Introducing my 81 Datsun 720 Dually Pickup!

[DuallyDatsun]

I picked this up a week ago. It's a very interesting bit of a dually since it has both a pickup bed, and whoever, whenever the conversion was done, it was done with fenders made to match the body lines of the truck. I've only seen photos of one other dually with a pickup bed out there, and someone used Toyota fenders, but these ones look specifically made for this truck, which raises so many questions for me that I'll probably never get answered, but that's life.

 

From what I have seen, inspecting the dually fenders, the body line molding was made right into it in one full complete piece. So they seem to be pretty unique, as far as I know.

 

But if anyone here has any more info, or maybe even seen any other dually or fenders like this, or magically has more info on pickup conversions of the duallys, I'd love to know.

[datzenmike]

wayno??

 

What does the engine tag say? Does it start with a E? If yes then this was a factory Cab/Chassis option.They didn't come with beds.

[DuallyDatsun]

Is this the tag I'm looking for?

[wayno]

I have only seen photos of a 720 with a 720 bed and aftermarket dually fenders like you have once, they were the same fenders, and the truck was in a Nevada wrecking yard and it was long gone before I seen the photos of it.

I expect that if you have a photo of the side of the truck it will not have true Nissan dually wheels but it will have aftermarket dually wheels, I would like to be wrong.

I have a red 720 dually with modified Toyota fenders made to fit the bed sides, it's been around for over 10 years now.

I have 2 Datsun Dually trucks, I made both of them into what they are today, the work truck is the only one with a true dually axle.

 

[DuallyDatsun]

So, the front wheels look like the stock wheels, but are a little deeper. The rear wheels are foolies.

 

[wayno]

Them are those 620 mobile home rear dually wheels, if you crawl under your truck and feel the top left side of the axle housing where the drop out gear set is(center section), is there a raised round circle on the housing(see photo below), if there is I believe it is a 620/early 720 dually axle made for mobile homes.

[datzenmike]

wayno, look at the differential gears.... 4.625. I can't find any reference to those gears on a 720.

 

Japan made, Kyushyu plant, 2 door, 2wd, Z22 engine, '81 model year King Cab, 

[wayno]

I guess I might have been wrong about saying your truck didn't have true dually wheels, I do not know who made the 620/early 720 mobile home dually wheels you have, feel for that circle on the housing and get back to us.

[wayno]

Mike, I seen them numbers on the tag, my work truck has a Nissan dually axle(C200) with 4.625 gears, but it is a true dually axle(floater?) put on the 85+ Nissan cab/chassis trucks, I have several of them around here, 2 with 4.625 gears and 2 with 4.37 gears, I have heard of 4.88 gears and 4.11 gears but have never personally seen an axle with them gears.

7 minutes ago, datzenmike said:

wayno, look at the differential gears.... 4.625. I can't find any reference to those gears on a 720.

 

Japan made, Kyushyu plant, 2 door, 2wd, Z22 engine, '81 model year King Cab, 

 

Edited June 4, 2019 by wayno

[wayno]

Oh I forgot to say that the 1980 Datsun regular cab/longbox 4X4 with an L20b had 4.625 gears as I had one.

[DuallyDatsun]

Just checked. No raised circle anywhere that I could find. 

[DuallyDatsun]

[wayno]

Well I don't know everything, I was told that the mobile home axles had that raised circle on top of the housing and that the race car guys wanted that axle because it was better than normal axles, but that is what I heard.

I do know I have personally seen a set of them very deep dually wheels on 2 different mobile homes, one 620 and one 720, now I have seen a photo of a 2nd 720 with them, I have a 620 dually axle but it wasn't like the one I had seen before, it had adapters that used stock wheels, that is how they did the earlier mobile homes and that is the one I posted the photo of, it is the only axle I have ever seen with that raised spot in the housing.

[wayno]

You have a very rare 720 conversion, it's only the second photo I have ever seen of true 720 aftermarket dually fenders, take care of them as right now you are the only one I know of that has a 720 dually with them fenders.

[DuallyDatsun]

I've had a regular 84 Nissan 720 for about 6 years now, but I was only familiar with the regular axle pickups. Just trying to learn everything I can about this truck, since I haven't seen many. Only 720 duallys I've seen, aside from photos of your dually, have all been flatbed or motor home conversions. So anything is new to me. 

[DuallyDatsun]

I plan on keeping this guy in good condition. I figured the conversion was rare from the moment I saw it and have been trying to hunt down any info I can of these, but the dealer it originally came from is long gone, and I don't know if Nissan USA or Japan would have any info to send at all if I requested it. 

[DuallyDatsun]

Thank you for all your help. I greatly appreciate it.

[wayno]

All the true Nissan dually axles I have ever seen were not in a vehicle, or were under a flatbed or mobile home, I have seen a few dually wheels like yours, and quite a few dually adapters using stock wheels for the dually setup on a stock H190.

I seriously doubt if Nissan/Datsun had anything to do with them fenders, they are made of fiberglass, correct?

[wayno]

By the way, there is another guy in the Longview/Kelso WA area that has a red 720 dually with dually fenders, but they are not aftermarket 720 dually fenders either.

I guess I was assuming you have seen my 720 dually, is this the one you seen photos of?

[DuallyDatsun]

Yeah. they are fiberglass fenders.

[DuallyDatsun]

Yes. That's the photo I've seen. I almost decided to convert my 84 720 into a dually after seeing that photo last year, but couldn't find any true dually axles for the job, for any sort of reasonable price. 

[wayno]

I have not seen a real Nissan dually axle for sale on craigslist in a couple years now, and the wrecking yards(not U-Pull it) want a lot of money for them(Nissan or Toyota).

They are great for towing or hauling heavy loads, but it's just 2 more tires one has to buy.

[DuallyDatsun]

I guess I got lucky with the tires, cause the PO put on all new tires a couple weeks before I bought it. 😄

 

I'll admit, I did want to bag the thing when I first picked it up, but I don't really want to do that now. Not really wanting to do anything to the truck I might regret or would be difficult to return to stock. I think I'll focus on getting body work handled on it, and clean it up nice, inside and out, and make sure all the maintenance needs are handled and keep it running good.

[wayno]

You can lower it a little with drop blocks in the rear and adjusting the torsion bars in the front, it's all reversible and they look a little better, they also have less body roll when going around corners.

I don't drive mine much, it more a test rig for me anymore, I change stuff on the diesel engine and if it works I do it to my 521 kingcab diesel truck as that is the one I like to drive.

[wayno]

I can hardly believe I found these photos, sorry but I was unable to copy the photo without the PB shit on it.