71Ratsunguy

Who are the Central Valley boys? What's the keepers exact handle? I didn't see it in members list

What's row 52? I'm pretty new to the site and haven't navigated a whole lot. I know the keeper I bought an l20b flywheel from him probably 10 years ago, used to live near him, I'll hit him up. Thanks!

Hey guys I might be picking up a '71 521 project that I would have road ready in a month for a daily driver. It needs a windshield, any good sources besides fleabay? I cant afford to have $500+ in a windshield and install. Maybe someone here has one they would want to sell? I have searched the net some and didn't come up with much. I am in Redding, CA north of Sacramento a couple hours. Just for an idea if it was local.

I want to know wtf happened here, but I'm not going to rebuild this engine I have an L20b I started building years ago, then I moved, bunch of stuff went into storage... Block is ready for assembly I have and A87 peanut head that was fully redone too, just have to check my Pistons (get the shit out of storage) and make sure it will all work. So I will have questions about that as well.

Had my Webber rebuilt by a friend of his, carbs is his business, it was rich at idle when I sent it to him. He went through it and it was still rich when I got it back, what helped is when I replaced my coil, and battery and re established my ground wires. It ran way better. The wiring has been hacked up by somebody before me, I've been having to fix that shit, I hate wiring

Timing could have been too far advanced, my old man is a Motörhead been into blown gas, alcohol, and top fuel engines in the 80s running drag boats. And he still is in the drag boat racing scene now, that his business. He likes to put as much advance as possible.... Very knowledgeable engine guy, But he's not a Datsun guy. I replaced the timing chain a couple years ago and we timed it, maybe it fucked it up because of that? In the long run? Again if I heard pre det I would let off, never heard it it otherwise, and I've never heard of detonation happening without hearing it. Wtf is up with the valve in #4 cylinder though?

It ran like a top, idled so quiet you thought it was a Prius, never heard detonation driving it everyday, unless I smashed the throttle, then I'd back off. I have been driving it everyday to work and back, about 15 miles up the freeway, I have a 4 spd and stock gears which I think are 3.90s I'd rev this thing out, no tach but I assume 4K plus at 70 to 75mph but it obviously had a problem. I have heard a tapping noise come and go when I'm on the freeway for a long time..I think it was that piston. When I drop the pan and pull that rod and piston out I'll bet the piston is cracked to shit and sloppy wrist pin maybe... Hence the knocking.

So i was driving to work Thursday morning, and soon as I let off the gas on the freeway off ramp, i hear a loud knocking. I come to a stop at the red light and it's barely running, still knocking, then dies. I managed to push it into the parking lot of a restaurant. Long story short we'll skip to the goods. I tore into it today and here is what I found. This is the engine that was in the car when I bought it out of a barn ten years ago. No idea how many miles are on this engine. First thing I did was pull the valve cover, here is what I saw Next I did a compression test #1 150psi #2 150psi #3 125psi #4 0psi. The picture above is the intake valve of cylinder 4, no compression. That is #3 cylinder I have not dropped the pan I had enough for today, doing the work at my dads shop. #3 cylinder obviously hurt a piston which makes sense that it made noise when I let off the gas and there was no load on it. Why the #4 intake valve is catywompus I don't know. Ironically the worst looking spark plug was #2 which seems to be fine. It did have bad detonation under full throttle but I would always back off if I heard it.

Ok sounds like the stock guage is fine, I still would like to make the aftermarket one work correctly, at some point, but im going to have to fix this valve too. Is it easy to find? Just make sure I get the one for my year or what? Since this is a project car, and will be for many years, I could just fab an on off valve in the hose, but I would like to fix it right. You know, one thing done, a hundred to go hehe. Don't want to Mickey Mouse anything anymore, if I fix it its going to be the right way

I haven't tried to move the valve manually yet, I'm thinking if I can, I'll close it for the summer time. But who knows the thing might break or burst a leak in the old hose, then I have to fix it right haha

damnit, that looks like a bitch to fix, underneath there, my knees and back and neck hurt just looking at it

So I've been getting hot air blowing on my right leg. Datzunmike I see what you mean about the lever, except that apparently my heat switch on the dash is not moving this lever to close the valve. Thing looks like hell too Here's a better picture first one got turned sideways

racerx my temp guage is mechanical, the threads on the fitting will not work

Datsunmike I'll have to check my thermostat, it's been 7 or 8 years since I did that cooling system work and the head gasket, then it sat for 5 years, then I moved, so I don't remember at all what I put in it, I should check. At least it's not getting hot, but again I just want to make sure I have everything squared away and that everything is working as it should, and that I'm getting correct readings before it gets to be 100 degrees or more. I overheated this thing twice before, but I have changed the radiator and stuff, so it should be good, I'm just a little skeptical at this point you know, don't need some bs happening as it's the only thing I have to drive right now.

Thanks for the input guys. For some reason the aftermarket guage has only read temp twice, out of five days of driving, otherwise the needle has not moved wtf? It seems the stock guage is reading correctly. I could not put the aftermarket sending unit in the stat house because I didn't have the right adapters to make it work. I thought there is hot water running through the heater core all the time, just weather you turn the fan on on or not is the heater. And there's nothing interrupting that line straight out of the back of the head before the heater? That's why I tapped into that line.