datsun truck q's

[67cst]

does anyone know anything about old datsun trucks? a buddy has a 78 2 wd that i think im going to buy for commuting to work, he wants 1000 bucks for but it runs great, has a spash job and some rims and tires, i dont really care about the cosmetics as much i just want something relaible, he said the previous owner fixed it all up for his daughter and she didnt want it, so kael got it a year ago and paid 28 hun bucks, and said i could have it for a grand because its just sitting in his barn now, he bought a new truck, so anyways how many miles can you expect out of these? this one has around 150,000 km....you guys think its worth it? i need something by wednesday and i cant find any k cars or fireflys around here so i dont have much choice,

thanks

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Datsun's are just like anything else if you maintain them they will run forever and part's are pretty cheap and easy to come by would be a pretty good choice for a daily driver...

[72shadetree]

i had a 73 and you couldnt kill it it was like a timex lol

[TODDS 72]

I'd say go for it,parts are fairly cheap and there easy to work on.I had a 76 and like said above just couldn't kill it.

[Tx Firefighter]

It will have an L20 engine. That's a very good sturdy engine. They typically have carb problems though. If the carb gets too bad, most guys replace it with a Weber. All of the Weber dealers will know exactly what you're dealing with and they have a carb specially made to replace the troublesome stock unit.

Also, they usually have a 4 speed non-overdrive trans, so they do tend to rev on the highway.

Every one I've ever seen had a fixed non-flex non-clutch fan that sounds like a jet engine when it's revved up. A good flex fan or clutch should free up some mileage and power as well as quieting the thing down.

I tried to put a 5 speed overdrive out of a B210 (I think) in a 77 model truck one time and it will not fit. The floor board on the truck hugs the stock 4 speed trans real tight, and the bigger 5 speed overdrive hits in every imaginable place.

[67cst]

thanks for the replys...it has a 5 spd in it, so does that mean it wasnt stock?

[Tx Firefighter]

67cst...

I don't know. My 77 model was a factory 4 speed. I got a free dodnor car with a good engine and trans. The engine was a slam dunk, but the trans a no-go for me.

I don't know if 77 vs 78 was different, or if the truck had a different 5 speed than the car did.

[72C203503ONTHETREE]

The truck five speed is completely different than a car trans. The Z trans was the same length though, and it will bolt in. Also, the B210 had an A series engine and the trans would bolt on to the engine but would be tilted over too far, the L series engines lean to one side. I had a 78 620 with a L20B and a five speed. It had one working brake and many big dents and rust. I got it for $35 at a city impound auction and later cut the roof of and made it into a convertible. Never had any problems with it and it had a lot of hard miles. Engine ran perfect and the trans was tight.

A grand is kind of high, you can get decent ones for less than that, but if it is in real good shape and its worth it to you, go for it. Check out WWW.NWDE.ORG, they have a lot of good info on their site and a great forum(a bit small but theres decent traffic).

[68C15]

I used to have a 77 bulletside. had a BALL. 60 MPH through the ditch & hit an approach. BIG AIR TIME!!! no damage at all. you can kill them though. run it on 50% methanol @ 321,000 miles & watch the valve seats go to he77
side note: a 5speed from a 610 will work. find one from a '69, rev. is right above 1st. works great when stuck for rocking back & forth.
I bought mine as a package deal along with a '74 and '78 for $150 about 10 years ago.
if I had the chance, I would buy another in a heartbeat!!!!
make sure you add a hoodscoop from a TA and some 15" white spokes. looks badd a$$

[67cst]

just got home with the new beater, it purs like a kitten, ill get pics tomorrow, you guys will laugh your asses off

[68C15]

I wont laugh, I might drool or break out in a state of utter jealousy.

[what]

<a href="http://s905.photobucket.com/user/70snova/media/DSC01202_zpsbfd34e05.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i905.photobucket.com/albums/ac251/70snova/DSC01202_zpsbfd34e05.jpg" border="0" alt="datsun 521 pickup photo DSC01202_zpsbfd34e05.jpg"/></a>

[68C15]

talk about blowing the dust off an old thread. This one must have taken a leaf blower.

can you do a better link? I'm getting too old and lazy to type all that.

[ETsC10]

Originally Posted by what

<a href="http://s905.photobucket.com/user/70snova/media/DSC01202_zpsbfd34e05.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i905.photobucket.com/albums/ac251/70snova/DSC01202_zpsbfd34e05.jpg" border="0" alt="datsun 521 pickup photo DSC01202_zpsbfd34e05.jpg"/></a>

what, please PM me and I'll give you a short pic posting primer.

Originally Posted by 68C15

talk about blowing the dust off an old thread. This one must have taken a leaf blower.

can you do a better link? I'm getting too old and lazy to type all that.

haha..agreed x2.

OP posted this elsewhere...probably the same truck?

[ETsC10]

Sending this whole thread to Alternate Tinkerings.

[BMERDOC]

Old thread and 8 people checking it out at the moment! I had to peek too! I had a 76 620 and loved that little sucker! I'd love to find another. I've passed on a couple for various reasons but if the right one comes my way....

[WIDESIDE72]

We had a red 71 Datsun pu back in the 80's (little red as we also had a 76 chevy heavy half with a 454-big red) that Datsun wouldnt die! My uncle borrowed it for a while to drive to work. He said a hog ran out in front of him. He swerved and laid it on its side and wiped out the pass side. Flipped it back on its wheels and drove it home. Later we pulled the drivetrain and swapped it into another truck (70?) that the po let freeze but it had sat a while and had carb issues as mentioned above and never ran right. I do remember the stump puller rear gears and the big loud cooling fan as well

[pritch]

Yeah, I read the whole thread before seeing how old it was, too.

But I had a '74 I got when I was 17 (in '76, so it was only 2 years old) I spent that spring and summer in SoCal and ran with one of the million or so mini-truck clubs, TinCan Truckers

That was a lot of fun. After I moved back to Utah, I kept it for another few years. Then, when I was in the army in '78 I traded it for a '63 C-10. It still ran great, I just wanted a full-sized Chevy.

[LockDoc]

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http://s905.photobucket.com/user/70s...05463.jpg.html

Use the navigation arrows at the top right corner of the page.

LockDoc

[Shorty Cox]

i SAW THIS THREAD YESTERDAY AND STARTED TO REPLY, BUT WORK CALLED. I WILL OFFER MY $0.02 WORTH.
I'M AN OLD MAN AND OVER THE YEARS I HAVE DRIVEN AND/OR OWNED MOST OF THE BRANDS. THE VERY BEST PICKUP I HAVE DRIVEN HAS BEEN A '72(LATE)DATSUN 620 PICKUP. (I SAY "LATE" BECAUSE THERE WERE TWO MODELS FOR THE '72 YEAR) I PUT OVER 300,000 MILES ON IT WITHOUT ANY MAJOR PROBLEMS. THE BIGGEST PROBLEM I HAD WITH IT WAS ALTERNATOR WHICH WAS A RESULT OF HAVING AN AFTERMARKET AC AND THE STOCK ALTERATOR WAS NOT HOSS ENOUGH. ALL TOTAL, I HAVE OWNED THREE DATSUN 620 PICKUPS. THEY ARE SIMPLE, NOT FREELS, EASY TO WORK ON.

IT THEY STILL PRODUCES NEW ONE, THAT WOULD BE MY DAILY DRIVER.

SHORTY

[Moody's Madhouse]

This is a 73 620 that I built last year- 4" chop,retro 1979 era. Fun project. Sold a while back for some American iron.

[what]

Awesome truck. I am looking to trade my 71 Datsun for a 1960-66 chevy pickup. I live in Salem Oregon.