Need 1974 620 Specs: width between wheel wells in bed

[Cardinal Grammeter]

Hi, this is my first post.

I have the chance to buy a 1974 Lil Hustler but need to be able to haul freight pallets which are 4' x 3.5' and I need to haul it on a trailer. So here are my questions:
 

• Distance between the wheel wells? (is it greater than 48"?)
• Payload capacity?
• Curb weight?
• Wheel base?
• Overall length?

Thanks in advance!
Tom

 

[Butch_6sic6]

This is what I know :

 

Wheel base                 = 2567.94mm

Gross vehicle payload = 653.62kg

Road clearance           = 200.66mm

Width overall               = 1587.5mm

Length overall             = 4297.68mm

Height overall              = 1544.32mm

Weight                         = 1036.9kg

 

Bed measurements :

 

From the back (cab area to the tailgate) = 73.2''

 

That is all I know.

 

You can always measure it before buying it?

[Guest Rick-rat]

37 inches between wheel wells

[Dat Lurka]

I've hauled shipping pallets one behind the other. 1200lbs of scrap metal in the bed and still had brakes.

[Cardinal Grammeter]

Wow, thanks for the quick and numerous replies!

 

The problem with measuring it, is it is 2 hours away and if I go, I have to call in a favor from a friend with a trailer so there better not be any surprises - if I go, I'm buying it.

 

37" between the wheel wells is not what I was hoping for.  (Wow, that really is a small bed.  I'm surprised the curb weight is over 2200 pounds.  Seems like it should be under 2000 considering a Geo Metro 2dr is 1600.

 

Haulilng freight pallets is a big deal, with the narrow wells, I have two options:

 

• with the tailgate down, what is the dimension from the end of the gate to the beginning of the well?  would I be able to fit a 4' x 3.5' pallet on the bed aft of the wells?  Of course if I'm hauling a v8 engine, this would be 600-700 pounds behind the rear axle which could be a problem.  I'm assuming the width in this area is greater than 4 foot, right?  Hey, maybe I could make special pallets with notches cut out to clear the wells some :o)

 

• build a deck even with the top of the wheel wells.  How high above the deck are the tops of the wheel wells?

Thanks so much!

Tom

[datzenmike]

No. You could build the bed up and stack a pallet on top of the wheel wells and slid forward against the cab. Legal weight is about 1,000 pounds of cargo. It will carry more but it exceeds the ability to handle and stop safely. (be sure all drum brakes are adjusted.

 

The 620 weighs at least 2,200 pounds more like 2,500 and has a frame.

[Cardinal Grammeter]

Just talked to my friend that has this pickup and he measured 44" between the wheel wells.

 

Wondering with the 37" posted here if they had different beds?

[Guest Rick-rat]

Can you call the person that has the truck and have him measure the distance between the wheel wells?

[Cardinal Grammeter]

Rick-rat,

 

Yeah, he called me back after he measured between the wells and got 44 inches.  This ia a car guy so I don't think he botched the measurement.  Then I confirmed with a question, "So I could lay somthing 44" wide flat on the bed?" and he said Yes.

 

There is also a little issue about what this truck really is:  He says it is a 1974 Datsun Lil Hustler with a 1.6 engine.  So it that a 620?

 

The specs say a 1974 620 has a 1.8 engine.  So maybe it was a manufactured 1973 but sold as an end of year 1974.

 

This is a big deal for me becuase 37" is something I'd not like to deal with, but 44" will accomodate a 42" wide standard pallet.

[ohmrchristopher]

I just walked out to my '73;

 

38" between the wheel wells at the floor of the bed.

 

56" x 73" Inside dimensions of the bed

 

I have had a 400 lb mototcycle, a full-size rolling toolbox and tools, and a lot more junk than I should have, I'm lowered 3" and other than having a 1" gap between the axel and the frame the truck did good. I drove over the Coquihalla and the Connector which are the two worst mountain passes in Southern BC. 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Columbia_Highway_5

[ohmrchristopher]

End of tailgate to wheel well is 43 1/2"

[datzenmike]

What? Even a long bed isn't that long. I'm misunderstanding...

[Cardinal Grammeter]

I think he means when the tailgate is down?  The distance from the "top" of the tailgate, along to the "bottom" of the tailgate, then to the aft end of the wheel well.

 

If that's the measurement, then a 42" x 48" pallet would just fit behind the wheel wells and on top of the tailgate in the down position.

 

I do notice that both the 37 and 38" measurements are from 1973 models.  \

 

Is there any possibility something changed with 1974?

 

This is very perplexing.

 

I need to call my friend again and confirm that measurement. 

[datzenmike]

Pretty sure the reg cab box will fit all years of reg cab. The rear and front axle widths changed slightly over the years.

[Cardinal Grammeter]

Just found some dimensions on www.the-bluprints.com for a 1975 620 and the distance between the wheel houses is 1.020 meters which is 40.15 inches.

 

And I just talked to my friend and his neighbor took the measurement.  So he is going to do it himself on Friday morning.

 

I think for now its time to wait for those measurements but I'm betting its not the 44 inches.

 

Even if I don't get this truck, although I live just East of Pittsburgh, I visit a lot in Nevada and there sure are a lot of rust free Datsuns out there. 

[windowless66]

I just measured mine (75) and it was 38.5 inches between the tubs at tray level, gets wider as you go up but only up to 39 inches. If you were set on getting the 620 some minor panel beating would get the 42 inches you need. Leaf springs from outer edge to outer edge measure 41 inches. 

[Cardinal Grammeter]

I think these numbers just under 40" are going to b correct.  I was looking at S-10 and Ranger and they are at 40.5 inches which really makes me wonder why they didn't try for the 42 inch mark.

 

It just seems wrong that a "little" pallet basically will not fit in a compact pickup truck.

 

I've got a real decision to make, I just ran into this 620 but I was also trying to get a $1500 96 SS S-10 which looks like it is going to materialize.  Neither one can handle pallets nicely.  But the Datsun would be more economical, but the SS would have the "road race" suspension.

 

Nothing is simple.  Probably should buy them both.  (HaHa but there was also a VW pickup and a Scamp GT in the running too!)

[ohmrchristopher]

Flat deck the Datsun?

[datsunaholic]

yeah, your buddy needs to learn how to use a tape measure:

 

 

 

 

You'll find all "compact" pickups will have measurements similar.  You won't find anything GREATER than 48" in anything smaller than a fullsize truck (My Chevy 5/4 ton is around 54" between wheelwells).  I don't even think a Midsize (Dakota) will be 48" but it's be a lot closer than a compact.  Really, if you're going to be hauling pallets you'll want a flatbed.  I've had too many forks through taillights to want to do that with any regularity with a normal bed.

[Cardinal Grammeter]

My buddy checked and he measure about 39 15/16" 

 

I wonder where that 1.02 meter (40.15") dimension came from.

 

Anyhow, just to make things more interesting, it turns out that the standard shipping pallet is 40 x 48 inches.

 

I think I made my mistake when I measured some years ago and allowed a space of 42" to accommodate them.

 

But it really makes sense when the S10 and Ranger beds are just over 40 inches too.

 

I am going to buy the pickup.  Will go pick it up with a friend who has a trailer around noon Friday.  Supposedly all it needs to be on the road is replacement of the master and clutch cylinders (included in deal), maybe some rusty brakes, and a battery.

 

In my youth back around 1970, my first car was a 1960 Studebaker and for years, I got over a dozen of them out of fields and back yards and there was nothing quite as much fun as finding some old abandoned car and breathing life into it!   So I'm looking forward to this.