1962 Datsun U320

[wayno]

All I need to do now is figure out the charging issue and it will be a driver.
.

How about taking the alternator out and taking it to a shop that can rebuild it?

That's the plan right now, it's just easier than changing to something else right now.
I have considered going backwards to the generator and external regulator it started it's life with, but at the moment I think I will work with what I have.

[wayno]

Ratdat(Todd) has the interior now, I am staying with the interior theme, but am moving away from the orange, going to a classic cream/lt. brown of the same basic design, I pointed to the pattern for the body saying I liked that the best, and he called it a classic type design/theme.
I am only worried about one area, the back seat side panels were just vinyl glued onto the metal, the material is very thin, so I am wondering if the ashtray and the section that drops will look stock with the cloth material on a thin board, this is the red drop down tray I am referring to, the tray is actually counter sunk a little.


And this is the rear ashtray that goes in the back, it's in really good shape considering how old it is.

I will tell Todd to look at these photos before dealing with making these rear parts, just to make sure he understands my description of the area.

[wayno]

Well, I went out and tried starting the U320 today, it's always a bitch to get started if I let it sit for any length of time, and it flooded, there has to be a trick to this, I just don't know the trick yet.
Anyway I pulled the alt. to go have it checked, it wasn't easy, but I got it out of there, I turned it around and looked at the back of it, and then seen another spade connector that I didn't even know was there, so I thought about it a couple minutes, then decided that maybe I had it wired wrong, so I put it back in and turned the key on, and this is the first time both the oil and ignition light came on, so I started it and the ignition light stayed on till I touched the gas, and it went off, I checked the voltage, and it doesn't seem any different than before, but I will assume it is charging for now and move on.
Here is a photo of the back of the alternator, the wire is plugged into the hole on the left, I was plugging it in the hole on the right that said "AUX", there is only one spade connector in that hole the wire is plugged into.

So if I wire a bypass into the brake light switch, and put the switch on the pedal, it should drive legally except for having no license plate light at the moment.
At the moment the fuse block is soaking in vinegar, I heard that it will clean it up.

[izzo]

yeah it will clean it up, also you can use a brass wire brush and it will make it look like a new one!

[MicroMachinery]

It will either clean it up or make it disappear.. depending on how corroded it is. Ask me how I know..

[wayno]

It will either clean it up or make it disappear.. depending on how corroded it is. Ask me how I know..

Well it looks better already, the copper was green/white with that oxidation that copper gets, I put it back in the vinegar container, and will leave it till the morning.
I finally got tired of bad connections in the fuse block, it was time to do something.
The block is very heavy for it's size.

[wayno]

The fuse block worked the first time without issues when I put it back in the truck, I check for voltage and everything checked out without having to wiggle stuff.
I dropped off all the chrome at the platers today, 2 rear bumpers that will be made into one, the front bumper with over riders, they will weld the license plates holes closed on the front bumper, the front grill (will be repaired), the taillight bezels and the pieces of metal below them, and 9 hubcaps that I am shooting for 8 good ones.
I got the quote and felt I did very good not reacting, it was a lot of money, but a lot of repairs were needed.

[wayno]

While searching for parts for the license plate light cover, which all I found were home made ones, I found something that amused me greatly, I will get to that in a few minutes.


So I searched in the NL320 parts boxes/bins, and found Melvins license plate light cover complete, I put some blubs in after checking them and installed it, made a mini wiring harness for inside the tailgate, plugged it all in, and turned the running lights on and they worked, but the whole assembly is going to need some work as the sockets had no springs to hold the bulbs tight against the connections, but it was tight anyway, I had trouble getting the bulbs in the sockets.

So what amused me was that the other day I used a 720 wiper motor to get the wiper system working, while looking for parts today I found this, so I took it out to the truck and looked at the mounts real close, it looks like it fits,


so I decided to aggravate myself a little more and test it, the freaking thing works great as far as I can tell, so now I need to decide what I am going to do, I didn't cut any wiring that was not already cut to fab up the 720 wiper motor system, and I only drilled 2 holes to mount it, as one lined up just fine, so I need to decide when I tear this thing back down to restore it, if I am going to go back to this stock looking wiper motor and fill them 2 holes back up.
It's hilarious that I found it after fabbing up a good working wiper system.
I guess I need to look through all the boxes again, or at least before I fabricate something up next time.

[yello620]

Wayne, I would say go back to stock if you can....I cringed a little bit when I saw that you had drilled a hole.

Remember, you don't have any plans to be driving this truck in the rain, you only need them to work to be legal. So not a big deal if the stock motor doesn't operate the wipers as fast as a newer motor. The stock motor would be legal and get you out of any small amount of rain.

[Laecaon]

I agree, I kinda cringed too seeing the 720 motor clearly not over the same holes as the stock unit. Maybe if it didnt require drilling new holes...

[Charlie69]

Wayno, great find and project.

I will look around I traded Mike for Melvin's turn signal switch a long time ago. If I still have it I will let you know. Burrito might have gotten it when he bought all my 320 parts. a couple years back.

Here is a good alternative to your fuse block problems in the future if they return.

http://www.fastronixsolutions.com/Circu ... 0block.htm

[Charlie69]

Wayno, great find and project.

I will look around I traded Mike for Melvin's turn signal switch a long time ago. If I still have it I will let you know. Burrito might have gotten it when he bought all my 320 parts. a couple years back.

Here is a good alternative to your fuse block problems in the future if they return.

http://www.fastronixsolutions.com/Circu ... 0block.htm
Or
http://www.fastronixsolutions.com/Circu ... 0panel.htm

[wayno]

The 2 holes I did drill are easy enough to fill, one of them would/will be behind the stock looking motor, the upper one was thru sheet metal though.
I have to mention this, this stock looking wiper motor doesn't look like any datsun wiper motor I have ever seen, it doesn't look like any 320 wiper motor I have ever seen, it looks aftermarket to me, so did the one that was on it when the truck arrived, I think I will ask SS320 to take a photo of his 320 wiper motor and post it here if he can.
Yello620, it had nothing to do with how fast the motor moved the wipers, it had to do with if they were going to move at all, I was very surprised to find that wiper motor in the boxes, I don't remember seeing it before, and I thought I touched every part at least once when I went though every box the first few days, but there were a lot of parts.
The boxes are getting empty as I put this truck together, especially used parts, 50% of what is left is never going to be used, and 75% of the new stuff will never be used either until I start restoring it, there are a lot of little rubber parts, used pieces of rubber for samples I expect, rebuild kits for various things like clutch and brake masters, lot of brake and ignition stuff, these came with the parts also,

not sure if they will fit yet, as I found that the only headlight rings that are NOS are not for this truck, not sure what they are for.

See the screw hole at the bottom of the ring, that doesn't belong there, but there are a couple other sets of rings, a what looks like decent set of used ones, and one set of the overseas type sold on ebay that no one would ever use unless they had nothing else.
There is also a set of NOS door handles.

With flash

Lots of little stuff that I will not use unless I am putting it back together for the last time like the door handles, hood rubber bumpers, cleaned up badges, extra stuff like fuel pumps for later models, lots of parts for later models.
Fact is it came with a 320 heater box, but unfortunately this truck is not made for a 320 heater box, and if I want to use that heater box, I am going to have to make some holes that are not there, I do believe that this truck was made for an earlier model heater box like what came on the 120/220 series pickups.

[DRIVEN]

Not sure a heater will be necessary on this one. You could probably live without it until the correct heater setup comes along.

[wayno]

Not sure a heater will be necessary on this one. You could probably live without it until the correct heater setup comes along.

The only thing that I want is the defroster, heat is not the end goal, but one needs heat to stop the inside from fogging up.

[wayno]

OK guys, here is the thing, Shane sent me some photos of his stock L320 wiper motor, so here they are.



These photos of his wiper motor look nothing like the wiper motor I got with the U320, here is the one I have.



The motor I have looks nothing like a stock motor, so the question is, do I take what I made out to replace it with something else that is not stock?

[wayno]

Here are some photos of his V320 wiper motor, same thing, mine doesn't look anything like it.

[Laecaon]

Judging from the pictures. The V320 is the closest. As it looks like the plate that rests on the truck is the same shape as the outline on your truck.

[wayno]

Judging from the pictures. The V320 is the closest. As it looks like the plate that rests on the truck is the same shape as the outline on your truck.

Yea, I just don't know anymore, his both mount differently than mine, and the tangs sticking out are in different places.
Who knows, like the heater box, my U320 might use the earlier 120/220 truck wiper motors, but I don't believe that they look like the one I got with the truck, it just looks aftermarket modern.

[Laecaon]

No, dont compare to your MOTOR. Compare to marks on your FIREWALL. The V320 one looks nearly identical with how it attaches to the firewall.