New World Datsuns...

I got in the work truck today and turned it over for quite a long time and it never even tried, but it was turning over slower than normal, it has never failed to start before.
So I got another battery out and used two of them at the same time with a jumper cable and it hit right away, it turned over faster also with the two batteries, and it starts fine now after warmed up, I am thinking it needs a tune up and/or a new battery.

Or more batteries.

We'll see tomorrow, if it will not start again I will likely change the battery out for the new one I jumped it with this morning, what sucks is the battery I have has a strap I use when remove it from the truck and use it to power my sprayer when I clean houses and fences, the new one don't have a strap.

It seems to be fine now, don't have a clue why it would not start the other day, it starts up like normal now.
Maybe it was because it sat for several days, but never had an issue before.

I bought another 2 cord today and hauled it home, the first load both guys helped me load it, the second load only one guy helped me load it, the third half load the guy got them all down near the sidewalk, but I pretty well loaded that load myself, the other guy didn't even come out of the house the second and third loads, he just yelled thru the screen door sometimes.
It's just maybe a little over 2 cords, maybe, but it was only $150.00 and it was all near the sidewalk.

I will not likely burn this wood for a couple years, I need to find a place for it other than my driveway.

So ever since I put this fresh rebuilt LZ23 in the work truck, when I drove it on the hiway, especially when it is hot out I could hear this slight ping/knock, now I have a couple years on this engine, about a month or two ago I got in there and retarded the timing a couple degrees, well it is not the same engine anymore, it has less torque and less HP also, and it was only a couple degrees, I can hardly believe that a couple degrees made such a huge difference.
I suppose I should have fixed it a couple years ago, but it didn't happen very often, and when it did I either floored it or let off and it quit, but now I am thinking about going back more advanced, as it is driving me crazy, it's like I de-tuned it, it's absolutely not slightly pinging/knocking anymore.
I do burn regular gas for reasons that are not going to change, so I am stuck with that grade, by the way it only happened when I was towing the trailer.

You say you only burn regular... I only burn what is required. My BMW gets worse power and economy on regular, I only run Chevron supreme in it. The Datsun would ping in the summer, so I ran premium, in the winter when it was colder out I could switch to mid grade.

Be nice to your vehicle, run mid grade and maybe advance it more that it was before.

I dump whatever Pressure washer gas that is left over in my tank to get home, so I burn regular.
I will advance it a degree and see if it gets better, I only retarded it 2 degrees and the difference was dramatic, way less torque and horse power.
It wasn't terrible before, it just ticked(knocked/pinged) every once in a while, not steady, but as others have said, it can knock/ping and I might not even hear it.
It wasn't bad enough for me to take care of the issue for the first 2 years, I don't even know why I touched it except I didn't like hearing it at all, summer was over with anyway.

Fixed the broken e-brake handle today, what a pain that turned out to be, one mount bolt broke in the hole.

I forgot, I started making the power brake setup for the 521 work truck, I drilled a 720 pedestal for the 74/75 Datsun 620 power brake booster.




The holes I drilled also fit a larger booster, but I don't believe I have the room to use it and still use the pancake filters I have on the SUs.

The work truck has a functioning windshield squirt system now, it's amazing all the stuff I have collected and done nothing with, I am going to start using this shit or sell it.

We've all got stuff on the shelf for those rainy day projects.

DRIVEN wrote:We've all got stuff on the shelf for those rainy day projects.

But I have to remember I have the parts for that rainy day.
So far I found 4 kangaroo washer bags, 3 are motor driven which only one works so far, the other one is a plunger type that I have 2 plungers and one bag, that one I found in a 520, and in the next week or two I will hook that one up in the 520.

My home made alternator bracket broke again, this time I used a Z22 Datsun 720 bracket, as it has the alt. lower than the early L20b brackets, for some reason it doesn't allow the alt. to tilt all the way towards the block, but I was able to get the belt on with a screwdriver from the bottom onto the front lower pulley, I hope this is the last time I have to deal with this.
I will likely fix the broken one I made and use it again if I have issues again.

Did a tune-up today(plugs/cap/rotor), first one since building the engine, plugs look alright, maybe a little lean.


There is now room to put a early 620 booster in there with a late 620 dual circuit master brake cylinder since I removed the 510 airfilter housing and replaced it with pancake filters.

I will likely order the booster tonight if I can find it on ebay, I already have the master.

Looks like it might be burning some oil.

Well it can't be much as I don't have to add any very often.

I ordered/bought the 73/74 Datsun 620 brake booster last night, am gathering the parts now.

I did forget to mention that around a month ago I added too much oil to the engine, and on the freeway it smoked something awful, as a matter of fact my #4 plug fouled out and it started missing on that plug, I made it to my job on the 3 cylinders, pulled the plug after I was done with the job, cleaned it and I was good to go again, I made it home with a cloud following me, I then drained a quart out and all was well after that, so that likely is why the plugs may look like I was burning oil, I can put too much oil in this engine.
I did go too long between oil changes this time, time and miles got away from me which should not happen on this engine as it is the work truck, I need this truck to be dependable, not screwed up.

The 1973/74 Datsun 620 brake booster showed up today, so after I cleaned up the garage a little, mowed the back lawn, went grocery shopping, made a head bolt to turbocharger mount brace and installed it, I then made the booster mount and firewall plate mount, I will still have to modify it to clear the clutch master, but it is made.
Tomorrow I do a bid, then start on the work truck brake master conversion from a single circuit to dual circuit power brake system, maybe the rear drum brakes will start working better, I already have the late 620 brake master.

So today I decided to take a shot at putting power brakes on this truck that has the stock brake master, I plan on using a modified 720 pedestal, a 1973/74 Datsun 620 booster, and a 1979 Datsun 620 brake master, it didn't work out today as the brake pedal rod I was using was way to long, I found another one that had been cut, so I cut it again to the length I needed and then drilled a new hole in the end of the rod and I threaded it, it took a while but I succeeded, I never threaded/tapped a hole that long before, lucky for me I had the tap.
It's looking like I will have to move the power steering reservoir also as this setup is so freaking long, I don't want to cut the pedestal and re-weld it again, nor do I want to cut the rod again and have to tap it deeper in a already threaded hole, so moving the power steering reservoir appears to be the easiest avenue, but I am not going to move it till I have too.
Here is the brake setup.







When I finally got done making all the modifications it started raining, so I called that conversion off for the day/weekend, I will try again another weekend, as I will also have to make brake lines and bleed the brakes, I would like it to be dry when I do that, as it is in the street.
I am also hoping that someone has a brake spacer I can buy for the 73/74 Datsun 620 booster, I made the one on it in the photos out of 2 spacers for a 720 truck, neither of them fit, but I made them fit.

So I was unhappy about having to move the power steering reservoir and the thing was so long that I made a new pedestal mount that uses the stock master brake cylinder mount, now I am happy, it is a full inch shorter and I don't have to modify the firewall.
It will be a bitch to mount the pedestal but once it is on there it should be good, I already test mounted it on a set of pedals I have so I know it will work.