Take one slightly warmed over daily driven 521:



Find a bad-*** fab shop:



Shake things up a bit:



Voila!



Fitment issues:

1. stock exhaust manifold and T25 fit, but to clear the steering column the wastegate has to be clocked down slightly and the wastegate rod lenghtened about 2.25" to reach.

2. smaller alternator has to be fitted to clear the steering "idler" arm.

3. new tranny tunnel in cab has to fabbed to cover the new hole to fit the tranny.

4. a custom driveshaft with SR20DET slip welded to the 521 driveshaft.

5. custom steering link to clear oil pan (final piece will be done soon so no pics of it yet)

6. stock turbine elbow won't fit as the flange contacts the upper control arm (Dan's making a custom turbine back 3" downpipe to clear which will fit my power goals nicely). Even if the elbow doesn't hit the UCA, the downpipe would run right through the frame judging by the angle the elbow outlet would sit bolted up.

7. battery has to be moved as the the tray/battery contacts the intake manifold (I'm using a dry cell mounted in the bed under the fuel evap cover).Pics of mounts:

***temporary steering link until GReddy oil pan is installed and a link can be fabbed to clear.

Driveshaft with SR20DET slip on 521 shaft:



Megan Racing Intercooler (could of used a smaller one just to fit behind the grill, but that would've been too easy )

Dan working his magic with the charge pipes:



Dan burning some wholesome goodness into my cold pipe:



new oil pump installed:



new clutch and pp:



DGR custom wiring harness (immaculate!):



Parts be fitted next:



Truck should be fired up tomorrow!!!!!!!

*Big THANK YOU to Dan and Daniel at DGRfab! Originally, I was just getting them to do the mounts and driveshaft, but a crazy work schedule, lack of a spare car, and cancer in the family made it hard for me to do all this on my own. DGR are just as excited as me and used up their spare hours from their other projects to finish up the swap.

*THANKS to Roy for letting me borrow his car else I wouldn't been able to go to work, lose my job, and not be able to pay Dan

Modified by makibaka at 11:56 PM 6/24/2007

Modified by makibaka at 3:35 PM 6/25/2007

Modified by makibaka at 8:54 PM 7/3/2007
Modified by makibaka at 11:34 PM 7/4/2007

Some fun shop project pics until I visit tomorrow to get more updates. As you can see these guys are a top notch shop and put out some amazing quality work. They like to do it right the first time around...:



510 getting a SR20DET, cage, and bay shave:



510 wagon getting Dan's "old" KA ITBs:



510 wagon with SR20DE:



Daniel's 510 4 door. Something looks suspicious behind that grill :

freshly powdercoated Bluebird tailights going on Daniel's ride:

Powdercoated or gold cad plated parts they use on customter's projects:


Modified by makibaka at 12:12 AM 6/25/2007

beautiful.

what other plans do you have in store for that truck?

Mr1der wrote:
beautiful.

what other plans do you have in store for that truck?

Thanks! I'm hoping to get my truck back this week...

When I do, I'm tossing these on:





Eventually, I'll probably go topmount with a 2871R or disco potato, and fit-up a rear end to handle the extra power. A custom manual rack and pinion too (looks like a 16.5" rack will squeeze in between the the oil pan and crossmember). Probably dump the torsion bar set-up and go with coilovers so a 3" downpipe back exhaust will fit.

If I had only more money, time, and a beater

Looks like a hell of a project

Welcome to NICO man.

I have a 71 521 that I recently picked up, I'm not looking to make it fast, more to fix up and drive. Make sure you keep us updated on your progress.

UPDATE

Charge pipes about done (just need to weld BOV flange and a couple minor tweaks). Radiator and intercooler mounted:



521 fuel tank with Walbro 255 lph (don't mind the fuel lines; they were just there so they wouldn't get misplaced):



some more shop project fun:



Daniel's shaved and polished valve cover in progress:



The back lot. The boat may get a Skyline motor (YES, THESE GUYS ARE CRAZY )



It's getting very very close. :
Modified by makibaka at 11:35 PM 7/4/2007

nsrZ32 wrote:Looks like a hell of a project

Welcome to NICO man.

I have a 71 521 that I recently picked up, I'm not looking to make it fast, more to fix up and drive. Make sure you keep us updated on your progress.

Thanks for the welcome! I like nicoclub a lot. Seems to have alot less of the bs and ego bruising as some other forums have.

I'll try to post pics and updates as soon as I get them. Hopefully, this will renew and build more interest in these great little trucks...

LMK if you decide to go the darkside with your 521

Awesome stuff

Loving the truck

oldschoolsilvia wrote:Awesome stuff

Loving the truck

Thank you! Truck should be done this week.

god...I really wanna see an RB powered boat...what the hell are they putting in the water over there?

Mr1der wrote:god...I really wanna see an RB powered boat...what the hell are they putting in the water over there?

Appartently, crazy people with mad welding skillz!

EDIT: Just realized you were probably talking about the drinking water and not the water where people go boating on.

In that case, the madness probably has more to do with the California smog than anything else At least that's the excuse I use when asked why I throw a few thousand into a $500 truck

Some sweet datsuns right there. Welcome to the club.

UPDATE

BOV mounted and intake pipe finished:



fuel lines should be plumbed up soon:

Daniel's getting intimate with the fuel plumbing

Downpipe flange TIG welded!

Some more downpipe parts; 3" and stainless. Yummy!

Borla 2.5" turbo muffler

Trying out a couple of different batteries to fit under the old 521 fuel evap cover:

Should be fired up real soon! Video to follow


Modified by makibaka at 5:01 PM 6/26/2007

Some other happenings at the shop you guys might be interested in:

510 wagon getting an RB (I'll get the link for more pics on it). Wild stuff!



DGR 510 custom rack and pinion subframe for those looking for an alternative to their steering box:



bunch of engines and trannys looking for new homes



Pictures of Dan's crazy yellow 510 in action and a couple of customer cars featured in some magazines...



Shop buggy project with 510 shortened struts up front:



Dan imagining how much faster this thing would be if it had a seat and rear tires. :

hey man that truck is looking pretty good. im looking to put a sr20det in my 510. at first i was thinking KA's becuase they are cheap and easy to install but i decided if we're going to put another motor in why not an sr. unfortuantly we have no time for this and we live out on the east coast, while the car is sitting on the west coast. in your opinion what engine would be better to stick in a 510? KA or SR?

WOW that guy in the last picture is sexy! KAs and SRs both live in the most popular drifting chassis there is. Here's my upshot in a nutshell. The KA does NOT like to rev, but people like to drift. Drifting is good. Unless you're a KA. Wind a stroker engine to ~7000 RPM, sidestep the clutch to break traction. Repeat. That is entry level drifting. If you get a KA that has been through this, good luck with it. The SR loves 7000 rpm. It has 7 million bell housing bolts. The SR has proven to take the abuse they are put through much more aptly than the KA. I have had a Rebello KA with ITBs in my 510 for 6 years, and a stock KA for the 8 years before that. They worked fine, but I miss 8-9000 rpm. I am curruntly going SR. If you get an SR, do yourself a favor and change the oil pump and clutch before install. Cheap insurance...

DanDGR Fab

DGR Fab wrote:WOW that guy in the last picture is sexy! KAs and SRs both live in the most popular drifting chassis there is. Here's my upshot in a nutshell. The KA does NOT like to rev, but people like to drift. Drifting is good. Unless you're a KA. Wind a stroker engine to ~7000 RPM, sidestep the clutch to break traction. Repeat. That is entry level drifting. If you get a KA that has been through this, good luck with it. The SR loves 7000 rpm. It has 7 million bell housing bolts. The SR has proven to take the abuse they are put through much more aptly than the KA. I have had a Rebello KA with ITBs in my 510 for 6 years, and a stock KA for the 8 years before that. They worked fine, but I miss 8-9000 rpm. I am curruntly going SR. If you get an SR, do yourself a favor and change the oil pump and clutch before install. Cheap insurance...

DanDGR Fab

Listen to this man. He knows his stuff.

I'm SR all the way. The SR20DET is already potent in stock form which is why I chose it for my daily driver (I commute over 1000 miles a month and use my truck for work as well). Power AND reliability.

Just my opinion. I'm sure others will agree or disagree as everyone has different needs (all-out race vs. street) and definitions of "daily drivable"...

Badass truck! What are you going to use it for?

UPDATE

Fuel lines are making progress



Battery mounted



Downpipe flange mounted to start mocking up the rest of it



How she looks so far:



Motor's all wired up and just need the fuel pump wired up to fire up!

Quick pic of another project's motor. Powedercoated goodness!

UPDATE

Battery wired up!



Battery fits neatly under fuel evap cover. It's like Nissan new that the 521 would get a SR20 one day :



Current undercarriage shot:

Downpipe done! Damn its so SEXY!

Wategate modded. Extended about 2.25" with a thread rod and grade 5 bolt for adjustment

chitownguy wrote:Badass truck! What are you going to use it for?

It's my daily and one and only car. I drive it for work and haul alot crap (mostly engine parts and house materials)...

WOW! this brings a tear to my eye. its so beautiful.

SHE LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!

Video up tomorrow (my camera won't download )!

Some pics to tide you guys over:

latest motor shots:

Phase2Motortrend grounding plate (improves cooling of coilpacks and grounding . Uninstalled in this pic. It's just laying on top of the coilpacks...

Radiator hoses with t-bolt clamps!

FAL slim fan installed and wired-up:

Fuel pump relay and Daniel's custom fuel evap cannister:

55amp tractor/race alternator finished. Dan's got more pics. He made a custom mount to bolt up the block and used the Nissan belt tensioner assembly!

wastegate finished

steering link finished. can be adjusted on the truck!

custom throttle cable!

wiring fun...

tranny tunnel patched:

Daniel, high from the open downpipe fumes :

"Now if I stick the power wire in my mouth and ground my thumb to the chassis, the electric fan should switch on..." :D:D

After only 3 weeks at DGR, she's back in my hands tomorrow (just a couple small loose ends to wrap up)!DAN AND DANIEL RULE.

Modified by makibaka at 11:35 PM 7/4/2007
Modified by makibaka at 11:38 PM 7/4/2007

It's home! :D:D:D:D:D:D

Man, I really can't describe how quick this thing feels. All I know is that I couldn't stop smiling coupled with random outburts of hysterical laughter all day. Now more than ever do I need to put on those disc brakes

Here's a video of the first day it started up:



Pics on the day I took the beast home yesterday:

More of Dan's welding magic



Headlights put in. No more high beams because the intercooler interferred with the buckets. But it's just a reason to mount the BOV on the side of the intercooler in one bucket and run a HKS mushroom intake up to the other bucket



Sitting outside DGR waiting to put on the exhaust manifold heatshield then it's ready for the drive home...



I can't say this enough:

THANK YOU DAN AND DANIEL FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still got to wire up some gauges, pop on Brandon's disc brake conversion, figure out how I want the shifter to sit, and get some new seats/smaller steering wheel to fit my 6' self. Then its off to the muffler shop and the dyno next week to check a/f and other good stuff...

I love this truck.

that's freakin' awesome.

gonna make for one hell of a sleeper.

Jerry needs to do this to his 521.

UPDATE

Been busy ever since I got the truck back.



new window regulators and door felt. Sooooooo much better to drive without the windows banging around!

Old window regulator was missing the spring. No wonder it was hard to roll up and down!

new hood cable. No more sliced fingers!

Tailight fun. Had to replace the reverse lens as it had a crack/big hole in it. Also had to splice in some bulb sockets as a couple of mine were corroded. Can’t afford to get pulled over with the SR now…Probably take it apart and paint the bolt heads black…

Steering wheel being pulled out…… for a Grant hub and wheel. Had to bend the copper shoe horn forward for the horn the work. Also, have to find ~2� long roller pins for the turn signal cancellers. No more getting in the truck and have the wheel crush my legs off!

Autometer gauges (tach, h20 temp, oil psi, volt). Not sure if I like ‘em now. I was trying to match the OE gauges, but I think I want to go all AEM now…

AEM gauges (boost controller, wideband, oil temp)

Coolant port fitting removed to tap for Autometer h20 temp sender. I screwed up and tapped it for a m12x1.5 adapter fitting because the 1/8� NPT sending unit was bottoming out in the housing. After waiting 3 days for the fitting, I couldn’t get it on because the ECU temp sender interfered. :mad Then I went on the website and found out that Autometer has a shallow 1/8� NPT sending unit that’ll clear. Dan’s helping me find a new housing now…



Autometer oil psi sending unit. It interfered with the oil filter when I tried to fit it in place of the stock oil psi sender. I used a GReddy oil filter adapter, but the OE sending unit interfered with the adapter! So I just plugged the OE sending unit hole with a leftover plug from the GReddy adapter.

Front disk brakes on. No progress pics as I was stressing trying to get the truck ready for work today. BIG THANKS TO CLAYTON AND LISA for driving with me down to Mario’s to pick-up the rims (thank you for the deal Mario!). I predict ITB’s and Megasquirt for a certain wagon’s future…

My Chevy rims wouldn’t clear the calipers without a .75� spacer so I had to get new rims (I TOLD YOU I WOULD GET YOUR RIMS BRANDON! Glad your kids like the new wheels ). After all the stress, my buddy Roy offered his extra car to me out of the blue so I could take my time finishing off the brakes…



Isuzu rear disc progress…

I spent 3 hours and 4 cutting discs and didn’t even get one backing disc off. Luckily, Brandon offered to plasma torched them off for me late last night. I wish I had my camera. His L20 turbo motor is gonna rip!

Bearings clean and ready for some grease…

I had to chase the holes for the banjo bolts as Kragen decided to put on the paint extra thick on the threads. :

Sad to see it on stands, but can’t wait for the disc brake goodness! :

Rears are done. Just need to pop in the 280z MC, modify the rod, and plumb it all together!

Pure envy.That is one sweet project.

UPDATE!

Brakes are pretty much done (just need to bench bleed MC, bleed the calipers, and check for leaks)...



Isuzu rear brakes fit like a champ

Had to shorten the MAF air filter adapter and put on a stubby air filter to clear the new brake MC:

I had a choice to open up the hole on the firewall or file down the lip on the MC flush. I filed the the MC Also had to lengthen the mounting holes...

Custom rod for the MC. I'll take pics of the final form when I take out the MC to bench bleed.

Don't mind the slag. I was welding with Flux Core as I've been too lazy to hook up my argon tank since I got it refilled :o

Brake line fun!

rear brake transition line from OEM 3 way connector to driver side caliper.

Front caliper transition hard lines. I ended up looping the Russel z32 lines to take up the slack (still need to tie them down):Passenger side:Driver side:

Decided to route all the brake lines into the cabin in anticipation for my eventual underdash MC pedal assembly :

Passenger side front brake line routing with 1" hole cut to route into cabin:

Wilwood adjustable prop. valve in place. Still need to fabricate a mounting bracket:

Hard line from MC routed over steering column. Tried to place the prop valve and unions in one place to make line changes and tracking leaks easier:

Brake MC and clutch MC hard lines routed downward into driver side fender well through existing hole in fender:

Got a little messy with the rear brake line and clutch line in an effort to minimize unions and potential leaks. Use a 1" hole saw to cut another hole to route the lines into the cabin:

Clutch line routed into cabin. Just need to connect the line from the MC (might have to redo the one from the slave in a longer length):

Coming soon...

Body harness tuck and engine harness tuck :