mapball

Looking for a rear mount cross member from a 1974-1979 620 and a exhaust manifold from the same years (L20B). I will pay you $$ immediately if you have these parts for sale. I'll post in the want ads as well.

The search for 5th gear continues... the rear mount crossmember was backwards and they were able to get it to fit without chopping the driveline. idiots! But, still bad news. :( The truck is still noisy in all gears (though not near as bad as the dogleg was) and I might have an issue with the rebuilt tranny from Bill. I've worked it out with Bill already, but there are some other identified issues that need to get resolved first prior to coming a final conclusion that the rebuilt tranny is bad. First was reworking a portion of the exhaust pipe that had been touching the torsion bar. Things quieted up significantly after that, but still noisy and painful to drive. Next discovered that the top of the transmission was touching the body of the truck near where the stick enters into the cabin. Was able to push apart some space with a 2x4 and a floor jack, but more space is needed, probably as much as 1-1.5 inches. Realized two things after stopping by a couple of trusted sources: I am using the incorrect rear mount cross member and I'm running the wrong exhaust manifold - both for the stock B16 and 4 speed that my truck originally came with (1972.5 model). The exhaust manifold is actually touching where the motor and transmission bolt together and the rear cross member is so far up that it's positioning the driveline at an upwards angle towards the back of the truck. I'll have to take pictures when I have a chance, but I have a good feeling that resolving thsse two issues will give me a much better opportunity to tell if this transmission is bad or not.

Gentlemen, thank you so much. Mike, much appreciated. Sounds like I literally could take a ruler to the two transmissions to prove that it equals out. I can't wait to head down to the shop this morning and make them fix this! Good news thus far is that the new motor sounds good and the tranny notches into each gear cleanly and crisply. Hmm now that I think about it the new motor did seem funny the way it was sitting in the engine bay, like it didn't quite have the right lean to it. Thank you for saving me from compounding an issue.

fack!#%! Motor and transmission is in, but shop tells me that its too long by less than an inch and wont mate up to the driveline. I thought this would be a direct drop in. Does anyone know if there is an easier solution than having the driveline shortened? I'll try to post up pics.

no 510 for me. The dogleg will be for sale after its rebuilt.

going under the knife I decided not to have the speedo hooked up and see how it goes. I am interested in having a speedo again at some point and will drill this 4x4 tranny to see if I can make it work. I'll be sure to post my progress when I get there. Just need to come up with a backup plan in case it doesn't go well. ;)

​dogleg rebuild kit arrived from Cobra Transmissions. Looks good! however... not sure how to tell if its all correct or not, so I'm just going based off assumption. I'll be commissioning Bill's services once the dogleg is pulled from the truck. I'll also have him rebuild the existing L20b/w67 in the truck and will have the combination posted for sale. Seems like it would all mate will with a particular 510 out there. ;) Will have this with me in tow to whatever big meet is happening this summer. What the hell is all this drama swirling around Canby? I was going to make it down my first time this year.. rats..

Great info guys. What does the speedo drive look like, the end that goes into the tranny? It's sounding like securing a 2wd case is my best bet if I want a speedo. So I would not be able to use my existing 4 speed case? Sorry... my current driveway doesn't allow me to get underneath the truck as much as I'd like to. Pouring a flat driveway is my next project after I get the datto back on the road! Called cobra transmissions today and they can assemble the FS5W63 kits. I bought the last pre-assembled kit today, but it sounds like they would have no problem assembling new ones. Good service from that group. Cant believe how easy they made it sound after I had been turned away and denied by over 10 local transmission shops.

Tendril, thank you so much! http://cobratransmission.com/fs5-w63-synchro-bearing-gasket-and-seal-kit-50237003-1 I am going to call to confirm that they actually have this in stock.. I think this looks complete and correct for my dogleg.

hmm.. driving W/O a speedo only puts man and machine closer in tune.. yea.. Bill confirmed pretty much what Mike is saying, after I get there! Except he says the 4x4 actually do have the speedo gear inside the case, just that the case was never drilled for it since speedo on the 4x4's were captured through the driveline. I may now be on the look out for a 2wd case or might see about having the existing case drilled. Thoughts and suggestions please! Overall though I'm pleased to know I have a legit 5 speed on my hands.. and Bill is great. That dude is a throwback from days of legends. You get the sense that all his accumulated knowledge comes from first hand experience. He's a pleasure to chat with and he knows his shit. now about that dogleg... do I hear 75.00? ;)

I picked her up for 400.00 and now here she sits in my living room. all purtied up. Of course throw in the gas and my time and it might have just as well have been 475! what a trek...

if i can source a complete kit from several other kits that would be great! 4doorKID, would you like to buy a dogleg? ;)

changing gears.. (yes, pun intended) I'm taking a look at this tonight http://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/pts/5404870704.html and Bill (who I'm sure some of you know) said he would swap the case to allow it to work on my truck. This is not a 71B no? but should work fine with my setup?? Oliver seems like a good dude and I will definitely check with him on sourcing a rebuild kit, but he's not had time to take a closer look at my truck. He's either really busy or real lazy - but it's been since around early DEC that ive been trying to throw money his way and he keeps pushing me out a couple of weeks. Rick, I picked this truck up from datdoug a few years ago. Remember this blustery day?

I definitely will consider changing out the rear end, thanks for the suggestion Rick. Any issues hauling heavier loads with your setup? I'm running an L20 so i assume i'd have a bit more low end grunt to get by with. I like to us the truck for hauling things like garbage runs, or concrete/paver runs from home depot. I want to eventually use it to haul motorcycles. Every shop I have called, it seems the moment i mention 70's datsun they say they cant do it or they send me down a dead end referral. I might have to see if i can source the parts myself, pull the tranny and drop it off at a shop and say here you fix, me pay. Either that or gather the courage and do it myself! any suggestion on where to get the parts I would appreciate that as well.

I finally have time (and money!) to give my lil hustler the attention that it needs. Everything was running fine until I decided to "upgrade" the stock 4 speed to a dogleg (FS5W63A). Love the extra gear, but the bearings were SHOT! :mad: ​ argh... Now I cant find any shop willing to work on it. Any recommended shops out there? I really miss driving this truck as often as I used to, so much that i'd be willing to live with the 4 speed! Except, that I love getting out of town with this truck and gear 5 makes for a relaxing ride. Any advice would be appreciated! Mark