1986 "Arlington Truck" gasser->SD conversion

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asavage
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1986 "Arlington Truck" gasser->SD conversion

#1

Post by asavage »

To recap, for those who haven't been keeping up . . .

In the past three years, I've had one 620/L20b, three 720/SD22s and one 720/Z24 through my hands. I don't own any of them anymore

The first SD22 ("Lela") was a $400 '82 KC, and I put the tran's guts from the $100 '79 620 into its case. Sold it locally, it's still running around here.

The second SD22 was an 81/82 720 KC ("Bellingham Truck") that I bought (for $100) as a non-runner expressly for Peter, my co-worker at the time, who wanted a small diesel PU to run BD in, instead of his fiance's Toyota PU. The year confusion is because the VIN is clearly an '82, but it has the '81-style fuel filter. It has been parted out as of two weekends ago. Its engine runs very well now, and is sitting on a pallet on top of the office in our warehouse.

The third SD22 ("Vashon Truck") is a 1982 KC with a blown-up engine, hole in the oil pan. It was "free" with no title, but gas & ferry fare for the tow trailer etc. ran about $100. It is so rusty that the doors are sagging. It has a factory sunroof. It will be parted out soon.

The Z24 ("Arlington Truck") is a 1986 std cab w/315k miles showing on the odo, and for which I paid $50. It was supposed to have a blown head gasket. I replaced the ignition rotor (a fairly expensive part on a NAP-Z engine) and it lit off and runs well. A few hours with a pressure washer and it cleaned up reasonably well, though it has sat a while since then and collected more detritus on its paint. It has none of the usual rusted out areas, but the battery box, cowl cover, and the top of the windshield areas do have some rust-through or heavy rust.

This latter truck, bought supposedly as a non-runner, is to be the recipient of the "Bellingham Truck's" engine & trans.

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Plans are to exchange:
  • engine
  • trans
  • radiator
  • battery cables
  • fuel tank
The DPC will be installed, and probably the GP system as well, though not in their OEM locations.

Here are some pics, all taken today (except the mouse nest pics), right after another car wash session, preparation to picture-taking to peddle the engine & radiator.

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The hood has been replaced; no emissions sticker underhoood.

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The driver's door panel is MIA. The pass. side is missing the armrest and pull handle. Anybody have any in brown?

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The mouse nest in the blower. This truck really stank of mouse urine/feces. It still smells pretty bad.
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Dragged from the blackberry bushes (a non-native weed in Western Washington), somebody wasn't told that the bumpers on these old 720s are decorative, not functional.

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The Ign. switch assy was screwed up when I got it, so I used one of my spare JY sets, one which I got with door locks that matched too.
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I don't know what that seat is from. It's quite a bit more comfy than the stock one. I'll have to refit the mounts to bolt it in though.

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Feedback carb. Ugh.

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Left motor mounting.

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Right motor mounting.

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Clutch damper. I though only the diesels got this, but here it is on a gasser.

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Dual coils for eight spark plugs. The cap & rotor are dual-layer inside too.

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Cowl rust-out.

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West Coast mirrors. The '82 "Bellingham Truck" had these same mirrors.

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OK, so the front bumper is both rusty and bent, it has to go.

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New (cheap) bumper from Automotix, a random find. Bumper was $32 for chrome, and I got my money's worth (and not a penny more). Each bumper end cap was another $14, and they don't fit: they're about an inch too short.

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All the bumper bolts can be accessed from the front of the bumper or the turn signal apertures. Amazingly, I didn't have to grind any of mine off and I was able to reuse them all. This pic is the collection of hardware I had to transfer from the old bumper to the new.

The old bumper measured ~.065" thick; the new ~.058. My guess is that the old bumper had been replaced in the past, because both of them are really flimsy.

The chrome on the new bumper is what I'd rate as "fair", with lots of minor imperfections, and despite being shipped in a box-inside-a-box, and bubble-wrapped very well, the thing was evidently packed with a fair-sized scratch:
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The new bumper's holes are all oversize, so I had to use some flat washers to make the OEM nuts fit reasonably well. Alignment of the bumper's holes was good: I didn't have to break out the come-along to get the six center bolts in, only moderate prying, which is better than I'd expected.

I didn't expect much for $32, and I didn't get much, but at least it's not bent (yet) or rusty (yet).

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Can't even get close to fastening the bumper caps to the fenders. The caps are about one inch too short.

I forgot to take an "installed" shot from the front, so I'll have to do that tomorrow.
Last edited by asavage 16 years ago, edited 2 times in total.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
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asavage
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#2

Post by asavage »

On the bumper caps: the distributor's "Contact Us" form is broken. It looks as if you can write to them, but clicking Submit does nothing, because the HTML behind it is missing the <form> tags around the form data. Or something like that.

I'm not going to call them to tell them that their parts don't fit, but I did write up a link to the photos that show they're the wrong size, with their part Nos. Unfortunately, it can't be emailed or sent via their form.

So, stay away from "US Auto Parts" of Carson, CA. It was an experiment for me.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
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philip
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Location: Southern California, USA

#3

Post by philip »

asavage wrote:SNIP- I'm not going to call them to tell them that their parts don't fit, but I did write up a link to the photos that show they're the wrong size, with their part Nos. Unfortunately, it can't be emailed or sent via their form.

So, stay away from "US Auto Parts" of Carson, CA. It was an experiment for me.
I bought a pair of the black plastic front bumper end caps. CHEAP asian knock-offs. I worked these things over with a heat gun to make them fit. Ended up repairing te OEMs with epoxy.

Now lenses or metal parts could be a whole different experience.

Avan autobody products.
Garden Grove, CA.
-Philip
Passed 08May2008
My friend, you are missed . . .

1982 Datsun 720KC SD-22

"Im slow and I'm ahead of you"
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asavage
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#4

Post by asavage »

Bumper: Before & after.

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Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
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asavage
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#5

Post by asavage »

Separate the trans from the engine, remove clutch & flywheel, have flywheel resurfaced.


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Engine/trans on a pallet up on top of the office.


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Unlike when it's in the truck, you can put a 14mm box end right on that top starter bolt!


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However, it looks like the oil feed line has to be removed to actually remove the starter. Or maybe the road draft tube.


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Some bluing of the flywheel. Clutch disk looked OK but one blue spot on pressure plate. New clutch is here, so this will all be replaced. Pilot bushing dry.


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$39 later.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
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asavage
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#6

Post by asavage »

You know, I think I'm calling the mirrors the wrong thing. I tried just now to Google for what these mirrors sell for -- they used to be pretty common years ago -- and can only find ONE mfgr of them anymore, Sure Plus Model 120, and I can't seem to find anybody who sells them. They used to be pretty spendy.

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And the "West Coast" style mirrors are apparently the tall rectangular style. I got it wrong:
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Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
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asavage
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#7

Post by asavage »

Two 2WD rigs:
1982 720 ...... KC SD transmission = 25.5" long
1986 720 non KC Z24 transmission = 31.5" long.

Hmmm. Cursorily, it looks like the difference is in the tailshaft area (and the mainshaft, of course. Anybody know what's what on this? Is this a KC vs non-KC thing?
Last edited by asavage 16 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
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asavage
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#8

Post by asavage »

Still haven't had time to check on the trans length thing, but I did take a battery-operated Craftsman Sawzall to the JY yesterday, and had my pick of three good almost-rust-free 720 battery boxes. I decided on this one because the bumper, grille, and fender were already pulled, making this literally a two-minute job with a fresh battery and new blade:

Image Image Image Image

Believe me, for the PNW this is a very good looking battery box. Note that it does not have the extra bolt-in bracket behind the battery like a lot of them do.

Some trimming, and quite a few pop rivets or bolt/nut/washer combos, and this should overlay the "Arlington Trucks" rusted-out battery box nicely! The JY charged me a measly $1.50 for it -- you read that right. I doubt I'll get that deal again.

(Hmmm. Hard to believe, but I don't seem to have a pic of the rusted-out battery box on the yellow truck. It's bad but a board layed over it made do, unlike the "Orting Truck's" battery box, where there is more tire showing than support metal! I should maybe cut out a second one for it, but I think I'll wait until I figure out what I'm going to do with it.)
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
glenlloyd
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Joined: 18 years ago
Location: Des Moines, Iowa

#9

Post by glenlloyd »

Al
What are your thoughts about rerouting the road draft tube output through an aircraft type separator and back into the intake manifold?

steve a
97 Jetta TDI, 86 VW Golf D
89 VW Fox diesel, 92 MB 300SD W140

gir - won't the sploding hurt?
zim - silence!
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asavage
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#10

Post by asavage »

I think it's a great idea.
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asavage
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#11

Post by asavage »

Little has occurred this summer on this truck, and Peter is now making me a deal to buy this truck project back from him. Which I will probably do. Though I hate yellow.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
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asavage
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#12

Post by asavage »

Today I took an hour and turned this
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into this:
Image Image Image Image Image

I only bolted it in, Peter had spent a couple hours and trimmed out the old, rusty box and did a fair job of trimming the new one up to fit. The original plan was to use pop-rivets, but with the aid of welding clamps I was able to use 10-32x5/8" machine screws, fender washers, nylock nuts (all stainless steel).

I used a dozen screws to do this -- well, I broke or stripped three, but there are a dozen installed, and it's quite solid.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
zluster
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Location: Colorado Baby!

#13

Post by zluster »

you need one of these man:

[admin: edited to a link, due to over-width: please limit max width of images in posts to 600px wide]

http://colorado4wheel.com/images/libby/libby129.jpg
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asavage
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#14

Post by asavage »

a) I don't buy "Chicago Electric" anything. We had some in our shop, it all went in the dumpster in short order.

b) There is no way I'd be able to use that kind of rig to weld to the places where I was able to bolt. The shape of the tool would not allow it.

c) Bolts/nuts/washers are stronger than spot welds, sometimes much stronger. But spot welds can be closer together.
zluster
Posts: 27
Joined: 17 years ago
Location: Colorado Baby!

#15

Post by zluster »

asavage wrote:a) I don't buy "Chicago Electric" anything. We had some in our shop, it all went in the dumpster in short order.

b) There is no way I'd be able to use that kind of rig to weld to the places where I was able to bolt. The shape of the tool would not allow it.

c) Bolts/nuts/washers are stronger than spot welds, sometimes much stronger. But spot welds can be closer together.
-There are different brands of tools.
-There are larger tongs and other styles of spot welders.
-No comment.
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