Vertical photos of a horizontal vehicle, with a lot of them being cut off on one end or the other, don’t take away from the faded glory of this 1969 Datsun 521 Pickup. Sure, it needs work, but don’t we all? I could use a polish myself, not to mention having some refinished body panels… The seller has it posted here on craigslist in Newberg, Oregon, gateway to Oregon’s wine country, and they’re asking $3,000. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Barney for the tip!
Dragon Green is a classic color name, and this paint is as faded as my memory, and that’s faded. The Datsun 521 was an updated 520, and they were made from mid-1968 until 1972. Most of us know Nissan pickups, and these Datsuns evolved into that name in 1983. They’re a nice-sized truck for a lot of us who don’t need a full-sized pickup for our chores. It’s nice if you aren’t 6′-5″ tall, however.
The seller says that this 521 has been parked for two years, so it isn’t in running condition. It looks solid, and they say it’s free of rust other than the passenger side A-pillar. They don’t show a photo of that, and there are no underside photos and none inside the truck bed, so it’s hard to tell. The color difference between 2/3 of the passenger side is unfortunate, but I wouldn’t do a thing to the exterior other than polish it up. The “hubcaps” come with the sale, by the way.
The interior looks good overall. Anytime a 56-year-old padded dash isn’t cracked, that’s a very good thing. I love the plaid fabric on the door panels, but I’m not sure if that would have been factory or not. The seller says this truck has a “fresh custom interior”, but… One very unusual addition to this truck is a matching pickup box trailer with a topper/cap on it.
The engine is Nissan’s 1.5-liter OHV inline-four with 77 horsepower, backed by a four-speed manual. We saw a really nice version back in 2020 here on Barn Finds. I don’t have high hopes for this truck ever looking that nice again, sadly. It hasn’t run in a couple of years, and they say it needs a clutch, but it has a new clutch slave cylinder and master cylinder. Check out the listing to see what’s included, to see if this 521 is worth $3,000 or not. Any thoughts on this one?
These early imports from the shores of the far East 🇯🇵 were so small on the inside.
You are correct, sir, my D-50 Sport from Mitsubishi, I mean Dodge… is way too small for my long legs. I’m thinking of maybe selling it to get something a bit bigger. Like a diesel crew cab 3/4 ton with a five speed… ha. I wish.
Its nice to compare this one to the restored (?) One you posted a link to Scotty. The fact that its still here with that much original sheetmetal is amazing to me. Its a nice color, and I’d love to see this one restored. ( Just my opinion). Its a great solid little truck that will hopefully get a good home soon.
They called these li’l Hustler’s when I was growing up. At least
that’s what Jim Smith called them when he sold them at his Datsun dealership in Peoria, Illinois in ’69 or ’70. I can still see him now as he’d demonstrate all the features these little wonders had back then. And I’ve always wanted one ever since. Too bad my living situation is what it is. If things were different, this truck would be coming to Florida for me to restore and enjoy. Even Rod & Custom magazine did an article
where they swapped in a small block Chevy V-8 to make these
trucks more palatable for American buyers who may not have had access to factory repairs and service. Luckily for us, Peoria
was only 50 miles away and the repair staff were trained at Dwtsun”s home office in Seacaucus New Jersey. At least that’s
what Jim Smith always told you.
They used to call these Li’l Hustlers when I was growing up in the Midwest. Just turn on Channel 19 out of Peoria Illinois and
you’d see a guy named Jim Smith, our nearest Datsun dealer, who did his best to put you in a Datsun car or truck. Then, he’d
demonstrate some of the new features these little trucks had.
And after seeing his ads on TV, I’ve always wanted one ever since. If my living situation and finances were different, this truck would be coming to Florida. Even Rod & Custom magazine did an article on how to swap a small block Chevy V-8 into a truck like this to make them more palatable to Americans that lived in areas of the country where access to repair parts was, in some cases, non existent. Makes me wonder if parts are still available to restore this truck or to even get it running the way it should. Parts or no parts, I still like this truck.
I drove a 71 Datsun with the L16 for 22 years. My first 4 wheel vehicle. Took my drivers test in it. Easy to work on and parts were cheap. Rusted easily so you had to stay on top of that. Torsion bar front springs, king pins and perhaps the worst brakes ever put on a car; 4 wheel non self adjusting drums. Still, I wish I still had it! I installed an L18 with headers, a Webber carb, electronic ignition, lowered the torsion bar preload to drop the front, took the overload spring out of the rear leafs, installed Shelby cobra aluminum rims with 60 series Goodyear eagles, installed a 200 SX 5 speed and had 510 sedan buckets. Fun, quick package!
ahhh. ran when parked. gotta love it. needs some vice grip garage shine juice
Check out the Craigslist ad with more photos. The trailer in same faded color and cap make this so unusual. No to polish that may remove paint, but maybe the “shine juice” that was mentioned or leave it as is. He says that he has “a ton of parts”. If engine is okay, this could be a deal for someone. I do have limited leg room in my 66 F-100. I get cramps. Is this less room? Could be but may be deceptive. There was loads of room for me in my 58 TR3A and I was an inch taller then!
When I was 17 me and some friends thought it would be cool to drop A 327 V8 in one of these had to use a sledge hammer to message enough room for the transmission to fit. We being young and inexperienced ,didn’t reinforce the frame to handle the power and didn’t convert it to disk brakes so it was actually kinda scary to drive but it was a rush for a young guy to just floor it off the line
Looks good and shouldn’t last long. I’m gen x and love the old muscle cars and the Japanese stuff that was making an impact when I was a kid,but like it or not the millennials are crazy about the Japanese cars and trucks. My son is 22 and drives a Mazda pickup and he would be all over this if it was close. As for power nobody does v8s anymore he would k swap it with a stock Honda motor running around 200hp and light.
Hi
Long time Datsun fan, still have 2or3
Best trucks I ever have / had
Super durable, ez to work on
Fully agree with the terrible brakes
They work ok but require manual adjustment
This truck has a J1300 motor. A good upgrade is a J1500 bolts right in
If you can find one of the Japanese 35k mile motors