Ownership Verified: 1974 Datsun 620

CraigB

Ich bin ein Kartoffel
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Feb 14, 2007
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Location
SWMO
Car(s)
Mustang SVO - Frontier Pro-4X - BRZ - D21 Hardbody
A free car is a lot like a free cat. Sure, it doesn't cost you anything initially, but in the long run, you learn to love it.

Going on 7 years ago one of our employee's father was trying to clear out his garage, in it was a 1974 Datsun 620 that he had bought a number of years previous, at a garage sale. He had been spending money on it ever since, keeping it running and making things better, little by little. Unfortunately it had ridden out the massive F5 tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011. All the glass was smashed out and the body got a little dinged up. Honestly, a few dents weren't the end of the truck, but finding glass for a 40 year old truck has proven difficult. Until today.

I have found two 620 pickups a mere 200 miles from me. Plan is to rob what I need from the parts trucks and put my truck back on the road. Then I'll sell what remains from the other two trucks to someone looking for a project. Or try to make two trucks of the three and keep the two. Or start an ill-fated drag car project out of them. Or, fuck, who knows what I might do.

Here's a goofy little "review" I did on it at the time we got it: https://forums.finalgear.com/threads/our-own-car-reviews.30536/page-84#post-3015182

And some photos of it at the time:

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And here's from earlier this year where I drug it out of the shop, got it running again, but realized I need to work on the clutch so I couldn't drive it:

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Above: Caden explains to Gena that the thermotrokamodulator valve needs recombobulated.


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Then I put it back from whence it came, to be fixed another day.

(I'll get a proof photo tomorrow, if it's done raining.)

Edit: Proof that I this turd pile is in my possession:

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As a former Datsun owner, I approve. Yours seems to be on the same path mine went down though. It became known as the Rotsun because of all of the rust, and then I found out the cab was not really connected to the frame directly.

The engine lived on until last year as a generator for my Aunt and Uncle's summer beach community. It was replaced with a solar array.
 
I've never worked with car glass or any other kind of glass in my life, but it sounds nerve-wracking to try to transplant an old fragile windshield to a new body. Kudos to anyone that's tried and succeeded.
 
620 is the second best looking of Datsun pickups. Give that one lots of love.
 
I preferred the 1980 that I had to the older ones.
 
720 is my favourite pickup. That might not be so very surprising considering my usual preferences. ;)

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I hope the replacement goes well. It would be really nice to see it back on the road. I never owned one of those, but my dad did. And then another, and then another, and then another, and then a D21 nissan, but that's probably because he couldn't find a red one for sale. he really liked them :p
 
Datsun 620 is the new Mustang?
 
Second parts truck picked-up today. This will give most of it's glass to my truck, the spotlight will remain.

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The drive into this dude's storage lot was, uh, interesting. Narrow, muddy and steep. The Frontier had no problem with that.

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