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New 320 owner, 62?


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Hi everyone. I'm the proud new owner of a 320 and based on the grill I'm guessing it's a 62. I haven't been able to find a vin number and there isn't a badge on either door jam or on the engine side of the firewall. 

 

I'm excited to join the forum and learn from the insane amount of knowledge on here. Everyone seems so kind and helpful. 

 

First up is getting a battery and figuring out the ignition. The ignition switch is there but pulled out and doesn't have a key. Is there anything I need to know about sourcing the right battery? Also can the ignition be rekeyed or do I need to track another one down?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

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I don't have a lot of time right now, but you need to remember that these trucks were positive ground.

The VIN number is on the frame on the right side just in back of the front suspension mount on the frame right next to the starter, you might need sand paper to read the number.

I would get a title in your name before I put a lot of effort into this vehicle, you don't want to lose it after you made it nice.

It does look like a 1962, it looks very complete, and includes the bumperettes and hubcaps, score!!!

You should be able to have a key shop make a key for that ignition switch, but get a title first.

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Thanks Wayno for the quick reply! 

 

I have a clean title in my name but it doesn't have a VIN and it has the truck dated as a '60. How big of a mess did I get myself into??!!! I bought the truck from a tow-truck driver who just wanted to flip it.

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It's definitely not a 1960, all you can really do is write down the VIN number on the frame and either put it in a post/reply on here or send it to me in a private message and I will send it to a guy I know that knows about 320 VIN numbers and he can likely tell you the exact year it is.

It is obviously missing the VIN tag, as I can see the 4 holes for it on the firewall in one of your photos, these trucks didn't have a tag on the door pillars like later models have, at least my 62/63/64 titled trucks don't, I don't recall about the 65 model year, I have a 62 L320 titled as a 63 as that was the year it was sold. 

My 1962 L320 titled as a 1963 has the air filter housing cut off the same way as yours has been cut off, just at a different angle, that is very strange.

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Do you have a heater/heater box in your truck?

I don't know the year of truck you have, but it has a spin on oil filter, so it is a newer engine, what engine number do you have, it would be above the distributor on a flat spot just below the head, the left flat spot will say "E1", or "J13" and the right flat spot would be the engine number, it also has six screws holding the valve cover on, you can see the nut on the top middle of my valve cover in front of the oil cap in the photos above, mine has an early engine.

Here is a photo of my engine compartment with the VIN tag where it is supposed to be.

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Hit the post key by mistake. Added on radiator shroud. Anyone know what to adapt to these 320's?

 

Nice early survivor 320, Newb. You can build up a neat little truck from here, just get the paperwork lined out, as Wayno stated. Anyone ever use the online title services that can be found with a search? There's a lot of good information in the threads here and some very helpful people.

 

Welcome to you and the 320.

 

Steve

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Thanks Steve for the kind words! I'll definitely get the paperwork lined up before I dig in too deep.

 

Wayno, my truck's up on Phoenix at my parent's house and I'm down in Tucson so I won't get to check for the Vin number for a couple weeks. I was reading about 320 VIN numbers and think the 61-63 320s have a year digit right after the 320 in the VIN. So a '62 would have a VIN that starts with L-320-2... Does that sound right?

 

Also here's a pic of the heater. Does this give us any clues?

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Yes that sounds right on the VIN number, my  1962 320 has a 320-2-64415

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and my 63, L320-3-00182, it has a very low number

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OK, so you have a heater, are the outlets for the heater core close to each other(above/below), or are they far apart diagonally like my 1962?

My early 1963 heater core outlets, see how they are close to each other, one over the other.

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My 1962 heater core outlets, see how one is on the right and the other on the left(opposite sides of the engine) .

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Thanks Wayno for the quick reply! 

 

I have a clean title in my name but it doesn't have a VIN and it has the truck dated as a '60. How big of a mess did I get myself into??!!! I bought the truck from a tow-truck driver who just wanted to flip it.

There are many ways to get out of a mess like that. First, you may consider losing any paperwork that can confuse things. Bring in only corroborating paperwork and leave the ones that don't support the facts at home.

 

Second, lie. I have made up sellers before. Literally just made up a name, practiced a signature and then done the paperwork for two. If there's another paper that needs to be filled out, no problem! Also, the story may confuse the heck out of the clerk, so lying (or just keeping your mouth shut) may be the only way to get past the pea brained, diligent, by the book rule follower.

 

Lastly, if you're really worried about it, call a registration service. I use one. I don't have to go to DMV anymore and she comes here to do the VIN verifications. I just write a check for a $250, which I think is totally reasonable.

 

I am not condoning fraud here. I assume that the vehicle was legally purchased and you're not trying to defraud the system. So that being the case, a small white lie shouldn't hurt anybody.

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Great advice. The whole title situation makes me nervous but there's nothing shady so I'm hoping I deal with someone at the DMV who's understanding.

 

I bought it from a tow truck driver who towed the car and it was never picked up. The VIN wasn't easily found so he mistakenly had it registered as a '60. I have title in my name with a bill of sale from the tow truck company.

 

What I'm hoping to do is get it re-titled with the correct year and VIN once I climb under and find it stamped on the frame.

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There should be a VIN on the body too.

 

It may be easier to go with what the paperwork says instead of trying to correct the year. After all, who cares? As long as it's a legit title, in your name, with matching VIN.

 

You can always correct the year later if it bothers you that much.

 

If the VIN and the year on the title don't match that of the truck, that would raise some serious doubt in my mind. I would confront the previous owner and ask them outright if they fudged it.

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You won't find the VIN on the frame if you crawl under it. It's on the top of the top flange of the right frame rail straight down below the face of the cowl. Hopefully it matches the paperwork that you do have.

 

Steve

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Any idea where to find the VIN on the body?

 

The VIN listed on the title is definitely not the VIN on the truck--it looks like a generic looking VIN number that starts with AZ (for Arizona) followed by maybe 7 or 8 numbers. The tow truck driver who sold it to me said he couldn't find the VIN on the truck when he took ownership of it.

 

I do have a bill of sale from the tow truck company with the title and the VIN numbers on both documents match. Which probably isn't worth squat.

 

Am I up shit creek?

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If you have a title in your name and a bill of sale you should be okay.  In my state you can apply for a corrected title.  In this case that might be what you want to do to get a title with the right year and VIN on it.  I also suggest you talk to a title service.  I use AAA for that and it makes it much easier than dealing with the DMV.  

Frankly you could almost definitely just rely on the title you have.  Nobody is going to question the year or VIN of a truck this old.  

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You can barely see the black felt pen circle around the VIN number on the top of my frame of my NL320 in the photo below, it is on the top of the frame rail just in back of the front suspension right beside the starter, as I said before, you will likely need to use sand paper to be able to see the number.

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Look at the inner fender well, see how the inner fender tab stops right beside the VIN number.

Here the number is on my 520 frame, it's in the same place.

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Often times DMV will make up a VIN, but this is always accompanied by a sticker or stamping.

 

If he made it up, he's my new mentor.

 

If he made it up maybe we can get him to join the group and give a tutorial.

 

I'll have to hunt for a sticker or stamping--it definitely looks like a DMV generated VIN. The bill of sale is actually from the tow company so I'm hoping that ups my chances of everything being legit.

 

I hate to be the guy that beats someone down on price on Craigslist calls back with a ton of questions after but I might have to be that guy. And dollars to donuts he doesn't respond. 

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If the DMV assigned the current VIN they would have done so in the absence of knowing what the original VIN was.  If it were me I would get the original/actual VIN off the frame rail, take a rubbing of it using paper and a crayon or pencil if you can, and try to get the DMV to issue a corrected title with the real VIN on it. 

 

Aftermarket Datsun engine bay I.D. tags are available for the roadsters and Z-cars.  I don't know if there is one available for the 320s or if they may look the same as the early roadster ones, but you may be able to get a tag and get the VIN and engine number stamped on it and install it back on the firewall.  Although it does look like you have a later engine in your truck so you may not want to stamp that engine number on the repro tag just to avoid someone, someday thinking it is a numbers matching truck if it isn't. 

 

My VIN tag: 

 

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I just did a Bonded title on a 1985 720 King cab in Phoenix that was missing the dash VIN plate.  The AZ DMV Issued an AZ VIN Tag that went on the drivers door jamb.  I is a blue and white sticker and I believe it starts with AZ and it has the actual Nissan VIN number as the AZ vin.  I also bought a 1941 Chevy pickup back in the late 1970s that had an AZ Vin brass plate on the drivers door jamb.

 

AZ issues these on reconstructed vehicles that VIN numbers do not match.  AZ DMV inspector told me to bring in my 66 520 and have they level 2 inspection done because I have a 1976 620 engine and transmission and a 1980 720 chassis in the truck. By doing this I will get an AZ VIN issued and the title work will record the engine and chassis numbers and be on record.  This will mean if I get pulled over by any law enforcement they will not be able to impound my 520 for non matching VIN numbers.

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Thanks Charlie for the AZ specific info!

 

Switching gears (on the column shift of course), the ignition had been pulled out when I bought the truck but this switch was under the seat. Does this look like the right ignition switch and if so is my best bet to take it to a locksmith to have it rekeyed? 

 

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