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Diesel Datsun: 1981 Datsun King Cab Pickup

Introduced in 1980 to replace the Datsun 620, the 720 brought styling that was crisper in an era when vehicles were developing squarer body styles. The 720 was available in standard and King Cab variants when our feature vehicle was released in 1981. A big thank you has to go out to Barn Finder Russ G for spotting this little beauty for us. This 1981 King Cab is listed for sale here on eBay, with an opening bid set at $6,000, and a BIN option of $6,500. You will find the Pickup located in Johnson City, New York.

The presentation of the Datsun is quite nice, especially when you consider that it is a 38-year-old work-horse. The panels and paint look to be in good condition, with only a few minor marks and blemishes. The bed, glass, and trim look to be in good condition. There are also some shots of the underside of the Datsun, and while there might be a few spots of surface corrosion, the Pickup is free of any rust issues and looks extremely solid. Overall then, this all looks positive so far.

As with the outside of the Datsun, the interior also presents remarkably well. It looks like something has been stuck to the dash on the passenger side at some point, but hopefully what we can see is just some form of adhesive that can be removed. The bucket seats look like they are in good condition, and while they may look a little bit flat, I can tell you from experience that these are remarkably comfortable, even for long-haul trips. The rest of the interior trim seems to have survived the passage of time quite well and has avoided the worst of the sort of deterioration that plastic trim of this era was so prone to.

Under the hood is the SD22 4-cylinder diesel engine, which is backed by a 5-speed manual transmission. With only 61hp on tap, the 720 is far from a fast vehicle, but what it possesses is remarkable pulling power. It is possible to take off in 3rd gear on flat ground, such is the flexibility of the engine. The flexibility of the engine, combined with great all-round visibility makes these a great vehicle to drive in heavy traffic, while that diesel engine provides impressive fuel economy. The owner says that the Datsun runs and drives well, and that has also been fitted with new tires.

These really are a great little Pickup. Even with so little power, they are surprisingly willing and will carry quite decent loads. This one is in very nice condition, and finding one in this state today is quite a rarity. This one looks to be in really nice condition, and I’d have it in my driveway any day.

Comments

  1. Avatar geomechs Member

    Worked on lots of these back in the day. The SD22 was a well-built engine but not without some drawbacks. I was never partial to the dry cylinder liners but that’s just a personal attitude. The injection pump timing advance unit is incorporated into the pump drive gear. It notoriously gums up with oil sludge and has to be cleaned and limbered up from time to time, unless you want a mosquito-killer. The thing that really drives me crazy is that overindulgent shut-down/excess fuel device. It was fraught with problems, coming out of adjustment and just failing to function. A new unit was astronomical to buy, and eventually went obsolete. A couple of Bowden cables will fix that. I know of one owner who did it with only ONE heavy push-pull cable. The injection pump itself is good for a couple of engines; the injectors are similar to those on any precup engine, and they need periodic maintenance. Other than that the engine will still be running well when the body rusts away completely…

    Like 8
  2. Avatar Ken

    Already gone. Sold for the Buy It Now price.

    Datsuns were tough little pickups. My dad was a Datsun/Nissan man. He had a ’71, an ’80, an ’85 and a ’95. Great little machines, provided you didn’t have to get anywhere in a hurry.

    Like 5
  3. Avatar Miguel

    So guys, is it a positive or a negative this truck has the diesel engine?

    Like 1
    • Avatar Chris in Clover

      positive.

      Like 2
    • HoA Howard A Member

      Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Some folks like diesels, they are a lot simpler, and can last 3 times as long as a gas job, but like geomechs says, they have their drawbacks. I don’t care for a diesel in a passenger car application.They are slow, noisy, a chore in the cold, diesel generally costs more than gas now, a gas motor is so much more civilized, I think.

      Like 5
    • Avatar Bill

      The one I drove was solid it just didn’t go very fast

      Like 0
  4. Avatar stillrunners

    Either motor in these – in a solid old truck like this – are great sellers Miguel.

    Like 3
  5. Avatar Bill

    I worked for a service company back in the mid 80’s and that was my work vehicle. Top speed 57mph I think it may have been weighed down with pipe rack and three tool boxes. Good vehicle never failed to start and get to a job.

    Like 3
  6. Avatar Little Cars Member

    Bought a gas-powered one of these in 2011. Comfortable ride for a compact pick up. Used to strap all kinds of things in the back with a final loop of rope around the tailgate which had a broken latch. Never a lick of trouble…even had air conditioning! Bought it from the original owner cheap as it had a huge dent in the cab roof from a fallen tree branch. Great memories. Great beat around town truck.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Ron Bajorek

    Tough to beat a Nissan, I have an 86.5 Nissan Short Box 2 wheel drive , great truck , don’t drive it in WNY winters and I still need a box……

    Like 5
  8. Avatar Steve

    There seemed to be a ton of these around when I was a kid in the 80’s. Most were gas, though. A lot of ranchers liked them for general use, and only used the big 3/4 and 1 ton trucks when pulling stock trailers to auction, etc. Now it is an ego thing that a inordinate number of people think they need a minimum 3/4 ton $50k 4×4 diesel with 400 hp and 700 ft lbs of torque to commute to their office job, which is OK til they start driving like the Daytona 500. My 01 Duramax 2500hd regular cab stays parked unless it is pulling a trailer. Unfortunately, not many vehicles of any brand survived the salty air of the Texas Gulf Coast

    Like 3
  9. Avatar Steve

    Trucks like this are what I like to check out at car shows. I am a Chevy guy, but I have seen enough red 69 Camaros to last me a lifetime!

    Like 2
  10. Avatar John C.

    I’m with you Steve on people “thinking” that they need a big truck, I work at a tire store, a lot of folks pull up in a big dodge ram or ford F250 for tires, I ask them what do they do with the truck, pull a trailer, haul something heavy? Most say no just ride around and ride to work and maybe go to the mountains once or twice! I look in the bed and it’s hardly scratched! They must like the big payments.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Steve

      Machismo

      Like 0
  11. Avatar Octavio

    Cuanto cuesta me interesa soy fe mexico.

    Like 0

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