..)

 

That being said, has anyone had reliable success plumbing the fuel pump and fuel filter into safer and easier to access area? Inside the engine bay on top the passenger wheel well looks spacious and far from all the mud and gravel action of the frame rail. Just a thought. In aquaculture and farming we sometimes reroute water filters, pumps and sterilizers into new areas for different projects... We are also always out of funding, so just because we do it and make it work doesn't mean the idea should be applied to this truck's plumbing ;)

 

Also working on a mud flap crafting side project today :lol:

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Pumps work better and last longer when they push instead of pull and when they are lower than the fuel tank so they gravity feed.

 

You can relocate it but there is good chance you will go through fuel pumps fairly quickly.

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