Ownership Verified: 1974 Datsun 620

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Gena and I got the front and rear glass installed this evening. @Perc was correct, it was quite nerve wracking getting the old windshield out, the new seal installed and then getting it in the truck. The rear glass seal doesn't have moulded corners so at one point I was forcing the crap out of the glass and moulding to fit it in. ?

Next step is to get the side glass installed. Then get the clutch going again. May have this road worthy in a month!
 
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Since this was given to me by an employee's now deseased father I can not sell it. She was quite excited to see photos of it going back together.

Imagine the story of it being shipped to Germany and used as a daily and taken on the Nürburgring though... :-D[
 
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We have some strong storms expected this evening, so I had Gena steer while I pushed the truck into the garage to protect that hard fought glass. Yes, I'm using my lawn mower, because I'm not pushing a truck with low tires and dragging brakes by hand.
 
Update time.

Back in November last year, the parts trucks went to their new home in northern Missouri. Guy brought a trailer that was a little short (and a lot rotten), but with some creative stacking, they fit.

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The truck continued to languish in the shop until last week where I attempted to replace all the clutch hydraulics work parts I'd bought months, maybe a year, ago. The secondary cylinder and flexi hose fit, but the primary cylinder didn't fit worth a crap. Hole pattern was spaced further apart and canted about 15°. A quick search on Rock Auto showed it to be the correct part, but obviously that's wrong. Another manufacturer has the correct looking bolt pattern and orientation, but would take a week to get. Over on the jungle site I could get the same part (for $10 more) in two days. Ordered that, a cheapy ticky tacky fuel pump, some new hose and filters.

Yesterday I was determined to get it running, spent many hours trying to get my son to help me, but he was just having terrible time understanding the complex instructions of bleeding a clutch. Gena had helped me in the past, so her help was enlisted. Five minutes later and we had a good clutch pedal. After that, I did a quick and dirty job of mounting and plumbing the new pump. After that we were ready to prime the fuel system with some new fuel, but... that cheapy pump just was not quite hardy enough. I did eventually get some fuel in the filter and enough to start it. However, the pump wouldn't keep up.

I moved it around the driveway a bit, but finally decided to put it under the carport and work on the mower. This led to a bit of a mishap. Guess what I never checked? Brakes. Ended up running the front of the truck into the front of the mower. Sadly, doing more damage to the Datsun than the Kubota.

I'll get a primary cylinder ordered for the brake system and hope that'll fix it. Otherwise, looks like a full brake rebuild is probably in order.
 
Next step is to get the side glass installed. Then get the clutch going again. May have this road worthy in a month!

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Sadly, I don't have much time off and when I do, I don't seem to manage it well.

This is something I was thinking about just yesterday. I'm stuck in this limbo where I don't seem to make the sort of money where I can farm things like this out, but I spend much of my time working to make the wages I do earn. Almost seems like there isn't a way to win.
 
Sadly, I don't have much time off and when I do, I don't seem to manage it well.

This is something I was thinking about just yesterday. I'm stuck in this limbo where I don't seem to make the sort of money where I can farm things like this out, but I spend much of my time working to make the wages I do earn. Almost seems like there isn't a way to win.


It always seems, when you have the time to work on a project, you don't have the funds. Conversely, when you have the funds, you won't have the time because you are working to make those extra funds. Such is life when you are a mere working class stiff.
 
For sure. Before my current job I had a lot of time to get stuff sorted out but no money or facilities. Now I don't have the time or energy.
 
I have to get this thing running or pass it along to someone else. I got it running *again* today, drove it around and now not only does it not have brakes, the clutch is slipping. I put it in the shop and will start working on the brakes. I'll order a clutch when I can. Ugh...

Meanwhile I have a 1973 that I bought last year I'm robbing a few parts off and then will sell it as a project for someone else.
 
Pulled it into the garage (the fuel pump is leaking, hurray), put the front up in the air and found the left front to be fully seized. Pulled it apart and, what was my first inkling, was the brake hose was collapsed internally. I figured this out the scientific way by replacing it with the part I bought long ago. Tomorrow I'll replace the other two and then bleed the system.

I'm almost willing to just drive it gently and limp the clutch along for a bit, but I also don't have reverse. 🤦‍♂️ I'll poke around at that as well and see if I can free up the shifter or whatever is causing the problem.

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That's what dripped out of the old brake hose. I'm no expert, but I think that brake fluid shouldn't look like hot sauce. Ideally, I'd probably replace the brake cylinders too, but let's just put that out of our mind, for now, until it comes back to bite me in the ass.

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Probably should replace these tires as well. They are old enough to drive! :ROFLMAO:

I have a different set of wheel too, not sure which direction to go. They are old school 14x6 Cragar Street Super Tricks (paid all of $40 for them). I'd need center caps and shank lug nuts too.
 
Got the other brake hoses replaced, used my power bleeder and bled the system and I have brakes again. Looking at the shifter, there's three bushings, well, there's supposed to be three bushings, but 50 year old plastic did a vanishing act. Found a kit for a 240Z (and a ton of other 1970s Nissans) that replaces two of the plastic bushings with bronze. Best of all, it's from a place here in Missouri. So I hope I have it quickly. As I want to put the Hardbody in the shop Monday and get a bunch of things done to it. I hope, *hope*, that these bushings missing are what is causing the lack of reverse, but in reality, I know I need to pull the trans and open it up. Might as well do the clutch while I'm there, but if that's the case, it'll have to wait a bit longer.

I have an extra carburetor and a rebuild kit I'd like to throw at this thing too. Currently it won't idle, but that also might have something to do with vacuum leaks.
 
Sit rep for the 620.

Won't stay running for more than 2 seconds, and as a result is sitting in the middle of my side yard, I think because the fuel pump won't keep the fuel bowl full. Brakes, which I thought were fixed, are mostly ineffective. Still no reverse after installing the bushings, it does shift better for the forward gears however.

I wish I had the space to pull the 620 and the SVO into the shop, blow the 620 apart and start fixing all these little problems, and the rust, while I put the SVO back together, but I really only have enough space to have one in the shop at a time. I really need to build another shop, but time and money are lacking in that area too.
 
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