1984 Datsun 720 that's new to me

[atticusprime]

Hey there everybody!

 

I bought a 1984 720 about two months ago and it's a bit rough. However, the engine runs pretty well (so far) for how old it is. The previous owner was 18 and couldn't afford much besides basic maintenance and a few odds and ends (read fuzzy dice). Since I've been driving it almost every day, I've started a list of things that are going to have to be changed to take it from somewhat drive-able to a daily driver that'll grab attention without breaking my budget. Right now there's a lot of fiddling with different switches and things in order to get it to start or get the lights to turn on correctly, etc.

So far I've found that I have to change the front glass (cracked beyond repair), probably replace/mod all the side lights and corner lights (fronts are completely broken, no plastic left), work on the wiring system so that everything actually works. There's a couple of drivetrain issues that have me a bit concerned, and the engine could really use some TLC. On that note, the previous owner told me that it had been lowered by the owner before him... I'm not too sure about how good of a job they did. Overall, I'd say it's not insurmountable, just a bit of work on weekends...

...maybe I'll pull out my laundry list of projects here sooner or later.

[ggzilla]

It's news to me too. I thought all 1984s were badged as Nissan.

[Zombro]

My 84 is titled as a Datsun and badged Nissan.

 

Welcome to Ratsun.

 

Make a list of all parts you are looking for, I might have a couple things laying around.

 

What kind of drivetrain issues have you noticed?

[atticusprime]

Thanks!

Mine's titled as Datsun/Nissan, badged as a Nissan. One of the previous owners bought/found some more current Nissan badges and put them on the truck. However, I do believe I've seen a pic of a 1984 badge some where that says, "Datsun _{by Nissan}".

 

So far with the drivetrain:

• I've found that third and fourth gears don't exactly sound as smooth as the other three.
• Up-shifting into second feels like I have an on-off switch instead of a clutch pedal, but I've been able to compensate by not fully engaging the clutch. It still feels like something slamming into the truck.
• I'm also a little concerned about the dif... when I talked to the kid I bought it from, he told me that he'd only changed the oil and made sure that it stayed running. I don't think it's leaking or bad at all, but it's low enough to the ground that I can't see it properly and I don't have a garage space so I can get it off the ground to poke around.
• All of it seems a bit odd to me but I'm not exactly knowledgeable when it comes to the whole transmission stuff. Any help, tips, trick, hints etc are greatly appreciated.

In other news: I have no idea what engine is in there. From what I've seen of other people's engines mine might be one of the type that came with the California spec emissions controls. So much stuff has been hacked off or is missing that I just can't tell. And right now, I don't have much of a way to upload pics to this site so it's a little difficult to show what I've got.

 

Sorry about the late reply... it's been rather crazy for the last couple of weeks!

[atticusprime]

Forgot to add that a coworker gave me a used Weber (32/36) for the truck. If I ever get pics posted here, I'll show what I have, which isn't much in the way of parts which may mean a bit of scrounging or making custom parts.