WI 720

5189570246401326 expires December 4, 2016

It has been way too long since I updated this thread ... Had another kid and life happens. Here are truck pictures: The FJ40 above sold, I bought another 1982 720 with a blown Z22 engine and bad under body rust and parted it out piece by piece down to the frame which I then cut up -if anyone wants something let me know, I'll probably throw a classified ad up again soon. I think that I'll take the hood an swap it onto my truck. I cut the floors out of the cab which I wish I would have done before trying to patch the floors of my 720 diesel. I didn't run the truck for a few months over the winter and let the tags expire. I renewed the tags, started the truck a few times but didn't drive it and finally last night, I got it started enough to move it into the garage because someone in my homeowners association came to the door to complain about the truck and all the sheet metal and frame from the other 720 in the back - apparently they were worried that I was hurting the property values in the neighborhood. Here is video of it starting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spmmToH0_08 It smoked a lot at first. I still need to swap in new glow plugs. The dash lights went out and the passenger side taillights need to be resoldered so I have some electrical fun to sort out. It feels good to have it running again. Hopefully I'll be able to move forward on some projects with it soon and document it.

Its been 2.5 months since I checked in and I wish I could report that the truck is all complete but it is still a work in progress. Its been fun though and its moving along. I did make a 600 mile or so trip from Madison to the shores of lake superior in Michigan's Upper peninsula to pick up two 1950s Cushman scooters with my brother. I tracked mileage on one tank and got just over 35mpg. It was all highway but I was carrying a load and a passenger so I was pleased. The big project has been trying to replace the driver's side floor without welding. The seat sunk below the floor and the floor is pretty rusted out (see post above). I'm making progress and here are pictures. I cut out the really bad rust which widened some of the holes, then I applied POR-15 and painted to slow future rust as much as possible. Next, I cut an aluminum patch from another Datsun project and used aluminumized tape to seal the edges and painted over it. I used construction adhesive to attach the patch to the floor. I used a jack to raise the seat above the floor and slide the aluminum patch under the seat supports. I didn't support the patch enough and it shifted so I improvised supports from another left over Datusn project, used construction adhesive to put those in place and then re-taped with aluminumized tape. I sprayed some rubberized coating and spray lacquer over the tap edges and then applied duct insulation and more aluminumized tape. The goal was to help sound insulate the floor. I need to add more duct insulation and more tape and then put the rubber floor mat over it. I also mostly removed the musty insulation from under the floor mat. O.k. here are pictures: Painted after the por-15. Aluminum Patch A view from the bottom Floor support Raising the seat. Patch installed, painted and taped. Taped and rubberized. Duct Insulation being applied. Its supposed to be a cheaper version of dynamat soundproofing. For looks and slight aerodynamic improvements, I cut down the bed some. I don't think it will inhibit the functionality for what I use it for. Before Pending.... After I am still working on some taillight bugs and a fuse that keeps blowing which is likely related to the taillights. Its getting closer to where I want it. I bled the brakes again and they are finally feeling a firm as I want them. I was also slightly side tracked by this project. It isn't a patrol, but is still pretty cool:

The brakes are working better and I've been hauling some other stuff. I think that I'll still need to adjust the brake pedal a bit so that the brakes catch earlier when I depress the brake pedal. One of the major projects that needs to be done is to patch the floor pans and do it without welding since I don't have a welder and I don't weld. Step 1: Cut out the loose rusted metal and try to straighten some of the lines and wire brush some of the rust off: Before. After. Step 2: Add some POR-15 that I had left over from another project: Next Steps: Paint over the POR-15. Then, I'll add in some aluminum sheet metal. and cut it to fit. I'll use construction adhesive to glue it to the original floor. I may end up reinforcing the floor with an aluminum beams. I'll paint the aluminum as well and add some sound-proofing before putting down the rubber datsun floor mat. Hopefully that reduces the road noise and will be weather-tight.

Well, the brakes actually weren't fixed and leaked out brake fluid all over my garage. I ended up retightening the connections and rebleeding the brakes. The they finally (hopefully) work and don't leak, but they are still a bit softer than I'd like so I'll need to re-bleed the brakes and maybe adjust the pedal. It was good enough to drive a few miles to pick up a CB160, so that was a win. I also put a new steering wheel on and added some duct insulation (aka generic dynamat). The insulation should help reduce the outside noise level. Fixing the hole in the floor would also likely improve the noise level as well. I did acquire a Datsun parking only sign as well. Here are pictures: I need to put the rest of the turn signal pieces back together but at least the wheel is on. I think that the insulation helps and I'll add more in other areas. More frame rust protection... Its still ongoing. CB160 Successfully acquired! Honda Motorcycle + Datsun Truck = Win To Dos: 1. Reassemble steering column 2. Finish Bleeding Brakes and adjust pedal. 3. Work on preventing the rear differential from leaking 4. Continue to Paint the frame and bottom of the truck. 5. Fix huge holes in the floor on the driver's side. 6. Add additional sound deadening material 7. Lower the front using the torsion bars and get an alignment 8. Replace glow plugs.

I didn't get pictures yet, but I did cut a huge hole in the back of the camper and pull off a few pieces that I could. It will definitely be a project. The 620 does look like it has very few miles (pedals look almost new) but the body is rusty, the brakes and rotors look toasted. The camper has been sitting since ~2009 in the weather in Wisconsin. The passenger door is jammed shut. I have no keys for it. There is a hole cut in the top as well as the back. I haven't had a chance yet to assess the frame or try to start the engine.... The hood is rusted badly and there was an animal living in the camper portion so that is trashed... Having no pictures isn't right so here are a few: This is probably the nicest looking picture of it. I like the front. Nice looking head lights. Upon closer examination, the dash only has gold paint and not real gold so I am still kind of hosed. At least the 720 is coming along and I may be able to use it to help get the camper scrap hauled away to the 620 can get towed to my cousin's shop where I can assess the situation better.

Well, I wimped out when I discovered the place was about an hour and a half farther than excepted. The engine and trans is still up for sale on Craigslist near Greenbay. $200 for the pair. I instead went an worked on my 620 that I bought and need to get towed so I can continue to part it out. Probably better to have fewer irons in the fire. This thread is closed on my end.... for now. B)

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ank/cto/4992695803.html 200SX convertible.

I appreciate the input and have my expectations set adequately low now B) ... Although, I do like Charlie69's analysis and find it compelling. I'll be picking up a J13 engine with the carb and the transmission this Sunday. My goal is two-fold: 1. Try to make some money on it so I have more funds to devote to my 720. 2. Learn more about Datsuns and their enginges. So far, I've taken apart an L28, Z22 and I have an L20. I think that a J13 would be a nice project as well, especially if I at least break even on it. My dream is to find another SD22 in the area, but non Z-car Datsuns are rare in WI, and finding a Datsun diesel here is like looking for a unicorn.

Greetings, I'm looking at acquiring a 1969 Datsun engine and transmission. Are the transmissions desireable? How much is a fair price for a parts J13 engine and for a manual transmission?

Well, I did it. I bought a super rough 620 camper. It is in really rough shape with no keys, and I'll need to just part it out. It has been sitting for years. I couldn't get it towed since its an RV. I'll try to get pictures up once I get back to it. Its too bad, since if it would have been nicer and not had the huge hole cut in the back, I would have been tempted to keep it and make it a flat bed. Stay tuned...

Greetings 620ers, I may be acquiring a 620... the deal is pending. The quick research that I've done shows that the 620 speedos only went up to 99,999 so there isn't a great way to tell if there is 230K or 30K on a truck. Is that a correct understanding? Also, for the 620ers who are familiar with 620 Rockwood campers, did they come with a 6 bolt or 5 bolt pattern. The stock 620s came with the 6 bolt, but pictures I've seen seem to indicate that the Rockwoods came with a 5 bolt pattern. If I get the vehicle, I'll update the thread and put up pics....

*Brakes are working again. Lessons learned: buy correct hoses and fittings. Bleed brakes on both sides after working on both sides. I picked up a few other little bits of knowledge and tips as well. As I was backing out of the garage, onto my downhill driveway, I realized that the brakes weren't working. Luckily, the block to keep the back wheels from rolling forward when I was working on the 720 also stopped the front wheels as it was rolling backwards. That was definitely lucky. I drove all of 30 feet in the past two days, but at least I'm in a position to drive it more tomorrow. It is gratifying that I didn't fire up the engine for probably about 4-5 months and it still fired right up. I'll try to get some more work done tomorrow and then post pictures.

Those are hummer H3 rims. I liked the look of them on your truck so much that I went out an bought a set today...

Update: So close... I reassembled the brakes, replaced the lines, did some testing and brake fluid is leaking out... I'll try to have a solution and pictures up soon.