.sunlover Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 First, I'll say, I know a lot of people know this, but some don't, and I never saw a thread about this, it can be embarrassing, but I'm not easily embarrased, so here goes. Theres no such thing as a typical used car. They have all been molded in the shape of how they were maintained, or of course modded. Means a smart buyer will check it over thoroughly regardless of the seller assuring you he's comfortable going long distances, and its 100% road ready. 1 Quote Link to comment
izzo Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 ^^ Right. Theres been many of times I've bought a rig and found myself towing it home within the first week of owning it. "Runs good" lol. Yeah, ran real good to the side of the road.... 1 Quote Link to comment
DeviousPsycho620 Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 I've had many a"good" dd. I got lucky with my Datsun though. So far. Quote Link to comment
FoxyRoadster Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 I think this is one of those unspoken things around here, we all know it and just nod quietly. 2 Quote Link to comment
.sunlover Posted March 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 Check all fluids... Tranny had 2 tbsps left when it blew 30 miles into the 130 mile trip. In this case uhaul was cheapest. If I knew anyone with a tow dolly, I would have brought it down and towed it home "just in case." I will soon be the guy with a tow dolly in my circle. Let me stop here for a sec and say that you can plan for emergencies by simply having a few hundred held back. Best plan is to check ALL! Your damn fluids, and leave your emergency money in the bank. "People" can easily get excited, and in a hurry for some Datsun driving, just do a quick check, not including the diff levels, test drive it, pay the guy, and take the title and the truck with you. 1 Quote Link to comment
.sunlover Posted March 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 I think this is one of those unspoken things around here, we all know it and just nod quietly. True, mostly, I worry there's some of us that don't know, and will be surprised if their good Datsun doubles in price just to be road worthy. I think this is one of those unspoken things around here, we all know it and just nod quietly. Quote Link to comment
.sunlover Posted March 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 I of course knew, it was in fact almost as bad as it could have gone. I just know the kind of maniacly pissed off guy I would have been if I expected to have for sure a reliable, ready to go 4wd for $800. Quote Link to comment
.sunlover Posted March 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 Ill finish this tomorrow, I get up at 5 for work, I have my receipts, the spare parts list that came with the truck, I have a decent Datsun parts inventory, so it could have been waaaaay worse, but this shits good to know. If I had it all to do over again, I would have checked the tranny fluid, but even not being able to take that back, I'm still happy I bought this truck, it will pay me much more than I invested in miles and smiles. Good enough for me. ......still, the warning though. Okay, to be continued..... Quote Link to comment
banzai510(hainz) Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 tell the guy who wants to drive hes brothers 510 with recent motor swap to the midwest 1 Quote Link to comment
.sunlover Posted March 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 tell the guy who wants to drive hes brothers 510 with recent motor swap to the midwest I saw that one. Ollz, adventure guaranteed. I didn't post in that, because I couldn't decide if the emergency money he could have to spend was worth more than the memory of rolling the dice, and living a bit. I would rather dolly that sucker home myself though. Quote Link to comment
.sunlover Posted March 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 These are the receipts. I had a tranny, changed the bell housing, this is a 1975 280z 2+2 4 speed. I went the safe route, got rear main, put a better flywheel and clutch I had laying around. Still, I had no fluids, decided to put a CB I got for free in. (Had to get antenna and powered speaker.) I had a better steering wheel. My welding helmet died, so that counts as for the truck, it needs welding. also bought a JumpStart, pump, light, power inverter combo. The rest of the stuff is direct replacement of bad parts. Other than comet cleaner, scrubby pads, steel wool, and a rattle can of black primer (so its all roughly the same color), I've spent nothing on the body. Fun fact is, I can take my 521 frame and that rusted body to the scrapper when I'm all done. I'll put a for sale up for one week first so you guys can pick through my junk at garage sale prices. The grand total of cost after I bought the truck for 800 was....... (Drum roll) $850 no title transfer, deq, or registration yet. If it won't deq, even with the seafoam intake cleaner I haven't bought yet, the price will be even more. My plan, since the rust is out of control, was to drive it, and save for a rolling chassis 720kc 2wd non runner with minimal rust. Pull the body, prep and paint. Take the 2wd frame, cut it to fit under my 521. Finish prep the frame, and majorly upgrade my 521. Quote Link to comment
.sunlover Posted March 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 Almost forgot the receipt oics. Notice it was all on the cheap. Harbor freight, vato zone, radio shack. Okay, one Mac receipt, but just for 48 bucks. Quote Link to comment
.sunlover Posted March 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 Also forgot to say that included in my $800 price, was a spare low mileage lz24, transfer case, front diff, drivelines, and stock carb. "Spare" parts all look better than the ones installed when I got it. I can't say this is a typical used Datsun purchase, but really not that unusual. Quote Link to comment
72240z Posted March 14, 2013 Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 Almost forgot the receipt oics. Notice it was all on the cheap. Harbor freight, vato zone, radio shack. Okay, one Mac receipt, but just for 48 bucks. I think its safe to say no ones going to notice what those receipts or anything says in this pic lol 1 Quote Link to comment
.sunlover Posted March 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 It's not a Datsun ... it's an adventure! Yep,my time aside, its well worth $1650 to me. It feels so safe now I went through everything. It will be so much better picking my adventures instead of the adventure picking me. Quote Link to comment
Str8_69 Posted March 15, 2013 Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 Does this mean I won't be waving as I pass you at the bus stop every day anymore?? 1 Quote Link to comment
.sunlover Posted March 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 Yep. Soon, funds are low, gotta register it and stuff, then swap alternators in the 521 and dd it some more. Just needed a backup rig so I can forget about the goddamn motherfucking bus forever :-) . 1 Quote Link to comment
hang_510 Posted March 15, 2013 Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 yep! been there, broken down. pre cellphones i once brought(towed) the car back & got my money back! :fu: Quote Link to comment
schassisowner Posted March 15, 2013 Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 you can't have cheap, reliable, and cool all at the same time.... lol i think the first mistake was the z24 from nissan... my 720 has been a paperweight for most of the time I owned it and I am so tired of chasing down idle problems Quote Link to comment
.sunlover Posted March 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 If you're anything like me, it's better not to add up the time spent. Your post is a good one, bringing up a valuable point that might be lost on some folks thinking of making an old truck a daily driver. I won't recap my story here, but it's similar - expect maybe I knew what I was setting myself up for. Unless the previous owner used it daily, there are bound to be some surprises and it's going to take some effort - to make it your daily. Even then; if you're using it a lot more, or working it harder than the previous owner did ... you are in for an adventure. As it should be, I'm glad to hear you've turned the corner on this one! I did know what I might be in for. He claimed it was a daily driver, so if that was true (after looking, it couldn't possibly be a dd in the condition it was in). Yep, I don't want to add up the hours I spent, but I will for the lucky ones who can afford to rely on a shop for repair/maintenance. Even at 50 an hour (damn cheap for a mechanic) it cost another 1500ish in labor. I'd say I've got 30 hours into it so far. I would have saved a shit ton of time if I bought the book before I pulled the tranny. I just refused to believe I had to drop the front axle to pull it. I actually didn't pull it all the way when I dropped the tranny, but that shoehorn squeeze couldn't be repeated with gravity working against me. I will ask that anyone who wants to bag on the 720 family keeps their comments to themselves. I got the same response in my build thread, and to me it looks like people get a problem they can't figure out, and blame the truck. This is Ratsun though, if you can't fix it yourself, there's someone here that can, and is happy to help. Quote Link to comment
spitznoz Posted March 15, 2013 Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 consistently registered and insured to me is a daily driver, anything other is a project till i get some years or months into driving it Quote Link to comment
.sunlover Posted March 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 consistently registered and insured to me is a daily driver, anything other is a project till i get some years or months into driving it Yep, it was current tags (for another week) and he had his insurance card in it. Half drank Powerade between the seats. Looked like a daily, started, stopped, and drove like a daily. I was amazed by how tight in a good way the suspension is. Other than the rust, for what it looked like, I felt like I COULD have a hell of a deal. I knew it could just be BS, but I really thought it would probably make it. I just bought a belt and a quart of oil, everything else I checked looked ready for a road trip. I never even called the seller back, I still wanted it with a bad tranny. I knew that without giving the truck back, I wasn't getting any money back, we shook on it, I paid, he would claim the alternator came loose without him knowing, and the power steering pump must have just busted its third bolt, and he didn't know his tranny was low, and it was sold as is, so sorry about my luck, I should have checked MY truck. I should have. All that would have happened is I would have descended into a primal rage, and said and/or done things that would land me in jail. With the rust and a bad tranny, I might not have... No, without a test drive, I wouldn't pay 800. After knowing everything else was good for a trip, I probably would have talked him down a bit on the price. I've spent more than 30 hours on this BTW, but there was a bunch of just staring and brainstorming what I wanted this truck to be for me. My slammed 521 is a whole different animal, switching gears took a while, and that Datsun love feeling was washing over me. Kinda distracting. I could bill 30 hours to the job easy though. Quote Link to comment
tacocharlie Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 I bought my 620 sight unseen from a guy in TENN. I'm in Wisconsin. The seller was adamant it'd make the trip, as he's driven it 10hrs before. Runs great, drives great. stops great. I had it shipped, and a good thing I did too, as only ONE rear brake works, the radiator leaks, heatercore leaks, master cylinder is shot, the carb needs a rebuild, and the trans leaks 80/90!!!! Can you imagine what I'd have gone thru, had I tried to drive it 12 plus hrs?!!!! Needless to say, my daily Datsun isn't so daily. or driven. Yet. http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/tacocharlie/library/datsun?page=1 Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.