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Should I buy this '73 620?


Vividfragment

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Hi all. New to the forum. I'm not a huge knowledgeable car guy, but I want to learn more and I've always loved Datsuns. I used to have a 78 620 unti it got totaled. I've had my eyes open ever since for one. I found one in my area for $1800. It's a 73. Body is in pretty good shape. I've already gone to check it out and drove it around and it felt fine but I realized there was a lot more I should have looked at on it. It has some funky wiring stuff, like for example when you start the truck, there is a red light on the dash that comes on that is pertaining to the alternator. After you rev the engine for a few seconds the light comes off and this means that the alternator has actuated. Other than that there isn't any other funky wiring stuff but I don't know why someone would wire the alternator up like that. The guy has had it for 5 years and the guy before him is the one who did that. Other than that the body is in decent shape, a little rust here and there but nothing major that I could see. Brand new wheels and tires but also comes with the stock wheels and hubcaps. The odometer says 89,000 but is it possible it could have started over? There are only 5 digits on the odometer. Looking for knowledgeable people to tell me if it's worth it or what else to look for. It won't be a daily driver, but it will get me to work a few times a week, etc. Here is the link:
 

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I would say for $1,800 even if it didn't run this would be a great start for a project. Solely by appearance I say this. Seat has obviously been recovered so not usable as a wear indicator. Other high wear indicators are the brake pedal pad, steering wheel, driver's door hinges, carpeting below the gas pedal and a multitude of replaced parts like the voltage regulator, fuel pump, carb, the rad or the gas tank. Are the headlamps the original Koyo or Hitachi? If it had the complete exhaust system (without $2 clamps holding it together) this would be ideal but 80k it would be doubtful. A few things replaced would be normal for 80K.  Again, solely by appearance I would say the mileage looks to be true.

 

The delay getting the red charge lamp off can be a winding loose of a diode gone bad. This results in a lower output until revved at which point the regulator kicks in. It could also be from a very loose alternator belt.

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I'm not sure about the exhaust. I need to go take a closer look at it. There is no carpet, just floormats. Undermeath the one on the passenger side there is a softball size spot of rust that has been treated and hasn't eaten through the floorboards. Don't know about the headlamps either. Door hinges seemed fine. Thanks for uploading the pics btw, couldn't figure out how to do that on my iPad. Really tempted to buy it but I don't want it to turn into a nightmare. I'm no mechanic but I want something I can learn on and this community seems to be full of knowledgeable people

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I'm not sure about the exhaust. I need to go take a closer look at it. There is no carpet, just floormats. Undermeath the one on the passenger side there is a softball size spot of rust that has been treated and hasn't eaten through the floorboards. Don't know about the headlamps either. Door hinges seemed fine. Thanks for uploading the pics btw, couldn't figure out how to do that on my iPad. Really tempted to buy it but I don't want it to turn into a nightmare. I'm no mechanic but I want something I can learn on and this community seems to be full of knowledgeable people

..what's wrong w the headlamp? If that truck runs good that's a good price. Heck he may even go down a bit. Can't expect this to be perfect for a truck that's almost 45 years old.
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I was responding to datzenmike. He was talking about signs of high mileage because I was asking if it's possible if the odometer had turned over. I was just saying I don't know if it's the original ones or not

 

Are you in Eugene?

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Regarding the 'alternator light': You could be looking at a bad alternator. There is a charge light on the dash, or should be (not a truck guy). The alternator should be charging as soon as it starts spinning at idle speed. 

 

Floors look decent.. are there any actual rust holes?

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I was responding to datzenmike. He was talking about signs of high mileage because I was asking if it's possible if the odometer had turned over. I was just saying I don't know if it's the original ones or not

...don't matter if its original or not if it runs good, its a good buy. Here's a thought see if you can do a compression test. If test is w in range then its even a better buy if not then you can negotiate some more. Like I said these vehicles are 40 + years old and will be hard to find one in original condition and of so he will charge more.
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Hi, everyone! Thanks for the advice. I've been busy and haven't been online for a while. SO here is an update.I went ahead and bought the truck. I sure missed driving one of these. The guy said that he replaced the alternator at one point, but it sounds like it was doing that light thing before that. The guy who had it before him wired it in a little funky and put an extra ground wire in or something? So this last guy took it off. I'm not sure but the light comes on when you start it up, and you just have to rev it up to about 2500 rpm for a sec and then it kicks off.The body is in good shape for its age, a little rust and some dings here and there but I've seen much worse. Could use a exhaust system... the tailpipe ends pretty much right after the muffler,and the muffler itself is starting to crack where the pipe goes into it so it rattles around a little bit. I plan on replacing the whole exhaust at some point.. This is going to be a huge learning process for me; I did not grow up working on cars. I know basic stuff and I've done little jobs here and there, replacing alternators, radiators, etc. But I need to learn how to do this stuff and I know these Datsuns are pretty simple to learn on. With that being said, what are the first things I should do? I plan on doing a compression check. Obviously I should give it an oil change but can someone recommend the best oil and filter to use? One thing I have noticed while driving it: sometimes, when taking off from a stop, it seems like you have to give it a little more gas than normal before the clutch will really bite. I found myself pumping the gas pedal a few times before releasing the clutch all the way because it just didn't seem like it was even getting the gas. It would take a few pumps to get the rpm up and then I would release the clutch. It was pretty bad when i first drove it home, but now it doesn't seem quite as bad. I don't know if its because I'm just getting used to it, or if driving it around after it sitting for a while is helping. Anyway I just wanted to see if anyone knows what could cause this. Something in the carb needing adjustment? All in all its a great little rig, the 80,000 miles is believable.  

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Any oil with high ZDDP levels. Ask any Chevy owner wioth pushrod engine what he races with. Castrol GTX? Valvoline? Usually they say racing oil on them. I use 15w40 Shell RotellaT4 a light duty diesel oil that retains the same high anti scuff zinc additive ZDDP in it. Do not waste your money on synthetic oils.

 

I would guess the accelerator pump is not working in the carb. Take the top off the air filter and look down in while working the throttle. What you should see is a strong squirt of gas into the primary barrel (closest the valve cover). If weak or none this will allow a lean condition when trying to accelerate off fro a start. A good cleaning and rebuild will take care of this.

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So, I went to start it today and the throttle cable snapped.. I'm picking up a new one tomorrow, but I have no idea how to install it. Is there a way to know what model of carburetor I have? That way I can try to look up how to clean and rebuild it .I have a chiltons manual but I can't find anything on replacing the cable. I'm extremely new at this kind of thing and I'm already feeling a bit overwhelmed..

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  • 3 weeks later...

when replacing the throttle cable just pay attention when removing it and reinstall the same way 

take pictures befor removing just incase you forget something 

but it should be pretty basic 

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Hi all. New to the forum. I'm not a huge knowledgeable car guy, but I want to learn more and I've always loved Datsuns. I used to have a 78 620 unti it got totaled. I've had my eyes open ever since for one. I found one in my area for $1800. It's a 73. Body is in pretty good shape. I've already gone to check it out and drove it around and it felt fine but I realized there was a lot more I should have looked at on it. It has some funky wiring stuff, like for example when you start the truck, there is a red light on the dash that comes on that is pertaining to the alternator. After you rev the engine for a few seconds the light comes off and this means that the alternator has actuated. Other than that there isn't any other funky wiring stuff but I don't know why someone would wire the alternator up like that. The guy has had it for 5 years and the guy before him is the one who did that. Other than that the body is in decent shape, a little rust here and there but nothing major that I could see. Brand new wheels and tires but also comes with the stock wheels and hubcaps. The odometer says 89,000 but is it possible it could have started over? There are only 5 digits on the odometer. Looking for knowledgeable people to tell me if it's worth it or what else to look for. It won't be a daily driver, but it will get me to work a few times a week, etc. Here is the link:

 

I see a 1973 620 in real good shape in salt lake city, Utah, on ksl.com cars, for three K....nice/pretty paint, etc.  no idea on the condition, if anyone is looking, I can't afford it

right now

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