1974 620 project - Our First Datsun

[LIL RED HUSTLER]

Hello! 
 

My girlfriend and I recently purchased a barn find 620. 
The goal is to have a nice little city truck for doing truck stuff, Cars & Coffee, and island hopping adventures. 
 

It was listed as “turns over and has title”. 
We bought sight-unseen because it was cheap and sometimes we can be impulsive:)

The engine is in fact very seized.

The title is in a dead guys name. 

Not off to the best start.

 

We’ve got the engine bathing in Marvel Mystery Oil/ ATF /PB Blaster cocktail.

The seller is allegedly preparing the correct documents to title the truck in my name.

The title is the first project. Tires next(shot) and then sourcing a set of keys(missing).
After all that we will see about the L18.

Orrrrrrr decide to step out of the project if the title doesn’t work out. 
(I could also do a title in doubt/highway patrol inspection etc..) 

 

Anyways. Happy to be here. Many questions to come. 
 

Thoughts and suggestions welcome. 

 

[]2eDeYe]

Welcome. Nice score.

 

There should be a number on the ignition switch. You can use that to order a set of keys. 

[ggzilla]

nice lookin' 620

 

Codes are on some ignition locks. Key Code for a 1973 should be penciled on the glovebox lid:

 

if not in those two places, on the right side door lock, gotta remove the door panel, pull the clips off the lock and remove it

 

i had to do the lost title thing twice. It was easy, but it's probationary for 2 years. Not a problem with a keeper

[LIL RED HUSTLER]

3 hours ago, ]2eDeYe said:

Welcome. Nice score.

 

There should be a number on the ignition switch. You can use that to order a set of keys. 

&@ggzilla

Awesome. Yes. The little sticky in the glove box is still there and labeled. 
 

Any preferred place to order a key? 
Any cool guy Datsun keys to look for? 
 

 

[]2eDeYe]

Ebay is where I got mine. Cool keys will say Datsun.  

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

First Datsun? Nice score!

 

L18 blocks cracked around the driver side middle head bolt hole. I wouldn't be surprised if the crack caused it to overheat, then warp the head or blow the gasket, or both. Then the cylinders got wet and the truck was put away, err... wet. Then rust and now stuck.

 

It is possible to repair that crack, but if seized and cracked, the juice ain't worth the squeeze. Don't throw the block away though. Vintage racers need the L18s and even a cracked block may have value to someone.

 

If it's an L18, that makes it a '74, right? They had one of the best cylinder heads available.

 

And don't you love the ad listing. Title and turns over. That guy oughta get a punch in the face.

[ggzilla]

Cool keys say Datsun

 

however, the original keys had "N" on them. But be careful, there are two incompatible types that look almost identical

The reverse-image keys. Dunno which the 1974 uses, a magnifying glass on your lock might help

 

Then the length. I love the original short keys, they fit up against the lock. The commonly available ones (Nissan/Subaru) stick out of the lock

If your 1974 has a 4-digit code, I think it can use the short key. If 5-digit code, then the middle length is required? Not sure

[datzenmike]

Fender emblems say not a '73 and the L18 says '74. A87 head.

 

 

...says it's been sitting for a while. rear plate have an old sticker on it??

[banzai510(hainz)]

Really I think the guy should have paid you to get it out of the yard

 

hope you get it running w/o spending to much

 

someone in the seattle area should have a spare L16 or 18 motor or block lying around

Autosport in seattle can help in machine shop work if really needed

Edited March 13 by banzai510(hainz)

[ggzilla]

i got four words for that:  K A 2 4

[LIL RED HUSTLER]

8 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

First Datsun? Nice score!

 

L18 blocks cracked around the driver side middle head bolt hole. I wouldn't be surprised if the crack caused it to overheat, then warp the head or blow the gasket, or both. Then the cylinders got wet and the truck was put away, err... wet. Then rust and now stuck.

 

It is possible to repair that crack, but if seized and cracked, the juice ain't worth the squeeze. Don't throw the block away though. Vintage racers need the L18s and even a cracked block may have value to someone.

 

If it's an L18, that makes it a '74, right? They had one of the best cylinder heads available.

 

And don't you love the ad listing. Title and turns over. That guy oughta get a punch in the face.

Absolutely. 
yep first Datsun. An S chassis buddy gave me a proper welcome. lol. 
 

Im also curious to what parked the car mechanically. I’lil be getting in there and we will see if you called it. It’s a good theory indeed.

yea. Maybe a punch in the face. 
I will decide shortly depending on ease of title transfer. 
 

🙌

[LIL RED HUSTLER]

7 hours ago, ggzilla said:

Cool keys say Datsun

 

however, the original keys had "N" on them. But be careful, there are two incompatible types that look almost identical

The reverse-image keys. Dunno which the 1974 uses, a magnifying glass on your lock might help

 

Then the length. I love the original short keys, they fit up against the lock. The commonly available ones (Nissan/Subaru) stick out of the lock

If your 1974 has a 4-digit code, I think it can use the short key. If 5-digit code, then the middle length is required? Not sure

Glowlight Datsun key on eBay for $40 that’s pretty Cool Guy 😎

(Having trouble replying with a link or photo)

I’ll look at the truck closer this weekend. 
I keep it at a shop garage.

 

key codes. 

4 digit on the sticky in the glove box. 

5 digit stamped on the ignition cylinder.

We think it’s an early ‘74.  

[LIL RED HUSTLER]

7 hours ago, datzenmike said:

Fender emblems say not a '73 and the L18 says '74. A87 head.

 

 

...says it's been sitting for a while. rear plate have an old sticker on it??

I will double check the title. I believe the original registered the truck for the first time 1/1974. Maybe that explains 73 style emblem.

 

The truck may have been resprayed way back(?). Different fenders mayyybe.

 

Last registration sticker is 2007. 

So, a little while sitting. 

[LIL RED HUSTLER]

6 hours ago, banzai510(hainz) said:

Really I think the guy should have paid you to get it out of the yard

 

hope you get it running w/o spending to much

 

someone in the seattle area should have a spare L16 or 18 motor or block lying around

Autosport in seattle can help in machine shop work if really needed

Auto sport is around the corner for me. 
I would say it’s not our best impulsive purchase. We would like to see it through with ideally a straight forward rebuild at the least. 

[banzai510(hainz)]

if u can crank the motor to spin would be a good start. open up valve cover to see anything obvious. like rocker arm fell off. Then cheak for spark. Or cheak plugs. Then distributor. Then see if gas goes to carb and squirts in. Or shoot starter fluid see if fires

[ggzilla]

5 hours ago, LIL RED HUSTLER said:

4 digit on the sticky in the glove box. 

5 digit stamped on the ignition cylinder.

 

That indicates the ignition lock has been replaced. Originally, all the keys matched

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

12 hours ago, LIL RED HUSTLER said:

yea. Maybe a punch in the face. 
I will decide shortly depending on ease of title transfer. 
 

🙌

Getting around title issues has never been a problem for me. You just need to know how to work the system. Ok, there have been two times where title has been an issue - one, still ongoing, is a grey market Land Cruiser that I think we have covered. The next was, you guessed it, a title in the name of a dead person. Probate screwed that one up, but it all worked out in the end.

 

Curious, did you tell them that the guy died? Did they tell you? If those words have not been spoken yet, try not saying anything. And that's one of my cardinal rules with DMV - keep your mouth shut. Speak only when spoken to.

[LIL RED HUSTLER]

8 hours ago, ggzilla said:

 

That indicates the ignition lock has been replaced. Originally, all the keys matched

Can we confirm we suspect two keys?

typically would the ignition cylinder be stamped with the same number as on the glove box sticky? 

[ggzilla]

I would buy one key blank see if it fits in the lock, try it in the doors too. If it fits, have it cut to the ignition code. Maybe try those key-cut vending machines at Safeway?

 

 

620 Pickup may be different from other Datsuns? The 1974 owner's manual will state if the same keys are used by the ignition and door

 

 

For the Datsun cars, starting around 1972 (for USA) all locks used one key

 

Some earlier Datsun with ignition lock (1970-1971?), the ignition used a different key, and it's a totally different shape. Look in the lock to see if it's symmetrical or not. The oval ignition key has cuts are on one side of the key. This is what came with those cars

Oval key for ignition, the other for the doors

A third possibility is that sometime in the last 51 years all the locks were re-keyed, and so longer match the codes you see