Datsun77P/U283SBC

Ok, so the build has started, but there has been some changes, the 283SBC that i pulled apart was full of water, so i purchased a 350SBC, and am now building the motor, and doing body work at the same time. The motor is out of the datsun pickup, pulled it with tranny and all. The body was severly rusted and i am going to have to torch the bed off the truck, all the other panels minus the drivers door, and the bed are pretty straight, and are getting a coat of primer this weekend, the 350 is going off to the machine shop to get hot tanked and reemed. I have found some nice drag rims on craiglist for 200 bucks that i plan on purchasing this weekend so i can look at clearance issues for the drag slicks. The cab has been gutted minus the dash that supports the column, as it will be pulled out as soon as i move the truck back down to the shop for a little mig work, the kick panels had to be removed do to rust so i am going to have to weld a little sheet metal back in, and i plan on using a plasma torch to cut out the fire wall and center consol so the TH350 will fit in. That is all for now i am taking lots of pictures, but havent posted them yet.

Driven he was a huge help he says that he has a drivers side door for me to look at as soon as i make it back to the states i am going to give him a call. As for the rear end i found one that will work as you can see from my posting, i dont know what its out of but i dont care because it will fit and it has everything i wanted and the price was right. I also found a set of drag rims and tires for a good price that my buddy is picking up for me as soon as i get home, so everything is coming together, i plan on saving the rest of my money for the head work, and balancing, i should find a pretty happy medium with the stats you pulled from your dyno and the head combination. I cant believe i will be walking into a pretty set up project, i am so excited that it makes everyday seem that much longer in Iraq, but i know pretty soon i will be covered in grease and dirt, and have a big smile on my face. With your help and the famly and friends back home, and a patient wife, my dreams of having a somewhat cheap and reliable hotrod are coming true! My wife has set aside another 1200 bucks for random expenses so i should have the rest pretty covered, like shocks and exhaust, and brake pads and lines and hoses. The interior will more than likely have to wait untill taxes but i am pretty sure i should have the whole thing complete by spring. Thanks alot Driven and i will be in touch!

So Ratsun community this is where i sit for now, this will give you all the info on my build, i will post progress in about three weeks, but these stats should get you pretty excited!:D Project Ratsun PickupStatistics given a 283SBC power train with 315HP, a TH350 transmission, 2300rpm stall and a 3.42 rear end posi with 28x9x14 inch slicks in the rear. Also a TH350 with 1st: 2.52.1 2nd: 1.52.1 3rd: 1.00.1 Reverse: 2.07.1 using this calculator (http://wahiduddin.net/calc/calc_speed_rpm.htm) At 6500 rpm, 6000 rpm, 5500 rpm, & 7000 rpm 1. 62.8MPH at 6500rpm and 2.52 gear ratio in 1st 2. 104.2 Mph at 6500rpm and 1.52 gear ratio in 2nd 3. 158.3 Mph at 6500rpm and 1.00:1 gear ration in 3rd 4. 53.2 Mph at 5500rpm and 2.52 gear ratio in 1st 5. 88.1 Mph at 5500rpm and 1.52 gear ratio in 2nd 6. 134 Mph at 5500rpm and 1:1 gear ratio in 3rd 7. 58 Mph at 6000rpm 1st gear 8. 96.1 Mph at 6000rpm 2nd gear 9. 146.1 Mph at 6000rpm 3rd gear 10. 67.7 Mph at 7000rpm 1st gear 11. 112.2 Mph at 7000rpm 2nd gear 12. 170.5 Mph at 7000rpm 3rd gear 13. Given a 2500lbs truck and 315hp motor the car should do 117.4Mph, and 11.6 sec ¼ mile(http://measurespeed.com/quarter-mile-calculator.php) 14. 0-60mph in 4.25 seconds using this calculator (http://measurespeed.com/zero-to-sixty-mph-calculator.php) 15. Power to weight ratio is .126 HP using this calculator (http://measurespeed.com/power-to-weight-ratio-calculator.php) 16. Some info about the truck, it’s a 1977 datsun 620, with a 283 with aluminum edelbrock performer Rpm intake, a performer 650cfm carb, a custom Duration @.050 in. 214/224, Lift .443/.465 cam, with 461 heads 194/150 valves 64cc chamber port matched with 3 angle valve job, 1.5 roller rockers, new z24 springs, new Holley hi performance fuel pump, and hi volume oil pump, double timing chain, new summit racing hydraulic lifters and push rods, MSD blaster coil, Dual point distributer, accel 8.5mm wires, iridium spark plugs, new aftermarket water pump , 2300rpm jegs stall converter, race ready TH350, 10bolt corporate rear axle with 3.42 gears and posi, and disk brakes, rears are on 14x7 centerlines and have 28x9x14 Mickey Thompson ET drag tires, fronts are 15x3 centerlines with 165/50/15 Mickey Thompson ET drag tires, Hurst pro matic ratchet shifter, jegs proportioning valve with translock (brakes),and balanced crank. 17. Extras, edelbrock valve covers, edelbrock air filter dish, fram air filter, flex fan, pro cool 4 core radiator, tubbed rear end, 12 gallon fuel cell, optima battery, monster tach from auto meter, and grant racing steering wheel. 18. Everything else is pretty much stock, including seats dash, bumpers, ect… 19. Mods I plan on making: slotted disk break fronts, new hi performance shocks, and springs, traction bars, flat black paint job, with minor body work, and reworking the interior. 20. All that’s left to do is assemble the components! I will definitely take pictures along the way to document. Should be all together and race ready by spring!

So i am still waiting to go home, but all my parts except for the cam which is being built, have made it to my doorstep and are piling up on my work bench next to my tool box. I was able to score the 10bolt 3.42 posi with disk setup from a harley buddy of mine for 100 bucks, and it will work. Have a line on some 27"x10x15 Mickey thompson ET tires already mounted on some 15x8 lightweight drag rims, so all i have left to purchase is the 2000-2300rpm torque converter that i found on jegs for around a 100 bucks. So that i have everything set out for the project, it will be a while before i get back on the site to start posting pic's, so in about three weeks i should be back on here giving more info and pics on the build, but untill then thanks Driven for all the info and pointing me in the right direction, if it wasnt for the help i received i wouldnt have already gotten all the parts needed to make the project happen! Unti next post!

Driven i was talking to one of my buddies i deployed with and he has a 70's something landcruiser that he put a 350 in and he said he went with a 2300rpm stall, and said he liked the hell out of it gave him what he needed for performance with such a lite truck so i figured i would start looking around that range, as for the trans am axle, i thought it might be too wide, however the father in law dosent seem to think so, so i told him to measure it and see what he comes up with, but yeah i am still trying to buy it no matter what, just for the simple fact it can be used on a different project down the road. I found a couple 8.8 axles on craiglist but most of them were the drum setup and the ones that were disk posi, the guys were asking 400 dollars for them, and i dont know if they are really worth 400 bucks. Ordering the last stuff for the motor the other day kinda set my mind at ease, i know there is always a little more nickle and dime stuff that pops up but i feel that i got the expensive stuff out of the way. The father inlaw is stoked that i am willing to comit to the body work already planning on some small sheet metal tacking and light patch work before paint, also have to find a drivers door for it, the stock one on it is pretty crunched and would be way more work then just buying one from a junk yard. All, i have left are tires, rear end, and driver side door, so getting close to having a complete kit waiting for me to put in some hours, oh and a beer fridge for the garage, cant celebrate a hard day of work without a cold one. Father in law has been a great helper in this project, he found me a 12gallon fuel cell, the TH350, the block hugger headers and some drive shafts ready to be chopped and balanced. This would be the second hotrod project we have put together, before i left we built a dragger knuckle head harley with 100 cubic inches and a v6 supercharger, built everything from scratch including the motor but havent ran it on the track due to the fact i got deployed, so my Ratsun will give us something to build this winter, and then we can take the bike and the truck to the strip hopefully for spring opener next year. And DRIVEN, your knowledge and know how have inspired me to head in the right direction and have even passed some knowledge to my 63yr old father inlaw who used to race circle track as a teenager, even he is learning new things as so am i. I hope to be home by sept 10 and as soon as i get the motor on the engine stand i will start posting pictures and video for you. Untill then i will let you know if i find the stall, i am looking for, and if i can find a reasonable rear end. Thanks DRIVEN

First of all DRIVEN, very nice 283's make me more confident to run one, next the head number is 3782461, and as far as i know they are 194/150 and have around 64cc naybe a little less, some one told me that those are camel humps i am guessing buy the stamp on the head. I decided to go with the 212/224 @.050 .444/.465 cam, so i am glad they ran about the same on your simulated dyno, the Performer Rpm cam seemed a little more radical then i really wanted to go, plus i was being told that it would need extensive head work to make it really happy, so i went the more reasonable route. I did however find a site that helped me decide to go with the TH350 for a tranny. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090226211858AABvrJF . When i saw the differences in the gear ratios between the 700r4, and the TH350 it was a no brainer, i would hate to put everything in then have a drive shaft made and watch the tranny come apart the first time i run it hard. The stock gears that i have now are the 4:38:1, which using my speed versus rpm caculator, means that at 5500 Rpm the 30" slicks i plan on running and 1:1 3rd gear on the TH350 i could be at 112Mph, which isnt shabby, not exactly where it would put me in the 1/4 mile, but if the 283 will spin a little higher rpms it should be fast enough. I will deffinately look into the stall converter now that i wont be wasting money on a transmission that i didnt need. Is there a particular brand that is better than others but not crazey over kill for my application? After the stall converter, i think i am pretty much good on ordering parts untill i get home and start working on the motor and truck itself, i will still need some spark plugs and coil wires, but i figure on putting in a set of IRIDIUM spark plugs and some 8.5mm accell wires. All the young bucks that work with me keep wanting me to add Nitrous but, i dont find it attractive at all, i like old nostalgic motors and i wouldnt want to ruin it with NOS. I might have a chance to snag a 1977 trans am rear end with Posi 3.23 gears, and disk breaks. I dont know if it would fit a datsun pickup without looking rediculous, but if it does i told my father in law to offer him $150 bucks. Driven i really appreciate all the good information you have thrown my way, i am one of those who take good info to heart, and love learning more and more about chevy motors, gears, and valve train.

Ok, so its almost monday back in the states, so i should find out wether the 700R4 conversion to 2wd is duable. As fof ordering the rest of the parts for the 283, i am still at a cross roads, i found an edlebrock performer RPM cam on amazon for $153 bucks and some change with matching hydraulic lifters, how ever the cam range is a little more radical than 214/224, Lift .443/.465 edlebrocks is 234/244 lift and .488/.510 at 50deg and supposively has a range from 1500-6500Rpm, where as the other one was only 2000-5500Rpm. Now i know that there is no sense in building a dog for a hotrod, but i dont know if the 194 heads will take that much lift in a 283, and the last thing i want is to throw this thing together and smack a valve. So Driven do you have any advice before i spend all $350 dollars of my budget for this payday.

DRIVEN, i was just talking about the 700R4 with the father inlaw, and looked into making the tranny 2wd, from what i read on this blog http://www.blazinlow.com/forum/showthread.php?t=75920 it ca n be done if the transmission guy knows what hes doing, but unfortunately since it is saturday nobody is in the trany shop right now i wont know untill monday what it would cost and if they can do it locally. But if its going to be too much i still have the Race ready TH350, i would love to have overdrive though so i could drive it to the strip. I plan on purchasing this Camshaft on the 15th from Summit Racing. Hydraulic Flat Tappet, Duration @.050 in. 214/224, Lift .443/.465, how do you think it will do, i was told that it was a perfect match for the 194 heads, and a edlebrock performer intake and some roller rockers and hydraulic lifters t and an eldlebrock performer 650cfm carb. I am not trying to make a complete monster motor just something that will scoot down the road, hopefully 12 sec 1/4mile. As soon as i get home i will start roving the junk yards looking for that explorer rear end, i would like some tall gears, i would hate to run out. My dad who is about 60 now, said that he used to have a 327 with a three speed manual transmission in his camaro when he was going through college and he said that motor would just scream. I myself am jealous i have never heard a small block turn such rpm, i built my buddy a torque monster 350 for his mudd bogger in the marines and it wouldnt turn above 5000rpm, course it didnt need to it had 11:1 compression and ran on race fuel, because it had too, it was fun for the mud, but you couldnt drive it on the street. I just want to get home and tear into the motor and get started! I will keep you informed as to what the tranny guys have to say, but i dont have my hopes set to hi, for the simple fact that small town mechanics have a way of trying to rip a guy a new one when it comes to modifying things!

I am still working on getting pictures uploaded of my project truck. I will tell you this there is nothing fancy about it, it is completely stock from the 2.0 motor to the drive train behind it. It has a pretty nasty dent in the drivers side door, which i plan on replacing if i cant get the dent out, and i might have to replace the fender on that side, which is only about 100 bucks. I plan on making the final truck look something like this truck http://www.chromjuwe...ler-pickup.html. I want a nice fast and fun little hotrod in the end. I dont plan on shaving door handles or doing any low rider stuff to it, i just want it to look mean and sound mean, and scoot down the track and street attracting attention. I would like help in knowing what years the datsun pickups had 3.54 gears as i have heard that the high rev 283 likes gears thrown at it. I also havent decided wether to go with the TH350 or the 700R4, being that the TH350 is race ready and the 700R4 i have came out of a 85 4x4 blazer and dont know how good of condition it is in. I wont be able to start building the motor untill september, cause i will still be here in IRAQ for the next couple of weeks and then i have redeployment breifings still to do stateside. I do however keep learning more and more so that when i put the whole thing together you wont be disapointed. That yellow drag datsun is put together very poorley and truly looks like some one did it in a hurry to make some money off some kid, i on the other hand am a perfectionist and like to see other people appreciate my work and since this is the first real project i have undertaken for my self, i do plan on taking my time and doing it right, and not going all goddy on it either, i hate when some one takes a 100 dollar car and puts 30,000 dollars into it, i am not that guy, but done right i can take the 300 dollar stock pickup i bought and make a fun nice little roadster that still is affordable to drive, but fun to take to the strip on a saturday night. Now i have used this site to try to figure out my gear ratio's http://wahiduddin.ne...c_speed_rpm.htm. Gears anywhere in the 3. something would be great, i am building the 283 to run at the 2000-5500 rpm range, however i bought a cam and springs that will easily handle 6500rpm's. I also found out yesterday that someone had installed 327 heads on my little 283 that are 64cc with .194 vavles. So i have the right setup for the edlebrock rpm intake and the cam according to the hotrodders. I have all the parts for my motor so now i am more focused on the drive train, i have read that datsun Z rear ends will take up to 400 horsepower stock, and the TH350 will take around 400ftlbs of torque. My question is will the stock 620 rear end take 350HP, and will the 700R4 take that kind of abuse, also i plan on putting on some 30x13x15 street slicks on the back for traction and looks, so i dont want things to snap when i get to playing around. Also do they make a posi rearend or should i look for the explorer rearend as suggested by DRIVEN? I dont want to sink in alot of money and not get any fun in return, in other words, i want what works for a good price. Remmember i am military and i have two daughters and a wife and house that i am taking care of, so i am building pay day to pay day, right now i am on a $700 dollar a month build budget, so far i have only spent around 1200 dollars for the motor and transmission and truck, so all i have left is the rear end and some body work, however i do fabrication and body work so welding motor mounts and transmission brakets not a concern, nor is fabricating a firewall, or moving a radiator, or fuel cell, i will figure that stuff out when i can actually get my hands on the vehicle. Thanks for all the support, and i plan on getting home and publishing pictures of the truck and build! But for now i uploaded some pictures of the stock 620 i purchased and some pictures of previous projects and some of my harley work. Again thanks for the info look forward to finding out more!

Thank you Datsun mike,Driven, and wagon john, for welcoming me to the site, my plans are to build a street and strip machine for me and my wife and kids to enjoy. I have built several metric choppers and bobbers and voltswagen trikes, and rigid harleys with my father in law, who builds and fabricats one of a kind harley customs out of his shop in clarkston washington called precision cycles. I am always fabricating parts for Humvees and Mraps for the army, and after my last bike build back home i ran out of projects to keep myself busy and found myself always working on other peoples hotrods and ratrods, and have always wanted to put a 350SBC in one of my mother inlaws 280ZX's that we have around the shop for parts to keep her mint 1979 280zx going. There are lots of carshows in the lewiston idaho/clarkston washington area, and every year i find myself wanting to build one, and as soon as i start one someone comes along and offers me the right price to get rid of it. My last project before my first daughter was born was a 32 ford coupe on a S10 chevy frame that i put the 283SBC into. Well since being deployed i have kept my eye on craigslist looking for another project vehicle that would be unique and fun to build, and at first i told the wife that i had found a small gas saver truck, the datsun 620, but i really had other plans for it! So now with the help of my father inlaw back home i bought back the 283SBC for 50$, and i have a race ready TH350 or a 700R4 to choose for the trans, and i have read just about every forum pertaining to the 1955-1967 283SBC to find out what i needed to make a screamer, also i read the specs for the 77datsun 620 to find out more about the rear end and gear ratios. However i didnt know that they made them from 3.54 to 4.88, i do think that if the specs are correct on the one i purchased mine supposively has a 4.38. The information for the datsun i got from http://www.davidcmurphy.com/olddat//620specs.htm. http://www.chromjuwelen.com/de/network/247-blogcardomain/74580-another-surprise-truck-at-sema-a-datsun-620-lil-hustler-pickup.html[/media]

To start off, my name is chris i am an army SSG, who started off in the marines, i am currently deployed but coming home soon, so i put together a project truck with the help of family back home, i have almost got everything i need, so here is the project any advice would be welcome. 1977 Datsun P/U regular cab, 2.0 with 4speed standard trans, all stock. Project is putting in a 1967 283SBC out of a 67 chevy pickup, a TH350 transmission recently rebuilt, and a datsun 1979 Datsun 280Z rearend with .370 gears. I have already purchased, block hugger headers, Edelbrock/1500-6500 RPM intake manifold, 1.5 Ratio - 3/8" Stud roller rockers, a 650cfm edlebrock performer carb, Duration @.050 in. 214/224, Lift .443/.465 cam with a set of matching hydraulic lifters, new high flow oil pump, and 7-10 psi Holley hi-preformance fuel pump, new summit racing valve spring kit, new MSD blaster coil, and MSD dual point distributer,Cloyes double roller timing chain set, felpro gasket kit for the top and bottom end, and right now i am pondering the head work i want to have done to the Power Pack heads, might try to find some 416 heads when i get home. I will upload a picture of the stock truck the way it sits now, and keep uploading pictures as i soon will be starting the project in about a month, right now like i said i am still gathering what i will need to make some decent horsepower, and some fun times on the track as well as some smoke on the street. I plan on tubbing the rearend and putting some 15" steel wheels on the back with some 30x13xR15's street legal slicks. Also have a 12 gallon fuel cell already sitting in the garage left over from my last project. My wife thinks i am crazy for hotrodding a 77 datsun pickup, but i think the older and more unique the better! I plan on going flat black and half moons, and keeping the truck as simple as possible, i plan on rebuilding the stock brakes on the front and using the existing disk brakes on the Z rearend. What i am not sure about is the cutting of the firewall and how much weight i will have to cut from the truck in order to keep it around 2000lbs.