your favorite and worst truck

[nismopu]

Post pics and discuss which of the Nissan/Datsun trucks were your favorite to own.

 

I'll start with my favorite so far being my 93 Nissan HB

Modified KA24e

5speed

6spoke alloy wheels

rancho shocks

and a decent stereo

 

Worst to this day was my 99 Frontier and I regret to this day ever buying one!!!

Slowest 145hp nissan pickup 3var!

240sx intake

header

SAFC

(ooops forgot) Belltech nitro drop shocks

The frontier was about a week away from being turbocharged but I wrecked it for the third and final time which forced me to part it out.

 

I will post pics later when I am at home. peace.

[Guest DatsuNoob]

Hate to say it, but it's a truck man! It's not a racecar. My truck is pretty damn slow and ugly, but I love it anyway. It's all about the feel of the vehicle in my opinion. It's compact, bouncy, and makes me feel huge when I drive it, unlike dudes in big azz lifted diesels. Maybe that's why I date chicks with small hands :D HAHAHA

[Bleach]

How could your KA24DE be 'so slow' compared to your KA24e? The Frontier weighs the same.

 

or was the Hardbody a 2wd 5-speed and the Frontier was a 4x4 auto??? explain

 

My 2000 Frontier is a 4cyl, 2wd, auto and its kinda slow but not that bad. Its what I expected of an automatic.

Although I had thought the Frontier had point fuel injection, not this throttle body injection. That's crap for the year 2000! At least its finally DOHC.

[kiznook]

bleach- It is MPFI, but it has a downdraught throttle body that looks like TBI or a carb. As for nismopu's hardbody vs. frontier, both were 4cyl, 5 speed. No clue why his frontier was slow :(

[nismopu]

Hate to say it, but it's a truck man! It's not a racecar. My truck is pretty damn slow and ugly, but I love it anyway. It's all about the feel of the vehicle in my opinion. It's compact, bouncy, and makes me feel huge when I drive it, unlike dudes in big azz lifted diesels. Maybe that's why I date chicks with small hands :D HAHAHA

 

I hate to say it but this kind of thinking is ass backwards as well and although I will agree with you to a point. its been my experience both cars and trucks can be quick but it just takes a bit more work for a truck. Look at the OLD SCCA ITS racing series there were trucks in that series that would walk all over cars considered fast for that time. I like fast trucks and those were the biggest downfalls I could think of between my most loved and most hated.

 

Bleach- I cant explain why my HB was so fast but it was FAST for a HB and it would stomp my 300zx turbo AE. Its really unfair to compare it to my frontier considering when I was done with the frontier it barely lost to a CRX si, which are quick cars. That means though it was DAMN slow compared to my HB so, the post is about your most loved and hated pickup.............

[tnip]

i agree... an unladen truck shouldn't be all that slow. if it's an issue of gearing i understand, but that should only really affect the top end, right? i drove a company truck for a while that was an 81 F150. granny gear first so i'd just run 2,3,4. and it had plenty of go for being an old dogged-on work truck. in first it looked like it was about to pounce on the car in front of it if you just tapped the gas, haha. it seems to me like on paper alot of trucks should be as fast as if not faster than a car, at least in the low to mid range.

 

please correct me if i'm wrong :D

 

almost forgot: i've only owned two trucks and the one i have now (71 521) is probably my favorite cause the other i had was a 72 620 that was litterally rusting/falling apart around a pretty good engine... :( had to give that one away to a junkman. idk if he kept it or not, said he was going to. and i also really enjoy driving my dad's silverado. it's a '91 long bed with a 350 and auto tranny, and it'll melt the 31's that're on it all day long... it is supposed to be being rebuilt right now at a buddy's buddy's place. stopped by today, hasn't moved in 2 months. :mad: but even when it was "weak" (my dad's word) it would overtake anything i ran it against... but the speedo only went to 85. haha

[datsunaholic]

Well, I don't really have a "Best" or "Worst". I suppose "worst" would be I've had 3 521s and neither ran (or run, I still have one), although the initial intention was to make 2 runners (the other was rolled. I should have just swapped cabs with the titleless one). The first, I could never get the title after I accidentally recycled the paperwork, and the listed owner demanded several hundred dollars to do the transfer (she said the guy I got it from owed he son money). So, it ended up as one of tdaaj's parts piles. The other 521 has a Ford 2.8L that sat with water in the oil for 10 years, which means I need to find another engine that fits the transmission. Knowing NOTHING about Ford V-6 engines I don't know what bolts up- the engine is a one-year-wonder for most parts (1974 Capri).

 

My 4X4 has been good to me- even when it breaks, it's never left me stranded. Only time it's been towed was when I bought it, and towed it home (no plates or battery). My 720, OTOH, has been great when it runs but it's had MAJOR problems- the transmission grenaded (though I limped it 75 miles with no bearings left), then the idler pulley siezed (requiring a tow), and finally it burned a valve and now is parked. It was by far the most comfortable Datsun truck I've ever had though.

[Bleach]

I had three different 620s.

My favorite was the 1978 kingcab. had room in the cab, good brakes, the engine I built (L18) just ran and ran. Its wasn't super fast but it ran smooth and always fired right up. The way I had the suspension set up it handled pretty good.

 

The first truck was a longbed 620. Very crampt and I didn't know much about Datsuns back then to fix it up right.

 

my convertible 620 was fun. Open top, lots of sharp metal edges all around you, virtually no side impact protection. Had an L20b, Weber, 5-speed. I bought it for $200, drive it two months and then sold it for $300. :)

 

My Frontier does what I want it to do except for handling. It has lots of body roll... I really want to see if it has a sway bar. I want to install one or upgrade it and put on some new bushings. New shocks all around would be nice too so I can just drive it at normal speeds through the corners. :D

[tnip]

bleach - you got any pics of the topless one to share with the class?

[Bleach]

I can't take credit for the awesome craftsmanship but I know who did it. :D

 

[Icehouse]

I've had a lot of datto's and trucks over the years. For some reasons I can't think of a shitty one..... yeah most of them didn't perform like kevins new z..... :) my fist 521 was really clean, but.... it only held 1.5 gallons of gas before it started leaking out the side of the tank. I ran out of gas a few times :) I had a 86.5 4x4 720 that would not die! The front end was so wore out I got the breathalizer a few times haha it was funny to see the look on the cops face when they relized I hadn't had any beer :) I knew better than to drive that thing after a beer.

 

 

I really like my 620, it rolls out, I have plenty of leg room and once I install some coilovers it should ride nice. I have future plans to turbo and MS a single cam. Maybe some rust repairs and a inner bed liner.

 

 

Some day I would like an NL but now isn't really that great of a time to take on another project...

[datzenmike]

My first Datsun was a '68 510, 4 door. Actually I was the second owner, the dope smoking wanker I got it from, for $50, never got it signed over. It had a small dent in each door and one in each fender, proof that he partied in it plenty. It was my first four cylinder, it ran fine and was most of all, fun to be in. Next was a new 76 B-210, proof that Datsun fever had set in. It was sporty and fun to drive. Best thing i did was put radial tires on it. Alas, Ontario's salty winters ate it away in 3-4 years.

 

Now for the worst, my '71 521. Had it for 7 years, an L16, L18 and an L20B motor, one transmission, two (2) sets of king pins, heater and lots of smaller regular stuff that went wrong but seemed reasonable for what I put it through. But of all the things that happened to it the king pins pissed me off the most, they never worked right and were always stiff. I would/ could do a better job with them if I knew what little I know to-day. My first truck of any kind and it was sure built TOUGH, a testament to it's ability to absorb any abuse.

 

The best. While I had my 521 a friend got hold of a wrecked 620 and I helped him part it out.... I just realized that the L20B from it was for his 610 or 710 but it kept overheating and blowing gaskets and he sold it to me for my 521. Never made the connection before lol. Anyway I spent a lot of time with the 620 and really started to dig the body shape and that grill to die for, tail lights that looked like they were for that truck, not like the 521s tacked on look. Had a 5 spd too! Well life happened to me and it was just by chance that about 12 years later I was looking for a firewood truck and a friends co-worker had one for sale... yup, a 620! When the dust cleared I got it for $74(found a Loonie under the seat). I was also very pleased to find I had ball joints.

 

Hands down, one of, if not the best starting engine ever! Literally bump the key starting and after a dozen years, six trips to Ontario, and the odometer at 300,000Km, I finally got to work on the motor, a head gasket last spring. It's been through LOTS of changes and the motor is really to only original thing left in it. Well, the only thing left that's original, I removed it a few weeks ago and replaced it with a Z24. It sits on my lawn wrapped in plastic waiting for a new life, maybe in a car?

[spiffinspudater]

Instead of loving to hate, I hate to love... I hate loving my truck that causes so many headaches... However I wouldn't trade it for anything. My truck rocks, I know it and one of these days everyone else will too. I need to get the damn thing weighed then tagged and then she is legal... driveable on the other hand is another story.

 

 

Oh yeah, may fave is also my worst:P

[RacnJsn95]

I'd have to say my current favorite is my 620... But before that, my favorite AND worst were the 65 320. I'd wanted one forever, love the body style, and finally got one. It was awesome, super clean, original, and ran once I put a set of points in it. I loved it!

 

But I could bearly fit in it :( Everytime I stepped on the brakes I would push the gas. It was hard to get parts for. Then I wrecked it, and was really sad, because there aren't any 320s around here period, and I couldn't afford shipping on body panels off ebay... I hated it!

 

But then an unfortunate time came, I had been laid off work for about a month, and gotten really sick, so I put the truck on ebay to try and pay for Dr. bills. I ended up selling it for $600 bucks, which was sad... But it kept my head above water, and I got better, and found an awesome job... Now I have my 620... Life is good (some days anyway)

 

 

Here is a picture of the 320 when I picked it up. I had some pics of it after the accient, but I guess they got erased on my hd when it took a crap.

[datsunfish]

My current 72 521 is by far my favorite.I loved it even more when it had a L20b but now it is starting to look better(valance,starting body work,interior...).

My other 521 I had was cool too but it was back when I didnt know a 12mm wrench from screwdriver.My 620 is ok but still needs alot of work.I have a buttload of parts but put all my time into the 521.The 620 has a canopy and a bumper with hitch ball so it makes a great utility vehicle.

I had a 83 720 that I wrecked 3 times that eventually fell apart.It was nice.Smooth naps and 5 speed with buckets.Thats where I got the wheels on my 521.It eventually went to the wrecker but at that time I already had 2 521s.

I also had a 79 toyota with a 20r motor.It was the fastest next to the L20b in the 521.Bed was shot with rust but it ran awesome.Barely tap the key and she started right up.Still no datsun.

It all started when I saw realized the 720 single cab was far cooler than the 80s toyota.So I got one.Then one day at the junkyard I saw a 521 with flat tires that looked so cool sitting low.2 weeks later I bought 1.

[Guest DatsuNoob]

That's pretty rad Bleach

[kiznook]

My story doesn't count for much, having only owned the two trucks, HOWEVER, I do have a clear and concise BEST and WORST

 

My best, obviously my 91 Hardbody. KA, 5speed, 2wd, pathfinder LSD, 240sx short shifter, spintek muffler (for now), 31x10.5x15 mud tires on pathys. Gotta love the bumble bee(bRe). Needs love, but always starts and drives, always pulls good too :D

 

and worst, my 88 dakota sport (traded in on the HB). I LOVED that truck, but it was still a pile. Never did stop having flashbacks after hitting two pedestrians (not my fault) and no amount of fine ladies helped...but I did quite well in that respect with that truck.

 

It's best to love what you have, remember the past fondly, and forget the shitty stuff.

[lynchfourtwenty]

i've only owned me 620.. an i love it.. and always will but... i must make it faster.. as for body roll i really dont have much of a problem there.. an she pretty much does what i want her to do as long as i doit correctly.. im going to be savin money up for my fuel injection setup.. and other stuff as well so hopefully it'll be faster soon ;) oh ya spankin honduhs is fun ^^

[SHADY280]

did you ever change the fuel filter, or check the fuel pressure on that frontier nismo? that usually what will do it. my favs are my 620, and briannes 2000 xterra with the 3.3. bought it 3 weks ago, and already got a cold air intake on it! that made mega diff. in gas mileage. gain aboot 4mpg! now i just gotta change the oil and do a tune up. favorite car tho...... 79 280zx!

[nismopu]

well the truck had pretty low miles on it and ran pretty damn rich sometimes so, I doubt it was the fuel filter but you never know its been a while. Hey bleach I would check your sway bar end links as they had a tendency to break on the pickups quite a bit, I replaced mine with energy suspension ones designed for a honda. peace.

[///FiveOneOh]

my 1st, worste, and only truck was my 69 521... I never shoulda bought it. it put me 25 grand in dept after well heres a quick over view...

 

after an agonizing 5 hour drive to get it home... what shoulda been a 10 min drive.. but the carb had no accelerator pump..the gas tank had a huge hole in it.. the fuel line was rusted out... and the started crapped out... so it took 5 hours..

 

then the fan exploded and put a hole in my battery and hood... then the rear wheel fell off... finaly get it driving have it on the road about 1 week and the drive shaft snaps on the freeway. Locks the rear wheels, puts me into an uncontrolable spin. we hit the centre diveder, slide into the truck next me, back into the diveder where the truck promptly burstes into flames. the doors won't open so my friend and I are forced to smash out the glass and climb out... insurance wouldnt; cover me because they deamed the truck insafe.. so ya.. thats my truck.. I hate it with a passion.. I'll never own another one.

[///FiveOneOh]

 

note how tweeked the roof line is and the nice burn patch by the filler.

 

check your drive shafts and u joints!!!!

[OL YELLER]

gentlemen.......................wasn't it Brians mother ("Life of Brian" (Monty Python) who said "it's not good to hate"? LOL

 

I LOVE my trucks

[CRAZY EDDS RATSUN WORKS]

if it aint slow you aint cruisin

[Bleach]

I keep hearing about 521's and locking rear ends and trannys... never seen that in a 620 or newer Nissan truck. :D