Buyers Guide: What should I look for in a Datsun Truck? Rust areas? Hard to find Parts?

[Maximus]

Hi, Im in the Northern Bay Area of California,

I have been looking for a Pre-Smog (California Pre-1976) Datsun Pickup for a while, What are some things you guys have encountered that I should check for?

 

What areas rust out the quickest?

any parts wear out that are hard to come by?

 

I know that the floors rust out, do the cowls? rockers?

 

Are there mechanical parts I should make sure I have? or are parts okay to track down?

 

I did some searches and couldnt find a "Buyers Guide" or "What to look for when buying" thread so I thought I would just throw this out there...

 

 

[Dat Lurka]

Anywhere water can stand is more likely to rust. Battery tray, forward bed, floorboards, rockers, bottom of doors and fenders.

Parts are easy to find and relatively cheap. The only part I can think of that tends to wear out before everything else is the carburetor haha.

If it's been sitting a while then expect to replace fuel lines, fuel filter, brake hydraulic components, and possibly wheel bearings. Easy cheap shit yo.

Plenty of threads on the subject.

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/36343-what-to-look-for-when-buying-a-510/

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/50706-what-should-i-look-out-for-when-buying-a-73-620/

[Maximus]

I didn't see those threads in my search, thanks! I'm familiar with old cars, but mainly domestic Just looking for those common problem spots.

 

 

Thanks again for the tips and links

[K_trip]

- removed -

[racerx]

_{when you do find a truck that you are serious about buying, besides the rust, check for compression, open valve cover to see if there's sludge, clean title/salvaged?, oil leaks, fluid leaks, if seller says engine is rebuilt ask for receipts, test drive in hilly area and freeway - vast difference on street, really check good under the car and hood.  Good luck.}

[Maximus]

Yea, I have been rebuilding/restoring my old hot rods for 15 years. Although in northern california cars survive much better than other parts of the country, you can still stumble across a rust bucket. I live 50 miles from the coast and a lot of cars can get killed by the salty air, and the beautiful redwoods of northern california also create a perfect storm where the trees block the sun and cars that get wet never get to dry out...  you should know! Santa Cruz vehicles get hammered by BOTH sea air and forresty conditions!

Im from Sonoma County and If the vehicles are left in a bare empty field or in a barn , the cars in these areas do pretty good.  Im used to 50's and 60's sheet metal, so moving up to a 1970-75 truck helps...

the truck im going to look at is not a runner, but im not so concerned with compression because worst case scenario I will grab a later motor with a 5-speed, probably a L20.  I am mainly concerned with the areas of the body that rust the most and whether theres hard to find parts.  

I know with my 55' Chevy stepside the front and rear cab corners are notrorious to rust, as well as the lower front fenders.  Those trucks also have hard-to-find OEM heater parts

 

seems like the areas to look for rust are the front of the bed, the floor, rockers, rear cab mounts, and battery box. 

 

Normally I would ask a million questions about a truck before looking at it, but this truck is owned by an older guy, and its 5 minutes up the road so I am just going to go look at it and save a lot of struggling communication, I am hoping that the body is good and solid and strait, and that when I get there I dont find out that it doesnt have a title...

[racerx]

sounds like you know your doing..to me it's always the rust issue...you can always buy an engine and they are not a lot of money.  I think last week, a Ratsun member sold an L20B, tranny, carb, distributor for like $800.  And supposedly it's been rebuilt.  Oh yeh, watch out for elec. gremlins..good luck.

[Maximus]

thanks. I guess ill hyjack my own thread here... I see you have a 65' Fastback, My first car (which I still have) is a 65' Coupe. I am only 27, and wish I was around when those bodies were affordable... When I was 16 I could have bought a Fastback for $3-4,000, but at 16 I didn't have $4,000 to dump into a car.   Now that same car today would be in the $10,000 range...     then you have the companies selling FULL BODIES now, although bare, for like $14,000.  I'm not sure how I feel about reproducing an ENTIRE CAR...  I guess if your pockets are deep enough...

[laotsu]

inside front wheel bearings are NLA on 521s and the vent window rubber is nearly impossible to find. check for wobble in the king pins cause they are getting harder to find and plan to put a machbox dizzy on and plan to replace the carb some of the heater hosing is pretty scarce but you can jerry rig that.

 

welcome to Ratsun, what part of "NorCal" are you in?

[Maximus]

In Sonoma County. The first truck I looked at today was a total rust bucket. Was stored in a Forresty area and the damp area killed the metal.

That is for the tips, those are the things I wanted to know. Ill check the next truck that comes up for these things