'74 Datsun 620
 

After selling my '73 Datsun 240z a couple years ago due to financial reason and being without a project I finally decided it was time to start on something new. I decided to on the 620 pickup since there aren't many around in Northern California, my dog can enjoy the breeze in the bed, and it is always nice to be able to throw/haul stuff and not worry about damaging the interior. I've owned a 521 and 620 before but unfortunately never finished them. After searching for a couple weeks I found the perfect truck in Oregon and contacted the owner. We exchanged a few messages/photos and I put down a deposit since I couldn't make the trip right away. A couple weeks later, hour fly, and one night stay in Oregon I was able to finally pick up this '74 620. Funny thing, this will be the second 620 truck I pick up from Oregon, the first being a '77 King Cab.

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All of these photos were taken roughly 3-4 hours into my drive back home from Bend, Oregon to San Francisco, California. The 10 hour ride back home was a bit rough due to the blown shocks and loud blaring from the exhaust but the truck drove like a champ. One other concern was the temp gauge not working, PO owner said it never overheated, but I drove with the heater on just in case. Came with a Weber 32/36, lowering blocks in the rear, and a horn set up that plays the theme from the Godfather. For only $1150 I could not have been happier.

Gorgeous view driving down Oregon
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Lisa Frank road dog sticker
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Wow Awesome find. I can't wait to see the progress on the build. I love those trucks. Been looking for one for a while but Texas is hard to find these kind of trucks. I need to look in the west coast.

thanks man. i've had really good luck finding them cheap in Oregon. Cali has a few but they're all around $3-5k...its also getting really hard to find a clean unmolested one.

Had to get a weight certificate since in California all trucks must be registered as a commercial vehicle.
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Brought it to my buddys place for shop night
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The reason behind the blaring.......blown out muffler. Debating on fixing the muffler or starting the process for the engine swap. I have the CAN/AM box from a member on RATSUN on hand and purchased a set of KA mounts from for the previous truck....just need to dig those out. I must admit since the truck is smog exempt I am looking into a SR swap but since I have mounts somewhere I may just go with a KA-T.
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Found a great price on a set of Konig Countersteer Type X wheels on craigslist that I could not pass up especially since its so hard to find truck wheels. Since I work at a dealership I was able to purchase a set of new tires for cheap as well.....$800 for a set of wheels and new tires.
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Here they are on the 620:
Konig Countersteer Type X: 16x8 +0
Ohtsu FP7000: 215/55/16
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Photo to show how close the leaf springs are to the curb, rear is currently on 3in lowering blocks.
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Nice wheels choice.

Are you going to make a complete restauration or are you leaving it as a "rat rod" if I can say.

leaving the body the way it is for now until i finish other stuff (motor swap, air bags set up, seats). will be doing a compression test on the engine tomorrow and the results will determine if the motor swap will come sooner or later

Results of the warm engine closed throttle compression test done last night,
1:
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2:
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3:
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4:
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The plan is to run this motor to the ground while I decide on which engine and the route I'll be going. On another note, decided to change out the shocks since they were completely done. Picked up a full set of KYB Gas-A-just from rockauto for $135 shipped and mailed in a $40 rebate. It was $95 for a full set of shocks....couldn't pass up a deal like that.
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Install pics:
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This is a cool little project!

Datsun Love! Cool build!

Always a great feeling when you come home to packages! Ordered a bunch of stuff from Rockauto: engine gasket set, caliper rebuild set, rear brake drums/shoes, and matchbox distributor

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and......a set of brake brackets from Beebani!
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can't wait to slap on the brackets with these bad boys......26mm 300zx calipers. Just need to tear them down and decide what color to powder coat them.
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nice. keep it up.

Was lurking around on eBay for fun and came across a nice set of Work Deerfield Pitney wheels, 16x8.5 w/ -6 offset in 6x139.7. The "Buy it now" was set at $930.00 so I shot the seller my offer ($750.00) for kicks expecting to get shot down. I check my email later on and see this....
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Guess I have a new set of wheels on the way...oops

Was pretty bummed out the other day when the Warriors lost Game 6 but came home to a pleasant surprise.......my wheels arrived a few days early!
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Also received a new set of KA mounts from Redeye since I lost my first pair
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Dropped off the z32 calipers and brackets off to get powder coated earlier this week so hoping to install the set up and the rest of the parts I've been gathering.

Great come up, and awesome project. I love these old trucks. sub'd

Haven't posted anything in a while due to:

1. I picked up a Traeger tailgater smoker 4th of July weekend from OSH with no sales tax and have been having a blast! Photo next to the Char-Broil Thermos 4 burner grill. I've been smoking ribs, brisket, and pork butt the entire day on my days off
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2. Picked up a 2016 Toyota 4Runner Trail Premium
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Bought this baby with literally 1 mile!
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Was in the market for another SUV since the Range Rover reached 80k and was planning to trade it in for a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon since I love the look, off road capability, and the vast aftermarket parts availability. The test drive was rough to say the least and left a lot to be desired. Long story short the 4Runner was in the back of my head and by chance the representative drove one from Enterprise to the dealer the next morning so I asked to take it around the block. Shot a bunch of inquiries for one right afterwards.

At this point I am still slowly putting together the truck HOWEVER I must admit....I may put it up for sale or trade soon with this new purchase. I received the calipers and brackets back from West Coast powdercoat and love the color. The brackets are just black so nothing crazy there.
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Rebuilding calipers
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Depending on my final decision on whether to keep the truck or not will determine if these go on. I also have a package from BC Fab I received a little while ago....part of the airbag set up arrived!

Was tired of the blaring noise so I had the folks at golden auto muffler weld in a Thrush Glasspack 24200. Didn't get a photo while the car was up since my phone died so this will have to do. They asked if I wanted a tail pipe and I told them to make a short one pointing down. Reminds me of my old J's Racing exhaust on my s2000 just a lot cheaper.....and red.
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thanks man! love your build

I have been looking for a set of real Japanese wheels for my D21 for so long.. Good find on the Pitney's! I'm looking forward to watching this come together!

beautiful build. datsuns are the way

Awesome man, I love these trucks. Here is mine

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