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720inOlyWa

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the 720 wiki page gives a pretty good breakdown of what options came on what trim levels (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datsun_Truck#Trim_options), and you can use a vin decoder (like this - https://www.vindecoderz.com/EN/Nissan/720) to figure out what trim model your truck is. the thing is, these trucks come from a time when the people going to the dealer to order a new vehicle would often times pick and choose what options they wanted. stuff was a lot cheaper back then. 

 

for example, my 81 is a DX trim model, which is the deluxe model that came standard with a bench seat and factory a/c, according to the wiki. However, my truck had factory buckets with the center console and no a/c. 

 

my 83 is a GL trim model, which is the standard basic version that came with a bench seat and no clock or tach; however, mine has bucket seats with the center console, power steering, factory sunroof, clock, tach, and tilt steering. whoever ordered this one from the dealer did it how i probably would have, started with the basic model and ordered it with the options they wanted.

 

obviously wikipedia shouldn't be taken as scripture, it's put together by people like you and me after all, but it's consistent with other info i've found around in old brochures and other online resources. 

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the 720 wiki page gives a pretty good breakdown of what options came on what trim levels (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datsun_Truck#Trim_options), and you can use a vin decoder (like this - https://www.vindecoderz.com/EN/Nissan/720) to figure out what trim model your truck is. the thing is, these trucks come from a time when the people going to the dealer to order a new vehicle would often times pick and choose what options they wanted. stuff was a lot cheaper back then. 

 

for example, my 81 is a DX trim model, which is the deluxe model that came standard with a bench seat and factory a/c, according to the wiki. However, my truck had factory buckets with the center console and no a/c. 

 

my 83 is a GL trim model, which is the standard basic version that came with a bench seat and no clock or tach; however, mine has bucket seats with the center console, power steering, factory sunroof, clock, tach, and tilt steering. whoever ordered this one from the dealer did it how i probably would have, started with the basic model and ordered it with the options they wanted.

 

obviously wikipedia shouldn't be taken as scripture, it's put together by people like you and me after all, but it's consistent with other info i've found around in old brochures and other online resources. 

Glad to see people like my work (somewhat). :rofl:

 

Like you said, I am definitely not perfect. I guess the biggest thing is (and tdc alluded to this above) I have yet to ascertain is if the different "trim levels" were actual packages that you chose, and those were the options you got, or if you got basically a list of all the possible options, and mixed and matched. I spent a good amount of time going through brochures and online people, but because different packages were offered in different states and at different times because California, and the whole Datsun-Nissan conversion, its really difficult to know for certain. I love Wikipedia because it can be a one-stop introduction to our trucks, and I'd like to edit it more and make it as complete and comprehensive as possible. I would love to get in touch with an old Datsun/Nissan salesman and get a first hand account of some information regarding trim packages. 

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I suspect that the dealers also added some little trim options too, like the trailer mirrors and pin striping. It all gets pretty confusing to sort out. What I am interested in knowing is how much harder it is to steer it without power steering. I can forgo A/C and a sunroof, but man, I do like that power steering. I have a buddy who, like me, scored a really great little Toyota long bed, of about the same vintage. When he drove my truck, he got pretty jealous about my power steering...

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My first 720 was no power steering 4x4 on 31x10.5s. As long as i was moving it was fine to drive. Just parking lot maneuvers sucked. If you're going to be on stock 2wd size tires it will be stiff, but easily doable.

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I learned from my 49 Plymouth wagon days that you want the skinny tread tires on there, like they actually had back in the day. I put a set of steel belted radials on a Plymouth and you could hardly turn it, standing still. Like steering the Titanic. NOS skinny tread tires made it pretty easy to steer, actually. Huh. Who knew?!? So I stuck with skinny tires and learned to plan ahead in my driving habits. And that part stuck with me. Never had a wreck in well over a million civilian miles.

 

The tires on this truck are heavily checked and generally shot. They are also a pretty wide tread pattern. When I re-shoe it, I will check to see what tread width options I have and consider them accordingly. It is quite possible the this truck will go to a very deserving lady who raises goats in rural Oregon.  We want to get it solid before she gets it, including brakes and tires. She isn’t a big boned gal, in fact she is a sliver of a woman. So she will need all the help she can get in terms of steerability.

 

Today, I began banishing the coffin rot from the cab. You know, that residual surface mold and dust film that cars get when they sit too long. I call it the primary assault. Anyway, I performed a primary assault with hot water and mild biosoap, focusing on the seats and headrests. They cleaned up very nicely, turning 4 gallons of clean soapy water into some grungy shit indeed. That‘s just a primary assault, establishing the beached on the seats. I will do a secondary assault when that dries. From there, I have a place to sit to assault the headliner and dash. Probably a two day project, just banishing the worst of the coffin rot. Once that is gone, it should look real nice inside.

 

But the seats are incredible. First off, the adjustment mechanisms are flawless and work beautifully. Shiny black, like new! The plastic side guards are both there and undamaged. Except for the need to re-bolster the drivers side, these are by far the best seats I have found to date. They are so good, I think we should cover them so she can make them last a long long time.

 

I also noticed that the windshield is nearly perfect. Not just untracked or pitted, it looks unused. New. So far, this truck has a pretty good tailwind behind it. when the primary assault on the entire cab is complete, I‘ll post more pics of that.

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sounds like an awesome truck! i disabled the power steering in my 83 since i put the 81 drivetrain in it. i didn't want to mess with deleting the fuel pump on the z22 and mix n matching pulleys from the z24 to make it work. the truck has a small steering wheel and is sitting on 15x9s right now and i'm pretty scrawny, but i manage fine with it. 

 

Glad to see people like my work (somewhat). :rofl:

 

are you the one behind the 720 wiki? i shoulda known it would be someone here, haha. it's a great resource, thanks for the effort you've put into it!

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sounds like an awesome truck! i disabled the power steering in my 83 since i put the 81 drivetrain in it. i didn't want to mess with deleting the fuel pump on the z22 and mix n matching pulleys from the z24 to make it work. the truck has a small steering wheel and is sitting on 15x9s right now and i'm pretty scrawny, but i manage fine with it. 

 

 

are you the one behind the 720 wiki? i shoulda known it would be someone here, haha. it's a great resource, thanks for the effort you've put into it!

 

Great to know this! Thanks!

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Between rain squalls, I performed the secondary and tertiary assaults on the seats, which cleaned up nicely, as you can see. I have cropped out the area that I am going to repair on purpose to give you a glimpse of how it was originally / how it will be again.

 

pvJCHc8.jpg

 

Any drivers seat of this age will have a somewhat crushed foam ‘biscuit‘, right along the side where your legs swing out. This is caused by the spring wire cutting into the underside of the biscuit and foam deterioration along the top side of the biscuit. You can see here that there is that deflated look about the seat side rail with a small diagonal crease in the most crumpled area. All in all, this is very minor damage / early deterioration. Time to lay a fix on it!

 

vawfKnq.jpg

 

The cure is to support the biscuit underneath with 3/8 inch felt blocking while supplementing the foam on the topside. Once you do this, the original shape returns nicely under the upholstery vinyl. If the covering itself is not cracked from  being crimped or crumpled for a long time, it will re-distribute the wear pattern so that it doesn't crack further and also returns to shape. I expect this to return to like new form. Along with a 9.8/10 bed, these seats made this truck a real find.

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Well, today was a fine day to jerk the head off of this little Z20 to see what is up. My intention was to replace the head gasket before it needed it, and to inspect the cylinders. As I mentioned, I have a newish Z20 head that I am going to swap on in the process. The good news is pretty great actually: the cylinder walls themselves look to be in excellent condition. Passing this truck on, I would want to know that the bottom end is in pretty solid shape. Now I can be reasonably assured that the entire unit is going to be good.

 

I notice that the piston tops are quite a bit different than the Z24 piston tops. There are rather noticeable relief wedges cut into them to clear the valves. The Z20 is indeed different. This is as far in as I am going to go. Tomorrow, I can clean up the deck, remove the carbon around the squish band, and start to put things back together. 

 

.hZQjtPn.jpg

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are you the one behind the 720 wiki? i shoulda known it would be someone here, haha. it's a great resource, thanks for the effort you've put into it!

Yeah, that was me. It was 11:00 PM on some day over winter break from school. I had a beer or two (I never drink) and got super motivated and yeah, that happened. 

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Moved things along nicely, removing everything except the timing chain cover today. I will pop that off tomorrow. I can see that it time for a new chain and tensioner set as the grooves are getting deep in the guides. I just happen to have a set to go in.

 

I used to struggle to get everything lined up perfectly while shoehorning the chain and sprocket onto the cam end. Just as backwards as can be. With the cover off, it is easy to set up everything in the correct and precise order with no fuss at all. In the opes that it will help someone else, I will photo document and share my technique as I do it during my next work session.

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The chain makes folks nervous, maybe because it should. But i is no big deal to sequence the chain and cam sprocket, and get the tensioners just right, if you go slow and read the official shop manual for directions. It really covers it- that and reading here, that is!  If an engine is unknown to me, like this one, I want to make sure the main wear issues are addressed, needed or not.

 

So if I was getting valve work done and removing the head, I would be seriously considering the timing chain and tensioners too, unless I just replaced them myself. That‘s just me. I forget right off the bat how long it says to go between timing chain changes, but I do remember it was a lot less than I thought. When I had my 76 620, I never thought once about changing out the chain. So if the front cover is coming of too, there is a simple trick that I use to shave off about a half a ton of grief.

 

Now a lot of folks who know that they do not need to change the chain and tensioners- and yet still need to take the head off for some reason- will use the plastic chain keeper to hold the tensioner in place. Some use a wooden block in that shape. These never worked very well for me, thought I tried and tried them. They work well for others, it seems, so go figure. But I would rather KNOW that the tensioner is completely compressed and the chain is absolutely on the right sprocket and the best way for me to do that is with the cover off. I‘l show you how I do it real soon...

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Oh man, my blood ran cold! When I lifted the head off, I made sure to locate the little guide tubes right away. But in a moment when I was super anxious to see the condition of the cylinder walls, I broke my own rules and almost paid dearly for it. I offer this sobering reminder even though it is at the expense of exposing my own stupidity. Learn from my mistake!.

 

Even before I had the head off, once the cam sprocket is removed and the chain is dropped, I normally stuff a shop rag into the timing chain opening to prevent anything from falling down into the oil pan. It does‘t say to do this in the shop manual, but just do it, okay?

 

I didn’t this time, thinking to myself ‘Oh, I‘ll be really careful...‘. I lifted the head off and made note of the two little alignment tubes. One was stuck in the head, which is fine. The other remained in the block, near the front. I saw and felt it there. I walk the head over to the bench and flip it over to inspect the valves, etc.. Then I go back to the truck and prepare to spin it enough to inspect the cylinder walls. when I removed the head gasket from the block and walked it over to the head on the bench, I noticed the tube was not in the gasket. When I went back to the truck, it was not in the block. Where did it go?!?

 

I stopped everything and carefully pulled the chain up while looking down the hole with a flashlight. Nothing. I searched the entire area carefully, nothing. With the chain wadded up in there, what are the chances it flipped down the hole? How could it get past the chain?I mulled these thoughts as I chided myself for not following my own damn rules, and I pushed on with the removal of the timing chain cover.

 

Once I separated the timing chain cover at the corners, it eased off nicely. But as I removed the chain itself, this is what I found:

 

vLJI946.jpg

 

Do you see how close I came to a total disaster? Oh man! What a slim reprieve! I will never, ever, forget that shop rag in the timing chain hole rule again! Damn!

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So, okay. On a brighter note, I took the head into Johnstons Performance Machine here in Tumwater. The guides were okay, they will measure the cam, grind the valves, clean it all up for another 180k miles.

 

Shouldn‘t the valve guides be pretty much worn out by 180k miles? This truck was driven for sure, but the wear everywhere is so light, the insides so clean, everything so undisturbed, that I think that a fair amount of the 180k on the odometer may have come from being towed behind a motor home. Just a hunch.

 

Another mystery, this head is a round intake port version, appropriate to the Z20 and Z22, I understand. But the valves in this head are a different diameter from the other round port head that I have here (bigger). I don’t really know what this means exactly, but there you go.. with the rains coming down, it was a good day to visit the machine shop to see Junior, my favorite machine shop dawg. You may remember him from the famous paintings of dogs playing poker and smoking cigars...

 

4yZa36H.jpg

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While I am waiting for the Z20 had to be reconditioned, I have been doing a bit of clean up and rust abatement. I won't get into my battery tray treatment here- it is on my other rebuild thread. But it is simple enough: elbow grease, a series of wire brushes, Rust Destroyer, followed by paint. Go over the rusty areas three times, using hot soap and water and the wire brushes. Then do it all again with a dry wire brush. Prep is everything, of course. I got as far as shooting the Rust Destroyer on the battery tray area and the front frame cross member. The tray itself was rusted a bit, but it is mostly there and it came back better than I had anticipated. The frame just had some surface rust, which I banished and also hit with the Rust Destroyer. All of the primered areas will get a good paint covering.

 

Meanwhile, the pully and alternator mount were pickled, prepped and painted this morning. This photo uses flash, so the color isn‘t quite accurate, but suffice it to say VHT Engine Enamel, Early Chry Blue is just about as close as you are going to get i a rattle can option, and not a bad facsimile of the original color.  Pretty close.

 

qaydlOZ.jpg?2

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While the paint on the pulley dried, I assaulted the radiator using every tool in my cleaning arsenal. I flushed it with super hot water, pressure washed it from the outside with hot water, scrubbed it with all manner of brushes. Then I removed the oxides on the brass tank bits with brasso and washed it all down again.

 

Somewhere in the middle of picking out the last of the stubborn pine needles, I began straightening the spots where the foil had been bent over. There were none on the backside, indicating that the water pump had never experienced catastrophic failure. That‘s a good thing. But the front had what looked to be a small branch strike. That took a while to straighten up nicely. Tonight it sits, drying, before it gets some radiator paint in the morning.

 

Does anyone have a preferred method for cleaning the cooling system thoroughly once it is back together? I have watched some good ones on youtube. I thought I might try the ChrisFix version.

 

I flushed the radiator pretty good with hot water, but it could be cleaner still. That also means that I need to flush and clean the engine jacket and the heater core as well. I will do that when it is back together, with the thermostat out, using a flushing / cleaning agent. When I flushed the radiator, some chalky, beige stuff came out. It looks like calcium carbonate. It makes me wonder if this has resulted because of the use of tap water in the cooling system.

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 I took mine to the alternative radiator shop- my garage! After a pretty meticulous going over on the outside, straightening fins, flushing the fins, cleaning over and over again, I plugged the holes and filled it with a gallon of very hot white vinegar and let it sit overnight, full. Boy, that really seems to have done the trick in terms of cleaning the insides!

 

This morning, about 4am, I could‘t sleep, so I got up and shot the black paint on it. I just got back from picking up the new hoses. Now I will be looking for something to do until my head comes back from the machinist.

 

9pwhEyB.jpg?2

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My brain has been curious about doing a vinegar flush on cooling systems. Glad to see someone who's tried it. I think i might have to do the same on my radiator and heater core.

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I know what you mean- I have repaired the unsoldered brackets myself. Kind of a fun job, actually. I saved one remnant of my 1949 Plymouth days- a good radiator. I know, because I rebuilt it myself. It has zero time on it and when the last Plym left or driveway, I just kept that spare radiator. It is really fun to compare the materials used in that beast, to this little 720 radiator with the tinfoil fins. 

 

With the radiator done, today was about cleaning and prepping the timing chain cover, waiting for the phone to ring telling me the head is ready to pick up.

 

In the process of rehabbing an old Nissan truck, detailing the timing chain cover is just about as big a waste of time as you can get. I know this. But I do it anyway. I always do. This truck had been living in a foggy place by the sea, by the look of the timing mark plate. It was impossible to read the numbers. Similarly, a lot of the bolt heads were surface rusted and the aluminum was heavily oxidized. Like I said, it is likely to be like that again soon enough, but when it leaves my place, it is gonna be clean through and through.

 

Likely that you have done this chore too, and probably several times more than I. This is about as far as I think I need to go...

 

ZNE5aln.jpg?1

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Good idea! I used Por15 metal Prep / rust destroyer on the little timing indicator plate, after introducing it to Mr. Wirewheel. The Metal Prep did a nice number of sort of plating over the surface rust scars lefts from the wheeling. Then I shot three thin coats of cleat VHT engine enamel on the plate to hold off the rusty return until they take the keys away from me. Thanks for the reminder!

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I like to paint the oil pump. This is in keeping with my ‘grandpa truck‘ operating philosophy. If it makes it easier to work on later, go ahead and paint it but don‘t get cute with it. You don‘t mess with your oil pump every day, but it hangs down there where is is really dirty and any hint of weeping oil is a dirt and grunge magnet. This way, a rag wipes it clean or, at worst, a stream of hot water will get it back to new-looking quite quickly.  I like that. Grandpa likes that. Not profile-ish, just plain old farm smarts. Same goes for de-rusting and clear coating the timing mark plate. Before I painted the oil pump, I cleaned it good and checked it out for flow and function.  It‘s all good.

 

ixe8Lxt.jpg?3

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