Seems like the rear bumpers were frequently a dealer-specific option in this era, particularly on the Japanese trucklets. There are a bunch of '68-72(ish) Chevy/GMCs in the Seattle area sporting rear bumpers with the dealer name stamped or cut into non-factory bumpers. They weren't uncommon in New England either, until they died off due to rust.
You're right Don. But it's still nice to see one of these trucks in such fine condition. In the Midwest, they called them Li'l Hustlers. A friend of mine owned one in '75. They were great little trucks--so long as Justin's tinworms didn't get them!
for some reason every time i see a survivor datsun/mazda/yota pickup, it has approximately 24 inches of unadulterated diamond plate extending from under the tailgate. were people really THAT worried about getting rear-ended that they were willing to add another 50% of the total weight to their truck? maybe they just wanted to use it as a convenient place to sit and sip a Pabst while bitching about their wife/job.
s-hammer, i share your bewilderment, although if i want a place to sip and sit, nothing beats the tailgate itself. it pleases me greatly to hyperlink to my own bumperless hilux once again and to share this anecdote: a sixteen-year-old in a saturn actually rear-ended my truck while it was parked. it broke my left taillight lens and ruined his hood, but my sheet metal was pretty much unphased. too bad that replacement taillights are no longer available, but i just re-wrap it in transparent red tape every so often and count myself lucky.
These are incredible in person, but you'd be a fool to take one of these over an early '70s Hilux. If you CL Datsuns in Seattle, you'll find a surprising amount for sale, some even in decent condition, whereas I've seen two Hilux's listed for sale in in the last five years.
This is my truck! He's a 79' Datsun 620. He has 60,000 original miles and was the faithful truck of the Vancouver, WA fire marshall until he passed away. I have to say I don't love the bumper either but I can't seem to get rid of it. This is the best truck ever and I have lovingly named him Jerry!
Hey, Anonymous owner. Nice truck! I love it. As for the step bumper, my friends and I all had them on our trucks along with trailer balls, and we used them. A lot of the time, I used mine to put my foot up on so I could rest my elbow on my knee while I drank a beer and visited with my friends. Can't do that with today's trucks. Their bumpers are almost elbow high. We also used to lean against the bed sides, resting our arms on the tops. Hell, I can't even get my chin up there now. It's just not the same. I made the following comments on the 1976 King Cab DeLuxe(10/2011): I wanted one of these when they were new, and more so, the stretch bed pickup. I thought the longer pickups were sleek looking and I liked the mini pickup idea. I have never owned one, so I can't speak to their reliability. But imo, Datsun had all the others, including Toyota, beat hands down in styling. Over time, the small truck idea disappeared here in the U.S. and these trucks grew in size until some, like Ford's 4X4 Ranger, got poorer fuel economy than the F-Series trucks. I ended up buying a well used F100 in 1984, and have owned F-Series Fords ever since. Today, I'd love to own a Datsun stretch bed pickup of this vintage. I still think they're beautiful. Who knows?
hey grumpy cat, just asking....why are all the other trucks you referenced not showing with a search for 'datsun'? they open with your link but dont show if using the search.
Great info! I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have amp research bedstep
Best of OPC. 
15 comments:
i guess that little window qualifies this as a "king cab," although it lacked the badging you usually see.
also not crazy about the aftermarket bumper, but it's tough to find an example without one.
i'd be hard-pressed turn down one of these if someone offered to trade me one for my '70 hilux.
Seems like the rear bumpers were frequently a dealer-specific option in this era, particularly on the Japanese trucklets. There are a bunch of '68-72(ish) Chevy/GMCs in the Seattle area sporting rear bumpers with the dealer name stamped or cut into non-factory bumpers. They weren't uncommon in New England either, until they died off due to rust.
Great "extra-cab", as long as the only things you intend to put back there are chihuahuas.
You're right Don. But it's still nice to see one of these trucks in such fine condition.
In the Midwest, they called them Li'l Hustlers. A friend of mine owned one in '75.
They were great little trucks--so long as Justin's tinworms didn't get them!
Malaise beige with yellow and orange 70's as hell pinstriping...would drive this in a heartbeat.
Joel Rifkin was arrested driving one of these with a dead hooker in the back. I wonder what happened to it?
According to Wikipedia it was a "Mazda pickup", so it was probably a B-series.
for some reason every time i see a survivor datsun/mazda/yota pickup, it has approximately 24 inches of unadulterated diamond plate extending from under the tailgate. were people really THAT worried about getting rear-ended that they were willing to add another 50% of the total weight to their truck? maybe they just wanted to use it as a convenient place to sit and sip a Pabst while bitching about their wife/job.
s-hammer, i share your bewilderment, although if i want a place to sip and sit, nothing beats the tailgate itself. it pleases me greatly to hyperlink to my own bumperless hilux once again and to share this anecdote: a sixteen-year-old in a saturn actually rear-ended my truck while it was parked. it broke my left taillight lens and ruined his hood, but my sheet metal was pretty much unphased. too bad that replacement taillights are no longer available, but i just re-wrap it in transparent red tape every so often and count myself lucky.
These are incredible in person, but you'd be a fool to take one of these over an early '70s Hilux. If you CL Datsuns in Seattle, you'll find a surprising amount for sale, some even in decent condition, whereas I've seen two Hilux's listed for sale in in the last five years.
This is my truck! He's a 79' Datsun 620. He has 60,000 original miles and was the faithful truck of the Vancouver, WA fire marshall until he passed away. I have to say I don't love the bumper either but I can't seem to get rid of it. This is the best truck ever and I have lovingly named him Jerry!
give jerry our love, anon. i've updated the title of the post.
Hey, Anonymous owner. Nice truck! I love it. As for the step bumper, my friends and I all had them on our trucks along with trailer balls, and we used them. A lot of the time, I used mine to put my foot up on so I could rest my elbow on my knee while I drank a beer and visited with my friends. Can't do that with today's trucks. Their bumpers are almost elbow high. We also used to lean against the bed sides, resting our arms on the tops. Hell, I can't even get my chin up there now. It's just not the same. I made the following comments on the 1976 King Cab DeLuxe(10/2011): I wanted one of these when they were new, and more so, the stretch bed pickup. I thought the longer pickups were sleek looking and I liked the mini pickup idea. I have never owned one, so I can't speak to their reliability. But imo, Datsun had all the others, including Toyota, beat hands down in styling. Over time, the small truck idea disappeared here in the U.S. and these trucks grew in size until some, like Ford's 4X4 Ranger, got poorer fuel economy than the F-Series trucks. I ended up buying a well used F100 in 1984, and have owned F-Series Fords ever since. Today, I'd love to own a Datsun stretch bed pickup of this vintage. I still think they're beautiful. Who knows?
hey grumpy cat, just asking....why are all the other trucks you referenced not showing with a search for 'datsun'? they open with your link but dont show if using the search.
Great info! I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have amp research bedstep
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