My New '84 720: Introduction and Questions (SoCal)

[CicliDevotion]

Hey Gang,

I'm about a week in to owning the '84 720 seen below.  I've already posted a couple of inquiries here and scoured these boards a bit but thought I'd share my truck and also ask a couple of questions while I'm at it.  Please go easy on me...I'm a Datsun/Nissan noob.  My 720 replaces an '87 Toyota FJ60 Landcruiser...which replaced a 1976 Dodge custom "boogie van".  Fact of the matter is, I've spent the last 13 years in Brooklyn, NY, where I mostly got around by bike and spent a ton of time wrenching on classic race machines and racing road, cyclocross and track. 

I'm back to my native Los Angeles and this pickup will be my daily:

 

 

[CicliDevotion]

 

[CicliDevotion]

And now for some general and specific questions...

 

1) I've seen pics of other '84s that have DATSUN badging on the lower left corner of the tailgate.  My truck supposedly sports original paint.  Was Datsun badging probably removed? Was my gate repainted? Did '84 2WD 720's sometimes NOT have Datsun badging anywhere?  (Basically, I just want to know if it's save to purchase that "I love my Datsun" iron-on I saw on eBay...)

 

(Kidding.)

 

 

(Not kidding.)

[Cpl620]

We love pics here. Its a good lookin truck. Welcome. Any plans or this thing?What kind of stuff did you wrench on in the past?

[CicliDevotion]

2) Anyone in LA have a great mechanic to recommend? I'm experiencing some sputter/stall out type of issues that are sounding a lot like the dreaded "vaper lock" and I'd like to get someone who knows what to look for to check it out...

[CicliDevotion]

Thanks Cpl620.  First and foremost, I want to make a reliable daily out of it.  I wanted a steezy, economical driver that I could put muddy bikes and sandy surfboards in.  But I also need to get to work every day.  Plans now are to get it running like a top, maybe new wheels...soundsystem.  Probably address the paint splattered bed, maybe with a respray or a mat or liner of some sort. 

[CicliDevotion]

I haven't wrenched on cars much, to be honest...mostly because I left LA back in 1996 and haven't lived anywhere that I was driving daily or had garage space.  That said, I'm mechanically minded and work with my hands quite a bit.  I've restored lots of bikes over the years and am now hoping to get more hands on with my motorized vehicle.  I'm sure these boards will prove to be a tremendous resource.  If you'd like to see the kinds of *bikes* I've wrenched on, please have a look at my Flickr for some projects: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ciclidevotion/

[xsdg]

I believe the switch from "Datsun" to "Nissan" was completed in 1983.

[datzenmike]

I believe the switch from "Datsun" to "Nissan" was completed in 1983.

Nissan began badging the earlier trucks with DATSUN_{by NISSAN} around '78/'79 in preparation for the changeover around '83. After, the name DATSUN was often still used but the NISSAN name was predominant. It was to soften the change and allow brand loyalists to still see the Datsun name on it's products. I think the '86 300zx was the last vehicle to have the name Datsun still on it in North America.

 

The 720 tailgate stamping switched from DATSUN to NISSAN but added a decal saying DATSUN in the lower left side? corner in November of '82. Maybe for only a year? A black DATSUN decal for the 720 is part number 96995-10W01....

 about $15 from the dealer..

[CicliDevotion]

Upon closer inspection this morning, I can make out a ghost of where the DATSUN decal was on the tailgate. Would it have been black or white? Think it'd look weird to replace it without also finding the larger NISSAN lettering as well?