DIY thread for 720's

1980-1986 Datsun 720 forums. All 720-specific topics and discussion can be found here.
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PEZi
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720 Carburetor Reference Pics
720-carburetor-reference-pics-t521844.html

720 Vacuum Line Placement Pics
post6080291.html

Z24 hitachi Carb Rebuild
'84-'86
z24-carb-rebuild-diy-1984-86-t537596.html

Hitachi Carb 6 plug harness connector
720-6-wire-carb-electrical-harness-t539378.html

720 Alternator Replacement Thread
720-alternator-replacement-thread-2wd-m ... 21512.html

Oil Pressure Sensor Replacement
oil-pressure-sensor-replacment-diy-t526699.html

720 Ball Joint Replacement
720-ball-joint-replacment-thread-t50632 ... eplacement

Clutch Master Cylinder Replacement
diy-clutch-master-cylinder-installation-t567903.html

Front Brake Rotor Replacement
720-front-brake-rotor-replacement-thread-t526160.html

Front Wheel Stud Replacement
front-wheel-stud-replacement-t527791.html

Front Wheel Bearing Replacement and Packing
wheel-bearings-re-packing-step-by-step-t527903.html

Front Brake Hose Replacement
720-front-brake-hose-replacement-thread ... l#p6015862

Front Brake Caliper Rebuild, Step by Step
front-brake-caliper-rebuild-step-by-step-t528518.html

Rear Suspension Rebuild
rear-suspension-rebuild-t527052.html

Rear Diff Oil Change
rear-differential-gear-oil-change-t526661.html

Quick Way of Lowering a Datsun/Nissan Pickup
quick-way-to-lower-a-nissan-datsun-pickup-t406018.html

Steering Linkage Rebuild
diy-steering-linkage-replacement-720-rwd-t577280.html

Master Cylinder Replacement
master-cylinder-replacement-t523910.html

Speaker Installation
standard-cab-speaker-installation-t526856.html

Camshaft Sprocket Removal NAPZ24breadbox

1. Remove Valve Cover2. Remove all spark Plugs3. Bring to TDC.4. Remover the cam sprocket bolt and fuel pump drive cam, if equipped.5. In order to remove the bolt, take out the front rubber moon.6. Insert wood down in chain until it is wedged. The timing chain cannot move off the crankshaft sprocket or the front cover will need to be removed to line up the chain properly.7. Carefully remove the cam shaft sprocketBreadbox's Dimensions of the "Wooden Wedge of Grace": 10" long, 3/4"thick, 1" at the bottom and 1 1/2" at the top.

Basic overview of Cylinder Head Removal NAPZ24breadbox

1. Drain cooling system.

2. Remove the air cleaner and power steering pump and idler pulley.

3. Disconnect spark plug wires from the spark plugs and remove the brackets from the valve cover.

4. Remove air induction pipes and valve case, if equipped.

5. Remove the intake manifold. Refer to

6. Remove VVT valve and bracket from the firewall, if equipped.

7. Remove EGR pipe that runs behind the head, if equipped.

8. Remove the manual fuel pump from the right front of the head, if equipped

9. Remove exhaust manifold from the head.

10. Remove Valve Cover and bring motor to TDC. Refer to link added later

11. Take your New Head Gasket and trace the shape on a piece of card board and make hole for the bolts to go through, so they are not mixed up and can be put on in the original locations. (Not sure how important that is yet, though.) Loosen the bolts in ¼ turn increments starting with the back right bolt, moving to the back left bolt, then the front right bolt followed by the front left and alternate this pattern inward until all bolts can be taken out by hand.

12. Remove the small bolts that attach the cylinder head to the front cover.

13. Lift the Head off of the block. DO NOT PRY BETWEEN HEAD and BLOCK! Hit it will a wooden block and a hammer to loosen then lift the head gently off.

14. Use the “Wooden Wedge of Grace” to keep the chain from fallind down into the oil pan. I used a 10-12” wooden dowel that was approx. 1” in diameter.

15. Place head on a block of wood to prevent the head from getting damaged.

16. Remove old head gasket.

17. Vacuum out the cylinders and stuff clean lint-free rags in the cylinders to keep them clean and free of debris.

Basic Overview of Cylinder Head Installation NAPZ24breadbox

1. With clean rags in the cylinders, use a gasket scraper to remove all traces of carbon buildup and old gaskets and RTV. Clean the mating surfaces with acetone or lacquer thinner. The two surfaces of the cylinder head and the block must be perfectly clean when the head is installed. If there is oil on either surface the gasket could seal improperly and develop leaks.

2. Check the block and head surfaces for any deep scratches or other damage. You might have to file a minor thing or two but larger gouges will require machining.

3. Use a tap of correct size to chase the threads of the bolt holes. clean bolts and make sure the are free from corrosion and dirt. Damaged threads, dirt, corrosion, sealant, and debris will affect the torque readings.

4. Place Head gasket on the clean block surface aligned with the dowels. Make sure #1 piston is still TDC, then carefully lower the cylinder head onto the engine, over the dowel pins and the gasket, keep everything lined up.

5. Install cleaned head bolts. *Note 1980 heads have two bolts sizes where the z24 has the same size bolts. Try to keep them going back to their original holes.

6. Tighten the bolts in ¼ turn increments Starting with the center left bolt moving to the center right bolt. move forward two bolts and begin with the left followed by the right and go to the opposite side and continue out. Keep it evenly torqued.

7. Head Cylinder Bolt Torque Specifications.This is a 5 step process.1) 22 ft. lbs.2)58 ft. lbs.3) Loosen Completely “do not move the head or the gasket “4) 22 ft. lbs.5)54 to 61 ft. lbs.

8. Install camshaft sprocket. Refer to link added later

9. Fill radiator with coolant and remove the air from the system

10. Readjust the valve clearences to the HOT specifications in the FAQ after warmup. zerothread/464778

Top Dead Center for #1 Piston. TDC tutorial breadbox

TDC is when the piston is at the top of the compression stroke or the top of the exhaust stroke. We want it at the top of compression stroke of the first cylinder, to do head work, mess with the distributor or time the motor.

The #1 piston is a TDC on the compression stroke when the notch on the crank pulley is pointing a 0 on the timing plate and the rotor on the distributor is pointing to the #1 on the cap.

1. When looking at the front of the engine, the crankshaft needs to move clockwise. BEFORE STARTING make sure the transmission is in neutral. Detach coil wires from the center of the distributor and ground on the block with a jumper cable. *not sure why grounding coils is any better then just disconnecting the battery. But the manual mentions it so I figure, I would as well.

2. Get a large Socket and breaker bar and turn the crank by the pulley bolt to turn the motor clockwise.

3. Mark the position of the #1 cylinder on the outside of the distributor with a paint marker, so you can see the rotor line up with the cap off. Remove dizzy cap.

4. Turn the crankshaft clockwise until the crank lines up on 0 and rotor is pointing a #1. If it is pointing at the #4 then it is TDC on #1’s exhaust stroke. Turn crank 360 degrees.

5. You should now be a TDC for #1. To get to TDC of the following cylinders turn crank 180 degrees at a time and follow the firing order.

Some people take out the #1 cylinder spark plug and put a screw driver in the hole and turn the crank until it is at the top and screwdriver is extended out. Then by marking the dizzy cap you can get it to TDC.

Gauge Cluster Disassembly and Clean 86 720

Tools needed: small & medium phillips screwdriver, medium flat blade screwdriver, cleaning rag, q-tips and rubbing alcohol.remove the upper and lower column shroud from the steering wheel, remove two top screws that hold cluster to dash, pull the bottom out as these are only held in by two clips. You'll need to tug on it a little. Remove the speedo cable by pinching the knurled spot and pulling straight out, this is a little tricky since you don't have much room back there, and the short length of the speedo cable only allows about 3/4" of play. Than remove the electrical connectors. These are all one way connections and you can't plug them in the wrong spot.

Cluster out! Ready for cleaning!

These clusters don't use a PCB board, but rather a thin mylar like backing with copper "lines" sure there is a name for it and someone will correct me. Going to take this off and clean it too! You don't need to memorize the locations of all the lamps as they are interchangeable.

Remove the back housing of the cluster from the front, fairly easy to do, there are 4 plastic tongues along the top, and 2 on the bottom. You may want to be careful if yours is brittle. The polycarbonate cover is removed the same, it is held on by plastic tongues along all four sides, the bottom two can only be reached by the flat blade screwdriver.

now to remove the mylar board. Simple, but take your time. This is only held on by the plastic guide posts as well as the pressure from the electrical connectors. Take the q-tips and soak the ends in the rubbing alcohol and clean the electrical connectors as well as the copper from the mylar board.

This was a little tricky to get off. Both top sides of the mylar board feed through the cluster to the electrical connections on the face side. You need to disconnect this, lift the mylar board from the guide posts and feed it back through the cluster.

To clean the gauge faces, you can remove the faces and clean them or leave them in place, but be careful as the needles can bend.Simply clean all the parts and assembly is reverse!

MUCH MORE TO COME!


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bracktheron720
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Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2009 8:39 pm
Car: 1984 720 with 1980 datsun front end,1972 yamaha cs3

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this is awesome!!lots of really helpful info!!if you could throw up sumthing on timing adjustment,valve adjustment and maybe chain guide/tensioner replaicment...that would be cool and cut down on the same thread being posted over and over again..

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PEZi
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will do soon!

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keiffer671
Posts: 22
Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2009 2:45 am
Car: 1981 DATSUN 720 Z22

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great thread here

i've done the head gasket change and found that immediatly after removing the sprocket my chain tensioner had pulled down my timing chain beyond the point of being able to reinstall my cam sproket with out having to remove the front cover...idk if i failed to do something right but i followed the book to the t on this. i don't know if its possible as i didn't try it but perhaps prior to removing the sprocket the wedge should be inserted down the head.. and then remove the sprocket. what do you guys think.

snake022
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Joined: Sat Jun 26, 2010 11:15 pm
Car: 1981 datsun 4x4 pick up truck kingcab

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hi im a new guy but i have and 81 datsun and i have no power going to my fuel pump and i was wondering if someone can help a brother out

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PEZi
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^ relay? bad wire? bad pump?

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PEZi
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I hope you like my choice of posting photos with text. I think it makes things easier to understand. Each photo is numbered in the corner for easy reference if you have questions or comments.

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fastboatman29212
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Joined: Sun Jul 25, 2010 6:45 pm
Car: left this forum. Sold my truck.
Location: South Carolina

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I had a bad oil pressure sending unit. Here's how I fixed it.

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PEZi
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Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2008 8:21 am
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Alternator Replacement fastboatman29212

I imagine that most of you can change an alternator. However, I hope this thread will help someone in the future who has never done it before, like me!

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dukes problem
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Joined: Sat Jan 29, 2011 5:30 pm

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ok how do i get the sprocket and chain back on without pulling the front cover how bad did i screw up?

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breadbox
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Car: Red 89 240sx,Black 89 Koop, White 84 720 4x4KC
Location: Va Bch

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You probably want to take off the front timing cover just to set it correctly by TDC and the chain links. Then replace seals if it needs it, might get a new timing set if yours looks pretty worn. But you will need to pull dizzy and oil pump to do that. and replace water pump or at least inspect it. I'm not gonna lie, its a good amount of work, but once its done right, it should be good til the next rebuild.

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breadbox
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Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2006 4:09 pm
Car: Red 89 240sx,Black 89 Koop, White 84 720 4x4KC
Location: Va Bch

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Rear Bed Removal/Installation

1. Disconnect the negative battery terminal.
2. Engage the e-brake
3. Disconnect taillight and plate lights
4. Open fuel filler door, unscrew the two mounting screws from either side of the filler tube, should be phillips head
5. Remove the bolts that attach the bed to frame. Pay special attention to the installed order of the rubber grommets and bushings
6. Lift the bed off by.... Having a few friends lift it off and over the frame and walk it away, Attaching rope to the bed and hoisting it off using a tree or some other study structure, or whatever works safely.

7. To install, Clean up the spots and install hardware and bushings back the way they came out.

After I take mine off this summer, Ill try to remember to make this more specific.

dogred
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Joined: Sat May 16, 2009 10:15 pm
Car: 1983 D720

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How to tell the difference between the intake and exhaust coils. The intake coil should have the bigger two wires colored Brown and White/Blue.

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numbernobody
Posts: 30
Joined: Sat May 01, 2010 12:55 am
Car: 1983.5 Nissan 720 4x4
Location: Vancouver, WA

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Great job on the ball joint post.

posting.php?mode=smilies&f=278#

synack7350
Posts: 364
Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2011 3:08 pm
Car: nissan '83 720 king cab pickup 2wd 2.4L Z24
Location: Boaz, AL

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what is the socket size for the crank pulley?

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PEZi
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I want to say 22mm? Not 100% sure.

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captainzeros
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Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2010 8:00 pm
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1981 Datsun 720 Longbed
1973 Datsun 240Z
Location: Independence, OR

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27mm

stormkartr
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Joined: Mon May 21, 2012 11:26 pm
Car: 85 Nissan/Datsun 720D

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correct 27mm. Now if only I could remember if it is left-handed thread or right-handed thread.... anyone?

NissanFan93
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Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2013 9:07 am
Car: 1985 Nissan 720

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I just bought my truck and I'm trying to do some work to it. I can't get my door panel off cause of the window crank. How do I get it off ?

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fastboatman29212
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Joined: Sun Jul 25, 2010 6:45 pm
Car: left this forum. Sold my truck.
Location: South Carolina

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Nobody responded until now because you posted in the wrong section. There is a clip on the back of the window crank hanle. Please post general questions in the main forum. :biggrin:

eldude64
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Apr 13, 2012 10:02 am
Car: 1983 Datsun/Nissan 720

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Can the Pictures be reposted for the DIY section?

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fastboatman29212
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eldude64 wrote:Can the Pictures be reposted for the DIY section?
Sorry about the pics disappearing. My Photobucket account is over the bandwidth limit so it will have to reset. I'm thinking of setting up a BLOG with all the 720 DIY stuff. That way the pics will not go away because of bandwidth problems on Photobucket. Stay tuned.

ready2hunt
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Aug 23, 2013 7:52 am

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Not finding anything on CV Axle replacement.... 1986 720, drivers side. Is there an axle nut, or just a snap ring? If i'm correct, you can unbolt from trans axle, break upper ball joint, open hub and remove snap ring, and pull the axle???? Is this correct?

Thanks all.

Brawn0417
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2014 12:37 pm
Car: 2000 Buick Century
1983 Nissan Pickup

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I have a question. I am new to asking questions about vehicles and know little about them.

Here goes. I have a Nissan (Or Datsun) Pickup. (The tabs say Datsun).

I am having issues with the vehicle not staying on. It feels like either there is an issue with the gas flow from the tank or an issue with the carb?

I have friends willing to help me relace parts. But, they want opinions on what is wrong.

sharkslayer805
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2016 12:08 pm
Car: 1986 Nissan 720 pickup d24 single cab.

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Hey everyone! I just recently acuired a 1986 nissan 720 pickup d24 single cab and was wondering if anyone could help me find the torque specifications for the truck?? I do alot of my own repairs aswell as upgrades because it saves money but I want to make sure everything is up to par including the bolts etc..! Any help would be much appreciated been having trouble finding certain things for this truck because of the year!

camusmuse
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 6:25 pm
Car: Nissan by Datsun 720 trucks....have owned many in the past, looking to get back into them. Should of never sold any of them....

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Hello all...been a lover of the 720 since the mid eighties. I have had a few over the years, and am actively trying to find one in good enough condition without breaking the bank. I have one that I am looking at, but the seller is saying that it needs at least a head gasket and maybe a new head...not a big problem for the price. But it has been *a very long time* since I have worked on one and was hoping that the pictures that are missing from this thread are still around somewhere. When and if I tear into this thing to do the work, it will be time sensitive, so I want to have all my ducks in a row so to speak to get it running and ready for the road.

Any info would be greatly appreciated....FWIW...this is an "84" KC 4x4, and I have never worked on a 4x4 before, so I might need some extra help.....

And of course....eventually I wiil get the bug for some more power, any good threads for motor swaps? Would like to keep it all Nissan/Infinity....but also keep the 4x4.....yeah I want my cake and to eat it too...lol.

Thanks for the great forum....I will be spending quite a bit of time reading up on the info here....alot of it I remember....alot of it is new...so THANKS for a great site!!!!

Tfuzion
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed May 09, 2018 3:16 am
Car: 1984 Nissan/Datsun 720. 2WD 5 spd. Reg cab. 2.4

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I just bought a1984 720 2WD, 5 spd. 2.4L deluxe reg cab. I am new to Nissan/Datsun. Love this little truck so far. Going to do some modifications. One big one I want to do is the rear axle/differential. I think the stock gearing is ard 3.38 somewhere in there. I’d like perhaps 4.11 so it’ll move in first gear. I’ll put little bigger tires on but nothing massive. It’s not 4x4. So maybe 28s or 29 tops. I’m wondering what rear axle might fit in that Nissan? I hear it’s much easier to do that, than change the gears themselves. Any help is greatly appreciated. I’m new to restoring/modifications but having a blast with it. Thx. I’ll send pics as she comes to life.

Tfuzion
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed May 09, 2018 3:16 am
Car: 1984 Nissan/Datsun 720. 2WD 5 spd. Reg cab. 2.4

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I just bought a1984 720 2WD, 5 spd. 2.4L deluxe reg cab. I am new to Nissan/Datsun. Love this little truck so far. Going to do some modifications. One big one I want to do is the rear axle/differential. I think the stock gearing is ard 3.38 somewhere in there. I’d like perhaps 4.11 so it’ll move in first gear. I’ll put little bigger tires on but nothing massive. It’s not 4x4. So maybe 28s or 29 tops. I’m wondering what rear axle might fit in that Nissan? I hear it’s much easier to do that, than change the gears themselves. Any help is greatly appreciated. I’m new to restoring/modifications but having a blast with it. Thx. I’ll send pics as she comes to life.


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