Newbie... with questions

1965-1971 Datsun 521 forums. All 520 and 521 topics and discussion can be found here.
rayfinkle5
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2009 4:16 am

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I have not yet picked up a 521 but I hope to soon. I have found it difficult to gather information about the truck but I am hoping this forum will help. Here are a few questions I have already:

What are the main differences between the 520 and the 521?Where can I get a list of original colors?What are the major pitfalls specific to this model I should pay close attention to before I make a purchase?Is there a preferred year to own?

Thank you all for your help and I look forward to learning all I can.


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IMH
Posts: 350
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 1969 5:00 pm

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520s are J13 powered as are early 521s (L521). You have a PL521 since it's a L16. Early 520s have two headlights and late 520s, like all 521s, have four. There are other differences, some obvious, some not so much. I could write a page on this but you get the general idea. To me, they're rather easy to tell apart. Major pitfalls? Pretty much the same as most 30+ year old vehicles. Preferred year? Well, for me, that would depend what the truck would be used for. I'd rather have a 521 if I was going to use it as a work truck because the J engines just don't have the potential that the L series does. There are more 'bolt in' type later model upgrades that will work on the PL521 as opposed to the L521/520 (or 320 for that matter). Original colors for the 1970 Datsun etire ranger are 106 Kiri Gray, 170 Asian Blue, 410 Pagoda Red, 503 Kiri Gray, 518 Med Gray, 521 Ruby Red, 529 Bamboo Tan, 530 Dk Gray, 535 Rocky Brown, 546 Jade Green, 554 Mint Green, 557 Nissan Blue, 562 Asian Blue, 564 Mt Fuji Blue, 570 Sky Blue, 574 Blue, 632 Rocky Brown, 637 Off White, 660 Toba Blue, 664 Red, 703 Green, 712 Med Gray, 803 Leaf Green, 814 Mexican Red, 818 Green, 821 White, 903 Blue Met, and 904 White. That's for all models and I'm not sure if they were all used on the trucks or not.

rayfinkle5
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2009 4:16 am

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Excellent response. Thank you.

What do you know about lowering a 521. I want to have a nice, low riding cruiser to roll around town in. Also, any tips on wheels? There are a lot of 6 lug wheels out there (including stock Nissan) that can be picked up for fairly cheap. How wide can I go and what kind of offset should I be looking for?
Modified by rayfinkle5 at 7:23 AM 3/10/2009


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