RickB

Just wanted to say thanks for the updates, was very helpful. My truck is ealier but it's great to see original setups for comparison, at least for this newbie. I'm trying to hunt down a pair of original chrome mirrors like the ones you mentioned so it was very helpful to see those as there's surprisly not a lot of detail photos of them.

Hi guys, Some slow progress on other bits and pieces related to the truck. No progress on the wheels/brakes really, I'm waiting on Mike ot make his new 14" friendly kit. Sometime in the new year I'm told. In some good news, I was finally able to get the glove box door lock off. If you take the back plate off by prying the tabs up, you can then get to a recessed sprung latch that holds the front half of the knob/lock assembly. Super easy once I had figured it out. I can't tell you what a breakthrough this was! On another note, the mystery as to what my truck really is and where it came from continues. My fuse box lid is brittle and cracked. The PO tried to glue it back together, but that is failing and leaving bits of perished plastic everywhere. Of course, all the OEM covers I find on eBay have different label layouts! Why is mine different?! I read somewhere my cover might be a JDM cover, why would that be? Any idea where I can get one of those?! One more question, the PO hastily installed an oil pressure gauge but running the line from the block and screwing the gauge crudely into the lower dash. It terrible and I want it gone. How do I blank off the oil pressure line on the block? Thanks, Rick.

GRpufnstuf, This is fantastic information to, thank you. I've reached out to Mike and Bee, I'll see what they suggest. Admittedly I don't know much about the underneath of these trucks, so anything that comes in kit form is very helpful. So I may just take you up on your offer to check your parts collection out if it comes to that. I'll let you know what I hear back from the guys. Rick.

Rick-rat put me onto bluehandsinc.com and I'm liking what I'm reading there. Anyone have experience with that approach?

Thanks for the speedy replies guys. K_Trip: I called Wheel Vintiques as was surpirsed they didn't have a showroom I could see their range nor would they make me rims. No idea how you got them to custom make you a set. They said the Smoothie is the only 6-lug wheel they make that is in that original style. I think the OE Ford/Chevy wheel they make is very similar to the stock Datsun wheel, except they only make it in a 5-lug and it won't take the stock Datsun hub cap, something I think is crucial to the look. Mike: I found some photos of the '78 620 steel wheels. They're similar but with some extra 'vents', I do wonder if they'd fit and if a set could be found? The 720 wheels are much too 'truck' for my tastes. I've got some things to think about, thanks. Rick.

Hi all, As some of you may know, I've been trying to upgrade and restore my 73 620 over the past yer. New carb, new rubber in the doors, replaced interior trim bits and pieces etc etc. On my quest to make my 620 a little more LA freeway friendly, I replaced the drum brakes on the front with dsic brakes. I bought an admitedly expensive ($500) disc brake kit from Datsun Parts LLC and it wasn't until I went to put my wheels back on did I realise that my original 14" steel wheels do not fit over the rotors and caliper: Rotors: 2002 Honda passport, 2001-2004 Isuzu Rodeo, 2002-2003 Rodeo sport Calipers: 1988-1997 D21 (Hardbody) calipers for 4wd, 2.4L This lead me down the path of trying to modify my steelies. I had Bolton's take the centers out and put them in a 15" rim. That didn't work (they destroyed one of my wheels trying). The made me some 14" Ralley's instead. $400 odd later they're not at all what I want. Wheel Vintiques make a 6-lug 'smootie' but it's too 'hot rod' for my tastes, not to mention $1200. The original drums where scary, shuddered at highway speeds and pulled to the right terrible. So, how can I run my stock 14" wheels with disc brakes? Is their another kit or option? If price wasn't an option, what would you do to run the stock 14" steelies with disc brakes? Thanks, Rick.

Finally picked the truck up from 4J's. New flex plate installed, new engine and transmission seals, new transmission fluid and filter, bushings in the shifter (although it's still loose at the selector lever?). Oh and he found the source of it cutting out. A shorting connector at the ignition coil. It seems to be running well, although I can hear a ticking that might be coming from a cold belt or something. Now I finally get back to putting the interior back together. Rick.

So the flex plate finally arrived! Does anyone know if the thickness of the spacers that mount either side of the flex plate are different on the L16 or L18 engine/transmissions? I'm worried that whoever put a L18 engine in my truck might not have changed the L16 flex plate and spacers, hence the chewed up teeth from an ill-fitting starter. Either that of the starter was just crap and it chewed up a perfectly good flex plate. Rick.

Just put an order in with nissanparts.cc for the drive plate and those 5 bolt spacers either side of it, just in case. I hope they have it all in stock as I haven't had any luck finding a drive plate/flex plate anywhere else yet.

Thanks mate. I'm in Echo Park, just off the 101. So the hits keep coming. I ordered the part my mechanic told me to get. A flywheel. Only now do I discover that a flywheel is for a manual shift transmission, not an automatic, which I have. That is called a flexplate! So I'm looking for a good condition flex plate for an L18 automatic if anyone has one. I posted in the classifieds about it too. I'll also be selling a re-conditioned, lightned and balanced flywheel soon too. Rick.

Ok so I just called my mechanic who has the truck right now and had him double check what the engine is. It's an L18 block and he suspects a different head. So somewhere along the life of this truck it's been swapped for the L18 engine and possible a different head. There is no serial number stamped on the engine, so it must be a new block. How does one get such an engine? So now I'm faced with having ordered and sent off for balancing/lightening an L16 flywheel. Will this fit on an L18 engine? Rick.

Good spot, I had not noticed that. Something is fishy with this engine. It has no serial number on it and appears almost brand new. The previous owener said the original engine had been rebuilt, but the guage reads 20000 miles. atzenmike pointed out earlier in this thread that is didn't look like an L16 engine, he thought it might be a JDM import. How can I tell if it's L16 or L18?! I am in the process of having the flywheel replaced and ordered an L16 part. Is this going to fit? There was a little disc heat glued to the head next to the #2 that had some words stamped on it, it fell off but I kept it. Is that important? Thanks, Rick.

Thanks for the detailed response. I think the brake setup I have right now is good, so I'll keep trying with the rims. What is the lug spacing on the stock 14" rims, do you know? 5"? I hoping Wheel Vintiques will have something that will fit over mysetup.

GRpufnstuf, thanks for the input. Here's the brake kit I installed: Front: Rotors: 2002 Honda passport, 2001-2004 Isuzu Rodeo, 2002-2003 Rodeo sport Calipers: 1988-1997 D21 (Hardbody) calipers for 4wd, 2.4L Pads: 1988-1997 D21 (Hardbody) pads for 4wd, 2.4L The rear are the stock drums. So you're saying I can change the brakes instead of the stock rims? At this point that might be easier and cheaper, the wheels are proving difficult. What parts do I need? Rick.

K_trip, This is fantastic, thanks mate. Love the patina of your truck! I'm not exactly sure what is going to fit over my caliper setup (D21 hardbody). My stock rims are only slightly too small. I want to keep the stock look as much as possible, so I'm hoping the 15" or 16" would fit, but it really depends on how the centers are fitted in the Wheel Vintique rims. By the look of yours the 16" barely fit, so that might be as small as I can go. As for width, I prefer the slimmer profile for the originalty, I wonder what 16x6 would look like. I probably wouldn't do all that custom stuff you did with the backspace, unless of course I need to. I haven't been able to speak with Wheel Vintiques yet. Hmm, ya' change one thing you gotta' change everything! Thanks again mate, Rick.