Opinion please-73 620

[HIPCHIP]

I found a 1973 620 1600 cc. Rebuilt head and new main bearings. Has a B-210 5 speed manual trans in it and body looks clean from the photos. Dash looks cracked and interior would need to be redone. $2000. Sound like a good deal? I had a 1975 and I think they had the 1600 engine and I had no problems. Don't know much about the 5-speed B-210 tranny.

 

My main worry, is if the engine needs a rebuild, or ball joints, etc, need replacing, what all that would cost me. Was there was anything wrong with the 73 that they had fixed by 1975?

 

I want to get my old truck so bad I can taste it (want to relive my youth and feel young again-LOL), but don't want to get something that has to sit in the driveway for years until I can afford to get everything fixed. I'm retired on disability so don't have a ton of money and don't have a job for extra cash. My mechanical skills are OK at best (old MX'er), but to rebuild a motor without help is probably beyond my ability. I do have a local Nor Cal Datsun club, so I'd join and would probably have folks that could teach me what to do.

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

 

[DanielC]

I am not sure about the B-210 tranny. I thought the B-210 had one of the smaller A-series engines, and these engines sit straight up. L-engines lean to the right. There might have been a bell housing swap, or it might of actually be an L-series transmission, that is identified wrong.

 

The price sounds high to me, but I have not seen the truck in person. But for that price I would expect it to be in pretty good shape, and have receipts for any engine and other work done on it.

 

As far as being disabled, you know your abilities. People do what that really want to do, in spite of their disabilities. I have been on a flight in a private airplane, owned and flown by a paraplegic in a wheel chair, set up with hand controls. If you want to do something, you will find a way.

[mike]

Could be a dogleg tranny out of an s-10, reverse is where 1st normally is and its a 5 speeed, This would fit in the place of the shorter 73 4 speed and would bolt to an L motor. Its a good tranny and will get you a few more MPGs on the freeway.Check the motor, if they swappped to a 5 speed, it is very likely that it has an L18 or an L20.

 

As for price with no pics it is hard to say.

 

I dont think a cracked dash would negatively affect the price as a crack free dash is about as common as hens teeth. Just out of curiosity does it have the factory dash bezel in good shape? It should have a faux wood grain look to it.

 

If youve got good door panels it isnt too hard to make the rest of the interior look presentable.

 

For two grand, check for rust (battery tray, floorboards, bottom of fenders, behind the seat along the cab wall...), the electrical should be in good shape (harness not all chopped up), glass should be good and the brakes should be functional...any one of these would make me say that its not worth two grand , unless its got an awesome motor and nice wheels and tires. Thats IF it has all the trim and its not full of mud. If its a spraybombed beater (youll know when you drive it) its NOT worth 2 grand...even if everything else is good.

 

On the other hand being in Cali, if youve got to deal with emissions, the fact that its a 73 would make it quite desirable... but again, the no pics thing makes it hard to say.

 

Either way if youve got to have it, you can spend 2000 in a lot worse ways and Im sure everybody here would be happy to help you out with any problems you might have and/or parts you may need. Try and talk him down though :cool:

[HIPCHIP]

http://sacramento.cr...2432768147.html

This is the link for the truck with photos

 

Here's the info from the seller: The body doesnt have any rust to speak of but the elderly man who he got the truck from didnt do a very good job painting it or doing body work.Originally the truck came with a 4 spd trans so the B-210 trans was an upgrade to help with mpg's and power with no adapters needed along with a new clutch.There is a DMV In Yuba City However you can work out the moving permit is ok wether you take it or leave it here.I have all of the paperwork for the truck.Other than the tires All that is wrong with the truck That I can see is minor cosmetic blemishes,my father in law has put alot of work time and parts on it and It seems to run great.I would not be willing to drive the truck because driving a manual transmission that far is excruciating for me (I have a bad back).I think $2000 is a very acceptable offer and a good price for this little truck since it is a classic no smog 4 cylinder that gets killer gas mileage.

 

Hopefully this will give you more info so you can make a better guess. I don't know what they should be going for, but I do know I just sold my 1990 Ford Ranger 4X4 V-6 with camper shell for $1500 and it was in nice condition. No A/C and needed to be smogged every year. $1500 was a good price for it, but I don't think it was worth much more than that, so a '73 1600 cc 620 for $2K could be high or good. I know I don't see too many of them. I want a '75 as that's what I had back in the day, but a '73 is basically the same and I don't have to worry about smog. How much hop up can safely be done to the 1600cc engine? I figured maybe a cam on rebuild and dual side-draft carbs when I can afford them. Headers and side-pipes or a nice turbo muffler and I'd be all set.

[Jersey]

The most notable changes between the '73 and the '75 are the engines L16 and L20B respectively, the other change being the core support for the radiator. As for the price, that just depends on how badly you wish to relive your youth...

[Jersey]

Additionally, I've never heard of a B210 trans in a 620, Jersey.

[pharouh]

That does look nice for $2000. It would sell pretty quickly around here,not sure about the west coast.

If driving a stick bothers you that much,why don't you try to get one with an automatic? I know they're rare,but they are out there.

Love the 73, I have 2 of them!

 

Good luck!

[HIPCHIP]

That does look nice for $2000. It would sell pretty quickly around here,not sure about the west coast.

If driving a stick bothers you that much,why don't you try to get one with an automatic? I know they're rare,but they are out there.

Love the 73, I have 2 of them!

 

Good luck!

 

 

Don't know where you got the idea I don't like manual trans, I love them. Just not sure about the B-210 trans being in the truck. Others have said that the B-210 trans should not hook up to the 1600 truck motor, so wondering about that too. I can see going to a newer truck trans with more speeds, but don't know about the car trans being used in the truck. Is that a good, bad, or doesn't matter kind of thing?

[pharouh]

Sorry,I reread your post. You said driving one THAT FAR would be excruciating because of your back. OK I get it now.

I don't really know about the transmission,I'm sure someone who knows more about them will chime in later. All I know is the B-210 had a completely different engine than the trucks L series engine. The Z cars had a 6 cylinder L series,so they're compatible. We need pics to be sure.

I like it myself. :thumbup:

[HIPCHIP]

Sorry,I reread your post. You said driving one THAT FAR would be excruciating because of your back. OK I get it now.

I don't really know about the transmission,I'm sure someone who knows more about them will chime in later. All I know is the B-210 had a completely different engine than the trucks L series engine. The Z cars had a 6 cylinder L series,so they're compatible. We need pics to be sure.

I like it myself. :thumbup:

 

 

Actually, the person with the bad back is the seller (not that mine is any better). I live over an hour away from where the seller does and was wondering if he would be willing to follow me home and then I'd give him a ride back up. My wife is a college professor so is tied up most of the time and I don't know when I could get her to take 3 hours off to go up and get the truck and follow me back.

 

Although it looks like a nice truck, and the seller advised they didn't need any adaptors to mount the B-210 transmission, I'm getting a little paranoid about it. I figured if it was something standard that everybody looked to upgrade to then it would be well known, but it doesn't sound like it was a popular swap, in fact it keeps sounding like it's something that wouldn't even match up, so I'm worried that I may get into something that may require me to find a whole new motor and trans. I've already put a V-8 Chevy in my old 620, and that was a nightmare, and I don't know how many of the old Chevy V-6's are still out there (the one that was basically the 350 with 2 cylinders cut off). Actually, I'd like to stay with a standard 2000cc truck motor and just build it and have room to put in air conditioning. When it hits 100+ degrees here I don't want to be without A/C. I could handle the 2-65 A/C when I was 19, but not at 55! How available are rebuilt 620 truck motors and manual transmissions, especially when you don't have a core?

[datsunaholic]

It's not a B210 transmission.

 

It's either a 200SX transmission, a '78-79 510 Transmission (either could be mistaken for the 77-78 B210 5-speed which was the same gearbox internally, but with a different case) or it's a truck/Z-car transmission. The 200SX (77-79) or 510 (78-79) trans would have fit with the least mods in a '73. The truck/Z-car trans would have required a different driveshaft front half.

[pharouh]

See? I told you someone would have the answer.

Thanks datsunaholic!