1983.5 4x4 - retirement truck

[Madkaw]

Excited about my new tailgate 

 

[Madkaw]

And the process begins 

 

[Madkaw]

Okay - anyone did a tailgate swap using an older Datsun 720 tailgate on to a Nissan- 83 or newer 720?

its all latches up fine , but the drop linkage ( tailgate linkage) doesn’t fold up properly . Apparently the tailgates were drilled at different spots to install the anchor point for the linkage .

I wonder if I got the linkage from an older truck it would work? If not - I’m drilling 

[Charlie69]

I plan on using my 1980 tail gate on m1984.  What you are saying is you need the earlier side support linkage with the earlier tailgate to get the linkage to fold up prpperly.

[Madkaw]

 

made another hole 🙂

[Charlie69]

So is that the early or late linkage?

[Madkaw]

That is the late linkage , I don’t have the early ones to try , so I just re- drilled the hole . Also noticed the swivel pins on the tailgate ( what the linkage hangs from) the head is bigger on those on the older tailgate . Once I opened the gate and the linkage had popped off on one side . We will see if that repeats . It wouldn’t be able to do that with the bigger head pin . 

[Madkaw]

food delivery in carolina beach

Edited March 7, 2020 by Madkaw

[Charlie69]

Looks good!  they should have kept the Datsun name after all Nisson made the engines for the Zeros that attacked Pearl Harbor!

[datzenmike]

The Zero is a fighter not a dive bomber and made by Mitsubishi although some were at the Pearl Harbor attack. One of the torpedo/bombers were made by the Nakajima  Aircraft Company that eventually became Fiji Heavy Industries and Subaru. Nissan did have some investment in FHI. (and why the Subaru R-160 rear end fits the 510) Another was the Tachikawa Aircraft Company later to become the Prince Motorcar Company later absorbed by Nissan in the mid '60s. 

 

I can't find any aircraft or engines made directly by Nissan however they did switch from cars to military vehicles. While they did use the name Datsun to distance themselves from the Nissan name used during the war for North American consumers, Hitachi and Suzuki and several others didn't and there was little problem .

[Madkaw]

Finally getting around to dying the seats - halfway there

 

[Madkaw]

Finally have a matching set !

 

 

[Charlie69]

Nice work and match on the staining.

On 3/7/2020 at 9:45 AM, datzenmike said:

The Zero is a fighter not a dive bomber and made by Mitsubishi although some were at the Pearl Harbor attack. One of the torpedo/bombers were made by the Nakajima  Aircraft Company that eventually became Fiji Heavy Industries and Subaru. Nissan did have some investment in FHI. (and why the Subaru R-160 rear end fits the 510) Another was the Tachikawa Aircraft Company later to become the Prince Motorcar Company later absorbed by Nissan in the mid '60s. 

 

I can't find any aircraft or engines made directly by Nissan however they did switch from cars to military vehicles. While they did use the name Datsun to distance themselves from the Nissan name used during the war for North American consumers, Hitachi and Suzuki and several others didn't and there was little problem .

Mike I did not say zero were bombers.  Zeros attacked before the bombers to decommission anything they could before the bombers arrived.  The reason the Zero Pilots were Kamikaze was they did not have enough fuel after getting to Pearl Harbor to return home.  So if they were still flying when they ran out of fuel they ditched they're plains into targets to create even more damage.  Kamikaze suicide.

 

My 8th grade Civics teacher was on the ground at base in Pearl Harbor when the attack happened.  From the Pearl Harbor attack came the no flat tires the US military used on there base vehicles and airplanes.  Zeros attacked planes on the runway and anti air craft guns.

Edited March 21, 2020 by Charlie69

[Madkaw]

So my front wall on the bed was pretty rusted at the bottom , like most I guess . I tried finding a clean one and spent a bunch of money to have one shipped to me that was junk also. I decided to make due with what I had on hand, which was an extra tailgate . Not done yet - but almost there
 

 

[Charlie69]

That is looking good!

[Madkaw]

Giving up for the day . Just need to prep for welding . 
 

 

[Madkaw]

Truck is ready to go to the body shop for a couple layers of high build primer so I can block it before paint. Ready to just start driving it . I am getting the choke dialed in during all this down time . I make an adjustment and start it and let it run thru it’s warm up and then take note for the next adjustment . It was idling at 10AFR at initial start , but now I’m at 12.7 . Just think of all the gas I’m saving ! 
 

[Charlie69]

What color are you going with?

 

[Madkaw]

8 hours ago, Charlie69 said:

What color are you going with?

 

I think I’m going back with the OEM brown metallic , but maybe some pearlescent clear over it to make it pop! I haven’t seen many trucks with that color and I think I can salvage the paint I inside the door jambs and inside the cab. I thought about something brighter , but I think I will keep it period correct . 

[Charlie69]

There are some beautiful Metalic pearl browns on late model trucks.  Nissan ford toyota to name a few.  In my neighborhood there is a Nissan Platinum Edition Titan that is gorgious with a brown pearl.

 

2019 Nissan Titan colors

[Madkaw]

Well it’s one color - turd primer .

 

[Lockleaf]

If that's the color of your turds, you might want to go see a specialist about that....

 

Looking good!  I've been playing with 720s for about 15 years now.  When i fell in love with them, they were $500 beater trucks no one cared about.  It's odd but refreshing to see so much effort put in to bringing one back to life.  Keep it up!

[Madkaw]

On 4/27/2020 at 2:51 PM, Lockleaf said:

If that's the color of your turds, you might want to go see a specialist about that....

 

Looking good!  I've been playing with 720s for about 15 years now.  When i fell in love with them, they were $500 beater trucks no one cared about.  It's odd but refreshing to see so much effort put in to bringing one back to life.  Keep it up!

Sometimes I question my sanity for putting thousands of dollars into a 2000$ dollar truck . It will probably be my only truck . Maybe when it’s all done with the roll bar installed and a nice paint job it might be worth half of what I have invested . For me it’s a hobby and a challenge . Torn of the color choice still

[datzenmike]

Well you could drink and support the gov. with taxes and the bar owner for his house and Corvette or gamble it away with hookers and blow but afterwards you at least still have your liver, home and wife.

[Lockleaf]

You pay money to watch a movie for entertainment and don't expect to get any money back.  Building cars is no different.  Either you're paying for entertainment and satisfaction, or you are paying for an education you didn't necessarily plan on getting.  Either way, spending more than it can sell for is easily worth it in exchange for everything else you get out of it.

Edited April 29, 2020 by Lockleaf