New to forum w/ '79 620

[submmbob]

Hello all

 

I bought a '79 620 last March and have been lurking from time to time and finally decided to join. You have already been a big help w/ info for me just me reading old posts.

 

I've always liked the look of the 620 and found this one for $1K from a guy in Safford, AZ near where I work. I think it can best be described as a 'beater w/ a heater' as to when I got it. (That's a local expression for an older car w/o a heater if you didn't know:)

 

Cosmetically it hasn't changed much, but there has been a lot of mechanical work done. Engine is an earlier L20B which was rebuilt. At the time they stripped the emissions and installed an earlier exhaust manifold w/ the late intake. I found an early L20B truck that was being parted out and grabbed the correct manifolds and the smog pump.

 

It's now running a Weber 32/36 after we pulled the head due to some intake of water last summer and  it just got a new clutch.

 

It has 15" white spoke rims, faded tan paint, and a desert interior (beat or just plain missing).

 

I'm starting on improving the driver/vehicle interface. I have a new steering wheel coming and a new shift ball to replace the one w/ a piece of vinyl tube as a thread adapter.

 

I'll try and post a pic after I spend some time figuring out how it works w/ this site.

 

Thanks

 

Bob

 

 

 

[datzenmike]

Welcome to Ratsun Bob. Here's a tutorial on how to post pictures here... http://community.ratsun.net/topic/54932-photobucket-ratsun/ ... can't wait to meet her.

[submmbob]

Well here's the truck. Only picture I have right now. This was taken last spring or summer when I was working in the Broadway storage yard.

 

 

 

 

I volunteer for an organization in Tucson dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and operation of historic streetcars and buses. I kinda bought this truck 'cause I got tired of hauling bus parts around in the back seat of my original and somewhat nice Covair 4dr which I have now sold.

 

The truck was originally purchased in Globe AZ, so when I have it parked in the barn w/ the rest of the collection I call it the 'Arizona historic Datsun':)

 

Bob

[topgunn0805]

Which models of the 620s came with a sliding window in the back glass ? The 79 I'm looking into has a rear window but no matter the year of a Datsun 620 I never see a sliding window as an option

[hobospyder]

Both single and king cab had sliders but you have to make sure you get the right window. Single cab has a smaller one than the king cab does

[datzenmike]

Slider rear windows were after market.

[submmbob]

Hello all

 

Work and the barn have been keeping me busy.

 

Still haven't installed the tool box I got for the Datsun.

 

In the meantime I noticed a drip from the lower hose and realized I can't get to the clamp w/o moving the fan shroud. Since I found out the fan clutch and water pump are one unit (and my fan clutch is dead), I decided to go ahead and replace it and both hoses at the same time.

 

I worked w/ a student intern at the barn one afternoon on it (he had never replaced a water pump) and we got everything back together fairly easily. Then I started playing automotive jenga w/ the fan thru the grill. Turns out the bolt spacing on the original fan is different from the new clutch. Found a fan later that night from a local FLAPS that we thought would fit, but didn't have time to put it on before I went back to work.

 

The next week I tried putting it on and realized the new fan was too deep. Went back to the store that sold me the pump/clutch and found they had sold me the one for a truck w/ A/C. I guess the guy that sold it to me thought everyone had ac in Arizona:) They returned the unit for the right one even though I had already installed it which was cool.  This was just before I had to come up to work again so I still haven't installed the fan or the new pump. Been driving the Corvan for the last couple weeks.

 

So we've been moving a bunch of old buses and streetcars down to our new location (my volunteer work at the bus / trolley barn). The forklift we have used for pulling street cars on temporary track or buses that don't run is less than ideal. So I used the Datsun to pull this across the building on temporary track:

 

 

This is a Japanese built streetcar circa 1952 that we ran here in Tucson in historic service for 17 years. It weighs about 50K pounds. The reason I was able to do this is why we run heavy things on steel rail. There were a couple of different sizes of track I had to pull it up on however which required some working of the clutch:) Unfortunately, we did not take a pic of the truck chained to the streetcar.

 

Nothing like moving and old Japanese streetcar w/ an old Japanese truck!

[Draker]

Man that would have been a killer photo op!!

[submmbob]

Yeah, I was regretting not having one of the guys snap a pic w/ my camera. Not something you are going to do that often! But who knows since I work there. I also moved our 1948 Aerocoach tour bus w/ the Datsun once. 35' and about 20K pounds.

 

So I ordered the window scrapers for the truck last night. There coming on the slow boat from Thailand. I know they are aftermarket, but will be better that what is there now which is pretty much gone after 37 years in the AZ sun.