Datsun truck - WikiHQ

The Datsun Truck is a compact pickup truck made by Nissan in Japan from 1955 to 1997. It was originally sold under the Datsun brand, but this was switched to Nissan in 1983. It was replaced in 1997 by the Frontier and Navara. In Japan, it was sold only in Nissan Bluebird Store locations.

Predecessors

Pre-war

thumb|left|1938 Datsun 17T truck

The Datsun Truck line began with the Type 13 in April 1934, and was later used as the basis of the Datsun DC-3 Roadster. A series of small trucks based on their passenger car counterparts, the 14T, 15T, and 17T, continued to be built until early 1944.

Post-war

thumb|left|1947 Datsun 2225 Truck

thumb|left|1953 Datsun 6147 Truck

The 17T was followed by the post-war Datsun 1121 in 1946, which was nearly identical technically but had an extremely simple body made out of simple pressed metal (with almost no chrome) and many body parts made from wood, to enable production in resource-starved early post-war Japan. Early trucks also depended on leftover stocks of pre-war parts. The engine was the Type 7 unit. As the supply situation improved the new 2124 and then 2225 took over in July 1947 and at the end of November of the same year.

A rapid stream of changes and new model numbers followed in this early post-war area, as pre-war parts dried up and new designs were substituted.

In January 1949 the 3135 took over, followed by the January 1950 3145 model with a slightly different cabin. In August 1950 the Datsun 4146 arrived, introducing the 860 cc Type 10 engine with . The 4146 also had a bit more chrome trim included, as well as a stronger transmission. The power increase allowed for a somewhat bigger cargo area but top speed only crept up from .

In 1951 the 5147 appeared, introducing a longer wheelbase of rather than the chassis which had been used for seventeen years. The 6147 was built until the 1955 introduction of the all new 120-series truck.

Datsun 120

thumb|left|1955 Datsun 120 truck

The Datsun 120 was a load-carrying version of the Datsun 1000 sedan (110 series), and was introduced in January 1955 as the latest Datsun truck with up-to-date styling. Delivery van, panel van (120 only), and double cab versions were available. Until 1959 it used the 25 PS, 860 cc Datsun Type 10 engine with a four-speed floor shift (column shift for the 123 and later versions) manual transmission. It was joined with a larger commercially focused vehicle called the Nissan Junior. This was one of the first Nissan products to be sold in Europe, when an order of 200 units were shipped to Spain in 1956.

During its six years in production, six main models were built: 120 (Jan. to Dec. 1955), 122 (Dec. 1955 to May 1956) and 123 (Jun. 1956 to Sep. 1957). For reasons unknown, Nissan skipped the 121 designation. The L123 was the first left-hand drive version built by Nissan, in response to requests from importers in the Middle East. The L123 also received the new hydraulic clutch system developed for the upcoming 210/220 cars and trucks, as Nissan's engineers did not want to use a rod to transfer clutch pedal movements, fearing vibrations and noise. This was then followed by the re-engined Datsun 125 in 1959 and finally by the Datsun 126 in 1960. While the 124 was still powered by the Type 10 engine, the 125 and 126 received an improved version of this engine called the B-1, rated at .

Datsun 220

thumb|left|Datsun U220 [[Coupe utility]]

In November 1957, the Datsun 220 was introduced, which was capable to carry a payload. Largely unchanged in appearance from the 120-series, which continued to be built as a cheaper version, it was produced from 1957 to 1961. It was the first Datsun truck to be exported to the United States. The 220 can be identified by its different grille, featuring a more pronounced frame. During this time four models were produced: 220 (1957–1958), 221 (1958–1959), 222 (1960), and 223 (introduced in July 1959). The chassis was based on the 210 series sedans with which it also shared the engines. Two engines were available: the 37 PS Nissan C engine, and the 48 PS Nissan E engine. Introduced in August 1958, the G220 had a payload and a longer wheelbase; there were also updated G221 and G222 models offered. The E engine was originally only used in models sold on the export market. The 220 was the first Datsun truck to be equipped with a 12 volt electrical system. The clutch was now hydraulically operated, with a hanging pedal.

In 1958, the Datsun 220 (and the 210 sedan) was exhibited at the Los Angeles Auto Show, with American exports beginning soon after. It was the 220 Series that officially established Datsun in the American market.

Datsun 320

In August 1961 the new 320 Series was released. It was produced until 1965 in three series (320–322). The 320 Series' underpinnings were largely inherited from the earlier 120/220, although with clear improvements and using body panels and overall design language of the new 310-series Bluebird.

| (G520/521) It used the new 1.3-litre, 67 hp Nissan J13. In 1965 and 1966, the 520 had two headlights (one per side). For 1967, the 520 was slightly redesigned and received quad headlights (two per side). This design was carried on until the end of 520 production. Single cab (520, and L520 for left-hand drive version), LWB Single cab (G520), Double cab (U520) and delivery van (V520) versions were available. "G" was used to identify the long wheelbase versions. The fender emblems said "Datsun 1300". A grille emblem was added in 1966 and simply said "D". In late 1967, a slightly altered model appeared, now with a slightly changed chrome grille with a distinct frame.

In 1967, Nissan added the Sunny Pickup Truck, which was exclusive to Nissan Saito Store locations, which closely shared the dimensions, engine displacement and load carrying duties of the 520 Series truck.

The 521 was the facelifted version of 520, with a so-called "flat-deck" style. This meant it featured a flattened bonnet and front fenders as well as a new grille design.

| (G/GN620) A 2.2 liter diesel engine with was later made available in many markets.

left|thumb|Datsun 620

The 620 was also the first Datsun pickup truck to be available with a longer "King Cab" passenger compartment (called "Custom" in Japan). This used the bed from the normal 620 truck, but has a cabin stretched by , all placed on the longer wheelbase.

The 620 was redesigned slightly for 1978, with changes to grille and front bumper. The suspension was also revised, increasing track at both ends by . This also marked a name change in South Africa, where it had been sold simply as the Datsun One-Ton Pick-Up, to "Datsun 680". A four-door crew cab variant was also offered in some markets.

North America

In North America, the 620 continued to use the Nissan L engine. The 1972 and 1973 models were powered by the L16 engine (96 hp), the 1974 model used the L18 engine (100 hp), and the 1975 through 1979 models used the L20B engine (110 hp SAE gross).) SAE net rating was . This was a "50-state car", with an EGR system for pollution control which sufficed to meet California's stringent emissions standards without a catalytic converter. The 620 was available with two wheelbases and also as the extended King Cab model from 1977. In Canada, Nissan marketed the 620 as the "Sportruck", and in the United States as the "Li'l Hustler". In North America it was generally treated as transportation, with 40% of buyers saying that they never used the truck for "work". The standard transmissions were the F4W63 four-speed (1972 and 1973) and F4W71 four-speed (1974 to 1979). In 1977, the optional FS5W71B five-speed manual transmission became available. The 3N71 three-speed automatic became available as an option in mid-1972. This was the first series to offer an automatic transmission as an option (all model series before the 620 only had manual transmissions). Final drive gearing was 4.375:1.

Side badges read "DATSUN 1600" or simply "DATSUN". The grille badge was two colored stripes (one red and one blue) behind the word "DATSUN". The 620 was known As a result, the 620 was competing with the larger American pickup trucks, A number of innovations were introduced with the 620: first long-bed (1975), first extended-cab (1977), front disc brakes (1978), and electronic ignition (1978).

;Gallery

Datsun/Nissan 720

In October 1979, Nissan introduced the Datsun 720 as successor to the 620. A four-door crew cab version of the 720 was available in most markets (excluding North America). In addition, some overseas models continued with the early style beds in the later model years as well as the lower cost round headlamps, and included various combinations of Datsun and Nissan badging while retaining the Datsun name throughout all model years. In Japan, round headlights were standard but higher-end models like the GL received square headlamps. In Japan, the standard engine was originally the J16 but in 1982 this was changed to the more modern Z16 derivative.

In 1983, the front end underwent a transformation with a larger grille, bumper, and corner lights. There was also a revised dashboard with round instead of square gauges. At the same time, the regular cab was lengthened slightly and the air extractor vents behind the cab doors changed from the high "flag" look to long, narrow ones that matched the height of the window opening. The cabs of the King Cab versions were unchanged.

Engine and Drivetrain

thumb|left|Nissan 720 2-door (US)

In 1980, US models were powered by Datsun's 2.0L carbureted L20B I4 engine, but soon after switched to the Nissan NAPS-Z engine line for 1981 (Z22S). "NAPS" was the terminology Nissan used to describe their pollution control technology as a result of emission regulation laws having been enacted in Japan, starting in 1975. In the Middle East, it was powered by Datsun's 1.8 L carbureted L18 engine. The 1981–1982 models used the Z22 carbureted 2.2 L engine and an optional SD22 diesel of the same displacement. In mid-1983, Nissan introduced the Z24 2.4 liter twin spark four-cylinder engine, producing , 2.3 L SD23 OHV diesel Inline-4, and the SD25 diesel.

left|thumb|1983–84 Datsun 720 crew cab

The diesel engines were sourced from the Nissan Diesel division, which Nissan Motors acquired in 1960. This dominated 720 sales in many markets and was also available in combination with 4WD. In the American market, the diesel engine was only available in the 2WD 720 (from 1982 to 1985). The Z24 was upgraded to Z24i single-point fuel-injection for some 1986 ST models. The rest of the world had versions with the smaller 1.5 L J15, 1.6 L J16 or 1.8 L L18 carbureted engines. The 720 Series was never available with any of the Z22E or Z20E multi-port fuel injected engines.

North America

In the US, the 720 came in regular cab and "King Cab" models, with regular and long bed options with standard (GL), deluxe (DX), and "sport truck" (ST) trim packages, all of which had two doors. In addition, from 1984 to 1986 a covered utility body style like that of the first generation Toyota 4Runner was available as an aftermarket conversion by a company called Matrix3 called the Bushmaster. The Datsun 720 was available in both 2WD and 4WD configurations, the latter having a divorced transfer case. The long wheelbase 2WD trucks (King Cab, short bed, and regular cab, long bed) had a two-piece driveshaft with a center support bearing. The dome light could fold rearward, to provide illumination to the bed.

The 720 was assembled in the then newly built Smyrna, Tennessee, plant from the 1983.5 model year until 1986. However, Nissan of Mexico continued to build the pickup until 1991, 1992 being its last official model year. They were exported to the whole of Latin America.

The 1980 to 1983 models were called the "Datsun 720". They had single wall beds with outside rolled lips and rope ties, two faux hood vents (some had real vents), and tail lights on the lower rear valance (similar to the 620). These vehicles were badged with a small Datsun logo on the driver's side of the grill, a raised plastic Datsun badge on the front fenders, a large Datsun embossed on the rear tailgate, as well as Datsun stickers on the bottom left of the tailgate, and model designation on the right. The owner's manual and service manuals retained the Datsun name.

For a limited period, 1984 models built in the US had the single wall beds with rope ties, yet used tail lights on the rear bed corners with amber turn signals over the red stop/tail lights while the backup lights remained under the tailgate. These "in-between" models were a combination of Datsun and Nissan badging, with Nissan replacing Datsun in similar fashion to the earlier models, but incorporated a "Datsun by Nissan" plastic trim piece on the front fenders, and "Datsun by Nissan" stickers on the tailgate. The late model trucks produced from 1983.5 to 1986 used double wall, smooth sided beds, with revised tail lights on the corners which resembled those on Chevrolet/GMC S-Series trucks. The badging was exclusively Nissan (going along with Nissan's rebranding and conversion of 1,100 Datsun dealerships to Nissan dealerships), with the name officially being "Nissan 720", which is found in the owner's manual, service manual, and literature from the period.

Trim options

Lil' Hustler

This was a continuation of the Lil' Hustler line from the 620 generation. It was a bare-bones truck that was only available as a regular cab with a bed, and was discontinued after 1982, although the 1983 model year did have the Hustler logo. Canadian models had a 3 spoke/3 horn button steering wheel with a round central "Datsun" horn button.

MPG

Unlike the GL, the MPG model of the Nissan 720 was a stripped-down version of the truck made to improve fuel economy. Unlike the others, it had only a driver side mirror, a single walled bed, a vinyl bench seat, and other bare bones accommodations. What really set this model apart was its drivetrain. It featured the 2.0L Z20 motor that was fed by a carburetor. Its compression ratio was at a high 9.4:1, and produced and of torque. It was able to do this because it featured a knock sensor that would retard the timing by about 10 degrees to prevent the engine from knocking. This resulted in excellent fuel economy but at the cost of emissions. For that reason this truck was not sold in the California market.

GL

The standard (GL) single cab Datsun 720 came with a front bench seat made of single color non-patterned cloth and leather in blue, black, or tan to match the interior trim color of the vehicle. It had optional factory air-conditioning and contained a simple gauge cluster with speedometer, fuel, and water temperature gauges (with blank faces in place of the tachometer and clock), as well as sliding glass rear window. A radio and cruise control were options installed by the dealership. These vehicles came in long bed, short bed, or cab-and-chassis styles with the later having a "heavy duty" option of dual rear wheels.

DX

The 2WD Deluxe model came with front bench seats of varying patterns to match the door trim and interior in blue, black or tan. 4WD models had two bucket-style seats, and incorporated a center console with voltmeter and oil pressure gauges. Both drivetrain options had single and King Cab variants. These models came with factory air conditioning, an AM-FM radio of two different types, a tachometer and/or a clock in the gauge cluster, an option of either rear sliding windows or single-pane window with defroster, as well as optional cruise control. Beds both long and short were available. In addition, there were roll-bar and bumper-brush guard options for the 4WD variant that were installed by the dealership with mounting points for off-road and fog lights. Switches for these were placed in the center console below (1980 to pre-1983.5) and above (Post 1983.5 to 1986) the voltmeter and oil pressure gauges.

XE

The 2WD Luxury model came only in king cab variants and featured several standard and unique features. For the exterior, it came with a two tone paint job, chrome bumpers, mirrors and grille. It also had Nissan brand hexagonal hubcaps, whitewall tires, and sun roof. For the interior, this top-of-the-line model came with full carpeting, bucket seats, tachometer, quartz clock, intermittent wipers, center console, and woodgrain accents on the dash and door. Like the other trucks, it was powered by the Z24 and offered both a 5-speed manual or 3-speed automatic.

ST

The 2WD and 4WD Sport Truck package came with factory air-conditioning as well as the clock and tachometer in the cluster as standard with exclusive gradient-patterned bucket seats for both drivetrains (with the 4WD versions offering the center console and gauges of the DX model, and the 2WD having center console storage in place of the transfer case lever), as well as King Cab variants. It had similar radio, back-glass, cruise control, and roll-bar/brush guard options as the DX trim. The sport truck package also was the only package with standard power windows and locks (all other packages only received manual locks and windows), as well as a tilting sunroof. ST stickers were placed on the end of the rear quarter panels. Ironically, the ST package had no performance modifications, however in the 1986 model year it had an optional Z24i single-port fuel injected engine.

Bushmaster

From 1984 to 1986 a covered utility body style was available in the US called the Bushmaster. The Bushmaster was an aftermarket/dealer conversion done by the Matrix3 company. It was created from the King Cab 4WD model, welding the cab and bed of the truck together along with a custom bed topper which increased the height of the whole vehicle. The interior was completely carpeted, and incorporated a rear folding bench seat similar to the first generation Toyota 4Runner. This option is exceedingly rare, and is considered a predecessor to the Nissan Pathfinder.

Europe

The United Kingdom only received the longer wheelbase, as a standard bed 1-Tonner with the L18 engine or as the four-wheel drive 2.2-litre King Cab with . Australia only received the SD25 and the Z22S.

In most European markets, the 720 was sold as the Datsun PickUp (regular cab) or Datsun King Cab. As elsewhere in the world, the "Nissan" name gradually replaced Datsun in 1983 and 1984. The SD22 diesel in European trim produces while the 1.8-liter L18-engined versions offered .

Fitted with a 1.6-liter engine, this was the first vehicle to emerge from Nissan/TEOKAR's new assembly plant in Volos, Greece, in February 1980.

Model codes

{|class="wikitable"

|Engine

!1471 cc J15 I4

!1567 cc J16 I4

!1595 cc Z16 I4

!1751 cc J18 I4

!1770 cc L18 I4

!1770 cc Z18 I4

!1952 cc L20B I4

!1952 cc Z20S I4

!2188 cc Z22S I4

!2389 cc Z24 I4<br />2389 cc Z24i I4

!2164 cc SD22 I4

!2289 cc SD23 I4

!2488 cc SD25 I4

|Power (JDM)

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