Possibilities of swapping/replacing loading bin of a 620???

[Butch_6sic6]

Hi everyone

 

Thanks alot for an amazing forum first of all!!

 

I have 2 questions that I am certain someone here can help me with.

 

I am in the process of shopping around for a 620 but it seems that each one I find here (South Africa) have the same problem, wich is completely rotten load bins (if that is the correct term)

Is there any other model that could closely fit the 620 maybe 520, 521 or a different car and make perhaps. My fabrications skills are ok (i'm not hopeless) so I am not afraid for some "one off" work if you know what I mean?

 

Second question is I only seem to find 620's that has those large round ugly tail lights (will try and post a picture ASAP) that is kind of mounted to the rear bumper..... My question is wich model is this and is it possible to make/modify the rear to have those neat little square lights??

 

Thanks

[Butch_6sic6]

 

I know the quality is real bad but its good enough to see what i mean. UGLY tail lights right?

[Butch_6sic6]

 

Quickly stole this picture from googlez, see those lights?! That's what I want but every 620 I find here looks like the black one above with the large tail lights.

 

I hope this helps

[Butch_6sic6]

 

This is yet another one I looked at the other day, again same tail lights

[Butch_6sic6]

Is it possible that this is an entirely diffrent load bin on these 620's ?

[DanielC]

Yes, it is possible. 

A bed (USA English for loading bin) on that white 620 would have to be shipped from the USA to South Africa.  I could see shipping costing more than an entire 620, but as a bonus, you get the USA taillights.  By the way, Oregon is in the NW corner of the USA, farther from South Africa, than the eastern USA.

521 trucks are older than 620 trucks.  More time to rust.

 

Be advised, and this is for USA trucks, that the first 620 trucks mounted the gas tank to the bed, as far as I know.  Later ones mounted the gas tank to the frame.  This was done to get around import taxes, because there was a higher tarif on complete trucks, so Datsun shipped the 620 trucks without the bed bolted to the frames, the beds were bolted on in the USA, and instead of trucks, Datsun was importing "car parts" assembled in the USA

[MikeRL411]

Actually, to further evade import taxes the truck beds were manufactured here and then assembled in the incoming inspection area at the port of Long Beach CA.  Increased the North American content as a bonus.  When the tax laws were changed a lot of Southen California workers and suppliers went broke.  Nissan began importing fully assembled trucks claiming they got more control over quality that way [sURE!].

[Aibast]

 Nissan began importing fully assembled trucks claiming they got more control over quality that way [sURE!].

 

Sound right to me. As far as I've seen USoNA (United States of North-America) made cars - they are all crap in quality department. Of I've just seen crap so far, who knows.

[tr8er]

 

I know the quality is real bad but its good enough to see what i mean. UGLY tail lights right?

What is that white car in the back?  

[ggzilla]

The beds were manufactured in Japan and put on the trucks here, thereby avoiding high tariffs.

 

You can use the bin/tray/bed from other small trucks, eg Toyoda,Mazda etc with some fabrication. Get one with similar length but most importantly with the wheelhouses in the right location. Go to the wreckers with a tape measure and see what you can find.

[Cpl620]

Sound right to me. As far as I've seen USoNA (United States of North-America) made cars - they are all crap in quality department. Of I've just seen crap so far, who knows.

 

I would have to agree, except for the new Cadillac CTS-Vs coming out. those are pretty nice cars.

[GRpufnstuf]

What is that white car in the back?

 

Looks like an Alfa Romeo GTV6. Many of them sit on the side of the road with weeds growing around them here too.

 

I like the tail gate on the black truck. Is that bed a Datsun Bed? The fuel door looks right but he rest is just a little off...

[BenJammin]

Can't see it very well, but that bed looks to be an amalgam of whatever was available locally to the original entry port there.  Generic tail lights, some funky 'whatever will fit' style tail gate  and the lower beads/countours are totally out of sync with the doors.  No offense intended on a personal level, but "that's an ugly baby you have there ".

 

For what it's worth, there was a seller awhile back on eBay in Australia that was offering whole new fabbed 620 beds (bins) in the proper stock style.  Of course a bit pricey especially with shipping added.

 

EDIT: Found the Australian seller *'rotary_products_new_old_car_company' , currently doesn't list the repro bed, but pretty interesting the stuff they carry and/or reproduce for the 620 (or 'ute' as apparently the trucks are called in Oz).

 

http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/m.html?_odkw=datsun&_uhb=1&item=141041754192&pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&_osacat=0&_from=R40&hash=item20d6be6050&_ssn=rotary_products_new_old_car_company&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR2.TRC1.A0.Xdatsun+620&_nkw=datsun+620&_sacat=0

 

 

And yeah like that's just around the corner for you too, eh?   But it looks like such a straight shot across the Indian Ocean on Google maps, lol !

 

Good luck.

[Butch_6sic6]

Thanks for the replies guys

 

Thanks ggzilla will try and get measurements this weekend to see what replacement candidates there are

Benjammin what do you mean by "amalgam"?

Anyone think it would be worth it to fab a complete bin?? or maybe take that junk bin, fix it up nice and put in custom tail lights?

 

 

 

 

[Butch_6sic6]

Oh and yes it's an Alfa GTV

[Butch_6sic6]

Ever heard of someone fitting a 521 bed on a 620?

I'll even consider taking off the entire bed and only cover all moving parts just untill I have a plan.....

[BenJammin]

Thanks for the replies guys

 

Thanks ggzilla will try and get measurements this weekend to see what replacement candidates there are

Benjammin what do you mean by "amalgam"?

Anyone think it would be worth it to fab a complete bin?? or maybe take that junk bin, fix it up nice and put in custom tail lights?

 

 

AMALGAM,  technically it is the metal alloy they use to fill cavities in your teeth, used as a slang term it means " a bunch of different stuff thrown together to make one single thing "

 

 

.... but as I said before no personal offense intended, good luck with your search and/ or fabrication, but from I can see in the pics that's not a basket case (i.e. not "beyond repair").    At least post a pic of the worst area of rust that you spoke of.