This 1976 Datsun 620 is a project, but a worthy one considering how straight and rust-free the bodywork is said to be. That’s really your biggest obstacle on a truck like this, as the Japanese tin from this era was extremely prone to rusting out if left exposed to weather or road salt. Fortunately, this Datsun resides in California where exposure to snow has likely been minimal, and despite being a project, it had to have been somewhat protected given the original “Lil Hustler” decals are still adhered to the body and the chrome bumpers still look pretty nice. Find the Datsun here on craigslist with an asking price of $5,999 near Dublin, California.

These compact pickup trucks are definitely coming back into style after years of being cast aside as merely a cheap, slow, workhorse. Now, trucks like this and its competitors from Toyota and Ford are absolutely cheap and slow but we’re starting to see more of them preserved as light truck enthusiasts and other fans of obscure Japanese models begin to wake up to the fact that there are not many of these left – certainly not in project condition with very little rust to deal with. This Datsun 620 is also a nice alternative to the Toyotas of this era which often seem to get snatched up for restoration, leading to much higher prices for an early Hilux. The 620 from Datsun is a bargain at the moment in comparison.

At first, I thought this one was a junkyard find, sitting with the interior still covered in the remains of another vehicle from the yard. However, it’s pretty clear upon looking at the engine bay photo that this is the head of the Datsun’s four-cylinder mill, unceremoniously tossed on the front seat, the remnants of a project that was never completed. Now, a few things have happened: the engine has been sitting with the head removed, exposing the innards to the atmosphere which usually results in rust; and two, the engine parts removed and tossed inside the truck have likely dug into the front seats, leaving an indentation that will take some time to remove. Hopefully, oil hasn’t leaked onto the fabric as well, but it should be a pretty durable vinyl underneath there. Surprisingly, the dash doesn’t appear to be cracked.

The paint color is great – and I suspect original, given I’ve seen multiple Datsuns from this era wearing this delightful shade of orange. The seller doesn’t address what happened under the hood, but it’s almost certainly an engine rebuild that was started and never finished. The good news is that you’re starting with a straight, solid, and claimed no-accident truck that is worth rebuilding or even just finding a good used motor at a local salvage yard and dropping in. I saw many of these old-school Datsuns still on the road as daily drivers in the Pacific Northwest, so I’m sure a used engine wouldn’t be too hard to find. What would you put under the hood?