New guy with yet another 85 720 (MetalFab Build Thread)

[synack7350]

man you almost want a remote control and a motor on that thing so you don't have to get out of the cab

[MetalFab]

And a boom long enough to hoist me out of the cab!

At least with this setup I can be at the end of a log, or holding a motor right where I want it and adjust it up and down from there. Things get scary fast when you're moving 800 lbs of something that wants to swing the other way.

I'm gonna break something now, just wait.

[MetalFab]

for those who were interested.

[synack7350]

yeah I keep seeing those things every parts store I go to now, that I saw that replacement thread, its one of those things you don't notice it till someone says something about it. I checked my donut and its clean though.

[MetalFab]

Here's my hitch setup. Had a bolt on towing package kicking around that looked like someone put two bolts in it and then dropped several thousand lbs on it, so I cut off the bent parts and welded on some 3 inch angle iron with .045 flux core dual shield FCAW at school. Super penetration welds and I shouldn't have any worries about this setup bending. My Lincoln AC buzzbox welds however leave much to be desired in looks, but gets the job done. With practice I'll have it figured out in no time.











I've already knocked the control box off the top of the hoist winch.. I'm having no luck at all with that tool lol

[MetalFab]

I'm comin down with something, figures.. after spending days in the rain soaked to the bone trying to get things done. I put a trailer together, a 70 chevy full size bed to haul vw carcases.. only I got it stuck on the back 40. This is the first time I've been dissapointed in this rigs 4x4 capability. I knew it wasn't crawl worthy, perhaps I'm just asking too much from it pulling 3-4k lbs up a hill in the mud lol.

To the point, I want better traction. As soon as I tear the rear end apart to do the spring stack I plan to weld up the spider gears out back and lock the rear end up for good. A tool is worthless to me if it can't do the job. Again I'm sure I'm asking too much from this poor little truck, but I'm all about adapting and overcoming within my budget.

Hoping to get to it this weekend, Still got work to do on the jeep that I've been pushing back for months! Nothing like alittle kick in the pants motivation though.

[604Datsun720]

which site had the suspension set with the upper control arms? I see Rancho shocks and stabilizer. I can't seem to find the set. Could your share the site, also for the sway away torsion bars. The parts numbers and distributer's info would be nice. =)

[MetalFab]

Got it online at 4x4parts.com they have quite a bit there for these rigs.

this was the suspension kit https://www.4x4parts.com/nissan/720-pic ... -p-73.html

[MetalFab]

I have been seriously busy as of late. Picked up a daily driver that gets almost twice the mpg as this little rig and can haul anything I want... So I've been sucked into getting that rig fine tuned, however, I picked up a parts rig that is going to take this project into phase 2. I've been lookin around for a solid axle for some time, and my bro Visiotech came through big time!

For 250 bux we picked up a 82/3 datsun thats been sitting in the blackberry bushes for years after being rolled by the previous owners son. The fact that it started out as 2wd is quite clear, or it may be a 2wd cab on a 4x chassis, yet someone spent quite a bit of time on this rig. It has been SAS'd, with some kind of leaf spring lift, all packs have been stacked, 7 leafs in each. It has a home made crossover steering setup, and the transfercase doesn't even look nissan.. we're thinking it's an older jeep or something, also there's 2 throws on the transfer case... I believe but am not certain this might be a doubled case--if so that raises the cool factor extremely. It has dual gas tanks, the bed might be salvageable, I'm willing to try out a newer cab with older bed look as I hate the bed that would have been stock on my truck. If that doesn't work out I'm custom fabbing a trail flatbed on this truck, the one thats on the red truck now is too bulky for off road.

I'm undecided if I'm going to sell off my IFS suspension kit or save it for another truck that doesn't have a bent front end.. I really don't see the need for it as I'll likely stick to solid axle rigs in the future. I've spent 900 on the lift kit + steering stabilizer and several hundred more on balljoints, steering, bearings and seals. Sad part is I only have a few thousand miles on all of it.

I'll be starting up phase 2 shortly. I picked up the truck lastnight and already have the bed off and a few more items left to get the cab off. After some time with a wire brush getting the dirt off it looks like most of the truck has been painted with por15 or some other type of brush on paint.

Here's a pic of the truck, more to come as things happen.

[captainzeros]

Looks like a goodly bit of work and a good bit of fun. Nice find!

[MetalFab]

Thanks CaptainZeros, the not so fun part is over. I'm done digging through rust, glass, and goo.. the cab saw quite a bit of the elements and I'm not sure what condition any of the guages and other electricals under the dash are in. Just about every bolt so far has either stripped or snapped, thankfully the majority was the latter.

The cab and bed are now off and I have a good look at the drivetrain. Lots of custom stuff to this rig. There is no doubler to the transfercase.. darn! The motor is a napZ 8 plug motor, only the valve cover is aluminum or magnesium.. definitely different from the thin tin cover in my rig. It has drum brakes at all 4 corners, this will have to change. The welds on the suspension are beautiful yet the ones holding the extra fuel tank are boogered. Really looks like this rig was in several different hands when it was running, or the owner had a shop do the SAS. The one thing I don't like is how they fabbed up the shifter for the 4x off under the passengers left leg, leaving a slot in the floor open to the elements.. that shifter moves a foot and a half!

I am as of yet undecided how I want to go about this. I can swap my motor and/or trans over depending on if my motor will bolt to that trans (it should.. the motor is a Z) throw my cab on it and cut down my flatbed to be more offroad friendly (flatbed is gonna happen either way) or spend time trying to salvage the brackets or make new ones and swap the front end into my rig. The new truck has already solved some of the 4x4 issues, like having a passenger side drop xfercase for the front axle which isn't centered like the IFS are. Crossover steering with the box on the outside of the frame.

Just when I've ironed out most of the issues.. I start all new ones =) Lets see if I can fit 38's this time. Go phase 2! Big beefy trail rig "Bratsun?" lol I'd still rather find another motor before I do this build.

[breadbox]

They paid you pay money for that? Well, at there are a couple of up sides. What kind of motor were you leaning towards to swap the Z24 for?

My friend got a V6 90 hardbody recently and was liking what it had for its age.

[MetalFab]

Nothing is free yet I'm still undecided on a motor. Optimally I want a 4-6 cyl turbo diesel, yet if I've failed to find a reasonable deal within the next 6 months or if I find a smoking deal on something else I'll turn to a high output v6 or just v8 it. I have a few good running small block chevys with auto's behind em and one with a sm465? 4 speed.. and a few np203 and 205's dying for a doubler adapter. But I'd sell all that off for the perfect setup.

Going to spend the next few weeks cleaning the chassis up and find numbers on the xfer case and axles to see exactly what I have. Then I'll research what options I have for converting them over to discs all around. I got plans for the rear adapter I saw up here somewhere over on ratsun + the Isuzu rotors and e-brake calipers for a pretty darned good price.

[breadbox]

Yeah, I wish small diesels were more common. I still haven't seen an SD motor in person. :/ I want a couple though.

I just started piecing together a budget RB20 setup for my daily, so I can have torque and sip on the gasoline. After that, I want to get my hands on a couple inline diesels and build an S13 turbo diesel.

[captainzeros]

I saw a diesel 720 on my local craigslist a few weeks back that the guy wanted I think like 3 grand for, same day I saw a heavy duty one ton 720 service truck posted for sale too, was a good day for rarer 720s I can't afford.

[MetalFab]

Yeah, going diesel will not be cheap at all. I might end up making that a part of my phase 3 build and just drop a 327 or 350 chevy in it for now. Optimally I want to have this rig completed for under 1500 bux, and thats including 35-38 inch tires. There's just no way I'd be able to fit a diesel motor into that budget unless it landed in my lap for a few hundred bux or I was able to trade for it.

[MetalFab]

A teaser pic of the front end

[MetalFab]

Been busy as hell with school, the last month of each semester is always a headache but I try to find time every few days to get something done. Pulled a few truckloads of trash and junk out of the garage last week and got things moved around. I now have two bays open again, one dedicated to the chassis and the other for maintainance.. it sucks working on rigs in the dirt and rocks when you have pavement covered in parts or dead rigs

My plans are to pull the motor and trans in the next week and push the chassis out the week after, weather permitting, and clean it down to bare metal. I pulled out the sandblaster and got air plumbed up. I'm quite impressed with how fast it removes paint and rust even though it is a 5 gallon tank and has a 1/4" tip. It's just a cheap harbor freight special I picked up years back, yet it still does the job.

[MetalFab]

Made some good progress the last two days. Got the truck stripped down and cut off most of the unneeded brackets.

[MetalFab]

Crazy things are afoot. The garage is now part of a colaberation of 3 people, Visio, myself, and a 10 year fabricator who is into the toyota scene, Dan from bodydrop.com We have quite a few plans, Visio just welded up his rear end and now lays twin strips of rubber wherever he goes. We're doing a frame up build crawler style, and have several plans for bagged and body dropped mini's and vw's. Visio is planning a body dropped 520 and more modification/finish work to his 85. Dan already has a bd'd 89 'yota and is soon to do a backhalf 4link and bags. I'm taking my 85 to a whole new level. I'll post on another thread for the solid axle swap then hop back here for the finish. Check it out.
sas-720-build-thread-t534333.html

[MetalFab]

Welded up my rear diff and took the doors off for a little fun. I've needed the motivation to get back to building my chassis so I went out to the local mini hill climb and tore it up. Too bad my phone was acting up and didn't take any decent pics.. I can't wait for the sas, more power, and more traction!!! pics as I build tube doors soon.

[MetalFab]

Tube doors, ran out of gas otherwise I'd have had em buttoned up tonight.

[fastboatman29212]

You make more progress in a day than I do in a month. Kudos on this project!

[MetalFab]

It's really beginning to shape up. I'm starting to wonder if I should have just SAS'd this truck as it is because I'm certain all my issues come from my warped IFS. The lil z24 doesn't do too bad offroad and it picks up and goes in town. Trying to maintain the speed limit on the highway is where it all goes down hill.. That and keeping it between the lines with one tire with serious camber issues. It's getting worse again at that. Everything I gained from rebuilding all the bushings in the front end is lost again.

I've checked bolt torque numerous times and that tire just keeps leaning inward more and more, the bushings are puking their guts out and hitting potholes makes me believe my front end is going to fall apart x.x

A buddy in his built yota was following me to the trailhead the other day and said everytime I made a left turn the left tire would roll up onto the very inner edge with easily 8 of the 10 inch wide tread seeing air. Yikes!! Makes really nice right turns though!!

Back to it.

[MetalFab]

One of my other projects for my tow rig. A bumper built out of I beam I had kicking around, Receiver style hitch mount for the winch. Just missing a pair of D-rings for when I don't want to use the winch to drag something around or to run a pulley in line and attach back to the truck.



The winch will go on the nissan after it's finished and I'll find a 12k for the dorf.. all I use it for now is pulling logs around and it does fine, yet there's just no way an 8k rated winch will get my 7k+ loaded rig out of any real stuck situation.



Was playin at a local ohv park the other day, this trail keeps getting steeper and steeper.. eventually I started high centering on waterbars/berms that are over my hood on approach and decided to get out there before I get stuck. Next time I'll have to go out there with buddies just so there's someone to pull others out if they get stuck. Oh, my rear axle broke my exhaust free and I'm losing brake fluid somewhere.. No drips!!?



Some woodpile fun.

And some tube doors! Still working on the latching mechanisms.






This was my first project ever with tubing =) Used some 3/4" sch40 gas line steel that was about to make it's way to the scrap yard and figured I might as well get an idea of what I want for doors before buying and ruining expensive DOM tubing.

[captainzeros]

Nice looking bumper, looks like hell on aerodynamics though...... not that an 80's pickup has great aero anyways. Your truck makes me wish I had a 4x4.

[MetalFab]

Thanks Cptn! I'm always hauling something with that ford (so glad I can stop beating up the nissan now!) a bumper doesn't add much to the picture aerodynamically when you're haulin a car and trailer or a bunch of metal in the bed or firewood out the yang ^_^ but it sure does it's job pushing trees over and keeping that winch attached to the frame =)

I keep seeing 2wd 720's everywhere lately and I've been waiting to catch a few somewhere where I can direct the owners to this site. Going to have to get a nicoclub sticker and advertise especially once this truck is finished--I know it'll be a head turner(just hopefully not a police turner) Anyway, I saw this reg cab short bed 720 with the rear lifted and front lowered for a pretty decent rake, low and wide tires out back. Idk why that look appeals to me so much.. Perhaps the functionality of it being a cross between a lifted and slammed truck.. Better yet maybe I've just gone completely redneck and can't imagine driving anything that couldn't survive the dirt road on the back 40 xD no offense to anyone. I suppose that's what airbags are for.

[MetalFab]

Threw 7 leaf stacks under the rear for better payload and to try and match the front.. Now the truck has a rake to it. Cranked up the torsions again to try and match but that left front suspension is going to hades once more.. She's standing up and looking taller than ever! Here's some pics. And since the pics don't do it any real justice, here's some numbers... the top of the bed is now 41", and lumber thrown on the rack will now clear my head and I'm 6'6".


How it used to look with 35's against it, tires almost level with the top of the bed!

How it looks now.



Overall it looks and rides like a truck again.. and a whole ton better than

[marclamb1112]

i got an 81 2wd that we threw a 4x4 rear diff from an 82 on under the leafs and i can sit under it like you. the only problem is im running into frame bends in the front and have no money to have it straigtned out for an actual alignment. keep running into problems with the rig posted up a craigslist ad to see if i can get it traded off for a little bit of an easier project. as i have little money no tools and little know how on how to go about doing what i want to do on the truck. want to lift the front end but cant figure out a way to lift the damn thing. thinking about putting spacers on the front and attempting to put bigger wheels on it. i have 31s on the rear and 205s up front so it looks interesting. any ideas? lol.

[marclamb1112]

yeah this is my truck like the stance? hahh just got some shocks that will hopefully lift the front end a few inches.