Post by
Vega$ 320 »
https://forums.nicoclub.com/vega-320-u111933.html
Wed Dec 31, 1969 5:00 pm
[font=Arial]Hello everybody,[/font]
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[font=Arial]My name is Leroy Kyger and I live in Las Vegas, Nevada.[/font]
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[font=Arial]I have been lurking for awhile and have finally registered. I’m not huge on posting on the web, and when I bought my 320, there was nothing about them (on the web). Low and behold, I wait a few years and there seems to be an explosion of interest in classic Japanese cars. I think this is a great site for fans of these old vehicles. [/font]
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[font=Arial]I want to bring my over 30 years of motorcycle and automotive experience to the table to share with everyone.[/font]
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[font=Arial]I’m posting some pictures of my 1964 Datsun L320 which I have had for almost 20 years. I purchased it for $300.00 from a parking lot here in Vegas. It had a rod out of the engine, but everything else was there. The biggest thing for me was there was not a spot of rust anywhere on it. The truck originally was purchased in Phoenix, Arizona and spent 25 years of its life down there until the original owner drug it up here to Vegas. For those of you living near the coast or in damp areas it’s hard to believe that vehicles don’t rust out here in the desert. Not having any rust was the clincher for me. I have no problem with fabrication and mechanical stuff, but am not fond of trying to repair rust. I applaud all of you guys out there that have restored rusty Datsuns.[/font]
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[font=Arial]My 320 had been painted once (exterior only) and was a brick red color. I went back with the factory red color (in Du Pont Imron) which is now 19 years old. I painted the dash and doors, but the paint inside of the cab was so good, I decided to leave it the original red.[/font]
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[font=Arial]I obtained another E1 engine and figured I could build one from two, but the other engine was worse than the one that was in my truck to begin with. I purchased a JDM J15 which was in great shape. I freshened it up with new main and rod bearings, seals & gaskets and it worked out perfectly.[/font]
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[font=Arial]My truck had (and still does) have the original Kyaba (KYB) shocks on it. When I restored it, I found the shocks had the proper part numbers and date codes, didn’t leak a drop of oil and dampened properly and after restoration with new bushings they went back on the truck. I completely rebuilt the front end with a new link pin kit and upper and lower bushings. The tie rods were in good shape so I cleaned them, and installed new rubber boots (seals) (available from Nissan at the time).[/font]
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[font=Arial]I changed the gearing to a set of 4.39’s from the later model trucks and now have 3.89’s from a roadster which I plan to change out in the near future.[/font]
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[font=Arial]I have tried to leave it as stock as I could with a few exceptions. [/font]
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[font=Arial]Having a huge Delco Remy generator on it when I got it, I got a stock Hitachi generator but didn’t have the heart to put in on. I found a very small 42 amp Nippon Denso alternator from A Daihatsu Hi Jet and made my own bracket from the original. The double capacity over the stock generator and very small size has worked perfect for the last 19 years.[/font]
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[font=Arial]This truck is tight, runs and drives so well, I would drive it anywhere.[/font]
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[font=Arial]Over the years, I have collected factory owner manuals, service and parts manuals. [/font]
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[font=Arial]After winning several trophies early on, I haven’t entered a show in 16 years. Last weekend, I entered a show and came away with a plaque for one of the top 60 vehicles (out of 330). Now I have a renewed interest in my 320 and plan to attend more shows. I was beat up last weekend to post my truck on the web so, here it is. [/font]
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[font=Arial]Anything I can do to help with keeping these trucks and cars running, just ask and I will do my best to help out.[/font]
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[font=Arial]Oh yeah, sorry for the long post![/font]