The earliest versions of a given model are often times the most sought-after examples, as buyers of those versions place a great deal of emphasis on provenance. In the case of this 1960 Datsun PLG221 pickup, the seller is the original owner of this small, light-duty Japanese pickup that is reportedly one of just 42 trucks that were imported that year and delivered almost exclusively to the West Coast. It is listed here on craigslist with an asking price of $7,500.
This was basically a Datsun 1000 sedan with a bed on the rear, but as one of the earliest indications of Nissan’s intention to build out a full-fledged model lineup in the United States, the PLG has a place in history in the eyes of marque enthusiasts. The limited number of trucks actually imported makes them a rare find in any condition, but especially if the sensitive sheet metal hasn’t completely given way if not properly stored. This Datsun may have been kept out of the elements, but who knows how the floors look.
The seller reports he bought it out west when it was new and then relocated the truck back to the Allentown, PA area. He doesn’t say how many years it spent on the roads presumably as a workhorse, but even if the floorpans are full of holes, the rest of the bodywork looks largely intact. There’s plenty of surface rust, sure, but I’m not seeing huge patches of cancer. The bench seat is in good shape too, though the seller admits the original grill and hubcaps are long gone.
The good news is the humble four-cylinder engine is still there; the bad news is, where do you even begin to find parts for an obscure model like this? Now, it’s a bit ironic for someone like me to ask this question as I’ve tackled plenty of hard projects like this and always managed to find what I needed, so nothing is impossible. The seller notes his Datsun has been in the barn for 35 years, so hopefully that has helped it to avoid the worst of the salty Pennsylvania winters.
Wow!
Wow as in double wow.
The tailgate on these pick me ups stated “DATSUN.”
Saw one of these with a slight paint job on the tailgate.
.
If you painted out the “D” and the “N” then you would get “ATSU.”
Directly under this was neatly painted “Gesundheit.”
We had a 510, my father used to say “I’ve got two sons- Dis son and Datsun”. I used to hot wire it whenever they went out of town lol
Certainly looks like a great starting point- wonder if you could 3d print a grill?
Or if this is in fact a 1000 sedan with a bed on it. Would the sedans share a grille or other parts?
Definitely not a sedan with a bed on it. They did share most front end parts however.
Sure can, just need the dimensions. We do it at our plant for tooling on airplane parts
I was thinking of perhaps a wooden grid form to hold stainless pieces shaped on a wheel and welded up? Like the printer idea!
In 1960, I never heard of a Datsun or any other Japanese car.
I knew of MGs, RRs, Jags, etc, and even Renault, but not anything from Japan
Ad to that the engine is almost a copy of late 50’s MG 1500/1600 3 main bearing B series engines.
I wonder if it would stand up to a turbo?
Love this do you have more photos?
That’s one of the ugliest things I’ve ever seen…yet I can’t look away.😏
While 35 years in the barn saved it from the road salt, there was no protection from several generations of “Mouse”.
Pretty neat little truck. Hardest thing
would be to find mechanical parts
unless you can order them from Japan. I know that it’s almost impossible to get parts for some
foreign cars here in Florida. Used to
Asee a lot of MBs, Beemers, Yugos,
Hyundais, and other obscure cars in
the U pull it’s because their owners
couldn’t get parts or service here. If
it didn’t say Ford, GM, or Chrysler on it, forget about finding parts or service on an import car or truck. I can remember people going to
Gershman’s U pull it just to find spark
plugs for their newly purchased Yugos!
Not the original owner like the ad states
He bought in in 1974
This is quite a find! Asking price is fair for this early Datsun pickup. This one can be an easy restoration, given that it’s almost completely original. Hope a Datsun restoration shop buys this as show/shop truck. Worth it guys!
Just Google 1960 Datsun PLG221 pickup, there are several leads.
I know there are businesses that buy,sell,and import early Datsuns.
Just have to do a little digging, the discovery process is part of the fun.
There are people that restore,and even race early Datsuns.
If I didn’t have several projects now I would be looking into shipping the little truck to my shop.
I don’t know… This doesn’t seem like too good a deal to me… A quick look on Facebook turned up a PAIR of these right here in So. Cal. for a bit less money… https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/869792890822629/