1985 Datsun 720

[Knugcab]

After driving a W203 Benz for a while, I decided that modern cars are nothing for me. I'm not trying to bash them, it just doesn't feel right for me, neither is it any cheaper to run or any more reliable.

So, saturday I'm picking this one up (no pun intended)


1985 Datsun 720, King Cab, 4x4, SD25 (72 hp N/A diesel).
Some quite fresh studded 31" tyres too (but I need some summertyres for it).

Faults I know:
Rusty wheelarches in bed
No high beams
Worn out balljoints in the suspension
Leaky exhaust system.

Very good floorboards and frame, which is unusual....

Anyone that has any experience with those trucks?

I know that they aren't the best ones offroad with long wheelbase, large overhangs and IFS, but I guess they still can be a bit capable?
Any tips on what to upgrade first? I don't want to go the route with Toyota solid axles that seems to be common in the US, it feels simpler to sell it and buy a Toyota instead then....
At least it has a LSD rear axle according to previous owner so I hope that he is right...

[georgeb]

Apr 7, 2016 21:52:19 GMT Knugcab said:

I know that they aren't the best ones offroad with long wheelbase, large overhangs and IFS, but I guess they still can be a bit capable?
Any tips on what to upgrade first? I don't want to go the route with Toyota solid axles that seems to be common in the US, it feels simpler to sell it and buy a Toyota instead then....
At least it has a LSD rear axle according to previous owner so I hope that he is right...

If it does have the LSD, you'll be fine. I ran an Isuzu D-Max in Malaysia which had IFS and LSD. We used to regularly head into the jungle, on washed out tracks with many river crossings, and it never failed to get me through, and that was on A/T tyres, not mud.

[jackfrost1031]

Roommate of mine had a 720 Gas with 2wd and a 4 speed. Definitely not a quick vehicle but dependable and generally pleasant truck. Got around 25-30 mpg which was of course really good.

[Knugcab]

I have it at home now, bought it in the middle of nowhere, took the backroads home, and I am glad that I wasn't driving a 2WD vehicle.....man, are they muddy now in northern Sweden when all the ice and snow is melting...


Ordered summer tyres (borrowed pic), got some Cooper Discoverer STTs cheap and people that are running them seems to be quite satisfied.

[Knugcab]

Gave it a wash yesterday, unfortunately now it is possible to see all the fix that is needed, the mud was hiding everything very well.


I don't think that those seats are original? Are they out of a Mazda 626 possibly? They do look familiar....
The steering wheel is one of the ugliest in the world IMO and will be swapped out for a Grant as soon as my hub arrives.


There is loads of home made wiring.... For example, for the glow plugs. The relay was bypassed and there was a button in the car for glowing (which the red wire was connected to), that stopped working. But when I disconnected the red wire, the relay started working when I turned the key to glow position......sigh. Though I don't know how good the plugs are.


The not-too-ugly alloys that is going to get the summer tyres soon.

[Knugcab]

It almost passed the safety check, just a fail on high beams that didn't work and too weak rear brakes, not bad for a vehicle that has been standing for a couple of years.

[Knugcab]

Ooops, the wiring to the starter was almost tangled in the flexdisc on the steering column, so I had to do a quickfix with zipties...feels like that could have been a nice fire...

[soretro]

Well done nice vehicle remember the king cab when it was first launched really liked the look of them. Haven't seen one in ages. Not sure why but they seemed very prone to rust most didn't make it so I reckon you have an amazing example. Good luck keep up the good work

[Knugcab]

I need to do something about the stupid trailer hitch, since it works as a plow when trying to pass ditches.

One more thing, the exhaust system is completely rotten under the bed, so I am going to build a sidepipe, so I won't have to worry about crossing the rear axle and such.

Here is the first muffler and so far so good.

I have this Mercedes W123 muffler lying around, and since it is flat and short, and has quite a good shape of the inlet tube, it will be easy to mount.

I realize now that my sketch is mirrored, so try to ignore that.
My theory is to connect the MB muffler to the datsun one, then go with a bend to pass the spring bracket and finally use a Volvo 740 tailpipe to route it around the spring bracket. Then I feel that it will be quite protected from rocks and such, if you smash up the exhaust system, you would have been stuck on the spring bracket anyway and to do so, you have to drive stupid..

...am I thinking right?

[Knugcab]

The new tyres arrived some days ago.

Was playing a bit in some decimeters of snow, still with the M+S tyres....well, it worked OK but I think snow chains would have made things better.

Completed the sidepipe. I routed it on the other side of the spring bracket so it would be more protected.... Very quiet now compared to the rusted out original system, used the huge Mercedes muffler straight behind the stock first muffler, and went with a bend from that out through the spring bracket.

[Knugcab]

Looking a lot tougher with the new tyres, and they do work great. Tried them in about 3 dm of snow and they had a better grip there than the studded Discoverer MS tyres. Anyone that have tried to run Discoverer STT in the wintertime? Are they bad on ice / hard snow since they are studless?

Trees are tough... Time to build a brushguard!

[Knugcab]

Was playing around a bit offroad when I suddenly thought that a halfshaft was shot, since I heard a knocking noise, that got worse when I was turning, nope, just a piece of the inner fender that was bent and rubbed against the tyre, so time for some trimming!


I think that the source of the non working high beams are here..... I was looking at the original wiring for the lights and came to the conclusion that it is mostly intact, just cut off and replaced with this mess...... sigh.

Everything seems to be working like it should, but the lights are wired a bit odd, with constant + to the pin that normally are used for ground, and a switching relay on the ground side that is flipping the ground between low and high beams.....

[iamgroot]

Wow, I thought my wiring was messed up until I saw this thread!

Nice truck and that was a good idea with the exhaust, you will soon fix the problems and have the truck how you want it.

You are right about the seats being Mazda 626, but don't know what seats your would have had originally.

[Knugcab]

Can't say that I care, probably something less comfy than the Mazda seats anyway.

[Knugcab]

Highbeams working again, feels good!

What's not so good is that I due to bad threads in the wheel nuts lost a front wheel today, I can say that a 31" with a little speed can travel very far without stopping, I'm lucky that nobody got hit by it... Although I think that the old man that was walking alongside the ditch needed some new pants after being passed by the wheel....
No damage on the car except for a wrecked flare, so I guess that I have to find some aftermarket flares now.

[mattiwagon]

Bummer dude, glad no one was hurt, crackin truck by the way.

[grenade]

Love the truck. Nice rubber too.
The pictures don't look like Sweden, it looks like most of rural America. Super cool. Good luck with those headlights

[Knugcab]

May 1, 2016 12:53:33 GMT grenade said:

The pictures don't look like Sweden, it looks like most of rural America.

I guess that explains why I always have felt like a redneck inside...

[Knugcab]

I had this steering wheel hanging on a nail on my fathers garage door for years since the foam was in such good condition. What happens? I opened the garage door to get some fresh air into the garage for a day, with the result that the birds picked on the foam enough to make the damage very visible, sigh....well, I guess I can wrap it in leather or something...

Rusty spokes.

Some steel wool and chrome polish later most of the rust are gone, and the rest are just patina I guess.


The stock steering wheel is what I like the least about the car. Not only is it ugly, but the sharp edges on the horn button are snagging in the clothes in turns sometimes, making it almost dangerous....

So I think that this will be better after all, if I only get my hub. It is only slightly smaller than the stock wheel, which is a good thing since I don't have power steering, and it is quite shallow, like the stock wheel, that I still think are too close to the arms when my feet reach the pedals.

[Knugcab]

Got a good deal on these Hella 3003 HID lamps.... I like to see where I am going and the woods are dark...