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Mystery '79 620 Dually (Anyone ever seen such?)


virginwidow

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I'm finally done lurking...

 

after years of using your wonderful information... I suppose it's about time, being as now there's 3 620 projects.

 

I found this (*&^#%$# darn) thing for only $1500. The ONLY rust I could find was that infernal crease where the floor of the bed meets the verical right behind the cab. There is not one single crack on the dash. My other 2 620's are plagued with cancer (my dear Kamo-kazi truck having it the worst) and when I saw all that solid metal I just got stupid and drained my savings.

 

Does anyone know what I've got here?

 

tumblr_onnvebXSdT1w7zxpbo1_1280.jpg

 

The young guy I got it from said the dual wheels were "Stock" which I seriously doubted. I can find no reference of a "Heavy Duty" 620 ... (These pics are awful) This one looks to be able to tote a full ton,  instead of the 1200+ they're normally rated for. The built up suspension in the back looks like it couldn't have been cheap.

 

tumblr_onnvmr7N001w7zxpbo2_1280.jpg

 

Dual Wheels -- havent had the hub apart (still fighting with the %^$ WIRES) how to tell where they came from?

tumblr_onnvmr7N001w7zxpbo1_1280.jpg

 

In adition to the built up springs and dual wheels, it also has DUAL TANKS. If it isn't factory, HOW did an exact twin on the normal, right hand tank "Sprout" on the left side of the drive shaft? All the mountings and fitments are identical to the RH tank, there's a cable @ the center of the floor board which switches them. I've not investigated if it's functional, and havent had a chance to get it up on a lift to see what manner of diverter exists.

 

In the 6 weeks I've had it, it's run for 2, when the "Poltergeist" appeared in the form of a suddenly useless starter button. I knew there were going to be some electric problems when I found 4 blown fuses in the floor board... I just didn't expect THIS... I'd rewired the brake lights and turn signals on my Blue Truck -- perplexing, but it was do-able. Not so lucky on this one. I suspect the engine was swapped, as there's a mechanical fuel pump on the head. The other 2 don't have that. The ID plate inside the engine bay no longer shows the original engine #. The wiring behind the dash is a mEss. I'm not going to pull it, taking it to the shop for that...

 

Finally resorted to biddy rigging a temporary ignition toggle, at least it moves. No lights but moving LOL... Has anyone on here heard of a "Heavy Duty" 620? The truck seems to have been built with a purpose in mind. The springs and dual tanks ?? Any clues? Could it have been ordered that way? Before I go doing anything do it, might be a good idea to learn whether I'd be ruining it.

 

My older trucks haven't been such a Butt-Hurt!!

 

This is my other 2..,

 

tumblr_onnvebXSdT1w7zxpbo2_1280.jpg

 

 

 

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Welcome to Ratsun.

 

The '79 was the first year for the Cab/Chassis option or Heavy Duty although there was a Camper special in '78 I think. The dual tire setup was on the later 720, in fact nothing in the picture even looks Nissan including the springs and that sway bar. Wayno on here might recognize it. There was not a dual tank on any trucks. It's a king cab '77-'79. The build date is stamped onto a tag on the driver's door tag.

 

That a DC3?

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That is a Beech E-18, I'm much better at working on airplanes (and motorcycles) than I am on trucks.

 

There is a DC-3 I work on sometimes as well.

 

Thing with motorcycles and airplanes, both of them will kill you if "Biddy Rig" something very much -- Trucks much more forgiving and former owners take liberties with that. The Kamo-Kazi (green truck) is the reason I originally signed up here.

 

Poor kamo-kazi truck is dying of cancer, but hoo boy does it scoot.

 

It has a VERY sexy engine (and fortunately former owner is respectable wrench and reachable by phone) that I need to tear down -- it's just time. The best pedigree I can give on the GOOD engine is he put a Crane Cam in it, special valves & chevy springs, modest header and holley carb. Hopefully can go see him before diving into it and get the exact details what he's got in there if hecan remember -- otherwise will have to rely on you folks!

 

All I can tell you is I think It makes about 140hp, it's cammed up enough to where it won't idle (I'm use to that from my bikes) but when she honks makes ricer boys look silly. I really do NOT want to mess up that engine.

 

For now I have to 'Daily' black truck, but my aim is to make it the "Avatar" for green truck's lovely innards. Former owner (one owner truck) builds Z's and his work shows it, but there are places where the frame itself is rusted through. If I can find a way to get 15" wheels on that dually set up I may keep it. Never drove one before this truck, but the extra rubber back there makes for very adhesive cornering.

 

I will provide better pictures of the tank set up when I can. I've always liked the idea of extra fuel. The black truck also has fully functional factory air, which I have no  use for. However I *DO* have a use for an air compressor, so I'm thinking I'll see if there's a way I can drive a compressor off that pulley.

 

The blue truck is my first one, it's (almost) sound except for the doors and Fred Flintstone Floor Board. Makes it kind of like riding a dresser with a big fairing when it rains.

 

There will be spare parts :-)

 

I have a photo bucket account -- BUT -- I cannot use it. It makes so much spam I have it routed to my spam bucket. The site is so riddled with X-site mess and scripts and adds my firewall and security filters basicly won't allow it to work. Is Photo bucket a rule? I do have flicker, it's not so bad, as will as use Lut.im, which is CLEAN AS A WHISTLE -- no ads, no muss, no fuss. I don't have a seperate computer right now. I imagine when you all first started the (wonderful) albums on photo-bucket the site was much more usable.

Please advise

 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR REPLY

 

PS I'll pm you my flicker, have lots of pictures of the planes at work

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Looks like this might have been a 'boxtruck' configuration and someone added the bed later. Basically a Cab and Chassis truck. 

 

It looks like that to me anyways. 

 

 

Nice fleet, great pics. Welcome aboard.  :D

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Photos are not very clear, cannot tell if that is a Nissan axle, nor can I tell what them wheels are for sure.

The later 620 mobile homes came with these weird dually rims that were all one piece, meaning the two rims could not be separated from each other, the outer rim/tire was at the end of a long deep barrel, only the 6 normal lugnuts held these rims on, don't know how they got the tires off and on these rims.

The earlier mobile homes with rear dually wheels used the stock rims that came on the trucks with adapters that looked like these in the photos below, these were used on the 521 mobile homes.

100_0114.jpg

 

100_0115.jpg

The rear wheel flairs are home made, the proper ones were aftermarket and look like the ones in distributorguy's photo above, I have a couple sets of them.

 

The overload helpers are aftermarket, I would imagine the blocks were put in there to help keep it up when hauling a lot of weight, I can't imagine it has a smooth ride when empty, as for the rear sway bar, if one was hauling a lot of weight that stuck up high like a heavy camper it might help, but I haul a lot of weight in my 521 dually work truck all the time, and I have to be hauling a lot of weight to actually get my truck to lean around a corner, yet I still have a decent ride when empty, I have air bags for the really heavy loads, but then the brakes are not so good, so I don't haul them kind of loads very often, but a camper might warrant a rear sway bar.

 

I have a set of mobile home rear leafs, if I could get a clear photo of the axle, leafs, and rear wheels from the side it would help me ID if it is in fact Nissan at all.

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Photos are not very clear, cannot tell if that is a Nissan axle, nor can I tell what them wheels are for sure.

The later 620 mobile homes came with these weird dually rims that were all one piece, meaning the two rims could not be separated from each other, the outer rim/tire was at the end of a long

 

I have a set of mobile home rear leafs, if I could get a clear photo of the axle, leafs, and rear wheels from the side it would help me ID if it is in fact Nissan at all.

 

THANK YOU!!

 

Actually, I did get some fotos of the springs and sway bar. There are air shocks.

 

Right now the infernal '79 is in the yard, AGAIn for over a week -- it's probably lost me what little job I had :-(

 

I'll try to find the fotos -- I don't think these are stock axle, from what I can see through the outer wheel it looks more like ... If it ever runs again I'll get it to a garage where I can get it up safely and look. I can haz no garage :-(

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