Donedreamin

As mentioned in the later comments, I did a timing assembly on my 3V 5.4 Ford motor and it was far more consuming and challenging, not to mention expensive. The beauty about this is there isn't a ton of "special tools" required either. This was dummy proof in comparison, and just as rewarding.

I actually had the original intentions of doing this (via your video), cut the old one out and cut the gasket to fit. Couldn't get it to fit without dropping the pan and was hoping I could get away with an RTV temp fix until I swapped the pan but it's far more severe than original anticipating and will have to drop the pan.

Your right, I managed to install the front cover without dropping my pan and with my head installed. Don't do it this way. I am pissing oil out of my pan gasket now.

With that being said if anyone has a 521 L16 oil pan they would part with let me know! 😁

I did not lower the pan, that is the correct way to do it. Unfortunately my pan doesn't seal properly as it was over tightened at some point and needs to be replaced. That was the reason I didn't drop mine.

Swapped #2 and #3 and voila, runs like a top! I had the firing order clockwise. Mike you're a gem, thank you for all you do.

Hey guys, I just recently swapped over my headgasket, during the process my timing chain wedge popped out and my tensioner popped out. I tore down the front section of the motor, replaced all the timing components and followed hainz's youtube video along with following the how to rebuild your datsun motor book. I am 100% certain I aligned my cam/crankshaft correctly. I aligned my oil pump as per the procedure, my timing order is 180 degrees off, I flipped my matchbox dizzy to keep the electronics away from the exhaust. When running my timing is currently at 10 BTDC. Cylinder 3 is receiving spark, but isn't firing. When I pull the plug it is not soaked in fuel or fouled. Doesn't indicate a clean burn either. I am a little stumped and before I re-align my oil pump I decided to ask for a second opinion, unfortunately I have an event coming up this weekend and I decided to wait till the last minute to fix this. My finger indicating which cylinder is 1, triple checked my firing order. Any help greatly appreciated ..

Seeing as this is my only build thread, and this is era correct I thought I would share with everyone. This winter I built a 71' Corolla and installed a 3TC and 5-speed. As far as the 521, I installed some badges, cleaned up some loose ends and put it back on the road for the season. Installed this fitting license plate Does anyone have a connector for the rear turn signal available? I threw mine out and they aren't easy to track down.

I pulled apart the rear end, it was surprisingly simple. Access to an accommodating press made it easy. The bearings were in good shape, repacked, seals replaced and installed. Something failed in the diff. Installed the one from the 620 and the rear end has never sounded better. We made a trip out to Calgary and made a vacation out of it. The truck did it's longest trip, over 200km round trip and it drove well. As like any project, it still isn't finished. But there has been lots of challenges with this build and I'm happy to say it's at a "turn key" point and I will just enjoy it for the time-being. Thanks for all the support and advice.

I found the motivation to pull the head, get it resurfaced and slapped it back together and I couldn't be happier. I drove the truck all week back and forth to work and as far as the engine and transmission goes, it's seems to be very healthy. It went back under the knife this weekend to pull apart the rear end as it has a whine. I originally thought it was my differential but it's looking like the main culprit is my wheel bearing. This is my first time taking this apart and the manual isn't very descriptive. How do i separate the bearing from the shaft?

I will definitely stick with the L series motor for now, lots of variables and I'm pretty invested at this point. I did a compression test on cylinder 4 and I got a reading around 126, and I would have liked to believe it came from the heater hose but I double checked. (leak was coming from spark plug side) Will take some photos tonight Are 620 diff's interchangeable? I have access to one that came with a 4-speed... did a quick search and it's seems it will work but I'm not 100% certain What would you guys do? Should I pull the head and inspect? Pull the engine and throw in a different one? (will have to source one) No lectures on doing it right the first time, I really thought I did it right.. I am running a 5-speed out of a 280z

There was an adjustment on the dizzy that allowed me to moved the timing plate, gave me what I needed and some to bring it up to spec! (11BTDC) I suspected there was something wrong during my drive, my carb was back firing when I was decelerating. I maxed out my mixture screw and it was still doing it indicating that it was running lean. When I got home I noticed there was some coolant running down the side of the block beside cylinder #4, felt pretty defeated. I do have a 69', with the 1.3 that has a good rear end in it. Are they the same rear end? Not really sure what to do from here on out, contacted a guy in the area that has a yard full of Datsuns. Might see what he has.. I havn't been very lucky with L series motors, almost feel like it's time for an upgrade. Thanks for the kind words and all the help, nice to have the support..

She drives!! I was so excited.. car drove nice, transmission shifted beautifully, engine pulled really hard. But.. Turns out it is my rear end that is whining (yes i checked the fluid) And.. My headgasket is leaking Pretty upset, going to take a break from the truck for a bit

Interesting about the timing, goes to show how uneducated I am! That's a positive. But I can't say I've ever dropped the oil pump, nor moved a tooth. A little unsure, any advice? Just thinking of my options, is it a bad idea to notch out my timing adjustment plate on dizzy? I have about a 1/4 material to work with.. I have had the car lowered for some time with no issues. When I built the trans mount i didn't leave much room for error between the trans and tunnel, when the motor torques I believe it is touching. I will go for a spirited drive tonight and get a better idea of what's going on.

Finished the trans mount Finished the carrier mount, I ended up moving it forward. About 2 inches I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, I did the best I could. The trans and diff are aligned perfectly but the carrier bearing is ever so slightly off. I would have had to cut off my e-brake mount in order correct it. I wasn't ready to do that yet, I will give this a shot and know there is a chance I may run into a problem. I started the truck, checked my timing and I have maxed out my dizzy and I'm only sitting at 8 degrees. I'm going to pop off the valve cover tomorrow and check my cam timing.. along with my torque's on the head bolts and my valve clearances. Another concern, although I only went around the block in first (my brakes need to be bled) I noticed some vibration when I stepped on it. I know the trans is hitting the tunnel, keeping my fingers crossed it works itself out. Thought about unbolting the trans and jacking it up into the tunnel..