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Rust Free, Work Ready: 1985 Nissan Pickup

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“Unrestored” and “pampered” are two words you rarely hear used to describe work trucks. This is especially true for vintage Japanese models that had a tendency to begin rusting as soon as they left the showroom. That’s why this 1985 Nissan pickup truck here on eBay is such an anomaly: not only is it rust-free, but it remains in excellent, unmolested condition. It’s located in South Carolina and the seller has the Buy-It-Now listed at $6,800.

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The old-school Toyotas (or Hiluxes) tend to get all the attention in the vintage truck battles, but this Nissan could be a more affordable alternative if you’ve got your eyes on a Japanese mini-truck. Of course, with an interior and body that clean, you would be looked at with disdain if you converted this into a true mini-truck on hydraulics and billet wheels. I don’t think that’s in this Nissan’s future, but you never know. Hopefully, it remains a preserved example. The seller says this truck has never left the state of South Carolina, a region with a car-friendly climate.

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The engine bay looks spot-on for the mileage, and this Nissan sports the Z24 Twin Spark motor, which was an engine design that attempted to squeeze some additional efficiency out of this 4-cylinder runabout. The 1985 models were the first year to sport the fuel injected Z24 engines in the NAPZ engine family, which was short-form for the Nissan Anti Pollution System. In this day and age, shouting your plans for greater efficiency was all the rage. This Nissan looks like it’s a peach to drive with that clean engine bay and a manual transmission attached.

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The bed and the bulk of the body have never been painted. The seller does disclose he painted the tailgate to eliminate some spotty discolorations, but I personally would have left it alone. How bad could it have been? And it would been worth preserving on a highly original truck like this one. While I do believe this truck is somewhat difficult to repeat, I still think the asking price is a bit strong for a vehicle that’s never really resonated with collectors. But with over four days left on the auction, anything could happen!

Comments

  1. Avatar Red Riley

    At least the discoloration is no longer spotty. Now it covers the entire tailgate.

    Like 0
    • Avatar The Walrus

      Looks like the paint was matched using one of those color cards for house paint.

      Like 0
  2. Avatar ronebee

    I’ve got 6 lug 14 inch ansen mags for this bad boy, it would look incredible

    Like 0
  3. Avatar Mr. TKD

    I like the truck, but the asking price is a bit steep.

    Like 1
  4. Avatar Alexander Member

    I think that is reasonable. Major breakthrough truck for Nissan/Datsun at the time. The King Cab sold better, but I owned the more deluxe version of this same vehicle, pampered, with air and carpeting. Wish it was closer so I could drive this one home.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Eric Dashman

    Awesome condition. I still have a ‘tool’ in my toolbox to keep the chain tensioner in place when doing any work on the Datsun/Nissan heads. A small piece of wood with an eyehook and wire attached to it did any number of head gasket replacements when I was wrenching in between less grease-encumbered careers. You can make a living doing shade-tree, although winters can be hell. Fortunately in the South they aren’t too bad usually and don’t last that long.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Moxman

      I also have that block of wood, with a piece of wire, to service the cylinder head and various other top end components.

      Like 0
  6. Avatar Moxman

    I have an 85 King Cab with the Z-24 engine and it looks almost as good as this one. I drive it to work everyday and the odometer just clicked 400,000 miles last week. I’ve spoiled this truck for 25+ years. A pristine example of this truck might just be worth the asking price. These trucks are highly prized by the guys who want to put air bags on and lower these trucks to the ground. Mine has been rock solid for ever!

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Mstngr

    I had an 85 Kingcab with the 2.5 diesel in that colour, Orange Mist. Hated the colour so I painted it in a Ford Eddy Bauer colour scheme of medium dark red with iridescent beige tutone on the bottom. Huge improvement. The truck had over 300,000 on it when I finally gave up on it and scrapped it.

    Like 0
  8. Avatar Jose cabarles

    Is this still available?

    Like 0

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